amaya_jam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
the book ending is what pushed it from a solid 3 stars to 3.75. the final pieces of introspection really helped give all the characters real shape when before they all felt like they fit into stereotypical molds (ie violent-loner, the good girl, the academic, the token gay, the succubus, etc.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Suicide, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Injury/injury detail
Minor: Lesbophobia, Medical content, and Infidelity
annyeongnica's review
4.0
This is my first time finishing a noir novel. I've already tried reading another noir novel (also by a Japanese writer), but I haven't finished it yet (although it isn't actually long). So I'd consider this one my first noir novel.
Recently, I started having a fascination for noir, both in films and books. I have been looking at noir titles, although I haven't checked out any of them yet.
In the case of this book, I happened to have free time between my classes and decided to go to our library to look for some fiction titles I can borrow. I went to the East Asian shelves, looking for Haruki Murakami, but this caught my attention. It was hardcover, but the cover was different because it was all gray and shiny, like polished granite. I liked the typeface when I opened it. And aside from all that stuff in the beginning of a book, the first page was a description of the schedule of classes of high school students in Japan.
I thought it was interesting enough to know that it was about Japanese high school students, and without a clue on what this book was all about, I borrowed it (together with a book on Chinese grammar).
And when I actually started reading it, I knew it was some kind of noir novel because the atmosphere was very flippant. As if it could not care less. As if everything was so painfully mundane that there is no point in caring anymore. So I knew it was noir.
And I didn't know this before but in the middle of reading it, I searched Natsuo Kirino in the Web, and found out that she is a feminist noir novelist.
I didn't know before that noir has subcagetories, but here they are. (And I found some neo-noir film. I can't figure out the difference between noir and neo-noir especially since noir is a fairly new genre, right?)
So in the beginning, I thought that Real World was all about Worm. Worm is a mother-killer (because he murdered his own mother). He epitomizes the image of a person oblivious to the world outside of him. And yet, after the heinous crime, he seemed to feel helpless to being drawn to Toshiko and her friends. Their two very separate worlds collided when he murdered his mother, and the four girls' characters were given more depth as they became more involved with Worm.
I thought the story would revolve around him, and Toshiko and the others would only be supporting characters.
But that was before I knew this was a feminist noir.
And then, these girls, Toshiko, Kirarin, Terauchi and Yuzan. They saw Worm as something out of a magic realism, because he did something out of the norm. They all knew what he did, and he did admit it flatly to them, and yet, it was like they didn't care about the gravity of his crime. Or that he committed a crime.
But such is the world today, I guess.
And so they saw him as "cool." Yuzan even idolized him at some point. Kirarin saw him as an avenue to make her feel like a stronger woman. Toshiko felt like sympathizing with him so she did not tell the police what she knew. Only Terauchi saw him for who he was supposed to be (and I don't know which idea is mine and which idea is society's suggestion to be mine), but only because of a twisted perspective on life.
The characters of these four girls slowly unraveled until the climactic end.
Terauchi, Toshiko, Kirarin and Yuzan all had very different personalities, and I was awestruck at how detailed their characters were and how it reflected that Kirino-san knows a lot about the female psyche. I also liked how Kirino-san chose female high school students to be her characters for this novel, because it really is interesting to explore what goes on inside the mind of a high school girl undergoing adolescence, being thrust into the adult world, and finding her footing in this neoliberal society that is ready to assault you with all kinds of violence in every corner you turn.
In this novel, I was forced to see all the little things I have to grapple with in my everyday life, as I thought, "oh, poor Yuzan, she has to endure this life," and then it suddenly dawns on me that that is also what I have to endure in life because we live in the same age. We go by the same rules.
I could not particularly relate with any of the characters, so I cannot understand them all completely, but I can feel a certain level of resonance with these characters (not that I have a violent streak or anything; I'm not lesbian or a pessimist, either).
Real World presented a world that at first, seemed new and unreal, humming with subtle violence and collective ignorance and detachment. And yet it is so startlingly familiar that you realize that this is your world. This. Is my world.
Recently, I started having a fascination for noir, both in films and books. I have been looking at noir titles, although I haven't checked out any of them yet.
In the case of this book, I happened to have free time between my classes and decided to go to our library to look for some fiction titles I can borrow. I went to the East Asian shelves, looking for Haruki Murakami, but this caught my attention. It was hardcover, but the cover was different because it was all gray and shiny, like polished granite. I liked the typeface when I opened it. And aside from all that stuff in the beginning of a book, the first page was a description of the schedule of classes of high school students in Japan.
I thought it was interesting enough to know that it was about Japanese high school students, and without a clue on what this book was all about, I borrowed it (together with a book on Chinese grammar).
And when I actually started reading it, I knew it was some kind of noir novel because the atmosphere was very flippant. As if it could not care less. As if everything was so painfully mundane that there is no point in caring anymore. So I knew it was noir.
And I didn't know this before but in the middle of reading it, I searched Natsuo Kirino in the Web, and found out that she is a feminist noir novelist.
I didn't know before that noir has subcagetories, but here they are. (And I found some neo-noir film. I can't figure out the difference between noir and neo-noir especially since noir is a fairly new genre, right?)
