Volume 1 Discussion

The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria (light novel)

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Rating

Nov 18, 2018 10:54 AM

#101

Apple_BS

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Apr 2017

277

Ok, I just finished Volume 1 after having a overly high expectation, and I feel disappointed miserably.
The so called "mystery" is just the way the author wrote it with lots of incomplete, incorrect, purposely written in a confusing method, clues, like Sherlock Holmes, if most of the time it actually wrote in a proper way, there would be no mystery at all.
Clues given that way is not to create mystery, but just a way to confuse reader without actually create the mystery..
Then all the "mysteries" are solved without actually providing clues to the reader, but just suddenly popped unnatural things out of no where to solve the "misteries"
I came in expecting too much and I ended up very disappointed. If I set a better expectation, I might give it a 6 or 7, but it's a 4 for now.

Feb 21, 2019 2:14 AM

#102

removed-user

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Jul 2018

562347

My mind has been blown. Mikage loves misleading the reader, making them assume something false and creating a dissonance between what the characters know and what the reader knows, despite being written in first person. When it was revealed Mogi was the owner, I went back and re-read some of the previous scenes, and was amazed by how they were written so as to fool the reader, hiding the truth in plain sight but playing with your expectations so you wouldn't see it.

There's this one popular visual novel that does a similar thing. Won't name it, but I had some flashbacks to my experience with that. That story also loves misleading the reader and blowing your mind after revealing everything.

Another nice moment was Haruaki being O. It makes hell of a lot of sense, but I don't imagine anyone saw it coming.

Jun 18, 2019 5:04 PM

#103

Syureria

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Feb 2018

27109

I didn't expect Kazuki's relationship with Aya Otonashi to be a lover in a previous life.Otonashi Aya told all students in her class to write her name but the one who managed to answer it correctly was Kazuki. He filled paper ten centimeters long with Maria's answer.It turned out that the mastermind of the "Rejecting Classroom" was Kazuki. Aya Otonashi repeated 2,601 times just to stop the "Rejecting Classroom". The way to stop it yourself is also surprising, namely giving "A box" to Aya Otonashi or destroying the "box" along with the owner in other words Kazuki.The next day, more precisely on March 3, Haruaki was killed by a truck in a sad condition. His brain came out and his head was cut off.After Haruaki was killed by being hit by a truck in pengulanfan 2,601. The following day, more precisely on March 2, the 2,602 repetition that became the victim was Aya Otonashi who was hit by a truck. The incident continued in 4,609 repetitions. Haruaki was hit by a truck again, in repetition of 5,232. Kasumi Mogi was hit by a truck.

SyureriaJun 18, 2019 6:14 PM

Nov 20, 2019 2:20 PM

#104

lucio54

Panzer Vor!

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Jun 2014

459

It is realy a great read, my first novel so i can't say certainly, but i think that is realy great.

May 10, 2020 8:39 AM

#105

Auron

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Oct 2015

5920

Okay so that was interesting. It wasn't exactly what I'd call satisfying but very clever at times. I especially liked the author's aptitude in creating and placing red herrings. There's a point near midway of the story where we're granted an entry to the thoughts of the culprit and it's conjured in such a manner that it's so easy to mistake her thoughts as Otonashi's, same with Umaibo scene which was directly preceded by an unrelated scene of Kirino calling Hoshino, and it gives the illusion that the whole sequence is going on between those two and not the actual killer, Mogi. I think I needn't mention the kitchen scene.

Anyway on to the methodical analysis.

HakoMari Chapter 1 Takeaways:

A certain classroom is experiencing the same 2 days indefinitely. The phenomenon is suitably called Rejecting Classroom.
Our protagonist Hoshino was offered a pact with a being of unknown motivations (referred with * as a placeholder and as O later on) granting an all-powerful Box. However he refused. It is then inferred someone else accepted which brought about the conception of the Rejecting Classroom.
The catch of the Box is that, despite its omnipotence, its powers are limited by the user's beliefs. What the user genuinely thinks is impossible will be rendered impossible. Additionally, the Box is said to only enable the innate power of humans to envision and will something. It is "not some sort of special power" to quote from the Box-giver.
Otonashi has infiltrated the realm from outside to seize the Box and to destroy it. Her stated reason is that the culprit's wish and hers (that she also actualized with another Box before the events of the story) are incompatible with each other. She also said the actualization of her wish led to her losing all that is dear to her, which she wryly names Misbegotten Happinesss.
Hoshino could only retain certain elements of his memory, namely those that've been impactful to his psyche (A classmate's death, his confession to Kasumi, the name Maria) whereas Otonashi can, with effort, retain most, albeit it's mentally taxing.
According to Otonashi, the imperfections of the Rejection Classroom may be due to the fact that the Box had to reconcile the culprit's conflicting beliefs that time travel isn't possible and their craving to not let the time flow onward.
Otonashi posits that a Box-owner cannot die inside the realm s/he has created, and claims to have confirmed it through similar instances. With that she deduces that anyone who has died inside Rejecting Classroom like Kasumi, Hoshino—both of whom died in the truck accident in different transfers—and herself are innocent. One could add Haruaki to this but he's rejected and they retain no memory of him. This deduction however is, as shown later, flawed. That is because they wrongfully assumed that the victim of the truck accidents was dead.
The culprit turns out to be Mogi, who wanted to redo the last day to not have any regrets and gain the affection of Hoshino, and is driven to insanity by constant failures and O's manipulation, who assumed the role of Haruaki to toy with her, but his end-goal was to toy with Hoshino
The identification of O disguising as Haruaki and Otonashi's threat that Hoshino has "the ability to use any Box" results in O conceding and forfeiting Mogi's box for them to destroy. O also remarks in passing that, had Hoshino used His Box, Otonashi would also disappear as she's an inferior Box.

