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mara19's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
elliotism's review
Kind of hard to get into, lack of a thrilling plot or new character that is enticing to read about, some cool concepts however so that's that. Will deffo pick this back up in two weeks or so cuz I wanna get back to Zare when I have more time to actuall read stuff
ailecyume's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
stephilica's review
4.0
This book is almost half the length of the previous entries in the series, and it worked to the story's detriment, though the narrative itself is complete.
Ikkun is a great narrator as always; his projection onto others and blossoming guilt mean that even if he's a "non-actor," as Aikawa goads, he has loads of personality. Furthermore, Aikawa's character is developed past the "cool and mysterious woman who explains things in the epilogue." Giving Aikawa a more active role in the plot and demonstrating the ways she and Ikkun complement each other fleshed both of them out.
This locked room is easier to guess than the others, but the mystery involves a discussion of "loneliness" that takes the foundation built in the previous novel and expands on it. A motif question is, "Who is lonelier, people who trust or those who trust no one?" Is Aikawa the one who is fundamentally lonely, or is Ikkun? Motive is remarkably unclear, and this is where the novel's weakness is clearest. In attempting to make a statement about how no one can truly understand the reasons behind what others do, the novel left an incomplete and unsatisfying aftertaste in the end. It's hard to pity the culprit, but also hard to blame. Perhaps the ambiguity of the motive was the point. "It's all nonsense," as Ikkun would say.
Ikkun is a great narrator as always; his projection onto others and blossoming guilt mean that even if he's a "non-actor," as Aikawa goads, he has loads of personality. Furthermore, Aikawa's character is developed past the "cool and mysterious woman who explains things in the epilogue." Giving Aikawa a more active role in the plot and demonstrating the ways she and Ikkun complement each other fleshed both of them out.
This locked room is easier to guess than the others, but the mystery involves a discussion of "loneliness" that takes the foundation built in the previous novel and expands on it. A motif question is, "Who is lonelier, people who trust or those who trust no one?" Is Aikawa the one who is fundamentally lonely, or is Ikkun? Motive is remarkably unclear, and this is where the novel's weakness is clearest. In attempting to make a statement about how no one can truly understand the reasons behind what others do, the novel left an incomplete and unsatisfying aftertaste in the end. It's hard to pity the culprit, but also hard to blame. Perhaps the ambiguity of the motive was the point. "It's all nonsense," as Ikkun would say.
kakuzo's review
4.0
From the guy that created literature, here comes the time he created the word "letdown". But don't get me wrong, its a very decent book but being the sequel to "the book that created literature" it surely didn't lived up to its predecessor.
"When all logically untenable possibilities have been eliminated, if whatever remains seems untenable, then it is."
My thoughts after re-reading "Suspension: Kubitsuri highschool, The Nonsense User's disicple"
Written by NisiOisiN
Illustrated by Take
Re-read?:
Last time I read this book was when it came out in 2019, so almost one whole year from the time I wrote this review. I can say that I really enjoyed this book more during this reread, having just read vols 1 and 2 the characters names were still fresh in my mind and I had failed to notice just how much references they make to characters of previous volumes during my first readthrough,
↓
The story:
After the crazy shit that happened in the book that created literature (aka zaregoto vol 2), this time Ii has to infiltrate a high school to rescue one of the students. But of course, this is zaregoto so the highschool is not actually what it seems.
A volume centered on Ii, Aikawa, and some new characters, trying to solve murder mysteries while doing a lot of fighting.
↓
Translation: The first two books were translated by Greg Moore, but this time the translator was Daniel Joseph. I can definitely say that the two translators do incredibly good jobs at translating zaregoto, having read more translations by Moore I obviously feel more inclined to say that I liked his translation more, but I cant also dismiss the fact that Joseph also does some very interesting things on his translation.
The main difference I found is that Joseph uses more "modern" language in the translations, for example, during this book he uses a lot of abbreviations that obviously characters didn't use on previous installments. The one that struck me the most was Aikawa saying "FYI" but there are other examples. This isn't a bad thing but at plain sight its the biggest difference between translations that I could find.
I can't say wich translator I like best because they are both very great at translating, Moore's translations feel easier to read but joseph' feel more modern and fresh. I really like them both.
