Week 7: 四畳半神話大系 (The Tatami Galaxy) 🎓 Advanced Book Club

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四畳半神話大系 :mortar_board: Home Thread

Week 7

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Start Date: May 20
Previous Part: Week 6
Next Part: Week 8

Reading:

Week Start Date End Phrase End Page End Percentage Page Count
Week 7 May 20 end of chapter 3 297 73% 98

Discussion Rules

  • Please use spoiler tags for major events in the current chapter(s) and any content in future chapters.
  • When asking for help, please mention the chapter and page number. Also mention what version of the book you are reading.
  • Don’t be afraid of asking questions, even if they seem embarrassing at first. All of us are here to learn.
  • To you lurkers out there: Join the conversation, it’s fun! :durtle:

Participants

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  • I’m reading along
  • I have finished this part
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0 voters

I’ve read up to 57% so far, or the end of this week if we were following the original schedule (up to the fortune-teller). I’m convinced the narrator is getting more likeable with each chapter, and I don’t think it’s just because I’m getting used to him. This time he felt he didn’t belong to the club of his choice and just quit, which is way healthier than plotting some convoluted revenge plan. He also attends an English conversation school and corresponds with a girl (at least I hope it’s a girl and not Ozu, the way he found the name and address is suspicious to say the least).

What intrigued me is that the book that contained his penpal’s address sounded suspiciously like the book we’re currently reading, or at least a chapter of it. Was that a joke or does it have a particular significance? I’m still totally unable to put the puzzle pieces together.

As for differences and common points with the previous chapters, the teddy bear makes an early appearance in a washing machine that should have contained underwear (it’s always in water, first in the river, then in the soup, now in the washing machine), Akashi isn’t mentioned as a member of the softball club but is still probably a Higuchi disciple and still opposes the kidnapping of Kaori, the kidnapping goes as planned and Kaori is now in Narrator’s room reading 20000 Under The Sea, which Higuchi hasn’t borrowed. After getting his fortune told, Narrator is met by Hanuki this time, who says almost the exact same phrase as Ozu and then Akashi said at that same moment. Oh yes, and we again get the same déjà vu moment. :thinking:

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Wait wait wait, how did I not notice until now that the pen pal’s name is also Higuchi?! :exploding_head:

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Yes this made me think that is was the Shishou doing this and not Ozu like you said.

(spoilers for the rest of the chapter)

Except you were right after all ^^’
You were also right that we didn’t get much more overall sorry stuff except for the same déjà vu moment, and Ozu saying they would’ve met no matter what.

Now I’m really curious to see what will happen in the next chapter. I’ll be disappointed if it’s just a fourth version of the same thing without anything more.

3 Likes

You finished the chapter already? You’re fast! :slight_smile:
I have about a third left.

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I’m not, I’m pretty slow, but i happen to be on vacation this week so I have a lot of free time ^^

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Yes and no. While it was Ozu who organized the deception, it was Akashi who actually wrote the letters, wasn’t she? Ozu is acting like a very strange Cupid every time. Narrator wishes he hadn’t met Ozu, but it’s always Ozu who’s the catalyst for good things to finally happen. I’d be curious to see a version without Ozu, but judging from the remaining club choice, and the fact that we know Ozu is in it, we probably won’t get one.

I too worry that nothing will be tied up or explained. I need some sort of explanation for all this, or at least a hint. I’m very tempted to look at the last sentence and see if it’s the same as in every chapter so far, but I’d better not.

3 Likes

The way to heaven is paved with bad intentions? Something like that. :grin:

Same - the fact that it’s titled last chapter rather than fourth makes me quite hopeful for some sort of resolution.

I’ll be happy is it’s even just MC realizing that his life is not out of his control… Though that he’s already come to a similar conclusion via a different route three times tells a different story. But then again, he didn’t spend his time wildly differently. The lifestyle was the same, he just joined different clubs. XD

3 Likes