Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

87 reviews

pawz's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a book with an excellent description of mental health issues, dark themes but not as dark as others say.

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lio_ramon_dolor's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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lifepath7's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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nineinchnails's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

the writing is hard for me to gauge considering it’s a translation (of an older novel), and it felt quite choppy at parts. the prose is beautiful, though, despite the subject matter and i tremendously enjoyed reading this.

yozo is really gross but i felt for him, more so initially than later on in the novel. dazai captured the feeling of loneliness that comes with feeling alienated from society really well and it was depressingly relatable. knowing this is so well loved gave me a sense of comfort, like i’m not alone in feeling that way. i would find the misogyny a little less difficult to deal with if this book didn’t come off so much like an autobiography - it feels like he genuinely believed the things he was saying and it left a bad taste in my mouth overall. i wouldn’t recommend reading if you’re in a bad place mentally because there’s a heavy focus on his depression and pessimism.


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333amreen's review

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The first half was REALLY interesting! But it lost the spark as it went on, other than a few shocking incidents here & there. Overall, decent read.

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lenadesouza's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

a well written red pill statement. 

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phrogen's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

relatable besides the horrific, raging misogyny

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juju_432's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

everything passes

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charrlee's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have never seen such an inscrutable face on a man (17)

The darkest novel I have yet to read, and I don't say that lightly. So much of how you read this novel is dependent on your own beliefs and biases. While the three notebooks pose a slight a question of subjectivity, the way Yozo is viewed in the prologue and epilogue are what truly form the thoughts of the reader. I can, and will, write an analysis on my thoughts around No Longer Human at some point. There is so much more that just cannot be said in a review. 

The last line haunts you; this book will haunt your mind. I don't feel as though I can rate this properly because there is something so human despite the inhumanities described. Also, knowing this work is semi-autobiographical enables you to approach the topic with more humanity as opposed to an entirely fictional rendition. 

Yozo is textually represented as a bad person, yet at the same time, he manages to be more than his evils to the people around him, whether that is realized or not. Everyone is important to somebody. At the heart of this novel lies the question of redemption and rebirth. No Longer Human, despite its name, invites the question of where humanity lies; is it inside or outside of us? We must extend the hand of sympathy to others, but to what degrees is society willing to extend sympathy? Yozo fills us with the uncomfortable and we must carry that haunting every day. Who is the real clown? 

P.S. The more direct translation, disqualified as a human being, packs a better punch. 

He was a good boy, an angel (177)

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not_gabylc's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

It’s a dreadful read, with a character who seems very much wounded from the beginning but with no improvement. It’s just sad and I’m very sorry if this truly is semi autobiographic. In my humble opinion not worth a re-read or a read….

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