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Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring
Childhood friends use time travel to try to avert tragedy in this bittersweet book about growing up, love, and loss—by the creators of the light novel and manga series The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (also from Seven Seas) that inspired an anime film.
Two years ago, high schooler Kanae left his small island community of Sodeshima to pursue his academic dreams in Tokyo. When that life falls short of his expectations, he runs away from home to return to Sodeshima and his childhood friend, Akari. But before they can rekindle their old feelings for each other, the clock strikes six and Kanae finds himself inexplicably thrust forward four days into the future. Worse, he learns that Akito, Akari's older brother—and Kanae's childhood hero—is dead.
Except death might not be the end for Akito. As Kanae tries to fill in the four-day gap of his memories, Akari explains: he's about to relive those four days in reverse order in a phenomenon known as "Rollback." Kanae himself explained it to her...in a past he hasn't yet experienced. Armed with this new knowledge, Kanae is determined to leverage Rollback however he can to save Akito's life—and Akari's heart.
Two years ago, high schooler Kanae left his small island community of Sodeshima to pursue his academic dreams in Tokyo. When that life falls short of his expectations, he runs away from home to return to Sodeshima and his childhood friend, Akari. But before they can rekindle their old feelings for each other, the clock strikes six and Kanae finds himself inexplicably thrust forward four days into the future. Worse, he learns that Akito, Akari's older brother—and Kanae's childhood hero—is dead.
Except death might not be the end for Akito. As Kanae tries to fill in the four-day gap of his memories, Akari explains: he's about to relive those four days in reverse order in a phenomenon known as "Rollback." Kanae himself explained it to her...in a past he hasn't yet experienced. Armed with this new knowledge, Kanae is determined to leverage Rollback however he can to save Akito's life—and Akari's heart.
366 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 2020
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1147 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
August 5, 2025
“…Listen Kanae-kun…I trust your judgement. So please…Take care of the past me, okay?” — Akari
Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring is a tenderly sweet and lovely light novel by Mei Hachimoku. Artist Kukka augments Hachimoku’s gently charming and sensitive story with evocative black and white illustrations between chapters, and some beautiful color ones to begin the story.
The main part of the story is told from Kanae’s viewpoint, as he returns to his old home by running away — sort of — from school and his father’s expectations in Tokyo. It is when Kanae unexpectedly meets up with Akari, a sweet childhood friend whom he once secretly loved, that he touches something in a strange park and finds himself in a mysterious phenomenon called a Rollback. Akari knows about them somehow, and she informs Kanae that he will be living the past few days in reverse, with no knowledge of what has happened in the days prior to the one in which he finds himself. Each time Kanae hears the sorrowful six o’clock chime of Greensleeves, he must brace himself for whatever situation he finds himself in as the next Rollback happens.
The relationship between Kanae and Akari is very sweet, with both having feelings for the other which have never been spoken. Kanae decides to use the rollback phenomenon to alter the past, and prevent the death from alcohol poisoning of Akari’s brother and his own childhood hero Akito. But with no knowledge of the past he is continually thrown back into, this may be much more difficult than he imagined. It becomes even more complicated as bits and pieces from present and past — especially Akari — seem contradictory.
There are sweet and lovely moments between Kanae and Akari. Breaking into a school late at night, spending time on the seawall and in the park, are not only charming and tender, they provide the reader clues to what may be happening. Every reader will find themselves rooting for the couple, who aren’t really a couple yet should be. Occasional sections from Akari’s viewpoint, as she relates their backstory add greatly to the narrative. Kanae begins to have a mystery on his hands, not the least of which is why Akari asks him to take care of her in the past…
You can tell when you begin reading that Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring is aimed at young adults, and for a short time it seems no more than that. But like a lot of the better Japanese light novels it begins to touch on deeper and more sensitive subject matters but without being maudlin. At some point, Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring becomes more than the sum of its parts.
At first, there is only a hint that something is wrong — very wrong. But eventually it all becomes foreboding despite the sweetness and charm, the reader’s growing suspicions about the past as strong as their desire for Kanae and Akari to have a happy ending, with love and the whole nine yards. Due to the nature of the plot and the mystery I can’t reveal much more.
If I were to advise readers about this book, I would say to stay with it; what may seem simple at first, perhaps even gimmicky, becomes page-turningly compelling and involving the longer you read. There are definitely some genuine twists and turns in the story. While someone’s personal turnaround near the end may be a bit too easy and simplistic, Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring is a very sweet and enjoyable read, and it has a wonderful message. A terrific read, and highly recommended!
Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring is a tenderly sweet and lovely light novel by Mei Hachimoku. Artist Kukka augments Hachimoku’s gently charming and sensitive story with evocative black and white illustrations between chapters, and some beautiful color ones to begin the story.
The main part of the story is told from Kanae’s viewpoint, as he returns to his old home by running away — sort of — from school and his father’s expectations in Tokyo. It is when Kanae unexpectedly meets up with Akari, a sweet childhood friend whom he once secretly loved, that he touches something in a strange park and finds himself in a mysterious phenomenon called a Rollback. Akari knows about them somehow, and she informs Kanae that he will be living the past few days in reverse, with no knowledge of what has happened in the days prior to the one in which he finds himself. Each time Kanae hears the sorrowful six o’clock chime of Greensleeves, he must brace himself for whatever situation he finds himself in as the next Rollback happens.
The relationship between Kanae and Akari is very sweet, with both having feelings for the other which have never been spoken. Kanae decides to use the rollback phenomenon to alter the past, and prevent the death from alcohol poisoning of Akari’s brother and his own childhood hero Akito. But with no knowledge of the past he is continually thrown back into, this may be much more difficult than he imagined. It becomes even more complicated as bits and pieces from present and past — especially Akari — seem contradictory.
There are sweet and lovely moments between Kanae and Akari. Breaking into a school late at night, spending time on the seawall and in the park, are not only charming and tender, they provide the reader clues to what may be happening. Every reader will find themselves rooting for the couple, who aren’t really a couple yet should be. Occasional sections from Akari’s viewpoint, as she relates their backstory add greatly to the narrative. Kanae begins to have a mystery on his hands, not the least of which is why Akari asks him to take care of her in the past…
You can tell when you begin reading that Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring is aimed at young adults, and for a short time it seems no more than that. But like a lot of the better Japanese light novels it begins to touch on deeper and more sensitive subject matters but without being maudlin. At some point, Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring becomes more than the sum of its parts.
At first, there is only a hint that something is wrong — very wrong. But eventually it all becomes foreboding despite the sweetness and charm, the reader’s growing suspicions about the past as strong as their desire for Kanae and Akari to have a happy ending, with love and the whole nine yards. Due to the nature of the plot and the mystery I can’t reveal much more.
If I were to advise readers about this book, I would say to stay with it; what may seem simple at first, perhaps even gimmicky, becomes page-turningly compelling and involving the longer you read. There are definitely some genuine twists and turns in the story. While someone’s personal turnaround near the end may be a bit too easy and simplistic, Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring is a very sweet and enjoyable read, and it has a wonderful message. A terrific read, and highly recommended!
August 12, 2022
This book was much better than Tunnel to Summer in a lot of ways…the English translation of conversations is still corny and cringe in some spots (the word “gotcha” gets used a lot at very awkward moments, and at one point a character says “cool beans” yikes) but the sentiment behind the character’s interactions was very heartfelt and poignant.
I liked the plot of this one better as well…and the ending wrapped it all up in a satisfactory way.
The time travel aspect was one I’ve never seen done anywhere else, and at first I thought it was going to be too convoluted…BUT the author handled it perfectly and it all came to a head and everything was explained perfectly.
Can’t wait to read more books from this author in future!
I liked the plot of this one better as well…and the ending wrapped it all up in a satisfactory way.
The time travel aspect was one I’ve never seen done anywhere else, and at first I thought it was going to be too convoluted…BUT the author handled it perfectly and it all came to a head and everything was explained perfectly.
Can’t wait to read more books from this author in future!
May 26, 2023
i bought this book with Tunnel to Summer at the Hongkong Airport wd the last travel money I had. I know its pricey but no regrets that i got a copy🩵
I loove Japanese light novels coz they are not “light” at all 🥲 -something about the richness of the plot, sincere, humble characters in complex situations, facing gut wrenching realities- always hit me hard 🤧 (it got me cryin in a cafe on a rainy afternoon) 🌧️
This is the story of Akari and Kanae and how they saved each other❤️ it reminds me of a certain someone who would do anything to make me happy. I may never be able to return this love but I know how special and important this person is to me. 🌸
I loove Japanese light novels coz they are not “light” at all 🥲 -something about the richness of the plot, sincere, humble characters in complex situations, facing gut wrenching realities- always hit me hard 🤧 (it got me cryin in a cafe on a rainy afternoon) 🌧️
This is the story of Akari and Kanae and how they saved each other❤️ it reminds me of a certain someone who would do anything to make me happy. I may never be able to return this love but I know how special and important this person is to me. 🌸
May 9, 2023
Premise (spoiler-free):
At the tender age of 17, Kanae, a high school student, returns to his former residence on Sodeshima Island after an extended two-year absence. Upon arrival, he sees his childhood idol Akito, who once saved him from a group of bullies. This childhood idol also happened to be his first-love’s older brother. On his first day on the island, he is mysteriously transported to 5 days later, with a gaping void in his recollections of the intervening time period. He later learns that Akito died 4 days ago. After conferring with his childhood love and best friend Akari, Kanae discovers that he is afflicted by the "Rollback phenomenon" and is charged with a daunting mission - to prevent Akito's untimely demise by traveling back in time to the fateful day.
Initial Thoughts (spoiler-free):
This light novel perhaps has the most insane premise I have ever encountered. Although the concept of time travel is nothing new, the “Rollback” mechanic is such a unique concept that I must give props to Hachimoku Sensei for even attempting it. As someone who both loves being teased with information that will be revealed later down the line, as well as being eager to find out what happens, this literary work strikes an exquisite balance in gradually unraveling the mysteries of the plot. The angst and stress I experienced whilst reading this novel is quite unprecedented, albeit in a good way. For devotees of romance, suspense, mystery, and time travel, this book is an essential read.