↓
Enjoyment:
This book is not as good as V2 but for being a 192-page long book it definitely packs a lot and some very good characters. I really enjoyed how more action-oriented this book felt in comparison to the others and the final chapter of the book was very interesting and a very good conclusion to this book. It's enjoyable
↓
The verdict:
As I have said many times previously, its a letdown in comparison to volume 2, but if we ignore how great volume 2 was. This book is actually very decent, and especially for the size, it packs a lot and more than nothing is very fun to read. Suspension is a 7/10
"When all logically untenable possibilities have been eliminated, if whatever remains seems untenable, then it is."
My thoughts after re-reading "Suspension: Kubitsuri highschool, The Nonsense User's disicple"
Written by NisiOisiN
Illustrated by Take
Re-read?:
Last time I read this book was when it came out in 2019, so almost one whole year from the time I wrote this review. I can say that I really enjoyed this book more during this reread, having just read vols 1 and 2 the characters names were still fresh in my mind and I had failed to notice just how much references they make to characters of previous volumes during my first readthrough,
↓
The story:
After the crazy shit that happened in the book that created literature (aka zaregoto vol 2), this time Ii has to infiltrate a high school to rescue one of the students. But of course, this is zaregoto so the highschool is not actually what it seems.
A volume centered on Ii, Aikawa, and some new characters, trying to solve murder mysteries while doing a lot of fighting.
↓
Translation: The first two books were translated by Greg Moore, but this time the translator was Daniel Joseph. I can definitely say that the two translators do incredibly good jobs at translating zaregoto, having read more translations by Moore I obviously feel more inclined to say that I liked his translation more, but I cant also dismiss the fact that Joseph also does some very interesting things on his translation.
The main difference I found is that Joseph uses more "modern" language in the translations, for example, during this book he uses a lot of abbreviations that obviously characters didn't use on previous installments. The one that struck me the most was Aikawa saying "FYI" but there are other examples. This isn't a bad thing but at plain sight its the biggest difference between translations that I could find.
I can't say wich translator I like best because they are both very great at translating, Moore's translations feel easier to read but joseph' feel more modern and fresh. I really like them both.
↓
Enjoyment:
This book is not as good as V2 but for being a 192-page long book it definitely packs a lot and some very good characters. I really enjoyed how more action-oriented this book felt in comparison to the others and the final chapter of the book was very interesting and a very good conclusion to this book. It's enjoyable
↓
The verdict:
As I have said many times previously, its a letdown in comparison to volume 2, but if we ignore how great volume 2 was. This book is actually very decent, and especially for the size, it packs a lot and more than nothing is very fun to read. Suspension is a 7/10
lemonadee's review against another edition
2.0
I's sin is finally revealed (or did I just forgot? after all it's been a year) and a bit more of I's personality.
likji's review
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
3.0
jillyrose's review
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Suicide and Grief
dee2799d's review against another edition
4.0
I've been told that this is where the series starts veering away from the locked room mystery genre and started going towards the direction of the Ningen Series (the spin off). As a big fan of locked room mysteries, I'm a bit disappointed but if there's still gonna be some sort of mystery I guess that's okay? The dialogue is as good as always--although people don't really talk like that in real life do they? It's too witty to be real.
NisiOisiN leaves a lot more of the motives as vague as possible here, although the murder isn't as personal (it feels like) as with the second book. It's up to the reader to judge why the murderer did what they did.
Possibly the most interesting point in the novel though is the dissection of Ikkun's character. This was hidden in book1 due to Kunagisa loving the hell out of Ikkun, partially revealed in book2 through Zerozaki's mirror image, and then dissected by Aikawa in this book. And you realise that emotions really are complex things, aren't they?
29 December 2019
Upping stars from three to four based on the Vertical edition.
So Vertical has finally published the 3rd novel in the Zaregoto series despite being so damn vague about the rest of it. Like come on guys, you publish Katanagatari in hardback despite it not being the best Nisio series (Nisio and fight scenes??) and you can't even confirm if Zaregoto is a done deal nor not? !
But okay fine, we try not to be salty and review the actual novel.
Daniel Joseph did an incredible job with this--like I know there are just some things that are hard to translate and this is why I read this in English and not Japanese (I'm nowhere near fluent enough to handle NisioIsin, despite these being light novels)--but he certainly made things as easy to understand as possible while still keeping the Nisio style. So I might have been really salty about Vertical earlier, but I do want to say that I appreciate how they have the translator's name on the cover. These people deserve all the praise.
