Book Review："The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes" Light Novel by Mei Hachimoku
夏へのトンネルさよならの出口 八目迷 04 Nov 2022
a.k.a. “Natsu he no Tunnel Sayonara no Deguchi”
The fantastical elements kept the story interesting and kept me guessing at how the story would end. I thought the protagonist was a little bit boring and passive, though I wonder if this is maybe just typical of light novel protagonists. The difficulties of his life were almost comically pitiful as were the antics of the “mean girl”, yet it’s not too depressing.
This is the first light novel I’ve read. There was a lot of new vocabulary for me.
It’s a great first light novel for me and I’d recommend it. That this is a single-volume story and not part of a series makes it less intimidating to read.
Watching the movie after made me appreciate the novel even more. The movie has some questionable differences where I prefered the novel version. If you watched the movie in the theatre in Japan you were able to receiving a 23-page extra bonus epiologue chapter.
Some changes in the movie include using mobile phones more and leaving out most of the conflict with 川崎さん and leaving out much of what happens after the climax of the story and Having 紅葉 trees instead of 鳥居.
In the bonus chapter distributed at the theatre in Japan, they move to Tokyo watch a movie in Shinjuku and follow some mysterious 女子高生 into a tunnel where they don't actually travel through time but catch a glimpse of some momiji ending with an ambiguous feeling of mystery.