NO．6［ナンバーシックス］再会 #1 by あさのあつこ 批評 ・Review
Spoilers ahead for the first book!
Japanese is not my first language (or the second or even the third, actually); this means for me reading this book was a bit of a challenge. For starters, Asano-sensei's writing is littered with figures of speech, and there was a lot figuring out going on my part; but I embraced this challenge both to honor the trust the author and the publisher put in me by letting me read this book in advance and because No.6 is so very dear to me.
I honestly was flabbergasted when they replied positvely to my request to read and review the first draft of the book; I only sent it halfheartdely because I thought "why not?", it's not like I held any real aspectations. Well... Look how that turned out!
Fun fact! My nickname, Tsukiyo, comes from this book!
And this is also why I tried my best to translate this review in Japanese as well, but I'll spare you all on this website my surely terrible attempt, and I hope I didn't make too much a fool of myself in front of an author I deeply respect (altrought this english version I'm posting here is longer than the Japanese one, for the reason stated in the very first line of this wall text).
Therefore, for a decade I held hope in my heart to witness - finally! - the famous reunion; and what a reunion it was! The relationship between Shion and Nezumi has never ceased to compel me: its depth and complexity, despite their young age. And I can see now that I’m pretty close to my thirties, how painfully young they were and still are and how much weight and sorrow sits upon their shoulders.
I was pretty young when I first read No.6, 14 or 15 years old, full of angst like only teenagers can be, and the only way I can describe it is that it soothed something deep in my heart. It is also one of the main reasons I bonded with the person that is now still my best friend, more than ten years after I first picked up the book. I think I have read it at least nine times since then. Talk about obsession, eh!
The fact that Asano-sensei showed us what it went on in the aftermath, the painstaking reconstruction after the long awaited destruction, what it truly means to bring on a revolution and how it’s not easy as they make it sound to simply pick up the pieces of a relationship from where you left them, made my admiration for her, and the affection for these characters, grow even more.
The deeply political nature of the book, as well, wasn't lost in the sequel: Shion is faced with new challenges, with what it means to be a leader, but a different kind this time; he yet again has to step up because no one else would. And in this same line, we meet again another central theme of No.6: how the characters are shaped by the world and how they try to shape the world in return.
They say that love isn’t enough – in a relationship – and I agree. Shion and Nezumi do love each other but it wasn’t enough to make Nezumi stay the first time and it wasn’t enough to restart everything like nothing had happened when he finally returned. And it may seem strange to some, but I really appreciated it. It was genuine, authentic. Real human beings with real emotions and flaws, they never felt like imaginary characters and that’s the magic of Asano-sensei writing.
Overall it was a rewarding read - with me screaming about all the kanjis I didn't know to my friend 🥴 I think I need to reread this book just as much as the first one to truly grasp its many facets, and I can’t wait to obsess over it for another ten years.
