On sale date: February 23, 2027
A sensitive masterpiece from Japan’s most prominent creator of LGBTQ+ manga—this collection includes the third and fourth volumes of the acclaimed Wandering Son series in a newly designed paperback edition.
Ariga Makoto, another boy who wants to be a girl, joins Shuichi’s and Yoshino’s friend group, which already includes the intense Chiba Saori and the cheerful Sasa Kanako. Maho and Shuichi foray into the world of tween modeling, meeting idol Maiko, Suehiro Anna, and Satoh Tamaki. But when Yoshino’s and Shuichi’s cross-dressing comes to light at school, everything changes. In the next chapter, Yoshino unhappily dresses like a girl, and Shuichi and Makoto talk about how Makoto isn’t perceived as a girl as easily. Maho befriends the models, who begin to hang out at the Nitoris’ home. Then, love triangles throw everyone’s relationships into disarray. Will they be restored in the next volume, in … gulp, junior high?
Written and drawn by one of today’s most critically acclaimed creators of manga, Shimura Takako (Even Though We’re Adults), portrays Shuishi and Yoshino’s journey with affection, sensitivity, and gentle humor as they are figuring out their respective genders and take tentative, age-appropriate steps toward transitioning. This new paperback edition collects the third and fourth volumes of Wandering Son (which has been adapted into an anime of the same name, currently available on Crunchyroll).
Wandering Son: Volumes Three & Four is part of the Wandering Son series.
Praise
"Shimura’s approach allows us to feel [the protagonists’] confusion, their heartache, and […] their quiet, nervous joy." — NPR
"Wandering Son is an important manga series, much celebrated for the sensitive treatment of its two young transgender protagonists. It offers nuanced portrayals of these two middle schoolers, their friends, and their families. The tone is sweet, gentle, and hopeful, making it a pleasant reading experience. At the same time, it doesn’t turn away from realistic issues like bullying and the pain of experiencing puberty when your body already doesn’t match the way you feel inside." — No Flying No Tights
"...[L]ike the best coming-of-age stories—comics or otherwise—Wandering Son is meticulously accurate in its details, but universal in its emotions. Gay or not, readers shouldn’t find it too difficult to identify with kids who feel like their bodies and their friends are equally culpable in the worst kind of betrayal, preventing them from realizing the potential they see in themselves." — The A.V. Club
Specs
- Pages
- 448
- Format
- Paperback/Softback
- Color
- Black-and-white
- Dimensions
- 6" × 9"
- ISBN-13
- 9798875004339