Borderline (FUJITANI Youko)
Four stars for the understated relationship developments that, despite their tried and true nature, still felt real, two stars for the actual writing, which seemed not wholly fleshed out, so we get an average of three. It's not that the stories feel incomplete, but rather that they feel like they're all the first or second chapter of their own longer volume. We get a glimpse of the first couple's dynamic in the second couple's story, when one of them is trying to convince the other not to graduate, and we get a "holding your breath" sense with the second couple, who give this whole volume its name!! yet never seem to get more explanation than "they meet, find that they complete each other, continue to have sex after graduation." So, the rhythms of Fujiatani's storytelling make plenty of emotional sense, but the whole volume makes me feel dissatisfied, like I'm reading the first draft of a longer story.
Non Tea Room