saramdeuri's reviews
286 reviews

i enjoyed this way more than I thought I would!! viscerally disgusting, horrifying, fear-inducing. the way Sayaka Murata approaches taboo subjects is so frank and yet so sensitive. keeps you wondering the whole way through as to whether they really are aliens and this is some kind of sci-fi, or if this is the way they cope with their ill mental health. I'm not going to diagnose them with anything, but I thought some of the scenes were actually quite reflective of what it's like to experience/live with these symptoms (of which I have co-morbidity, if that's how you say it?). really excellent work !! I love you miss Murata! wonderful translation work also!

also, compared to other novels I've read with

cannibalism,

this one really approached it with the attachment to the act and detachment from society that made it all the more psychologically fascinating to read. if I'd read this just a few years ago it'd have been my obsession, I've no doubt. 

if you take a look through my account here, you'll see that I read A Whole Lot of erotica, in various languages, mostly in comic format, but a lot of written prose too. I wrote my dissertation on erotica, I love it that much! I'm asexual, so I don't experience sexual attraction or arousal the way most people seem to, which I think is what draws me so much to this form of human expression. erotic fantasy can tell us so much about each other, without saying very much at all. so of course, when my close friend gifted me this for christmas - thank you, by the way! - after I'd kept sneaking looks at it on our bookshop visits, I was ecstatic, much to my family's resignation. 

I thought I'd have devoured this in absolutely no time at all, but it actually took a little more time. partially because, yeah, these fantasies are really erotic, and yeah, they kind of got me going! but also because they're so intimate, so vivid, so real, that I had to take time to digest them. it's not erotica, not really, but it is. it's phenomenal. 

I found myself drawn into each of these - apart from the one that's just three words long, for that very reason - and thinking "yeah, actually! that's super hot!" at most of them, or "good for her!" at all the rest. since I've read and seen a lot of erotic and pornographic content, I wasn't exactly scandalized by any of these, but I was definitely surprised by a few. all very much worth reading. why? because there's so much to learn about ourselves and others. 

while I was reading this, I had a few interesting conversations with friends and family. my grandmother, who was a part of the feminist movement of the sixties, was especially adamant in telling me that it is crucial that women know themselves and their bodies in regards to what arouses us, and what doesn't. it is part of our fight for rights. if we do not know what we love, if we do not ask for it, if we do not demand it, then what are we even doing in bed? submitting in ways that do not benefit us, or something like that, she'd said. she was speaking especially about the heterosexual experience, since she'd had none other, but I agree that it's very important for us queer people to know ourselves the same. 

anyways, I'm greatly impressed by the sheer feat that pulling this book together was. I hope it can inspire women to love themselves with more fervor, to know themselves down to their marrow. and I hope it can inspire men to care more for their partners and their pleasure. non-binary and genderqueer people? you too. you don't get off scott-free !! 

I honestly have no clue how to write this review. it's a good book, like seriously interesting social commentary and mystery, and definitely perfect to be adapted into tv (as it will be, soon). the characters are all quite believable. not exactly a fan of the

doomed yuri

but it fits the plot and character development pretty well so... yeah.... it's a good book. a real feat of translation. read it! 

hands down one of the best children's books I've read. impeccable storytelling. I love ducks. I need to buy a duck plushie now. I need a taenini in my hands expeditiously. and I'm craving biscuits. and I've gotta go hug my mum too. get this book in every single library right now

although outdated by now, it presents a pretty solid concept as to what moé might be. well, as solid as you can get. it's nice that Galbraith interviewed people inside the community, those who profit from it, and those who study it. it makes for a well-rounded exploration of the topic, although there were some odd remarks in there that I'd have prodded more into as an interviewer. some of the interviews were—if you'll forgive me for saying it this way—rough, and would have benefited from some more open or probing questions. I mean, I don't actually have to know how each illustrator got into illustrating. that's not the point of this book. you can cut those questions down and then give more space to their thoughts on the subculture and phenomenon. 

it'd be nice to see what an updated version of this would look like; although moé is functionally dead right now as a term it's affected everything about otaku culture in the present day, so there's probably loads more to say about it. I'll be keeping an eye out for Galbraith's new stuff!

incredibly heartwarming and cozy, goes perfectly with meaningful stone's new album "angel interview". goes at exactly the same pace as life does, in a lovely walk-in-the-park way. very much reflects the reality of corporate life nowadays, and what happens when it breaks you down to your marrow, and then what happens after with enough care and time. the ending was very sweet, left me satisfied! wonderful translation also <3

super cute and with really meaningful and lovely few messages! approaches class struggles with such tact for a children's book. really fantastic! 

this hooked me more than I thought it would !!

I liked the little twist in the soulmates system, how neither of them can sleep well unless they're together. I feel like that's a pretty good incentive for getting together - not too dramatic, but not too boring either. sleep is very important for the human body! 

the characters themselves, so far, are rather typical for the genre. I do find myself occasionally confused as to whether I'm looking at jiseok or jigeon in some panels, but it's not horribly confusing. 

I think I'll keep reading on, though! I'm getting fond of the main couple, and this volume sets up some interesting conflict between the love triangle/square.

well, yeah! it sure was a bl! 

not too much to say about this. I didn't read the original it's spinning off of, but this stands very much on its own. can even read it as a one-shot, which I will, because I couldn't find it in me to care more about these guys. they're cute, but I'm over the whole "I'll kiss you so you can see whether or not you like boys" and the "I don't know how gay sex works so I'm just gonna try stick it in the first time and see what happens" thing. I've read too much BL for this. but it's a lovely little return to classic form, I'd say. nothing outward, nothing new, just very cozy for seasoned fujos. really lovely art though, nice to see a dad bod done (some) justice.

when is it MY turn to have a warm and comfortable queerplatonic marriage !!

this was a genuinely moving account of what it's like to live as an asexual aromantic woman, woven in with earnest adult friendships and an undying love for a hobby. Felt a little tiny bit like having my hearts desires reflected back to me. 

fun fact about me: my mum keeps insisting her best plan for me is to marry a gay man in a country where gay marriage isn't legal so we can live in peace. I will be fighting for LGBT rights instead but I think it's kinda funny my mum supports me entering a lavender marriage