ramalam98's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
I preferred the second story to the first, but they were both really good.
Moonlight Shadow was definitely a 5⭐️ story for me, a surprisingly heartwarming story of grief and nearly made me shed a tear.
Kitchen was more of a 4⭐️ read, I felt like it dragged on a little bit and some sections definitely haven’t aged well. I liked the characters and the story but wanted more focus on the kitchen lol
I wasn’t actually too keen on the writing style which I think is a translation issue, the translator used a lot of english sayings which felt out of place.
Moonlight Shadow was definitely a 5⭐️ story for me, a surprisingly heartwarming story of grief and nearly made me shed a tear.
Kitchen was more of a 4⭐️ read, I felt like it dragged on a little bit and some sections definitely haven’t aged well. I liked the characters and the story but wanted more focus on the kitchen lol
I wasn’t actually too keen on the writing style which I think is a translation issue, the translator used a lot of english sayings which felt out of place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Hate crime, and Grief
leweylibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I was going to, and I'm so glad it was one I read on the way to Japan! The writing was so profound, and I just adored the characters, even if they were kind of hot messes lol. Both stories talked a lot about family and personal growth and change, and I basically highlighted the entire book with quotes I liked lol. Also, I know the way the trans character is written if a bit controversial, especially now, but for when this book was written it's absolutely wild that this character was even written in the first place, and she's still one of my favorites.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Transphobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Death
risemini's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Transphobia, Cancer, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Murder, Violence, Death, Grief, and Hate crime
agnesbebon's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Death, Transphobia, Violence, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Grief
lolaloupiotte's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, and Transphobia
Minor: Outing and Self harm
irisolympe's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
4.0
kitchen 4⭐
love it ! it even makes me cry, the depiction of food was amazing and motivate me to cook more, i really the characters and their relationship however i didn't like that a cute friendship kinda turned to have romance included just cause they're man and woman : " we have always acted like brother and sister, aren't we really man and woman in the primordial sense, and don't we think of each other in that way ?"
a another thing that i dislike is that they sometimes refer as a trans woman by saying that she is a man, which is not true she may be biologically a man but she's a woman. could be a five-star but I remove a star for the cishet nonsense but homewever a really nice and beautiful written story.
moonlight shadow 3,75⭐
I don't really know how I feel about it, i really liked it but the ending felt so rushed. i think the story could be more developed
love it ! it even makes me cry, the depiction of food was amazing and motivate me to cook more, i really the characters and their relationship however i didn't like that a cute friendship kinda turned to have romance included just cause they're man and woman : " we have always acted like brother and sister, aren't we really man and woman in the primordial sense, and don't we think of each other in that way ?"
a another thing that i dislike is that they sometimes refer as a trans woman by saying that she is a man, which is not true she may be biologically a man but she's a woman. could be a five-star but I remove a star for the cishet nonsense but homewever a really nice and beautiful written story.
moonlight shadow 3,75⭐
I don't really know how I feel about it, i really liked it but the ending felt so rushed. i think the story could be more developed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Hate crime
lynn_x5452's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Murder, and Hate crime
james1star's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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? No
4.0
I picked this up as a ‘blind date with a book’ and was pleasantly impressed. It’s quite a strange one consisting of two short stories (the first split into two parts so three chapters in total), the first about a young woman Mikage who recently lost her sole family member, her grandmother. Yuichi who knew her grandmother asks Mikage round with the possibility of moving in wi yh him and his mother Eriko, who’s a trans woman. The second story follows Satsuki who recently lost her high school lover of four years Hitoshi as she tries to look to the future. Out running she meets a strange woman called Urara who says a once in a hundred year event will take place, Hitoshi’s you get brother Hiiragi is another strange but lovable character we meet.
The prominent motif throughout is grief, the many forms and how it impacts oneself. This sensation is heavily explored and Yoshimoto does a great job at realising these characters and thus how they’re impacted by the death of loved ones. Her storytelling isn’t particularly imaginative but is very real and flows well. The characters are for the most part loveable but what’s done best is how we’re attached to them as a reader in an emotional way. Some sentences maybe went on too long with many passages but her nuance/craft could’ve been lost in translation. Being written in 1988, I thought the inclusion of a transgender character was rather ‘modern’ and greatly appreciated, Yoshimoto’s work was hailed as very contemporary in Japan so this is great. That being said, some parts made me a little uncomfortable where there’s an emphasis played on Eriko (and later Chika)’s ‘masculine’ features, with some outdated terms like ‘transsexual’ with deadnaming and Yuichi has a ‘she was/is a man’ ideology. But this was about it and overall I was impressed by this book. It’s not a favourite but definitely decent and one I’d recommend, the author does an amazing job at making grief a very real and important emotion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Minor: Deadnaming, Murder, Alcoholism, Car accident, Mental illness, Hate crime, Cancer, Death of parent, and Transphobia
ynotlime's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Hate crime
recycled_personalities's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Progressive for it’s time. Seen through a mordent lens, it could be better in its representation. Great examination of grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Alcohol, Murder, Alcoholism, Medical content, Bullying, Grief, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Transphobia, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, Death, and Hate crime