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Not enough context on sexuality for Awkwardly Gay Dream
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* AmbiguouslyGay: Haida, to the point of Tsukuru having a very explicit (and possibly real) HomoEroticDream about him.
to:
* AmbiguouslyGay: Haida, to the point of Tsukuru having a very explicit (and possibly real) HomoEroticDream homoerotic dream about him.
Deleted line(s) 27 (click to see context) :
* HomoEroticDream: Tsukuru has a dream that starts with Eri and Yuzuki, but ends with Haida.
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None
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* DoggedNiceGuy: Dogged Nice Girl: [[spoiler: Eri]] was crushing hard on Tsukuru in high school, but he never noticed. [[EroticDream Consciously, anyway]].
to:
* DoggedNiceGuy: [[spoiler: Dogged Nice Girl: [[spoiler: Eri]] was crushing hard on Tsukuru in high school, but he never noticed. [[EroticDream Consciously, anyway]].
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* {{Gayngst}}: As an adult, [[spoiler: Kei]] privately admits to Tsukuru that he's gay, and he feels miserable and stifled in their small, traditional town.
to:
* {{Gayngst}}: [[spoiler: As an adult, [[spoiler: Kei]] privately admits to Tsukuru that he's gay, and he feels miserable and stifled in their small, traditional town.
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* WhatTheHellHero: Tzukuru gives [[spoiler: Eri]] a subtle one when he finds out the real reason the group abandoned him. In the years since the group split, everyone realized they made a poor decision.
to:
* WhatTheHellHero: Tzukuru gives [[spoiler: Eri]] Eri a subtle subtle]] one when he finds out the real reason the group abandoned him. In the years since the group split, everyone realized they made a poor decision.
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None
* {{Deconstruction}}: No matter how solid and trusting your circle of friends is, everyone has their own issues and may not want to admit them. People change and mature over time, and you might end up on opposing sides of an issue. Also, casting someone out of a group doesn't automatically solve a problem; the one leaving might develop abandonment issues, lack self-worth, and become suicidally depressed. The ones that stay might eventually realize they could've handled things differently, and live with the regret.
Deleted line(s) 40 (click to see context) :
* RealityEnsues: No matter how solid and trusting your circle of friends is, everyone has their own issues and may not want to admit them. People change and mature over time, and you might end up on opposing sides of an issue. Also, casting someone out of a group doesn't automatically solve a problem; the one leaving might develop abandonment issues, lack self-worth, and become suicidally depressed. The ones that stay might eventually realize they could've handled things differently, and live with the regret.
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* TrueCompanions: Tsukuru, Kei, Yoshio, Yuzuki, and Eri are inseparable in high school...[[SubvertedTrope until they]] have to [[RealityEnsues grow up and further apart]].
to:
* TrueCompanions: Tsukuru, Kei, Yoshio, Yuzuki, and Eri are inseparable in high school...[[SubvertedTrope until they]] have to [[RealityEnsues grow up and further apart]].apart.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
No longer a trope.
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* WomenAreWiser: Played straight with Sara, who gives Tsukuru some much-needed advice and resources. Less so with regards to [[spoiler: Eri and her decisions that led to the group breaking.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied that Sara is seeing someone on the side when she's not with Tsukuru. He calls her on it at the end of the book, but we don't get to see her response.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied that Sara is seeing someone on the side when she's not with Tsukuru. He calls her on it at the end of the book, but we don't get to see her response.]]
to:
* WomenAreWiser: Played straight with Sara, who gives Tsukuru some much-needed advice and resources. Less so with regards to [[spoiler: Eri and her decisions that led to the group breaking.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied that Sara is seeing someone on the side when she's not with Tsukuru. He calls her on it at the end of the book, but we don't get to see her response.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied that Sara is seeing someone on the side when she's not with Tsukuru. He calls her on it at the end of the book, but we don't get to see her response.
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None
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* {{Adorkable}}: Sara certainly thinks this of Tsukuru.
to:
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%% zce * EndearinglyDorky: Sara certainly thinks this of Tsukuru.
