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I Met You After the End of the World (Light Novel) Volume 1
Tokyo - 2A deadly pandemic sweeps across the world, and Yamada Daisuke is the only survivor in Tokyo. Get up early, fight rush hour, work until the last train – it’s all over. He doesn’t have to worry about anything anymore. Even money has lost its value because there is nowhere to spend it.But things do get quite lonely as the last man standing. He has the city all to himself and no one to share it with.One day he meets Sayaka – a girl who came from outside Tokyo. They decide to stick together because there is no one else left. A high school girl and an office worker. Two people who would’ve never met otherwise.They decide to travel together all over Japan. Side by side. Partners at the end of the world. But what will they find on their journey?A new [Salaryman x JK] post-apocalypse light novel!
- GenresLight NovelMangaNovels
229 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 10, 2021
27 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 4, 2023
3.0
What on earth is a JK? Not only isn't it clear what it even means until you're 40 pages in, the term's extremely frequent and consistent usage throughout the novel is also particularly obnoxious, to the point where it made me repeatedly contemplate dropping this book altogether.
The novel also has several formatting errors, repeating sentences, missing words, occasional awkward phrasing, among other issues.
Adding random Japanese words or interjections like "yosh", "nee", "eh?", "heeee" is also a bit cringy, for lack of a better term. It reminds me of bad unprofessional manga scanlations. Or a middle schooler who Naruto runs all over the place.
These issues aside, it was actually competently written (for the most part). The setting isn't one I've seen before in a light novel (the post-apocalypse thing, not the romance thing), the plot wasn't always predictable, it has foreshadowing, build-up, etc.
What on earth is a JK? Not only isn't it clear what it even means until you're 40 pages in, the term's extremely frequent and consistent usage throughout the novel is also particularly obnoxious, to the point where it made me repeatedly contemplate dropping this book altogether.
The novel also has several formatting errors, repeating sentences, missing words, occasional awkward phrasing, among other issues.
Adding random Japanese words or interjections like "yosh", "nee", "eh?", "heeee" is also a bit cringy, for lack of a better term. It reminds me of bad unprofessional manga scanlations. Or a middle schooler who Naruto runs all over the place.
These issues aside, it was actually competently written (for the most part). The setting isn't one I've seen before in a light novel (the post-apocalypse thing, not the romance thing), the plot wasn't always predictable, it has foreshadowing, build-up, etc.
July 17, 2025
A nice light read that does it’s job as a light novel but has quite a few noticeable flaws that tampers with the experience overall.
To get into the positives, the gimmick of the world ending due to a pandemic, whilst not very unique and very clearly inspired by covid, sets up very nicely for a slow burner / slice of life story revolving around what’s believed to be the only 2 survivors. I enjoyed a lot of the bonding scenes and the whole setting around a desolate and isolated world where they break and enter to all these places for entertainment and essentials and the pros and cons of having complete freedom but no more maintenance or workers to provide for food etc. I also liked how it didn’t rush into losing everything all at once such as the power not going out instantly when every one died but instead gave the characters time to still utilize consoles and movies to give the characters a sense of gradual loss and forcing them to deal with the hardship of losing the things they’ve grown accustomed to.
The main characters are quite generic but they’re supposed to be. But they still have quite a few enjoyable moments and by the end it definitely feels like they’ve progressed in their relationship and had some nice deep moments. I didn’t entirely care too deeply for them though, but I didn’t hate them and was able to enjoy their interactions which is good enough for me.
As a light novel, it’s a lot more easier to read and to get through more quickly compared to most novels which is nice and refreshing to read one from time to time and this is definitely a serviceable light read. I feel like it could’ve done a lot more and it was definitely not perfect hence the lower rating but it’s certainly a light read and one that never felt tedious.
Getting into the negatives now, the book gives off clear western-produced light novel trying to pose as an authentic Japan original light novel with the way the tropes are very forcefully shoved into your face every other sentence. I don’t mind the heavy inspiration and making your own light novel but I would rather the tropes and elements to be integrated more naturally and authentically as opposed to being force fed to the reader. The phrases, personalities and themes are very similar to many other Japanese light novels but it’s very out there in this book that it’s very hard not to notice how hard this is book is trying to come across as something it’s not. This causes for a lot of repetitiveness too, you can open up this book on a random page and there is guaranteed to be the words “JK” (often paired as “cute JK”) and “salaryman”. It gets really annoying how forced it is and it’s said every other line.
