Hitomi Takano

This book genuinely confuses me, like it was in the middle of an identity crisis as I was reading it.

It starts out as a dramatization of the sexism and sexual harassment faced by a woman in the workplace and even introduces a stalker. Then it turns a corner into a heartwarming buddy comedy as the main character stumbles into a friendship with a neurodivergent person with all sorts of personality quirks and coping mechanisms. And finally a ridiculous coincidence is shoved down our throat in show more the closing pages as the story transforms again into a full-on sci-fi thriller, with a next-volume preview that tells us everything we have read so far is just prelude to the real story.

My confusion isn't helped by the fact that the storytelling is sub-par: sentences and scenes that make no sense, as if something were lost in translation; scene shifts that are abrupt and poorly signaled, dialogue and character actions that just don't ring true.

I feel no need to continue with this series, but it is only four volumes long, so I might check the rest out from my local library if they all turn up in the catalog one day, if only to see which identity it ultimately chooses for itself.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapters 1-4 -- Afterword -- Makuhito's Phone Challenges show less