- #1
Is this supposed to be funny? I haven't laughed, giggled, chuckled, or even smirked while reading this. This story isn't even funny unintentionally. Not a single situation in the first five chapters hint at comedy. The author expects readers to laugh at the absurdity of Ascal succeeding when he wants to fail, but the setup and punchline doesn't work with zero exaggeration. Ascal reacts to every situation with mild anxiety rather than an overblown meltdown. He continues to do his job, and his only plan is to go to his job with only a minor amount of tardiness. Even his co-workers are better examples of comedy by bringing pillows to sleep at their jobs, which would fit in a situational comedy sketch from The Office.Without humor, this novel has very little to offer in terms of plot or character development. The translation is done well. Unfortunately, the story is not worth the effort.