Wandering Son: Volume 3

by Takako Shimura, 219 pages

Nitori's sister Maho wants to be a model so she can meet her idol, Maiko-chan, but finds her brother draws more attention than she does.  She also has a crush on a boy named Seya who has a crush on her brother, whom Seya mistakenly believes is one of her girlfriends.  Pragmatic once she gets over her initial emotional reactions, Maho settles on a surprising pair of solutions: drag her cute brother along to her audition and set him up on a "friend"-chaperoned date with her crush.

Meanwhile, the bullying at school ratchets up after Nitori and Takatsuki's exchange diary is grabbed by another student and read out loud.  The resulting uproar causes a rift between friends and makes both Nitori and Takatsuki question whether they should just give up trying to be themselves.

Maho's a little crazy, but she means well and I'm starting to like her.  She makes things complicated (as if they weren't complicated enough already), but it's not malicious and she's aware of her own faults and willing to jump up and defend her brother from anybody who doesn't respect him, just as he proves he's willing to do for her (aw, sibling bonding!).

Even as their lives get messier, Nitori and Takatsuki find new and old allies rallying to their side and picking up their spirits.

Wandering Son: Volume 2

by Shimura Takako, 221 pages

It's getting harder for Nitori and Takatsuki to keep their secret, especially for Nitori as people are less likely to question a tomboy than a boy in a dress. But even when he's dressed like a boy, he can't hide that he's different. While on a school trip to a famous shrine, Nitori has his first real experience with bullying about his feminine looks and personality and is surprised when Chiba comes so vehemently to his defense all Anne-of-Green-Gables style.

Go, Chiba! I worry so for these children and the scary, difficult way ahead of them, but at least they have each other and the love and support of more and more friends and family all the time.

Wandering Son: Volume 1

by Takako Shimura, 203 pages

What do you do when you suspect you were born in the wrong body? Fifth-graders Nitori and Takatsuki find they share the same secret--each wishes they were the other's gender. With one another's encouragement and a little nudge from a mutual friend, they begin the process of self-discovery, comforted that they are not alone in their predicament. But acknowledging to themselves and each other what they truly feel is not the same as opening up to their families, friends, teachers, and the rest of the world. Will they ever be able to be themselves?

Although the characters are rather difficult to distinguish from one another until you get to know them, and scene-change queues don't always register right away, this well-written, simply-drawn story deals with the confusion and pressures of its adolescent principals gently and thoughtfully. Puberty is awkward enough without their added complications, and the reader readily wishes these youngsters happiness and acceptance, though the journey will surely be long and far from easy.

Wandering Son was recognized as a recommended work by the 2006 Japan Media Arts Festival judges and was nominated for YALSA's 2012 "Great Graphic Novels for Teens" list.