Thanks for that, I think you covered everything. I was literally laughing out loud halfway though your post.
And you typed all that on mobile? I could never do that!
7 Likes
There is a lot to laugh about, isn’t there?! I was laughing out loud half of the time I was reading it. 
4 Likes
I went back to the WK threads and copied some of my reactions here. These were written as I was reading, and you can see that I kept hoping for the longest time that this would make some sort of coherent sense
It definitely was an experience.
Excerpts of some of my reactions as I was reading AGE32 (spoilers of course)
Other than that, is the book light sf now? Holograms in meetings, self-driving cars everywhere.
This is starting to remind me of the “雫 returns to Tuberose a hero” chapter. So now two salary men and an assistant barge in and manage to see the CEO of the rival company that’s in cahoots with the yakuza to destroy them? And 亜夢 is fine risking his life for his old friend who he has basically known for like a couple of months in actual time they’ve been together, because apparently he’s good at hiding? This is getting into silly territory again.
I was all set to comment how this chapter too was way too naive and over the top, cartoonish even in how it portrayed the “villain”, but at the end it seems like maybe the naivety was of the characters in jumping at the first conclusion that was presented to them? I’m still hoping for a dark tale of betrayal, but we’ll see. Once again, I have no idea what this book has in store, but I do hope it has something. (and no comment on the casual quickie hacking of a yakuza boss’s phone at short notice, as requested by a respectful white-collar businessman 
)
Well, my hopes were crushed once more. What was that exactly? What manager lets an employee of his be insulted in this way by a stranger, a competitor no less, in his very office? Seriously, you stand in someone else’s office, and sarcastically recite a humiliating interview that happened 9 years ago word for word (possibly doing the voices too), then ask a person you’ve seen once 9 years ago, in front of her superior, whether she’s sleeping around? How? What? Then suddenly, after insulting her in this way, you bow and beg for forgiveness because that way of interviewing was wrong? Yet you did it again a minute ago? And in the end everyone apologizes to each other and things are back to normal and everyone’s happy? What is this? Is the book some kind of isekai light novel after all?
I could have written several paragraphs of my thoughts, but really, I think this visual summary said it best.
After accepting the new reality we were suddenly thrown in, is got fun again. I kept wanting to comment as I read, then things changed and changed again. First of all, 八千草 running around like a broken robot was hilarious. The book is a comedy after all. And imagining him having sex while never ever taking his glasses and earphones off! Second, I was so annoyed by the attempt to get all philosophical about free will all of a sudden. Someone is telling you he has been controlling your boss all along, the same boss who had been in a relationship with 美津子, and instead of immediately asking how that worked out exactly, you ask about him being happy not having free will. Sure.
By the way, I was all set to complain about how the two brothers story and the meaning of free will felt like the author had too many ideas and he just tried to fit them in one book. I would totally have respected it as a standalone short story, but I felt it didn’t fit at all here, given the setup so far. But then it turned out this was just part of the setup too, and the spotlight is again on 美津子. I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve finished reading, but for now I can say that the balance of the book has been very lopsided, and while surprises are fun, it has been way too misleading on what kind of book we’ve been reading (still unsure, to be honest).
The ending felt… cheesy, actually. I’m not sure what the author wanted to say exactly. It all felt very much all over the place. I won’t even talk about how a 10 year old video could be flawlessly turned into a hologram on the spot, when I can’t even open text documents from a decade ago without trouble. So 光汰 had been captive (hands around throat, dog collar) since the end of the last book, and has now been “released” at the end of this one. Because a hologram of a dead person (called it, but still ridiculous) told him she chose to die at the moment of extreme happiness because she had loved him. And what was that “revenge” after all? That she got to implement her ideas even if they demoted her? That she made it obvious to the world that you can control human beings as you can control hologram avatars? So much eyerolling. What was the whole point of the two brothers? What was the point of anything? Anyway, the second book was boring for the first two thirds, then turned into a trashy entertainment novel (fun to read, but also ridiculous and over the top), then tried to tie it all up in a supposedly deep, philosophical, but basically sentimental way that in no way worked for me. But okay.
7 Likes
Your reactions! They covered all the finer absurdities I left out!
I also found 八千草 running around like a robot and playing on the swings as soon as he lost his earpiece hilarious.
And the thought of this absolutely slayed me as well:
He had a wife and kids and they never noticed? But 美津子 just happened to find out? Huge lol to all of it!
What was the point of it all indeed!!
7 Likes
Yes.
Thanks for calling this on!
OMG this is hilarious! Thank you
Same 
6 Likes
I see you also gave it one star! I think we need your reactions from back when you read it as well!
4 Likes
Same.
About the bleating, it may be because she was blushing, but it felt kinda sexual to me. (Not from the point of view of the MC, just hers, I guess, like she is developing some weird submission kink; that last conversation made me mostly stop feeling empathy for the MC, by the way)
4 Likes
I finished the first volume and kinda liked it. Having read your comments on the second one, I’m going to stop here, though
3 Likes
I am conflicted between saying “you are missing out!” And “that’s probably the better choice.” 
If you’ve already spoiled yourself the big moment, though, I think it’s not worth reading.
Vol 1 was kind of like-able, though!
4 Likes
Yes, I read everyone comments since I didn’t plan to go ahead… and it kinda solidified my decision… but at the same time it sounds like such a train wreck that I’m curious to see for myself.
One day maybe.
5 Likes
If you ever want to, I think you can just read the last 1/3 of the book for the very crazy stuff about his boss and Mitsuko and not miss very much in the first 2/3…
2 Likes
Although I must really say I loved that scene in the company
Do you mean where they go to confront the other company’s CEO in Kobe and he makes them do 土下座?? That was also whacky!
2 Likes
Yeah exactly that one! Can you imagine the turmoil in that office?
3 Likes
I remember that there were also many descriptions of the office having strange mannequins and taxidermy animals in it too. It really painted a picture!
3 Likes
finally making progress with Tuberose again.
Chapter 4:
I like あむ as a name.
3 Likes
RL italki tutoring with a pinch of flirting.
3 Likes
From what I know about Japanese society, I am not at all surprised host clubs for any gender exist. They give the customer all the fun benefits of a partner without any of the hassle. 
5 Likes
Except for when they don’t! but I do seem to enjoy the horror stories on YouTube and 知恵袋
3 Likes
I just imagined naming my kid this and then some day having to explain the origin.
3 Likes