From here on out is spoiler territory.
Rollback Phenomenon:
This novel presents a fresh and captivating interpretation of the well-worn time-travel trope. The protagonist, Kanae, makes his arrival on the island on April 1st, only to find his consciousness abruptly whisked away to April 5th at 6 PM. In a peculiar twist, every 24 hours, he is transported back 48 hours, effectively reliving his lost memories of the past four days, but in reverse chronological order. The ingenious execution of this labyrinthine mechanism creates a rich and engrossing experience, which often leaves both protagonist and reader bewildered as to how Kanae finds himself in this perplexing situation. With each passing day, he gains a deeper comprehension of the outcome and his final destination, yet remains uncertain as to the process that led him there. While admittedly challenging to follow at times, I found this book immensely enjoyable and engrossing.
Informational Asymmetry:
Segueing from the last section about the rollback phenomenon, an informational asymmetry was often used to keep me on my toes. Everyone that the protagonist interacted with knew of what Kanae did, except for Kanae himself. This knowledge imbalance creates a palpable sense of tension, as Kanae must tread lightly and refrain from prying too deeply, in order to avoid arousing suspicion. Consequently, he is often left in the dark, with only oblique hints and cryptic suggestions to guide his way. The most prominent informational asymmetry occurs with Akari, Kanae’s best friend and first love. Because she was fully aware about his rollback phenomenon, she was able to feed him certain information (but not all). Allow me to use this point to transition to my next.
Mystery Boxes:
A mystery box is what I like to call it when authors intentionally plant something that will be revealed later on in the story (a perfect example of it being the basement in Attack on Titan). Hachimoku sensei planted multiple mystery boxes of varying sizes throughout the story, each one a puzzle piece that the reader must decipher to unlock the larger mystery at play.. From the outset, the reader is left with a series of unanswered questions, each one beckoning to be solved: What is the rollback phenomenon, and how did Kanae become entangled in it? What happened in the missing four days that Kanae cannot remember? As Kanae relives each day, we are left with even more mysteries to ponder - what was he doing before this moment? What was the Kanae of the previous day thinking?
For example, he spent one of the days helping out Hayase (Akito’s ex-girlfriend) run her festival stall without any explanation as to why. It was later revealed that he offered to help in exchange for information about Akito’s downfall, something that he vaguely overheard about AFTER he finished helping her at the festival.
One of the most compelling examples of this technique was the recurring avoidance of Akari in discussing the day of Akito's death. Despite being Kanae's closest friend and confidante, Akari is visibly distressed when pressed for details about the fateful day. Her cryptic responses only served to heighten the tension, leading the reader to wonder if she might have had some involvement in Akito's demise. These clues, coupled with the slow unraveling of Akari's past and Akito's character changes, create a captivating web of intrigue that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. In short, the expert utilization of "mystery boxes" is a testament to the author's masterful storytelling ability, making this novel an absolute delight for readers who relish the art of unraveling a good mystery.
Flashbacks:
The author's use of interlude chapters in between every day of the story provides readers with a deeper understanding of Akari's past and mindset. These flashbacks, which are presented chronologically, cover pivotal moments in Akari's life, from being bullied to falling in love with Kanae, and the hardships she endured after his departure to Tokyo. Ultimately, these interludes reveal what happened on the day of Akito's death, which pushed Akari to her breaking point. Throughout the story Kanae as well as the readers are led to feel empathy for Akito, but the flashbacks provide much needed context behind the complex and depressing homelife that Akari had experienced for two years. With all the necessary puzzle pieces, Kanae finally learns the real nature of the once-great, now abusive and scummy Akito, and arrives at a moral crossroad that forces him to second guess his initial goal of saving him. While the main plot revolves around Kanae's attempt to save Akito, these flashbacks shed light on Akari's complex and difficult homelife, allowing readers to empathize with her struggles. Moreover, they give us insight into the development of Akari's character, her motivations, weaknesses, and regrets, making her a more well-rounded and relatable character. Unlike other stories that use flashbacks as a detour from the main plot (ahem Omori), the interludes in this novel serve a crucial purpose in building a more complete story, and each one is executed with meaning and purpose. Additionally, these flashbacks are essential in understanding Akari's behavior surrounding her brother's death and the reason for her reluctance to discuss it. Ultimately, the interlude chapters enhance the overall narrative by providing crucial context and character development.
Regret (Akari):
Akari's character in the story embodies the theme of regret in multiple ways. Throughout her flashback, readers get glimpses of the missed opportunities she had to express her feelings to Kanae. These moments are believable and elicit sympathy and pity from readers, including myself. Akari's story highlights the difficulty of finding the right time to be honest, and how taking a leap of faith can be daunting. Unfortunately, in Akari's case, she never had the opportunity to do so, leading to two years of loneliness and suffering.
This theme of regret is foreshadowed early on in the story, when Akari pleads with Kanae to prevent Akito's death and "take care of her past self." Later, we learn that Akari deeply regrets her selfish decision to let Akito die. Plagued by difficult choices with no clear answers, Akari continues to suffer throughout the story. As readers, we can only hope for her eventual happiness, which she ultimately achieves.
Kanae and Akari:
Every character in this captivating story is portrayed with depth and humanity, each possessing their own distinct ethical code and motivations that shape their actions in believable ways. The romance between Kanae and Akari is reminiscent of Anzu and Kaoru from Hachimoku Sensei's first novel, Tunnel to Summer, in that it is rife with angst and suffering. The author's penchant for inflicting emotional turmoil upon their protagonists is evident in this work as well, and while Kanae and Akari's individual journeys are equally well-written, their struggles have hardened them in a way that highlights their vulnerability as young people in search of comfort and security in one another. Despite their obvious love and care for each other, they are frequently faced with uncomfortable choices that challenge their relationship (such as Akari's decision to keep the truth about her brother's death from Kanae, or Kanae's insistence on saving Akito despite Akari's objections). These difficult decisions make for compelling storytelling that further highlights the characters as individuals, rather than simply a couple destined to behave in a predictable, one-dimensional manner (as is often the case in poorly-written romance stories, which is certainly not the case with Hachimoku Sensei's work).
Plot:
I found the novel's plot to be thoroughly enjoyable. The premise of traveling back in time to prevent someone's death was already intriguing, but the author took it a step further by adding multiple factors that made this decision increasingly more difficult, which was truly impressive. When comparing it to Tunnel to Summer, I would easily give this novel the win. It's clear to see how much Hachimoku sensei has improved since his last book. The insane rollback phenomenon, the flashback chapters, the informational asymmetry, and the mystery boxes were all skillfully combined to create a highly compelling plot that kept me engaged from beginning to end.
Concluding Thoughts:
As someone who loves sci-fi, mystery, and exploration of the human psyche, this novel was an easy 10/10 for me. From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked, so much so that I devoured it in a single day (I even found myself sneaking in a few pages during work!). As a fan of Hachimoku Mei Sensei's work, this book was the nail in the coffin for me - I am now officially a fan for life.
One of my favorite aspects of the novel was the way Akari refused to tell Kanae what happened on the day of her brother's death. This intentional plotline kept me intrigued and on the edge of my seat. I couldn't help but wonder: why would someone who loves Kanae so much lie to him? These out of character behaviors were a great way to raise questions and keep the story interesting.
Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys sci-fi and mystery, and I highly recommend giving it a try!
Not long after we said our goodbyes, the six o’clock chime rang out over the island - the melancholy notes of Greensleeves reverberating in harmony with the sorrow I now felt inside my heartbeat.
At the tender age of 17, Kanae, a high school student, returns to his former residence on Sodeshima Island after an extended two-year absence. Upon arrival, he sees his childhood idol Akito, who once saved him from a group of bullies. This childhood idol also happened to be his first-love’s older brother. On his first day on the island, he is mysteriously transported to 5 days later, with a gaping void in his recollections of the intervening time period. He later learns that Akito died 4 days ago. After conferring with his childhood love and best friend Akari, Kanae discovers that he is afflicted by the "Rollback phenomenon" and is charged with a daunting mission - to prevent Akito's untimely demise by traveling back in time to the fateful day.
Initial Thoughts (spoiler-free):
This light novel perhaps has the most insane premise I have ever encountered. Although the concept of time travel is nothing new, the “Rollback” mechanic is such a unique concept that I must give props to Hachimoku Sensei for even attempting it. As someone who both loves being teased with information that will be revealed later down the line, as well as being eager to find out what happens, this literary work strikes an exquisite balance in gradually unraveling the mysteries of the plot. The angst and stress I experienced whilst reading this novel is quite unprecedented, albeit in a good way. For devotees of romance, suspense, mystery, and time travel, this book is an essential read.
From here on out is spoiler territory.
Rollback Phenomenon:
This novel presents a fresh and captivating interpretation of the well-worn time-travel trope. The protagonist, Kanae, makes his arrival on the island on April 1st, only to find his consciousness abruptly whisked away to April 5th at 6 PM. In a peculiar twist, every 24 hours, he is transported back 48 hours, effectively reliving his lost memories of the past four days, but in reverse chronological order. The ingenious execution of this labyrinthine mechanism creates a rich and engrossing experience, which often leaves both protagonist and reader bewildered as to how Kanae finds himself in this perplexing situation. With each passing day, he gains a deeper comprehension of the outcome and his final destination, yet remains uncertain as to the process that led him there. While admittedly challenging to follow at times, I found this book immensely enjoyable and engrossing.
Informational Asymmetry:
Segueing from the last section about the rollback phenomenon, an informational asymmetry was often used to keep me on my toes. Everyone that the protagonist interacted with knew of what Kanae did, except for Kanae himself. This knowledge imbalance creates a palpable sense of tension, as Kanae must tread lightly and refrain from prying too deeply, in order to avoid arousing suspicion. Consequently, he is often left in the dark, with only oblique hints and cryptic suggestions to guide his way. The most prominent informational asymmetry occurs with Akari, Kanae’s best friend and first love. Because she was fully aware about his rollback phenomenon, she was able to feed him certain information (but not all). Allow me to use this point to transition to my next.
