The Tatami Galaxy

四畳半シリーズ #1

by Tomihiko Morimi, Emily Balistrieri (Translator)

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE PEN TRANSLATION PRIZE*

An unfulfilled college student hurtles through four parallel realities to explore the what-might've-been and the what-should-never-be in this Groundhog Day meets The Midnight Library-esque novel from one of Japan's most popular authors.

Our protagonist, an unnamed junior at a prestigious university in Kyoto, is on the verge of dropping out. After rebelling against the dictatorial jock president of the film club, he and his worst and only friend, the diabolical creep Ozu, are personas non grata on campus. For two years, our protagonist has made all the wrong decisions, and now he's about to make another mistake. He and Ozu are preparing for revenge--a fireworks attack at the film club's welcoming party for new members. Then, a chance encounter with a self-proclaimed god sets the confused and distraught young man on a new course. Destiny will bring him together with Akashi, the blunt but charming sophomore he has a crush on--if he's brave enough to make a move. Yet our protagonist cannot get beyond his profound disillusionment and the moment is lost. But what if there's a universe where he did join the club of his dreams, ditched Ozu for good, and was confident enough to get the girl? A realm of possibility opens up for our protagonist as time rewinds, and from the four-and-a-half-mat tatami floor of his dorm room, he is plunged into a series of adventures that will take him to four parallel universes. In each universe, he is given the opportunity to start over as a freshman, in search of a rose-colored campus life.

The inspiration behind the much-loved anime series, Tomihiko Morimi's contemporary classic is a fantastic journey through time and space, where a half-eaten castella cake, a photograph from Rome, and a giant cavity in a wisdom tooth hold the keys to self-discovery. A time-traveling romp that speaks to everyone who has wondered what if, The Tatami Galaxy will win readers' hearts over . . . and over . . . and over again.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Japan, Science Fiction, Japanese Literature, Magical Realism, Adult

347 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2004

About the author

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

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

Reviews

[Alwynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book that inspired Masaaki Yuasa’s cult anime series. Award-winning author Tomihiko Morimi’s narrative plays out like an angst-ridden variation on Happy Death Day. It’s set in Kyoto, where a nameless, isolated, struggling college student regrets his choices in life, chiefly his fraught friendship with the obnoxious Ozu – a nod to the iconic director – who looks and acts like a kind of yokai, and keeps dragging him into his hare-brained, dodgy schemes; not to mention his obsession with Akashi a girl he seems destined to disappoint. But then he bumps into a mysterious stranger at a local ramen stand who offers him a chance to do everything all over again and maybe change his fate. But as time rewinds, things are not so simple. I found a surprising amount to like in this strange, offbeat, slightly-surreal story. There’s a wealth of startling, memorable imagery, and some wonderful, moments of dark, absurdist humour featuring swarms of moths, plushie bears, a life-size love doll and a copy of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, although the writing style can be a bit awkward, and some parts definitely drag. I also liked the conclusion with its lowkey, unexpectedly-positive message. Translated by Emily Balestrieri.

Thanks to Edelweiss and publisher HarperVia for an ARC

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars
I thought I would absolutely love this one because I typically adore anime style narratives. Unfortunately I was disappointed. The main character was just so annoying that it made it hard to enjoy a story centered around this particular protagonist. I typically don't need likeable characters but I just did not want to read about this guy. Wow.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this audiobook via LibroFM.

[K.J. Charles]

Cult novel about a paricularly useless and awful student in Kyoto who lives through multiple versions of the same reality depending which university club he joins.

The thing with this is, the realities are not in fact dramatically different in setting or events, so the book uses huge chunks of the same text over and over again, including all the best jokes. (Which are very good: the first section of the book had me thinking I'd found a new favourite novel.) This really lost its charm for me (it may be a comment on bloody students reciting their favourite comedy skits, who can say) and I ended up skimming because I don't need to read the nearly-same thing four times. So...yeah. Bit baffling and for me there was less to it than meets the eye, but that's often the feeling when one comes late to a cult novel.

[Rachel Louise Atkin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually hated this and if I have to read the words 'black-haired maiden' again for every time the main guy described his perfect girlfriend I would go mad.

[Liam O'Leary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Incredible anime series, dull book.

Worst description of fear, ever:

"GYEEEEEEE" Akashi-san screamed as though she were a character from a manga.

