Quote:
Originally Posted by joeboygo
On the mystery vs thriller thing, if you can actually enjoy it as a mystery, then don't let what I say ruin your pleasure. Personally, I find it a piss poor mystery because it does not solve any of the puzzles it lays out (it does not even pretend to try) and it does not give the reader all the necessary informaton for a fair chance at deducing the solution. Anybody that claims to have "solved" anything here is writing a new story because in both of the unsolved puzzles (Hongou's ending & Hongou's situation) Houtaro outright declares that there is not enough evidence to support any conclusion one way or another. All we get are best guesses, and poorly detailed guesses at that. Although the story contains mysterious elements, it wasn't meant to be a mystery itself. The real pleasure we derive from this story does not come from the solution of the mysteries, but from the unfolding of the battle of wits and will between Irisu and Houtaro.
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That's certainly a valid position to take, but I'd say that it all depends on what you think the mystery is. I mean, if we focus on the question, "What was Hongou's intended ending?" then I'd agree that it remains largely unanswerable. However, if we focus on the question "What are the circumstances behind Hongou's sudden withdrawal?" I'd say all the necessary clues were presented. It's all a matter of perspective in the end, though I would say that the former question was sort of a red herring when we were supposed to paying attention to the latter.
The mistake most people made here is in viewing each mystery as independent of the other when they were in fact one and the same. Each half is incomplete without considering it in relation to the other half.