Introducing prominent new characters give established cast new perspectives and reference points. In the fifth volume of “Wandering Son”, the introduction of the confident, erratic Sarashina Chizuru and the unsure, nervous teacher give Shuichi, Yoshino, and the rest of their friend group many moments to examine who they are and who they might be growing into. Our young protagonists also struggle against the challenges of puberty, coming through them more well-developed, but no more established in who they are. There may not be any staggering emotional beats like those we saw in the previous volumes, but it is still fascinating to follow these complex young people grow up a little more with every page.
The progression of our cast from elementary to middle school brings with it a host of new classmates and teachers. In chapter 34, we meet a young girl who will become a focal point of this volume – Sarashina Chizuru. She makes an impact on the cast right away by appearing for the first day of school in a boy’s uniform. Yoshino is particularly struck by Sarashina’s boldness. I was enthralled by Sarashina from her first appearance. Will she be another youth questioning their identity like Shuichi, Yoshino, or Makoto?
After this initially striking clothing decision, Sarashina is presented to us as a slightly bizarre young lady that is incredibly sure of herself. Throughout this week’s issues, Sarashina did everything from wearing plainclothes to school, grabbing Shuichi’s waist from behind, fondling Yoshino’s breasts to say hello, and referring to herself in the third person. Hopefully Takako Shimura explores Sarashina’s background in future issues, to see why she is the way that she is. Her unpredictability is matched only be her self-confidence. She asserts herself within the friendship group quickly and is unashamed of her opinions, which has a markedly positive effect on the rest of the group. Shuichi tries on his sister’s dress (she does catch him, but he would never have had the confidence before meeting Sarashina). Yoshino dresses in more masculine clothing again, following her wavering self-belief in Volume 4. Apart from Saori, who is threatened by her and reacts negatively to her presence, Sarashina’s bottomless well of self-confidence inspires everyone around her.
The confidence of Sarashina is mirrored by the meekness of the other major new player from this volume – Manabu Saisho, the sixth-grade teacher. Mr. Saisho is a first-year teacher, and cripplingly unsure of himself. He questions everything about his teaching skills, and stumbles over the smallest of hurdles placed in front of him. Luckily for him, the students find this endearing, and most seem to instantly enjoy his classes, which gives him some mental space to bond with the students. Interestingly, he uses this space to find connections between his students and his personal sixth-grade class. Shuichi is a splitting image of his crush at the time. Makoto reminds him of his sister. I’m sure they would be honored by Mr. Saisho’s representation of them in his mind, as they are are aspiring towards a form that they already hold inside Mr. Saisho’s head.
This gender-bended imagery extends into an event that hearkens back to previous volumes of “Wandering Son”- a gender-swapped play. Triggered by as-yet-unexplored personal motivations, Mr. Saisho decides that his class will perform a play written by the students for an upcoming cultural festival. Saori and Shuichi both submit scripts, with Shuichi penning a tale where everyone in the world has changed genders and Saori reworking Romeo and Juliet in a way that the title characters don’t die at the end. The competition between the two, and mystery surrounding whose idea will win out provide a short burst of tension towards the end of the volume, before instructs them to compromise and work together to write a play showcasing the best parts of both of their ideas. One of the most heartwarming moments comes when Shuichi visits Saori’s house to workshop their combined play. Saori gives Shuichi a chance to wear a dress, and the two have fun together for the first time in several volumes. Mr. Saisho’s teaching gives all of the characters moments to grow, the mark of a great teacher.
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While characters have grown emotionally throughout “Wandering Son” so far, he impact of the characters’ physical growth is explored more in this volume than any previous ones. Puberty impacts each of our core cast differently, but it is something that they are all clearly wrangling with. Sarashina embraces her bodily changes, donning a form-fitting bikini in swim class that makes all of the other students jealous. Shuichi and Makoto realize that their voices may soon drop, and don dresses and record their high-pitched prepubescent voices for posterity. Maho catches them doing this, and is horrified when Seya appears at the moment where she is undressing Shuichi to try and present Shuichi as a boy, and not a girl. Yoshino is most impacted of all, as she is told to buy a bra to restrain her budding breasts. She is literally floored by this request in a hilarious panel that sees her lying in shame on the basketball court. However, with Sarashina’s help, she quickly meets this request and becomes more comfortable with her changing body in the process. This is most certainly only the beginning of how puberty will affect our core cast, but Takako Shimura has handled the passage of time so elegantly and humanly so far, I can’t wait to see how everyone will change in the upcoming volumes.
With another volume comes more characters, time passing, and character-forming events in “Wandering Son”. The nerve-filled Manabu Saisho and charismatic Sarashina, and the nameless threat of puberty all shaped our core cast in different ways in this fifth volume. Next Sunday, I’ll share my thoughts on Volume Six, covering issues 41 to 49. Takako Shimura has woven a magical tapestry so far, and I eagerly await what we’ll see in the next patch of it. I hope that you do too!
