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jroberts3456's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Torture
f18's review against another edition
- 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 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.
Regardless, the ending was brilliant.
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 consentmelosamatic's review
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, Child abuse, Body horror, Pedophilia, and Injury/Injury detail
mayankaris's review
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, and Animal death
mossroot's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Audition took me about two hours to finish.
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
mareld's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Torture, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
broccoli_aesthetics's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Animal death, Blood, and Gore
mermaidsherbet's review against another edition
- 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
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
spooky_coochie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
And OF COURSE the final third goes hard.
But I hate to say, Takashi Miike's film adaptation really elevates the source material. For starters, the tension building doesn't really work as well in the book - probably because we're really only in Aoyama's mind, and not getting things like flashes of Asami waiting by the phone or feeding vomit to a tongueless bag man (who is not present in the book at all).
It's fine that the violence and horror isn't as overt in the book, but it is so very unsubtle about Asami's motivations by the end. As Aoyama is being poisoned, he stops a moment and spells out Asami's entire psyche - oh, she must hate men because of her abuse and therefore wants to remove their feet just like her stepdad who molested her blah blah blah. It goes on for a page or so explaining everything in no uncertain terms. Like, thanks, I gathered that. And it's so unnatural, too - why would he have this moment pondering her entire schtick and thoroughly psychoanalyzing her when he's minutes from getting gored? Perhaps the bluntness is partially a translation issue, but even then, I think Miike draws this out much better. The film's not exactly subtle in how it connects the dots between Asami's past and her violent tendencies, but it's a bit more artful than this.
Anyways, I hate to say but I'd probably like this better had I not already seen the film adaptation. In comparison, this feels like...a half-baked treatment of the film script. Which obviously isn't the case, but...
also, and this is of course not Ryu Murakami's fault, I really cannot get over how atrociously bad this release's cover art is!!!! My other thought is that, based on how he's written women in the books by him I've read, Haruki Murakami totally would have fallen for Asami's shtick and had his feet removed lol
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Pedophilia, Homophobia, Sexism, Transphobia, and Misogyny
thespencerj's review
- 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
Graphic: Torture, Gore, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Alcohol, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Minor: Murder