First published in Japan in 2008; published in translation by HarperVia on December 6, 2022

This thoroughly odd novel was apparently a hit in Japan, where it was adapted as an anime television miniseries (because Japan). I watched the trailer on YouTube and it’s, um, colorful? Anime rarely speaks to me, but different strokes.

The book was apparently followed by a “spiritual successor” and an actual sequel. The sequel also became an anime miniseries in Japan that has apparently been released in the US on Disney+ or Hulu. (I glean this information from Wikipedia so take it with a grain of salt.) The sequel (Tatami Time Machine) will be published in translation in 2023. I think I’ll give it a pass.

The novel is set in four parallel universes. It tells, at times, a somewhat interesting story. It is typical in a novel of this sort to illustrate how a life might be different if a person makes different choices. Tomihiko Morimi eschews the typical by imaging a character who makes similar mistakes and encounters similar misery in every life he lives. The story is, at times, so absurdist or surreal that it might have been inspired by Borges.

The unnamed narrator is a college student who, in each universe, is beginning his junior year, having accomplished nothing during his first two years. He is pretty much the same guy in each reality. He consistently lives in a four-and-a-half tatami room and he always has a porn collection. Ozu is always his friend and a man Ozu calls “Master” always lives above him. He always reads Jules Verne. Some passages, including his description of the regret he feels for wasting his first two years at the university, are repeated verbatim in each section.

The stories diverge in other details. In each universe, he flashes back to his first year in college, when he examined flyers for student clubs and, although they all seemed “pretty shady,” chose one he would later abandon. He makes a different choice in each universe. The first is a film club called Ablutions. In the second universe, he becomes a disciple of Master Higuchi (although for two years, the narrator is not sure what kind of disciple he was). The third is the Mellow Softball Club. In the last universe, the narrator joins an underground organization, Lucky Cat Chinese Food, and more particularly, the Library Police, a suborganization that has taken on the life of an intelligent organization.

The narrator sees the clubs as opportunities to expand his nonexistent social contacts. The narrator has limited social skills, which might explain why he ends up making friends only with Ozu, a troublemaker who might or might not be a good companion. In the third universe, he practices conversation with Ozu’s love doll; in the fourth, a plot is afoot to kidnap the doll. In the first, the narrator calls himself the Obstructor of Romance because of his unsuccessful love life. A mysterious fellow “who dared call himself a god” is apparently trying to decide whether to play cupid with the narrator or his friend Ozu. The god is not clear that either of them are worthy of Akashi, a judgmental engineering student who (in some universes, at least) makes a “positive impression” on the narrator.

The god tells the narrator that he ties and unties the red threads of destiny each year. That’s quite a job, but the god seems to tie and untie them in nearly the same way in each universe. While the details vary, the narrator’s life always begins with hope and seems to end with a feeling of lost opportunities. In repeated universes, a fortune teller advises the narrator to seize chances. He finds it difficult to heed that advice. He knows he should ditch Ozu, who is something of an albatross, and pursue paths to happiness — perhaps Akashi — but the narrator is incapable of overcoming his social ineptness. Even moths are better at socializing than the narrator.

The last section creates a source of hope in a bleak story. The narrator finds himself in a labyrinth (hence the Borges comparison) consisting of endless four-and-a-half tatami rooms. The contents are not always identical (Ozu’s love doll appears from time to time) and some might come from one of the other realities, but the food supply (fish burgers and sponge cake) is always the same. The narrator makes infinite decisions during the 80 days he spends wandering through the rooms, creating the possibility of infinite fates, but his fate always seems to be another four-and-a-half tatami room. In the end, an escape changes the narrator’s life, but he won’t talk about that drivel because (as he observed in another reality), “There’s nothing so worthless to speak of as a love mature.”

