The Tatami Time Machine Blues

四畳半シリーズ #2

by Tomihiko Morimi, Emily Balistrieri (Translator)

In the boiling heat of summer, a broken remote control for an air conditioner threatens life as we know it in this reality-bending, time-slipping sequel to The Tatami Galaxy. During a scorching August in Kyoto, our protagonist and his worst friend, Ozu, are locked in a glaring contest in a four-and-a-half-tatami-mat room. Ozu has spilled Coke on the air conditioner’s remote control—the only AC in Shimogamo Yusuisuiso, their famously shabby sweatbox of an apartment building. Vengeful and despairing, our protagonist discusses countermeasures with his secret crush, the reliably blunt Akashi, when Tamura, a strange young man with a bad haircut, appears. Tamura claims to be a time traveler from 25 years in the future, and shows off the time machine he uses to travel. Our protagonist has a brilliant the sweetest revenge would be to go back one day in time and retrieve the functioning remote control. His simple fix is complicated by Ozu and several others who are also eager to take a ride back in time. But in attempting to alter the past, our protagonist foresees the world's extinction. Even more troublingly, Akashi mentions she’s bringing someone to the upcoming bonfire . . . and it's not him. Only one thing remains it's going to be a very long month. Obliteration? Salvation? Coca-Cola? Castella cake? What does the time machine hold for our (not quite) heroes? It all depends on which one gets there first. Translated from the Japanese by Emily Balistrieri

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Japanese Literature, Japan, Time Travel, Magical Realism

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2020

About the author

Born in Nara Prefecture, Tomihiko Morimi graduated from Kyoto University, and his works often has Kyoto as setting.

Associated Names:
* Tomihiko Morimi (English)
* 森見 登美彦 (Japanese)
* 모리미 토미히코 (Korean)
* โมริมิ โทมิฮิโกะ (Thai)
* 森見登美彥 (Chinese)

Reviews

[Ethan Sexton · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first listened to The Tatami Galaxy, I wasn’t particularly a fan or a hater. It was truly one of the more bizarre experiences I’ve ever had with a book. On one hand, the plot and characters were pretty repetitive (by design) and didn’t grab me. On the other, the characters are incredibly distinct and realized, and the plot’s complexities masked in repetition become more and more unspooled and clear the more you dive in. As time has gone on, I’ve found my other hand to be the one holding the correct answers, so much so that I have considered going back and bumping the book up a star and maybe even re-reading the book.

This book, The Tatami Time Machine Blues, has solidified all of those decisions. The story unfolds with a much easier plot device to begin with, but it functions like a door to a maze. Once you’re in the thick of this book, it starts to go crazy in the best way. Through all of this insanity is the same crew of characters from the previous book, and once again, they are distinct in all their troubled, jaded, stupid, wicked, over-thinking ways. If you put them in any scenario, I could probably tell you exactly how they’d react, so to put them in THIS plot? It makes platinum out of gold.

I’ll be back for this one again. There’s not any book I’ve read quite like it except the first one. It’s an awesome little book.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t ask me what i just read

[Bella Azam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 5 January in Japan 2024

In the realm of science fiction time travel stories that we are familiar with, The Tatami Time Machine Blues was a rompy read. Quirky, fun, colourful yet simple, the time travel aspects in here was actually letting you appreciate the whole youthfullness and chances to be taken to enjoy the life as it is.

Following our unnamed narrator as he reiterates the day of from the broken aircond remote led to them stuck broiling in the sweltering hot four mat tatami room, the bickering between friends as ideas thrown out of a man time travelled back to the period era spawned a trashy make film by his crush, Akashi thus bringing more of the colleagues to come and act the scenes to them discovering a time travel machine tatami board in his room. Its one hell of a bumpy ride of these college students travelling back to time - yesterday to be specific to ensure the remote doesnt get broken

Its funny how one act could lead to the changes on many others - a butterfly effect. Truly enjoyed how hilarious and funny this was because some of the characters are kind of dumbs in the theatrical sense yet the boarding house they lived must be a riot place to be in. The story is seamless in transition and how each scenes that played out once they time travel finally makes sense is what so satisfying to me.