Some of the plot also felt very convenient or is so underdeveloped that it doesn’t make sense. Not to get into any spoilers but there’s a group of people who survived who just so happened to all be connected to one of the main characters and it’s never really explained how they survived or used to really push the story along but instead it was over quite quickly with a ending to that part that seemed very out of character and felt like it was forgotten 2 chapters later. The characters being inconsistent is a recurring theme throughout though, they don’t feel authentic and heavy scenes feel like they are just to have a bonding chapter after the events and then those events of seeing or doing some really disturbing stuff has no affect on them until something else disturbing happens and they need to bond again. It does really play out like a super generic anime where this book is doing it’s hardest to meet every single trope that it’s forgetting to match it with its own substance so instead you’re just getting the parts you’ve 100% seen before elsewhere. The tragic backstory, subtle romance and even the survivors are all stuff that’s common in this genre that there isn’t really anything I can point out and say is unique to this story, and that isn’t entirely bad since I did still enjoy this book and I liked some of the main character’s interactions but at the same time I wouldn’t recommend this book when there’s so many other books in this genre that offers more.
I also found it quite weird how it was really trying to present the “JK” as such a child and the man as some boomer whilst trying to create a romance. If it didn’t constantly bring up the generational gap then I would feel a lot more engaged with their romantic subplot but as soon as there was a statement of their huge age gaps and the fact this is a western published book then it starts to come off as creepy and weird. This isn’t an anime or movie where the “JK” is presented visually older or the characters are of a similar age to make it less weird, it’s a novel where the descriptions create that visualization therefore a man described as 30-40 finding a girl who is stated in the same scenario as a high school girl and using the word “minor” doesn’t have the same justifications that visual media can use. It just comes off as creepy. But that’s not to say their relationship is bad, I like how they are as friends and their bonding is the best parts of the book but I just wish either the characters weren’t such a big gap with one being stated as underage in the book constantly and the other a older man deep into his working life or they just remained as close friends.
Another issue was how random the encounters with other people were, it felt underdeveloped a lot and left a lot to be desired. There was only one encounter I felt was effective and that was the hotel one. I thought it was quite impactful and meaningful and I liked the way that all unfolded. But the rest were too convenient or random or never fully felt like it had a purpose other than to create some form of tension. The last encounter set up an interesting perspective that could’ve been explored a lot more but ended in a couple pages and it felt like that a lot of the time. I enjoyed the downtime and the slow burn of these characters growing closer together but the encounters and events should be the things that creates the worldbuilding and gives insight in the reality of the situation and I didn’t feel like this book done that as effectively as it could’ve.
Overall, it’s a light read as it’s supposed to be and that’s what I was looking for so it done its job and I can’t fault that. My review feels mostly negative as I’m writing this but I want to state that wasn’t a terrible book, it wasn’t great either but it was okay/good. I enjoyed it for what it was despite how many flaws it has but no more than 3 stars or 6/10
To get into the positives, the gimmick of the world ending due to a pandemic, whilst not very unique and very clearly inspired by covid, sets up very nicely for a slow burner / slice of life story revolving around what’s believed to be the only 2 survivors. I enjoyed a lot of the bonding scenes and the whole setting around a desolate and isolated world where they break and enter to all these places for entertainment and essentials and the pros and cons of having complete freedom but no more maintenance or workers to provide for food etc. I also liked how it didn’t rush into losing everything all at once such as the power not going out instantly when every one died but instead gave the characters time to still utilize consoles and movies to give the characters a sense of gradual loss and forcing them to deal with the hardship of losing the things they’ve grown accustomed to.
The main characters are quite generic but they’re supposed to be. But they still have quite a few enjoyable moments and by the end it definitely feels like they’ve progressed in their relationship and had some nice deep moments. I didn’t entirely care too deeply for them though, but I didn’t hate them and was able to enjoy their interactions which is good enough for me.
As a light novel, it’s a lot more easier to read and to get through more quickly compared to most novels which is nice and refreshing to read one from time to time and this is definitely a serviceable light read. I feel like it could’ve done a lot more and it was definitely not perfect hence the lower rating but it’s certainly a light read and one that never felt tedious.
