Real World left me feeling conflicted as jumping through the minds of five emotionally unstable teenagers is fascinating yet unpleasant. Toshi strikes me as the plain anime protagonist with no redeeming qualities. Being ordinary isn’t necessarily a bad thing as Toshi is like a loaf of bread that goes well with any kind of jam, which is probably why the other three girls can somewhat confide in her. Yuzan mainly struggles with her sexuality and copes by acting like a man. The bubbly and cute Kirarin, frequently referred to as “totally hot” (p. 30) is perhaps the daring and street-smart among the four. Terauchi, whom I found to be the least likable, is the clever, “disagreeable person” who’s always observing her friends with “a cool, detached eye” (p. 83). She strikes me as the lonely at the top type of character.

    The book basically alternates between the four girl's point of view and how they’re reacting to Worm’s whole mother-killer affair. As I’ve written earlier, I found the whole mind-jumping to be ambivalent. I liked it because I found their perspective to be fascinating, but hated it because I couldn’t feel any sympathy. They want their problems gone, but are indifferent to it. Perhaps the reason Real World comes off as awkward and melodramatic is precisely because it’s narrated by five lonely, self-absorbed teenagers (Leland, 2008).

    Moving on to their motives. Worm’s action was heavily influenced by the pressure to become a proper Worm’s action was heavily influenced by the pressure to become a proper shakaijin, which I believe is a huge thing in Japan, especially for guys. On his run, Worm was aided by Yuzan who provided a silver bike, and Kirarin became his emotional support. The fact that the two girls helped a someone who, on top of being a complete stranger, is a murderer, fascinates me. It’s as if the two wanted Worm to be their stand-in in some great adventure. It’s almost like watching a mukbang to satisfy your hunger. Terauchi ratting Worm and Kirain is perhaps due to jealousy, the jealousy that Worm has the guts to delete his mother while she can only regret the “irreparable” (p. 80). A fascinating mess.

References:

Kirino, N. (2008). Real World. Vintage.Leland, A. (2012, February 9). Fiction review: “Real World” by Natsuo Kirino. SFGATE. https://www.sfgate.com/books/article/Fiction-review-Real-World-by-Natsuo-Kirino-3202335.php