(L) Hourou Musuko

[Solace]

I'm not sure Anna will be the one...something tells me things will circle back to Takatsuki or Saorin near the end.

On a side note, am I the only one getting very irritated with these month long waits for 16 pages? The story is just not going anywhere at this rate.

[John Smith]

Maho and Shuu still share a room. Their mom said it best, "where is this new room going to come from?".

There is this, Aoi Hana and the new webcomic so it's not like she isn't juggling a few projects. Not saying I like it but it is understandable. And maybe she doesn't know how to integrate all the characters into the story yet?

Spoiler for 101:

Because so far all the storylines have been completely divergent. She still has the option to make it all come back together at some point but if she wants to do that it will be tricky.

I think the Takatsuki and Chiba ships have come and gone. Depending how long chronologically this lasts I just can't see it. He hasn't even met up with them after high school (new school + 2 clubs + work + gf makes it understandable). Granted, it's only been ~5 chapters since high school started. But I think getting separated into different schools was the nail in the coffin.

[John Smith]

Spoiler for 102:

Best chapter in a while? Well it's 24 pages in length in any case.

First scene was cute made me chuckle.

OkaxMomo has been hinted at but I've never thought of ChixDoi before (although it won't happen). Ignoring random shipping thoughts I never thought this group was so close.

Sasa is adorable and refreshing. Hope she gets some more panel time. Miss her the most out of the supporting cast.

So they "split" their room in two.

Not sure what to think about glasses girl. She's not a bad person but her curiosity combined with Shuu's naivety could lead to trouble.

[frubam]

Spoiler for 102:

Any idea if that crossdresser in the end was someone Shuu knew? Or was Shuu's stare simply an "I am amazed he can be so open about it" look? Anyway, I thought it was unrealistic for a crossdresser to appear so suddenly at that time. Such 'coincidences' haven't usually been happening that I can remember. I can't say I'm disappointed or anything. I just wanted to point that out =03.

Originally Posted by John Smith

Spoiler for 102:

OkaxMomo has been hinted at but I've never thought of ChixDoi before (although it won't happen). Ignoring random shipping thoughts I never thought this group was so close.

Sasa is adorable and refreshing. Hope she gets some more panel time. Miss her the most out of the supporting cast.

Not sure what to think about glasses girl. She's not a bad person but her curiosity combined with Shuu's naivety could lead to trouble.

Spoiler for 102:

I dunno, lots of times everyone seemed like they were on a different page from each other. Still, they did many activities together, so they were always connected in some way with each other. Looking at it from your perspective, there could have been some kind of "convince friend to come with me to meet the boy/girl I like" kinda thing going on behind the scenes. Just those four getting together does seem kinda odd.

Sasa is indeed adorable =03. I've never thought of her as being cute or anything(physically), but she's sure growing up to be a charming lady. I'd like to disagree with Shuu in that she seems more mature though; she has always been like that from the beginning imo. Still, I didn't see the need for her to ask Shuu whether or not she can tell Yoshino that they met, considering she didn't ask permission to tell Momo/Chizuru about Saorin dating someone.

She doesn't seem like the type who would proclaim to the world about Shuu's crossdressing. I will say that this feeling has mostly to do with the 'glasses girl' stereotype, but a bit of it is based on her interaction with Shuu this chapter. Well, it could lead to something bad if it's one of those cell phone novels, and somehow finds out he's dating a professional, popular model(Anna), esp if she uses real names. I don't think it'll be any direct trouble, say like, her brazenly pursuing Shuu and trying to cause intentional drama for the sake of her novel(though I have seen this in other manga with excellent results =03).

[vansonbee]

Spoiler for 102:

What a big development, Nitori secret might be discovered! Oh wait, been there, done that!

The real development, is the end of the chapter, where Nitori saw a man, who dress up in a dress/wig and his daughter called him "daddy" normally, I bet he wants something like that

[Guardian Enzo]

Spoiler for Half Knowledge:

I don't see Minamoto as a bad person out to cause trouble, but I think she can be a major factor in moving the story forward. That question she casually asked - "Oh, and do you like men?" has always been a sort of elephant in the room with this story.

In a sense - and this is symbolized by the uniform situation at the café - Nitorin has been living a sort of double life. He's avoided making the big decisions about his future (which is perfectly fine, as he still basically a child) but Minamoto might just be the sort of impetus he needs to ask himself the hard questions. He doesn't really know her - he can tell her things he'd be too embarrassed to tell his close friends or his sister.

It isn't just a "do you like men?" issue, and in fact Nitorin (unlike Mako-chan) has never expressed any romantic interest in boys, only girls. It's more of an issue of what kind of life he sees himself living as an adult, and of course Takako-sensei had to throw the cross-dressing Daddy in there at the end to really drive the point home...

