Book Girl and the Captive Fool (light novel) (Volume 3)

I had heard some comments about the irony of how Book Girl and the Captive Fool was still really dark but yet was the most light-hearted of the series so far. I read it and I have to agree. Despite the pain and heartache characters suffer, it was still the most cheerful ending, which kinda says something about what type of series this is. I normally don't like this type of angsty series, yet author Mizuki Nomura just somehow makes it work and I ended up really enjoying the series. Maybe it's how the characters really seem more "real" than in other books, or maybe it's the magical realism angle. It could be just that the two main characters, Konoha and Tohko, the titular "Book Girl" (a goblin who eats books), are so fascinating. I'm not entirely sure. One part I know I like is the way that Tohko always sticks her nose into other peoples' business to help them, out of a wierd mix of reasons. She's not entirely selfless OR selfish. She is a complex character that is always bratty, a little bossy and insufferable, yet ultimately sweet and someone the reader can't help but like. By this volume, Konoha is finally starting to care more and want to help others under Tohko's influence and friendship. Yup, this is definitely part of it. Watching a supernatural creature go around eating books but otherwise doing mundane things and using a brilliant intellect to solve mysteries to help folks psychologically is just such a mish-mash of genres that I just find myself fascinated. This time, Tohko ropes Konoha's classmate and uncertain friend, Akutagawa, into helping with the play she wants the "Book Club" of their high school to put on at the culture festival. Such clubs and festivals are a big thing in Japan, by the by. Unfortunately, since only her and Konoha are in the BC, she needs more people. Helping out are Kotobuki, Konoha's tsundere classmate, and Takeda, someone they helped in the first book when she was in the depths of despair. At first, things seem normal enough, at least for this bunch. Hmmm. Maybe that should have been the first clue for Konoha that something had to happen. But slowly a mystery unfolds around harmful actions that Akutagawa is taking in his life and an emotional crisis that is spiraling out of control. There could be real, and fatal, consequence if Tohko and Konoha can't find a way to help him in time. For those who like the darker tone of the series, don't worry, it's still plenty dark. But sometimes you need your bittersweet endings to be, perhaps, a tad bit less bitter and more sweet. That would be the case here. The only problem I had with the story is something that the author herself admits in the Afterword, which is the treatment of Nanase Kotobuki as a character. The author built up some major stuff for her part of the storyline (and from what she said in the afterword and I know from spoilers since this series is completed, Nomura had the storyline planned out), and then just let it fizzle out for now. I can understand that this is likely due to length, but it is quite frustrating. Other than that, no real complaints. This was a dark, but quite fun and ultimately happy, story. I quite Highly Recommend it.

If you enjoy slice of life, complex characters, intense emotionality and explorations of modern societal ills through the lenses of classic literature both Eastern and Western, this is a series not to sleep on. If only the graphic novels were available in English and the animation involved the entirety of episodes and storyline. The perfect blend of shockingly grim and heart-warming uplift, in the vein of, akin to a less graphic and traumatizing tone of series like Higurashi, Elfen Lied. Also very parallel to popular young adult English programming like Thirteen Reasons, Kids, Ginny and Georgia. Can't wait to read next volume, will be sad when I finish this series, highly recommended! Oh, and dang does this author know how to cliffhanger...

This entry was a little confusing at times, but ultimately this volume continued the high quality of storytelling that I've come to expect from this series. First let me go into what I found occasionally confusing about Captive Fool. I think that this was the first volume where I could tell that this was first published chapter by chapter in a magazine. Why? Because each chapter had a cliffhanger/teaser element to it that didn't entirely illuminate what had been previously mentioned. I'd probably chalk this up to the letters by Akutagawa more than anything else. This isn't really a spoiler, as the book makes it very clear early on that these are written by him, but I'll refrain from commenting overly much on their content. The problem is that while the letters do a very good job of showing how scattered, manic, and occasionally depressive his thoughts are, they're also confusing. This might have been done on purpose at times, but occasionally I thought that they sort of took more away from the story than they added to it. In the end I think that this volume was more of a way to begin the introduction of Miu, the girl that has haunted Konoha for so long. She isn't introduced here, but the elements here make Konoha think of her more than ever- which didn't go unnoticed by the people around him. It reinforces that I think that Nanase is ultimately the best girl for him as opposed to Tohko. Our Book Girl might be better for him writing-wise, but Nanase is the person who I think would really support him emotionally in the long run. I'd definitely recommend this for fans of light novels and the series, although I would say that they start with the first volume. You can read this without really losing out on much from the previous volumes, as those were mostly just there to introduce the main cast of characters and overlying plot arc of Konoha's past. However at the same time, there are small subtle things that readers might miss out on that would make a fairly big difference in how this book plays out for them.

