Sean has been working in Circulation since 2018 and really enjoys putting together our Binge Boxes of movies. He’s our resident cinephile, and he enjoys making the Binge Box art and replacing DVD covers as needed. If you want suggestions in video games, movies, manga, or anime, Sean’s your guy!

Despite working in a library, I never really read. My free time consists mainly of playing video games and watching movies. When I do read, it’s either Harry Potter or manga. But a couple weeks ago, a coworker mentioned a title that sounded amazing yet sad – I Want to Eat Your Pancreas by Yoru Sumino.

When it came in, it was a novel. Again, I’m not the biggest reader, but after what I heard about it, I had to. So all my free time went to that book.

The writing was descriptive and painted a magnificent picture. It felt like this was a real person experiencing all the joys and sorrows that all people go through. At no point did I think this couldn’t be taken as a work of non-fiction. When I got to the end of the book, I felt that I could truly relate to the main character as if it was me going through his loss. I’ve seen really sad moments in some of my favorite movies recently with lasting quotes such as, “I am Iron Man.” Tony’s final words in Avengers Endgame or “James, earn this. Earn it.” Captain Miller’s final word to Ryan, in Saving Private Ryan. But “I Want to Eat your Pancreas” definitely lands in the top five. For an outside view, the quote sounds really gross and gives a misleading title, but if you’ve read or watched it, you’ll see that those six words hold so much meaning. 

The novel has the most misleading title I’ve ever heard of, but after reading it, I believe that I Want to Eat Your Pancreas was the best choice. The day I finished it, I immediately ordered the movie. Shortly after the manga came in, I read that in one sitting. Since then, I’ve read about five more novels, some by Yoru Sumino and some by Makoto Shinkai. Not one of them has been a disappointment.

Inspired by Sean’s Recommendation

5 Centimenters per Second produced by Makoto Shinkai/Comix Wave Films; director/original story/screenplay, Makoto Shinkai; producer, Noritaka Kawaguchi; Starring:  Kenji Mizuhashi, Yoshimi Kondou, Satomi Hanamura Yoshimi Kondou, Satomi Hanamura – In this anime film, Takaki is a young man on a journey from Tokyo to reunite with his childhood best friend, Akari. This film travels through three interconnected tales of love and lost innocence that span the minutes and months of their lives. 5 Centimeters Per Second, the speed at which cherry blossoms fall from the trees, is reminiscent of the pace of life as our lives intermingle.

I Had That Same Dream Again The Complete Manga Collection by Yoru Sumino. A high schooler who hurts herself, a young woman spurned by society, and an old woman spending her twilight years in quiet solitude. While Nanoka, a grade schooler with few friends, gets to know these three people, she seeks to understand what they all have in common — and just what it means to be happy. As her budding relationships grow, perhaps she can find her own path to happiness.

• The Librarian’s Guide to Notable Nonfiction
• Managing Your Mental Health One Day at a Time 
• Ashley is history
• Coming Soon!
• Fun Finds on the Holds Shelf