I read this more than 10 years after it was published. There are many things that make me angry and sad for the characters and the minority they represent. I want to believe that the world has improved, even if only a little, and that knowledge and prejudice are decreasing every day. Speaking of the characters, I really disliked the sister; she was so egocentric and cruel to Shun. Since I'm from a more recent generation, it surprises me that the classmates don't do anything about bullying. Perhaps is couse the culture is very different in Japan. I really liked the friends and the girlfriend, and the trans people who started out on the wrong foot, but were given a lot of help on their journey to find their sexual expression. Shun's parents were awful; they just ignored the issue (perhaps it's cultural). Mako's parents were real parents. Takaoka-kun perfectly illustrates the path of self-discovery, how difficult it is to accept oneself and present oneself to the world. She took a different path than Shun, but that's true for everyone; each path is unique.
I read this more than 10 years after it was published. There are many things that make me angry and sad for the characters and the minority they represent. I want to believe that the world has improved, even if only a little, and that knowledge and prejudice are decreasing every day.
Speaking of the characters, I really disliked the sister; she was so egocentric and cruel to Shun. Since I'm from a more recent generation, it surprises me that the classmates don't do anything about bullying. Perhaps is couse the culture is very different in Japan.
I really liked the friends and the girlfriend, and the trans people who started out on the wrong foot, but were given a lot of help on their journey to find their sexual expression. Shun's parents were awful; they just ignored the issue (perhaps it's cultural). Mako's parents were real parents. Takaoka-kun perfectly illustrates the path of self-discovery, how difficult it is to accept oneself and present oneself to the world. She took a different path than Shun, but that's true for everyone; each path is unique.