Reading Report: 27 November 2022
Just a cosy one this week. I was pretty busy with real life drama and missed two reading days so being able to read over 100 pages of the LN still feels like an accomplishment. I read part of Summertime Rendering 2026 異聞百景 which technically, sort of has spoilers for the state of the world of Summertime Rendering post-anime so if you'd like to be pure maybe avoid reading. I also read Chainsaw Man vol 12 but it's purely a vibes-based report for that, no mention of characters or events.
サマータイムレンダ2026異聞百景: 108 pages Read all the way through two more short stories: One about a haunted car, and another about a cursed painting. Haunted car: The basic plot was pretty straight-forward; a car appears to be uncontrollable and unpredictable and is rumoured to be haunted. Hizuru gets curious and buys the car and as more information comes out the truth is discovered. There is a short cameo by Shinpei, who hasn't been seen since Summertime Rendering. The theme of this story is sort of about what it means to find your calling in life. There are a lot of mentions of how different characters met during the story interact with their jobs, and Haine feels some anxiety about not knowing what she wants to be once she finishes University. Cursed painting: So far this was my favourite of the surface stories. Hizuru is approached by her editor, Goura, who says "I discovered this painting that's totally cursed, I'll tell you where you can have a look" which of course ends with Hizuru buying the painting and her and Haine doing another investigation. I liked the small caveat that the original painter is not only still alive but has a minor role in the story, and while the conflict does get resolved sort of as soon as it begun... it still has a nice emotional arc I appreciated. The theme felt a bit more loose this time but I think the repeated thought was meant to be "what money can't buy" as (spoilers) the whole scam was sort of a money-making thing by the 骨董品店長 and Terada Chris Underwood (the painter) suffered a loss that can't be recovered no matter how much money he makes with the scam. The end of the story also has Haine trying to recreate the painting from memory and struggling despite her having a photographic memory, another motif of being unable to rely on things just coming to you I guess.
チェーンソーマン Vol 12 (no spoilers, just vibes) I finally read the latest full volume release. The setup following Vol 11 drew me in way more than I expected it would. The way new characters are introduced felt natural and shows Fujimoto's strength as a character writer really well.