Points of Contention

Why is O fixated on Hoshino, what motivates Him? Is it because Hoshino doesn't desire change?
What is Misbegotten Happiness, why was her wish incompatible with Mogi's wish to redo March 2?
What is the origin of Boxes? Why is their functionality so oddly specific? If they're truly omnipotent, surely they could overwrite the user's will and belief system, why is not so?
Is Hoshino really normal? Why would he have the ability to use others' Boxes? And why would Otonashi also disappear in the event that O's box were to be used up?

AuronMay 10, 2020 8:51 AM

Jun 10, 2020 12:24 AM

#106

raulindefens

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Aug 2019

10/10, at the end everything felt clear, but i got lost myself sometimes on the Mogi/Kokone thing at the kitchen scene and whose was that flashback about feeling alone, when i kept reading i thought it was Kokone, but midways i started thinking it was Mogi, but I didnt know who was stabbing who... Pretty confusing sometimes but it was later resolved, probably my stupidity made me misunderstand some things xd

Jul 13, 2020 6:26 AM

#107

BlufaceBaby

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Mar 2020

1110

27,753 is how many times i fell asleep reading this

Floyd Mayweather English Tutor

Jan 3, 2021 6:26 AM

#108

86society

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Sep 2020

I feel relieved to know other people found it confusing too, otherwise I was considering dropping even though I very much enjoyed it but reading again and again and getting confused was a pain so I definitely feel better now after seeing this thread

Apr 28, 2021 12:18 PM

#109

Mr_Srijan

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Jun 2020

1628

I just finished Volume 1 and I have to say, it's easily one of the best I've read. This was so good, I couldn't stop reading this. I don't really know how people found it so confusing. Maybe I've read a lot of mystery novels, coz I didn't think it was that confusing. All in all, it was a perfect read. Certainly, one of the best Japanese works that I've read. Hope the other volumes are also as good as this.

Jul 25, 2021 3:22 PM

#110

removed-user

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Jul 2018

562347

Damn, I am in shock at what I just read. This is the fastest I've completed an ln volume, I did it over the course of 10 hours but without breaks that was a brisk read. I was mesmerized by this story immediately. The story, the characters, the world just felt so real almost immediately. The mystery in the beginning was wonderful and the slow reveals over the course of the last two thirds were done perfectly. Very eager to continue.

Jul 26, 2021 1:48 AM

#111

Rinkahai

Offline

Apr 2020

172

Patosaurus72 said:
Damn, I am in shock at what I just read. This is the fastest I've completed an ln volume, I did it over the course of 10 hours but without breaks that was a brisk read. I was mesmerized by this story immediately. The story, the characters, the world just felt so real almost immediately. The mystery in the beginning was wonderful and the slow reveals over the course of the last two thirds were done perfectly. Very eager to continue.

it turns out there is the same as me, I've never read LN before but because I was bored watching anime, I finally tried reading this and for some reason I can't stop reading. psychological stories that are very soul attacking and suspenseful dark themes, the most influential is how The role of the characters played is bReally edgy, Especially the character design I like it, hope to get an anime adaptation soon.

Aug 5, 2021 4:29 PM

#112

LordSozin

Offline

Jul 2019

4521

Well, the first volume was pretty quick read. The chapter structure is weird in a sense. As of right now, I don't understand the praise.

-[ ~♫~ ll Credit ]-

Oct 19, 2021 11:12 AM

#113

removed-user

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Jul 2018

562347

hm pretty cool tbh

Oct 15, 2022 3:46 PM

#114

SideCharacterKal

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Apr 2018

5485

I've tried several times to start a light novel and actually keep reading it from start to finish. I've just finished the first volume and I'm not sure how to review it or how to feel about it.

I'll just say what's on my mind. The concept with the boxes was interesting for sure. O mentioned that 99% of the owners of the box accepts the box but Kazuki was the sole person that rejected it. Which peaked his interest and thus his life full of problems started. I loved all the twists that happend. I always expected Haruaki or Mogi to be the culprit and turns out it was indeed (half) one of them.

But what I liked the most was surely the development in Kazuki's and Maria's character. How they've went from hating each other, to supporting each other and finally almost loving each other. The journey for them was endless which gave them enough time to understand each other perfectly. Maria's personality; cold but cheerful and imiditating. While Kazuki was potrayed as a weakling, but later had the confidence to stand up for himself. Daiya was also an interesting character. He's the smart guy of the group who pretty much knows everything.

I wasn't fond of Mogi or Kokone, they both felt like side-characters. Espically Mogi even though she had some time in the first volume. It felt like she was just a plot device and not actually a character.

Anyway, loving it so far. It took me around 4 to 5 hours to finish one volume. Not sure if it's good or bad.

“You yourself have to change first, or nothing will change for you!”

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Poll: » Volume 7 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) TheHollowShrine - Jul 7, 2015	254	by Randomega »» Jun 26, 2024 5:39 PM
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Poll: » Volume 5 Discussion RadiGen - Sep 3, 2013	38	by Randomega »» Jun 24, 2024 11:52 PM
» The missing volumes Perfectrockstar - Jul 4, 2021	7	by Alexioos95 »» Jun 7, 2024 10:33 PM
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