[Spoiler Alert] Thoughts on reading Chapter 1 of 'Ikenai' by Shusuke Michio
As stated in the title, this article contains spoilers for Chapter 1 of 'Ikenai' by Shusuke Michio. I am writing this because I felt a strong urge to share my thoughts, so I am not sure if I will write about the subsequent chapters or not.
Since I am currently in the middle of reading it, I apologize for being demanding, but please refrain from posting spoilers for Chapter 2 and beyond.
My thoughts follow below.
My first impression was, 'So this is the world that Michio-san creates...'
I am ashamed to admit that I am not a person with much concentration, but I could not stop turning the pages for the last 20 pages of the first chapter.
After the accident occurred at the beginning, the driver's perspective goes dark, but I kept reading without ever suspecting that the driver himself was still alive.
As I read on, people kept dying one after another. I couldn't help but wonder if this was really the right amount of content for just the first chapter, but more than that, I kept wondering what the woman's voice announcing the time at the end of each description was.
I never imagined it was the voice of a talking watch for the visually impaired...
The main reason I am writing this is that I had a realization while living my daily life that I really didn't want to forget.
I felt that we cannot deny the tendency to make assumptions about who a person is or what they are capable of based on the labels others have placed on them.
Even so, the culprit's obsession is beyond words...
Although in this first chapter it led to a heinous act (a weight that shouldn't be dismissed in a single word), this book taught me something I don't want to forget as I go about my life.
And above all, judging by the photo on the last page, I personally believe it was the detective who was in the accident, and that is incredibly frustrating.
A series of unfortunate choices (trying to contact the culprit before sharing with headquarters, rushing out onto the road because he knew a shortcut) led to this tragic accident.
If I were to say something idealistic, there shouldn't be anyone who deserves to die, but even so, I can't help but feel that this detective was too good to meet such an end.
Everything about this case was just too late; it leaves a bitter aftertaste, but as a story, it is one I really like.
I am looking forward to Chapter 2 as well.

