きみとぼくの壊れた世界

by NisiOisiN, 西尾維新, Tagro (Illustrator)

禁じられた一線を現在進行形で踏み越えつつある兄妹、櫃内様刻と櫃内夜月。その友人、迎槻箱彦と琴原りりす。彼らの世界は学園内で起こった密室殺人事件によって決定的にひびわれていく……。様刻は保健室のひきこもり、病院坂黒猫とともに事件の解決に乗り出すが――？

Genres: Mystery, Light Novel

304 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2003

About the author

Nisio Isin (西尾維新 Nishio Ishin), frequently written as NisiOisiN to emphasize that his pen name is a palindrome, is a Japanese novelist and manga writer. He attended and left Ritsumeikan University without graduating. In 2002, he debuted with the novel Kubikiri Cycle, which earned him the 23rd Mephisto Award at twenty years of age.

He currently works with Kodansha on Pandora, the Kodansha Box magazine, and Faust, a literary magazine containing the works of other young authors who similarly take influence from light novels and otaku culture. He was also publishing a twelve volume series over twelve months for the Kodansha Box line; Ryusui Seiryoin was matching this output, and the Kodansha Box website stated that this is the first time in the world two authors have done twelve volume monthly novel series simultaneously from the same publisher.

In February, 2008, his novel Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases was released in English by Viz Media. Del Rey Manga has already released the first volume in his Zaregoto series. His Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari and Katanagatari novels have been adapted into anime series. Nekomonogatari (Kuro) has been adapted into an anime TV movie, and Kizumonogatari will be release in theaters this year. Monogatari Series: Second Season, adapted from 6 books in Monogatari Series will air in July 2013. Another of his works, Medaka Box (manga), has been adapted into a two-season anime series.

Reviews

[Tarlo Viola · Rating 4 out of 5]

The biggest mystery of this book is how the editor did not punch the author for the pages with the sister. Or maybe they punched each other and the author won.

[Life · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samatoki x Yorutsuki OTP

[Vel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit conflicted about this book.

The prose, for the most part, flows really well. There's a lot of thoughtful, interesting passages which shape Our Broken World's worldview and make it hit, but there's also some pretty annoying portions which make me visualize the nerd emoji against my own will.

The core mystery is just okay. It's not insanely impressive, but it's presented in a decently entertaining way and the most key part of it is really nice. It fits into the narrative more interestingly than it would seem on first glance.

The characters... are vibrant. They aren't really cardboard cutouts for the most part and some, such as the protagonist and Byoinzaka, the "lead detective," are nothing short of fascinating. At the same time, I found it pretty hard to resonate with them in some of the most important parts of their emotional arcs. I can't say I fully understood their struggles on a deeply emotional level and I'm a bit sad about that. I honestly don't get the point of Yorutsuki's character at all but. Well. Uh. Anyway.

The philosophical waxing is easily the strongest aspect of OBW. It can feel a bit too seishun-coded, a bit too 2000s otaku fiction-coded, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I find it to be very endearing. The unbearable anxiety of the mere possibility of not actually having any relation to the world you inhabit is presented in a very affecting way and there's a few emotional highs in this regard which DID hit for me. I can't say with confidence I truly grasped and Felt all of the book's thematic sphere, but I sure appreciated what I did process (and what I felt like I'm close enough to processing).

Ultimately, Our Broken World was a positive reading encounter for me. I didn't quite love it, but I certainly saw the appeal of NisiOisiN's writing and grew a lot more interested in his other work. Maybe my opinion of it will increase with time. Maybe it'll stay the same or even decrease. But I certainly don't think I wasted my time with this book, regardless of my somewhat middling rating.

[Najah Lone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sekkai is a very good book. It creates a kind of postmodern narrative that isn't quite anti mystery but not entirely the conclusion you'd expect. The way characterisation is used to represent Sametoki as a character is done expertly. It is consistent with Nishoinshin’s style to be unorthodox in how his protagonists interact with the world, generally curating some kind of dissonance between reality and the novel by introducing extraordinary circumstances to the narrative. Sekkai is not an exception, however the roots of the story feel generally more connected to the real world, which I personally find integral for the book to convey provocative themes. It is most likely that these themes are present to make the reader uncomfortable and criticise the protagonist, a choice that many authors use to challenge the dynamic of a reliable narrator, and moreover can be applied to almost the entire cast. Nishioinshin explores themes with such an abstract perspective, and for the most part he handles these sections with care, ensuring no scene is created with the intention of shock value. As a personal preference, these scenarios are not my favourite sections he writes. I understand the role of most media uses a show-don’t-tell method of intensifying a scenes emotional stake but ultimately, I find this can be done sparingly based on the nature of the act Nishioinshin writes about.
In conclusion good book nishios a creep and I hate Sametoki :)

[Daxtear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decently enjoyable throughout, very fun mystery to solve and fun characters.
What it does exceptionally well tho is tying everything up in a little bow at the end. Very *solid* I guess, no real need to suspend your disbelief. And especially how character relationships stand at the end is very satisfying.
No dumb forced drama - but it's NisiOisiN so that was to be expected.
If I had to name a complaint it's that the explanation of the mystery - the 'Answer' part, basically most of chapter 3 is a bit lengthy and dry. I think nisio would learn from this and usually have it be more of a conversation in later works, but it still serves its purpose here and if you're stuck on one part of the mystery, it's probably neccessary to clear that.

[Zakdj · Rating 5 out of 5]

God what a book. I genuinely think this is easily one of the best things Nisioisin has written and putting into words why is so hard. Everything feels perfect, the characters, the mystery, the concepts presented and how they’re explored just feel perfect. I’m excited to see where this series goes from here, because this is absolutely phenomenal.

[Tesla · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10