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Woman In White is no longer a trope.
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* TheFellowshipHasEnded: Intentionally enforced by the group on Tsukuru when he comes back from college, much to his bewilderment. Though it was seen as a way to keep [[spoiler: Yuzuki's insanity from escalating further]], it becomes permanent when [[spoiler: Yuzuki is murdered and the entire group grows apart.]]
to:
* EtherealWhiteDress: Yuzuki's color motif is white, and she is [[spoiler: mad, dead, and was pivotal in breaking up the group.]]
* TheFellowshipHasEnded:Intentionally enforced Invoked by the group on Tsukuru when he comes back from college, much to his bewilderment. Though it was seen as a way to keep [[spoiler: Yuzuki's insanity from escalating further]], it becomes permanent when [[spoiler: Yuzuki is murdered and the entire group grows apart.]]
* TheFellowshipHasEnded:
Deleted line(s) 56 (click to see context) :
* WomanInWhite: Yuzuki's color motif is white, and she is [[spoiler: mad, dead, and was pivotal in breaking up the group.]]
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None
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[[quoteright:324:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/colorless.jpg]]
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''Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (色彩を持たない多崎つくると、彼の巡礼の年 Shikisai o motanai Tazaki Tsukuru to, kare no junrei no toshi)'' is a 2014 novel by HarukiMurakami. It focuses on Tsukuru Tazaki, a man dealing with isolation and his adulthood. After leaving for college, all of his friends from high school mysteriously stopped talking to him. He felt lost, drifting through life alone, contemplating suicide and his value as a person. After avoiding the issue for several years, Tsukuru has finally decided to find out what drove his friends away. In his attempt to find the truth, however, he'll discover that there is more to them - and himself - than he ever realized.
to:
''Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (色彩を持たない多崎つくると、彼の巡礼の年 Shikisai o motanai Tazaki Tsukuru to, kare no junrei no toshi)'' is a 2014 novel by HarukiMurakami.Creator/HarukiMurakami. It focuses on Tsukuru Tazaki, a man dealing with isolation and his adulthood. After leaving for college, all of his friends from high school mysteriously stopped talking to him. He felt lost, drifting through life alone, contemplating suicide and his value as a person. After avoiding the issue for several years, Tsukuru has finally decided to find out what drove his friends away. In his attempt to find the truth, however, he'll discover that there is more to them - and himself - than he ever realized.
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* [[DoggedNiceGuy Dogged Nice Girl]]: [[spoiler: Eri]] was crushing hard on Tsukuru in high school, but he never noticed. [[EroticDream Consciously, anyway]].
to:
* [[DoggedNiceGuy DoggedNiceGuy: Dogged Nice Girl]]: Girl: [[spoiler: Eri]] was crushing hard on Tsukuru in high school, but he never noticed. [[EroticDream Consciously, anyway]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Could Have Avoided This Plot requires it be acknowledged in-universe.
Deleted line(s) 13 (click to see context) :
* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: A ''lot'' of Tsukuru's - and everyone else's - problems could've been resolved if the group were more willing to talk things out and confront issues head-on.
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None
Added DiffLines:
''Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (色彩を持たない多崎つくると、彼の巡礼の年 Shikisai o motanai Tazaki Tsukuru to, kare no junrei no toshi)'' is a 2014 novel by HarukiMurakami. It focuses on Tsukuru Tazaki, a man dealing with isolation and his adulthood. After leaving for college, all of his friends from high school mysteriously stopped talking to him. He felt lost, drifting through life alone, contemplating suicide and his value as a person. After avoiding the issue for several years, Tsukuru has finally decided to find out what drove his friends away. In his attempt to find the truth, however, he'll discover that there is more to them - and himself - than he ever realized.
!!The novel contains examples of the following tropes:
* {{Adorkable}}: Sara certainly thinks this of Tsukuru.
