Art by Shirimochi.
I am writing this in response to Scamp’s impressions of the first episode of Wandering Son (AKA Hourou Musuko), though it also stands alone. I shall copy the most relevant lines here to begin.
“Even the animation style feels like the artists are afraid of putting too much weight into the drawings, which leaves some of the character designs with these odd gaps in their heads where the artist was almost too afraid to touch the page with his digital brush in fear the design might come off to harsh. The dialogue is simplified to the extreme, using incredibly simple phrasing to convey highly complex emotions.”
“They’re also desperate to point out that this is a drama and hard hitting stuff will come along. It’s not hard hitting though, is it guys? Come on. It will be as hard hitting as a styrofoam.”
Sure, Wandering Son is being gentle, it’s being soft, and it’s…a very calm viewing experience. But I also think that this sort of storytelling is just as acceptable as hitting a story hard, whether it’s about hard hitting topics or not.
Should a story about the insecurities of middle school children really be hit hard and fast, fully and clearly fleshed out, filled with strong dialogue and plenty of sureness? Should it even address the topics directly? Full on?
I don’t think so. They’re newly in middle school. They’re trying to figure out their attraction to crossdressing. They’re going to come up against (and do come up against) the question of whether it’s wrong or not. They’re criticized by some and encouraged by others (which, frankly, surprised me). They have no idea what is going to happen, and they have no idea how they even feel about it. Of course they don’t. Why should they? They’re young, and society doesn’t feel the same way.
Art by Yoshida Mitsuko.
I think the narrative style suits that sort of confusion well. The story is told lightly, as the children probably even consider the concepts lightly in their minds. It’s not made into a huge deal, but it’s also quite clearly displayed.
Just as, in their heads, it’s a very clear aspect of their lives, but it’s also not what they can look at on a regular basis as a large issue. Or as something to focus on every moment. Or even as something to face head on.
The question of LGBTQ and the way society looks at it is not something middle school students can fully analyze on their own at that age. They can explore it, they can experience it and try to reason through it, and they can feel the impact of society and what it does and does not accept.
But they’re middle school students, and they have a lot to learn. They are not sure of themselves. They match the writing perfectly from this angle, and I loved watching things unfold slowly the way they did because of this.
Whether it will continue to stay this way as the show goes on, and whether it will be able to reflect the characters’ thoughts as the series continues and probably changes, I do not know. But at this point, I think the show has succeeded in this aspect.
Art by Meno.
And since the show is taking on these topics, and it is trying to handle them seriously, I don’t think you can knock it for treading more lightly that it might normally. In this era of anime where serious topics get turned into jokes or mentioned in passing, a show that takes these on and even addresses them from the viewpoint of children needs to handle it seriously, but since they are children, it should also be gentle.
Because aside from our usual anime children with overflowing confidence, big dreams they are always chasing, and…whatever other traits they’re boldly being handed, confused kids are gentle.
Or they beat people up, but that’s not quite in with the Wandering Son style.
On a related note: why does everyone seem to think this anime needs to be humorous? Or that all anime needs to be humorous? It doesn’t joke, so it’s not good? It’s one episode in, it’s introducing its story, and you’re calling it out for not amusing you enough?
Oh my.
—
Not that the show is perfect or anything, but it had an excellent first episode, and I find the complaints against it to be somewhat frivolous. People being biased against the style?
Well, I love it. The rest of you can walk along: this narrative style is beautiful.
If you can’t keep focused on it for 20 minutes without wishing for humor or something to break the narrative, that’s sad for you, and I hope you can recover from this unfortunate illness of the attention span.
—
26 comments
January 13, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Hourou Musuko Impressions: Reflections Upon An Adolescent Mind - [Major Arcana]
[...] once lived through and overcame the challenges of this period, it is true beauty indeed~ (and Meffy agrees too [...]
January 13, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Aorii
I’m just sooooooooo glad you also noticed this xD yay comrades to gang up on Scamp with~!
That being said, I do wonder how they will develop the characters’ thoughts; unlike other series, these are topics they would just easily talk about. The manga relied extremely heavily on internal dialogue and it doesn’t seem like they’re taking that route here— guess have to wait and see ^o^
January 13, 2011 at 8:57 pm
mefloraine
Don’t we always gang up on Scamp? That egotistical fiend, etc!
I feel like we’ll have to guess by small actions. I have no idea if I’m right, but it seems likely that the anime will keep us interested by revealing through action? I hope so, anyway.
January 13, 2011 at 8:49 pm
Elineas
It feels like people don’t really know what they want from this show. I see some people complain it’s afraid to be serious ala Scamp’s “hard hitting” post. And then we get those who go “where’s the entertainment? y so srs” because heaven forbid, there isn’t a joke to latch on to. What happened to deliberate unfolding drama that quietly runs its course? It’s as if we’ve been indoctrinated into expecting exaggerated events that fall firmly on either side of the scale in order to be emotionally moved. And that’s sad.