Especially since it appears fan translation might have been helpful about explaining the jokes, but not how the story tied together. Reading it now as an official translation, I got a bit more meat when it comes to the murderer's motives and emotions than I did the first time. It's still vague and left to personal interpretation, but like a lot of Zaregoto, there is enough to imply that one option is more likely than the other (if you so wish).
I'm kind of surprised at how thin this volume is compared to the first two, but the Monogatari novels didn't follow a set number of pages either. I do think some passages might have been cut though; I really remember Ikkun mentioning how, after his meeting with Zerozaki, things happened and he just couldn't be assed to get a hair cut? Which is why when Aikawa mentions it in the car, we weren't surprised.
I also want to say, since I might not have mentioned this before, but Nisio debuted with Zaregoto and he wrote some of the novels before Monogatari happened. You can really see the shift in his worldview, or perhaps a mellowing of intensity? from Zaregoto to Monogatari. And I'm not saying he lost his touch or stopped caring, because Monogatari has some cutting (and surprising) insight about human personalities and psychological questions. But I also think Zaregoto has a lot more despair? The despair in Ikkun's conversation with Hime-chan in the end, and Aikawa's own acceptance that her 'stand up straight with your chest out!' pep talk was nothing since it's coming from a safe position speaks of a writer who knows what it's like to be in that low end. The hatred people have of being told to try harder when they've already been doing that and have nothing left. I'll always love this series best among Nisio's works because of that, and I just hope we see this whole thing published in English.
NisiOisiN leaves a lot more of the motives as vague as possible here, although the murder isn't as personal (it feels like) as with the second book. It's up to the reader to judge why the murderer did what they did.
Possibly the most interesting point in the novel though is the dissection of Ikkun's character. This was hidden in book1 due to Kunagisa loving the hell out of Ikkun, partially revealed in book2 through Zerozaki's mirror image, and then dissected by Aikawa in this book. And you realise that emotions really are complex things, aren't they?
29 December 2019
Upping stars from three to four based on the Vertical edition.
So Vertical has finally published the 3rd novel in the Zaregoto series despite being so damn vague about the rest of it. Like come on guys, you publish Katanagatari in hardback despite it not being the best Nisio series (Nisio and fight scenes??) and you can't even confirm if Zaregoto is a done deal nor not? !
But okay fine, we try not to be salty and review the actual novel.
Daniel Joseph did an incredible job with this--like I know there are just some things that are hard to translate and this is why I read this in English and not Japanese (I'm nowhere near fluent enough to handle NisioIsin, despite these being light novels)--but he certainly made things as easy to understand as possible while still keeping the Nisio style. So I might have been really salty about Vertical earlier, but I do want to say that I appreciate how they have the translator's name on the cover. These people deserve all the praise.
Especially since it appears fan translation might have been helpful about explaining the jokes, but not how the story tied together. Reading it now as an official translation, I got a bit more meat when it comes to the murderer's motives and emotions than I did the first time. It's still vague and left to personal interpretation, but like a lot of Zaregoto, there is enough to imply that one option is more likely than the other (if you so wish).
I'm kind of surprised at how thin this volume is compared to the first two, but the Monogatari novels didn't follow a set number of pages either. I do think some passages might have been cut though; I really remember Ikkun mentioning how, after his meeting with Zerozaki, things happened and he just couldn't be assed to get a hair cut? Which is why when Aikawa mentions it in the car, we weren't surprised.
I also want to say, since I might not have mentioned this before, but Nisio debuted with Zaregoto and he wrote some of the novels before Monogatari happened. You can really see the shift in his worldview, or perhaps a mellowing of intensity? from Zaregoto to Monogatari. And I'm not saying he lost his touch or stopped caring, because Monogatari has some cutting (and surprising) insight about human personalities and psychological questions. But I also think Zaregoto has a lot more despair? The despair in Ikkun's conversation with Hime-chan in the end, and Aikawa's own acceptance that her 'stand up straight with your chest out!' pep talk was nothing since it's coming from a safe position speaks of a writer who knows what it's like to be in that low end. The hatred people have of being told to try harder when they've already been doing that and have nothing left. I'll always love this series best among Nisio's works because of that, and I just hope we see this whole thing published in English.
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