Thank you to Times Reads for the review copy in exchange for an honest review

[ดินสอ สีไม้ · Rating 3 out of 5]

เล่มนี้สนุกดีนะ เราชอบมากกว่าเล่มก่อนหน้า
(คืนพิสดาร ศาลเจ้า สาวผมดำ)
สำหรับเรา เรารู้สึกว่าเล่มนี้มีความเป็นกลุ่มก้อนมากกว่า
แม้ว่าตัวละครของเรื่องจะเยอะพอกัน
แต่การเฉลี่ยบทและน้ำหนักของเรื่อง ตกอยู่กับพระเอกค่อนข้างมาก
ส่วนตัวละครป่วนๆ อื่นๆ รับบทเป็นตัวน่ารำคาญในซิทคอมบ้านเรา
ที่มักจะก่อความยุ่งยาก สร้างปัญหา แล้วก็ตามแก้
แต่น้ำหนักของมันยังเบาบาง ทำให้เรื่องไม่น่ารำคาญมากนัก

ใจความของเรื่องยังคงอยู่ที่รุ่นพี่ที่แอบรักรุ่นน้อง
และตัวละครชายที่เป็นพระเอกของเรา
ก็ยังคงรับบทไม่กล้าบอกรักเหมือนเดิม
แต่เหตการณ์ความปั่นป่วนในเรื่อง
ก็ดำเนินไปให้มันจบแบบโรแมนติกได้แหละ

เราว่าเราชอบตอนจบเรื่องนี้มากกว่านะ
อาจจะเพราะชอบนิยายแนวข้ามเวลาด้วยน่ะนะ
แม้ว่าเรื่องนี้จะฉีกไปไกลก็ตาม ;P

[Mairi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time someone asked me what I was reading whilst it was this book, I followed it up with an "it's okay - though it's a sequel of a book I haven't read, and it's also apparently a wildly popular anime, so I'm not sure I really get it". In fact, I was so sure this was going to be a 2, or 3 stars. I felt I was missing something: Context.

So how did I go from "it was mid" to a 4-star "this might be one of my highlights of the year" review?! That reason is the afterword. Buckle in, this is a wild ride.

The afterword to The Tatami Time Machine Blues is written by Makoto Ueda (the sort of author of the story), and it explains how this book came to be, which I'll shorten here. The Tatami Galaxy is the original "Tatami Series" novel. It was written by Tomihiko Morimi back in 2004 and was wildly popular - so popular it spawned an anime, and a film of the same name. The screenplay for this anime was Makoto Ueda who was, in his own right, a popular Kyoto-based screenwriter who worked on a lot of cool TV and films I love (namely, two of my favourite films ever - Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes and Night Is Short, Walk On Girl). Morimi and Ueda ended up working together a bunch. The former writing the books that many of Ueda's most popular films were based on - Penguin Highway and (much surprise to be that it even IS a book, The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl ). Ueda describes himself as Morimi's personal playwright in the afterword...

...But The Tatami Time Machine Blues kinda breaks that mould. Why? Ueda wrote the play that the book is based on. Yes! That way round. This play and film is called Summer Time Machine Blues and the story is almost identical down to the little quirky things that happen, such as the missing Vidal Sassoon bottle, specific locations, and so on. Morimi, after working with Ueda for so long read his screenplay and asked him if he could write this play as a book.

What follows in the afterword is a lovely story about trying to wrestle pre-existing characters into the play format and trying to navigate a play told from the point of view of the room into a book told from the point of view of the characters. It's an interesting perspective, and one I'd love to hear more about.

But the TLDR is, that afterword - and more importantly the context - changed my mind. How the book came into existance 16 years after the original. Why the whole thing felt so much like a play. Who the characters actually are. I think also having the context of knowing that this book was created by one of my favourite film writers AND apparently the writer of the source material of many of those films also added that context. For once, the algorithm that suggested "this book might be for you" was correct.

I spent this whole review writing about the interesting story of the book's conception... But I haven't mentioned the book itself really. How was it? Well... Good! Good in the same way games like Shin Chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation are great. Objectively good and clever story with excellent worldbuilding, but with unusual maybe slightly out of place characters. I don't know anything about the characters of the Tatami series (just like I know nothing of Shin Chan in that game), but I can appreciate something being good without "getting" the characters, and this book is it for me.

Do I recommend it? MAYBE.
Or maybe just read the original screenplay for Summer Time Machine Blues instead...

