I picked this book up immediately based on the gorgeous cover, the great title, and the interesting premise. Rintaro, a hikikomori who inherits a bookstore from his late grandfather, is tasked with the important mission of Saving All Books. He is visited by a snarky talking cat named Tiger who gives him this mission and explains how he must defeat three villains who are mistreating books in different ways. He must defeat them through a battle of words and convince them to see the error of their ways.

I wish I could’ve enjoyed this book for what it was, but unfortunately, I grew bored rather quickly. The quests are actually rather dull and the messages simplistic. And, even though this book is rather short, much of its content is repetitive and overexplained. Also: the title is just a lie! The cat doesn’t save books at all – in fact, the cat barely does anything. Tiger gives Rintaro his mission and then occasionally bullies him throughout the novel. That’s literally it. If we’re basing this on the archetypal hero’s journey, Tiger is barely a magical helper.

Regardless, the villains of the book are easily defeated with a few select platitudes and the stakes never feel high as a result. Everything and everyone in the story felt very cookie-cutter, and ultimately, lacked substance. I wonder if this book would actually be more interesting as a video game instead, as having the unique visuals and sense of exploration might help with what the narrative is lacking, but I still think there would need to be higher stakes involved and a deeper exploration of theme and character.

As other reviewers have pointed out, I was also struck by the implication of how the only books worth saving seemed to be those of the Western canon, written primarily by dead white men. I wonder if this was changed in the translation, as the author is Japanese. Regardless, it seems woefully out of touch.