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The Great Passage
Reading Beyond the Meaning
The Series in a Sentence
Majime Mitsuya, a soft-spoken book salesman, is suddenly thrust into the dictionary editing section of his company where he learns the ins and outs of dictionary making while discovwring personal passions and growing as an individual.
What I liked
Although the show could be seen as slow to some, and although the time-skip was a bit jarring, I really enjoyed the pacing of the series. A lot happens in a short amount of time but I never felt overwhelmed by it at all. In fact, I thought that this balancing act of a slow series and a deceptively fast pace concerning subject matter only helped emphasize and relate certain character relationships. The way that Majime and Nishioka came to mirror Araki and Matsumoto was a forseeable outcome that still was a joy to watch, and the way that a young Kishibe realized her love for words thanks to an experienced Majime was an excellent callback to the start of the series. In general, the character relationships and dynamics were well-written and well-presented despite time constraints created by limited episodes. Finally, the series made me really ponder how I defined certain words and gave me an appreciation for the art of dictionary making that I never thought I would have. For as much as the premise was used to set up growth in the main cast, it was also an interesting watch by itself.
What I Didn't Like
Man, I really wish certain things were expanded upon and, in particular, I wish there were a few more episodes leading into the time-skip. I get that production limitations are a thing, but jumping forward so many years and simply seeing what occurred, such as marriage, retirements, and growth, felt like somewhat of a disservice despite being an intended stylistic choice. Sure, a lot of the complaints stem from the fact that I grew attached to characters and wanted to see more fanservice-related moments like weddings, childbirths, and the like, but in a show about a realistic group of friends such moments would have only added to the realism and immersion in the lives of these characters.
Overall Feelings
In any genre, it is important that characters are likeable and dynamic, meaning that the audience needs to be drawn to them and they need to be able to change. Here, the cast fulfilled that in leaps and bounds. There wasn’t a single character I was disinterested in, as seeing Majime slowly find his comfort level and ease into love was entertaining and seeing Nishioka work extremely hard and sacrifice a lot to keep a dream alive was inspiring. I felt the death of Araki alongside the characters at the end; I felt the dread of missing a word in publishing; I felt the satisfaction of completing the dictionary; I felt the sadness of not being able to share a victory with the man who started the project. The Great Passage was a series that made me feel and think way more than I thought going into it. It was a series that I went into with zero expectation because realistically I thought a series about a dictionary could be only so good and it was a case where I was blown away. For how short the series was, I was astounded and sometimes it takes a series you never expected to change the way you think for the better. It’s not for everyone but, to me, it was a great surprise. Like the fisherman gets swept up in the sea of fish, I was swept up in the sea of words.