[Aom Ruka · Rating 5 out of 5]

เราชอบเล่มนี้นะ แบบนั่งไทม์แมชชีนย้อนเวลาได้
แต่ถึงอย่างไร อดีตก็แก้ไขไม่ได้แล้ว เพราะชะตาได้ถูกกำหนดไว้แล้ว ทำให้เห็นมุมมองได้ดี
สนุกอ่านเพลิน จะงงๆก็เรื่องการย้อนเวลากลับไปกลับมานิดหน่อย แต่โดยรวมถือว่าดี ควรซื้อเก็บไว้อ่านอีกครั้ง เพื่อความเมามันส์

[Jacob Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really fun! I have a short attention span and am very impatient, so I may have gotten a little bored in the middle when they went through the same day a second time, but it was still good. And finding out there’s an anime which is basically identical to the book gave me voices for the characters, reading all of Ozu‘s lines in his creepy voice was hilarious

[sisilovekiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

ความกาวของเนื้อเรื่องและตัวละครนี้ทำเอาขำทั้งเรื่อง อาจจะไม่ถึงขั้นก๊ากแต่มันก็ทำให้สนุกสนานน่าติดตามทั้งเรื่อง (ไม่งั้นจะงง) 55555

[Nadirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a teenager when I first watched "The Tatami Galaxy", and it proved to be a somewhat psychedelic experience in terms of its visual and endless stream of narration. It was also a preliminary introduction to the existentialist school of thought to my young teenage self.

Some of the themes brought up in that excellent show (recommended if you like deadpan humor and existentialism narratives) may have flown over my head when I was younger, so I was only too happy to learn that the translation of the novel the show had been based on was going to be released. Having read both "The Tatami Galaxy" & "The Tatami Time Machine Blues" when I'm in a more mature phase of my life, I can appreciate the dry and witty narrative all the more. The narrator is an acerbic pessimistic college student who's convinced that life would have been better if he had not done [action X] and had chosen [action Y] instead. In true Groundhog Day fashion, the narrator finds himself reliving an entire semester in alternate universes where he picks different choices in the belief that things will work out differently somehow.

The two books work as a standalone, but you'll gain more understanding of the second book if you read the first book beforehand. They act as a great balm for those who are nostalgic over their college/university days, where most of us were just learning the ways of the world and trying to make sense of it through our lens and things were simpler before we discovered otherwise. Whatever your takeaways are from the books, they do pose a great question of our belief in choices and whether they truly are choices or are they merely a product of an environment that has been engineered for us by a system that does its best to stay invisible.

I received a review copy courtesy of Times Reads & the publisher. All opinions are my own.

[Makmild · Rating 3 out of 5]

บ้าบอและน่ารัก ตอนแรกแบบ อ่านไรอยู่วะเนี่ย ตอนหลังแบบ โอย อ่านไรอยู่วะเนี่ยเหมือนเดิม แต่เป็นอ่านไปยิ้มไป 5555 คืออ่านแล้วนึกถึงตัวเองตอนมหาลัย/มอปลายมากๆ มันมีความ ก็อยากทำแบบนี้ ใช้ชีวิตแบบนี้ มันสนุก บ้าบอ และใช่ มันไม่มีวันหวนกลับแล้ว แม้จะมีไทม์แมชชีนก็เหอะ (แต่เราไม่เชื่อเรื่องการย้อนเวลากลับนะ มันเป็นไปไม่ได้ 5555 มันแหกกฎหลายข้อเกินไป ยกเว้นแต่จะบอกว่าเป็นเวทมนตร์ อันนี้เชื่อเลย/ไม่เห็นเกี่ยวกับหนังสือ)

รับประกันความบ้าบอของวัยรุ่นกับพล็อต sci-fi และรอมคอมนิดหน่อย อ่านแล้วได้แต่ อะไรกันคับเนี่ย

ปล.เพิ่งรู้ว่าคนเขียนเดียวกันกับเพนกวินไฮเวย์ ไม่มีเค้าเลยเหอะ ยกเว้นแค่เรื่องได้ทำอนิเมะเหมือนกัน 555

[Anness · Rating 4 out of 5]

อ่านเล่มนี้แล้วนึกถึงความรู้สึกตอนดูหนัง It’s a Summer Film! เพราะมีความคล้ายๆ กันของการหยิบเอาความรักหนุ่มสาว พลังวัยรุ่น การทำหนัง และกสรย้อนเวลามาผสมผสานเข้าด้วยกัน จนกลายเป็นเรื่องราวสุดป่วงชวนหัว ที่กว่าจะรู้ตัวว่ากำลังอ่านอะไร(วะนี่) ก็จะจบเล่มแล้ว ตัวละครมีเสน่ห์กันมาก แต่ละตัวคือคาแรกเตอร์สุดจัด ขอชมหน่อยว่าปกสวยสุดๆ ดีเทลยุ่บยั่บ

[Amy ☁️ (tinycl0ud) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sort-of sequel to the first book, 'The Tatami Galaxy,' but I wouldn't say it is a clear continuation because the story takes place in one of the many possible timelines. Here, Akashi is part of the film club and a disciple of Higuchi, but the protagonist is neither. Through his rotten friendship with Ozu, he is acquainted with the rest of the cast (Jogasaki, Hanuki, Aijima) which is why he gets roped into Akashi's summer project of making a time travel film.

