Earthlings

“The phrase ‘close-knit family,’ which I’d come across in a school library book and had stuck in my mind, always came back to me whenever I saw my parents and sister together. If I wasn’t here, the three of them would make a perfect unit.”

This passage reveals Natsuki’s sense of estrangement within her own family, positioning her as an external observer rather than a participant. The detached tone and intellectualized concept of a “close-knit family” highlight her emotional distance. This alienation serves as the psychological groundwork for her creation of “magical powers,” which she employs as a coping mechanism to rationalize her exclusion.

“Yuu thought a moment, then picked up the pink pen and wrote in small, neat letters: 3) Survive, whatever it takes.”

This line, the final clause of their marriage pledge, introduces one of the novel’s central philosophies. The stark imperative, written by one child to another, transforms their childhood pact into a grimly determined rule for living. This pledge becomes the justification for the characters’ increasingly extreme actions, establishing the theme of Survival as an Act of Radical Rebellion, which reframes survival not as passive endurance but as active rebellion.

“My town is a factory for the production of human babies. People live in nests packed closely together. […] The nests are lined up neatly in rows, and each contains a breeding pair of male and female humans and their babies.”

This passage introduces Natsuki’s concept of the Baby Factory, a key motif representing the dehumanizing pressure of societal conformity. The diction—“factory,” “production,” “nests,” “breeding pair”—mechanizes human life and procreation, stripping it of individual and emotional qualities. This section establishes Natsuki’s detached, analytical worldview, which functions as both a critique of social structures and a psychological tool for survival.

“‘It’s only because you’ve got a filthy mind that you would think that. You’re the dirty one, not him,’ she spat, and suddenly I couldn’t get any more words to come out.”

Spoken by Natsuki’s mother after Natsuki attempts to report her teacher’s sexual abuse, this dialogue marks a moment of betrayal and psychological violence that is an escalation of their existing abusive dynamic. The mother’s reaction invalidates Natsuki’s experience and shifts the blame onto her, severing the possibility of protection from within the family structure. This traumatic event reinforces Natsuki’s isolation and solidifies her dependence on an internal logic system to navigate the world.

“Suddenly my vision crumpled. Before I knew it, I had left my body and was looking down from the ceiling […] Wow, I must have summoned a super strong magical power.”

This quote illustrates Natsuki’s conflation of psychological trauma with supernatural ability. Facing sexual assault, Natsuki experiences a dissociative episode that she interprets as a magical power, a key element of the theme of survival as an act of radical rebellion. This reframing of Natsuki’s dissociation as a form of magic is a critical defense mechanism that allows her to process an unbearable reality by reframing it as an act of control.

“Why shouldn’t children have sex? There are plenty of grown-ups who want to have sex with children. So why is it wrong if they’re both children?”

Natsuki poses this question to her outraged family, using a child’s discomfiting logic to expose societal hypocrisy regarding sexuality and power. The statement directly confronts the arbitrary nature of adult morality, a central aspect of the theme of Deconstructing the Logic of Human Norms. The family’s violent reaction, contrasted with their earlier indifference to Natsuki’s abuse by an adult, highlights the irrationality and inconsistency of the adults’ application of society’s rules, a moment that contributes to Natsuki’s sense that she needs to develop a more logical system.

“Hearing them all talk about how much easier it was to find day care nurseries here than in Tokyo and how being close to the grandparents was ideal for bringing up children, I thought idly that our town really was an ideal factory for raising children, just as I’d felt back when I was still in elementary school.”

This passage revisits Natsuki’s perspective of society as the Baby Factory from her perspective as an adult, suggesting that it still holds true. The adverb “idly” suggests that her perception of society as a mechanistic system is not a radical new idea but a long-held part of her reality. By linking this adult thought directly to her childhood feelings, the narrative illustrates the deep-rooted nature of Natsuki’s alienation and her consistent interpretation of societal norms as dehumanizing.

“I was still expected to become a component for the Factory. It was like a never-ending jail sentence. I thought I probably wouldn’t ever be able to be an effective Factory component. My body was still broken, and even after becoming an adult I wasn’t able to have sex.”

Natsuki explicitly connects the Factory to the lasting effects of her childhood trauma. The language of machinery—“component” and “broken”—dehumanizes her own body, reflecting her sense of alienation and inability to function according to societal expectations. This internal monologue frames her arranged, asexual marriage as a necessary consequence of being a “broken” part that cannot integrate into the societal machine.

