Friendship and siblings are hard indeed. Shu and Yoshino got into “silent” mode, because some boys read their shared diary, and now they were objects of bullying. Maho, Shu’s sister, forced Shu to have a date with her classmate, Seya because that boy apparently liked Shu (because they were cute). Their relationship was getting more tangled with slice-of-life drama that makes readers (at least me) symphatize but also angry with some of the characters.

Nonetheless, I still like the calm and warm stories, and how the characters respond to each other in a very realistic way. I like Mako-chan, Shu’s classmate who also liked to wear dress and supported Shu. Mako’s appearance makes me wonder how Shu and Yoshino’s relationship would be like. I think the idea that an elementary kid can make a new friend despite school and peers hardship is always nice. It reminds us that the world does not completely against us. This corner of safe space, where Shu can be themselves, without the burden of defining friendship as long as they can be kind and nice is seemingly enough.

Buuuuut, I’m still uneasy with Yuki who touched Yoshino too much (although they then apologized and comforted Yoshino).

From three volumes so far, I enjoy Wandering Son so much. I reserve myself for nor reading all of them in one go. Reading it slowly helps me think better about the ways all the characters deal with their role. We can categorize the theme as a struggle with gender and sexuality, but the quotidian aspect of this theme makes the story stronger. It makes us recall our childhood–how did we deal with this kind of stuff? How wondrous kids’ ignorant yet unassuming view.