[Guardian Enzo]

Spoiler for Mii-tan's Father:

Another very interesting chapter. Mii-tan's Dad had the most compelling line - "I can't keep going like this - society would never accept it. Maybe if I were as young and cute as you..." Of course, he speaks to Nitorin's worst fears right there. We don't know much about him, but looks like he's going to be around a while - he works at the bank Nitorin's café uses. No doubt Nitorin will run into him there, maybe in his waitress dress. Should be an interesting conversation there.

Speaking of which, I can't wait to hear Anna, Takatsuki, Chiba and Sasa getting together - something tells me a lot of that talk will be about Nitorin. It feels like forever since we've seen Takatsuki, and she's taller and cuter than ever - and has been asked to be a model. Hmmm...

[frubam]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Spoiler for Mii-tan's Father:

Another very interesting chapter. Mii-tan's Dad had the most compelling line - "I can't keep going like this - society would never accept it. Maybe if I were as young and cute as you..." Of course, he speaks to Nitorin's worst fears right there. We don't know much about him, but looks like he's going to be around a while - he works at the bank Nitorin's café uses. No doubt Nitorin will run into him there, maybe in his waitress dress. Should be an interesting conversation there.

Speaking of which, I can't wait to hear Anna, Takatsuki, Chiba and Sasa getting together - something tells me a lot of that talk will be about Nitorin. It feels like forever since we've seen Takatsuki, and she's taller and cuter than ever - and has been asked to be a model. Hmmm...

Spoiler for 103:

I don't think he was speaking to Shuu, but was inner monologue when he said that; but nonetheless, it really hit home. Up til now, we've only one side of the fence with Shuu and Yuki, because naturally, they look beautiful when dressed up as a girl/woman; so much that people who don't know them believe that they are female. It's interesting to see the perspective from someone like Mii-tan's father who doesn't have that natural beauty. I imagine that this is also the insecurities that Makoto faces with his crossdressing, even though he hasn't really done it in public yet.

Seeing the girls get back together is certainly going to be nice =03. Last time, things were... a bit tense, to say the least , though it was still very enjoyable. I don't think Shuu is going to permeate the convo though, since, unlike back then, the girls has seemingly moved on from him, so I think it'll be more friendly this time. I feel that when they meet, it is subtly going to cement the fact that the girls(Yoshino/Saorin) have moved on from him and thus nudging the prospect of a Yoshino/Saorin yuri pairing, or start the beginning of re-blossoming any old feelings they might have had for him(though Yoshino's 're-blossoming' feelings is more like [crossdressing] companionship).

Yoshino certainly looks cuter, ever since she grew her hair out. That short-bob hairstyle was horrible on her as a girl(though quite fitting as a boy). Saorin is still the most beautiful though .

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by frubam

Spoiler for 103:

I don't think he was speaking to Shuu, but was inner monologue when he said that; but nonetheless, it really hit home. Up til now, we've only one side of the fence with Shuu and Yuki, because naturally, they look beautiful when dressed up as a girl/woman; so much that people who don't know them believe that they are female. It's interesting to see the perspective from someone like Mii-tan's father who doesn't have that natural beauty. I imagine that this is also the insecurities that Makoto faces with his crossdressing, even though he hasn't really done it in public yet.

Seeing the girls get back together is certainly going to be nice =03. Last time, things were... a bit tense, to say the least , though it was still very enjoyable. I don't think Shuu is going to permeate the convo though, since, unlike back then, the girls has seemingly moved on from him, so I think it'll be more friendly this time. I feel that when they meet, it is subtly going to cement the fact that the girls(Yoshino/Saorin) have moved on from him and thus nudging the prospect of a Yoshino/Saorin yuri pairing, or start the beginning of re-blossoming any old feelings they might have had for him(though Yoshino's 're-blossoming' feelings is more like [crossdressing] companionship).

Yoshino certainly looks cuter, ever since she grew her hair out. That short-bob hairstyle was horrible on her as a girl(though quite fitting as a boy). Saorin is still the most beautiful though .

Spoiler for 103:

I don't think Mii-tan's father was speaking directly about Shu, but he inadvertently addressed exactly what Shu has to be most worried about. Shu is what, 15 by now? If he really wants to keep cross-dressing he's going to have to start shaving his legs, all sorts of messy and involved stuff like that. Mii-tan's Dad isn't trying to pass - he's simply dressing as a woman with the full knowledge that people will see him as a cross-dressing man. With Shu, when he cross-dresses people still see a cute girl, but that's not going to be so easy anymore and he needs to decide just what he wants to be, and how he wants to be seen.

