For the last year or so, I've been thinking about the power of telling stories. Stepping into the shoes of a character we may be unfamiliar with in our own lives and seeing the world through their eyes does more for educating than emotionless facts and statistics ever could. Whenever someone asks me what fictitious story has most changed my life, I immediately think of Hourou Musuko. This is truly an incredible read, and I highly recommend it for everyone, regardless of whether you are completely ignorant of trans people or you feel like you already know more than enough.

TLDR: This story does an amazing job representing trans people, and completely changed my life and the way I view trans people. This story made me grow as a person while being a very entertaining read.

First off, as you may notice themed in my reviews, anytime a story represents a marginalized / minority group, I am ecstatic. It is so important for these stories to be told, both so the wider society is exposed to people that they may not encounter in their bubbled life, and so that these groups can have stories about people that are like them. This story delineates the life of a young trans girl [and for a while a young trans boy]. This isn't the first time a manga has featured cross-dressing, but it is the first time (at least the first time I've encountered) that it doesn't fetishize it, play it solely for laughs, or ridicule it as silly or absurd. As far as I can tell as a cis person, it does a good job representing trans people. Just there, I would probably love this manga. It tells the story of a marginalized group that is rarely represented in media, and it tells it in a tasteful, accurate, and thoughtful way.

It has been a while since I read this manga, but as far as I can remember, it was generally an interesting story. I enjoyed reading it, representation aside. The characters were interesting. The story has often funny, which I found surprising given the serious nature of the topic at hand. It is the kind of read that tackles delicate issues but in an engaging way, which is really the power of fictional stories. We remain entertained the entire time while we simultaneously digest and actualize the story and its underlying themes and lessons.

I say that this story is the one that has most changed my life, and here is why. As philosophy tube would say, I was guilty of being "yer dad". I would openly deny being transphobic, and sincerely believe it. Intellectually, I could fully acknowledge that trans people deserved rights and protections. I knew that trans people were the gender they asserted, but was simultaneously uncomfortable around them. I didn't quite understand any it, but knew better than to express that. I hadn't done any of the hard work of understanding and empathizing, just the easy work of espousing the "correct" stances. Living life through the characters in this manga has helped squelch the last spore of transphobia I'd been hiding. It let me better understand what it means to be trans, and to empathize with the struggles that trans people face. This was just the start, and I am in no way saying that if you read Hourou Musuko you are no longer transphobic. However, for me, reading this manga let me start of journey of engaging with trans people in my life and trans creators. This book made me aware of just how ignorant I had been, and how important it is to do the hard work to overcome internal biases and to break the cycle of hate we've been handed. This has been such an incredible book for my own growth, and it is impossible to fully describe the myriad of aspects of my life it has changed.

It wasn't actually so much seeing the life of a trans person that changed me, but seeing myself reflected in some of the other characters. There were several characters who weren't openly hostile and violent (which is tragically an issue many trans people face, just look of crime statistics against trans people), but who just didn't get it. They were ignorant, and they were "yer dad", and they made life so incredibly difficult for Shuichi. They constantly invalidated who they were as a person, and said hurtful and insensitive things. They were just unacceptably ignorant, and that ignorance caused a lot of harm. My first reaction was to get so frustrated with them, and kind of despise them and their wilful ignorance. However, I soon realized that the reason I despised them so much was because of how much of myself I saw in them. I was ignorant of my own volition, and I was unquestionably perpetuating many of the same harmful ideas they were. This is what actuated my desire for change and self growth. I saw myself and the role I was playing in the life of trans people, and I realized how much I disliked it. It wasn't enough to not be violent or openly hateful. I needed to be an ally.

---Spoilers---

Finally, I would be remiss to fail to talk about the bittersweet ending of this book. I was unbelievably heartbroken when I got to the end. This story ends with the looming threat of puberty. We've spent the entire story watching our dear Shuichi Nitori weather hardship and grow in confidence in who they are, only to have to acknowledge that this is at risk when puberty arrives. Their voice will drop, their adam's apple will develop, they'll get facial hair, and it will get harder and harder to present as female. Life is about to get a whole lot harder for her, and it hurts to see. The most surprising thing for me reading this was just how much I ended empathizing for Shuichi and this upcoming struggle. I would have never guessed how deeply it would effect back before I started reading it. Anyway, I just remember the ending of this story having a profound effect on me, and really messing me up emotionally.