Meter Ratings

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Meter Ratings 〰️

Overall Book Vibes:

Immaculate

Trigger Warnings:

violence, injury, death, loss, mental health issues, divorce, arranged marriage, cancer, childbirth, infertility, consensual sex

Summary

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Summary 〰️

On one of the side streets of Tokyo, there exists a ramen shop that always has a line out of its door. Some patrons enter, order, and have a delicious meal. Others step through the door and find that they’re in a pawnshop where they are greeted by an elderly bespectacled man, his diligent daughter, and a cup of tea. They find themselves taking a seat in this strange little shop and telling the man of their biggest regret, handing it over like an object to trade, and leaving with no memory of what they had just given away.

It is in this same pawnshop that our main character, Hana, awakes one morning hungover, promoted, and alone for perhaps the first time in her life. On her first day as the pawnshops proprietor, she stumbles downstairs to find the shop ransacked, something missing, the door open, and her father gone.

While she tries to make sense of the scene before her, a striking stranger, Keishin, walks through the door and, though expecting a delicious ramen meal, declares he wants to help.

Together, Hana and Keishin leave the shop to traverse Hana’s peculiar, magical world. While they search for answers, they discover different truths that could change the very fabric of Hana’s life. By jumping through rain puddles, running from malevolent enforcers, and waiting for a train that may never come, the two of them manage to find little pieces of themselves in their search for someone else. But the question remains: can they both accomplish this quest unscathed?

My Review

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My Review 〰️

Listen, I grew up watching Studio Ghibli movies. I was obsessed with Howl’s Moving Castle. I was in love with ‘The Cat Returns.’ I wanted to be Nausicaa. So, when I picked up this book, marketed to be a Studio Ghibli movie in novel form, I had high expectations.

‘Water Moon’ exceeded every single one.

In true Hayao Miyazaki form, it was able to toe the line between cozy and terrifying. Hana’s world is whimsical and beautiful, someplace I’d want to spend time in if Shiikuin weren’t around to drag rule-breakers to their deaths. It is intoxicating. It is dark. It has its inhabitants traveling via puddles and invites us to suspend disbelief at every turn. Discovering more of this world alongside Hana and Kei had me feeling like I was stepping into a comforting dream that, at points, became a Japanese folklore nightmare. I was fascinated the entire way through.

And these CHARACTERS. The story is driven forward by world exploration and its overarching mystery, and I found myself becoming really glad we are led by Hana and Kei. Their differences lie in the magnitude of their choices - Hana’s entire life has already been mapped out, while Kei is searching for what he truly wants. Witnessing them blend their beliefs together and help each other see life from a different perspective felt natural to me. I did not feel an overwhelming connection to either of them, yet the way they were written was very true to the style of folklore – making us feel as if we are witnessing a fever dream.

The overarching theme of this book revolves around choices. It’s about the decisions we make, and how our regrets shape ourselves and our lives. This spoke to me on a cellular level, as someone who cycles between being frozen by decisions and being filled with regret, and the way this theme was wrapped up by the end was not only satisfying, but also so very real.

Samantha Sotto Yambao used this book as an opportunity to pull us deep into her imagination. Does it sometimes feel like an acid trip? Yes. Is there a bit of a jarring juxtaposition between the scenery of the world and its darker elements? Sure. Did that, in my opinion, add to how much I loved it? 100%.

This book has a fascinating world, a thrilling adventure, a captivating mystery, and characters that I rooted for the entire way. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants to be immersed in a Studio Ghibli-esque tale.

Overall Rating on my shelf: 5/5

Favorite Quotes

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Favorite Quotes 〰️

“Time has no borders except those people make.”

— Page 3

“This had been the best thing about learning English. Books didn’t tire from answering his questions. They taught him that darkness was a human limitation, our eyes’ failure to see the entire spectrum of light.”

— Page 80

“And you are an ocean, Hana. Gentle and quiet, yet powerful enough to sweep away any man or ship. I drowned in you a long time ago and I did not even know it.”

— Page 226

“Maps are more of an art form than a science. They are designed at the discretion of their makers. Some things are shrunk, others are enlarged, some places are kept, and some are left out. We draw thick red lines around spaces we claim as our own as if we could actually see where one space ended and another began. But borders are simply constructs. They exist only in our minds.”

— Page 284