Mystery Boxes:
A mystery box is what I like to call it when authors intentionally plant something that will be revealed later on in the story (a perfect example of it being the basement in Attack on Titan). Hachimoku sensei planted multiple mystery boxes of varying sizes throughout the story, each one a puzzle piece that the reader must decipher to unlock the larger mystery at play.. From the outset, the reader is left with a series of unanswered questions, each one beckoning to be solved: What is the rollback phenomenon, and how did Kanae become entangled in it? What happened in the missing four days that Kanae cannot remember? As Kanae relives each day, we are left with even more mysteries to ponder - what was he doing before this moment? What was the Kanae of the previous day thinking?
For example, he spent one of the days helping out Hayase (Akito’s ex-girlfriend) run her festival stall without any explanation as to why. It was later revealed that he offered to help in exchange for information about Akito’s downfall, something that he vaguely overheard about AFTER he finished helping her at the festival.
One of the most compelling examples of this technique was the recurring avoidance of Akari in discussing the day of Akito's death. Despite being Kanae's closest friend and confidante, Akari is visibly distressed when pressed for details about the fateful day. Her cryptic responses only served to heighten the tension, leading the reader to wonder if she might have had some involvement in Akito's demise. These clues, coupled with the slow unraveling of Akari's past and Akito's character changes, create a captivating web of intrigue that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. In short, the expert utilization of "mystery boxes" is a testament to the author's masterful storytelling ability, making this novel an absolute delight for readers who relish the art of unraveling a good mystery.
Flashbacks:
The author's use of interlude chapters in between every day of the story provides readers with a deeper understanding of Akari's past and mindset. These flashbacks, which are presented chronologically, cover pivotal moments in Akari's life, from being bullied to falling in love with Kanae, and the hardships she endured after his departure to Tokyo. Ultimately, these interludes reveal what happened on the day of Akito's death, which pushed Akari to her breaking point. Throughout the story Kanae as well as the readers are led to feel empathy for Akito, but the flashbacks provide much needed context behind the complex and depressing homelife that Akari had experienced for two years. With all the necessary puzzle pieces, Kanae finally learns the real nature of the once-great, now abusive and scummy Akito, and arrives at a moral crossroad that forces him to second guess his initial goal of saving him. While the main plot revolves around Kanae's attempt to save Akito, these flashbacks shed light on Akari's complex and difficult homelife, allowing readers to empathize with her struggles. Moreover, they give us insight into the development of Akari's character, her motivations, weaknesses, and regrets, making her a more well-rounded and relatable character. Unlike other stories that use flashbacks as a detour from the main plot (ahem Omori), the interludes in this novel serve a crucial purpose in building a more complete story, and each one is executed with meaning and purpose. Additionally, these flashbacks are essential in understanding Akari's behavior surrounding her brother's death and the reason for her reluctance to discuss it. Ultimately, the interlude chapters enhance the overall narrative by providing crucial context and character development.
Regret (Akari):
Akari's character in the story embodies the theme of regret in multiple ways. Throughout her flashback, readers get glimpses of the missed opportunities she had to express her feelings to Kanae. These moments are believable and elicit sympathy and pity from readers, including myself. Akari's story highlights the difficulty of finding the right time to be honest, and how taking a leap of faith can be daunting. Unfortunately, in Akari's case, she never had the opportunity to do so, leading to two years of loneliness and suffering.
This theme of regret is foreshadowed early on in the story, when Akari pleads with Kanae to prevent Akito's death and "take care of her past self." Later, we learn that Akari deeply regrets her selfish decision to let Akito die. Plagued by difficult choices with no clear answers, Akari continues to suffer throughout the story. As readers, we can only hope for her eventual happiness, which she ultimately achieves.
Kanae and Akari:
Every character in this captivating story is portrayed with depth and humanity, each possessing their own distinct ethical code and motivations that shape their actions in believable ways. The romance between Kanae and Akari is reminiscent of Anzu and Kaoru from Hachimoku Sensei's first novel, Tunnel to Summer, in that it is rife with angst and suffering. The author's penchant for inflicting emotional turmoil upon their protagonists is evident in this work as well, and while Kanae and Akari's individual journeys are equally well-written, their struggles have hardened them in a way that highlights their vulnerability as young people in search of comfort and security in one another. Despite their obvious love and care for each other, they are frequently faced with uncomfortable choices that challenge their relationship (such as Akari's decision to keep the truth about her brother's death from Kanae, or Kanae's insistence on saving Akito despite Akari's objections). These difficult decisions make for compelling storytelling that further highlights the characters as individuals, rather than simply a couple destined to behave in a predictable, one-dimensional manner (as is often the case in poorly-written romance stories, which is certainly not the case with Hachimoku Sensei's work).
Plot:
I found the novel's plot to be thoroughly enjoyable. The premise of traveling back in time to prevent someone's death was already intriguing, but the author took it a step further by adding multiple factors that made this decision increasingly more difficult, which was truly impressive. When comparing it to Tunnel to Summer, I would easily give this novel the win. It's clear to see how much Hachimoku sensei has improved since his last book. The insane rollback phenomenon, the flashback chapters, the informational asymmetry, and the mystery boxes were all skillfully combined to create a highly compelling plot that kept me engaged from beginning to end.
Concluding Thoughts:
As someone who loves sci-fi, mystery, and exploration of the human psyche, this novel was an easy 10/10 for me. From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked, so much so that I devoured it in a single day (I even found myself sneaking in a few pages during work!). As a fan of Hachimoku Mei Sensei's work, this book was the nail in the coffin for me - I am now officially a fan for life.
One of my favorite aspects of the novel was the way Akari refused to tell Kanae what happened on the day of her brother's death. This intentional plotline kept me intrigued and on the edge of my seat. I couldn't help but wonder: why would someone who loves Kanae so much lie to him? These out of character behaviors were a great way to raise questions and keep the story interesting.
Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys sci-fi and mystery, and I highly recommend giving it a try!
Not long after we said our goodbyes, the six o’clock chime rang out over the island - the melancholy notes of Greensleeves reverberating in harmony with the sorrow I now felt inside my heartbeat.
March 7, 2024
wow that was actually really deep. it also gave me tunnel to summer vibes.
tw & cw for attempted suicide, domestic violence, death.
tw & cw for attempted suicide, domestic violence, death.
July 22, 2022
Actual rating: 4.5⭐
A surprisingly refreshing take on time travel.
After a fight with his father, Funami Kanae runs away from home to spend spring break in his hometown which he hasn't visited in two years. On the evening of his very first day, he discovers a shrine at an abandoned park and his consciousness is thrown four days into the future, where he discovers that his childhood hero and the older brother of his best friend, Hoshina Akari, is now dead. Following Akari's wish for him to save her brother, Kanae then leaps through time in reverse order. He would spend one day before getting thrown back two days into the past, learning more about what's been happening to the Hoshina siblings since he's been away.
If you like childhood friends who have had crushes for each other for a long time, never fading with time or distance, then you will like this book. Kanae and Akari didn't talk for two years, and yet their bond remains strong… even if things got a little complicated between them as they grew up. Similarly to The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes, the author did an amazing job capturing the bittersweet essence of adolescence. The romance also has a natural progression. Since each chapter opens with Akari's thoughts before moving on to Kanae's perspective, it feels like watching puzzle pieces falling into place to form the complete picture.
The issue in this book is quite heavy, especially because it explores the theme of abuse and what it does to the victim's mental state. If you could relate to Akari, even just a little bit, then it might hit hard when her emotions come out to the surface. Due to the heavy focus on reverse time travel, the ending and epilogue do feel a little rushed in comparison, but I still enjoyed it a lot. It's a real page turner that gives off the feeling of welcoming spring after a long, dreary winter.
Again, taking off half a star because the translation is too Americanized for my tastes. Sure, it flows smoothly. Maybe a little too smooth. The story is set in Japan, and no one in Japan talks like this so it comes off as very unnatural instead.
A surprisingly refreshing take on time travel.
After a fight with his father, Funami Kanae runs away from home to spend spring break in his hometown which he hasn't visited in two years. On the evening of his very first day, he discovers a shrine at an abandoned park and his consciousness is thrown four days into the future, where he discovers that his childhood hero and the older brother of his best friend, Hoshina Akari, is now dead. Following Akari's wish for him to save her brother, Kanae then leaps through time in reverse order. He would spend one day before getting thrown back two days into the past, learning more about what's been happening to the Hoshina siblings since he's been away.
If you like childhood friends who have had crushes for each other for a long time, never fading with time or distance, then you will like this book. Kanae and Akari didn't talk for two years, and yet their bond remains strong… even if things got a little complicated between them as they grew up. Similarly to The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes, the author did an amazing job capturing the bittersweet essence of adolescence. The romance also has a natural progression. Since each chapter opens with Akari's thoughts before moving on to Kanae's perspective, it feels like watching puzzle pieces falling into place to form the complete picture.
The issue in this book is quite heavy, especially because it explores the theme of abuse and what it does to the victim's mental state. If you could relate to Akari, even just a little bit, then it might hit hard when her emotions come out to the surface. Due to the heavy focus on reverse time travel, the ending and epilogue do feel a little rushed in comparison, but I still enjoyed it a lot. It's a real page turner that gives off the feeling of welcoming spring after a long, dreary winter.
Again, taking off half a star because the translation is too Americanized for my tastes. Sure, it flows smoothly. Maybe a little too smooth. The story is set in Japan, and no one in Japan talks like this so it comes off as very unnatural instead.
January 5, 2023
I bought this book because I was very attracted to the cover, and the story within it was as if not more beautiful. What stood out to me the most was the writing. Everything from the imagery, the emotions, to the way the chapters connected with each other was delightfully done, and I loved every bit of it. I just couldn’t put it down!