Getting into the negatives now, the book gives off clear western-produced light novel trying to pose as an authentic Japan original light novel with the way the tropes are very forcefully shoved into your face every other sentence. I don’t mind the heavy inspiration and making your own light novel but I would rather the tropes and elements to be integrated more naturally and authentically as opposed to being force fed to the reader. The phrases, personalities and themes are very similar to many other Japanese light novels but it’s very out there in this book that it’s very hard not to notice how hard this is book is trying to come across as something it’s not. This causes for a lot of repetitiveness too, you can open up this book on a random page and there is guaranteed to be the words “JK” (often paired as “cute JK”) and “salaryman”. It gets really annoying how forced it is and it’s said every other line.
Some of the plot also felt very convenient or is so underdeveloped that it doesn’t make sense. Not to get into any spoilers but there’s a group of people who survived who just so happened to all be connected to one of the main characters and it’s never really explained how they survived or used to really push the story along but instead it was over quite quickly with a ending to that part that seemed very out of character and felt like it was forgotten 2 chapters later. The characters being inconsistent is a recurring theme throughout though, they don’t feel authentic and heavy scenes feel like they are just to have a bonding chapter after the events and then those events of seeing or doing some really disturbing stuff has no affect on them until something else disturbing happens and they need to bond again. It does really play out like a super generic anime where this book is doing it’s hardest to meet every single trope that it’s forgetting to match it with its own substance so instead you’re just getting the parts you’ve 100% seen before elsewhere. The tragic backstory, subtle romance and even the survivors are all stuff that’s common in this genre that there isn’t really anything I can point out and say is unique to this story, and that isn’t entirely bad since I did still enjoy this book and I liked some of the main character’s interactions but at the same time I wouldn’t recommend this book when there’s so many other books in this genre that offers more.
I also found it quite weird how it was really trying to present the “JK” as such a child and the man as some boomer whilst trying to create a romance. If it didn’t constantly bring up the generational gap then I would feel a lot more engaged with their romantic subplot but as soon as there was a statement of their huge age gaps and the fact this is a western published book then it starts to come off as creepy and weird. This isn’t an anime or movie where the “JK” is presented visually older or the characters are of a similar age to make it less weird, it’s a novel where the descriptions create that visualization therefore a man described as 30-40 finding a girl who is stated in the same scenario as a high school girl and using the word “minor” doesn’t have the same justifications that visual media can use. It just comes off as creepy. But that’s not to say their relationship is bad, I like how they are as friends and their bonding is the best parts of the book but I just wish either the characters weren’t such a big gap with one being stated as underage in the book constantly and the other a older man deep into his working life or they just remained as close friends.
Another issue was how random the encounters with other people were, it felt underdeveloped a lot and left a lot to be desired. There was only one encounter I felt was effective and that was the hotel one. I thought it was quite impactful and meaningful and I liked the way that all unfolded. But the rest were too convenient or random or never fully felt like it had a purpose other than to create some form of tension. The last encounter set up an interesting perspective that could’ve been explored a lot more but ended in a couple pages and it felt like that a lot of the time. I enjoyed the downtime and the slow burn of these characters growing closer together but the encounters and events should be the things that creates the worldbuilding and gives insight in the reality of the situation and I didn’t feel like this book done that as effectively as it could’ve.
Overall, it’s a light read as it’s supposed to be and that’s what I was looking for so it done its job and I can’t fault that. My review feels mostly negative as I’m writing this but I want to state that wasn’t a terrible book, it wasn’t great either but it was okay/good. I enjoyed it for what it was despite how many flaws it has but no more than 3 stars or 6/10
July 8, 2022
I read this one pretty quickly! It was a really good book in my opinion! So, they explain briefly what a JK is, “Junior Kid”, or an adolescent girl! The term is used quite frequently in the book & is explained a little bit in the start of the book as well!
The start can be a bit like “why would you do that?” A but hard to grasp as well since the book is set in a time, that a virus wipes the human population out & only a few survived. *information on back of book cover no spoilers*.
I feel like this is a fairly easy novel to read, can get very PG-13 to Rated R comments & adult like feel to it. However most books set in this type of scene are anyway!
The use of senpai, & other more common Japanish anime terms appear quite frequently as well, which can be a bit cringe or overbearing at certain scenes. But it gets better throughout the book!
