[Full Support #CreativeAwardImpressions] Feel the rich flavor of youth through tarts!

Today, I am writing my impressions of "Tartlet Wonderland" by Kanako Hayajiki.

Authentic sweets in a shop with an atmosphere far removed from everyday life.

Even adult women don't go there often. Isn't it a place you go for a luxury among friends or as a reward for yourself? Especially for men, I think it takes quite a lot of courage to enter alone.

In "Tartlet Wonderland," high school students—and exam students at that—go to such a shop as if it were natural, in between prep school classes. That sense of incongruity, thinking they were slightly extravagant high schoolers, was what led me into Wonderland.

Many delicious-looking tarts appear, but in the story, other places and foods that are easy to use also appear, such as burger shops, local Chinese restaurants, cafes, department store rooftops, and convenience stores. Their presence changes along with the protagonist's heart.

Youth, which was centered on romance at first, shows various faces like friendship, entrance exams, and family as the story progresses. We adults who play with creativity in the town of note often enjoy it from a third-party perspective, saying, "Youth is all about heart-throbbing moments, right?" In a sense, that could be called an adult's privilege.

But originally, youth is also about experiencing bitterness, sadness, and pain at the same time. It's not just romance that you experience; it's no exaggeration to say that it is "full of complications," including conflicts with parents, friendships that change with just a single word, and an undecided future.

The reason we overcome that and come to think "that was fun" when we become adults is likely because of the existence of:

life-sized joy

that we experience with friends and lovers.

The protagonist narrows the distance between a girl who is more than a friend but less than a lover, and classmates who are more than friends but less than best friends, by moving from shops where they stretch themselves to shops where they can show their true selves. And in that process, light gradually begins to shine on the relationship with parents that was the cause of the complications.

Actually, there is a part I laughed and poked fun at besides the tart specialty shop. It's the baking at home.

Opening the window and doing it without your parents knowing?

That's impossible!

I laughed at that lack of awareness, but that was also an absolutely necessary element for the protagonist's heart to grow. Everything I had questions about was carefully solved. Did you sense my questions, Hayajiki-san? That's amazing!

After reading, I thought I might run out to buy a tart, "Tartlet Wonderland." But I didn't feel like going to buy one or go eat one.

Even though youth has passed, I found myself thinking about various things, like living and relationships with people around me, and I didn't feel like going out. I prioritized savoring the rich flavor of the story, having my heart squeezed and tearing up at the emotional movements of the characters.

I am greatly regretting that I missed the timing and didn't discover Hayajiki-san's debut last year. I have to go read Myco.

But, in a little while, I will buy a tart. Because it looked delicious. I have to eat it.