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ande13's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It wasn’t exactly the story I thought it would be. It was very slow in the beginning, but built up nicely. I wish they would have spent a little less time building to the climax, and I wanted there to be more wrap up at the end, but I enjoyed the overall plot. It was such a short book that the author definitely could have added more aftermath it to wrap things up better and it still wouldn’t have felt too long.
The only thing that seemed out of place was all the American pop culture references. It may have been what the author actually wrote, but it felt more like the translator was trying to make sports etc. more digestible for the English reader’s palette versus just keeping the original content. To me, it felt like a weird mashup you see in older anime where the English cast says something like, “gee, these cookies sure are great!” When the person is clearly eating rice balls.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, and Animal death
Moderate: Child abuse
cviii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
the antagonist had potential to be interesting and complex but she isn’t, she’s predictable and her motivations are explained via exposition from the narration. side characters hint at ways she might be more interesting (suggesting she’s lying about her background, describing her almost as if she’s a supernatural entity), but in the end she comes across like a very tired cliche.
the protagonist is also pretty boring. he’s not exactly likeable (going along with a plan to trick young, aspiring actresses into thinking they’re auditioning for a movie when they’re really auditioning to be the protagonist’s future wife is pretty messed up) but he does have some decent qualities. not really enough to make me concerned with whether he’ll live to see the end of the novel but enough to keep me from actively rooting for him to die.
the writing style didn’t work for me for the most part, aside from a couple lines of prose, as mentioned above. a lot of the book comes across as exposition which i didn’t enjoy much. i’m not sure how much of my issues with the writing can be explained by nuance getting lost in translation so i don’t hold this against the book too much.
one thing i’ll give the book credit for is that it can easily be read in one sitting, maybe two, so you’re not investing much effort in reading it only to be let down in the end. i wouldn’t recommend reading it but you won’t lose much by giving it a couple hours of your day.
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, and Physical abuse
ireneac's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, and Animal cruelty
asakia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Torture, Sexual content, Gore, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood
readingsofaslinky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Self harm, Animal death, Violence, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Body horror, Cancer, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Murder, Bullying, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Mental illness, Sexual violence, and Stalking
alexmorex3's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Drug abuse
lain_darko's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, and Child abuse
stephanieluxton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Torture, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, and Grief
There's a very graphic scene of aakira_outofthegravity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Similar to Piercing, this book focuses more on the build up to the climax than on the actual climax itself. It’s a well written critique of misogyny in modern Japan, and while I started feeling sorry for Aoyama his attitude towards women reflected by himself and Shige made me worry less about him over time.
I really enjoyed it! I preferred Piercing both story wise and also gore wise, but I’m glad I read this and I’m excited to watch the film too!
Graphic: Medical content, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Murder, Sexual content, Body horror, Blood, Misogyny, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Incest, Cursing, Death, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, and Emotional abuse
corviddays's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Animal death, Gore, and Violence