Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Audition by Ryū Murakami

6 reviews

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

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

themadbloodstone's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.75

While I do appreciate this novel, the two things that nearly brought me to give up on it was its slow pace and prose that felt longer than it should. However, it is not to say that it did not serve a purpose. You forget that you are reading a Ryū Murakami book and find yourself thinking you’re reading a little romance between lonely Aoyama and mysterious dream girl Yamasaki Asami. You, the reader, even glances over the explicit red flags the iconic villainess has left behind.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Sexual content, Pedophilia, Mental illness, and Child abuse

Minor: Misogyny

soobooksalot's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Blood, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Cancer, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual content, and Alcohol

chloseencounter's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-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

I really wanted to enjoy this novel considering the movie adaptation is a cult classic. I have never seen the movie adaptation, though I understand there are some large changes from the book but I wanted to read it first. The concept was interesting enough but honestly 3/4 of this book was just a romance novel and even though I knew it was going to switch up I got pretty bored listening to this manipulative man talk about how in love with this young girl he was. Before the “plot twist”, if you can call it that, there was a sex scene that felt as if it was written by a teenage fan fiction author. In fact I’ve read fan fiction much less cringe worthy. The ending was lack luster, I saw it from a mile away even without having seen the movie. I still have a few books by Ryu Murakami on my TBR so I hope to enjoy those better. I’ll give the movie a try soon.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Alcohol, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Torture, Death, and Animal cruelty

readingsofaslinky's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Animal death, Violence, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Body horror, Cancer, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Murder, Bullying, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Mental illness, Sexual violence, and Stalking