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Hourou Musuko, at first glance, is what seems like a rare gem of good representation in the muddy grounds of LGBT+ characters being fetishized or used as comic relief but soon enough proves itself to be no better.

First things first: trigger warning. The manga contains quite a lot of graphic language and events that can easily be triggering for transgender individuals. I advise you to approach this manga with caution – so that you don't have to suffer like I did. The following review also contains some core spoilers but if you have found yourself feeling unsure after the things I've just said, I suggest ... you keep going.

The portrayal of transgender people, especially transmascs, is lacking and highly problematic. At first, it's indeed quite heartwarming to see the main characters explore their identities and experience euphoria through things such as passing in public or wearing clothes assigned for their preferred gender, all of which are common sources of relief and joy in a transgender person's life. The true downhill starts when Takatsuki, one of the trans kids, gets almost assaulted by an older trans woman because of their "young feminine flesh". Her boyfriend even GROPES them, an unsuspecting primary schooler, to confirm their sex. Let me remind you once more: this act was done by someone who is dating a trans person himself. The sole trans boy in the entire manga is constantly belittled in a way the transfem characters aren't. And in the end, Takatsuki ends up not even being transgender, because you know, trans men are just tomboys who hate feminity and that's just a phase I guess! Of course, detransitioners exist and real people who have taken that path aren't unheard of – the problem is the way Hourou Musuko has chosen to portray it.

The other characters of the story are all written with the complexity of real human beings in mind: they have their strengths and faults. They have faults to the point where I hate them all, which actually makes them pretty lame. There's no one to root for. I can't even remember anyone's name, because the manga has such a huge cast and everyone's design looks the same! Alongside its lackluster story, consisting of the same plot points and dramatic climaxes over and over again, the manga struggles with the most of fundamental things. I had a hard time keeping track about which grade they were in or who was talking – the message Hourou Musuko is trying to convey gets lost in the unnecessary complication of its storytelling. So, if you're someone hoping to read an easy, LGBT+ friendly manga, I recommend you seek further than this.

I signed up for a story about the daily struggles of trans kids. What I got was anger, anxiety and heaps of dysphoria. It's more of a coming-of-age romance drama though, so if you're cisgender and into those kinds of stories, perhaps you'll find yourself enjoying this more than I did. Though, the poor trans depiction isn't the only problem this manga has got going for it – it's also, at its very core, a dreadfully boring read.