* AffectionateNickname: Four of the original group had one as a pun on their family names: Yoshio Oumi, Kei Akamatsu, Yuzuki Shirane, and Eri Kurono are referred to as Ao, Aka, Shiro, and Kuro (Japanese for Mr. Blue, Mr. Red, Ms. White, and Ms. Black) respectively.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Tsukuru ''thinks'' this is going on because he's not as special a person as his friends. However, it's revealed that they kept him LockedOutOfTheLoop, with the best (albeit misguided) intentions in mind.
* AmbiguouslyGay: Haida, to the point of Tsukuru having a very explicit (and possibly real) HomoEroticDream about him.
* BreakingTheFellowship: Tsukuru's inability to confront this part of his past is what kick-starts the plot. His friends abandoned him for seemingly no reason, and he's been avoiding the issue for years.
* BrokenBird: Tsukuru, who is introduced as deeply depressed and lost in life. [[spoiler: Yuzuki suffered even worse. She had a mental breakdown, was raped and traumatized, miscarried the child, developed anorexia, and became a recluse. ''Then'' she was murdered by an unnamed assailant.]]
* ColourfulThemeNaming: Nearly every character has a color in their name. Kei Akamatsu's is "Red Pine," Yoshio Oumi's is "Blue Sea," Yuzuki Shirane's is "White Root," Eri Kurono's is "Black Meadow," Midorikawa's is "Green River," and Fumiyaki Haida's is "Gray Paddy." Tsukuru Tazaki's is "to make or build," which causes him think of himself as colorless and therefore less of a person than his friends.
* CoolCar: Yoshio sells Toyota's Lexus luxury cars in Nagoya.
* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: A ''lot'' of Tsukuru's - and everyone else's - problems could've been resolved if the group were more willing to talk things out and confront issues head-on.
* DarkestHour: Tsukuru is actually ''introduced'' at his lowest point, completely alone, starving, depressed, and likely suicidal. The rest of the book is about him climbing out of the abyss and confronting his problems.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: As adults, everyone admits that getting rid of Tsukuru was a huge, shortsighted mistake, and they feel incredibly guilty about what happened in the fallout.
* DidYouThinkICantFeel: Tsukuru gives a subtle version of this to his friends when he finds out why they abandoned him. [[spoiler: Yuzuki told the group that Tsukuru had raped her, even though everyone knew it couldn't have been possible. She was raped by someone, had a miscarriage, and developed anorexia. In order to prevent Yuzuki's insanity from escalating, the group decided to ban Tsukuru, believing he was the only in the group mature and emotionally stable enough to handle it.]] Needless to say, the plan failed miserably.
* [[DoggedNiceGuy Dogged Nice Girl]]: [[spoiler: Eri]] was crushing hard on Tsukuru in high school, but he never noticed. [[EroticDream Consciously, anyway]].
* EpiphanyTherapy: Tsukuru thinks that, due to his "colorlessness," he is not as special or worth as much as his friends. This self-doubt haunts him throughout the book, until Eri reveals that [[spoiler: his friends abandoned him because they thought he was the most mature and emotionally stable of the group.]] After hearing this, he returns to Tokyo a much more confident individual.
* TheFellowshipHasEnded: Intentionally enforced by the group on Tsukuru when he comes back from college, much to his bewilderment. Though it was seen as a way to keep [[spoiler: Yuzuki's insanity from escalating further]], it becomes permanent when [[spoiler: Yuzuki is murdered and the entire group grows apart.]]
* {{Gayngst}}: As an adult, [[spoiler: Kei]] privately admits to Tsukuru that he's gay, and he feels miserable and stifled in their small, traditional town.
* GrowingUpSucks: None of the characters end up where they expected to be in life, with varying degrees of happiness and satisfaction.
* HappilyMarried: Eri and Edvard, who are successful pottery artists and raising two children in Helsinki.
* HomoEroticDream: Tsukuru has a dream that starts with Eri and Yuzuki, but ends with Haida.
* LeftHanging: Tsukuru finally confronts his friends and learns why they abandoned him. He gains more self-worth and decides to return to Tokyo...and [[spoiler: confront Sara over her heavily implied infidelity. He declares his love for her via phone call, but the story ends before she gives him a decision.]]
