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3.87 AVERAGE


Estos cuentos para niños fue una experiencia completamente diferente a lo que estaba esperando.

Fue una lectura super constructiva, en cuanto a que no solo estaba leyendo un cuento para niños sino que también sentía que aprendía sobre la cultura japonesa ¡y mucho! Eso es algo que me encanta de las lecturas asiáticas, que siempre estamos aprendiendo algo sobre su vida cotidiana, sobre los lugares que visitan, sobre sus costumbres.

Aquí nos encontramos con tres cuentos:
El tren nocturno de la Vía Láctea
Matasaburo, el dios del viento
Gauche, el violoncelista

Los mencione según mi criterio desde el mejor cuento, al que menos me gustó.

El tren nocturno de la Vía Láctea, me hizo sentir como si leyera El principito. Tenía tanto para decir ese cuento y se que solo capte un poco de todo lo que el autor nos quiso contar. Es por eso que me gustaría volver a leerlo y en el futuro, cuando sea mas grande, volver a hacerlo. Las descripciones fueron increíbles y podía sentir que estaba ahí mismo.

Matasaburo, el dios del viento es (hasta lo que yo siento) como el comienzo de un mito, o la historia de una leyenda, el dios del viento. Me gustó mucho y aquí aprendí bastante sobre la cultura japonesa.

Por último, Gauche, el violoncelista fue el cuento que menos disfrute. Algo así como una fabula pero con un mensaje no tan lindo. Un mensaje de autoexigencia máxima y un mensaje bastante feo en cuanto al trato de los animales.

Si buscan tener una experiencia diferente con un cuento para niños... adelante. Este es el libro.
emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

A strange, numinous, surreal book -- especially the title story, a sort of fragmented cross between Hans Christian Anderson, the children's fiction of H.D., and a mystical religious experience. I'm still not entirely sure what it is that I just read, but I know that it's brilliant.
emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

I'm going to be honest here; I only read this because I had seen the movie that is based on the title story, and I don't know if I would have enjoyed this as much if I didn't have the film as a point of reference. The clunky, overly literal translation of my particular edition didn't help either.

These stories reminded me quite a bit of Oscar Wilde's fairytales, with their talking animals, anthropomorphic everyday objects, poking fun at typical human failings, and overall sense of melancholy. From what I understand, Miyazawa was well-known for his literature for children, so were these stories originally intended for a child audience? Perhaps older children could read these and get some enjoyment out of them, but the gentle sadness and desperate happiness that permeates throughout these tales feels very adult. Again, like Oscar Wilde's fairytales. It makes me wonder about how lovely this prose would have sounded in the original Japanese. 
hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A
emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

My favorite story in this collection is Night on the Galactic Railroad. I'm not sure if I am missing the hype or if this wasn't a great translation. There were beautiful and heartfelt moments, and some of the writing was gorgeous. However, I didn't find any of the stories to be unforgettable. 
emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I’ve read this book twice in the past month and a half. It is a beautiful way to look at loss, and I discover more on each reread. Giovanni and Campanella have a complicated relationship throughout the story because Campanella knows more about what is going on the his friend. This means that knowing about the twist at the beginning gives you a whole new perspective. I would totally recommend; it’s one of my favorites.
mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Review to come
dark mysterious sad slow-paced
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes