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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
I could imagine the anime being far better than the book- it seems like it would make a stunning visual narrative. The book, however? Kinda dull. I loved the last chapter; it felt like the story finally had charm, wit, interesting commentary, and purpose. And then it ended.
Surprisingly despite its high regard I had never watched The Tatami Galaxy anime, much less read the book! (Oops). However, when I saw the sequel on NetGalley (and was subsequently approved to read it) I nabbed the audiobook of this from the library and thus I was successful finally!
The Tatami Galaxy follows “I”, a nameless male main character through four “routes” of his college life— it’s a story of what happens when you make a different choice at the same moment, and what sort of fates and folks you can’t escape. This isn’t a time travel story; each section is just a “what if I joined x club instead of y club” and we meet the narrator in his second year of college with a recap. It’s interesting that exactly the same words and phrases are used in each section.
Additionally I’m so glad they used a narrator that has experience both in English live action overdubbing and anime/game dubbing, someone who’s good at actual character work which worked so well for this book over just a narrator. I always talk about how I’m not great at fiction audiobooks, but this was engaging and the sort of talking style that was done so well here.
The Tatami Galaxy follows “I”, a nameless male main character through four “routes” of his college life— it’s a story of what happens when you make a different choice at the same moment, and what sort of fates and folks you can’t escape. This isn’t a time travel story; each section is just a “what if I joined x club instead of y club” and we meet the narrator in his second year of college with a recap. It’s interesting that exactly the same words and phrases are used in each section.
Additionally I’m so glad they used a narrator that has experience both in English live action overdubbing and anime/game dubbing, someone who’s good at actual character work which worked so well for this book over just a narrator. I always talk about how I’m not great at fiction audiobooks, but this was engaging and the sort of talking style that was done so well here.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
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
I hated this book. It was so, so boring and if I wasn't reading it for a book club- I would have absolutely dropped it.
The main character is the typical "nice guy" that is actually a misogynistic neckbeard who blames everyone else for his issues. I wanted to die every time he mentioned "rose-colored life" or "black haired maiden" as it was just so repetitive.
Reviews say that the last part makes it worth it but I just wholeheartedly disagree. I love multiverse stories, but this didn't quite feel like that? Usually they say that small decisions that are different can make huge impacts. This felt the opposite. Nothing really changed, he still hated his life and blamed Ozu.
I feel like the whole story wants you to hate Ozu, but he felt like the best character the whole time. I feel bad that Ozu had the main character as a friend. He deserved a better best friend.
The main character is the typical "nice guy" that is actually a misogynistic neckbeard who blames everyone else for his issues. I wanted to die every time he mentioned "rose-colored life" or "black haired maiden" as it was just so repetitive.
Reviews say that the last part makes it worth it but I just wholeheartedly disagree. I love multiverse stories, but this didn't quite feel like that? Usually they say that small decisions that are different can make huge impacts. This felt the opposite. Nothing really changed, he still hated his life and blamed Ozu.
I feel like the whole story wants you to hate Ozu, but he felt like the best character the whole time. I feel bad that Ozu had the main character as a friend. He deserved a better best friend.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While the writing was well written/translated, the POV of the MC was gross/grating to me.