In Realizing Fun Things Through Water, I found that the main character was very empathetic to the point of people pleasing. Although it is apparent that she doesn't love Hakozaki romantically, she cried when she thought he was sick. Additionally, when she found out her sister disappeared and saw Hakozaki's reaction, she "[began] to worry about him, and felt [her] own pain recede." She also mentions being addicted to social media: "It wasn't as if they had happened to me, but I was connected to major events from all over the world...I experienced things as if they had happened to me and felt ill." It is apparent that Hatsuoka feels for other's emotions deeply. But when it comes to her own emotions, she isn't passionate about them and even neglects them in order to make others happy. This is especially the case with Hakozaki, because she knew she did not love him romantically, but was fine with the idea of being with him and prioritized his feelings over hers. I think that she is being very unfair to Hakozaki.
Reading Sea Horse was very emotional for me. After all the hardships she experienced, the main character doesn't consider herself a human anymore. She even called her first-born baby a "half-human child." The use of human names versus real names may also support this idea of being non-human. The main character longs to return to the ocean, which I assume represents herself before her traumatic experiences with her husbands. They treated her like an animal, even fitting her into a crate, which might have caused her to disassociate herself with humanity. I wonder where she truly went to at the end of the story, because I believe that the ocean is figurative. Perhaps she returned home?
Convenience Store Woman was my favorite read, because the author does a wonderful job of putting us in the shoes of Keiko. That's why it makes a lot of sense for us as readers why she loves her job as a convenience store worker since we know her thought process. I particularly loved the quote, "It was the first time someone ever taught me how to accomplish a normal facial expression and manner of speech." All Keiko wants is to be normal, and the fact that the convenience provides models for her to easily follow makes her feel integrated with society. I also like the quote, "I am currently made up of 30 percent Mrs. Izumi, 30 percent Sugawara..." This really demonstrates how dedicated Keiko is to make a new character of herself, one that would be more accepted by society. Her desperation to be normal even led her to consider marrying Shihara, which I was very surprised about, but they are similar in that they view themselves as outcasts of society. But while Shihara is very critical of this, Keiko just accepts it as is and adjusts herself around it. I appreciate her character development at the end of the story, when she learns to accept herself as a convenience store worker. I really like the quote, "Think of me as an animal, a convenience store animal. I can't betray my instinct." This represents Keiko breaking away from societal standards, and embracing her differentness.
I thought Dissecting Misogyny was a unique portrayal of sexism. The blatant misogyny was just as gross as the description of dissecting a monkey. The speaker makes disturbing comments like, "what delicate flowers we all are, ladies," as well as assuming what women will do after watching the program such as shopping for groceries and cooking. The speaker even says, "Honestly, it's hard enough just keeping up with the washing in this line of work," so he has no remorse for the dissection and his focus is on cleaning himself afterwards. This represents the inhumanness of misogyny.
In Picnic, I was confused about the reason why the wife likes going on picnics. She says it's because she can clearly see him when they're outside. I interpreted this as she feels more free when she is outside. Obviously, since the story is in the perspective of the husband, we don't how he exactly treats her indoors. But we can tell she doesn't feel positively about him, from the way she forgets his name and responds very neutrally to his love. This story might represent the male point of view in a toxic relationship, where the man doesn't realize his wrongdoings. He doesn't even want her to be honest with him, suggesting he doesn't respect her true feelings.
I felt very inspired by Tomo chan in Tomo Chan's Happiness because she is very optimistic and hopeful. Even after everything that has happened to her, like getting violated and her father leaving the family for another women, she does not let those experiences affect her moving forward. She still decides to fully embrace romance. She even returns to the riverbank despite it being associated with a bad memory. Instead of relying on God, or blaming external forces for misfortunes that isn't even her fault, she stays optimistic and resilient.
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