The story is kind of slow and pretty set in Japan's social context. If you like to read novels by Haruki Murakami then you can get the story and its context easier.
Japan (or to some degrees, Korea, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong) has been influenced by Confucianism. How to deal with shame is a central part in social life. This includes dealing with feelings of alienation to one's social counterparts. And "being wimpy" is kind of shame experiences for teenagers in those countries.
You need to understand "shame" and "guilt" are two different concepts. "Guilt" is based on actions and morality. "Shame" is based on attributes that one possess. That's why you can see a lot of murders in East Asian's dramas having no feelings for guilt, but having feelings of shame.
Japan (or to some degrees, Korea, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong) has been influenced by Confucianism. How to deal with shame is a central part in social life. This includes dealing with feelings of alienation to one's social counterparts. And "being wimpy" is kind of shame experiences for teenagers in those countries.
You need to understand "shame" and "guilt" are two different concepts. "Guilt" is based on actions and morality. "Shame" is based on attributes that one possess. That's why you can see a lot of murders in East Asian's dramas having no feelings for guilt, but having feelings of shame.