I’m not sure what to make of The Tatami Galaxy. The novel alternates between being engaging and boring. The narrator is frustrating in his incapacity for change until he changes. The idea of living a life in alternate realities is a clever variation on the venerable time loop story, but the final journey through a labyrinth piles fantasy on top of fantasy and distracts from the story’s point, assuming Morimi had one. Maybe I need to watch the anime miniseries to make sense of it all, but lacking the motivation to do that, I’ll leave it to readers to form their own conclusions.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

This has a very intriguing premise, yet it failed in execution. I heard that it is based on an anime, which is precisely what I thought while reading it. It feels like an anime, but I'm not sure it works as a novel. I will probably check out the show one day because I'm intrigued.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Tomihiko Morimi's "The Tatami Galaxy" is, in short, a surreal story about a college student who goes on an adventure of a lifetime.

I applied for an ARC of this because of the anime by Masaaki Yuasa which I loved and fully expected to get that sort of whimsy and angst-ridden fun in the original novel. It's difficult because I didn't necessarily hate this book, I just had a much more difficult time connecting to the unnamed MC. Morimi really shines in this novel with his use of imagery and just the strangeness of the story and the events that take place. I personally didn't like the MC and I didn't really care about his journey but I liked all of the side characters.

Overall, I think if you liked the anime, you may enjoy this for the most part. Unfortunately for me, I just didn't find it as memorable as the anime.

It’s a standard parallel universe what-if story, but it’s safe to say it’s better than most. And ahh it was nice to have something unexpected there at the end. It made the means all the more worth it.

Thank you for this opportunity!

There’s reason behind every decision one makes. A mere placing down of an object like a phone or cup can result in a chain of events that could lead to one’s great fortune or even demise. Author Tomihiko Morimi understands this well, as he places an emphasis on every action of his unnamed protagonist in the 2004 novel The Tatami Galaxy. What follows is a trippy tale of a man fighting against destiny to make something better of himself.

The Tatami Galaxy has our unnamed hero having four different experiences that result in the same outcome. Much of it has the same premise: the hero joins a club, befriends a weirdo named Ozu, and the zaniness commences. In one instance, it’s a film club; another time, a laid-back softball club. But it all links together towards an explosive outcome involving the hero, Ozu, the girl Akashi, and every enemy Ozu makes.

Much of the narrative repeats itself in a similar fashion as either Groundhog Day or Yasmina Reza’s play Life X 3. Whether it’s conversations, Ozu’s quips, or a sudden moth attack, much of these repeated situations links to something grander and explosive. However, it’s the ominous Fortune Teller that sets things into play for the anonymous protagonist, using the word “Colosseo” as a key to everything that’s about to happen. What is this “Colosseo”? Well, it depends on the timeline!

What doesn’t change within The Tatami Galaxy timelines — outside of the overall outcome — are the characters. It’s clear that the unnamed hero has some sort of ego problem, albeit one that causes only minor problems and not major. Ozu is clearly an awful person, but has a certain kind of mannerism that makes it hard to shake him off. Akashi is blunt and to the point, but knows when to show a bit more kindness when it’s needed. Then there’s Higuchi (AKA “Master”), whose actions in the first timeline may actually be the reason behind why the hero keeps repeating scenarios over and over again.

However, while the first three scenarios are similar in their execution, the final one is where things get weird…er. The hero finds himself stuck in a never-ending loop of tatami rooms, as he seeks a way out. He finds some good aspects (finding a ¥1000 bill in each one makes him richer, an endless supply of castella cake), but also some bad aspects (no toilet, nobody but a sex doll to talk to). Yet in its own weird and wild way, this last part manages to reveal many of the mysteries behind the anomalies from the first three.

While The Tatami Galaxy can be confusing at times, its sharp humor keeps it from being a headache to read. The antics Ozu and the hero get into feel cartoonish, but in a way that comes off as believable. Situations involving rival club members and love letters have a good mixture of shock value and hilarity. Then there’s Akashi, who takes everything at face value, but knows when to showcase a humorous cold side when people (i.e. Ozu) deserve it.

It may not be Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, but The Tatami Galaxy is a wild and imaginative trip towards meaning and purpose. Although there are some Japan-exclusive aspects of this tale, it’s presented in a way that makes it worldly inclusive. After all, we’ve all experienced something out of the ordinary in our college lives. The Tatami Galaxy simply amplifies that strangeness to a crazy-yet-relatable degree, in ways that make it stand out from the rest of the coming-of-age narratives out there.

