Tokyo Love by Diana Jean

Tokyo Love by Diana Jean

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is the 60th book I’ve read (well 60th on my reread shelf, I’ve not always ‘properly’ recorded rereads, and some of those 60 rereads are of the same book), and 2nd time I’ve read this book here. Still only the first book I’ve read by this author, though.

This is a near future story set roughly 30 years in the future in the 2040s, in (mostly) Tokyo Japan. Starring an American woman from the Midwest named Kathleen Schmitt who works as the director of a the software part of a special project developing Personal Love Companions (a combination of a robot and a love doll designed to mimic real people – in feel and personality). Kathleen is seen through the eyes of herself and Yuriko Vellucci (more on Yuriko later). I mention so I can then mention that Kathleen is described as having especially kinky hair (the kind where someone’s hand will get trapped inside of it if they try to run their hand through the hair), especially chubby and having oversized breasts. There are comments made about how Kathleen, as an American, is ‘larger’ than the normal person seen in Japan (this is where my earlier comment about the POV being Kathleen’s and Yuriko’s leads me to note that a self-assessment (Kathleen’s) is suspect, and Yuriko, even though half-American and having spent years in the USA, hasn’t been there in years and is out of practice ‘judging’ Americans).

Right. So. Kathleen works as the director, as noted, and has been in Japan for about three months now. Knows roughly three words of Japanese, and has come to realize that just because many Japanese know English, that doesn’t mean she and they could communicate fluently. Which is important because the story opens with her trapped in the Japanese metro/transit/train system and is freaking out. In the middle of berating and yelling at a help kiosk Kathleen is saved by the other main character – Yuriko (I stop for a moment to include the part where the help kiosk is designed to be available to be used in many languages, including English, but was having trouble understanding Kathleen).

Yuriko, as previously noted, is half-American (and not previously mentioned, half-Japanese). Works on the same project Kathleen is working on, but in a different division (Kathleen is software, Yuriko is hardware).

Yuriko & Kathleen become friendly and bump into each other every once in a while. Their ‘bumping into each other’ picks up when Kathleen ends up being the pre-beta tester of a Personal Love Companion (against her wishes), and Yuriko gets pulled into the situation for several reasons.

This is where I mention that: 1) Kathleen has no desire to have the PLC, but can’t say no; 2) the PLC is made based on a brain scan – the ‘perfect’ companion is created based on the scan; 3) Kathleen is 200% heterosexual (not 100% because she is very very adamant that she is heterosexual and nothing but); 4) Kathleen’s PLC is: a) female; b) looks exactly like Yuriko.

Yuriko, Kathleen, and Ai (the name the PLC gives herself) then proceed to interact, explore feelings and ideas, be fluffy mixed with angsty, and do a little exploring of Japan – mostly of some shrines.

I loved the book the first time I read it, and down rated the first read through somewhat because of how long it took Kathleen to get from ‘I’m 100% straight’ to ‘okay, I’m bisexual’) – oddly enough, that wasn’t an issue this time (well, it was an issue, just it wasn’t a ‘must down rate book’ level issue). The thing that keeps me from rating this book higher than I did this time is based partly on how this book needing several more passes through the editing process due to extra words, misspelled words (more in a there/their kind of way) and a few other issues like that.

Rating: 5

May 1 2018



View all my reviews

Tokyo Love by Diana Jean

Tokyo Love
by Diana Jean
Pages: 266
Date: July 25 2016
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Series: None

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 27 to 28 2016

This was a somewhat strange one from beginning to end. Still, don’t take that line wrongly; I should probably have used the word ‘different’ instead of strange, since strange implies things I might not mean to imply.

I noticed the book shortly before it was set to be published and immediately put it on my ‘to-read’ shelf. Which I mention because I usually do not put books on that shelf, I normally put it on some other self-made exclusive shelf (in this case, it probably would have ended up on the ‘LGBT-maybes-new-to-me-author’ shelf). I mention this rather boring point just to note that I developed a desire to read this book immediately and didn’t want to lose it on any other shelf (then promptly lost it since I rarely actually look at the to-read shelf. Mmphs).

This book is set in 20146 Japan. That’s right, 20,130 years in my own future. Bah. I can’t write numbers. 2046 I meant. So, 30 years in the future from the date of book publication.

The book stars Kathleen Schmitt – an American who had been working for the Mashida corporation in the USA before accepting a promotion to a project manager position, which just happened to also include a move to Tokyo Japan. Before and after the move, Kathleen worked on various ‘love’ programs – either simulated dating programs, or her current project of working on a love doll. A ‘Personal Love Companion (PLC)’.

Also starring in this book is Yuriko, a neighbor of Kathleen’s in Tokyo, and coworker at Mashida (though in a different division). It is important to the story to note that she looks, largely, Japanese, but has a few ‘hints’ here or there of her mixed background (what with the blue eyes, and eyes which may or may not be slightly wider than norm (I’ve a vague recollection of that being the case). Otherwise, she basically looks Japanese.

