I only got through the first chapter, but I enjoyed reading a little slice-of-life about someone a few years younger than I, put into a new situation that challenged what Hachiken considers the norm. It was easy to relate to awkward new-to-you situations and interactions with strangers who seemed to know what place they are in as opposed to you being in new territory. Hachiken's almost uncaring demeanor is amusing as he goes through the events of agricultural school and slowly learns that the people around him are as smart as he is, just with a more specified set of knowledge.
2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the work with which you were able to connect.
I found myself relating a little to Hachiken as the story moved through chapter one. Each time one of the characters at the agricultural school asked Hachiken what his motivations were or what he was specifically looking to get out of his experience, he couldn't give them an honest answer and was slightly confused by the question. I'm not sure if the reasoning for this will be later revealed but I can understand going through the motions and not really having a big goal in your actions. I also could connect to Hachiken's confusion regarding a lot of the foreign elements that come with agricultural school. I went through middle and high school with high grades and a general understanding of all of my classes, but if you threw me into agricultural school, I'd be lost too. I wouldn't have a problem with manual labor but I would need to learn all of the practices of the school and why things are done the way they are. Almost like coming to Ringling, an art school with a completely different environment than public high school. I may have understood art, but I didn't know what I'd be getting into before I came here.
3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
If I were to adapt this into another medium, I think it could be enjoyed as a short-length vlog series on Youtube. If Hachiken could talk to his 'viewers' about his experiences while montaging in small clips that he had taken of each thing he'd gone through, I believe the same stories, emotions, interactions and morales could be captured in that form and be just as informative and entertaining. It would be interesting to see these events from a first-person, behind-the-camera view intertwined with Hachiken's personal input from inside his dormitory. Viewers could get the reality of what Hachiken is seeing and they could put trust in an honest experience through this medium.