Before I begin this review, I would like to thank HarperVia and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title.

Have you or someone you knew had a moment in your life where you asked yourself a question like “What would have it been like if I pursued that job?” or, “What might have it been like if I chose to marry my Highschool Sweetheart?” In Tomihiko Morimi’s The Tatami Galaxy, we get to look at those realities in a new light.

In this novel, an unnamed junior at a prestigious university in Kyoto is on the verge of dropping out of college. After rebelling against a dictatorial jock-president of the film club, he and his only friend, who was described as the worst, and a creep named Ozu are now personas non-grata on campus.

After two years of making the wrong decisions, our protagonist is about to make another mistake. He and Ozu prepare for revenge, a fireworks attack on the film club’s welcoming party for new members. Then, a chance encounter with a self-proclaimed god sets the confused and distraught young man on a new course. A realm of possibilities opens for our protagonist. As time begins to rewind, and from the four-and-a-half-mat tatami floor of his dorm room, he is plunged into a series of adventures that will take him to four parallel universes. In each universe, he is allowed to start over as a freshman in search of rose-colored campus life.

Here is a fun fact about this novel for those who aren’t familiar with this series, it is the inspiration behind the beloved anime series (and also the one currently on Hulu.) I would describe this novel as one that blends dark comedy, psychological and romantic comedy into a thrilling story.

In my opinion, part of this story reflects how people thought before making a decision, trying to think out every possibility of what could have been or what might have been. Life is unpredictable, and opportunities hide in places that you don’t expect, but when it comes, you must seize them. This story offers a beautiful way of communicating a message to its readers, and that is one of the reasons that this series is one of the most memorable to fans.

Stars: 2.75/5.0

It's not that this was a terrible book, but I can definitely see where this was originally an anime/manga. I believe the conversion to a book makes it a bit more difficult to keep my interest. Especially as we were seeing certain elements of the story being repeated. That being said, I do understand and actually appreciate how it repeated to show how it there was an interconnected storyline. But eventually the redundancy did make me remove myself from the story.

That being said, the way in which the storyline came together in the end was good. The way in which the different universes were brought together was what did kept me coming back to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harpervia for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was fine but not what I expected from the synopsis. The writing read far too dry to be enjoyable.

I expected to love this! But I just. Didn’t.

I found the writing style to be odd and I struggled to get into it. I found the main character to be kind of unlikeable. And quite frankly, I spent a lot of time bored because this was very repetitive.

The concept of this is very interesting. The things like lore about the gods or about the red strings or anything along the more fantastical aspect were neat. I wanted more of that! And less of college boy wants to live a fulfilled life. I suppose I didn’t really know what I was getting into with this book, and that’s definitely on me!

I’d say this is definitely aimed more toward people who want a character centric story and less around a fast moving plot or a lot of action.

Tatami Galaxy is a novel that is described as dark comedy, psychological, and romantic comedy.

The story is about a young man in college and he goes through parallel universes where he is in a different student society in each.

This book is very different from what I usually read.

The book inspired an anime with 11 episodes.

Fascinating and mystifying book that felt like a puzzle. But it was a good book and worth reading it. And I liked ti pretty much.

So this one ended up being okay for me. Even though I liked the concept of the story, this one wasn't for me, but I'm pretty sure I will tune in for the anime which was released a couple of years ago.

Wow... This book was so weird, but I was definitely into it. It is not an easy read by any means, and definitely drags in a lot of places, but I am so glad I stayed with it.

You don't need a whole lot of plot summary get into it, and actually the less said might be the better. What you do need to know is that a LOT won't make sense at first, but it mostly comes full circle by the end. I picked it up based on the comp Midnight Library meets Groundhog's Day, which is fairly accurate, but it doesn't come near to describing the weirdness of The Tatami Galaxy.

