Every society puts pressures on its subjects to conform to certain norms, with these expectations varying wildly depending on a host of factors. These include your age, socio-economic status, sex, and many more. In Volume 13 of “Wandering Son”, we see the impact of society on a number of characters, both old and new. Whether they are young women (both cisgender and non-binary) like Yoshino and Saori, young men (both cisgender and non-binary) like Shuichi, Makoto, and Doi, or even middle-aged men like the fascinating new character Taiichirou Ebina, the world around the characters expects them to fit mostly into predetermined boxes. Each grouping has different norms to adhere to, and each character has unique responses to them. This interplay between the characters and what is expected of them is one of the most interesting aspects of this volume, and broadens the scope of the manga as it approaches its final few chapters.
Following the discussion with the boss of the cafe, Shuichi chooses to work in men’s clothes. The father of the shop owner is disappointed, and Shuichi works as a woman once more. They are recognized by a friend of one of Shuichi’s elementary school classmates, who asks them to be a part of their research into males who dress up in women’s clothes. Shuichi agrees. While the pair are meeting to discuss the matter further, they meet Taiichirou Ebina, dressed in women’s clothing. Taiichirou and Shuichi exchange contact details. Taiichirou also has an arranged meeting with a potential future wife. It seems to go well. Shuichi and Taiichirou meet up later on in the volume, where Taiichirou explains when he started wearing women’s clothes. The pair walk past Taiichirou’s potential partner, who does not recognize him. Taiichirou laments about how he would inevitably have to stop once his daughter is old enough to go to elementary school, because he would be cast out from society if anyone recognized him while he was wearing women’s clothes. Meanwhile, Yoshino is invited to audition at a modelling agency. Yoshino agrees, and is told by the president of the agency that she should show off her body more. Anna finds herself wanting to touch Shuichi intimately. Shuichi meets up with some of his old elementary school classmates, one of which is very concerned about her weight. Yoshino and Saori try out for the school basketball team, and the volume ends with Yoshino being hit in the head with a basketball.
While I am grouping several characters down below based upon what I believe to be similar general trends, I acknowledge that each character within these groups will have slightly different pressures. They may be similar in broad strokes, but everything from their family environment to the part of town where they live can affect the pressures places on them. I cannot perfectly account for everything, but these are some trends that I noticed in this volume in particular.
The first group clearly grappling with the pressures of society are young women. This is best summed up by the advice given to Yoshino by the president of the talent agency: ‘You should show off your body more.’ There are two prominent expectations implicit in this advice. Firstly, all young women should be doing their best to have a body that society judges as worthy of. We see Ayano Yusa, one of Shuichi’s elementary school classmates, show intense embarrassment over being larger than the average young woman. Next, all young woman should wear tight-fitting clothing that complements their slender, feminine frames. Yoshino is shocked when she is told to wear more form-fitting clothing, as she is far more comfortable wearing looser, less gendered clothes. Beyond this, Anna begins to feel what are implied to be sexual feelings for Shuichi, but is chastised by Maho for them. These are only a couple of the host of boxes young women are expected to tick. Saori notices Yoshino’s frustration at complying with them, commenting that it just seems less that Yoshin0 actively wants to be a boy, and more that she just doesn’t want to be a girl. This is a fascinating idea, and will hopefully be explored and resolved in the final two volumes of the series.
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The second group stumbling under the weight of society’s expectations in Volume 13 are young men. The character who desires most to fit in is Doi, and he endures humiliation after humiliation to try and win the approval of the older young men at school. In previous volumes, he has cut his hair multiple times. In this volume, he is forced to sign up for the cheer squad as opposed to competing in athletic events. He, in turn, drags Shuichi, Makoto, and Oka onto the cheer squad with him. On top of this general pressure to impress older men, Makoto and Shuichi have further anxiety from wearing women’s clothing, in defiance of the expectation to present themselves in a masculine way. Shuichi shows far more courage than Makoto, regularly wearing women’s clothing throughout this volume. Makoto notices this, and expresses both his admiration for Shuichi and his frustration at the conflict between his desire to be a woman and society’s will that he be a butch, manly young man.
Makoto is not the only character who admires Shuichi for his bold self-expression in the face of society. Taiichirou Ebina, a middle-aged man who has dressed up in women’s clothing since shortly after the death of his first wife, has yet to feel comfortable in his new identity. Society expects him to remarry, take care of his daughter, and be a good, manly son to his parents. More so than children, who he believes are given more leeway to explore themselves, people of Taiichirou’s age are expected to have worked through all of that and neatly fit into the box that society has assigned for them. When Taiichirou crawls out of the box by regularly wearing women’s clothing, he begins to suffer from crippling anxiety and self-doubt that is painful to witness. Shuichi may give Taiichirou slightly more confidence in himself, but he has a long way to go before he can truly be comfortable in his own skin.
More so than any previous volume of “Wandering Son”, we see the effects of societal pressure on almost every single character. Some, like Shuichi, are more confident in themselves, no matter how they defy what is expected of them. Others, like Taiichirou, deal with self-hatred, anxiety when their self contradicts what society believes they should be. With only two volumes until the end of the series, it will be fascinating to see how Takako Shimura ties everything together.
I hope that you will join me next week, when we will explore Volume 14, covering issues 108 to 115 of “Wandering Son”. See you next Sunday!