Beyond these frivolous nitpicks that the narrative didn’t go exactly as people wanted it to, the only legitimate criticism I’ve seen is that there isn’t an obviously presented conflict, but even that is a little absurd. Do these children look to be without problems to you?
January 13, 2011 at 9:03 pm
mefloraine
I don’t think the anime is being too serious. Nor do I think it is too light. I think it’s not intending to be either: it’s just telling the story.
And I think the same as you about this. Since when do we require exaggeration to enjoy anime? To enjoy anything? Since when do we need an anime to try to keep our attention with more than its story? Why can’t it just be the way it is? So sad.
No obviously presented conflict? What? The first conflict is presented in the children vs. their classmates. At the new school, not everyone is as connected as they were at their old school. The kids from the same school are sticking together, but everyone else is going to be confused, right? And lash out?
And then: sister vs. brother.
And finally: internal conflict. Have people forgotten that this exists? It’s one of the most powerful types of conflict, and it’s going to show up in this anime. It has to.
So that complaint makes no sense to me at all.
January 13, 2011 at 9:07 pm
Raph
I don’t think this is the kind of thing that needs to have additional drama injected into it. I think the subject matter is dramatic enough; I mean, there’s an immense amount of drama that comes from dealing with one’s identity. In any case, in this first episode alone, we saw that the two leads’ friendship had been strained (albeit temporarily). That alone was something hard enough, I felt. The two characters are going through things that are complex and difficult to deal with. Surely each deserves to have the other to support them?
Indeed, surely other friendships will be broken, other relationships will be strained; surely the two will face more difficulty along the road. I think it’s important to have a good deal of lightness, some “fluffiness” to balance that out… and I think it’s important to show that these kids aren’t alone.
(Oh, I loved it. Just to make that clear, haha.)
January 13, 2011 at 9:13 pm
mefloraine
Can you imagine if this show was dark, tough, oppressive, and honestly negative in artstyle as well? How depressing that would be to watch?
Oh, my friend and I are arguing, and look, everything is dark. Surely it’ll never get better. :T
There is definitely enough drama and conflict in the story even by only what is presented thus far. How can people claim otherwise? And yes, of course they should support each other. I look forward most to seeing how their relationship improves again.
I feel like part of the message should certainly end up being that the kids are not alone. I can’t see it any other way.
January 13, 2011 at 9:58 pm
adaywithoutme
Your post! It says exactly what I was trying to say when I commented on Aorii’s post on the matter.
Ok, yeah, now I’m skyping with everyone, so I’ll finish this comment later…
January 13, 2011 at 10:13 pm
mefloraine
Muahaha, the mef strikes!
Okay, you finish it whenever, and I’ll answer later. ;3
January 13, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Justin
I actually liked the animation. To me it feels different and fresh to me. There were some pacing parts in the ep where I felt like I didn’t understand, but overall I liked it. I’m looking forward to the next coming eps.
January 14, 2011 at 4:00 pm
mefloraine
I also liked it. :d
Don’t think I was confused on anything either, so I wonder which part tripped you up.
January 14, 2011 at 1:33 am
Hourou Musuko – episode 1 | Higanzakura
[...] Poor Landon got caught up in a fight because he talked about his fetish like usual onna wa kowaii yo ne~ /says in Konata’s voice. [...]
January 14, 2011 at 10:25 am
lvlln
“If you can’t keep focused on it for 20 minutes without wishing for humor or something to break the narrative, that’s sad for you, and I hope you can recover from this unfortunate illness of the attention span.”
Beautifully put. While too much seriousness can be overbearing, that’s not what Wandering Son does. What it is is ambitiously itself: a calm look at transgender issues shown through the stories of these characters. It makes no concessions to common anime tropes. It has its own goal and way of going about it.
Now, I can’t say the 1st episode was amazing or anything, with the narrative too hectic due to the too quick introduction of characters and relationships, but I can’t fault it for trying what it does. Anime needs shows like this and The Tatami Galaxy that actually tell human stories instead of the fantastical.
January 14, 2011 at 4:02 pm
mefloraine
Yeah. I wonder if we’ve gotten so accustomed to otaku-pandering anime that we can’t even stand anime that doesn’t do that anymore, haha.
I wouldn’t say it was amazing either, but it was not, as far as I could see, flawed in the ways that these other bloggers seemed to think. It was very rushed in some parts, and it was also a little slow in others. But that certainly doesn’t make it a bad episode.
January 14, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Denpapopcorn
Awesome post Mef. Not every show needs comedic relief. Especially if you don’t want to distract too much from the issue at hand.
The first episode was, plainly put, beautiful. It had my attention 100%. I’ve really noticed this season those shows that can hold my attention and those that can’t and the quiet, gentle, but also powerful story had me rapt through the first episode.
