Why hasn't anyone commented on this? I loved this. And I'm not just saying this. I really did love this. I don't write comments out of the blue for a story that is not worth it. This story is worth it. Even though you state in the summary how there's no picture that can match up the beauty of the original man who inspired this I did not have any problem imagining him. I like how there's really no resolution at the end. Jin was just a moment in the narrator's life. A moment that passed and was beautiful. I also admire how there's tension, there's dialogue and action even though there was no interaction, physical interaction, whatsoever. The action is there, but it's all internal and it has a pace of its own. It reminded me of seinen and josei manga to some extent. The more mature and thoughtful side of storytelling in manga (if you are familiar with manga this observation would make more sense). The narrator knows he will not get what he wants, but he still goes on even though his interest turns to love which eventually turns to pain. The pain of unrequited love is a masochistic pain to an extent. Because you are knowingly hurting yourself. Also, it's interesting how the narrator thinks he does not know Jin and he seeks this knowledge through many ways (reading his essay, conversing with other teachers about him, etc.), but if you take a step back and look at the whole picture, he does know him. He knows when Jin's pretending, when he doesn't want to play this game of stares with him, and other things his friends probably don't realize. But he knows what he doesn't know he knows (hope this makes sense), not what he wants to know. And that is what makes it interesting to me. The fact that he never gets to know, he never gets Jin and all he's left with is a picture that's really not a picture, a picture just as mysterious as its owner.
Anyhow, I really did love this <3 and hope this comment does this piece right.
I loved this. And I'm not just saying this. I really did love this. I don't write comments out of the blue for a story that is not worth it. This story is worth it.
Even though you state in the summary how there's no picture that can match up the beauty of the original man who inspired this I did not have any problem imagining him.
I like how there's really no resolution at the end. Jin was just a moment in the narrator's life. A moment that passed and was beautiful.
I also admire how there's tension, there's dialogue and action even though there was no interaction, physical interaction, whatsoever. The action is there, but it's all internal and it has a pace of its own.
It reminded me of seinen and josei manga to some extent. The more mature and thoughtful side of storytelling in manga (if you are familiar with manga this observation would make more sense). The narrator knows he will not get what he wants, but he still goes on even though his interest turns to love which eventually turns to pain. The pain of unrequited love is a masochistic pain to an extent. Because you are knowingly hurting yourself.
Also, it's interesting how the narrator thinks he does not know Jin and he seeks this knowledge through many ways (reading his essay, conversing with other teachers about him, etc.), but if you take a step back and look at the whole picture, he does know him. He knows when Jin's pretending, when he doesn't want to play this game of stares with him, and other things his friends probably don't realize. But he knows what he doesn't know he knows (hope this makes sense), not what he wants to know. And that is what makes it interesting to me. The fact that he never gets to know, he never gets Jin and all he's left with is a picture that's really not a picture, a picture just as mysterious as its owner.
Anyhow, I really did love this <3 and hope this comment does this piece right.