I have procrastinated my volume 8 review for long enough, so I'm just going to start talk about volume 10 and make up later (I have so many opinions about this one!).
Although I know this is technically not the end of the series, this felt a lot like a grand finale for me. It's a final end for Seigi's career pathy searching journey, and to the Octavia thing that has been going on for a couple of books now.
The prologue from Richard's perspective is so great. His reflection on not knowing how deep his relationship with Seigi will be in the future is so valid. I feel deeply transformed just by witnessing their story as well. I'm also wondering if anyone who has the Japanese version knows what's the word Tsujimura used for "rightful place"? I would like to know more about the nuance. I also just adore the idea of having someone as a place you will eventually be at.
We all love a self-care king, Jeffrey.
Reading all these volumes just makes me want to go to Sri Lanka more, sounds like a pretty fun place.
I can't look at the words "God Games" without having EPIC flashbacks (any Epic fans here?)
I like the mention of Seigi's econ major. This is likely a major he took because he had decided to be a civil servant early on, but I guess people's choice of major still has a big impact on how they view things.
The nonchalant, powerful butler and the rich, clever young girl are such a common combo in Japanese media (or maybe just ACG and novels). Though Vince is definitely not nonchalant.
Their poem exchange is pretty cute. If I were to meet them in real life tho, aside from admiring their cuteness and wholesomeness from afar, I really need to know Richard's language learning tips, like how is he so fluent in so many languages and Japanese literature?
I have always thought Seigi must have been a great test taker. The uni he goes to, Kasaba University, is inspired by Waseda uni irl, which is probably the best private university in the country and super prestigious. Not him telling Octavia he thought the test was hard, even though he got no mistakes tho.
What a way to start a conversation. "What's your happy ending?"
Seigi's view of his relationship with Richard is so perplexing, but I guess I can kinda see where he's going. Their relationship highly resembles a QPR (correct me if I'm wrong tho), but he's also open to Richard having other close friends other than him. I'm on team Richard must have had a crush on Seigi, probably pretty early on. He still encourages Seigi to pursue Tanimoto because, at that time, he did not think he had a chance, and like he mentioned in book 3, he thinks Seigi is just using him as a substitute of his feelings. He underestimates how much he had impacted Seigi and how much Seigi cares about him tho. Now, Seigi leans toward the idea of wanting Deborah and Richard having a second chance. Seigi doesn't acknowledge his potentially romantic feelings towards Richard tho, but I think they both I have some self sabotaging or self sacrificing tendencies for the other person's happiness. There are so many parallels between Richard x Seigi, Richard x Deborah, and Seigi x Tanimoto, more than just Seigi resembles Richard when he was younger.
Right on the topic of self-sacrifice, we have Octavia. Not entirely on topic, but I think Japanese culture really has an obsession with the whole idea of having a short life, and the entire Octavia's monologue on wanting to die right after she sees Richard and Deborah being happy is just really Japanese for me. In a sense, it really is a happy ending for her because she could not see anything beyond the ending, so she just wants everything to end when things aren't too bad and ignore the consequences of her actions. As someone pretty close to her age, which is pretty young, I can feel that that must be really hard to live with.
I saw someone else's review saying high society is just like us readers munching on the drama and Seigi's relationship with Richard and I couldn't agree more.
I really like this part of the book. Seigi could 100% see himself in Octavia, and he might have even inspired her to do all the things she did.
“When I was so depressed I wanted to die, I…I found things that made me think ‘Why don’t I try holding out just a little longer?’ These things are like…like gemstones to me. Things that make me glad I’m alive after all. Things that make me glad that I’m me. I don’t believe…well, happiness and all…I don’t believe happiness is so easy. I think it’s very challenging, in fact. But when you want to die, if you can find something—no matter how small—that makes you feel like there’s good in the world, then maybe happiness isn’t so impossible.”
I love this passage so much, too, and relate to it so deeply. Everything that prevents you from killing yourself makes life worth living, is how my philosophy-obsessed friend would say it, but I like Seigi's phrasing better. Having the hope and ability to see that happiness can exist is the most important. It's also really rewarding or relieving in a sense that Seigi has come to think this way too. I'm so proud of him, haha.
I like Seigi's approach to her Octavia, but I think she will need more time to open up to someone, which makes more sense that Vince is the one that really made her change her mind.
"Thanks, grass. Thanks, kusa. I still didn’t know what it meant, but it was a great word." I love Seigi. He's so silly.
Henry really had peak character development here (they all do tho). The Japanese cussing caught me off guard, and Richard and Seigi just watching.
"Richard, who had been frozen up to this point, leaned toward me. I thought he was scared and wanted me to hold his hand, but that wasn’t it. For some strange reason, he started to cover my ears before he thought better of it and stopped." Adorable.
Excited to learn more about Joachim and Jeffrey in the next book, but I guess it's not nice to out people like that.