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Inflicted on Tsukuru by the rest of the group. The story is about him finding out why.
* LonelyPianoPiece: The titular "Years of Pilgrimage" ''([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann%C3%A9es_de_p%C3%A8lerinage Années de pèlerinage]])'' by Franz Liszt. It reminds him of Yuzuki's piano playing, thus giving him another reason to seek out the truth.
* LovableJock: Yoshio excelled in basketball in his high school years. When we see him again as an adult, he's running a Lexus car dealership.
* MagicRealism: Everything involving Haida's story about Midorikawa's AuraVision and the death tokens.
* ObliviousToLove: Tsukuru had no idea [[spoiler: Eri]] was in love with him in high school. Had he noticed, things would've turned out very differently.
* OhCrap: Eri's reaction when she realizes Tsukuru [[spoiler: tracked her all the way to her home in Finland.]] Prior to the TheReveal, it's assumed that it's because she thinks he [[spoiler: raped Yuzuki and has come for her]], but it's quickly revealed that it's due to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone guilt over their falling out]].
* OlderAndWiser: By the end of the book, Tsukuru has gained more confidence and a better sense of self-worth.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Sara is the most well-grounded out of all the characters, due in part to her not being in Tsukuru's group. [[spoiler: It's implied she's cheating on him, though.]]
* ThePianoPlayer: Yuzuki and Midorikawa. The former became a private piano teacher, and the latter was a jazz pianist.
* PoorCommunicationKills: If the group were willing to talk openly and confront [[spoiler: Yuzuki's insanity]], they might not have grown so distant from each other, and [[spoiler: Yuzuki might not have been murdered.]]
* RailEnthusiast: Tsukuru has been obsessed with trains since childhood, and now works as a station design engineer for a Tokyo railway company.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: The reason why the group broke up is due to [[spoiler: Yuzuki being raped by someone, then privately accusing Tsukuru as the culprit. The others know it couldn't be true, but decide to outcast him to salvage Yuzuki's sanity. The identity of the rapist is never revealed, and Yuzuki is left a broken, neurotic shell of her former self. She has a miscarriage, then develops anorexia. ''Then'' she's murdered, thus driving the group permanently apart.]]
* RealityEnsues: No matter how solid and trusting your circle of friends is, everyone has their own issues and may not want to admit them. People change and mature over time, and you might end up on opposing sides of an issue. Also, casting someone out of a group doesn't automatically solve a problem; the one leaving might develop abandonment issues, lack self-worth, and become suicidally depressed. The ones that stay might eventually realize they could've handled things differently, and live with the regret.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Kei is arguably the most successful of the original group, competently running a corporate training business.
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Tsukuru ''thinks'' he's this, though all of the other characters consider him anything but.
* SanitySlippage: Tsukuru's backstory has a slow, steady burn into the depths of depression and self-doubt, with him being introduced as suicidal. [[spoiler: Yuzuki's descent into madness happens much faster, breaking the group apart.]]
* SceneryPorn: Tsukuru has never traveled out of Japan, so his trip to Helsinki is especially memorable.
* ShootTheShaggyDog: Tsukuru has definitely grown and matured by the end of the story. The group's plan, however, had several long-term consequences they didn't consider. [[spoiler: Ostracizing Tsukuru to save Yuzuki's sanity fractured the group, detrimentally affecting everyone involved. Yuzuki got ''worse'' and became isolated, culminating with her being murdered.]]
* TheSmartGuy: Tsukuru is this as an adult. His analytical and architectural design skills are vital to the success of his work, but he's too deep in his self-doubt to even realize it.
* SociallyAwkwardHero: Tsukuru, due to is lack of self-esteem and inability to confront his past. Sara has to talk him through his problems and gives him some much-needed emotional and logistical support.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: All of the characters could use some sessions, especially Tsukuru and [[spoiler: Yuzuki]].