July 26, 2024
Let me start by saying that this is not a bad book. I landed here from one of the author's previous books "The tunnel to summer, the exit of goodbyes", I grabbed this one because I really liked the high school romance with bit of a supernatural mixed in the plot. But this was not my cup of tea. As soon as I started the book, I was hooked and could relate to the characters the same way I could in her previous book until I reached almost 2/3 of the book. Plot was intriguing and characters were nice. Almost last 100 pages, it fell apart for me.
May 22, 2024
Kane is seventeen, and a high school student who runs away from Tokyo to return back to his hometown, after an argument with his dad regarding his studies.
it’s spring break, he’s back in his hometown where he meets up with his little sister, grandma and his childhood friend Akari. then suddenly, he finds himself four days into the future, where he finds out that his childhood hero and Akari’s brother is dead. he then learns from Akari that he is going to experience those 4 days backwards, where he has a mission to save her brother and fill the four day memory gap.
offering a new perspective on the time travelling concept, it was an interesting read with a satisfying ending. however, there were certain dialogues that were very corny, otherwise an easy read.
kanae and akari both were such lovely characters, who ended up saving each other. loved how their bond didn’t break or waver even after two years of no contact.
not to mention how the cover is soo gorgeous!!
3.5-4/ 5 stars
it’s spring break, he’s back in his hometown where he meets up with his little sister, grandma and his childhood friend Akari. then suddenly, he finds himself four days into the future, where he finds out that his childhood hero and Akari’s brother is dead. he then learns from Akari that he is going to experience those 4 days backwards, where he has a mission to save her brother and fill the four day memory gap.
offering a new perspective on the time travelling concept, it was an interesting read with a satisfying ending. however, there were certain dialogues that were very corny, otherwise an easy read.
kanae and akari both were such lovely characters, who ended up saving each other. loved how their bond didn’t break or waver even after two years of no contact.
not to mention how the cover is soo gorgeous!!
3.5-4/ 5 stars
December 29, 2023
I read this book in two days, which is very fast for me! I really, really enjoyed it. Cannot wait to read more from this author!
October 11, 2023
Okay...so where do I begin? Ah, right, context comes first.
So, Waiting For Me Yesterday in Spring (WFMYIS) is one of the only books I've actually completed from start to finish. Growing up, I was never interested in books and in school I would only pretend to read books - simply staring at the words - whilst getting lost in my thoughts in the meantime. I did, however, read 9 volumes of the Oregairu light novel but other than that, I've never completed a book from start to finish. I tried reading some "classics", such as Sherlock Holmes and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, hoping that they would be the gateway into the medium but quickly realised that it wouldn't work out as I had hoped. The big deal-breaker is likely the language used. Being so old, those books are hard to understand and in turn are simply tiring to read. Every other sentence I would be struggling to understand what's being said and would be searching up a new word in the dictionary.
Eventually, I conceded and tried my hand at a light novel instead - namely, WFMYIS (yes, I am not bothered to type the whole title every time). And to my fortunate surprise, it was amazing. Honestly, I could not ask for a better companion to guide me into the world of books than this book. Compared to the aforementioned "classics", the language is actually comprehensible and although there are words I don't fully know the meaning of sprinkled in, they are words that I may have heard of before, are actually used in the present day and words that I will benefit learning. Also, they don't appear nearly as often. You don't know how thankful I am to read a book that isn't written in cipher-text. The other two books had me trudging through the pages whereas I was zooming through these. During the climax, I was glued to my seat and read over a hundred pages in one go, which I don't think I'd ever done before. So, needless to say, it was a fun time and consequently I am here to review it.
I suppose it would be appropriate to discuss the premise first. It certainly is not a novel concept - time travel has been covered many times throughout all kinds of media - however, it's always been a genre I've had unwavering interest in. Piecing together clues, connecting the dots of how timelines interact or even seeing the reacts of revealing the time travel to other members of the cast; it never gets old. Despite being a common concept, this book takes a rather interesting spin on it. Usually time travel media involve going (only once) forward in time, back in time or being constantly stuck in a time-loop. WFMYIS goes back in time day-by-day to slowly build up to an important date. This is particularly fascinating because, since the end of each day connects to the start of the previous one experienced, it has to be cleverly pieced together. Not only that, but seeing the outcome and affects of what has already happened before it is experienced sets the book up for some great foreshadowing and helps build tension for what is to come.
Delving into the story, we experience a slowly unraveling thread of events leading up to a clear climax. This turning point is made apparent near to the very beginning of the book so tension is accumulated throughout. Each day we gather more and more information on what happened in the past few days and learn more about each character who were, so far, a mystery. The story relies less on huge, high-energy events but more so on intimate moments between characters or subtle chilling moments alluding to something more serious or even sinister. This drip-feeding of information keeps you on edge.
The structure definitely lends itself well to this style of storytelling; before each chapter, there is an interlude where we switch perspectives to the heroine, gaining insight into her incentives and backstory. Since she is an extremely relevant character to the story, gradually figuring out her intentions and picking up on certain details shown in the regular chapters but went unnoticed without this extra information certainly maintains a high level of engagement and is an effective way to get us to care about the characters more, without distracting from the plot too much.
Where this is especially useful is before the climax; there is an alarming end to the chapter before, suggesting that Akari's brother could be physically abusing her. The interlude is then used to detail these events, on top of all of the suffering she put herself through to better her life and be with the one she loves. Truthfully, this interlude was maybe the most harrowing and disturbing read I've had. Although it wasn't considerably graphic or extreme, it was the detailed and explicit dive into her thoughts and feelings that really conveyed the hopelessness of her situation that made it so heart-breaking - even more so with the investment into making her likable as a character and getting us to care about her by showing us her perspectives through the interludes up to that point. And what this particular interlude did was set the stage perfectly for an emotionally charged and impactful climax.
The climax involved a very intense set of events but what stood out to me the most was the thought-provoking nature of it. I will discuss the themes represented here later on but it made me think beyond the characters being good and bad and made the story a lot more grounded in reality.
However, ending it after the decision to save Akito would have been underwhelming. Thankfully, before we are given a catharsis, the true climax with tenfold the intensity comes crashing down on us. The girl who we've been made to care for so much tries to kill herself. Now, suicide is a graphic concept and in fiction needs to be execute well to not come off as melodramatic or as if it is used for shock-value. The author does an excellent job at heightening the emotional intensity enough for it to be immersive. Moreover, it is realistic. Usually, in these kind of scenes, the person trying to kill themselves is (no pun intended) kind of sitting on the fence and doesn't take much convincing to stop them. There's usually a scene of them bursting out crying, mentioning some petty reasoning and then eventually giving up. In this scene, Akari is completely determined and does not falter. She calmly explains her position to Kanae, refuting any of his arguments and justifying all of hers. She had genuinely thought it through with sound and coherent judgement - this was not a hysteric outburst. And that's what makes this scene so engaging. I was truly not sure whether or not she would die. To boot, Kanae stands on the ledge, offering to die with her and she isn't fazed. I was fairly convinced that the book would end with a double-suicide. Luckily, it didn't but the heights of tension that it reached made for a satisfying catharsis afterwards when everything is resolved and all lose ends were tied. In my opinion, this was a fantastically written build-up, climax and conclusion.
On the other hand, I do have some qualms with it. Firstly, it was not particularly shocking. Although there were elements that surprised me, of course, I was constantly theorizing what could have happened in my head. For example, I had theories that Kanae had actually killed Akito in the past once he found out that he was abusing Akari. I also theorised that maybe Akari had some elaborate plan to get Kanae to kill him and to be with him, since she loved him so much. Even though the truth was entertaining, these theories could have arguably been more exciting, albeit much harder to pull off. A plot twist like that could have been more hard-hitting. Secondly, sort of following up from the previous point, it was quite cliche at times. For example, having a childhood friend who falls in love with the main character because he was the only one who stood up for her is a very common trope in anime and manga. Also, the main character's reaction to the time-travel was also very stereotypical and expected. We all knew that the time-travel would take place so spending so much time showing how shocked he was and trying to convey that it really was happening was kind of stale. And although I was mostly entertained throughout, the first few chapters were pretty uneventful at times. Still, the story was very well thought out and written.
Moving on to the characters, we have our main two, Kanae and Akari, and then some other side characters such as the grandma, Eri, Akito and a few more. There were also some that were rather obsolete, such as the friendly police officer and Akito's girlfriend. The only characters that really got development, though, were the main two.
One massive strength of the book is that it is written from a first-person perspective. With the interludes, this extends to the heroine, Akari, as well. As aforementioned, I haven't read many books but from the little I have read, first-person perspectives are my favourite. There is a level of instant empathy and relatability when hearing the thoughts of the character, making us care more about what happens to them. Take for example the emotional interlude I discussed earlier, if that had been told from a third-person perspective, I don't think it would have been nearly as poignant. Hearing first-hand the despair and suffering from the girl herself drives home the horrible situation much more, in my opinion, in a way that wouldn't be as significant in third-person. The author is able to write very explicitly detailed monologues that take a deep dive into the characters thoughts, not only to flesh out the plot but to really humanize them, making them feel more like people and less like characters.
The characters themselves aren't particularly quirky or unique. Kanae is sort of a run-of-the-mill teenager who has been put into a sticky situation. Akari is a little more unique in regards to the strength of her feelings for Kanae and the hardwork and tenacity she puts in. Due to this, I would definitely argue that this book is more heavy with the story than its characters. A lot of the monologuing relates to the story or is simply to describe the events happening in the moment. Although, as I mentioned, there is a substantial amount that is used to humanize them, I would say that there is more emphasis on what is happening to them than their morality or who they are as a person.
Something that does stand out, though is the dialogue and interactions. It somehow is able to remain realistic whilst still entertaining and engaging. There is clear chemistry between the cast and because of this, the romance between Akari and Kanae doesn't feel superficial or contrived. Even in the suicide scene, there is still cleverly written comedy and teasing.
As a whole, the characters are good and entertaining but don't stand out too much. This isn't that detrimental considering there is a larger focus on the plot, which isn't a problem at all when you look at how that turned out for the story.