“You were both just children and didn’t know any better. And all of us adults totally overreacted. We tried to put a lid on it to cover it up. Adults are so violent and overbearing, they really are.”

Spoken by Uncle Teruyoshi upon Natsuki’s return to Akishina, this dialogue offers a rare moment of adult self-reflection that validates Natsuki’s childhood experience. It reframes the family’s reaction to her and Yuu’s sexual encounter as the true transgression, labeling the adult response as “violent and overbearing.” This admission serves as an external critique of the societal norms the family sought to enforce, reinforcing the theme of deconstructing the logic of human norms by affirming that the “adult” world’s moral panic was more destructive than the children’s actions.

“So all I can do is keep my head down and pretend to live as an Earthling. I thought that when I grew up society would brainwash me, but it didn’t work.”

During her reunion with Yuu, Natsuki articulates her adult identity as a failed assimilation into human society. This statement reveals that her Popinpobopian identity has evolved from a childhood fantasy into a conscious survival strategy, a way to frame her inability to conform as a matter of fundamental difference rather than personal failure. Her belief that the “brainwashing” of society failed demonstrates the permanence of her alienation, but the final sentence implies that she wishes the brainwashing would work.

“‘Your teacher is a pawn for the evil forces,’ he told me. ‘He’s operated by the Wicked Witch, so you have to save him.’”

In this flashback, the voice of Piyyut provides the magical framework Natsuki uses to process her ongoing abuse. By recasting her abuser as a victim controlled by a “Wicked Witch,” her internal logic transforms his murder into a heroic mission of salvation. This rationalization is a key element of the theme of survival as an act of radical rebellion, illustrating how her mind constructs a fantasy narrative to justify an extreme act she perceives as necessary for survival.

“The next moment, my vision crumpled, and the sensation of smashing something soft came through my palms. Before me was a blue lump, and I was raining down blows on that lump with the small grass-cutting scythe.”

This passage uses surreal, dissociative imagery to depict the murder of Mr. Igasaki from Natsuki’s perspective, signaled by her vision crumpling, just as it does when Igasaki abuses her. The transformation of a human body into a “blue lump” and the reduction of the violent act to a “sensation of smashing something soft” demonstrates the psychological defense mechanism she employs to cope with extreme trauma. Through Natsuki’s first-person narration, the novel conveys the horror of the event while simultaneously emphasizing Natsuki’s complete detachment from the physical reality of her actions.

“I see. So I’m not an Earthling, after all! I was a Popinpobopian all along!”

This exclamation marks Natsuki’s psychological transformation following the murder. Piyyut’s final message reframes her violent act not as a crime but as a completed mission that confirms her “alien” identity. Her excitement signifies a complete break from human morality, as she fully embraces the Popinpobopian narrative that absolves her of guilt and solidifies her sense of self outside the norms of the Factory.

“‘If the town we live in is a Baby Factory,’ my husband said seriously, ‘this place is an abandoned factory, isn’t it? A factory where nothing gets produced anymore. […] I wish I could live the rest of my life here as a discarded, worn-out component.’”

Tomoya extends the logic behind Natsuki’s ideas about the Factory to include the abandoned house at Akishina as an “abandoned factory.” This comparison establishes the village as a sanctuary from the oppressive productivity of society, a place where the characters find value in being “useless.” Tomoya’s desire to be a “discarded, worn-out component” demonstrates his need to be relieved of his perceived duties in human society.

“‘That’s because you only see the things visible to you, Natsuki,’ he said pointedly.”

After Natsuki remarks that she cannot imagine Akishina in the snow, Yuu’s reply serves as a rebuke of her worldview. His comment is a critique of her deliberate refusal to engage with the aspects of reality she finds painful, which he views as a childish coping mechanism. This line of dialogue crystallizes the central conflict between Yuu’s attempts to conform to adult society and Natsuki’s retreat into an alternate reality as a means of survival.

“My womb and my husband’s testes did not belong to us. The sooner I was brainwashed the better. That way I would no longer suffer. I, too, would be able to live with a smile on my face in the virtual reality world in which everyone was living.”

