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novella42's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think this book was not for me. I nearly stopped reading when he brought out the damsel in distress trope, especially considering Sayo was the most interesting character but it was a short enough book I was able to finish it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Kidnapping, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Ableism, Fatphobia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Misogyny
darumachan's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This novella has a cute and appealing premise, and the detailed descriptions of the characters and the various book labyrinths they visit make it easy to imagine as an anime adaptation.
The plot was not as solid-- the adventures were all quite simplistic, and the various "adversaries" were defeated with little more than a few superficial comments from the main character. Tiger the cat had a lot of potential as a character but was relegated to a minor role that was barely likable because of his aloofness. The plot was further weighed down by a heavily moralizing tone -- sweeping statements about how "nobody reads books anymore" or "these days the classics aren't appreciated" -- and each of the adversaries represented one of these ideas. Rintaro's arguments to defeat each of them also presented a very narrow prescription of what an ideal reader- someone who "truly" loves books- should be.
My biggest issue was with the shallow and pejorative representation of Rintaro as "hikikomori", often translated as a "shut-in," in reference to a serious condition that is viewed as a problematic social issue in Japan. There are a lot of ways that hikikomori manifests but, in general, it describes people who retreat from their public lives and social commitments because they are dealing with severe depression or other serious mental health issues. First of all, Natsukawa's use of the term for main character Rintaro comes across as slightly exaggerated because he is already fairly engaged with multiple people in his life, and he is regularly at work in the family bookshop. But throughout the novella, multiple comments fed into the harmful stereotypes about hikikomori -- for example, that Rintaro is a "moody, gloomy bookworm" and "a hopeless shut-in" -- but most frustratingly, that Rintaro's real problem is that he is just too focused on himself and that he can "get over" being a hikikomori by thinking about other people and to stop being so selfish.
The plot was not as solid-- the adventures were all quite simplistic, and the various "adversaries" were defeated with little more than a few superficial comments from the main character. Tiger the cat had a lot of potential as a character but was relegated to a minor role that was barely likable because of his aloofness. The plot was further weighed down by a heavily moralizing tone -- sweeping statements about how "nobody reads books anymore" or "these days the classics aren't appreciated" -- and each of the adversaries represented one of these ideas. Rintaro's arguments to defeat each of them also presented a very narrow prescription of what an ideal reader- someone who "truly" loves books- should be.
My biggest issue was with the shallow and pejorative representation of Rintaro as "hikikomori", often translated as a "shut-in," in reference to a serious condition that is viewed as a problematic social issue in Japan. There are a lot of ways that hikikomori manifests but, in general, it describes people who retreat from their public lives and social commitments because they are dealing with severe depression or other serious mental health issues. First of all, Natsukawa's use of the term for main character Rintaro comes across as slightly exaggerated because he is already fairly engaged with multiple people in his life, and he is regularly at work in the family bookshop. But throughout the novella, multiple comments fed into the harmful stereotypes about hikikomori -- for example, that Rintaro is a "moody, gloomy bookworm" and "a hopeless shut-in" -- but most frustratingly, that Rintaro's real problem is that he is just too focused on himself and that he can "get over" being a hikikomori by thinking about other people and to stop being so selfish.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Ableism
Moderate: Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, and Sexism
dismissive representation of mental healththe_reading_wren's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book feels like a children’s book in the way things are over-explained (possibly the translation), and it seems like it was written simply for the author to get a message across. But the points made were interesting, particularly the discussions around the publishing industry and social status attached to reading. I’m glad I stuck with the book because it grew on me as the mystery developed and the background to the magic revealed near the end made me reflect on the story in a more heartfelt way.
“Reading a book is a lot like climbing a mountain.”
The overall messages I took away from this book were the one stated clearly - the power of books is to help us feel empathy and teach us to turn that into compassion. And not to resign myself to “it’s just how the world works” but to act true to myself.
“Reading a book is a lot like climbing a mountain.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia and Ableism
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