I have not at all anticipated there just going to spend three days on a gorgeous mountain resort playing video games.
“What if I said I wanted to beat this challenge on my own?” “That is certainly valid. But you know, you don’t have to go through with it. This doesn’t have to be the end.”
The storytelling here is just so peak. Being someone who couldn't see hope in their life, Henry shares a really specific sentiment that Octavia is feeling. Adopting Octavia really seems like a great placement for both of them, and it also helps resolve the "the Claremonts have no heir" situation.
“What do you think, fellow washout? You and me—don’t we make quite a pair?” I love how Vince is sassy in a very accommodating way to Octavia. If Richard and Seigi are two people who are almost always absolutely in awe of each other's beauty (looking at you, Nakata Seigi) and personality, and trying to become better people for each other, Vince and Octavia are just giving "we're both so screwed in life why not just hang out together".
Of all characters, I think Vince and Jeffrey are the most practical; in a way they know what they want and they are willing to do some not-so-great things to achieve them. In that sense, Vince and Octavia can understand each other better than say Seigi or Richard can understand her. Vince also just seems like he would be great with kids.
“…Thank you. I love you.” “Ooh, this is awkward. See, I’m married—” “Don’t be an idiot.” Vince chuckled, then slowly, slowly extended a hand and patted Octavia on top of her carefully coiffed hair." This could be one of my favorite dialogue ever.
(I can't believe I wrote so much. We still have a big chunk left. Please know that I appreciate you a lot if you read through so much!)
This series has added so many places to my future visiting spots. Note to self: visit Hatton Garden and V&A Museum.
I don't understand Joachim and Jeffrey's "contractual" relationship either, hope we get to know more about that in vol 11.
Joachim blowing a kiss at Seigi somehow is giving me Frieren flashbacks (any Frieren fans here?). I could totally see Seigi fainting if Richard blew a kiss at him, not that Richard would be doing much better tho.
Deborah's first appearance! I like the sort of wordplay thing with Richard, previously known as Richard Claremont, then Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian. We couldn't have had the Richard we have now if Richard hadn't gone through all the trouble and met Seigi. Tsujimura is exceptional in writing about how their fates and life paths start to intertwine after they first met. There's something just really wonderful about that, I guess.
Everything about the conversation between Seigi and Richard in the V&A museum is so wonderful that I can't decide where to start talking about first.
“Do you understand, Seigi? You are a part of me, and I—I am a part of you.” 🥹
This part is just so sweet. I think you can learn a lot about a person by reading the romance they write (obviously), and I think I share a pretty similar view with Tsujimura already. Richard and Seigi's relationship is less about what they can do for each other and more about what they can do for themselves because of the other person. They really have become a part of each other in the sense that how they act and how they think about themselves has been entirely transformed by the time they have spent on each other. They might even be each other's best, most cherished parts, too. They are so great, I hope love like this actually exists. (They also remind me of the Taylor Swift song "Everything Has Changed")
"We stopped in the spot where the heart of the museum ended and the next exhibit began."
Not a super important line, but this line kinda seems like the whole family and Octavia issue ended, and the journey with just Richard and Seigi as his secretary is about to begin.
The Kissss. omg it's so sweet, but why are they so awkward?
"Richard had s-s-something in his mouth. Something. I couldn’t even register that it was. My. Finger. The spot at the base of my little finger, trapped between a bivalve of flesh.
A few seconds passed before I whimpered. Richard flashed me a look of triumph."
Better than how he described the cheek kiss in vol 4, but still. This would be so romantic if he hadn't been so awkward. I guess that's Nakata Seigi for you, just go enjoy your rainbow cake and act like silly robots.
Curious to know what the Japanese word for "object of my affection" is and if it's a more romance coded word.
"Truth be told, I was hoping for a little more besides, but I knew that could wait for later down the road. When I had grown as a person." We all hope a little more, too. I'm so excited to see them get into a relationship because I know that's going to happen later in the series, but their current relationship is great, too.
"As if making a wish on an imaginary falling star, I said a little too loud, 'I wish my ‘rightful place’ would be right next to you.'"
“It’s what you said earlier! People and things always leave for their rightful place. So, all I was doing was hoping my rightful place winds up being right next to you.
Probably another one of my favorite dialogues of all time. Richard's heart must have fluttered for a moment hearing this.
I love how Seigi is considering career paths other than just becoming a civil servant or a jeweler. Richard is truly the only thing he doesn't worry he'll get tired of.
"Seigi Nakata was a smart cookie now, and it was all thanks to him."
Richard's speech in the museum must have sunk in for him to say this. They really are so cute.
The fact that all of this is so similar to a marriage proposal makes me wonder how they are going to propose for real now.
“For the present, I suppose I could introduce you as my dear partner.”The official partner statement!
This review is so much longer than I planned it to be, but it was fun writing it, and I'll hopefully be posting more soon.
