Friday, January 2, 2026

hammajang luck by makana yamamoto

Writing 

  • Lack of atmosphere - no grunge 
  • No cyberpunk aspects or interesting tech, just a contemporary company 
  • Writing is boring. Overly expository, like a light novel. Explanation of character's thoughts. A list of details does not suffice as "description". (list of what someone's wearing or physical characteristics. Just a menu, rather than describing the food as actually tasting good. Sex scene play by play) 
  • No suspense. 
  • No character work. No personalities or unique voices. 

 

Structure 

  • Plot wise there are no stakes. Not exciting. No reason to continue reading 
  • No lasting repercussions/consequences 
  • "interpersonal tension" driven solely by miscommunication, like a bad rom com. No reason to root for the couple. ("chemistry"??) 
  • Fails to show why the protagonists actions were necessary or any positive effect 
  • "ensemble cast" is very lame and I don't know why the author thought these characters would come across as intriguing or lovable!! 

 

Themes 

  • Characters being "good and bad" more simplistic than a children's book
  • What was the point to setting it in space? Was the Sci fi just thrown in for marketing purposes? 
  • I'm mad bc I got tricked into reading a litrpg "novel". 
  • Did the book even manage to say anything about Hawaiian/diasporic culture or identity? 
  • Author just thinks oceans 8 is exciting and no deeper thoughts.
  • Who is even the target audience?

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