Now, let's talk about the themes. The book, as I mentioned, has it's priority set on the plot and does not branch too heavily into other aspects such as the characters and themes. However, it does present some interesting ideas. Circling back to the "thought-provoking nature" I mentioned (in reference to them deciding whether or not to let Akito die), the book questions your morality quite directly. We are made to think about whether we agree with the decision to let Akito die or not. We have plenty of reason to want him to die: he hits his sister, frightens her with his friends, steals her hard-earned money and is generally just a horrible person. But even still, does he deserve to die? And is that our (or the main character's) decision to make? The book asks you if you believe in second chances or if you think there's no turning it around for Akito, if what he's done is too much to be forgiven. Initially, the main characters decide on letting him die. It's the easy way out, after all. No more abuse, no more fear and one less awful person on the earth. And the book portrays this as not a negative decision. In fact, it really is hard to argue against it. However, personally, I believe in second chances. Picturing a future where Akito would turn it all around, right his wrongs and fix his life, I wouldn't be able to deny that man that opportunity because I have little faith it would happen. Not only that, but I would not be able to live my life knowing that I'm the reason he isn't walking around on the planet anymore. The book acknowledges the pain and grief that would bring and demonstrates a great display of hope with Kanae saving his life. I don't think that a well illustrated theme needs to be one that I agree with but I can't deny that it was very satisfying to see Kanae go back on his decision and go to save his life.
Other than that theme, there are some lightly explored themes such as bullying and, of course, the romantic element, but what I discussed is what I believed was explored the best.
The final thing I want to talk about, and this is something I'm not used to talking about since this is my first book review, is the descriptive writing. Now, to preface, I wasn't amazing at English in school. I got half-decent grades in it and my own creative writing was pretty average. Still, with the little insight that I have, I really enjoyed the writing in this book. The descriptions were so vivid and exciting to read. It never rambled on too long, over-detailing any description but still managed to paint a clear picture in my mind of whatever was happening. At the moment, I'm trying to get into writing myself and I must admit, I took a few notes here and there. Of course, the book is Japanese so a lot of credit for the descriptive writing goes to the translators, especially for the vocabulary used, but the foundation by the original author is very strong. Truthfully, some of the most enjoyable parts of the book were descriptions of simple things like a cherry blossom falling into Akari's hand or watching over the town from the rooftop of the school. With other, older books that I don't understand the language of, it's hard for me to appreciate this facet of the writing but with a book like this, it really is a joy to read through and experience.
In conclusion, I am very pleased with this book as a whole, especially as an introduction in the medium of books. I think reading single-volume light-novels like this is a good gateway into books so that might be my modus operandi for the foreseeable future. Despite some problems or criticisms here and there, it is a very complete experience with many emotional ups and downs and I'm glad I picked it up.
So, Waiting For Me Yesterday in Spring (WFMYIS) is one of the only books I've actually completed from start to finish. Growing up, I was never interested in books and in school I would only pretend to read books - simply staring at the words - whilst getting lost in my thoughts in the meantime. I did, however, read 9 volumes of the Oregairu light novel but other than that, I've never completed a book from start to finish. I tried reading some "classics", such as Sherlock Holmes and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, hoping that they would be the gateway into the medium but quickly realised that it wouldn't work out as I had hoped. The big deal-breaker is likely the language used. Being so old, those books are hard to understand and in turn are simply tiring to read. Every other sentence I would be struggling to understand what's being said and would be searching up a new word in the dictionary.
Eventually, I conceded and tried my hand at a light novel instead - namely, WFMYIS (yes, I am not bothered to type the whole title every time). And to my fortunate surprise, it was amazing. Honestly, I could not ask for a better companion to guide me into the world of books than this book. Compared to the aforementioned "classics", the language is actually comprehensible and although there are words I don't fully know the meaning of sprinkled in, they are words that I may have heard of before, are actually used in the present day and words that I will benefit learning. Also, they don't appear nearly as often. You don't know how thankful I am to read a book that isn't written in cipher-text. The other two books had me trudging through the pages whereas I was zooming through these. During the climax, I was glued to my seat and read over a hundred pages in one go, which I don't think I'd ever done before. So, needless to say, it was a fun time and consequently I am here to review it.
I suppose it would be appropriate to discuss the premise first. It certainly is not a novel concept - time travel has been covered many times throughout all kinds of media - however, it's always been a genre I've had unwavering interest in. Piecing together clues, connecting the dots of how timelines interact or even seeing the reacts of revealing the time travel to other members of the cast; it never gets old. Despite being a common concept, this book takes a rather interesting spin on it. Usually time travel media involve going (only once) forward in time, back in time or being constantly stuck in a time-loop. WFMYIS goes back in time day-by-day to slowly build up to an important date. This is particularly fascinating because, since the end of each day connects to the start of the previous one experienced, it has to be cleverly pieced together. Not only that, but seeing the outcome and affects of what has already happened before it is experienced sets the book up for some great foreshadowing and helps build tension for what is to come.
Delving into the story, we experience a slowly unraveling thread of events leading up to a clear climax. This turning point is made apparent near to the very beginning of the book so tension is accumulated throughout. Each day we gather more and more information on what happened in the past few days and learn more about each character who were, so far, a mystery. The story relies less on huge, high-energy events but more so on intimate moments between characters or subtle chilling moments alluding to something more serious or even sinister. This drip-feeding of information keeps you on edge.
The structure definitely lends itself well to this style of storytelling; before each chapter, there is an interlude where we switch perspectives to the heroine, gaining insight into her incentives and backstory. Since she is an extremely relevant character to the story, gradually figuring out her intentions and picking up on certain details shown in the regular chapters but went unnoticed without this extra information certainly maintains a high level of engagement and is an effective way to get us to care about the characters more, without distracting from the plot too much.
Where this is especially useful is before the climax; there is an alarming end to the chapter before, suggesting that Akari's brother could be physically abusing her. The interlude is then used to detail these events, on top of all of the suffering she put herself through to better her life and be with the one she loves. Truthfully, this interlude was maybe the most harrowing and disturbing read I've had. Although it wasn't considerably graphic or extreme, it was the detailed and explicit dive into her thoughts and feelings that really conveyed the hopelessness of her situation that made it so heart-breaking - even more so with the investment into making her likable as a character and getting us to care about her by showing us her perspectives through the interludes up to that point. And what this particular interlude did was set the stage perfectly for an emotionally charged and impactful climax.
The climax involved a very intense set of events but what stood out to me the most was the thought-provoking nature of it. I will discuss the themes represented here later on but it made me think beyond the characters being good and bad and made the story a lot more grounded in reality.
However, ending it after the decision to save Akito would have been underwhelming. Thankfully, before we are given a catharsis, the true climax with tenfold the intensity comes crashing down on us. The girl who we've been made to care for so much tries to kill herself. Now, suicide is a graphic concept and in fiction needs to be execute well to not come off as melodramatic or as if it is used for shock-value. The author does an excellent job at heightening the emotional intensity enough for it to be immersive. Moreover, it is realistic. Usually, in these kind of scenes, the person trying to kill themselves is (no pun intended) kind of sitting on the fence and doesn't take much convincing to stop them. There's usually a scene of them bursting out crying, mentioning some petty reasoning and then eventually giving up. In this scene, Akari is completely determined and does not falter. She calmly explains her position to Kanae, refuting any of his arguments and justifying all of hers. She had genuinely thought it through with sound and coherent judgement - this was not a hysteric outburst. And that's what makes this scene so engaging. I was truly not sure whether or not she would die. To boot, Kanae stands on the ledge, offering to die with her and she isn't fazed. I was fairly convinced that the book would end with a double-suicide. Luckily, it didn't but the heights of tension that it reached made for a satisfying catharsis afterwards when everything is resolved and all lose ends were tied. In my opinion, this was a fantastically written build-up, climax and conclusion.
On the other hand, I do have some qualms with it. Firstly, it was not particularly shocking. Although there were elements that surprised me, of course, I was constantly theorizing what could have happened in my head. For example, I had theories that Kanae had actually killed Akito in the past once he found out that he was abusing Akari. I also theorised that maybe Akari had some elaborate plan to get Kanae to kill him and to be with him, since she loved him so much. Even though the truth was entertaining, these theories could have arguably been more exciting, albeit much harder to pull off. A plot twist like that could have been more hard-hitting. Secondly, sort of following up from the previous point, it was quite cliche at times. For example, having a childhood friend who falls in love with the main character because he was the only one who stood up for her is a very common trope in anime and manga. Also, the main character's reaction to the time-travel was also very stereotypical and expected. We all knew that the time-travel would take place so spending so much time showing how shocked he was and trying to convey that it really was happening was kind of stale. And although I was mostly entertained throughout, the first few chapters were pretty uneventful at times. Still, the story was very well thought out and written.
Moving on to the characters, we have our main two, Kanae and Akari, and then some other side characters such as the grandma, Eri, Akito and a few more. There were also some that were rather obsolete, such as the friendly police officer and Akito's girlfriend. The only characters that really got development, though, were the main two.
One massive strength of the book is that it is written from a first-person perspective. With the interludes, this extends to the heroine, Akari, as well. As aforementioned, I haven't read many books but from the little I have read, first-person perspectives are my favourite. There is a level of instant empathy and relatability when hearing the thoughts of the character, making us care more about what happens to them. Take for example the emotional interlude I discussed earlier, if that had been told from a third-person perspective, I don't think it would have been nearly as poignant. Hearing first-hand the despair and suffering from the girl herself drives home the horrible situation much more, in my opinion, in a way that wouldn't be as significant in third-person. The author is able to write very explicitly detailed monologues that take a deep dive into the characters thoughts, not only to flesh out the plot but to really humanize them, making them feel more like people and less like characters.
The characters themselves aren't particularly quirky or unique. Kanae is sort of a run-of-the-mill teenager who has been put into a sticky situation. Akari is a little more unique in regards to the strength of her feelings for Kanae and the hardwork and tenacity she puts in. Due to this, I would definitely argue that this book is more heavy with the story than its characters. A lot of the monologuing relates to the story or is simply to describe the events happening in the moment. Although, as I mentioned, there is a substantial amount that is used to humanize them, I would say that there is more emphasis on what is happening to them than their morality or who they are as a person.
