I think I would be more outgoing because I would feel some familiarity with the people I would come across. But it would still be difficult because I would have to break through the outer exterior many have with people they’ve just met.
After my second read-through, I’m really intrigued by the 薄ら寒さ (chills, perhaps?) that Ai describes:
時折 、私は背筋から首筋のあたりがすっと冷えるのだ。
This time around I looked up 時折 and found out that it means “sometimes,” which I didn’t know. This makes it sound like it’s a phenomenon Ai experiences somewhat frequently, and that’s been happening for some time before the events of the book. The author goes into quite a bit of detail about it, describing it as a giant snake running all the way up the length of her back. I feel like the author would have included it for a reason - I wonder if it’s meant to say something about Ai’s character? Or perhaps it’s related to the day-repeating phenomenon?
I wondered that too, since the chills are mentioned more than once in the chapter, and it seems that she tried to combat them with her smoking and music, which are solitary activities for her. This cold snake description seemed to contrast temperature-wise with the description on the night she tried to stay out of her room to see if that would stop the repeat, as the 繰り返す moment started on the park bench, then she started to feel this enveloping warm membrane, which became her blanket when she woke up.
足の指の先や、膝小僧が急に温かくなった。どうしてだろう。目に見えない温もりの薄い膜が私を包んでいた。(p 16 in the paper version)
When she hangs up the phone with 由利江 and then says:
私はこの瞬間まで由利江に変人がいることを知らなかった。
Does that translate as “until that moment I didn’t know that yurie was a 変人” or that she “had a 変人” (referring to the boyfriend).
The way I interpreted that line was like this: “Until that moment, I didn’t know that Yurie had a boyfriend.” Honestly, when I read through that part, I understood the intent. But the way it’s phrased never crossed my mind. If it were me saying this, I would’ve definitely phrased it differently, but of course it would sound weird to a Japanese speaker. Syntax is a beast, isn’t?
EDIT: Errgh, I’ve been changing the tense of the verb in the spoiler, thinking well it would be correct to say it this way because that is how it’s said in Japanese, but in English it said this way…I knew that studying a new language really messes with people at times, but I’d never thought that it would be to this extent…
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Weird! But the overall gist of it was that she’s suspicious of 由利江 all of a sudden, right? I sort of read the use of 変人 as making her boyfriend seem “off” somehow? Like “who’s this weird guy with her” and “now that I think about it, that was a weird story to tell me the other day about going fishing…” or something?
The passage from your question was right after the conversation she had with her friend. She was feeling scared and wanted to stay the night, but as you remember, Yurie gives the excuse that she can’t because her boyfriend is coming over to her house. It was at this moment that she realized the depth of the their relationship even though it had been decaying for some time. The sentence your talking about regarding the fishing trip she says, “日曜日に家族で釣りに行った話などを聞きながら、漠然と恋人はいないのであろうと思っていた。彼女とは一年生の時に同じクラスになって以来の付き合いだから、そろそろ二年近くなる。それなのに、なんとなくこの種の話題を敬遠していた。” So I read this part as in the fishing trip she vaguely remembers that there wasn’t a boyfriend in the picture. She had been hanging out with Yurie since freshman year, but she’s been coy about broaching that topic. Because of this situation, she’s in full reflection mode about her friendship with Yurie. At least that’s how I took the whole situation.
Ah I think I see… although I’m still quite confused about the use of 変人. And I also got the sense that she was asking to stay the night with 由利江 because she wanted to test out a theory that the 繰り返し wouldn’t continue if she woke up in a different place?
Maybe its because I’m looking at from the protagonist’s perspective, But I thought that was very selfish of her friend. I mean, if she truly believed ai, then she should help her friend. She can see her boyfriend tomorrow,but Ai is going to be trapped in the same day forever if no one helps her.
You’re right. I don’t think it’s a fair to say that she was scared. But she couldn’t sleep and she thought if she slept somewhere else it would change things.
As for 恋人 I’m not sure what you’re confused about? Could you explain what you’re confused about? Because I’m a little confused about what you’re confused about. *And I don’t mean that in any condescending way, so please don’t take it that way.
@Iwasneverhere I’m with you as well. I think the whole situation reeked of her friend appeasing Ai to her face, but in reality she didn’t really believe her story and can’t admit that to her face.