January 14, 2011 at 9:06 pm
mefloraine
Indeed. It amuses me most that people seem to think they do when I look at, say, movies now. Drama and no humor isn’t uncommon. And some of the best movies are like that.
And movies last a lot longer than anime episodes…yet people don’t complain about serious drama and no comic relief in movies.
I felt the same. I’m already hoping that it continues to be this excellent, because if it does, it’s likely to become a real favorite of mine.
I love gentle storytelling (this is how I like to write my own things, too), and this is a wonderful example of it.
January 14, 2011 at 11:02 pm
Landon
“And movies last a lot longer than anime episodes…yet people don’t complain about serious drama and no comic relief in movies.”
Actually, I did exactly that in the post of mine that you linked. In fact, I think I spent more of my post talking about movies than I did Wandering Son.
January 14, 2011 at 11:10 pm
mefloraine
Well, I mean on a general level.
I still argue with your point there anyway. A movie, an episode: both can be good without requiring humor.
January 15, 2011 at 5:07 am
Dez691
First I’ll say I agree with most of what you wrote. It was a good episode, and in Japan this is probably the only way to approach a topic as taboo as this one.
I would say that the people who complain about this can’t really relate to it. They’ve probably never felt insecure about something as serious as this, and therefore have no frame of reference against which to judge this first episode. They can’t predict the path it will take, so they just can’t see this going anywhere. I personally can’t relate to it, and consequently can’t see it going anywhere, but I liked a lot of stuff that went nowhere, and a lot of stuff that seemed like it was going nowhere but eventually did(Aria!), so I’ll keep watching.
What I’m afraid of is that the show will just try to hide these issues with a blanket of softness and fluffiness. I’m afraid that any possible drama will be nullified by the atmosphere, we’ll be told that everything will be alright and everyone will live happily ever after. Everything will not be alright, sometimes you need to address something directly to have any significant effect. This just seems very unlikely to happen with this anime, and it’s a shame because I would very much like to see it.
PS.: You say this approach is right because they are kids, but kids are probably the biggest assholes around. They’re not innocent and easy to break as many seem to think, they’re exactly the opposite. They hold grudges, hate, and they will screw with your life in every way possible to them. So while it may work for the insecure kids, it won’t be very realistic with respect to most others.
January 15, 2011 at 7:18 am
mefloraine
Hm, I guess I’ve never thought of the not relating to this anime as…not relating to insecurity in general. But it makes sense this way.
I feel like there will likely be conflict related to the crossdressing in this anime…but yeah, it’ll probably be resolved with an “it’s going to work out in the end.” But maybe not! Maybe we should ask someone reading the mange. ;3
PS. Yeah, but these are the insecure kids, so it does work.
And it’s not like I don’t know what I am talking about…I have been the insecure kid. We can be easy to break. :d
And like I said, there’s the type of insecure kid who’ll end up bullying you later, and there is the type that retreats into their shell. And I just think these kids are the latter.
January 16, 2011 at 6:01 am
altereggo
Well, Chiba solves her issues with violence, at least!
Although maybe not “solves” as much as “compounds”…
January 16, 2011 at 10:43 am
mefloraine
Violence is the answer to everything.
If violence doesn’t work, you’re simply not using enough violence. :D
January 16, 2011 at 3:14 pm
Shinmaru
“It’s not made into a huge deal, but it’s also quite clearly displayed.”
That’s the feeling I got from the episode too. After finally watching it, I can’t quite understand a couple of responses I saw asking where the conflict is … I mean, it’s pretty clear where the conflict is on Shuichi’s side from where I stand (and there are hints for other kids too). The lightness of tone doesn’t really obscure the conflict, I think; I agree with you in that it really aids the whole confusion aspect of everything. There’s a lot of beauty on the surface, but the emotional turbulence underneath intensifies that beauty and turns it into something else. I dunno, I’m just a sucker for that style of presentation, both in anime and live action stuff, haha.
January 16, 2011 at 3:36 pm
mefloraine
I’m a sucker for it in regular writing too, hehe.
I think just that presentation style is beautiful.
But yeah…where’s the conflict? In nearly every scene. :T
January 21, 2011 at 8:40 am
Martin
The whole approach to this show is tender, gentle and has a soft watercolour aesthetic like some sort of rose-tinted childhood memory. I’d say it’s very Shinkai-esque actually, and for that I love it. Humour, fights and whatnot just wouldn’t feel right; it’s doing fine without them. Scamp’s take on the ‘soft touch’ sounds kinda poetic actually…the style doesn’t attach any brashness or gender identity…the story drifts lightly and…androgynously? I reckon they got it just right.
January 22, 2011 at 1:22 am
mefloraine
It does sound poetic. Though it has a bit of a sting to it, hehe.
I think the style is just right as well. You don’t have to do something forceful to get a point across.