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axmed's review
it felt like the writer was trying her best to make all the characters unlikable, so at some point I was like, why am I listening to this? lol
caseyaonso's review
3.0
overall good! liked terauchi and yuzan’s povs the most, kirarin and worm were annoying as hell though omfl
reubenlb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.0
it’s a strange one that reads in a disjointed way never fully materialising as a complete picture but it also feels purposeful in its structure as if that was the intention
ghostmomxoxo's review
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Transphobia, Suicide, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Murder, and Violence
trin's review
3.0
Subtly unnerving neo-noir about five high school students, one of whom murders his mother, while the other four become in varying degrees complicit in his escape. The narrative switches between each of their POVs, and one of the best things Kirino does is show how little the four supposedly close friends really know each other. They each have secrets that are actually common knowledge, or have motivations and goals that are completely misinterpreted by the others. The overall effect was quite spooky and sad.
I picked this up because I’ve been wanting to read Kirino’s [book: Out], but my copy hasn’t arrived yet. Having read this, I’m still very much looking forward to it.
I picked this up because I’ve been wanting to read Kirino’s [book: Out], but my copy hasn’t arrived yet. Having read this, I’m still very much looking forward to it.
outoftheblue14's review
3.0
I'm penciling in my eyebrows when the smog alert siren starts blaring. It’s happened every day since summer vacation started, so it’s no surprise. “May I have your attention,” this woman’s voice drawls over a loudspeaker. “An air pollution advisory has just been issued,” and the siren continues to drone on, like some kindly old dinosaur groaning away.
Most of these advisories happen in the morning, usually just as I’m about to leave for cram school. Nobody does anything because of them. Everyone kind of goes, Oh, that again. What I’d like to know is where they hide those speakers. To me, that’s creepier and weirder than anything about smog.
I picked up Real World by Natsuo Kirino on a whim, never having read anything by her before. This book intrigued me, but also left me very perplexed.
In a crowded residential suburb on the outskirts of Tokyo, four teenage girls indifferently wade their way through a hot, smoggy summer and endless “cram school” sessions meant to ensure entry into good colleges. There’s Toshi, the dependable one; Terauchi, the great student; Yuzan, the sad one, grieving over the death of her mother—and trying to hide her sexual orientation from her friends; and Kirarin, the sweet one, whose late nights and reckless behavior remain a secret from those around her.
When Toshi’s next-door neighbor is found brutally murdered, the girls suspect the killer is the neighbor’s son, a high school boy they nickname Worm. But when he flees, taking Toshi’s bike and cell phone with him, the four girls get caught up in a tempest of dangers—dangers they never could have even imagined—that rises from within them as well as from the world around them.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I liked the beginning, very promising; didn't like very much the central part; and somewhat liked the ending, even though it is so tragic. Anyway, this book might be titled Real World, but it felt very surreal to me. Why do the girls decide to help Worm, instead of turning him in? I mean, he has murdered his own mother, for God's sake! This remains the greatest mystery in the book, in my opinion.
Overall, I'd say this book was very well done. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view, which enables the reader to get different perspectives and see in the minds of the protagonists. I found the narrating voices very real and believable, even though the events weren't.
Most of these advisories happen in the morning, usually just as I’m about to leave for cram school. Nobody does anything because of them. Everyone kind of goes, Oh, that again. What I’d like to know is where they hide those speakers. To me, that’s creepier and weirder than anything about smog.
I picked up Real World by Natsuo Kirino on a whim, never having read anything by her before. This book intrigued me, but also left me very perplexed.
In a crowded residential suburb on the outskirts of Tokyo, four teenage girls indifferently wade their way through a hot, smoggy summer and endless “cram school” sessions meant to ensure entry into good colleges. There’s Toshi, the dependable one; Terauchi, the great student; Yuzan, the sad one, grieving over the death of her mother—and trying to hide her sexual orientation from her friends; and Kirarin, the sweet one, whose late nights and reckless behavior remain a secret from those around her.
When Toshi’s next-door neighbor is found brutally murdered, the girls suspect the killer is the neighbor’s son, a high school boy they nickname Worm. But when he flees, taking Toshi’s bike and cell phone with him, the four girls get caught up in a tempest of dangers—dangers they never could have even imagined—that rises from within them as well as from the world around them.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I liked the beginning, very promising; didn't like very much the central part; and somewhat liked the ending, even though it is so tragic. Anyway, this book might be titled Real World, but it felt very surreal to me. Why do the girls decide to help Worm, instead of turning him in? I mean, he has murdered his own mother, for God's sake! This remains the greatest mystery in the book, in my opinion.
Overall, I'd say this book was very well done. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view, which enables the reader to get different perspectives and see in the minds of the protagonists. I found the narrating voices very real and believable, even though the events weren't.
thepoetessa's review
dark
slow-paced
- 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
2.0
lizaliza5's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I read this in two sittings, because it was so impossible to put down. there are parts that are hard to read, and I was really struck by how brave the four teenage girls are. all the things wrong with society are in this story and you can see how it feeds into the way people act and treat each other. this story reminded me that I'm afraid of everything and then inspired me to toughen up a bit. But it's sad that things turned out the way they did.