I think this is a great novel! I hope they create a #2!
The start can be a bit like “why would you do that?” A but hard to grasp as well since the book is set in a time, that a virus wipes the human population out & only a few survived. *information on back of book cover no spoilers*.
I feel like this is a fairly easy novel to read, can get very PG-13 to Rated R comments & adult like feel to it. However most books set in this type of scene are anyway!
The use of senpai, & other more common Japanish anime terms appear quite frequently as well, which can be a bit cringe or overbearing at certain scenes. But it gets better throughout the book!
I think this is a great novel! I hope they create a #2!
July 9, 2023
This was genuinely just... Bad. The story, the characters, and ESPECIALLY the writing. "Then" and "afterwards" are used SO many times for lack of a better way to tie scenes and actions togheter, some metaphors are reused multiple times, and overall the sentences are short and the descriptions shallow. It's all tell and no show.
The story just felt like a random string of events put togheter(badly), with no tension whatsoever in what are supposed to be the important parts. Serious topics are just brushed over, failing to make you feel any emotion(the way it's presented is so weird too?? Them seeing dead bodies multiple times at random and being traumatized for, like, 2 hours at most has no point in the story. The mention of Sayaka's first murder added pretty much nothing to the story as well and the way her rape was talked about failed on so many levels I feel like literally ANYONE could've written it better), the characters' emotions are really blandly described and only surface-level, the events/main plot points feel like random things the writer came up with on the spot to create some action(they stay in Tokyo playing games all day for months->they have to leave->they meet Sayaka's old classmates, oh no they're bad guys and her ex-bf is being forceful and obnoxious, how original, time to leave->some time on the road again->they meet a nice lady at a ryokan who gives them food and shelter, for some reason, and instantly dies afterwards->on the road again->they stop at a temple and meet an overly charitable monk, except this time, plot twist, he's a cult member and wants to kill them!!->Sayaka shoots him instantly and they move on->on the road again. Do you see how ridiculous this feels?).
The dialogue is pretty unnatural (what kind of high school girl would keep mentioning she's a cute jk HERSELF?? Like as a human being is that how ANYONE talks? "I'm a 100% genuine wholesome JK. I'm pure and true, like the summer sun."<- actual dialogue from the book), and the use of Japanese terms, like honorifics(san, sama , senpai), onomatopoeias(Che for tsk, nee for hey, yoshi for alright, heh heh for haha, hee for huh and so on) and, well, words like JK just made me cringe. This was always written in English and is obviously trying to give off a Japanese light novel vibe but this is just not it, thank GOD light novel translators don't write like this.
I wasn't expecting much considering the premise but good writing, plotting and actual emotional impact put into scenes could've really elevated this to at least being decent. Like I genuinely don't see this being good even for a fan of the genre.
That's about it. Wishing I could go back to 2021 and ask myself why I thought buying this was a good idea ngl. Sorry author if you see this I needed to get this rant out of my metabolism after spending over 2 hours reading this
The story just felt like a random string of events put togheter(badly), with no tension whatsoever in what are supposed to be the important parts. Serious topics are just brushed over, failing to make you feel any emotion(the way it's presented is so weird too?? Them seeing dead bodies multiple times at random and being traumatized for, like, 2 hours at most has no point in the story. The mention of Sayaka's first murder added pretty much nothing to the story as well and the way her rape was talked about failed on so many levels I feel like literally ANYONE could've written it better), the characters' emotions are really blandly described and only surface-level, the events/main plot points feel like random things the writer came up with on the spot to create some action(they stay in Tokyo playing games all day for months->they have to leave->they meet Sayaka's old classmates, oh no they're bad guys and her ex-bf is being forceful and obnoxious, how original, time to leave->some time on the road again->they meet a nice lady at a ryokan who gives them food and shelter, for some reason, and instantly dies afterwards->on the road again->they stop at a temple and meet an overly charitable monk, except this time, plot twist, he's a cult member and wants to kill them!!->Sayaka shoots him instantly and they move on->on the road again. Do you see how ridiculous this feels?).
