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layout: post
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title: 'Wandering Son Reflections: Episode 1 - "Onna no Kotte, Nande Dekiteru?"'
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date: '2011-12-12T09:00:00.000-05:00'
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author: Anna Wiggins
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tags:
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- Wandering Son
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- Media
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- Hōrō Musuko
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- transgender
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modified_time: '2013-10-22T11:19:51.812-04:00'
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blogger_id: tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209116010564764361.post-9072831119461404027
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blogger_orig_url: http://www.stringofbits.net/2011/12/wandering-son-reflections-episode-1-no.html
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---
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<em>This was originally posted in February of 2011 <a href="http://annabunches.stringofbits.net/post/2929744965/hourou-musuko-episode-1">here</a>. It has been updated substantially here.</em><br/><br/><strong>Spoiler Warning, and possible Trigger Warning for description of internalized transphobia</strong><br/><br/>After watching the first two episodes of Hōrō Musuko (放浪息子, “Wandering Son”), I have decided to start a running review/commentary of the series here. This post will review the first episode. You can watch the episode online at <a href="http://www.crunchyroll.com/wandering-son">crunchryroll</a>, and I highly recommend watching the episodes before reading the review, because otherwise you're likely to be a bit lost. They're about 22 minutes each.<br/><br/>First, personal background - I’ve long been a fan of anime. However, my understanding of the nuances of Japanese culture is somewhat lacking. I am white. I am native to the US. So, while I will try to avoid ethnocentric creep, there may be some in these reviews. If anyone sees problematic spots and wants to point them out to me, I will be most appreciative.<br/><br/>I am also a trans woman, currently in the midst of transition <em>(edit: I completed transitioning socially in April 2011)</em>. So, this story is very relevant to my interests, and I am particularly interested in the way that gender variance is presented.<br/><br/>A note on pronouns: I am defaulting to masculine pronouns for Shūichi and feminine pronouns for Yoshino. The characters themselves, as they are still struggling with their identities, probably still associate with these pronouns (it has not come up so far). At any rate, the characters in the show consistently give them these pronouns, so it is also a concession for ease of mapping the review to the story.<br/><br/>The title of the episode, "Onna no Kotte, Nande Dekiteru?", translates to "What are little girls made of?" So, right from the beginning, we're not pulling any punches. The title echoes the struggle with identity in the face of gender essentialist preconceptions that I (and, I am certain, many other trans people) have to deal with both internally and from others. What is gender? What does it mean to be a boy or a girl? The series jumps straight into these questions with very little build-up.<br/><br/>The episode opens with a voiceover from a character we will shortly know as Nitori Shūichi*, who delivers the title line. This line will be repeated several times throughout the episode at introspective moments. We then move on to a scene with a still camera pointed at Shūichi, while he shifts uncomfortably in his seat and describes the discomfort he feels in his new school uniform. He is clearly trying to look happy, even though he is out of sorts. This is all delivered over a haunting, melancholy piano piece.<br/><br/>At the beginning of the episode, we have powerful, evocative storytelling. Visually, this is very compelling, and the narration is characterization at its best; I am already getting a strong sense of who this person is, and I am starting to empathize deeply with him. The music is stirring, and precisely on-point for the emotions the show is trying to evoke. It underscores the fact that this character (and, subsequently, all of these characters) are less happy than they are trying to seem.<br/><br/>The next sequence felt a bit jumbled to me the first time I watched it. We are introduced to most of the characters as they head to their first day of school (6th grade for most of the characters). Even before we have enough exposure with the characters to identify them readily, we establish that most of these characters already have relationships with each other. The show gives us the feeling that we’ve been dropped right into the middle of their lives with no exposition. Which, of course, is exactly what has happened, both diegetically and in a production sense (more on that in a moment). Several past events are alluded to, including a close friendship between Shūichi, Takatsuki Yoshino, and Chiba Sa
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