Spoilers should always be hidden using spoiler blur.
When discussing a specific section, please mention where you are in the book, ideally by chapter so people reading different versions have a clear point of reference.
Feel free to read ahead if it’s exciting, but please refrain from spoiling ahead of the appropriate week.
If you have a question about grammar, vocab, cultural things, etc - ask! That’s a welcome part of the discussion too, and other readers will be happy to help.
I remember reading this part in the preview when the f&n bookclub on wanikani started. I remember being pleasantly surprised how the two teenagers were presented. Very teenage-y.
I’m sure Kaito will get out from under his mother’s watchful eyes soon~
Finished this week’s reading as well. We’re introduced to Kaito, his dysfunctional family, and his strained relationship with his friend Kazuya.
I swear, his mom; what a piece of work. Makes you wonder about Kaito himself, growing up in that kind of environment. Somehow I have a feeling that, even after graduation and finding a job, she wouldn’t let him go as easily as he’s probably imagining. I also laughed a bit at his teenage rebellions. Smoking! Dying your hair! Playing hooky! The horror!
The discomfort Kaito feels with Kazuya is interesting as well. He says he doesn’t mind him as a travel partner, since their personalities tend to complement the other’s, but this section at least just made me feel tense the whole time. Tip-toeing around a friend so no one feels unhappy; that doesn’t sound fun.
Right? Nothing but teenage angst here, haha.
Joke’s on us; 友恵’s coming along for the ride.
There’s an illustration in the physical copy of the book; I took a picture from my copy for you all to see here!
Edit: and while I doubt anyone’s listening along at home, I’ll leave my own notes here. I’m going to try to listen to the drama CD as we go along, and this week’s reading matches very nicely with the first CD track. We lose all of Kaito’s thoughts about his mother and most of his pondering in regards to Kazuya; their fathers’ relationship is brought to in connection to some of the awkwardness Kaito feels around Kazuya, at least.
There’s a neat effect where, when the tourists come up to ask the two to take their picture (although the man and his girlfriend have mysteriously morphed into two women), they overlay English behind the Japanese VAs’ lines for the first sentence or so. It’s very cool, but can easily make the two languages into a word salad if you’re not paying attention. The first track, covering our twenty pages, finishes at just over 4 minutes.
I’m looking at the bolded here. Should it be read as something like, “But despite that, there was a reason he didn’t argue with Kazuya about it. A reason that they both couldn’t do anything about.”?
Yet another edit: is Kaito’s school a real place? Found this while searching. I don’t know if 松岡先生 gives enough detail to really tell if the school is just based on it or not, but it’s possible. The real-life school boards students and allows for international applications, at the very least.
Finished the first section right in time. I agree with everyone else - so much teen angst! Excited to see what happens when Kaito can go out on his own.
I finally started yesterday and have already made it past this week. I like the writing so far. Gives me big 2000s nostalgia vibes. I wonder how soon the actual story will start.
So I’m curious, what gives you guys those vibes? I don’t think I remember feeling the same, but perhaps I’m just too out of touch with the early 2000s at this point. I guess I tend to equate a certain art style with that period of time, but I’m not sure what would equate to that prose-wise for me.
The art style is def. also a part of it, but the whole “troubled teen” thing and “problems at home” and “lonely rich kid” was very strong in the 2000s, imo. I don’t really read stuff with teens anymore, so I don’t know if this is still a common theme.
there’s something very prominent that I don’t know how to explain?
like in the way things are described for the character? that gives off early 2000’s tween-teen novel
I really don’t know how to explain it but you can kinda recognize it in how things are described and how characters act, so I will read it even in English and go “oh!” and then it’s a 2000’s book
Somehow I have a feeling that, even after graduation and finding a job, she wouldn’t let him go as easily as he’s probably imagining. I also laughed a bit at his teenage rebellions. Smoking! Dying your hair! Playing hooky! The horror!
I agree with everyone else - 
I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
I guess I tend to equate a certain art style with that period of time, but I’m not sure what would equate to that prose-wise for me.