I have not been disappointed by this series. I was a little skeptical when I picked the first volume up (I had never been attracted to light novels), but I'm glad I opened it up. This volume is just as exciting as the other two. I can now see how this series is classified as shounen, though. There are quite a few morbid descriptions that have caused me to gasp and squirm. For that reason, this may be a bit much for young readers. But the author has created very interesting characters, and I enjoy watching them interact with each other. They all have different personalities depending on whom they are speaking with (which is true of us all, no?), and it can be a shock to see people you thought were quiet and noble or sweet and cheery turn into completely different characters. I also am continuing to love the references to all kinds of literature. It makes me want to read every book Touko goes on about. To sum it up, I am simply devouring this book, and anyone who enjoys psychology and mystery will surely feel the same way.

My sister loved it!

The stories in each volume of Book Girl are self-contained, fill the reader in on important character traits and could stand alone fairly well, but this story really gains dimensions by building off of established characters and plotlines in the previous books, so I really recommend starting at the beginning. Our usual protagonists are at the center of Book Girl and the Captive Fool - the self-styled "book girl" (who happens to be a literature loving and eating goblin in schoolgirl form) Tohko and her force recruited book club junior Konoha (whose responsibilities revolve around writing Tohko snacks). They often get caught up in mysterious happenings involving other students. As I've warned before, providing an accurate summary of the series' premise and its main characters is a bit misleading in that it makes the books sound much different in approach and tone than they are. The stories do not much deal with Tohko's "unusual" appetite nor explain it. Her love of literature is much more relevant. And the weirdness of the premise seems to point towards light, happy-go-lucky stories. This could not be farther from the truth. The Book Girl series is VERY dark and addresses extremely heavy themes. They are great reads featuring compelling characters and are laced with bits of humor here and there, but know going in that this is much more psychological thriller territory than madcap adventures. This third book features Konoha getting dragged into Tohko's outrage driven investigation into a recent string of book vandalism presented in parallel with horrific letters written by someone having urges to perform mutilations beyond paper. After Famished Spirit I wasn't sure the series could get creepier or more intense. I was wrong. Captive Fool escalates things several notches, keeping the reader guessing about who knows and is responsible for what as the character barrel closer and closer towards tragedy. As usual there is a thematic literary tie-in, which is exquisitely used and integrated into unfolding events. Everything came togther beautifully and this is easily my favorite of the series so far. We have several recurring characters show up along with some strong new ones introduced and all of them have distinct personalities and motivations. There were no easy answers to the things that trouble them and they get scared, make wrong decisions sometimes, struggle to deal with the consequences of their pasts, etc. The author is excellent at dropping in little hints and retelling things we already know something about in a slightly different way that gives more information. It adds a lot of depth and intrigue because the reader is effortlessly learning more about the overarching plots and the characters' long term problems while being firmly engaged with the current story. And Captive Fool is a fantastic one. A tense, chilling atmosphere is kept throughout, the writing and translation are as impressive as ever, and I ended every chapter dying to know what was going to happen next. The climax of the unfolded in a wonderfully unique way that did justice to the all the preceding build up. Then just as my emotions were calming down the epilogue floored me with major developments that are likely to be felt throughout the rest of the series. I will admit that it quite often wasn't an easy read, and I don't mean from a technical perspective (the writing flows wonderfully) but rather because of the subject matter. At the risk of repeating myself too much the story goes to dark, unsettling places and our characters are in for a lot of angst and emotional and mental turmoil. So fair warning - this is a brutal ride. If you can handle it though Captive Fool is simply phenomenal and it's well worth accompanying the characters through their suffering. Highest possible recommendation.

The Book Girl series is compelling literature, stepped in the idea of "books" for readers who love books for themselves. Perfect gift for a book-loving tween or teen.

My students enjoyed it.