* TitleDrop: "Colorless" Tsukuru Tazaki was his nickname in high school. The "Years of Pilgrimage" is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann%C3%A9es_de_p%C3%A8lerinage a set of piano pieces by Franz Liszt]], a boxed set of which is given to Tsukuru by [[spoiler: Haida]].
* TrueCompanions: Tsukuru, Kei, Yoshio, Yuzuki, and Eri are inseparable in high school...[[SubvertedTrope until they]] have to [[RealityEnsues grow up and further apart]].
* TwoGirlsToATeam: Eri and Yuzuki fit the roles in the group accordingly, so much so that Tsukuru [[ThoseTwoGuys considers the pair a single entity]].
* TheUnReveal: The identities of [[spoiler: Yuzuki's rapist and murderer.]]
** [[spoiler: Haida's]] exact nature, the motive behind his friendship with Tsukuru, and his sudden disappearance.
** Sara's decision between [[spoiler: confession of her infidelity, or staying in her relationship with Tsukuru.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler: Haida]] mysteriously vanishes one day, leaving only his boxed set of ''Years of Pilgrimage'' behind.
* WhatTheHellHero: Tzukuru gives [[spoiler: Eri]] a subtle one when he finds out the real reason the group abandoned him. In the years since the group split, everyone realized they made a poor decision.
* WhiteCollarWorker: Kei has become a seminar seller in Nagoya, offering employee training - corporate warrior-style - for major companies. The others don't approve of his occasionally shady business practices.
* WomanInWhite: Yuzuki's color motif is white, and she is [[spoiler: mad, dead, and was pivotal in breaking up the group.]]
* WomenAreWiser: Played straight with Sara, who gives Tsukuru some much-needed advice and resources. Less so with regards to [[spoiler: Eri and her decisions that led to the group breaking.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied that Sara is seeing someone on the side when she's not with Tsukuru. He calls her on it at the end of the book, but we don't get to see her response.]]
!!The novel contains examples of the following tropes:
* {{Adorkable}}: Sara certainly thinks this of Tsukuru.
* AffectionateNickname: Four of the original group had one as a pun on their family names: Yoshio Oumi, Kei Akamatsu, Yuzuki Shirane, and Eri Kurono are referred to as Ao, Aka, Shiro, and Kuro (Japanese for Mr. Blue, Mr. Red, Ms. White, and Ms. Black) respectively.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Tsukuru ''thinks'' this is going on because he's not as special a person as his friends. However, it's revealed that they kept him LockedOutOfTheLoop, with the best (albeit misguided) intentions in mind.
* AmbiguouslyGay: Haida, to the point of Tsukuru having a very explicit (and possibly real) HomoEroticDream about him.
* BreakingTheFellowship: Tsukuru's inability to confront this part of his past is what kick-starts the plot. His friends abandoned him for seemingly no reason, and he's been avoiding the issue for years.
* BrokenBird: Tsukuru, who is introduced as deeply depressed and lost in life. [[spoiler: Yuzuki suffered even worse. She had a mental breakdown, was raped and traumatized, miscarried the child, developed anorexia, and became a recluse. ''Then'' she was murdered by an unnamed assailant.]]
* ColourfulThemeNaming: Nearly every character has a color in their name. Kei Akamatsu's is "Red Pine," Yoshio Oumi's is "Blue Sea," Yuzuki Shirane's is "White Root," Eri Kurono's is "Black Meadow," Midorikawa's is "Green River," and Fumiyaki Haida's is "Gray Paddy." Tsukuru Tazaki's is "to make or build," which causes him think of himself as colorless and therefore less of a person than his friends.
* CoolCar: Yoshio sells Toyota's Lexus luxury cars in Nagoya.
* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: A ''lot'' of Tsukuru's - and everyone else's - problems could've been resolved if the group were more willing to talk things out and confront issues head-on.
* DarkestHour: Tsukuru is actually ''introduced'' at his lowest point, completely alone, starving, depressed, and likely suicidal. The rest of the book is about him climbing out of the abyss and confronting his problems.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: As adults, everyone admits that getting rid of Tsukuru was a huge, shortsighted mistake, and they feel incredibly guilty about what happened in the fallout.
