マウス

A story of friendship and accepting yourself

I think this might be my favorite Murata to date, even surpassing コンビニ人間 which was my first and fave.

Murata's themes of not naturally fitting into the societal mold and of trying to fit in, of social outcasts, of finding release in a workplace and it's rules, of masks and molds and the true self, are all present as well.

While always prevalent, I did not find them pretentious at all. 律 was, while not always a character I could understand, always one I could sympathize with. Trough her eyes I

A quiet story with a louder message

We follow the daily life of 律（りつ）who has just started her fifth year of elementary school. She's a shy and reserved girl who is keenly aware of the social hierarchy and where she sits in it. If she can just find a friend group of like-minded quiet girls, she can get through the year without much fuss.

But then she meets another girl in class who pique's her curiosity, 瀬里奈（せりな）. 瀬里奈 is at the rock-bottom of the social food chain and is seemingly unaware of that and disinterested in getting along