For the third week of this month’s LN reading program, we will discuss the final act of The Isolator (volume 1) and Twilight-Colored Song User (volume 1). I'll try to keep my thoughts short this week, as I'll likely be writing reviews for these novels at some point.
The Isolator
The final act of The Isolator‘s opening volume pits Minoru against Takaesu once more, only to be followed by a climactic battle with the Biter’s “third eye.” That final transformation went a much more horrific direction than I was expecting from this story, but I felt it added quite a bit of intensity to the action that took place in general. All in all this story turned out a much more interesting read than I first anticipated, and I think that’s primarily due to the author taking the time to show the “evolution” behind the protagonist and antagonist’s respective roles.
Discussion Points
Any thoughts on how the story played out in general? I think there are several points worth looking into:
- the thought process behind Takaesu’s revenge plan, and the actions Minoru took to counteract it
- Minoru’s conclusion that defeating Takaesu would entail having to kill him (a darker take on things than is typical for YA protagonists)
- Takaesu’s flashbacks gradually revealing his attachment to sharks and biting (and most surprisingly [and interestingly] to me, the reveal of how his cannibalism tied back to his birth and childhood)
- just how much the “ruby eyes” affect their hosts, and whether or not the “jet eyes” are being manipulated to some degree as well
- Minoru’s decision to join Yumiko and DD’s organization, and his request to have everyone forget him upon concluding his work for them
Also, there are certainly more than a couple mysteries that have not been solved, but will likely be delved into for future volumes (e.g. anything regarding Yumiko, the identity of the killer of Takaesu’s family, why the “third eyes” came to Earth and are using specific individuals as hosts, etc). There’s plenty there for speculation, and an unusual kind of overarching internal conflict that will be in play via the protagonist’s desire to one day disappear from everyone’s lives. I find it an interesting setup at the very least–would like to hear other readers’ thoughts on this matter.
Twilight-Colored Song User
Overall I found Song User to have a rather straightforward series of events for its final act. Not much in the way of big surprises–but I still found it a nice little romp to read through. The story hit all the right notes for having an epic finale, at the very least. Kluele summoning a phoenix, Arma turning into a dragon, Neight summoning his mother, and Xins unleashing his “true” rainbow-colored magic–it all worked well for this sort of fantasy story. I was glad that each of the major characters was given a role to play.
Discussion Points
Any takes on the final message for this volume in general? How did the circumstances behind this final act bring about this series of miracles?
Who is the eponymous “twilight-colored song user”? In what ways (and to what degree) has Evhemary achieved her goal of creating the new style of magic? How do Neight’s ambitions fit into this?
Do you feel the characters’ personalities tie in to their color of magic? (As reference: Kluele — red, Neight — twilight, Mio — green, Xins — rainbow, Evhemary — twilight.) Also, anything to note in how the twilight-colored magic seems to have stemmed from red?
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As mentioned before, feel free to discuss any point you would like to bring up about either (or both) of these two books. General impressions, predictions for how the stories will play out, some compare/contrast between the two books, or any random observations and things you'd like to analyze are all fair game.