Everything starts when the one and only AC remote for the one and only AC in the building gets coke spilled on it, rendering it useless. A time machine appears, bearing a college student from 25 years in the future. They borrow his machine to try to save the AC remote, but realise that if they meddle with the past it will lead to the universe falling apart. Different people keep using the machine for their own personal goals and amusement. The more they try to fix their errors, the more problems they cause. Very funny and lots of references to Book 1.

[Jocelin Willshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tatami Time Machine Blues perfectly captures the feeling of a lazy, humid and meandering summer.
The utterly relatable time in the life of a teenager defined by procrastination and awkward social encounters.

The book is a fairly grounded, slice of life story following a group of university students living in an apartment complex of four and a half mat tatami rooms. They work on schlocky student films together, visit the bath house and have fried rice and beer at the local Chinese restaurant.
However their enjoyment of Summer comes to a swift halt when somebody spills coke on the only working air conditioner’s remote.

The group of misfits happens upon a Time Machine and seize the opportunity to right this wrong.
This is probably my favourite thing about this book, just how low stakes the use of a literal Time Machine is. Instead of attempting something meaningful or manipulating events to their benefit in other ways, their minds immediately go to fixing the AC (although other options are discussed too).
So ensues a series of time hopping mishaps and hi-jinx.

In all honesty I picked this book up on a whim not realising it was the second book in a series, I’m also not familiar with the anime adaptation.
So my main frame of reference and thing it reminded me of was actually Steins Gate, not just because it involves time travel but the cobbled nature of the machine itself, made from household items. The whimsical nature of the time leaping, the injections of comedy and levity throughout.

Unfortunately this wasn’t enough for me to thoroughly enjoy the book, it was lightly entertaining and not much more. It felt like it was missing an element to make it truly interesting or compelling.

[Siwabhorn Anothaisintawee · Rating 4 out of 5]

แค่รีโมทแอร์เสียอันเดียว ทำไมถึงกับทำให้มิติเวลาจะปริแตก จักรวาลกำลังล่มสลายได้

กลางฤดูร้อนอันแสนอบอ้าว ห้องเดียวของหอพักชายที่มีแอร์รุ่นดึกดำบรรพ์กลายเป็นแหล่งพักพิงของทุกคน จนกระทั่งคืนหนึ่งเกิดอุบัติเหตุทำให้รีโมทแอร์ในห้องนี้เสีย แล้วก็มีผู้ชายท่าทางกระเซอะกระเซิงจาก 25 ปีข้างหน้าก็บังเอิ๊ญญญโผล่มาพร้อมไทม์แมชชีนพอดิบพอดี ปฏิบัติการย้อนเวลากู้ชีพรีโมทจึงเกิดขึ้น คนเพี้ยนๆ จากปัจจุบันต้องย้อนเวลาไปกอบกู้รีโมทจากคนเพี้ยนๆ ในอดีตกลับคืนมา พวกเขาจะรักษารีโมทจากความพังพินาศไว้ได้ไหม และรักษาเส้นเวลาให้คงเดิมได้หรือเปล่า นี่ไม่ใช่เดจาวู แต่เป็นเหตุการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้นซ้ำอย่างไม่ต้องสงสัย

วันนี้ร้อนตับแลบ รีโมทแอร์ ไทม์แมชชีนบูลส์ ยังคงความวายป่วงจากคืนพิสดาร ศาลเจ้า สาวผมดำไว้เป็นอย่างดี ถึงเรื่องราวจะไม่ต่อเนื่องกันแต่ก็ยังมีตัวละครเก่าบางตัว และสถานที่เดิมบางแห่งโผล่เข้ามาในเรื่องนี้

ส่วนตัวเราว่าเล่มนี้ไม่ฮาเท่าเล่มแรก แต่ก็ถือว่าเป็นหนังสือที่สนุกอยู่ดี คนเขียนสร้างสรรค์ตัวละครที่มีสีสัน แถมคนแปลก็ยังปรับมุกตลกต่างๆ ให้เข้าภาษาไทยได้เป็นอย่างดี ทำให้อ่านได้ลื่นไหลจนจบเล่ม

Goodreads ให้ 3.5 สำหรับเราเอาไปแค่ 4 ก็พอ

[Naadhira Zahari · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tatami Time Machine Blues by Tomihiko Morimi is a fun and unserious book about time travel. This book takes place in just two days and even then there's a lot of things going on—making sure that nothing gets out of place that will occur imbalances to the timeline.