Natsuki’s internal monologue employs a detached, clinical tone to articulate the extreme consequences of societal pressure, a central element of the theme of The Destructive Nature of Societal Conformity. She depersonalizes herself and Tomoya by reducing them both to their reproductive organs. The passage reveals her paradoxical desire for “brainwashing” as a logical escape from suffering, framing conformity not as a loss of self but as a welcome anesthetic.

“As a child, she hadn’t been able to properly assimilate into society but had found redemption in becoming a tool of the Factory and had grown into its fervent devotee.”

This characterization of Kise, Natsuki’s sister, uses religious diction like “redemption” and “devotee” to describe her zealous adherence to social norms. By framing Kise’s conformity as a quasi-religious conversion, the narration suggests that the Factory offers a form of salvation for those willing to conform. This description establishes Kise’s role in the novel as a personified agent of the societal system the protagonists are trying to escape, rather than a simply antagonistic family member.

“Incest isn’t very common, is it? It’s taboo. Therefore I can use it as a step toward liberating myself from the brainwashing.”

Here, Tomoya applies a cold, utilitarian logic to a societal taboo, exemplifying the novel’s theme of deconstructing the logic of human norms. He frames incest not as an emotional or moral transgression but as a practical tool for dismantling his societal conditioning. This statement showcases how far their perspective as “aliens” has gone—Tomoya treats humanity’s most ingrained rules as arbitrary constructs that can be systematically broken to achieve a different state of being.

“Even if it’s true…After all, he was so cool you must have purposely let down your guard. That’s basically consenting, isn’t it? I can’t understand why you’re playing the tragic heroine, really.”

Natsuki once again attempts to reveal the truth of her abuse to someone she should be able to trust, only to be denied again. This dialogue from Kanae, in response to Natsuki’s attempt to disclose her childhood abuse, demonstrates society’s refusal to acknowledge trauma that falls outside its accepted narratives. Kanae’s reaction, a mixture of victim-blaming and disbelief, reinforces Natsuki’s alienation and validates her belief that “Earthlings” are incapable of understanding her reality. This social rejection functions as a key justification for Natsuki’s further retreat into her Popinpobopian identity, for whom society’s judgments are irrelevant.

“It’s like a TV drama I thought as I watched him beating my husband. […] Seeing one now being played out right before my very eyes, acted with such deep conviction, I almost burst out laughing.”

Natsuki’s description of her husband being violently beaten by his father illustrates her extreme dissociation, a survival mechanism developed in response to trauma. By reframing a moment of real-life violence as a “TV drama,” she renders it performative, absurd, and distant, detaching herself from its horror. This narrative choice highlights her inability to process or participate in what she sees as the scripted, overwrought emotions of “normal” human conflict.

“‘Everyone. The whole planet,’ [Kise] answered simply.”

During a confrontation in which Natsuki’s sister, Kise, pressures her to conform, Natsuki asks who will not allow her to “run away” from her wifely duties. Kise’s response uses hyperbole to frame societal expectation not as an immutable, universal law. This brief, declarative statement encapsulates the immense and inescapable pressure of conformity exerted upon Natsuki, illustrating the theme of the destructive nature of societal conformity.

“I hear orders in my head. Ever since I was a child, I could hear adults telling me what they wanted me to do, even though they didn’t say it out loud. […] Obeying those silent orders was how I had always survived.”

Yuu explains that his lifelong conformity has been a conscious survival strategy, a direct contrast to Natsuki’s strategy of internal rebellion. This confession reveals that his passivity is not a lack of will but a learned method of navigating a world whose rules he intuits but does not emotionally comprehend. The “silent orders” serve as a metaphor for the implicit, coercive nature of social norms, which Yuu follows to ensure his own safety, connecting to the theme of survival as an act of radical rebellion.

“I took a sip of the Miso Soup with Man and got quite a shock. ‘I can taste it!’ […] The meaty soup filled my entire mouth with the strong flavor mixed in with the smell and slowly saturated each part of my body.”

Natsuki’s sense of taste, lost since her childhood abuse, returns the moment she consumes human flesh. This sensory restoration is symbolic, linking this taboo, transgressive act against human society with a form of healing and the reclamation of her own body. Cannibalism becomes a radical form of survival, suggesting that Natsuki can only become whole by completely severing herself from the “Earthling” world.