So in the beginning, I thought that Real World was all about Worm. Worm is a mother-killer (because he murdered his own mother). He epitomizes the image of a person oblivious to the world outside of him. And yet, after the heinous crime, he seemed to feel helpless to being drawn to Toshiko and her friends. Their two very separate worlds collided when he murdered his mother, and the four girls' characters were given more depth as they became more involved with Worm.
I thought the story would revolve around him, and Toshiko and the others would only be supporting characters.
But that was before I knew this was a feminist noir.
Spoiler
Worm used to not care about other people before then (using the term the text used). However, after then, he suddenly felt compelled to have a connection (even a tenuous one) with other people, and he decided to use Toshi's phone to forge said connection. Which makes it seem like he paradoxically became and felt more human after then. Although he was mentally unstable at times.And then, these girls, Toshiko, Kirarin, Terauchi and Yuzan. They saw Worm as something out of a magic realism, because he did something out of the norm. They all knew what he did, and he did admit it flatly to them, and yet, it was like they didn't care about the gravity of his crime. Or that he committed a crime.
But such is the world today, I guess.
And so they saw him as "cool." Yuzan even idolized him at some point. Kirarin saw him as an avenue to make her feel like a stronger woman. Toshiko felt like sympathizing with him so she did not tell the police what she knew. Only Terauchi saw him for who he was supposed to be (and I don't know which idea is mine and which idea is society's suggestion to be mine), but only because of a twisted perspective on life.
The characters of these four girls slowly unraveled until the climactic end.
Terauchi, Toshiko, Kirarin and Yuzan all had very different personalities, and I was awestruck at how detailed their characters were and how it reflected that Kirino-san knows a lot about the female psyche. I also liked how Kirino-san chose female high school students to be her characters for this novel, because it really is interesting to explore what goes on inside the mind of a high school girl undergoing adolescence, being thrust into the adult world, and finding her footing in this neoliberal society that is ready to assault you with all kinds of violence in every corner you turn.
In this novel, I was forced to see all the little things I have to grapple with in my everyday life, as I thought, "oh, poor Yuzan, she has to endure this life," and then it suddenly dawns on me that that is also what I have to endure in life because we live in the same age. We go by the same rules.
I could not particularly relate with any of the characters, so I cannot understand them all completely, but I can feel a certain level of resonance with these characters (not that I have a violent streak or anything; I'm not lesbian or a pessimist, either).
Real World presented a world that at first, seemed new and unreal, humming with subtle violence and collective ignorance and detachment. And yet it is so startlingly familiar that you realize that this is your world. This. Is my world.
jordieboom's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
marinelle's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
goosebumps all over..... the story was unfortunate but the in-depth view of what was going on inside each character's minds is sooooo fascinating
phettberg's review
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
3.0
高校三年の夏休み、隣家の少年が母親を撲殺して逃走。ホリナンナこと山中十四子は、携帯電話を通じて、逃げる少年ミミズとつながる。そしてテラウチ、ユミザン、キラリン、同じ高校にかよう4人の少女たちが、ミミズの逃亡に関わることに。遊び半分ではじまった冒険が、取り返しのつかない結末を迎える。発場人物それぞれの視点から語られる圧倒的にリアルな現実。高校生の心の闇を抉る長編問題作。
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
3.0
Banlieue de Tokyo dans laquelle quatre jeunes écolières (Toshiko, la sérieuse ; Terauchi, la douée ; Yuzan, la paumée ; Kirazin, la fêtarde) passent un mois d'août lourd et studieux dans une « école de bachotage » lorsque, un matin, Toshiko entend du bruit dans la maison d'à côté. Intriguée, elle demande au fils de la voisine si tout va bien et celui-ci, surnommé « le lombric » (il est mal foutu et ne réussit pas en classe), lui répond que oui. Quelques heures plus tard, Toshiko découvre qu'on lui a volé son vélo. Elle n'en dit rien et se tait sur ses soupçons, — car elle vient d'apprendre que « le lombric » a disparu et que sa mère a été assassinée à coups de batte de base-ball. Aussitôt mises dans le secret par « le lombric » en personne, les quatre jeunes filles vont s'acoquiner pour aider le jeune assassin que, pour des raisons propres à chacune, elles considèrent comme un antihéros de la société japonaise. Violent, pervers, terrifiant.
spacestationtrustfund's review
2.0
Every book by Kirino Natsuo I've read (in translation) has been translated by a different translator. That's rarely a good sign—not necessarily that there's something off-putting about the author's writing in the original language, but more that an audience reading their writing in translation will be less likely to be able to grasp an author's distinctive "voice."
This novel is indeed better than its translation, which is hardly unusual. Perhaps what stood out to me the most is that so many culturally specific details were erased—no, "ガングロ" does not mean "Barbie girl"—but perhaps that is to be expected when an American man translates a novel by a Japanese women specifically about young Japanese girls. The phenomenon of 学習塾 [gakushû juku] is nowhere near as widespread or controversial in the US. I don't think that a translation done by a woman would necessarily be better or more accurate, but it definitely could be.
This novel is indeed better than its translation, which is hardly unusual. Perhaps what stood out to me the most is that so many culturally specific details were erased—no, "ガングロ" does not mean "Barbie girl"—but perhaps that is to be expected when an American man translates a novel by a Japanese women specifically about young Japanese girls. The phenomenon of 学習塾 [gakushû juku] is nowhere near as widespread or controversial in the US. I don't think that a translation done by a woman would necessarily be better or more accurate, but it definitely could be.
justhayl's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0