Hourou Musuko chapter 105 & 106: Summary and thoughts
Chapter 105 shows Shuu, Mako, Anna and a small group of friends getting together to go to karaoke together. This chapter largely focuses on Shuu and Mako beginning to ponder the reasons they want to dress as the other gender. First of all, which made me incredibly chuffed, we see Shuu finally telling the girl who has been bugging her so much recently, bluntly but politely, that she refuses to be a research subject for her any more. While at the same time the girl in question, as annoying she may be, is only really reflecting a lot of the commonly held misconceptions in Japanese society regarding transgender people, I was very happy to finally see Shuu standing up to her and telling her where she can shove her research. I think Shuu, while still polite and meek, has become much more assertive in recent years, and has also gained a lot more self-respect. While she acknowledges that she is likely to be regarded as 'a freak' and treated with little understanding in society, she refuses to be treated as a 'subject' or 'oddity' of other's interest. It was reading this chapter that it occured to me how mature Shuu seems recently. She's not the awkward, shy, and confused child we met at the beginning of the manga. She's a strong, beautiful, mature young woman :).
After the karaoke, as they walk home together, Anna asks Shuu why it is she wants to dress as a girl. Nitori talks about how Takatsuki 'got her started', but even before he encouraged her to dress as a girl, she'd always liked cute things. She then drifts off and ponders why it is she wants to be the 'other' gender, and we see Mako and Takatsuki doing the same thing. I do think this chapter, as with other recent chapters, is the start of Shuu beginning to seriously understand and identify herself as transgender. I think her understanding of herself is beginning to change from 'wanting' to be female to actually *being* female.
The next chapter focuses mostly on Shuu and Anna, and then Shuu and Ebina-san. With Shuu and Anna, a palpable air of sexual tension is beginning to build, starting with Anna giving Shuu a massage. Things begin to get a little, uh, tense....and then Maho walks in XD. It doesn't get much more awkward than finding your best friend and your younger brother in your shared bedroom apparently making out ^^; (and no, Maho isn't happy). Afterwards, we see an awkward and furiously blushing Shuu and Anna thinking about how they would like to touch each other, and we see Shuu disapearing to the bathroom for a bit of 'private time'. Up to this point, I'd been questioning whether Shu and Anna had actual feelings for each other, but I guess this chapter kind of answers my question (XD).
We then see Shuu going out for lunch with Ebina-san. With Ebina's little girl apparently with her mother, and thus her not having her usual emotional crutch for support, Shuu offers to be her 'daughter' for the day (awww :'D). Ebina comments how pretty and confident Shuu looks, and Shuu states that she wasn't always like that (once again, like with the last chapter, you really do reflect on how much she has grown). Ebina-san, on the other hand, is very much on edge. Much more obviously biologically male, Ebina gets sniggered at by a couple of teenage girls, and worries that she will pass someone she knows. Then she does; the woman she met at the arranged dinner the other day. However, the woman does not appear to recognise her, but Ebina is still freaked out. Depressed, she says that if she was ever found out, it would ruin her life.
And with those last words of chapter, I think I may have sensed a ticking time bomb....
And on another note, after having given in a kind word (at her request) on her behalf to the manager of the cafe in regards to a waitressing job, it looks like annoying research-girl could be back for good. Ugh >.<;. Shuu's little victory was short lived...
Things have been moving a little slowly in recent chapters, but I think the events that are building have the potential for a lot of future character development, so I look foward to see how things will unfold. And on another note, I hope we get to see some more of Takatsuki-kun in the coming chapters. Despite being one of the main characters, since entering high school, we've been seeing less and less of him recently T-T.