EDIT: @chrispthompson I just noticed what you meant. I typed a completely different kanji than you did! It’s 恋人 not 変人
Yeah, it seems fishy, doesn’t it?
Ai even made the point that if the situation was reversed, she wouldn’t believe 由利江. So it makes it extra weird that not only was it so easy for 由利江 to believe, but then that she also seemed indifferent to helping Ai… makes me think 由利江 is in on it somehow!
Totally — I understand the word to mean “oddball” or “eccentric” and I’m just trying to figure out who is being referred to as that. 由利江? The boyfriend? She uses it twice.
Edit: WHOOPS! I was reading it as 変人 not 恋人. WK leeches are back to attack me!!!
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Looks like it hit both of us. Because I just noticed it was different too.
Japanese is so crayyyyzeeee lol
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I feel like the chills Ai experiences and the way she treats Yurie are connected. Ai’s obviously living a very solitary life and I think the chill is a loneliness she herself doesn’t consciously feel / want to admit to, but which is there nonetheless.
While I agree Yurie’s reaction isn’t that of the best friend in the world, the way Ai instantly and completely reframes their relationship as being a simple matter of convenience (despite the fact they seem to spend / have spent a lot of time together) and dismisses Yurie as being unimportant speaks of an unhealthy isolation.
As for Ai’s thoughts on Yurie’s family fishing story, I interpreted it as being that when listening to that story it had occurred to Ai that Yurie probably didn’t have a boyfriend (the unspoken implication being that if she did she wouldn’t be going on family fishing trips).
- A few people have said what they’d do in Ai’s shoes. I wonder what people would do in Yurie’s place? If a friend told you they were reliving the same day, how would you react? Would you believe them?
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I guess its kind of hard to say, because I’m not sure how my existence would be defined. Would I constantly relive the same day but just not know it? Or would I see my friend the next day, and then I guess they would tell me they’re no longer reliving the next day.
It would be pretty easy to tell if they are reliving the same day, they could tell me my future responses or of anything that might happen, like someone walking by with a red hat. Also I think I would be able to sense their confusion and asses whether they are genuine or not.
At the very least I could entertain the idea, seeing if they are joking and waiting for them to drop it, or seeing if they are suffering from a mental illness.
That is a really hard question. I would privably not believe my friend if she told me that she was a living the same day all over again. I would probably think she is just teasing me.
However, if she would be very desperate i would probably try to find out if she is saying the truth. So, the idea with asking for news is probably a good one. If she can tell me something which would happen over the day…
I agree with your assessment about Ai’s issues of intimacy. From what we know from the story she doesn’t have anyone else around in her life besides Yurie. To this point she hasn’t contacted family, which begs the question whether she still has living relatives or if her relationship with them is good or not. Looking from the outside, Ai is a type of person I wouldn’t want to be friends with because she seems to be very shallow, in the sense that she prevents people from truly getting close to her.
If it were me in Yurie’s shoes, I think it depends on the type of friendship I had with a friend that came to me saying that they were living the same day over and over. If it were like the relationship that Yurie had with Ai, I would definitely not believe her. But if it were a person with whom I was close and this issue came up, I’d be concerned about them and like to know what I could do to help them.
Maybe it’s just me but there’s no way I would believe even a good friend if they told me that. Espiecially since in those first few days that Ai was still keeping in contact with Yurie she had no proof (didn’t watch the news, etc). Even if my friend had a ton of proof I would be a little hesitant to believe them and by the time I decided neither of us were crazy it would probably be too late and the day would restart anyway. Besides Ai doesn’t try very hard to get people to believe her anyway so I definitely wouldn’t believe her.
Discussion Questions:
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Do you like the main character and/or her narration style?
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How would you feel/what would you do if you were stuck in a time loop (or a time loop like that)?
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If you take the jacket off the cover, you can see it’s part of Kadokawa’s “horror” series. Also, tomorrow is Halloween. Do you feel like this story is scary/spooky yet? Even a little creepy?
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I’m still stuck on the first page myself (haven’t had a chance to read - though I did make out one more sentence while drunk the other night?)… But my answer to 2 is that I’d get pretty frustrated pretty fast… However right after figuring out I’m in a loop I’d probably try to learn a skill or two (like in Groundhog Day), but mostly searching for a way out of it.
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