Wataru Watari QUOTES

68 " No one could simply overturn the tide. Thanks to that, even if someone had their misgivings, they wouldn’t do anything about it.

You can’t overturn popular opinion. There are times when you have no choice but to act against your true feelings.

Because “everyone” said so, “everyone” was doing it, so if you didn’t do it too, you wouldn’t be one of “everyone” anymore.

But no one person is “everyone”. They don’t speak and they don’t beat you up. They don’t get angry and they don’t laugh. “Everyone” is an illusion created by the magic of group-think. It is an apparition born without anyone’s knowledge. It is a ghostly spirit created for the sake of shrouding the individual’s miniscule evils. Through a monstrous transformation, it would devour anyone outside their circle of friends and even scatter curses on its own friends. Former members would also become obstacles to it. That’s why I despise it.

I despise a world that emphasizes “everyone”. I despise the vulgar peace built upon the backs of scapegoats. I despise the empty ideas created solely through lies, blotting away even kindness and justice, making them out to be mere opportunism, a thorn in your side with the passing of time.

You cannot change the past nor the world. You cannot change what has happened, nor can you change “everyone”. But like I said before, it’s not as if you are obligated to enslave yourself to the system. "

― Wataru Watari , やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。4

70 " If you’re worrying about your relationships, then just destroy those relationships and your worries will disappear. Cut off the cycle of defeat at its root. That was fine. "I mustn’t run away" is something only strong people think. It’s wrong because that’s what the world forces on you.

The words “I’m not wrong – the world is” might feel like an excuse, but they are certainly not off the mark. You can’t possibly be wrong all the time. There are plenty of cases when your neighbours, society and the world at large are in the wrong.

If no one would attest to that, then I would. "

― Wataru Watari , やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。4

72 " Tossing out ideas itself was good. Stimulating the conference was something that should be welcomed.

I didn’t mind if a formal brainstorm was chosen for the sake of presenting many ideas.

But in the brainstorm and conference we were holding where nobody’s ideas were rejected, there was no foreseeable conclusion in sight.

The conference I thought was proceeding on smoothly was beginning to look nonsensical.

When I noticed, my hands recording the minutes had stopped. I loosely let my hands hang under the desk and sat there in silence watching the conference. The expression that I had was completely different from those who were energetically involved in the discussion. They had vivid and bright smiles floating on their faces. That was when I noticed.

They were all enjoying this moment. That’s to say, they were enjoying this exchange between each other. What they wanted wasn’t the very idea of volunteer
service, but the self­-acknowledgement of them doing these activities.

It’s not that they wanted to do work. They just wanted to be immersed with the feeling of working. They just wanted to feel like they were actually doing it.

And then, they would feel like they did everything that they could, where ultimately, everything had turned into nothing. "

― Wataru Watari , やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。9

74 " The bonds between people had to be a narcotic. You unwittingly became dependent all the while your heart deteriorates inside out. And then you ended up needing to rely on others and you eventually become unable to do things by yourself.
Then, was it possible that by intending to lend a hand to people that I was actually making them suffer instead? Was I giving birth to people who couldn’t stand on their own two feet unless they had help from someone?
Even though we were supposed to teach them how to catch fish and not give them one.
Something that could be easily given to someone was surely a fake. Something that could easily be given away was surely something that could easily be taken away by someone. "

― Wataru Watari