May 7, 2016
I haven't read a lot of different light novels prior to this one, and to be honest when I first begun reading Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (shortened as Hakomari) I almost wanted to put it on hold after 30 pages. Fortunately, I dismissed this thought and finished reading the first volume.
After that, I found myself unable to stop reading Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria for several days. The story was so thrilling and full of suspense that I just had to know how it would end.
HakoMari is about an ordinary high school student, Kazuki Hoshino, who's life gets completely flipped
...
upside-down as the transfer student Aya Otonashi enters his life, and with her appearance he also comes in contact with a mysterious object called a 'box' that can grant the wish of it's 'owner'. Kazuki must then deal with these 'boxes' and their 'owners' in order to keep his normal, peaceful life as it is.
The story is pretty straightforward. However, this is by no means a bad thing as the various predicaments that the protagonist gets forced into is very interesting and it always leaves you wanting for answers. What is going on? Who is after the protagonist? What does the antagonist want to achieve? How will the protagonist deal with this incident and remain alive?
And that leads me into the next good thing with HakoMari, it's characters. All characters central to the plot are very interesting as they have their own beliefs and acts accordingly. We also get to know more about them as the story progresses, which is mostly a good thing. To not spoil things, let's just say that I could relate to every character except one, who imo entered the uncanny valley, when they got more character development. The worst part of this is that this persons change was intentional and not preventable.
Overall I enjoyed Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria very much. I do have some main gripes with how the story went after a few volumes and with a certain character but in the end I would say that the good things overshadows the bad. I would strongly recommend this novel to someone who wants a book that'll keep them on the edge of their seat.
tl;dr Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria is a mystery novel that has a good and suspenseful story with a strong cast of characters. Definitely give it a read if you have the time to spare.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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