Worst conversation with penis, ever:

"Don't cry," he consoled me. "I'm sorry I was being selfish."
"Sorry," I muttered.
And so, I made peace with my Johnny.

*spoilers*
The TV series closely based on this book is far, far better because the protagonist progresses toward a clear goal.

In both the book and miniseries, a similar series of events is retold, but the TV miniseries presents this as a progression of the protagonist coming closer to his goal and therefore paints this as a philosophical mediation on finalism. The book instead is more nihilistic as the protagonist reaches the exact same end no matter what he does. The greatest criticism of the book but not the series is that when he achieves success he still wants to change his past.

I cannot feel anything about a character that is unhappy after effortlessly achieving success that was not clearly their goal. For me, simply put, a character must have an intent, effort or preference to be considered human.

[Michelle Curie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A trippy and quirky read that is a way less pretentious approach to self-growth through the exploration of multiverses than The Midnight Library was, but in some instances, also the more annoying one.

The Tatami Galaxy apparently inspired an anime that seems to have quite a lot of fans, so I'm not even sure how many of you need a plot summary! We basically follow an unnamed protagonist around Kyoto University, where he realises that he has made a lot of mistakes in the past. Through a series of crazy events, he gets to explore different versions of his life in parallel universes.



This is written in a refreshing and bold way that will not be everyone's cup of tea, but there's much to like about it. It's quick and funny and I can totally see why this would work as an anime – there's so much drama in these little sentences and it's all very visual, almost like the novelisation of a manga. The characters also feel almost like caricatures, like the protagonist's best friend Ozu, who is mischievous and obnoxious in the most striking way. It's hard to put your finger on what makes this feel so different to Western literature, but there's almost something awkward in the writing and the way the protagonist is handling situations.

Some parts drag a bit. The repetitiveness is part of the plot, after all, the protagonist explores what would have been different if he made other choices in his past, but the thing is that a lot remains the same, so as a reader you have to go through passages of the same thing being repeated. I mean word for word. It does make you go slightly mad.

I like how you can read this as a nihilistic depiction of fate, or as a consolation. The protagonist is sure that if only this or that would have been different, his life could have been an entirely different (in his imagination – better) thing, but the parallel worlds clearly show him that he'd still be himself in all of these versions of reality, which results in him making the same choices just in slightly different ways. You can read this as a "hey, there's no point in anything", but also as a more comforting "everything will be okay in the end and you will be where you belong" kind of way. I enjoyed that duality.

This is a cool story that felt different to a lot of other novels tackling the subject of alternative realities. I enjoyed it!

Thanks to Libro.fm and the publisher for allowing me to dive into this ahead of its release!

[rain]

what a bizarre little book. kept me entertained for sure though.

[the louver · Rating 5 out of 5]

god, i just love tomihiko morimi. i don't even care what he writes about, his writing is so fun to read. i read a lot of reviews of this book that found it boring, and i will say that there really isn't much of a plot and not many significant things happened, but i loved it! i loved how slow the pace was, i love how long it took for everything to build, i loved the subtle references between the universes. i know a lot of people label this book and morimi's other work as science fiction, but to me it reads more as literary fiction that uses sci-fi as a vehicle.

i genuinely have zero complaints about this book. i loved everything about it. i loved morimi's weird, awkward, slightly perverted characters. i loved his whimsical descriptions. i loved his take on the multiverse theory. i don't know what it is about his writing, but he writes such cozy books. i love it. i need to read more of his work.

i will say that the "story" takes a while to build up and once it does reach the turning point that climax is a bit insignificant, but, like i said, i love the journey, the writing, itself that i don't really care if the plot is satisfying or if there's any plot at all.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course the best anime of all time has a great book. Thats like saying the sky is blue

[Whiskers & Ink ( allie ☁️ ) · Rating 1 out of 5]

“If I hadn’t met you, I would have lived more purposefully. I would have applied myself to my studies, dated a black-haired maiden, and relished every moment of my untarnished student life. That’s right. I’m sure of it.”

If I have to read the words “black-haired maiden” one more time I’m going to pick my own eyeballs out and eat them.

This was the most insufferable, painful book I’ve read in a while. I’d rather get my teeth pulled out than read another page. I should’ve DNFed it, but I kept crawling my way towards the finish line, hoping I’d find a glimmer of some meaning, some purpose...

