A review by lapis
Moshi Moshi by Banana Yoshimoto
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Before I begin, I want to be clear, I think this is worth reading.
It may have been bad timing on my part, because I lost my maternal grandmother while reading this. Though it's a book about grief, maybe it's good timing?
And honestly, this book is big on food and community, two things that feel lacking in a Covid America. I haven't exchanged greetings with any of my neighbors in at least a month. My favorite Ramen place is serving burritos, I hope because that's easier takeout and not because they've given up on Ramen. It hurts thinking about this wonderful community with great dining. So yeah, maybe consider that before reading.
This is not my favorite Banana Yoshimoto book. I think that'd either be NP or Goodbye, Tsugumi.
There's a slur in this book. An Anti-chinese slur. I questioned the use of it, because the word in question comes across as antiquated, dated, and I don't mean in the sense of "We've progressed past racism" I more mean, I'm pretty sure we use different slurs now. Like, it came across as something a racist old lady says without realizing language has changed.
Maybe that was the intent? I actually learned (while asking online about this book) that anti-Chinese racism is a big thing in Japan. This isn't me being completely oblivious to the flaws of Japan; I more mean: I only knew about the Anti-Korean racism.
Anyway, I don't know if the point is that Banana Yoshimoto has anti-Chinese sentiments, or more wanted to use language to reflect the racist views many people in Japan have.
It may have been bad timing on my part, because I lost my maternal grandmother while reading this. Though it's a book about grief, maybe it's good timing?
And honestly, this book is big on food and community, two things that feel lacking in a Covid America. I haven't exchanged greetings with any of my neighbors in at least a month. My favorite Ramen place is serving burritos, I hope because that's easier takeout and not because they've given up on Ramen. It hurts thinking about this wonderful community with great dining. So yeah, maybe consider that before reading.
This is not my favorite Banana Yoshimoto book. I think that'd either be NP or Goodbye, Tsugumi.
There's a slur in this book. An Anti-chinese slur. I questioned the use of it, because the word in question comes across as antiquated, dated, and I don't mean in the sense of "We've progressed past racism" I more mean, I'm pretty sure we use different slurs now. Like, it came across as something a racist old lady says without realizing language has changed.
Maybe that was the intent? I actually learned (while asking online about this book) that anti-Chinese racism is a big thing in Japan. This isn't me being completely oblivious to the flaws of Japan; I more mean: I only knew about the Anti-Korean racism.
Anyway, I don't know if the point is that Banana Yoshimoto has anti-Chinese sentiments, or more wanted to use language to reflect the racist views many people in Japan have.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs