Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Audition by Ryū Murakami

35 reviews

llyan's review against another edition

dark funny slow-paced

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

5.0

yamasaki asami said all men do is lie so they should die and that's why we stan this book and her

Japanese men named murakami who writes women terribly and absurdly might be my soulmate. I'm sorry to say queens but internalised misogyny might've won

Overall a great fun and easy read, this book was chosen for me when my local book guy did a "blind date with a book" and i have to say it's perfect!

Absolutely hilarious how aoyama was so delusional and how yamasaki was so insane! Good for her! 
Personally, aoyama was only good for his commentary on Japanese culture and food and a lil on how he treats his woman to really nice meals not so much the lying part. We do not stan him
The only good people in this book are rie-san, shige-kun, and yamasaki-san I'm afraid 

My only few problems i had with this book was the dog gore, that was not very nice :( also that it felt like

yamsaki was written just to be psycho? The deus ex machina from aoyama at the end was horrid. I would've preferred it if she was just psycho for funsies instead of the oh step daddy was abusive so me too

it was a very easy and light read so really, i don't even really want to complain 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, and Animal death

Moderate: Physical abuse and Child abuse

f18's review against another edition

dark funny 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

I can't be the only person who finds Ryu Murakami hilarious. Cmon fix your votes for tone/mood!

I saw the movie Audition years ago, and found it underwhelming. In part, because I had been overhyped on how gory it would be but reading the book reminded me of other issues I had with the story.

After watching Love & Pop, Audition, and both reading and watching Piercing I think that what I really wanted from this book isn't what Murakami is interested in exploring in his work. I did enjoy this more than Piercing.  Aoyama wasn't exactly likeable but he was far less grating than Kawashima who made me constantly want to throw the book across the room until around the halfway point when the comedy of errors plot kicked in. Piercing I found funny straight away which made it a much more entertaining read. Murakami's works are ultimately focused on internal psychology though, and in a way I always seem to have mixed feelings about.

Having forgotten the plot since watching the film (other than the most basic outline) I was really expecting Asami to be lying to Kawashima about her past trauma and have been setting him up from the very beginning to fall for her in order to get him close enough to torture. Being reminded that no, actually her trauma had just made her a yandere was a disappointment. Aoyama assumed the homeless child would be capable of murder and I would have loved for him to assume that Asami had turned on him because of her past only for her to reveal it had all been a lie. While people's lives inform their actions of course (cycles of violence exist) its frustrating to see the idea over and over again that its a given that a tough past will turn someone into a monster.

Regardless, the ending was brilliant.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Blood, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, Torture, and Gore

Minor: Infidelity, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Cancer, Grief, Pedophilia, Death, Incest, Child abuse, and Alcohol

drug abuse specifically in the form of giving someone drugs without their consent

mossroot's review against another edition

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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Audition is the second book by Ryu Murakami that I have read. Having started with Piercing, Audition was a bit slower paced. However, once it gets into the horror, it is so visceral and well described that it feels like a hot iron down your throat. 

I've seen some complaints about the ending, but personally I believe it fits so well with the characters and is a really good example of the characterization that Murakami uses. 

I really think the ending shows Aoyama finally being broken from his delusional point of view. The spell has truly broken and he sees in her what everyone else has seen the entire time.

Audition took me about two hours to finish. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Torture, Gore, Animal death, Alcohol, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, Terminal illness, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Death, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death of parent and Gaslighting

lottie_dottie's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Animal death, Murder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

broccoli_aesthetics's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Animal death, Blood, and Gore

mermaidsherbet's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, Body horror, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse

Minor: Abandonment, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Cancer, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Sexism, Cursing, Gore, Murder, Alcohol, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, and Medical content

scifi_rat's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

Plot: 3★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 4.5★
Concept/Execution: 5★/1.5★
Characters: 2★
Worldbuilding: 3.75★
Ending: 0.5★

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Sexism, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Gore, Emotional abuse, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Grief, and Infidelity

darbz89's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Animal cruelty, and Sexual content

pranphetamine's review

dark tense medium-paced

3.75

A slow build with enjoyable writing. It felt like reading a screenplay. The ending was…a lot. It all happened so quickly and I was left feeling uncomfortable and confused. I think if

things weren’t so abrupt at the end and it unraveled a little more, or if she had more dialogue about her motive

, then this would’ve been a higher rating for me. This isn’t for everyone (I heard the film adaptation also left many feeling very disturbed), but definitely an effective horror book nonetheless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Pedophilia

thespencerj's review

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Gore, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

Moderate: Alcohol, Misogyny, and Sexual content

Minor: Murder