Reader: there was none.

The Tatami Galaxy is about a nameless loser incel at university. That’s not me making an assessment: the book literally stresses, over and over, how big of a loser this guy is and how much sex he’s not having. Anyway, we flip through different parallel universes, where his choice of club dictates the outcome of his university student life… except he’s a loser in every universe. And that’s the book.

I’d previously read Tomihiko Morimi’s Penguin Highway many many years ago before he was even translated into English, and remember it being a very moving tale of absurdist sci-fi, written from the amusing, at times slightly cringy but excusable perspective of a kid. The Tatami Galaxy utilises similarly surrealist elements, but has none of that same charm.

I can’t get over how incredibly unsatisfying and off-putting it was to inhabit this guy’s head… He’s given no name, so for lack of anything better, let’s call him Loser. Loser is very resentful of his loser status, trigger-ready to blame everyone but himself for his loserism. Most of the book is about the pranks and shenanigans that his quasi-best friend Ozu drags him into, and how aggravated Loser is by this… Over and over again in every universe.

And this could have been a somewhat entertaining premise—I’m not beyond cackling at lads being lads, particularly if it’s seasoned with some bizarre time-looping...

... If there were at least anything akin to a through line or a point to the book, that is.

You’d think the idea was to work towards Loser’s two braincells connecting and realising that no ammount of looking away from his choices is going to salvage his dumpster fire of university life; that he’s responsible for his own fate; that he must take accountability if he is to “get the girl,” as they say. It’s a dusty old set-up, to be sure, but at least it would have felt like we were building up to something.

Instead, Loser spends 99% of the book skirting accountability for his own miserable campus life and the proverbial light bulb of “maaaaaybe I’m the problem” only goes off in the last page of the book. It’s and incredibly defeatist and nihilistic narrative.

I suppose you could argue the character development is in how he goes from “I hate love and I’ve sworn off women because there’s nothing so embarassing as being in love” to “maybe putting some effort into being likeable and dating would be worth it,” but the narrative is so dull and repetitive that the mild change in perspective is frankly emotionless and meaningless.

It’s not even a fun Groundhog Day scenario: you’re a fly on the wall as we flip through the multiuniverse of Loser’s campus life, but technically he’s not crossing timelines with you. There’s no lesson to be learned, because he’s not the one stuck in purgatory repeating slightly different iterations of his life: you are.

The book also has a penchant for repeating entire paragraphs, scenes, and dialogues every time we jump universe for no reason other than to grind down on the reader’s patience, I guess. Paired with the absurdly obnoxious voice the prose was written in, I had to suppress the urge to throw the book and myself out the window as I read.

Still, this book could have been tolerable. There could have been something charmingly surrealist in watching the bazillion iterations of a dislikeable guy getting dragged into questionable schemes by his not-best friend… if only the characters in it weren’t so weird about women, and if the book’s humour didn’t hinge so hard on them being weird about women:

Ozu, who at first was about as talkative as a god of death standing at your bedside, began giving an impassioned lecture about breasts. A deep debate about whether the breasts we see actually exist or not ensued, and after quantum mechanics entered the discussion, Master Higuchi made the profound observation that “it doesn’t matter whether they exist or not—it’s whether you believe in them or not,” which was about the time I lost consciousness.

How is this the kind of bullshit that still passes as funny in the anime/manga/weeb lit sphere?

This is only the tip of the iceberg. Almost every conversation between two male characters in this book has something to do with fantasising about women sticking their fingers in your mouth, or them licking your face, or speaking about them in abstract terms as if they were a different species altogether, or somesuch nonesense. I was having severe Bakemonogatari flashbacks, in the worst meaning possible.

It’s not even fun to read—just outlandish and scandalous. I suppose that’s the whole point of these characters, but it’s such a tired, uninspired, demeaning gag at this point. What’s the joke? That they’re all perverts? Like... explain to me why that’s funny. How does making them self-aware perverts make it any better??

I’m done with this dumpster fire, class. I may still give other Tomihiko Morimi books a chance, but The Tatami Galaxy has certainly put a damper on my willingness.

Edit: Just realised this novel was originally published in 2004, even though the English translation is from 2022, and that explains the outdated gags and jokes that I had a gripe with in this review...

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tatami Galaxy is a witty, cleverly structured portrait of a loser university student across four parallel universes. These diverge depending upon which club he decides to join as a fresher, or so he believes. The reader appreciates the irony of what does and doesn't differ between universes, as the book sets them out as four discrete narratives. Among the constants is the protagonist's shady friend Ozu, who I found very amusing. Also unvarying is the four tatami mat room he lives in and the farcical nature of his experiences. However it's also great fun to spot divergences and ways in which the universes intersect. The protagonist's inner monologue reminded me of Shen Yuan's in The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System 人渣反派自救系统 due to a combination of pomposity, self-deprecation, and lack of self-awareness. Both are hilarious also. I really enjoyed the tone of the writing and translation:

Standing next to Mister Higuchi was a creepy fellow with a terribly inauspicious-looking face. At first I thought he was a messenger from hell only I, with my heightened sensitivities, could see.
"My name's Ozu. Nice to meet you," he said. [...]
Ozu, who at first was about as talkative as a god of death standing at your bedside, began giving an impassioned lecture about breasts. A deep debate about whether the breasts we see actually exist or not ensued, and after quantum mechanics entered the discussion, Master Higuchi made the profound observation that "it doesn't matter whether they exist or not - it's whether you believe in them or not," which was about the time I lost consciousness.
This is how I became Master Higuchi's disciple and how I met Ozu.
What sort of disciple was I, you ask? It goes without saying that even after two years that never became clear.

The Tatami Galaxy made me laugh out loud multiple times with its excellent punchlines. Notably, when the protagonist goes to see where his pen pal, Keiko Higuchi, lives:

As I was wavering incessantly between loneliness and self-hatred, the door to 102 suddenly opened. I tried to hide; I couldn't forsake the chance that had suddenly presented itself to me.
I saw Keiko Higuchi.
She had a very creepy face. She appeared unhealthy, with a complexion like someone who had been living on the far side of the moon. She wore an ominous grin as if she were hoping for misfortune to befall others, essentially like the yokai Nurarihyon. She was practically like Ozu. She looked identical to him. Actually, it was him. It was Ozu himself.
"Is there no God or Buddha?" is a phrase made for this moment.

I also very much enjoyed the surreal exploration of endless tatami mat rooms in the fourth section. The Tatami Galaxy is a carefully structured yet picaresque examination of being a lazy student. Much like Shen Yuan the protagonist is clearly a most annoying person, but this makes him excellent narrator as his absurd shenanigans are very funny.

[Evelina | AvalinahsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss

What a strange little book - a very interesting format. I haven't seen the anime before (or even heard about it), but the book definitely feels a little anime-ish. At first, I didn't enjoy the story very much, but I warmed to it in the end. The way it's told is meaningful, but it also has a lot of word to word repetitions, and that wasn't something I enjoyed too much. I ended up skipping passages cause I remembered them almost verbatim, but also, that was part of the point. I won't deny that I reread some of my favorite passages again and again without skipping as well.

I loved the main idea of the story though. It seems we regret too many things in life, we think that if we only did this one or other thing slightly differently, then everything would have been fine. But this book challenges the idea, because however many ways things seem to go, the main character still ends up making the same awful choices, only in a slightly different way. It's hard to say whether I completely got the message in the end, at least the way it was intended, or if there even WAS a way to understand it 'correctly' - maybe everyone just takes away something of their own from this story. But what I took away from it was that sometimes we just don't value some things we should see differently, and are stuck in our regret mindsets. Sometimes you need to look outside of your own 'four and a half tatami room'.

There is a sort of odd meaning in this, as you read it. You realize, that maybe that awfulness isn't all that bad. Maybe it's just unique and the way this person is being themselves in the world, although they don't seem to quite understand it. It's like, we keep turning in the same circles with the same people, and we do the same things over and over again. It seems we attract the same situations. It's a very interesting way to look at life. As if things could be different, but they're just dressed up a new way, while it's all the same thing, because that's apparently who you are. And maybe there's a meaning of its own there. Maybe the grass only seems to be greener on the other side, and you never bother to look at the grass where you are standing.

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

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[♡ retrovvitches ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

i did not like this at all 💀 the main characters are insufferable, and i understand that’s kinda the point, but there was some weird misogynistic undertones to this one

[Vince Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Tatami Galaxy takes you on a journey into the mind of an unnamed college student called "I" or "私" (Watashi) in the book. I like to think that the author purposefully made this so, because in some sense 私 is us or has been ourselves in one way or another. Tatami Galaxy is an expedition through different realities of what could have been based on 私's decision on choosing an organization. Overall, there are four scenarios which 私 has lived through that is written in the book. He goes through the different realities with the people he is fated to meet: Ozu (his frenemy), Akashi (his love interest), and Higuchi (the mortal name of the patron god of love).


Each year 私 lives out one of his realities based on his decision on choosing an organization. He narrows it down to four pamphlets that catch his attention: Misogi Movie Circle, A mysterious call for disciples, Honkawa Softball Circle, and the Lucky Cat Restaurant Society. The book goes through these realities in order of how it is stated above. In each reality, he is fated to come into contact with Ozu, which is his guide/enemy in each reality. Each reality explores a different perspective in life through the eyes of 私. In the first reality, 私 has a bitter approach towards love; going so far as crowning himself the nemesis of love. The next reality explores 私's morals as he refuses to steal Kaori-san the love doll for his master. The third reality explores 私's sexual frustrations. The last reality explores again 私's morals and desolate lifestyle: traversing multiple realities through a period of time.


All in all, I believe the main lesson we could learn from this story is that life is complicated and that no matter what expectations we may have of life, be it through our rose-colored lenses of what life should be (as described in the book) it will never meet our standards. We see this evidently in the story as 私 longs, contrary to what he actually says, for a rose-colored life in college. He also regrets at the near end of each reality which organization he has chosen as he believes that if he had chosen otherwise, he could have been as unmarred as he was before choosing an organization.

I believe this part of the story reflects how many people think before making a decision; thinking out every possibility of what could have been or what might have been. We are stacked against what is proven by this book, that sometimes in life as the fortune teller puts it bluntly, "Sometimes they (opportunities) hide in places you don't expect....in order to seize an opportunity, you must act."

Life is unpredictable. We will never know what would happen if we stay idly by and let countless opportunities flow by.

This is best exemplified in the book, wherein, 私 lives different realities. Although the choices he made in these realities did not come out as he had hoped for, each of these choices bore fruit to solid friendships and eventful happenings. The only reality I believe was uneventful was the reality where 私 chose to stay in his 4.5 Tatami room, traversing through different realities in his Tatami Galaxy. This is I believe is a hyperbole of what the book tries to communicate, which is that not much can bear fruit in too much thinking.


Overall, the book shows great promise and it offers a beautiful way of communicating its message to its readers. It is a mix of seriousness and humor, from reading about 私's suffering in running through hundreds to thousands of realities to 私 telling his Johnny that he'd rather be a gentleman than fall victim to lust. I've read just the translation of the book, so I think there are some things I would not have gotten. The book does start every chapter with the same lines so that its readers are made aware that 私 has started another reality. I don't mind it much, I could just skip through these pages, but some might find it annoying. If you're one for a creative way of telling and stretched-out descriptions, I would recommend this book. The book also has an anime, although from what I have remembered, there are some things different between the anime and the book. The anime is as wordy as the book, almost as if you read the book itself. To give it a score, I'd rate Tatami Galaxy a 9.5/10.

[Joyous · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was trippy.

[BKF · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mmm.. :/

I really wanted to like this book but the narrator is lowkey insufferable. The concept of living parallel lives depending on the decisions you make is cool, but the way the book executes it is ass. I think there could’ve been a better way to show this without literally repeating 4-5 pages from the previous parts i was literally glazing my eyes over when I realized it was the same wording and phrases as before.

i feel like instead of spending a lot of time repeating things that have already been established (like it didnt need to be repeated for 4 parts? Maybe 2 at most to prove the point) it could have spent a bit more time on the narrators reflection and maybe some deeper thinking besides “well now that im in complete isolation i miss the guy that I blame all my misfortunes for” albeit unfairly.

**spoilers maybe*
If he regretted his 2 years so much why did he do nothing about it except whine and complain? I hated how the narrator blamed Ozu, Higuchi, and literally everyone else for everything “wrong” that happened to him but was too prideful to even consider that his own decisions caused him to live a life full of regret. There was no point in the book where he thought “hmm maybe im the problem” even during his so called epiphany in part 4’s tatami galaxy.

I hate the phrase “black hair maiden” and i hated the “Johnny” dialogue so much that was so unnecessary lol.

The end message is nice, nihilistic even, but i think the story behind it falls short. Maybe i’ll watch the show instead eventually since i heard its peak fiction and cuz I see Asian Kung Fu Generation made the opening but…im really disappointed!

[Rex · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

WHATTA RIDE! this book was one of the most trippiest, yet relatable books I've ever read. The book follows the antisocial narrator through the exploration of parallel timelines examining how joining 4 different organizations in college would help achieve his "rose-colored" perfect college life; however, in each of these realities, His fate is intertwined with Ozu, his troublemaker "friend". My description doesn't do this story justice.

Personally, the reason why I rated the book so highly was how immersed I felt reading. There were situations that the narrator and I had that pertained to the eventual regrets and struggles navigating college life, and looking back if you had joined a different club or had a different set of friends, you would have the "dream" college experience. The narrator was also unlikable and I actually enjoyed that because it added to the complexity of the story. The only gripe I had was that the story although was meant to repeat 4 different universes got old reading the same things, so I skimmed through the similar parts.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insufferable man, with his insufferable friends, navigates though 4 different insufferable dimentions, blaming his insufferableness of everyone but himself. Surprisingly wholesome ending, loved it!

[hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having a narrative that was plotted through a perspective from a nameless character can be quite inviting. Mainly set in our protagonist’s four-and-a-half-mat tatami dorm room, The Tatami Galaxy brought me to an enthralling campus life adventure with a series of four parallel settings running in a loop; a chance that was given when the realm of possibilities open for a time rewind to our protagonist when he was about to make another mistake after his two years of misfortunes.

Each universe was crafted in similar main scenes giving gripping twists of perspective to both of its plot and characterization; 4 shady clubs that were available at the narrator’s university and to experience each in separate universes really gave the plot arc a unique and absorbing execution. Few repetitive scenes and same appearances of characters can be wearisome at times (love the fortune-teller anyway even though she appeared almost with the same set of dialogues) yet I still admired the author’s ability in giving a witty and fun nuanced to his storytelling.

Love Akashi and narrator’s interactions and Master Higuchi was so cunning in the 2nd parallel (love him the most in here) also Ozu’s labyrinthine character can be both amusing and annoyingly mischievous— a love-hate for him but watching the anime and see how he was really a yokai lookalike, I just digress. My fav last universe gets me into a thorough train of thoughts of the wacky narrator; it resonates a more deeper and touching exploration to his existential crises— of solitute and friendship, those tangle of fates and his reflection on what he encountered throughout each adventure; of regrets, hope and dreams. The moth incidents definitely giving a glitch bonus for the wrap-up.

A raw and fascinating approach by Morimi to highlight and combine that early phase of adulthood with a multiverse transcendental campus life although I think not many would enjoy this for its chaotic surreal plotline. I enjoyed the anime as much (maybe more than the book?) and can’t wait for the sequel novel to be released soon! 4 stars to this!

Thank you Times Reads for sending me a copy to review!

[Cross Belso · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just awful.

There's a groundhog day framing that's not well used or explored, absurdly unlikeable characters, entire large sections of text that are copied verbatim 4 times, and a final act that seems kind of interesting until you realized that it doesn't make any sense within the context of the story.

I'd like to jump to an alternate timeline where I never read this.

[Holly Gazzard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really hated the first half of this, I genuinely thought it could be my first ever DNF!

It all came together nicely at the end but I thought it was a bit boring and I couldn’t connect with any of the characters — but I also assume they were written to be annoying and unlikeable.

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don’t know how to rate this. I was so excited given the premise (I LOVE parallel universe/path not taken themes) but found this hard to chug through. I did really enjoy the last part (the trek through the tatami galaxy and universe crossing) but it didn’t feel worth it to get there. I thought maybe I was just being uncultured and dense?? And I sympathized with many members of this book club that are forced to trudge through some dense American texts, but I don’t think that was it. I do feel like some things got lost in translation (which is weird since it won translation awards??) but also the story itself felt very “dumb boy humor”. I found some things humorous but also was annoyed by the characters and repetitiveness and some of the (I don’t want to say stupid but what else do you call stealing your nemesis’ love doll???) plot lines. He also kept skipping over the love story saying the reader would find it boring but I wanted it!! More than his weird frenemy relationship with Ozu!! Ugh mad that I even care this much.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

♡ 156/ 100

The Tatami Galaxy was the most pleasant of surprises.

As a preface, a beginning to my love story with this book, I found it two days ago when I fixing up the shelves at my bookstore. The Ottessa Moshfegh section is my baby, and I specifically curate it each time, but noticed the Lapvona paperbacks were all sold out so I decided to face out another book instead. I look up, and there I see this beautiful purple spine and I'm hooked. Next thing I know I'm pulling the book off the shelf and it was love at first sight with that cover! The synopsis is very Groundhog Day-like and the prose being compared to Moshfegh herself had hooked me and I waddled home after work that day not knowing my newest hyper fixation was hiding right there in my tote bag.

Anyways, The Tatami Galaxy follows our unnamed narrator and his best friend, Ozu in their third year of college. Our narrator feels like he has done absolutely nothing in college up to this point so to remedy that he decides to look for a club. The story is told in four chapters, all of which start and end the exact same way, but the entirety of the middle is unique to each chapter. Depending on which club they join, the story changes. You see different developments, metaphors, and characters that can, and sometimes do repeat into other chapters/ stories, but will have a slightly special twist each time. The story makes you question and reflect on your own life as well and is told in such a smart way. You wonder what your life would be like if you took Route A to work instead of Route B. If you went through one door instead of the other.

This surrealist contemporary story is one of my new all-time favorites.

I will 100% be picking up the sequel to this and I am going to look into the other English-translated releases of Morimi's because I need more of this, NOW!

[MJG · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is a certain point where you cannot do it anymore.

For me, it was 69 pages into Tomihiko Morimi's lifeless, disagreeable novel. There are so many books longing to be picked up on my shelves, and so little time to give them all the affection and attention they deserve. As such, The Tatami Galaxy was seriously not worth it. Not worth the hours, the effort, the $20 I will never get back, not when every page was an epic slog; the stream of consciousness that I did not ask for of perhaps the most hateful protagonist I will ever come across. All things must come to their end, and I allowed this book to live for far too long. I cannot do it anymore.

I'd give The Tatami Galaxy zero stars if I could. If I can't get through 25% of a novel, that novel does not deserve a 25% approval rating, but here we are, Goodreads. Amazon at its finest, always taking more than it gives. I have no artful language or long-winded paragraphs to donate to this book, for it would truly be a donation. It needs charity.

My culminating purchase at a local independent bookstore that would move and never be the same, and for what? Blast.

[elif sinem · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Fair warning, this has been my favorite anime for close to a decade now, possibly the story that is the most influential to me as a writer and reader, so the book was always going to be great for my taste. Though I think the anime manages the climax and epiphany better, giving equal focus to four clubs and the repeating sections - plus a fantastic translation that is humorous and juvenile in all the right places - make this a worthwhile read with its own enjoyment. Watashi and Ozu you will always be famous. Akashi is even BETTER here than in the anime and that's saying something.

[jeremy wang · Rating 3 out of 5]

haHA i am so WEIRD isn’t that just totally hilarious!!!! let me tell you about my NIHILISM and HOPELESSNESS but it’s ok, i’m really WEIRD and that means it’s not depression it’s SATIRE!!!!

there are moments when you’re hit with some surprisingly beautiful imagery (in the vein of chainsaw man montages), but overall i think the translation might just be a little clunky. time to try watching the anime again!!!

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

After I finished reading, I immediately walked out for a quick stroll around my neighbourhood and allowed the fresh, lingering highs from the story soak in. What a lovely little book! I initially picked it up for a book club, but due to life and things, I procrastinated reading it until the very last minute. And oh boy, am I glad I did! The whirlwind of craziness that lead to the simple conclusion of << gratitude >> was immensely needed for me personally in my life.

[H.J. Swinford · Rating 5 out of 5]

What to say about this book...

It's like if Catcher in the Rye was actually funny and a little bit speculative and had a bit of "A Christmas Carol" undercurrent to the plotline. I don't know if that makes sense, but it's the best I got.

I was swept away in the absurdity of this book. The unnamed narrator was hateable and relatable (unlike Holden, imo). I enjoyed the ride.

[E. G.]

--The Tatami Galaxy

A Note from the Translator
Glossary

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

how many times do I need to experience this story to internalize the message