Reviews

Strangers by Taichi Yamada

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kikki_heart's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

spikespiegel's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

abbie_'s review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad fast-paced

3.25

Apparently this book inspired a recent queer movie which I may have to check out, as I really enjoyed the concept. The fact the book is told from the POV of a straight man did get in the way of my enjoyment somewhat, as there are frequent unnecessary references to the love interest’s firm round buttocks, as well as a few off-putting references to her looking like a school girl.

Cis-het maleness aside, this is a quick-paced, atmospheric little read! It didn’t creep me out but it was definitely haunting and more than a little melancholic. It was also unexpectedly tender-hearted for a ghost story.

I thought the translation by Wayne P. Lammers was pretty good, everything flowed along quite nicely, though some of the dialogue felt a little clumsy.

I rarely consume adaptations, but all the reviews are saying that the movie is so much better, so I think I’m going to have to dive in to that and see what the fuss is about!