Twelve Twitter Stories: These were quite confusing to me, the first half seem to be talking about language or literature in some way, and while the first story is poetic they seem to devolve into siller and siller stories. I’m guessing they might make more sense in Japanese or maybe have some sort of wordplay that doesn’t come through in the English translation.
I Want to Kick You in the Back: This one was interesting, both characters in the story are outcasts from the social structure of middle school and isolate themselves from connection. Hatsu seems pretty insecure and isolates herself by belittling the people around her, and Ninagawa ignores everyone while obsessing over an idol, which seems to be a common issue in very conservative societies. The scene describing how Hatsu met Oli-chan was really interesting and kind of disturbing. It painted this idol as someone who is completely unattainable and detached from the average person, but still wants something from Hatsu (her youthfulness/innocence?)
People Who Talk to Stuffed Animals are Nice: So far I like this one more than Realizing Fun Things Through Water. Like I Want to Kick You in the Back, it centers around students who are socially awkward and unable to communicate their own feelings in healthy ways, but this time in a university setting. As we learn about Nanamori, we learn about how social groups can often have expectations based on gender and appearances, which have made Nanamori feel like an outcast. It seems like in grade school there is a strong need to mold your sense of self/identity in order to conform, but people are able to find more freedom in college to express themselves.
Hunchback: This one started craaazy, and I have to say I’m glad the beginning wasn’t the whole story. Ichikawa really leans into using humor to get readers to connect with the story rather than just feel pity for the characters. She is particularly unapologetic in her use of sexual and dark humor, which makes Shaka all the more striking. Shaka’s twitter posts and other thoughts make you think about things you’re likely taking for granted in life. Also, this book mentions the manga Kaiji which was also mentioned in People Who Talk to Stuffed Animals are Nice, but I don’t really know what it’s about.
The Hole: This story seemed more plain compared to the others we read, but between the cicadas and bugs and the mysterious creature, I wonder if it will lean more into magical realism the more you read it. Asa is forced to uproot her own life for her husband's job, and she doesn’t seem to realize how much of a sacrifice it was for her. Her falling into the hole and the imagery of everything in the town being very very still seems like they might be a representation of how she is falling into/stuck in this new routine as a housewife, and worries about becoming very still like everyone else. Sera is the one who helps her out of the hole, so I wonder if later on they become closer and Sera helps Asa out of this stillness too. Asa also seems to focus very much on the appearances of the other women in her life, potentially pointing to some of her own insecurities.
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