The third star of the book is Ai, and the reason why Yuriko looking Japanese but with hints of ‘other’ is important. Because Ai also looks Japanese. With differences. Like eye color. And the like. She’s basically a PLC clone of Yuriko built when Kathleen was tasked with being the ‘pre-beta’ tester and her brain was scanned to find her her ‘perfect’ love doll. Shock to everyone when that love doll turned out to be female. Look Japanese. And specifically look like a woman Kathleen had just met.

Kathleen, naturally, strongly advances the notion that there is something wrong with the scanning thingie, because in no way is she interested in women. No way. None. Uh-uh. Nope. I’m going on long on this point because it is, in a way, a very long drawn out issue in the book. An issue that pops up nearish the beginning of the book and isn’t resolved until long after my brain already imploded by the frustration. Worded that way so I do not actually have to give an end point. The vast majority of the book involves how much Kathleen is neither a lesbian, nor bisexual. Being attracted to women is just wrong. Wrong! I’m kind of confused by this issue, at least when it starts going into the ‘it’s wrong!’ or ‘I shouldn’t be doing this’ direction; what with it being 2046 and no one on earth giving a fuck about sexual orientation (except, apparently, Kathleen; and, okay, Japanese culture, in this book, kind of turns a blind eye to the concept of same sex coupling – and not necessarily a good way).

So, that’s basically what the book is about. A large fat American who doesn’t know Japanese is in Tokyo as a project manager on a love doll project and, ‘for reasons’ is tasked with testing a pre-beta version of the doll. While testing the doll, the fat American (who actually is shorter than Yuriko), has something of a budding friendship develop with Yuriko – her first friend in Japan after being there for many months (3? It is unclear now in my mind).

Both Yuriko and Ai pull Kathleen somewhat out of her shell – both personality wise, and the shell of routine (actually going to a grocery store, cooking, going to shrines, leaving Tokyo, etc.).

In the old days of decimal point rating, I’d have rated this a good solid 4.75 (mostly losing 0.25 because of how frustrating and long that ‘but . . . but . . . I’m not interested in women!’ section took to resolve the entire book).

July 28 2016

"Daite."
by Hildred Billings
Pages: 233
Date: September 27 2013
Publisher: Barachou Press
Series: Jiai Jouwa (first in series)

Review
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0
Read: May 9 2014 to May 28 2015

Well. This book of only 233 pages took me 385 days to read. Friday, May 9 2014 to May 28 2015. Oh, I can see, on here, wherein I had marked when I had started reading the book for the first time. So, 385 days and 6 minutes. heh. Apparently I began in May at roughly 3:34 pm, ended in May at roughly 3:40. A year and 20 days later. (huh, odd, when I add the time, I lose a day, yet I finished 6 minutes after I started).

That's actually both technically true and technically untrue. I read from 5/9/14 to 5/25/14, paused, then started up again on 5/28/15 and ended same day. Read the first 41% in 2014, and the last 59% today. All because I couldn't stand the main character's actions. heh.

The first part involved Jun's whiny nature, plus exciting stuff with Saya. I said at the time I read part one "not sure how the rest of the book will go, but first 17% was definitely 5 star stuff. I kinda fell into a trance, I did." Then the Jun's whinning got even more on my nerves in part two. And I finally couldn't take it anymore and stopped. I read part 3 and 4 today (or however many parts come after the second part). Part 3 made me think Jun was a whiny nasty bitch who could think of nothing but sex, drinking, how to get ahead at her job (or, specificially, get named to inherit the chairman's role), and how she wished she could be in a relationship.

At some point in part 3, then throughout the rest of the book, I relearned Jun and her character and was able to better able to take her. I'd say that the year long gap allowed me to come back, vaguely remember what came before, then restart at the worst possible moment. Where Jun is at her worst. Character wise. Except I have notes about how her whinning was driving me up the wall, and how that was why I had a year long break. So . . at this point . . . meh.

Interesting read on several levels. Including reading a book set in Japan, plus a little something about the lesbian culture there. After that long break, there's no way I could recommend or not recommend the book. I'm not really in any position, now, to do so. I would note, though, that, as the book progressed through part four and the ending, I was beginning to think about how I might read the second book in the series.

I made some comment in my status updates about how I wouldn't wish to have anything to do with Jun, as a relative, as a friend, or as a lover because of how much of a whiny nasty bitch she was. That was a dumbfounded opinion of mine. Spur of the moment. Mostly based on part 3. In the end, I think I actually kind of like Jun.

I feel like I'm on a yo-yo, a pendulum, my thoughts and feelings being yanked around. Like how Jun was yanked around by Saya. We eventually learn why Jun was being yanked around, but, in the moment, Saya was quite annoying.

Suki yo