Wandering Son - Recommendations

femcore says...

Both series have major similarities due to their basis on questioning what defines gender. The two titles revolve around young boys (and in Hourou Musuko, a young girl) as they find that they don't feel correct in their own skin, don't feel like they're supposed to be boys and the series documents the journies these characters embark upon in hopes of finding acceptance and happiness. 

HasseRovdjur says...

Both manga are about schoolchildren that are crossdressing and, in some cases, suffering from gender dysphoria. Both treat the subjects with more respect than is usual in media (at least in my experience). There's much focus on the character's psyches, how they interact with each other and why they choose to present as the sex they are not assigned with.

twds says...

Both contain

・consider-provoking

・heartache and seeking happiness

・struggle with their sexuality

・teenagers growth 

・cute character-design, but bitter stories

Katherine1 says...

This is another LGBT themed manga by the same author. Where Aoi Hana is focused on lesbians, Hourou Musuko is focused on transgender themes. If you enjoy one, check out the other.

NerdvanaNetwork says...

both series do a wonderful job of showing characters dealing with love, and self discovery no matter the gender. As well that love doesn't turn out the way we think. 

twds says...

Both contain

・heartache and seeking happiness

・tears and smiles

・afraid about relationship

・struggle with their sexuality

・teenagers growth 

・cute character-design, but bitter stories

・consider-provoking

HasseRovdjur says...

Both manga are about children growing into teenagers while dealing with issues like love, the onset of puberty, friendship and feeling disenfranchised or not being accepted for who you are. They're also very similar in that they feature a lot of characters, plotlines and angst. All this is told with an understated social-realist tone: there's not much in the way of melodrama or easy answers in either work.

I wholeheartedly encourage fans of either of these works to check out the other.

HasseRovdjur says...

Both manga are very similar in their subject matter and how they approach it, though they clearly differ in scope. They both feature a young boy struggling struggling and trying to come to terms with gender identity issues and it's presented in a touching and nuanced manner, and free from the fetishized aspects that are rahter common in stories such as these. Fans of either work shoud check out the other.

AirCommodore says...

Another sensitive slice-of-life series about middle schoolers who feel different from everyone around them. Wandering Son deals with trans* characters, and Translucent is about a girl with the invented 'Translucent Syndrome', which makes parts of her body (and sometimes the entire thing) go completely invisible. Both tackle issues of acceptance, feeling uncomfortable in your own body, self-esteem, and just general problems that middle school students have to deal with.

Additionally, the main characters of both have an adult role model of sorts that has already dealt with similar issues (Translucent has Keiko, who's turned completely and permanently translucent, and Wandering Son has the fully-transitioned Yuki).

The tone, pacing, and general sentiments of both series are extremely similar, so if you enjoyed one, definitely look into the other.

AirCommodore says...

Double House and Wandering Son are both low-key, character-focused manga about gender etc. Tone and such are pretty similar, and there's not many manga that cover this topic without comedy or "traps", so if you're interested in one's themes you may as well check out the other.

NerdvanaNetwork says...

Both No Bra and Hourou Musuko have extremely same topics of gender image. While Hourou Musuko take a slightly more serious approach, both mangas tell great stories of students that are trying to find themselves and trying work through the judgement of others.

BananaTofu says...

Shounen Note like Wandering Son is a beautiful and gentle examination of gender roles and how people navigate them. Both series have a beautiful subtle art style that complements the story, and a wonderful emselmble cast that help examine all aspects of this heavy subject.

HasseRovdjur says...

Both manga chronicle the growth and life of trans children, but Wandering Son takes place in a more modern, and most of all more supporting, environment, whereas Claudine...! takes place in a time and place that sadly wasn't as open-minded. It can therefore be too sensationalistic, with its themes being very novel to a lot of people. Wandering Son has that too, but not to the same extent.

Claudine...! is far more melodramatic and grim, whereas Wandering Son's length allow for more ups and downs and far more nuanced takes of its queer themes. Wandering Son is obviously less dated (but probably still dated), but both have the characters face hardships due to who they are and how they identify, and whom they love.

twds says...

Both contain

・heartache and seeking happiness

・bitter and heartwarming

・afraid about relationship

・struggle with their sexuality

・inside growth

・LGBT+ theme

・consider-provoking