Something that does stand out, though is the dialogue and interactions. It somehow is able to remain realistic whilst still entertaining and engaging. There is clear chemistry between the cast and because of this, the romance between Akari and Kanae doesn't feel superficial or contrived. Even in the suicide scene, there is still cleverly written comedy and teasing.
As a whole, the characters are good and entertaining but don't stand out too much. This isn't that detrimental considering there is a larger focus on the plot, which isn't a problem at all when you look at how that turned out for the story.
Now, let's talk about the themes. The book, as I mentioned, has it's priority set on the plot and does not branch too heavily into other aspects such as the characters and themes. However, it does present some interesting ideas. Circling back to the "thought-provoking nature" I mentioned (in reference to them deciding whether or not to let Akito die), the book questions your morality quite directly. We are made to think about whether we agree with the decision to let Akito die or not. We have plenty of reason to want him to die: he hits his sister, frightens her with his friends, steals her hard-earned money and is generally just a horrible person. But even still, does he deserve to die? And is that our (or the main character's) decision to make? The book asks you if you believe in second chances or if you think there's no turning it around for Akito, if what he's done is too much to be forgiven. Initially, the main characters decide on letting him die. It's the easy way out, after all. No more abuse, no more fear and one less awful person on the earth. And the book portrays this as not a negative decision. In fact, it really is hard to argue against it. However, personally, I believe in second chances. Picturing a future where Akito would turn it all around, right his wrongs and fix his life, I wouldn't be able to deny that man that opportunity because I have little faith it would happen. Not only that, but I would not be able to live my life knowing that I'm the reason he isn't walking around on the planet anymore. The book acknowledges the pain and grief that would bring and demonstrates a great display of hope with Kanae saving his life. I don't think that a well illustrated theme needs to be one that I agree with but I can't deny that it was very satisfying to see Kanae go back on his decision and go to save his life.
Other than that theme, there are some lightly explored themes such as bullying and, of course, the romantic element, but what I discussed is what I believed was explored the best.
The final thing I want to talk about, and this is something I'm not used to talking about since this is my first book review, is the descriptive writing. Now, to preface, I wasn't amazing at English in school. I got half-decent grades in it and my own creative writing was pretty average. Still, with the little insight that I have, I really enjoyed the writing in this book. The descriptions were so vivid and exciting to read. It never rambled on too long, over-detailing any description but still managed to paint a clear picture in my mind of whatever was happening. At the moment, I'm trying to get into writing myself and I must admit, I took a few notes here and there. Of course, the book is Japanese so a lot of credit for the descriptive writing goes to the translators, especially for the vocabulary used, but the foundation by the original author is very strong. Truthfully, some of the most enjoyable parts of the book were descriptions of simple things like a cherry blossom falling into Akari's hand or watching over the town from the rooftop of the school. With other, older books that I don't understand the language of, it's hard for me to appreciate this facet of the writing but with a book like this, it really is a joy to read through and experience.
In conclusion, I am very pleased with this book as a whole, especially as an introduction in the medium of books. I think reading single-volume light-novels like this is a good gateway into books so that might be my modus operandi for the foreseeable future. Despite some problems or criticisms here and there, it is a very complete experience with many emotional ups and downs and I'm glad I picked it up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2025
Về tác phẩm, mô típ du hành thời gian mới lạ, mình cực thích cách nhân vật Akari được xây dựng, thương lắm thôi, tác giả đã thực sự khiến mình muốn ôm Akari vào lòng, muốn che chở và thương yêu người con gái này. Tuy nhiên phần kết khiến mình không thoả mãn, đúng là nó đã thực tế hơn nhưng diễn biến lại xuôi quá cảm giác như đang kết bài vội vậy, thà để kết mở rồi sau này hint có khi hợp lí hơn. Phần art màu thì u mê quên lối về, có khi mình phải in poster 2 tấm miniposter đầu trang ra vì nó thực sự quá đẹpp!”. Phần art trắng đen giữa các chương có vẻ hơi tối màu theo chủ đích, nhưng mà tương phản cao quá nên ko hợp mắt mình, nhìn chung là art cũng oke, style mờ mờ tối tối trong khá ngầu và minh hoạ rất tốt cho khung cảnh trong tác phẩm, thêm nhiều hình hơn nữa thì thích biết bao.
Về tác giả, luôn ấn tượng về sự sáng tạo trong việc xây dựng cốt truyện của Mây, có điều sao cứ nhăm nhe cho nhân vật chính nghỉ học vậy hả Mây!!?
Về tác giả, luôn ấn tượng về sự sáng tạo trong việc xây dựng cốt truyện của Mây, có điều sao cứ nhăm nhe cho nhân vật chính nghỉ học vậy hả Mây!!?
July 6, 2024
This was supposed to be a light novel and yet it took me a good two weeks to read it. . . because it was dragging and super slow-paced for my liking.
I wish this story was written only from Akari's POV, because compared to Kanae's POV, her narration was more digestible and more interesting--no beating around the bush. Why could it not have been consistent like that throughout the whole novel? It bothers me so much! At one point, Kanae uses big words that are superfluous..then the next he's talking like an actual teenager describing how he accidentally touched Akari's legs.
I also couldn't take it seriously when the dialogues don't seem like a sentence someone would use in real life T.T It was so unnatural, it made me chuckle and put the book down.
I wish this story was written only from Akari's POV, because compared to Kanae's POV, her narration was more digestible and more interesting--no beating around the bush. Why could it not have been consistent like that throughout the whole novel? It bothers me so much! At one point, Kanae uses big words that are superfluous..then the next he's talking like an actual teenager describing how he accidentally touched Akari's legs.
I also couldn't take it seriously when the dialogues don't seem like a sentence someone would use in real life T.T It was so unnatural, it made me chuckle and put the book down.
July 30, 2024
Mei Hachimoku’s “Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring” translated by Evan Ward was my first Japanese light novel for this year. I'm glad that I picked this novel. Besides having an amazing plot that dealt with temporal disturbances the best part for me about this book was that it was written with a lot of heart.
We are introduced to the protagonist of the book Kanae, a seventeen-year-old high school student in Tokyo, who, after a verbal argument with his father has run away to his old hometown in Sodeshima. Here he meets his grandmother, his younger sister Eri, and his old friend Akari. Akari, who was Kanae’s friend since they were kids, has feelings for Kanae but is hesitant to confess them since she is unsure how Kanae feels about her.
On a casual stroll in Sodeshima Kanae comes across an old shrine in an abandoned park and unknowingly disturbs it. This causes a temporal shift, which we are later introduced to as the Rollback phenomenon, and transports Kanae a few days into the future.
Startled, Kanae is shocked to find that in this future Akito, who is Akari’s elder brother, has died. When Kanae, without raising any suspicion about his time travel, can confirm the seriousness of his situation he decides to speak to Akari. At this point in the future Akari tells him about the Rollback event. It is an event similar to the rollback of a database where the changes done in the current transaction are undone and the database is restored to its original state. Similarly, Kanae would be experiencing these Rollbacks and the events that occurred would be restored to their original state until the day of Akito’s death. Akari tells Kanae that he has to save her elder brother from alcohol poisoning and also take care of her past self.
With the first Rollback Kanae believes that everything Akari told him must be true. Kanae is disheartened to learn about Akito’s alcohol poisoning because before leaving for Tokyo Akito had been a person Kanae always looked up to. Akito was their school’s best baseball player and had once defended Kanae from bullies. Akito’s fall from grace is something that Kanae doesn’t understand and decides to figure out.
As the Rollbacks keep happening we are fed with new information about Akito, how the once great baseball star suffered a career-ending injury that made him bitter and resentful. While the main story progresses, the author effectively provides flashbacks from Akari’s point of view. This helps us understand the events that unfolded when Kanae moved to Tokyo leaving behind Akari alone. We understand the financial struggles that Akari’s family is facing as their mother is the sole earner in the family. Akari wants to be with Kanae in Tokyo and attend the same university as him. When she understands that her family would not be able to meet the financial requirements to enroll her into the university she decides to work harder in her academics to secure a scholarship and take up a part-time job to earn extra cash that would help with her relocation to Tokyo.
Kanae, still experiencing the Rollbacks hits on a bleak thought that troubles him. When he tries to remove himself from a situation to change the future he realises that somehow fate intervenes and stops him from changing the future. He hopes that fate won’t interfere with Akito’s death. Unable to change anything in the future and just for the heck of it Kanae decides to note down a lottery number that would win a cash jackpot.
When the rollbacks get very close to the day of Akito’s death a new light is shed upon Akito’s character and saving him becomes much more difficult for Kanae. Akito had been verbally and physically abusing his little sister Akari. Also, the money that Akari had collected for her relocation to Tokyo was used up by Akito without her permission. When Kanae learns about this his blood boils. Akari, who has been left emotionally and physically scarred by the actions of her reckless brother, in no uncertain terms demands Kanae let fate decide Akito’s future. And Kanae agrees.
However, Kanae remembers that Akari’s future self had asked Kanae to save her brother and also take care of her past self. Kanae deduces that future Akari regretted her inaction in saving her brother’s life. And so, Kanae decides to save Akito. When Akari learns of Kanae’s actions she is depressed and decides to end her life. Kanae in a desperate move decides that he would follow her if she did not stop. After a very risky situation on Sodeshima High School’s rooftop, the situation is defused and Kanae and Akari get together.
Akari asks Kanae to tag along with her when she visits her brother. Akito, still a grumpy and thankless individual is unapologetic of his behaviour towards Akari. When Kanae stands up for Akari she is relieved, filled with confidence she stands up for herself. Kanae gives Akari the lottery number he had noted and with that, Akari gets the cash that she needs to relocate to Tokyo to stay with Kanae and attend the university with him. In the end, Akari and Kanae care neither for the past nor the future and enjoy their Present with each other. With a satisfying ending, the book leaves you on a positive note.
