Tatami Galaxy

Before reaching for this novel I watched the anime a couple of years ago (which is still one of my all-time favourites). Recently however, I wanted to experience the story again, so I reached for the original novel and I can safely say that it doesn't disappoint. "Tatami Galaxy" follows the many paths of a university student in Kyoto, who is on a quest for the ever-elusive rose-colored campus life. He is narcisstic and lazy, but an honorable person at heart. His student life quickly becomes a disaster, thanks to his predispositions and an evil fellow named Ozu. Even though he manages to somewhat succeed and find love, he can't let his past choices go and simply can't stop asking himself the question if it really had to be this way? Read the book to find out.

If you can penetrate the thick layer of irony that the protagonist's self-aggrandizing narration is coated with, it's an amusing book. I often like familiar things more, so the repetitive structure worked to its advantage – I grew fond of these characters, as dubious as most of them were.

Actually, I can't give a general recommendation for this book. It's the sort of work that makes me wonder what kind of person the author is. It's perhaps a book for someone who wants to examine a particular Type of Guy under a microscope.