Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
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
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book was sort of boring but also sort of not. idk how to feel about it. there are certain lines that will just be engrained in my mind because of how many times I read them. I often thought the repetition of the same passages throughout each chapter could get a little annoying but it was cool and interesting. multiverses are so popular now it’s crazy that the japanese version of this originally came out in 2008. i really don’t know how to feel about it. like do i even really know who the main character is? do i even really care about what’s happening? i’m also like is the “master” guy really a god or not? it’s hard to know where the magical realism ends and the reality begins but I guess that’s the point. sometimes i feel like it’s hard to make the prose seem as personable when you’re translating it—- at least that’s what i’ve foudn through books i’ve read that are translated. another japanese book that i read that was translated to english— real world— sort of had the same vibe as this. or idk maybe something about converting japanese to english brings a certain vibe. anyway i don’t really know how i feel about this book. but i think i liked it fine
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Ich verstehe ja, warum sich alles wiederholt, aber ich fand's trotzdem nervig
Der Hauptcharakter mit seiner Opfer Mentalität ist unerträglich für mich, aber Ozu ist cool :)
Der Hauptcharakter mit seiner Opfer Mentalität ist unerträglich für mich, aber Ozu ist cool :)
I can acknowledge that I may be a little biased, considering that this novel inspired one of my favorite anime of all time, but I was so so so not disappointed by the novel!
Reading the novel made me really appreciate Maasaki Yuasa's skills in adaptation. This book manages to do in 4 arcs what Yuasa did in 11, and I could pick out the core themes that I noticed in the show almost instantly. This book is more direct in the show, in part because it doesn't have the time or pages to waste - Watashi's twisted, obnoxious, and all too relatable personality is obvious from the very moment you open this book.
I love that Morimi's writing is just as funny as the show's comedy. The conversations with "Johnny" are so funny, and Watashi's bitterness had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion (the line when he said that if anyone laughed at his story, he would chase them to the ends of the earth as though they'd insulted his parents, then pour hot water on them and wait three minutes literally had me rolling). I also love how the themes of love, friendship, and depression are even more focused here. While the anime thrives in chaos, this novel thrives on repetition, writing sequences we've seen before, making it clear to us that this is a cycle that the main character needs to break. I also really like.
All in all, I'm so glad this book got an official English release. This made me want to read every other Morimi title I can get my hands on!
Reading the novel made me really appreciate Maasaki Yuasa's skills in adaptation. This book manages to do in 4 arcs what Yuasa did in 11, and I could pick out the core themes that I noticed in the show almost instantly. This book is more direct in the show, in part because it doesn't have the time or pages to waste - Watashi's twisted, obnoxious, and all too relatable personality is obvious from the very moment you open this book.
I love that Morimi's writing is just as funny as the show's comedy. The conversations with "Johnny" are so funny, and Watashi's bitterness had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion (the line when he said that if anyone laughed at his story, he would chase them to the ends of the earth as though they'd insulted his parents, then pour hot water on them and wait three minutes literally had me rolling). I also love how the themes of love, friendship, and depression are even more focused here. While the anime thrives in chaos, this novel thrives on repetition, writing sequences we've seen before, making it clear to us that this is a cycle that the main character needs to break. I also really like
Spoiler
how each subsequent chapter of this book is slowly removing Watashi from Ozu more and more over time, granting his wish of being free of him. I really like that this make the book's true meaning -- the love story (honestly) between Watashi and Ozu -- hit two fold. And I love that even in spite of this distance between them, Ozu never stops being Watashi's best friend. Ungrateful bastard.All in all, I'm so glad this book got an official English release. This made me want to read every other Morimi title I can get my hands on!
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
the narrative flow of the book is interesting and well done but is the narrator/protagonist incessantly insufferable. if you can make it past the first three sections, the fourth and final section is the most reflective and compelling.
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
intriguing, repetitive, don’t regret reading, wouldn’t reread! experienced this story as an audiobook so it was interesting to see the various stories unfold but also got dull at times with the repetitive descriptions… the FREAK protagonist was kinda fun i won’t lie but sometimes he was a little too incel-y for me…