I would say pick this up if that comp sounds good to you, but you should also have some familiarity/interest in Japan, as much os the story is really specific to Japanese culture and terminology. You can tell it's translated, as it feels a little clunky at times, but I can imagine that this was an extremely difficult book to translate.

Pick up if you like weird/quirky/different books!

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me--It's just not my jam. It's a shame because I enjoy the anime series. But it's a different experience spending so much time inside the main character's head. I don't gel with his internal voice, so it was difficult for me to read. I ended up stopping about 1/3 of the way through.
I by no means think this book is bad. There are interesting characters and imagery. I also found parts funny. Written in a different style, I believe I'd quite enjoy it. It's just one of those things.

I tried. I really did..but wow the translation is so awkward in this book. Every ling feels stiff and forced. I understand there is a level of whimsy to The Tatami Galaxy, but it comes across as chaotic and confusing in the translation. The writing style is isolating and disconnected. I feel like (I could be wrong) this book was translated very literally, leaving very little room for graceful flow. I have also heard this is common with a number of light novels. In any case, it did hurt my enjoyment of the story.

The Tatami Galaxy by Tomihiko Morimi takes the reader on a wild ride through a Tokyo college student’s life. It’s The Catcher in the Rye meets Groundhog Day as we follow an unnamed narrator through the biggest decision of his college life: which club to join Freshman year. He’s an overthinker with a dream of having a “rose-colored, meaningful campus life.” Is he willing to work hard for it? Not really. Is he willing to challenge himself? Definitely not. Does he spend an inordinate amount of time brooding about it? You bet.

We follow our hero through a series of do-overs and an endless stream of four-and-a-half-mat tatami rooms (the measure of his dorm room in tatami mats). What could his life have been like? Will he learn something? Will he ever meet a black-haired maiden or someone other than his yokai friend Ozu? Reader, you should give this book a go and find out.

I appreciated the Jules Verne references, the peek into (surely a very unrealistic) Japanese college life, and the food descriptions. I definitely googled castella cake to figure out what it would taste like and where I could get some. The ending was surprisingly satisfying. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves sci-fi, manga, anime, Groundhog Day plots (a favorite of mine!), college life, or Japanese culture.

I give it 8/10 stars and look forward to watching the Anime when it comes to Disney+ later this year.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Tatami Galaxy is a mind blowing fantasy tale that inspire an anime series. Morimi writes well and pulls the reader right into the story. Overall, I wish there was less repetition in the storyline but it was an okay read. 3/5.
Thank you HarperVia and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The Tatami Galaxy” by Tomihiko Morimi is a novel that inspired the popular anime with the same name. In this book, we follow an unnamed narrator through four different scenarios of how his life would be if he would have chosen a different club to join in when he started college. We see him go through the same amount of time in each scenario and see that while some things change, some things also stay the same.

I love science fiction and the idea of multiverses always intrigues me. I’m also making an effort to try and read a larger variety of books this year and this translated book definitely fit that goal. There were things about this book this I enjoyed but I think overall, it did fall a little flat for me.

I read a few reviews that complained about the repetitive nature of the narrative and while I can see that getting old, I really enjoyed it. The callbacks to the previous scenarios were fun parallels and gave the reader the sense that no matter what you change in life, some things are going to happen regardless. This book also felt like an anime to me. My favorite anime/manga stories are usually the ones that are more contemporary with a light sci-fi or fantasy element. There are also a lot of references to Japanese food and culture that I always enjoy reading about.

A lot of what I didn’t like about this book may have just been the translation. The unnamed main character isn’t really relatable so I could not connect to him enough to really care about his different choices. The writing felt very stilted but that could be due to the translation.

Overall this was an interesting take on the multiverse trope that didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I do think that the anime would be fun to watch.

The Tatami Galaxy is a great time-shifting novel that discusses "what-if" your life went a different way. The sci-fi was not too heavy either.

Unfortunately I didn't vibe with this, both the plot and the writing style just seemed off. I didn't like the repetitiveness of the events either. I'm always interested in translated works, but this one was a miss for me.