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Hachimoku Mei strikes again, this time with a genuinely innovative romance and coming-of-age story. The bond between the two main characters arises organically from their characterization and motivations in combination with their experiences exploring the titular tunnel. However, what strikes me the most about this novel is that the two characters are not defined by their love for each other but rather by their pursuit of life's ever-changing goals, which naturally come to include a longing for each other. Its additional focus on a third character and her quest for redemption could have easily been omitted but adds a lot of depth to the overall plot. It's a story about learning to move on as much as it's about living in the here and now no matter what, and that's a beautiful perspective on life.

Despite starting off with an intriguing dilemma and some strong anti-war messaging, All You Need Is Kill increasingly struggles to decide what exactly it actually wants to be about. Over time, it devolves into a rather generic power fantasy with a relatively meaningless twist at the end. More than anything, I'm just disappointed that this is all there is to the story, because it feels like a ton of wasted potential. At least the English translation is pretty good.

City of a Thousand Feelings somehow manages to be both very direct and, at other times, highly abstract in its messaging. DeNiro's awfully flowery language makes it fun to simply read along, but the records of her queer, mystical fantasy constantly challenge you to decode and then immediately discard interpretations. Perhaps there's a hidden meaning behind every single one of her words, or maybe some of it is purely self-indulgent - but regardless, it all culminates in pure catharsis. In spite of its brevity, this book truly evoked a thousand feelings.

Even though the glorification of individualism and seclusion in Demian, especially its tendency to heap indirect praise on the reader, can be overbearing at times, it overall comes across as a very earnest coming-of-age story. Learning to chase one's dream no matter what, seeking answers to one's questions within oneself yet staying in conversation with like-minded people, and seeing through the fate of humanity because that's all we can do are all great messages. It's easy to see why this book would have had such a positive reception in 1917, right around the time people were desperate for answers to the Great War, but it arguably remains relevant to this very day.

The Search for WondLa stands out thanks to its remarkably rich descriptions of the landscapes and cultures Eva Nina and her companions encounter on their journey. There's a lot of texture to this work, and while it may not be the most intricate story due to its target demographic, it is a beautiful fantasy coming-of-age book with plenty of unexpected twists and turns along the way. I was a bit disappointed by this book's main antagonist, as his character felt rather incomplete and one-sided despite hints at his motivation, nor did his constant appearances over the course of the plot feel particularly meaningful.