What follows is a 10-page flashback, but not a typical one. The panels bleed into each other. A memory of being bullied in high school dissolves into a memory of Yuki defending him, which then dissolves into a memory of him pushing her away cruelly. The narrative reveals that Yuki left town years ago because Kaito, out of fear, told her she was “taranai” to him — that her friendship meant nothing.
The dialogue is sparse at first. Yuki asks, “Are you still listening to the same album?” Kaito doesn’t answer. He stares at a crack in the floor that looks like a lightning bolt. Then, without warning, he speaks the line that has become the chapter’s most quoted: “I don’t want to be insignificant anymore.” -read toru ni taranai chapter 22-
Chapter 22 is where the dam breaks. It is the chapter where the manga stops describing the void and starts tearing it apart . Warning: Major spoilers for Toru ni Taranai Chapter 22 follow. If you haven’t yet read it, scroll down to the “Where to Read” section first. What follows is a 10-page flashback, but not a typical one
The final three pages are wordless. Kaito takes the cassette, puts it in a dusty player, and the song “Blue in Green” plays. He weeps. Not a dramatic anime cry, but the ugly, silent, shoulder-shaking sob of a man who has avoided feeling for two decades. The final panel is a close-up of the cassette’s label, where a younger Yuki had written: “For Kaito — the only thing worth taking.” Why has Chapter 22 resonated so deeply? Because it weaponizes the title, Toru ni Taranai (“Not Worth Taking”), against itself. Throughout the series, Kaito uses the word as a shield. My job isn’t worth taking seriously. My marriage isn’t worth saving. I am not worth loving. In Chapter 22, Yuki mirrors that language back to him, saying she is not worth taking — but the tragedy is that she always was. The narrative reveals that Yuki left town years
For those who type into a search bar, you are about to do more than read a comic. You are about to sit with a man, in a cracked record shop, as he finally allows himself to break. And that, despite the title, is very much worth your time. Have you read Chapter 22? Share your thoughts in the comments below. And remember to support the official release.