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dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I still don't know what to make of this book. On the one hand it's a beautifully written and a really fascinating study of masculinity, as a boy idolises a sailor who embodies his ideal of rugged cold-hearted masculinity, and the sailor who has felt disappointed with that life and wants to leave it behind. On the other hand, it is insanely fucked up and a heavy read. It's also hard to know what to make of it knowing Mishima has his own very complex political leanings so I can't quite tell if this is a critique or an endorsement of the toxic masculinity present in the book.
Regardless, it's really stuck with me and I think I gained some insight into the nebulous concept of masculinity from it, so I'm glad I've read it.
Regardless, it's really stuck with me and I think I gained some insight into the nebulous concept of masculinity from it, so I'm glad I've read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
Horrific and grotesque animal abuse scene
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Torture, Violence
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Violence
dark
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Suspenseful and tense throughout, the world-building of this small, sleepy town in Japan was second to the sickening downward spiral of the MC as he grapples with grandiose ideas of masculinity and aggression. However, the level of gore and cruelty hits you like a freight train and felt way too gratuitous to find palatable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence
Minor: Death of parent
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
I need to get around to re-read this because it's just one of those books that stuck with me regardless of what I was going through. It has a presence like it silently stares at me in the back of my head. A world-view-changing Novella, but that only if you relate to the situation and ideology that Noboru or Ryuji present.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i'm normally someone who loves lots of descriptions and setting detailed scenes - but this book had way, way too much of it. cut out the (very repetitive) descriptions of the sea, sky and ships and 1/3 of the book would be gone. also, i know the central theme is sailing / the sea / ships, but a totally excessive amount of nautical jargon is used, to the point that it's very frustrating and impossible to research every single one.
otherwise, it has some beautiful prose and a dark, intriguing story, but the above issues made it difficult to stay engaged and a bit of a slog at times. the character of fusako was also underdeveloped and underutilised.
otherwise, it has some beautiful prose and a dark, intriguing story, but the above issues made it difficult to stay engaged and a bit of a slog at times. the character of fusako was also underdeveloped and underutilised.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Incest
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Suicide attempt