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Description
Bibliographic Information
Author Biography
More Information
Original Language Title：
よるのばけもの
Subtitle：
Book Series：
Original Language Author：
住野 よる
Publisher：
Futabasha
ISBN ：
9784575240078
Format：
Paperback
Pages：
256
Copyright Year：
2016
Marketing / Rights Information
【Sales Figures】440,000 copies in Japan
Reviews
"Overall
At Night, I Become a Monster
is a fascinating read. It’s a mystical story...just as captivating as Yoru Sumino’s
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas.
A must-read for fans of the author and supernatural dramas!" --
Anime UK News
“At Night, I Became a Monster" by Yoru Sumino is a story about strange and unusual beings living in a classroom that has become a minefield.
In recent times, there have been many works that attempt to deconstruct and redefine the classic frameworks of relationships, such as love, romance, and marriage, with a focus on intimate relationships between individuals. Sumino's work also falls within this trend, featuring relationships that are "neither love nor romance." These relationships often surpass the conventional definitions of love and romance and reach a unique and one-of-a-kind state. “At Night, I Became a Monster" is the author's third work, depicting the interaction between a boy named Adachi who transforms into a monster covered in flowing black granules at night, and a girl named Yano who is bullied by her classmates.
In many works that deal with bullying as a theme, the victim of bullying is often portrayed as a prominent character with some attribute that makes it plausible for them to be bullied. In this work, Yano, who is being bullied, stutters and acts in a manner that hurts others unexpectedly and unnervingly, which leads her classmates, including Adachi, to see her as an incomprehensible strange being.
However, what makes “At Night, I Became a Monster" truly impressive is that Adachi, who is actually a much more pronounced monster than Yano, is buried among the rest of the classmates who observe the bullying. During the day, Adachi is confined to "appropriate behavior" in class, suppressing his individuality. The structure of the story, which constantly questions which of Adachi and Yano is the real monster, is deeply captivating.
Adachi and Yano meet at the school at night and spend their peaceful time together as if they were normal classmates. The reason for Adachi's transformation and Yano's deliberate behavior are not explained, and the story progresses without any explanation.
After reading the story which was not about bullying, one feels relieved and the heart is struck. Although the structure that breeds bullying is one of the pillars, it is not the main cause. The question of whether the boy who desperately tries to fit in with the rest of the group by reading the atmosphere or the monster that appears at midnight is the true him, is painfully vivid. The question of why he is torn between two, in the classroom of adolescence referred to as a minefield, makes one wonder how many children can live without having monstrous aspects.
When the two faces become one, the boy finally meets the girl as a complete individual. They are not lovers or perhaps not even friends. They are understanding, accomplices, and simply classmates. Nevertheless, it is too dazzling and sacred. It depicts the happiness of individuals facing each other sincerely across all types, which is a rare sensitivity that is overwhelmingly impressive.
Reviewer: Maru Ayase ( Bunshun Weekly)
Every night, Adachi transforms into a nightmarish creature—and every morning, he reverts to human form. When he encounters his ostracized classmate Yano Satsuki in his monstrous state, the two develop a peculiar bond. But daylight brings its own form of terrors. Which is worse, the monster at night, or the cruel realities of the classroom by day?
A psychological high school fantasy novel from Yoru Sumino, bestselling author of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas.
Sumino started writing in high school.They initially submitted a story for the Dengeki Novel Prize, however after not making it past the first round of selection, Sumino revised their writing style before writing I Want to Eat Your Pancreas; the manuscript ended up being too long to be submitted for the prize.They submitted the novel to the user-generated fiction website Shōsetsuka ni Narō in February 2014 under the pen name Yasumi Yano (夜野やすみ, Yano Yasumi) and got strong attention. They later officially debuted with the same work under Futabasha in 2015.
At Night, I Became a Monster
Genre :
Fiction
Original Language :
Japanese
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