The dialogue is pretty unnatural (what kind of high school girl would keep mentioning she's a cute jk HERSELF?? Like as a human being is that how ANYONE talks? "I'm a 100% genuine wholesome JK. I'm pure and true, like the summer sun."<- actual dialogue from the book), and the use of Japanese terms, like honorifics(san, sama , senpai), onomatopoeias(Che for tsk, nee for hey, yoshi for alright, heh heh for haha, hee for huh and so on) and, well, words like JK just made me cringe. This was always written in English and is obviously trying to give off a Japanese light novel vibe but this is just not it, thank GOD light novel translators don't write like this.
I wasn't expecting much considering the premise but good writing, plotting and actual emotional impact put into scenes could've really elevated this to at least being decent. Like I genuinely don't see this being good even for a fan of the genre.
That's about it. Wishing I could go back to 2021 and ask myself why I thought buying this was a good idea ngl. Sorry author if you see this I needed to get this rant out of my metabolism after spending over 2 hours reading this
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2025
NOTHING EVER HAPPENS.
Its tone, topics, and tension feels messy, inconsistent, and inconsequential.
I get that its more of a slice of life romance comedy iyashikei, but the fact that conflicts solve themselves super quickly is seriously pissing me off. Theres no real consequence in their actions. No real risk. Its only conflict for the sake of conflict.
This singular volume hasn't been able to impress me.
But maybe after a few volumes, it gets better.
Its tone, topics, and tension feels messy, inconsistent, and inconsequential.
I get that its more of a slice of life romance comedy iyashikei, but the fact that conflicts solve themselves super quickly is seriously pissing me off. Theres no real consequence in their actions. No real risk. Its only conflict for the sake of conflict.
This singular volume hasn't been able to impress me.
But maybe after a few volumes, it gets better.
April 27, 2023
Interesting and beautifully written
Enjoyed the story from cover to cover. The illustrations are cute as well. The characters feel alive, and their flaws make them relatable.
Maybe it's a cultural thing, and maybe they're only joking, but it's weird hearing them say the male is 'old / middle aged', when he's only 26. I mean, maybe a JK would think that way, but I have a hard time believing a 26-year-old would. Minor thing, really.
The conversations are amusing and so far the plot has been believable and interesting.
Enjoyed the story from cover to cover. The illustrations are cute as well. The characters feel alive, and their flaws make them relatable.
Maybe it's a cultural thing, and maybe they're only joking, but it's weird hearing them say the male is 'old / middle aged', when he's only 26. I mean, maybe a JK would think that way, but I have a hard time believing a 26-year-old would. Minor thing, really.
The conversations are amusing and so far the plot has been believable and interesting.
July 5, 2021
Fun, light read
It was an easy to read novel that explored the end of the world but without the zombies. Following two people interact and explore a dead society was quite a ride. Would love more from the author.
It was an easy to read novel that explored the end of the world but without the zombies. Following two people interact and explore a dead society was quite a ride. Would love more from the author.
November 28, 2021
Dropped it pretty early on, since I dislike how the girl he meets just gets on his motorcycle wordlessly - I think it's too sudden, and I also wasn't a fan of him remembering his working days. Just not the kind of story for me since I prefer more traditional romcoms.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2021
Beautiful
The relationship between the ML and FL is special. There’s many thoughtful discussions about current state of society that keep us interested as a slow burn romance progresses. I look forward to a sequel.
The relationship between the ML and FL is special. There’s many thoughtful discussions about current state of society that keep us interested as a slow burn romance progresses. I look forward to a sequel.
February 1, 2024
I liked the over all plot and idea of the story but like many others have said, it was very repetitive and mentioned stuff that's already been established earlier in the book to the reader. So for that, it's 3 stars for me.
July 17, 2021
this first vol seems a little slow burn, but that should make a better 2nd vol
August 5, 2022
its was great
tbh it was one of the best books i've ever read and i can't wait for the next one to come out!
tbh it was one of the best books i've ever read and i can't wait for the next one to come out!
September 9, 2022
It was OK. Other than for weird fan service, why would she keep wearing the school uniform?!
October 22, 2023
This was cute. I loved seeing their relationship grow and the adventures they had as they drove through Japan. I am looking forward to reading the next installment.
October 19, 2023
liked the depiction of the apocalypse and power struggle between survivors. didn't like the school uniform she keeps wearing for fan-service, and the way yamada keeps emphasising she's a JK, it gets creepy at times.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews