Tanaka intended his work to satirize Japanese youth’s zealous consumption of foreign brand-name goods. Literary critic Jun Etō got the joke, commending Tanaka on “deconstructing Tokyo’s urban space, seeing it as having turned into an accumulation of symbols.” Teens, on the other hand, just wanted Nantonaku, Kurisutaru for its comprehensive list of trendy restaurants, clothing stores, brands, and Boz Scaggs singles.