* DidYouThinkICantFeel: Tsukuru gives a subtle version of this to his friends when he finds out why they abandoned him. [[spoiler: Yuzuki told the group that Tsukuru had raped her, even though everyone knew it couldn't have been possible. She was raped by someone, had a miscarriage, and developed anorexia. In order to prevent Yuzuki's insanity from escalating, the group decided to ban Tsukuru, believing he was the only in the group mature and emotionally stable enough to handle it.]] Needless to say, the plan failed miserably.
* [[DoggedNiceGuy Dogged Nice Girl]]: [[spoiler: Eri]] was crushing hard on Tsukuru in high school, but he never noticed. [[EroticDream Consciously, anyway]].
* EpiphanyTherapy: Tsukuru thinks that, due to his "colorlessness," he is not as special or worth as much as his friends. This self-doubt haunts him throughout the book, until Eri reveals that [[spoiler: his friends abandoned him because they thought he was the most mature and emotionally stable of the group.]] After hearing this, he returns to Tokyo a much more confident individual.
* TheFellowshipHasEnded: Intentionally enforced by the group on Tsukuru when he comes back from college, much to his bewilderment. Though it was seen as a way to keep [[spoiler: Yuzuki's insanity from escalating further]], it becomes permanent when [[spoiler: Yuzuki is murdered and the entire group grows apart.]]
* {{Gayngst}}: As an adult, [[spoiler: Kei]] privately admits to Tsukuru that he's gay, and he feels miserable and stifled in their small, traditional town.
* GrowingUpSucks: None of the characters end up where they expected to be in life, with varying degrees of happiness and satisfaction.
* HappilyMarried: Eri and Edvard, who are successful pottery artists and raising two children in Helsinki.
* HomoEroticDream: Tsukuru has a dream that starts with Eri and Yuzuki, but ends with Haida.
* LeftHanging: Tsukuru finally confronts his friends and learns why they abandoned him. He gains more self-worth and decides to return to Tokyo...and [[spoiler: confront Sara over her heavily implied infidelity. He declares his love for her via phone call, but the story ends before she gives him a decision.]]
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Inflicted on Tsukuru by the rest of the group. The story is about him finding out why.
* LonelyPianoPiece: The titular "Years of Pilgrimage" ''([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann%C3%A9es_de_p%C3%A8lerinage Années de pèlerinage]])'' by Franz Liszt. It reminds him of Yuzuki's piano playing, thus giving him another reason to seek out the truth.
* LovableJock: Yoshio excelled in basketball in his high school years. When we see him again as an adult, he's running a Lexus car dealership.
* MagicRealism: Everything involving Haida's story about Midorikawa's AuraVision and the death tokens.
* ObliviousToLove: Tsukuru had no idea [[spoiler: Eri]] was in love with him in high school. Had he noticed, things would've turned out very differently.
* OhCrap: Eri's reaction when she realizes Tsukuru [[spoiler: tracked her all the way to her home in Finland.]] Prior to the TheReveal, it's assumed that it's because she thinks he [[spoiler: raped Yuzuki and has come for her]], but it's quickly revealed that it's due to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone guilt over their falling out]].
* OlderAndWiser: By the end of the book, Tsukuru has gained more confidence and a better sense of self-worth.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Sara is the most well-grounded out of all the characters, due in part to her not being in Tsukuru's group. [[spoiler: It's implied she's cheating on him, though.]]
* ThePianoPlayer: Yuzuki and Midorikawa. The former became a private piano teacher, and the latter was a jazz pianist.
* PoorCommunicationKills: If the group were willing to talk openly and confront [[spoiler: Yuzuki's insanity]], they might not have grown so distant from each other, and [[spoiler: Yuzuki might not have been murdered.]]