Maybe I really should have read the first book first then perhaps, certain things might make sense. But even then, I was able to follow the story as it didn't seem to be continued from the first book. But seeing how fun this book ended up being, I really might consider picking it up.

You honestly really have to concentrate on every single thing. If not, it's really easy to get lost. For such a thin book, it's packed in a lot of punch.

All in all, this is such a wonderful read and it's a really simple plot about time travelling but the story is so unique. So, I recommend you to pick up this book.

[Le Gongdong Blur · Rating 3 out of 5]

เล่มนี้ยังมีตัวละครจากเล่มสาวผมดำโผล่มาบ้าง
เนื้อเรื่องยังเป็นหนุ่มรุ่นพี่
ที่แอบชอบสาวรุ่นน้องเหมือนเดิม
แต่ไม่คลั่งรักแบบเล่มก่อนหน้านี้
.
ถ้าเนื้อเรื่อง ส่วนตัวชอบเล่มสาวผมดำมากกว่าแฮะ
เล่มนี้จะให้อารมณ์ ชีวิตเด็กหอในมหาลัย
ที่มีตัวละครแนวกวนตีนผีบ้าผีบอ ตลกดี
อ่านง่าย ไม่วุ่นวายจัดๆ เท่าเล่มนู้น
แต่เนื้อเรื่องก็ไม่ได้รู้สึกว่ากาว รึขำจนปอดบี้อะไร
เอาจริง อ่านไปครึ่งเล่ม ก็มีแอบง่วงๆ
ไม่ค่อยมีอะไรให้ลุ้นเท่าไหร่
จนต้องขอแว๊บไปอ่านเล่มอื่น ถึงกลับมาอ่านใหม่
แต่ก็ชอบการเลือกใช้คำ
กับความลื่นไหลของภาษาในเล่มนี้มากกว่านะ
พอแปลสนุก เลยทำให้เล่มนี้สนุกขึ้นเยอะเลย

[vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

really fun! i’m not hugely familiar with makoto ueda’s work but i’d love to look into more if they all carry this style or energy :3

[Mark Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I thought the writing was awkward: it reminded me of a grade school writer (we all did this when we were young) discovering and overusing / misusing colorful adjectives to describe situations. But then three things happened as I was reading it. First, I realized that the awkwardness might be a side effect of the translation to English. Second, I started to get into it! Third, the plot started to get so wonderfully convoluted (it has a time travel plot), that it was fun to try to follow the logic of the events, which I couldn't by the end. But there were laugh-out-load moments and the book was short enough that it was pretty enjoyable. Someone should count how many times the phrase "four-and-a-half-mat tatami room" appears in the book! :-)

[maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

hey this was pretty cool - i dunno anything about the anime or the prequel i just saw this at the library and thought the cover was yum

but yes i liked this it's a very solid story, the characters are cute and the time travel stuff is very thinky i liked how it all lined up

[Kenna DeValor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting! Quirky and fun sci-fi book and such a quick and easy read! :) The imagery made it easy to imagine the characters going through their time-traveling journey! Really had a good time reading it.

[nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Major thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest thoughts:

Watched 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘪 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘺 anime over summer to prepare for this and this was so much fun!

For fans of the story, I highly recommend this as a wonderful addition to the world-building involved, as we learn about where the time machine comes from and how it is made, how everyone feels about time and how they move through it together.

Though I don't think the translation is ultimately strong, it's a fun world to be in with the usual antics they fall into (thanks Ozu!).

Once again, not to be missed by fans!

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I want to preface that I still haven't watched the anime series, so I read this as a bit of an outsider. I did read the first book in the series and love the tidbits that get brought up from that book in this one, although this also feels as if it could be read as a standalone story.
This has one of my least favorite time travel theories, the butterfly effect. In this case, that even stopping an air conditioner remote from being broken can have life altering impacts on the future.
This is a lighthearted time travel story, and despite not loving the actual time travel aspect of the story, and overall I would still recommend picking this book up (especially if you've read the other one in the series).