The book deals with the topics of domestic abuse, mental health, suicide, emotional growth, courage, and the belief in the potential of goodness within every one of us. Indeed a good read!
TLDR; here's my X thread on this book https://x.com/uvikhe/status/181821844...
We are introduced to the protagonist of the book Kanae, a seventeen-year-old high school student in Tokyo, who, after a verbal argument with his father has run away to his old hometown in Sodeshima. Here he meets his grandmother, his younger sister Eri, and his old friend Akari. Akari, who was Kanae’s friend since they were kids, has feelings for Kanae but is hesitant to confess them since she is unsure how Kanae feels about her.
On a casual stroll in Sodeshima Kanae comes across an old shrine in an abandoned park and unknowingly disturbs it. This causes a temporal shift, which we are later introduced to as the Rollback phenomenon, and transports Kanae a few days into the future.
Startled, Kanae is shocked to find that in this future Akito, who is Akari’s elder brother, has died. When Kanae, without raising any suspicion about his time travel, can confirm the seriousness of his situation he decides to speak to Akari. At this point in the future Akari tells him about the Rollback event. It is an event similar to the rollback of a database where the changes done in the current transaction are undone and the database is restored to its original state. Similarly, Kanae would be experiencing these Rollbacks and the events that occurred would be restored to their original state until the day of Akito’s death. Akari tells Kanae that he has to save her elder brother from alcohol poisoning and also take care of her past self.
With the first Rollback Kanae believes that everything Akari told him must be true. Kanae is disheartened to learn about Akito’s alcohol poisoning because before leaving for Tokyo Akito had been a person Kanae always looked up to. Akito was their school’s best baseball player and had once defended Kanae from bullies. Akito’s fall from grace is something that Kanae doesn’t understand and decides to figure out.
As the Rollbacks keep happening we are fed with new information about Akito, how the once great baseball star suffered a career-ending injury that made him bitter and resentful. While the main story progresses, the author effectively provides flashbacks from Akari’s point of view. This helps us understand the events that unfolded when Kanae moved to Tokyo leaving behind Akari alone. We understand the financial struggles that Akari’s family is facing as their mother is the sole earner in the family. Akari wants to be with Kanae in Tokyo and attend the same university as him. When she understands that her family would not be able to meet the financial requirements to enroll her into the university she decides to work harder in her academics to secure a scholarship and take up a part-time job to earn extra cash that would help with her relocation to Tokyo.
Kanae, still experiencing the Rollbacks hits on a bleak thought that troubles him. When he tries to remove himself from a situation to change the future he realises that somehow fate intervenes and stops him from changing the future. He hopes that fate won’t interfere with Akito’s death. Unable to change anything in the future and just for the heck of it Kanae decides to note down a lottery number that would win a cash jackpot.
When the rollbacks get very close to the day of Akito’s death a new light is shed upon Akito’s character and saving him becomes much more difficult for Kanae. Akito had been verbally and physically abusing his little sister Akari. Also, the money that Akari had collected for her relocation to Tokyo was used up by Akito without her permission. When Kanae learns about this his blood boils. Akari, who has been left emotionally and physically scarred by the actions of her reckless brother, in no uncertain terms demands Kanae let fate decide Akito’s future. And Kanae agrees.
However, Kanae remembers that Akari’s future self had asked Kanae to save her brother and also take care of her past self. Kanae deduces that future Akari regretted her inaction in saving her brother’s life. And so, Kanae decides to save Akito. When Akari learns of Kanae’s actions she is depressed and decides to end her life. Kanae in a desperate move decides that he would follow her if she did not stop. After a very risky situation on Sodeshima High School’s rooftop, the situation is defused and Kanae and Akari get together.
Akari asks Kanae to tag along with her when she visits her brother. Akito, still a grumpy and thankless individual is unapologetic of his behaviour towards Akari. When Kanae stands up for Akari she is relieved, filled with confidence she stands up for herself. Kanae gives Akari the lottery number he had noted and with that, Akari gets the cash that she needs to relocate to Tokyo to stay with Kanae and attend the university with him. In the end, Akari and Kanae care neither for the past nor the future and enjoy their Present with each other. With a satisfying ending, the book leaves you on a positive note.
The book deals with the topics of domestic abuse, mental health, suicide, emotional growth, courage, and the belief in the potential of goodness within every one of us. Indeed a good read!
TLDR; here's my X thread on this book https://x.com/uvikhe/status/181821844...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2023
Oh my god
This is the best thing I have ever read.
The ending was so good I am soo happy for both the characters! After everything akari went through I'm so happy she got a happy ending!! I will definitely read more from this author!! 5 stars for sure
This is the best thing I have ever read.
The ending was so good I am soo happy for both the characters! After everything akari went through I'm so happy she got a happy ending!! I will definitely read more from this author!! 5 stars for sure
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2024
What a fun, wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey book! More details here: https://youtu.be/KJ2vo6p6gO4?si=bWPe6...
June 22, 2024
Cool concept (different type of time travel story) but the execution lacked a little bit. The characters could have used more work
March 4, 2024
To be honest, I really don't understand time travel. I tried; I just can't wrap my head around it. That's why, when I realized that this novel would have time manipulation theme, I was quite anxious that I might not understand and not enjoy the story. (I did read the synopsis; that's why I decided to read this light novel. But it immediately dissipated from my mind, so I forgot that this would involve some time traveling.)
Okay. This is going to be all over the place, so I apologize in advance.
At first, it was simple. Hanae goes back to his hometown after a fight with his father. Akari, Hanae's childhood friend, shares her memories of her best friend in each interlude. As the story unfolds, we discover that there are deeper and even darker elements (especially Akari's experience) that would make you hold your breath and actually fear for the lives of the characters, as if they were real. At least that's what it felt like for me.
An interesting take on time travel. A tragedy in the past that Hanae wants to prevent by reliving the days leading up to it in reverse order. Usually, it's people going back in time to alter the past to have a different outcome in the future. In essence, it's the same with this story, but the sequence of traveling back in time was quite unique but, surprisingly, straightforward.
Hanae wants to prevent a tragedy. But he was in a dilemma. Will he do the right thing by averting this fatal event, or will he keep his promise to the person he loves, risking the life of another person? But is such a life worth saving knowing that the person who owns it causes pain and trauma to another? If you're in his shoes, what will you do?
Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring is a serious, albeit heavy story, especially towards the end. However, what's supposed to be one of the critical and gravest parts of the story, I found a bit comical. Possibly because I might actually do it if it happened to me in real life, but the (English translation) dialogue in a way undermines the atmosphere of the scene. This is why someday, when I learn Nihongo, I'd like to reread this in its original language because the translation felt very...American.
Reading this is still an enjoyable experience. I may have some qualms regarding the dialogues, but the descriptive and vivid exploration of the events makes it feel like you're part of and living in the story.
Recommended? Yes. Why not give it a try? The story-telling is so creative and immersive that one could read it in a day or in one sitting. Also, Mei Hachimoku, the author of this story, is also the author of The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes. If you liked it's novel or movie, you might enjoy this one too.
(I purposely miss addressing a lot of things so as to avoid spoilers.)
Okay. This is going to be all over the place, so I apologize in advance.
At first, it was simple. Hanae goes back to his hometown after a fight with his father. Akari, Hanae's childhood friend, shares her memories of her best friend in each interlude. As the story unfolds, we discover that there are deeper and even darker elements (especially Akari's experience) that would make you hold your breath and actually fear for the lives of the characters, as if they were real. At least that's what it felt like for me.
An interesting take on time travel. A tragedy in the past that Hanae wants to prevent by reliving the days leading up to it in reverse order. Usually, it's people going back in time to alter the past to have a different outcome in the future. In essence, it's the same with this story, but the sequence of traveling back in time was quite unique but, surprisingly, straightforward.
Hanae wants to prevent a tragedy. But he was in a dilemma. Will he do the right thing by averting this fatal event, or will he keep his promise to the person he loves, risking the life of another person? But is such a life worth saving knowing that the person who owns it causes pain and trauma to another? If you're in his shoes, what will you do?
Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring is a serious, albeit heavy story, especially towards the end. However, what's supposed to be one of the critical and gravest parts of the story, I found a bit comical. Possibly because I might actually do it if it happened to me in real life, but the (English translation) dialogue in a way undermines the atmosphere of the scene. This is why someday, when I learn Nihongo, I'd like to reread this in its original language because the translation felt very...American.
Reading this is still an enjoyable experience. I may have some qualms regarding the dialogues, but the descriptive and vivid exploration of the events makes it feel like you're part of and living in the story.
Recommended? Yes. Why not give it a try? The story-telling is so creative and immersive that one could read it in a day or in one sitting. Also, Mei Hachimoku, the author of this story, is also the author of The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes. If you liked it's novel or movie, you might enjoy this one too.
(I purposely miss addressing a lot of things so as to avoid spoilers.)
February 13, 2023
I bought this book sometime in the summer of last year and have only just now gotten around to it. Why, I have no idea, since I wanted to read it so bad when I bought it. Then, when I finally cracked open the pages, I questioned myself again why it took me so long since I found myself immediately sucked into the story.
Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring follows Kanae Funami as he runs away from home in Tokyo and returns to his grandmother’s home over spring break. While back in hometown of Sodeshima, he runs into his best friend, Akari, and learns that his childhood hero—Akari’s brother—is dead. Not only that, but he gets hit with a phenomenon dubbed the ‘Rollback’—where he must live through the week backwards, starting from April 5th and back to April 1st. Throughout this phenomenon, he must make a difficult choice—prioritize his friend, or save her brother.
At first, I wasn’t sure how Hachimoku was going to pull off the whole main character literally living through time backwards thing, and she actually managed to pull it off without a hitch. It was truly impressive. I doubt I could write anything like that. I’d end up turning myself in circles!
As the story goes along, you learn more about the characters and their inner demons, and it makes everything within the plot just that much more complicated. The honest, brutal way she showed her characters flaws really made them jump off the page. I honestly felt so bad for Akari. The poor girl didn’t deserve to go through all that she did.