I dunno, I don't see Yoshino-Saorin - I think that's projection on the part of readers who want it, but I could be wrong. As far as I can tell both of them are interested in boys, and there's no tangible evidence to the contrary. As to whether they're "over" Shu or not, that's one of those things it would be interesting to find out in that upcoming conversation. I just feel like he's been such a huge factor in their lives, and he's basically the one thing all of them have in common, so he's naturally going to be a topic of conversation...

[John Smith]

Spoiler for 103:

TakatsukixChiba is probably not happening but it's not that crazy. As ambivalent as I am to the FumiyaxChiba pairing she has such a hard time opening up to anyone (boys even moreso) that it will probably stick. If she does end up with someone else what other options are there?

Doesn't Chiba want to be a makeup artist or something? If Takatsuki does become a model they might work together in the future (the manga will probably end before that point though).

This is the first reunion since high school started so I'm sure they have plenty to talk about besides Shuu. Although, I suppose if modeling gets brought up and Anna happens to have an old picture stored in her phone... but I don't see him being a topic per se (until he goes to the washroom).

I did not realize the guy worked at the bank glad someone pointed it out. I was wondering what the significance of the ending segment was.

[John Smith]

Spoiler for 104:

Whatever happened to the karaoke session? (Maybe next chapter. Probably wishful thinking.)

I knew Shuu wasn't as close to everyone but I didn't think the situation was "if a call comes it's almost certainly from Anna". Well, that might just be during late hours.

I feel the same way about this chapter as I did when Aoi Hana focused on Kyoko except moreso. I'd rather the story focus on the main characters.

[vansonbee]

I love chapter 104.

The daughter is so cute and I like how the father express and talked about the outcome of continuing to be a cross dresser. He is denying himself, but he might sacrifice these for his daughter.

The new wife seem unstable, but she is nice.

[tezu]

Chapter 105 looks very promising, especially on the Takatsuki front.

Spoiler:

The long-awaited reunion finally takes place at a karaoke bar with Sasa-chan, Takatsuki, Chiba, Anna, Shu, Mako and Momo.
Shu declines the interview offer and reveals the truth about his parttime job to his friends. He also opens up a little more to Anna and tells her how Takatsuki and Chiba more or less introduced him to female clothing.

But here comes the most interesting part in my opinion: Takatsuki begins to question her desire to dress like a boy. She recalls Chiba's words ("I don't think you want to be a boy, it's just that you don't want to be a girl") and skims through a fashion magazine with female models in it. She thinks that they look cool.

I'm sort of starting to think that maybe Shimura will choose two different paths for Shuu and Takatsuki. Shuu is fairly certain about his desire to be female and I think he will follow this path till the end. Takatsuki will probably find a different solution and I'm looking forward to that!

[Guardian Enzo]

Spoiler for 106:

Whoa - things definitely heating up with Shuu and Anna...

[MeoTwister5]

106:

OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH YEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH the sweet heat of the adolescent drive.

It's great how the manga is more than willing to deal with everything and not pussyfoot around them. It may not be an inevitability, but you can never claim to be an adolescent if such ideas and situations have never entered your mind.

[vansonbee]

Spoiler for 107:

It seem like Takatsuki is getting interested in being a girl more than a boy. I wonder how this is gonna fair for Anna who is Nitori current GF and buddies with Takatsuki...

[Guardian Enzo]

Spoiler for 108 - Dizzy Girl:

Amazing chapter this time. It feels as if it's a last hurrah for a lot of things - maybe even Nitorin and Takatsuki cross-dressing (the symbolism with Ebina-san was pretty thick). In any case it was wonderful to see a chapter focused on the big four, and especially on Nitorin and Takatsuki whose relationship is Hourou Musuko at its purest. It's truly a beautiful thing - beyond romance or friendship (though those are part of it) but true soulmates whose connection is built around unconditional acceptance of the other.

[Sound of Azure]

Spoiler for Chapter 109:

I thought it was pretty interesting getting a little look into Nitori's mother's point of view. Seeing how your child is growing up can be incredibly emotional for a parent, after all.

Volume 13 going on sale in Japan today.

Also, Hourou Musuko and Aoi Hana scans within a couple of days of each other? Awesome.

[Claies]

Man, I've been rereading from the beginning. Reading chapter 108 really strikes me how far Saorin has come. Within that chapter alone she has shown more emotion than she probably did for an entire arc before.

Good, good, now more of that Shuu x Anna please.

[John Smith]

Spoiler for 110:

I don't think anyone can miss the parallel between Takatsuki's reaction when she got "hit on" by Yuki and this time.

The contrast between when Anna and Chiba praised Takatsuki's looks reminded me that Chiba did and still does hate herself the most out of the cast. How to put this? When Anna compliments Takatsuki, it's just a compliment. When Chiba compliments Takatsuki, I feel it's something she would never tell herself. Maybe I'm being melodramatic but it's the impression I get.