polyglotperla

An emotional dark read that comments on Japan's salary worker life

Plot

Exhausted and depressed due to his toxic workplace, salaryman Takashi Aoyama is ready to end it all. On the verge of throwing himself onto railway tracks, he is suddenly saved by an old classmate named Yamamoto. Yamamoto, who has returned from Osaka, runs into Takashi at the train station. The two catch up on old times and start to hang out after Takashi’s stressful work days or on weekends when he feels the happiest. However, the more time Takashi spends with the relaxed and outgoing

Love the poison-obsessed protagonist, other well developed characters, and the mysteries!

Plot

The story follows a young apothecary named Maomao who works in the red-light district in a fictional country based on Imperial China. One day on her way home, Maomao is kidnapped and made a servant who works in the Imperial Palace. Her life takes another sudden turn when she investigates the cause of the Emperor’s sick children using her apothecary knowledge. She sends a warning message to the Emperor’s concubines, drawing attention from a notable eunuch named Jinshi who manages the in

Has some dark moments but I enjoyed the social commentary intertwined with the mystery

Plot

Yakumo and company investigate the case of a woman’s suicide whose ghost appears before several people, leading to character disappearances. Yakumo’s acquaintances meet a medium who also has red eyes like Yakumo and claims that the woman’s ghost seeks revenge.

Review

A personal challenging read but I'm glad I pushed through to finish it

This novel is about a young girl アルスル (Perhaps a variant of “Arthur? Who knows), the youngest daughter of the emperor, who is seen as a disappointment by her family and others around her. Why? The people around アルスル assume her lack of being skilled at certain things is because her DNA is tested and concluded to be similar to a non-human’s. In the world アルスル grows up in, there are humans, non-humans (some who serve as servants to humans while others are considered wild creatures), and domesticate

Unexpected enjoyable read with an interesting character dynamic/pairing

I came across this title through Youtube. The video I was recommended by the algorithm shows a preview of the first chapter of this book where the narration and characters are voiced/read by popular Japanese voice actors. I’m fairly certain it’s a marketing technique to get people to buy their publications. It certainly worked on me!

This normally wouldn’t be a series I would read but I really enjoyed the voice actors’ reading so I decided to give it a try.

ホタルの嫁入り is about a young noble with