朧月夜 // “Oborodzukiyo” – ヒカルが地球にいたころ…… “Hikaru ga Chikyuu ni Ita Koro” [4]
I know I need to get back to translating, but I just had a 15 hour day at work, so ^^;
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朧月夜 – ヒカルが地球にいたころ……④
”Oborodzukiyo” Hikaru ga Chikyuu ni Ita Koro…… (4)
”Oborodukiyo” When Hikaru was on the Earth…… (Official-Off-Cover-Translation)
著：野村美月 (Author: Nomura Mizuki)
画：竹岡美穂 (Illustrator: Takeoka Miho)
ファミ通文庫 (Famitsu Bunko)
ISBN-13: 978-4047279889
発売日：2012/05/10
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Introduction:
I dove into this volume for two reasons, one because I was a little disappointed with Wakamurasaki, and wanted to give the series an immediate chance to “redeem” itself in a way. The second reason was that I was really behind on my yearly reading goal already, and figured I might as well keep rolling.
Well, I’m glad I did. So far this is the highest point in the series, for a variety of reasons. It had a strong pace, plenty of hooks, mystery, and to top it all off, it overturned several stereotypes. This time it wasn’t just a simple aversion to being an idol like in Wakamurasaki, but a scorn for the worship of purity embedded right into the plot.
It is the “impure” girl who is lauded as the “most beautiful” and “the one I am most proud of”.
Characters:
赤城是光 Akagi Koremitsu [Protagonist / Living]
帝門ヒカル Mikado Hikaru “Hikaru no Kimi” [Protagonist-II / Deceased]
右楯月夜子 Udate Tsuyako “Tsuki no Miya” [“Heroine”]
左乙女葵 Saotome Aoi “Aoi no Ue”
式部帆夏 Shikibu Honoka “Nioi-Murasaki/Purple-Hime”
齋賀朝衣 Saiga Asai “Asa no Miya”
帝門一朱 Mikado Kazuaki
近江ひいな Oumi Hiina
若木紫織子 Wakagi Shioriko “Shi-ko”
Plot Snippet:
Did Aoi just confess to Koremitsu…? Not exactly – Koremitsu is faced with “playing the part of Aoi’s boyfriend” in order to delay all of the high status families from selecting another fiance for her. However, it’s clear that it’s a bit more complicated than that, and Honoka is having none of it, pelting Koremitsu with a barrage of questioning texts, and even resorting to half-stalking him.
In the middle of all of this a mysterious but beautiful upperclassman with long red hair approaches Koremitsu. She carries out the exact same conversation that Koremitsu had with Hikaru when they first met, in the exact same place.
“I have something to ask you…”
“So what is it that you wanted?”
“I want you to be my boyfriend.”
“I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend.”
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“Hikaru? Yes, I was one of his flowers, but rather than boyfriend and girlfriend… we were more partners in crime; we were lovers.”
“But really, I need your help. I can’t sleep at night.”
“Is this another joke?”
“If I stay like this, I’ll ruin all of Hikaru’s precious flowers… Watch me, watch me so I don’t!”
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“That wasn’t your first kiss, was it?”
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“You’ve forgotten that I’ve confessed to you, haven’t you!!!”
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“No… If the spiders come to cloud the moon… That woman will appear again…”
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“The name of the woman who ate her husband and his lover alive… Rokujou…”
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“No matter what I do, all will be forgiven – That’s the kind of person I am.”
Evaluation/Rating:
In a way this volume deals with the side-characters of the original Genji Monogatari it is the first volume to not use a chapter title as its name, and the main heroine is only briefly mentioned (Rokujou isn’t even really given a backstory either), without even making an appearance. Though still heavily Genji-plot based (from what I gather), this is where Nomura Mizuki really shines, when she can use a story as a leaping board for her imagination, not just writing an adapatation, but imagining beyond that.
Honoka is given life again as a character. She is less cookie-cutter, more desperate, and more individualistic.
We find out that Tsuyako only became the beauty she is when she learned to believe in herself, be proud of herself, stand on her own two feet, and then step forward.
First we’re led to believe that the plot is driven by just another bi-polar character that does bi-polar things, and we are wrong. Nomura Mizuki takes a common plot driving structure near the end, and turns it inside out.
Without spoiling anything too much, let me go on an important tangent:
I hate “Hurry up! Hurry up! If you don’t, this pure-pure girl is going to be raped!” sequences. Most of the time they make me livid. Though perhaps not quite as bad as “women in refrigerators” (Google it), I always get the feeling they perpetuate a jealous ownership. Many times, the emotions and driving factors floating around are not that “this girl is about to possibly go through severe mental and physical trauma and have her world turned upside down”, it’s that “she’ll no longer be pure, she’ll no longer be innocent -for me-“. It’s the whole NTR thing, and while I don’t really have much of a problem with NTR for NTR’s sake, it’s just so goddamned common, everywhere, in inapproprate places. Always the pure-pure girl – why not weep for the prostitute who is raped and murdered? It’s just a trend I see and have no psychology degree to go too indepth with. If you’re going to have a hero that you know some people are identifying with, have him care about – just something different. Bakemonogatari even does an excellent job with the “nothing happened, but it’s still even then incredibly traumatic.”
Back to the story and you guessed it. I’m raving about this novel because it did it right. It did it so superbly right that it’s off with the hats and hands a’ clapping. Here’s a skeleton of plot events: Our hero discovers one of his friends is in trouble, finds out where she is and runs off to save her. This takes place in 2-3 lines. Perspective immediately switches to girl. Girl slowly realizes that she’s betrayed and you listen, you bake in her fear. The villian, has a villianous rant on precious virginity – says the word 6-8 times, says it so often it’s ringing in your head. The whole NTR sketch is full throttle, with a whole “I’ll rape you while you stare into the face of the one you love, and make you mine forever” scenario. Hero bursts in with entourage. Takes a few seconds to punch him in the face absolutely disgusted with every fiber of his being. Hero leaves girl to entourage. In a very short time frame, he then runs off alone, unhelped, to instead save the girl that isn’t pure, that isn’t a virgin, a girl that is guilty, that is hurting, that is lost and guess what? She is not any less important than the pure-pure girl, she’s even given more pages and more emotion. After all, why -should- she be any less important? The world may be on the hero’s side as he saves the pure-pure girl, but it isn’t when he barely makes it by himself in time to save the other.
Every single element of that is amazing for what it is.
Once again:
It is the “impure” girl who is lauded as the “most beautiful” and “the one I am most proud of”.
Who says a story that’s turning into a harem extravaganza can’t be feminist?
Overall: 9.7
Concept: 9.5
The more imagination utilized, the better it seems.
Pacing: 9.6
I literally could not put this book down, and stayed up till 3:30 in the morning even though I had work the next day.
Plot: 9.4
A strong plot both on the surface and underneath. It ties heavily into the main overarching/underlying plot.
Characters: 9.7
Tsuyako.
Writing Style/Flavor: 9.6
Things tended to flow a bit better, and many of the scenes were completely immersive. Just the introduction of Tsuyako took my breath away.
Illustrations: 9.7
Absolutely beautiful illustrations that fit well with the characters and only added to the mystery.
kafka-fuura 
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