* RailEnthusiast: Tsukuru has been obsessed with trains since childhood, and now works as a station design engineer for a Tokyo railway company.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: The reason why the group broke up is due to [[spoiler: Yuzuki being raped by someone, then privately accusing Tsukuru as the culprit. The others know it couldn't be true, but decide to outcast him to salvage Yuzuki's sanity. The identity of the rapist is never revealed, and Yuzuki is left a broken, neurotic shell of her former self. She has a miscarriage, then develops anorexia. ''Then'' she's murdered, thus driving the group permanently apart.]]
* RealityEnsues: No matter how solid and trusting your circle of friends is, everyone has their own issues and may not want to admit them. People change and mature over time, and you might end up on opposing sides of an issue. Also, casting someone out of a group doesn't automatically solve a problem; the one leaving might develop abandonment issues, lack self-worth, and become suicidally depressed. The ones that stay might eventually realize they could've handled things differently, and live with the regret.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Kei is arguably the most successful of the original group, competently running a corporate training business.
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Tsukuru ''thinks'' he's this, though all of the other characters consider him anything but.
* SanitySlippage: Tsukuru's backstory has a slow, steady burn into the depths of depression and self-doubt, with him being introduced as suicidal. [[spoiler: Yuzuki's descent into madness happens much faster, breaking the group apart.]]
* SceneryPorn: Tsukuru has never traveled out of Japan, so his trip to Helsinki is especially memorable.
* ShootTheShaggyDog: Tsukuru has definitely grown and matured by the end of the story. The group's plan, however, had several long-term consequences they didn't consider. [[spoiler: Ostracizing Tsukuru to save Yuzuki's sanity fractured the group, detrimentally affecting everyone involved. Yuzuki got ''worse'' and became isolated, culminating with her being murdered.]]
* TheSmartGuy: Tsukuru is this as an adult. His analytical and architectural design skills are vital to the success of his work, but he's too deep in his self-doubt to even realize it.
* SociallyAwkwardHero: Tsukuru, due to is lack of self-esteem and inability to confront his past. Sara has to talk him through his problems and gives him some much-needed emotional and logistical support.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: All of the characters could use some sessions, especially Tsukuru and [[spoiler: Yuzuki]].
* TitleDrop: "Colorless" Tsukuru Tazaki was his nickname in high school. The "Years of Pilgrimage" is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann%C3%A9es_de_p%C3%A8lerinage a set of piano pieces by Franz Liszt]], a boxed set of which is given to Tsukuru by [[spoiler: Haida]].
* TrueCompanions: Tsukuru, Kei, Yoshio, Yuzuki, and Eri are inseparable in high school...[[SubvertedTrope until they]] have to [[RealityEnsues grow up and further apart]].
* TwoGirlsToATeam: Eri and Yuzuki fit the roles in the group accordingly, so much so that Tsukuru [[ThoseTwoGuys considers the pair a single entity]].
* TheUnReveal: The identities of [[spoiler: Yuzuki's rapist and murderer.]]
** [[spoiler: Haida's]] exact nature, the motive behind his friendship with Tsukuru, and his sudden disappearance.
** Sara's decision between [[spoiler: confession of her infidelity, or staying in her relationship with Tsukuru.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler: Haida]] mysteriously vanishes one day, leaving only his boxed set of ''Years of Pilgrimage'' behind.
* WhatTheHellHero: Tzukuru gives [[spoiler: Eri]] a subtle one when he finds out the real reason the group abandoned him. In the years since the group split, everyone realized they made a poor decision.
* WhiteCollarWorker: Kei has become a seminar seller in Nagoya, offering employee training - corporate warrior-style - for major companies. The others don't approve of his occasionally shady business practices.
* WomanInWhite: Yuzuki's color motif is white, and she is [[spoiler: mad, dead, and was pivotal in breaking up the group.]]
* WomenAreWiser: Played straight with Sara, who gives Tsukuru some much-needed advice and resources. Less so with regards to [[spoiler: Eri and her decisions that led to the group breaking.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied that Sara is seeing someone on the side when she's not with Tsukuru. He calls her on it at the end of the book, but we don't get to see her response.]]
