So I'm going to be coming at this from an unusual angle. Prior to reading this book I watched/read the following visual novels/books which have a similar premise
ひぐらしのなく頃に – Higurashi: When they cry
Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 – Re:Zero
Both of these books also have the "return by death" concept for time travel with Higurashi being a more direct comparison to Harry August than Re:zero.
Harry August
Overall going into this story I knew it would be a 20th century take on the concept and not having any of the 'anime' tropes in this type of story. What I was hoping to get out of it was a story about nihilism and finding meaning in a world that is essentially temporally meaningless.
The story did go there with Harry August's adventure seeking and other characters who can loop like him but it kind of felt more like a thriller. The resolution was okay I guess but it felt like it was lacking something by comparison.
Re:zero
Re:zero is a novel series/anime about learning to love yourself and the loss of identity through memory and experiences you cant share with anyone. The horrific experiences of this super power is on full display and the situations trapping the protagonist are a lot more dire and immediate.
It has almost the opposite theme of Harry August, that in a world that resets your connections with your friends who don't reset with you is the biggest part of your meaning
Higurashi
This one is a mystery and horror anime/visual novel about a girl like Harry August gets reborn when she dies but unlike him she will never make it to adulthood. There is a hopeless beyond hopeless situation for her to overcome.
I think compared to Harry August what makes this one hit different is that Rika Furude (who has his super power) isn't the point of view character for a long time and you see the world continue after she dies. You see the consequences of her and everyone else's choices in a way that makes it a bit more poignant.
That when she gives up on a loop as a failed loop you see characters who cry for her and don't understand why she did what she did. Then with the reveal you see from her PoV essentially the same struggles that Harry August would have especially in childhoods he had prior to joining the kalachakra.
Overall the message of this one is about unity and working together with your friends to save everyone to overcome the impossible challenge.
Conclusion
I think where Harry August fell off for me was that we see him grapple with identity and what it means to be a semi immortal dude but it feels all 2nd hand?
I know it's a long shot but if anyone else has followed these other stories you could see what I mean. But yeah this is too niche a comparison to have a community for in any offline book club.
If this is successful I might do another post comparing The Night Circus to Madoka Magica and how the latter did everything I was hoping The Night Circus was going to do
by donniedarko5555