I also really liked the illustrations. They really brought an atmospheric feel to the story and I liked how they seemed to tease what would happen in the chapter, without giving away too many details.
There wasn’t really much of a romance aspect, other than Akari’s side of the story, and seeing how she and Kanae were extremely close as children. The story focused more on the characters’ complicated feelings and their immediate situations, which I felt was appropriate for the story. It was obvious that the two loved each other in their own ways, but it had a more realistic cast a less of the fiery passion or slow-burn romance you see in most young adult books nowadays. To be honest, I found it a breath of fresh air.
Overall, I really enjoyed Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring and how deeply it goes into the minds of the characters and showing how truly flawed and complicated human beings are with a realistic and satisfying resolution to the overall conflict. It’s a great read if you want less of the romance and more of the deep, psychological aspect as well as a little bit of the mystery element and that slice-of-life feel.
Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring follows Kanae Funami as he runs away from home in Tokyo and returns to his grandmother’s home over spring break. While back in hometown of Sodeshima, he runs into his best friend, Akari, and learns that his childhood hero—Akari’s brother—is dead. Not only that, but he gets hit with a phenomenon dubbed the ‘Rollback’—where he must live through the week backwards, starting from April 5th and back to April 1st. Throughout this phenomenon, he must make a difficult choice—prioritize his friend, or save her brother.
At first, I wasn’t sure how Hachimoku was going to pull off the whole main character literally living through time backwards thing, and she actually managed to pull it off without a hitch. It was truly impressive. I doubt I could write anything like that. I’d end up turning myself in circles!
As the story goes along, you learn more about the characters and their inner demons, and it makes everything within the plot just that much more complicated. The honest, brutal way she showed her characters flaws really made them jump off the page. I honestly felt so bad for Akari. The poor girl didn’t deserve to go through all that she did.
I also really liked the illustrations. They really brought an atmospheric feel to the story and I liked how they seemed to tease what would happen in the chapter, without giving away too many details.
There wasn’t really much of a romance aspect, other than Akari’s side of the story, and seeing how she and Kanae were extremely close as children. The story focused more on the characters’ complicated feelings and their immediate situations, which I felt was appropriate for the story. It was obvious that the two loved each other in their own ways, but it had a more realistic cast a less of the fiery passion or slow-burn romance you see in most young adult books nowadays. To be honest, I found it a breath of fresh air.
Overall, I really enjoyed Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring and how deeply it goes into the minds of the characters and showing how truly flawed and complicated human beings are with a realistic and satisfying resolution to the overall conflict. It’s a great read if you want less of the romance and more of the deep, psychological aspect as well as a little bit of the mystery element and that slice-of-life feel.
September 1, 2025
Genuinely, one of the greatest books I ever read. I just ordered another one of mei hachimokus books, but I dont think It will hit the same as this did. This book haunts you quietly, it makes you reminscise about the characters and their memories, and the words written in ink are now printed in your mind.The illustrations felt like a treat, everytime I saw them I got happy because of how pretty the drawing was(and also because after reading for a long period of time seeing an illustration in the middle made my eyes rest for a second or two.)The characters are so realistically written its insane, especially Akari...Actually, the entire book felt like something that could actually happen in real life.If I lost my memory please remind me to read this book again. I cried when I finished this.Definitely would recommend if you want something thats cozy,and at the same time makes you worried about the ending.The book mainly focuses on childhood friends growing apart and reconnecting, and them talking about childhood(or at least what it felt like to me, of course its more complicated and complex, but them talking about their childhood stuck with me). So if youre growing apart with your best friend and at the same time feel depressed, definitely give this one shot a shot.(LOL)
October 25, 2022
!! CONTAINS SPOILERS !!
For this month of October, I read the book "Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring." I read Mai Hachimoku's other book so I also had high expectations for this book. When I read the summary on the back of the book, I wasn't really sure what I was going to get myself into but I'm so glad I decided to read this book. In all honesty, I was kind of confused in the beginning but as I continued to read it flew by really fast.
Kanae is a high school boy that is kind of rebellious as he always runs away from his father whenever they get into a fight. He decides to visit his old home town and reunites with his old best friend Akari. They haven't talked in years which caused a lot of conflict for Akari as she is being abused by her older brother but he soon dies because of an alcohol poisoning. I don't want spoil too much but Kanae has an opportunity to change this by experiencing the "Rollback."
By the end of the book there were some twists that I didn't expect to happen. Overall, it had a very sweet ending and I'm happy with how it ended. I recommend this book to an audience that enjoys sci-fi and romance.
For this month of October, I read the book "Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring." I read Mai Hachimoku's other book so I also had high expectations for this book. When I read the summary on the back of the book, I wasn't really sure what I was going to get myself into but I'm so glad I decided to read this book. In all honesty, I was kind of confused in the beginning but as I continued to read it flew by really fast.
Kanae is a high school boy that is kind of rebellious as he always runs away from his father whenever they get into a fight. He decides to visit his old home town and reunites with his old best friend Akari. They haven't talked in years which caused a lot of conflict for Akari as she is being abused by her older brother but he soon dies because of an alcohol poisoning. I don't want spoil too much but Kanae has an opportunity to change this by experiencing the "Rollback."
By the end of the book there were some twists that I didn't expect to happen. Overall, it had a very sweet ending and I'm happy with how it ended. I recommend this book to an audience that enjoys sci-fi and romance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2025
🌸Book review🌸
Wait For Me Yesterday In Spring
By Mei Hachimoku
Genre light novel sci-fi Y/A
I was gifted this book from my loving boyfriend, the cover is beautiful and the story very interesting.
But in a way predictable and the way the plot goes you can get confused if you don't stick with what's going on, the time lines are tricky to remember.
But I did like it and it was an interesting storyline
Kanae runs away from Tokyo and from his father that only thinks less of him on everything.
Going back to the island Sodeshima, he discovers an abandoned park that his past self found first and his friend Akira Knows everything he has been up to that he doesn't remember but his future self had told her early in the week.
It's a lot to remember but saving Akira's brother is at the top of the list to figure out.
Wait For Me Yesterday In Spring
By Mei Hachimoku
Genre light novel sci-fi Y/A
I was gifted this book from my loving boyfriend, the cover is beautiful and the story very interesting.
But in a way predictable and the way the plot goes you can get confused if you don't stick with what's going on, the time lines are tricky to remember.
But I did like it and it was an interesting storyline
Kanae runs away from Tokyo and from his father that only thinks less of him on everything.
Going back to the island Sodeshima, he discovers an abandoned park that his past self found first and his friend Akira Knows everything he has been up to that he doesn't remember but his future self had told her early in the week.
It's a lot to remember but saving Akira's brother is at the top of the list to figure out.
October 16, 2024
This was easily one of my favorite reads. I loved the characters and the author did a great job painting their backgrounds, making them relatable and understandable. I love the tension between the two main characters, they were both inherently good, and they had a very sweet and genuine connection. I liked the pacing. It was a perfect medium pacing. Things didn’t move too fast and we had enough information to understand what was really going on. At the end I feel like the author did a great job with the payoff overall. I really loved the ending. It made me feel like all the twist and turns and uphill battles even up until the last really intense moment was completely worth it. Truly this book was worth reading. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
October 2, 2023
You know, all I kept thinking about when reading the end of this story was that, all they needed was some love. Someone to show them that they love them no matter what. Big dreams or not. You’re still loved. And for the love of god, TELL PEOPLE THAT YOU LOVE AND SUPPORT THEM - WITH WORDS!!! Say it!!! It took almost dying for these people to reveal their true feelings. Don’t wait.
Oh and I freakin love Kanae. I would’ve done the same with those lottery numbers!!! Why struggle even more than you have to?! LOL
Oh and I freakin love Kanae. I would’ve done the same with those lottery numbers!!! Why struggle even more than you have to?! LOL
February 25, 2023
Just like The Tunnel to Summer, this book draws you in quickly, and you won’t want to put it down! Mei Hachimoku is great at creating imperfect characters who are impossible not to like, something that I think stands out about this author’s books. Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring builds suspense through a mystery that slowly unravels and keeps you engaged, while also having story beats that make it feel like a comforting slice of life story. I highly recommend it!
July 29, 2023
QUICK REVIEW: Maintaining an intimate blend of romance and science fiction, Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring is a more focused, coherent experience than Mei Hachimoku’s previous outing—at the expense of a less ambitious plot. Though never pushing past the boundaries of familiarity, it’s a fine read if you have a weekend (and money) to spare | TAKE A CHANCE
FULL REVIEW: https://wordpress.com/view/eyecritiqu...
FULL REVIEW: https://wordpress.com/view/eyecritiqu...
April 16, 2024
This book drew me in the moment I saw this absolutely beautiful cover art.
The plot is quite simple - it's about a boy trying to save a relationship with a girl where he has to use a unique way of time traveling.
I haven't seen this type of time traveling and it's actually simple to understand.
The plot and the characters are simple, yet I couldn't put this book down and went back to read it as soon as I woke up.
The plot is quite simple - it's about a boy trying to save a relationship with a girl where he has to use a unique way of time traveling.
I haven't seen this type of time traveling and it's actually simple to understand.
The plot and the characters are simple, yet I couldn't put this book down and went back to read it as soon as I woke up.
July 12, 2024
The final chapter changed this book from good to great for me. I loved the way the story ended. It was truly the perfect ending to a special story. The translation was off a little bit. I felt it mostly during dialogues but luckily that didn't take away from the story and I could still understand how the characters were feeling and the way they were meaning to respond to each other even if the wording was a little off.
October 22, 2022
This was the first light novel I've ever read. I was hesitant going into it but the story and the artwork were simply amazing. The characters felt so real and as I was reading those last few chapters, my heart nearly broke. Thankfully, though, it turned out for the best and everything came to fruition.
October 15, 2023
Such a unique take on time-travel! When 17 year old Kanae is shot forward 4 days in the future, he must work backwards through each day to piece together his missing memories with the help of his childhood friend Akari. This heartfelt, emotional and at times amusing story kept me intrigued until the end.
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