Memorable Content from June 2023

Thank you for going out of your way to come all the way here.

It has been quite a while since I last posted on Note, but the urge to write regularly keeps coming back.
However, when a lot of time passes, it's hard to jump straight into a long piece.
So, this time, as a personal memo and a way to rehabilitate my writing, I'll introduce some content that left an impression on me in June, in a lighthearted way.

Confessions / Kanae Minato

The setting is a certain junior high school.
The story begins during a homeroom session after the closing ceremony, with a confession from a teacher regarding a certain incident.
It is a mystery novel where, following that shocking revelation, a chain of further tragedies begins.

It's not just a gruesome story; as the perspective shifts, the way events are perceived changes completely, making you lose track of what to believe.
The character portrayals are so skillful that you even start to develop some understanding for people whose actions seem completely unforgivable from the outside.
The cliffhangers at the end of each chapter are also brilliantly done, pulling you deeper into the story.

As I read on, the situation became so chaotic that I wondered how it would ever be resolved, and I was left holding my head at how the ending was tied up.
Published in 2008, I think it's already a widely known work, but I recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it yet.

The Most Transparent Story in the World / Hikaru Sugii

Following the death of a novelist, the protagonist, who is his illegitimate child, searches for the whereabouts of his father's unpublished final novel, leading to a mystery that delves into his father's inner self.

It's a work that was published this year and has become quite a hot topic, but as advertised, the highlight is a trick that is absolutely impossible to adapt into other media.
It's difficult to write about because anything I say would be a spoiler, and it's a work where spoilers are strictly forbidden, but it offers a unique experience that can only be had with a physical book.
It will become even more talked about, and I believe it will remain as a landmark work.

The sheer nerve to actually pull off an idea that most people would think, 'No one would actually do that.'
The incredibly versatile writing ability that made it possible.
You can fully feel just how amazing novelists are.

The Higuchi Family Home Cleanup Project / Ai no Gakkyoku Kobo

From the podcast program 'Ai no Gakkyoku Kobo'.
After returning to his parents' home for the first time in a while and finding the rooms were not as tidy as he had imagined, he proposes a 'big cleanup' involving the whole family, with the help of a professional cleanup advisor.
This is a series where the program MCs, the Higuchi brothers, talk about how that endeavor turned out.

I thought it would be a funny episode with a pop-style narrative, but it gradually took on the appearance of a documentary, candidly discussing the reconstruction of family relationships.
Even if they are family, they are ultimately strangers.
Values diverge, misunderstandings occur, and then conflicts arise.
While I think there are many kinds of families, there are also parts that are relatable to any family, and you can feel the rawness directly.

It was an episode that made me want to rethink communication with my family, whom I usually just assume I understand.
Because, who knows, the day might come when I, too, have to book a conference room for a family meeting, prepare a PowerPoint presentation, and give a pitch.
As of the time I'm posting this Note, Season 2 is currently being released. It's interesting.