I'm going to have to disagree with the majority here and say that so far, I think this works better in the anime. Eta: Previous person seems to have dropped the project, but there is another person still translating here, already half-way through vol 2. Note: Read this as a fan-translation, available here. If you don't, then you haven't been pay much attention to the story while reading it. By the time you finish this book, you'll be asking yourself a few questions about the world we live in. There is no good or evil, no black and white. I know people think this is all about the relationship between the main characters, but I don't think so. He always says what he thinks, but he has secrets yet. He's cruel, but also gentle at the same time. He wants to discover the truth and Nezumi is the right person for him and also the only one who speaks rather honestly to him. What brings Shion to like Nezumi and follow him is the feeling of wanting to break free. They're opposite and somehow feel the same. Nezumi is, in fact, everything Shion isn't. Him being mysterious and harsh attracts Shion. He's brilliant,smart and very much a straightforward person. He just acts, ignoring the consequences of his actions. When it comes to the one he loves, he cannot think. He is intelligent and good-naturate, but he does things based on his emotions. He wants to break free, because even if he's living in a super-luxurious apartment and has got the chance to attend the best school, he can't help but feeling wrong. Shion is very naïve and ignores everything that happens outside No.6, but can't help feeling repressed.

The question is: are you okay? Aren't you feeling like something is really wrong? Do you ever look around and wonder if someone else has your same doubts? You can easily draw analogies with some Western countries.

No.6 is a suffocating dystopian utopia: public transport runs on time, you get whatever you want as long as you have money, security is the most important thing and the people of the city are the happiest in the world, because they're so lucky to be living in such a peaceful place that complaining is absurd. If you're thinking to snob it because it's a light novel, you are missing out quite a bit. If you're looking for a good psychoanalysis about human society, you're in the right place.

No 6 asano atsuko