Scaling Sympathy Tower Tokyo: Thoughts and Reactions | ARC Review

In this episode of Reading Materials, we discuss Rie Qudan's Sympathy Tower Tokyo (released on August 21st, 2025). We enter into a deep discussion about the ins and outs of judicial systems, ponder the differences between Eastern and Western culture, and explore language and its evolution, including the use of AI in literature.Join us for an interesting exploration of this translation of Rie Qudan's Tōkyō-to Dōjō Tō, originally published in 2024 in Japan, and winner of the Akutagawa Prize.Thank you to Penguin for sending us advanced copies of this book!Episode Timepoints:00:00 - Intro00:20 - Life Updates05:45 - A Brief Introduction to the Author08:20 - Spoiler Alert08:50 - The Blurb10:10 - Our Discussion of Sympathy Tower Tokyo01:11:10 - Next Time on the Reading Materials Podcast01:12:06 - Outro