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

[BlurbGoesHere · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Blurb goes here]

It all starts with an Air Conditioner remote control. Ozu, the evil demon-looking youngster (and the protagonist's worst friend), has ruined the remote, an accident Ozu is unwilling to take the blame for, even though he's entirely at fault. The buttonless A/C is rendered useless.

The protagonist's four-and-a-half Tatami mat room is now as hot as the Taklamakan Desert!

The group of friends (purely by accident, mind you) encounters a Tatami Time Machine. It looks like an ordinary tatami mat, but the dials, buttons, and levers hint at something more fantastic.

A Plan forms in the protagonist's mind: return to yesterday and bring back the working remote! All friends agree, putting the plan in motion, that is, until they realize that changing something might rupture the time continuum, destroying the universe as they know it!

Going into the story, I had yet to learn what to expect. I love Japanese fiction/fantasy. So I dismissed the blurb, downloaded a copy of the novel, and dove right into it.

You usually follow one or two characters when watching or reading time-traveling fiction. Morimi takes this a few steps further: what would happen if a group of friends went back in time? Worst even: they have a mission but readily ignore it, and hijinks ensue.

This is a fun, uncomplicated novel with a splash of romance and sci-fi...but mostly a lot of soul.

If you're looking for a fast-paced, fun read, look no further: The Tatami Time Machine Blues is the one you should pick.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

[LittleBubbleBee]

I honestly had low expectations--usually sequels aren't as good as the first one. But this one surprised me. I really enjoyed it, probably more than the first one. The main character was more likable and relatable in the sequel. Sure, some of his interactions were still weird, and he was selfish, but it was mostly the other characters that annoyed me. I understood his perspective more this time. Especially since he was one of the only ones who was concerned about changing anything when going back in time. Since he was concerned, the other characters felt irrational, while he was being the opposite. I also enjoyed how he talked to the readers, addressing us at times. It was a really interesting book. A bit less trippy than the first one, but still crazy and a bit confusing with the time travel. He went to yesterday, and had to make sure his self from yesterday didn't see himself from tomorrow/ his today. Still, I was able to understand most of it, and enjoy the craziness and weirdness of the characters.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so delightful! Apparently it is based on a play and is also an anime. I really like Japanese fiction because it has the tendency to go very surreal and poetic.

In the story, college students find a time machine, go back in time a day, and then spend the rest of the story making sure what should have happened, did happen.

I am knocking down one star however because the story started off a little slow, and the author drove me crazy with how many times he repeated the phrase , '4 1/2 mat tatami room'. There should be a limit on how many times you reference the same thing in my opinion.
Overall a good read, and I'd recommend others to check it out.

[Savannah Kusnierz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a charming continuation of the universes of the Tatami Galaxy. Having read both back to back, I would have rather this been simply another section of the original novel rather than its own story. Knowing this was written ~15 years after the original shows why that isn’t possible. However, while the story did not offer anything unique from its predecessor, it was simple and short with the same comfortingly weird characters. Hard to complain about a book that took me 4 hours to read.

[Millicent Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would rate this book 3.5 stars.


The book was a fun read. It was campy. The subject of time travel can be a little confusing, with intersecting plot points of what has already happened and what is currently happening. It was a fun read. I recommended it to my friend and he devoured it in one day. I would recommend to others.

Higuchi is probably my favorite character. His obsession with figuring out who stole his Vidal Sassoon shampoo tickled me.

[Kevin Thomas James Atteridg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful (and tighter) jump from alternate realities to time travel.

+

“-Why am I with these people?- I wondered. Yet the whole scene was strangely nostalgic. I couldn't help but feel that I'd been present for a similar moment in the past. It was this intense feeling that everything was repeating itself-genuine déjà vu this time, I suppose.”

[Mike Reiff · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s really my fault. I really didn’t like the repetitive, overly goofy and flippantly pointless first book in the series. But, hey, this one is shorter, and surely there can be growth? Maybe a tighter scope can help? Not here. More annoying characters, cloying dialogue and looping plot points. One and a half stars, really.

[LD · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh my god??? was this...even better than the tatami galaxy?????? the characters feel more pinned down and likable, the references to the first book are so perfectly executed.. maybe it's partially that im so immersed, reading in my remote-air conditioned apartment in mid summer, but i enjoyed this immensely!