#book analysis

first of all this was a really unique read for me; i never imagined i would read a book so deeply defined by themes of indulgence and luscious food imagery, but i actually really liked it (apart from the fact it made me hungry all the time lmao). good reminder that i should keep exploring and be more creative with the kind of books i read to expand my worldview

i really like the protagonist of the story, rika machida, and though i don't fully understand exactly why just yet, it may have to do with her logical approach to situations, her see-sawing between different perspectives, tendency to see the best in people without straying away from the truth, navigating through a society deeply ingrained with misogyny and fatphobia (which i believe here to be shown as a subset of misogyny actually, since it is shown as a way to control women), realising at the end what things are most important in life and what makes her feel fulfilled (and how much is the "right amount", which is a major theme of the book), and just her determined organised chaos vibe in general. writing this all out just made me understand why i do like her and relate to her, lol.

reiko is a great character too, and the insight we get into her life later on especially defines her as a character. i do think her narration tried to paint her as more of a sorry figure than she really was, but that's just my opinion. i found rika's way of dealing with grief over her father's death and navigation through the ordeal in general much more realistic.

makoto pissed me off SO MUCH in the first half of the book i was fuming. he does come across as a more sympathetic guy towards the end. he was not exactly a bad person; just someone with a lot to figure out and not suitable for rika.

manako kajii, the main antagonist, was an interesting character. much like rika, my perspective of her kept changing throughout the book. while initially she is a woman who knows how to live, indulges in pleasures without a minimalist and restrictive attitude most people have, and is true to herself. but by the end, her facade crumbles as we come to perceive her as an insecure, lonely, and delusional woman who lives her life in denial, pinning her buried misery on other people, choosing to live in a world constructed of lies than as it really is.

i was initially disappointed that the book did not have a more defined ending relating to kajii's crimes and fate, but in hindsight maybe that was to signify that by the end the story wasn't kajii's at all anymore. it was just a bunch of people trying to live their life hindered by misogyny, fatphobia, abuse, strained relations, and unrealistic societal expectations in general, who came together as a found family full of understanding for each other despite their differences. the ending was nevertheless a bit more underwhelming than one might have expected, but it was still sweet and you feel proud of rika for all of her character growth.

a complaint i do have is that the book should've been better edited. some points in the story feel dreary and overexplained, and it also makes the reader somewhat lose the plot along the way and feel muddled about the numerous themes the book deals with. i don't agree with the people who think it is slow paced and boring however; you're likely to feel that way if you read it expecting it to be an action and mystery packed thriller. i never perceived it that way so the book was enjoyable for me.

peeta tells katniss, “you should wear flames more often. they suit you.”

at first it’s just about the tribute parade. then she becomes the girl on fire. by the end of the trilogy she’s literally been burned.

This is of course a very simplified overview, but the story beats are still very similar. They’re also criticisms of the academic elite, the romanticization of violence/corruption/drugs, the like, and have been largely misinterpreted by a large part of its audience. TSH, in having a character viewing the events and people through rose tented lenses is romanticized by its audience, idealizing the very ideals the author meant to criticize. And Bunny, with a highly critical and self-hating world view is then criticized for its hatred and belittlement of its female characters.

It also meant to show blind violence as one note and lacking the depth many people pretend dark things have, stating the idea that “just because it’s startling and uncomfortable doesn’t make it deep. Violence can often be nothing but cruel and vulgar without anything to say”, speaking to I interpret as media, how often dark things are shown strictly for shock value then painted as symbolic, and how often elitist society pretends it has something to say when it’s really just dressing up something elementary as profound. Unfortunately, many readers saw this not as a criticism of these themes, but as representation of it, taking the story at face value and deeming it as nothing but bold and violent with nothing underneath.

She got the divorice, moved her, her mother, and her kids to a new church, worked to get her GED and her nursing degree, got a new loving partner and broke the generational curse of prolonged suffering. And call me crazy but I think that's the answer to Natalies question of what happens to the women in the Bible that look forward. They thrive.

This one sentence led me to make quite a realisation which turned into quite a long rant so here’s my analysis/theory/thoughts :)

Me and @e-adlirez were rereading the first four graphic novels, as you do because they're peak, and we realized something big about why the first four are so much better than the last four.

It all comes down to one character.

Vissia de Vissen.

The billionaire cosmetics giant of the series, the main villain of the graphic novels. Obscenely rich, conniving, knows how to work a crowd. But there is a big difference between her in novels 1-4 and in 5 and 6 (since she isn't in the last two in any meaningful way).

Early series Vissia was intimidating because she was untouchable.

Her PR is perfect, her business is booming, and her image is one of an environmentally conscious green-thumb. No matter what the Thea Sisters would have done, they wouldn't be able to change years of experience, money, and manipulation.

That's what makes her so compelling. She's not a mustache-twirling villain to be fought and taken down. She's an insidious force working behind the scenes to make sure things go her way, using anyone; employees, politicians, her supporters as mouthpieces, and as fall guys in case a plan goes awry, so she has someone to blame. With most people never being the wiser.

Sound familiar?

Take book four for example. Romeo Guymouse is campaigning to be Whale Island's mayor, and as a local, people trust him, even when he comes out all of these blatantly tourist and rich-pandering proposals. Of course everything is foiled and none of those plans come to pass, but what they don't know is that all of those ideas were not his, but the agenda of his sponsor for his entire campaign, Vissia.

She plans to use his campaign as a bid to make the surf center and hotel, presenting them as competition to her, making it all look kosher. Undoubtedly all with the intent to rake in a commission cut of the profits.

Hm, a big-mouthed morally dubious politician being used as a smokescreen for a CEO pulling the strings? Surely that doesn't sound like anything that happens in real life :))

Which brings me back to my main point. Vissia was such a fantastic villain in the first four graphic novels because she was terrifying in her realism. Because just like Vissia, real life billionaires, no matter how much bad press is hurled at them, they cannot be touched. They're still mega fuckin' rich.

So... how do the Thea Sisters always manage to change things for the better despite Vissia remaining out of their reach.

Simple. They don't attack Vissia's image. They attack her wallet.

Draining funds to release all the animals that she captured, making sure Vissia can't discard waste in the ocean ever again, getting as much money as they can out of her for a good cause, and putting a stop to the artificial reef and the subsequent surf center plan.

They may not be able to win the war anytime soon, but these small victories are important, and they will eventually add up. And that's an important lesson for the kids reading these books; the war of injustice is always long and hard, but fighting these battles matter.