Hourou Musuko

Overall, I think Hourou Musuko is a well-written series but there were many times, I got irritated by some of the characters' actions. I do understand their action as I think I might have behaved like how some of them did when I was in middle school. =.= However, it's painful to see them being self-centered or wishy-washy and it made me feel bad for some of the things I had done when I was a teenager. =X

Plot: (9/10) – Very Good
The story is about a young boy named Nitori Shuuichi who wants to be a girl, and his friend Takatsuki Yoshino, a girl who wants to be a boy. The series deals with issues such as trans-sexuality, gender identity, and the beginning of puberty.

There are some differences between the anime and manga. The most obvious difference is that the anime omitted the first 4 volumes of the manga and decided to start with volume 5. This is a bold and yet good decision made by the animators. I'm not saying the first 4 volumes of the manga is no good but I think if the animators were to animate the story faithfully from chapter 1, the anime will end up being too long and it might get boring for some people.

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
Though it's not easy to write a story about the growing up pains and problems teenagers face, the mangaka of Hourou Musuko did an amazing job. Characters in Hourou Musuko are easy to relate to as they are people you can find easily in middle schools.

As much as I like the character developments, I can't say the say for the personalities of the characters. However, I think characters like Takatsuki, Chi, Anna and Maho are pretty cool.

Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good
The animators did a Fantastic job in making the characters look so pretty in the anime. The art in the manga is only average but the art in the anime is very pretty.

Music: (9/10) – Very Good
The Opening Theme "Itsudatte" by Daisuke and Ending Theme "For You" by Rie Fu are really nice.

Enjoyment: (8/10) – Good
The pacing may seem a little slow but it's just right for this series. I like how it slowly but nicely developed the story and characters.

Overall: (9/10) – Very Good
This is not a series for everyone. If you like a realistic anime about the problems teenagers face during their growing up years, this is the perfect series for you. However, if you have problems with trans-sexuality, gender identity and cross-dressing, then I think it's better if you skip this.