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blumoonie's reviews
58 reviews
Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 3 by Ryōsuke Takeuchi
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 2 by Ryōsuke Takeuchi
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Power by Naomi Alderman
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
this is the kind of book that starts in a benignly soft manner, only to grow more and more twisted, with frightening speed. it is an exploration of identity, morals, and systemic imbalance; it cleverly addresses many current issues by flipping them on their head. the depiction of multiple perspectives didn't frustrate me like it normally does, and having all our protagonists influencing each other even when far out of sight was absolutely gripping. even the letters at each end of the story tell a deeply interesting story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Sexual harassment
Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 1 by Ryōsuke Takeuchi
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
so excited to read this after watching the anime!! I'm already blown away by the little things not included in the anime, and absolutely hooked onto this story + these characters. can't wait to read more!!
Modern Japanese Literature: From 1868 to the Present Day, Volume 2 by Dnald Keene
5.0
it is difficult to find many of these author's works available in english, so this was incredibly refreshing. i read a select few stories:
growing up (higuchi ichiyo)
how higuchi managed to introduce such a varied and interesting cast of characters in such a short period of time is a mystery, especially considering how deeply I grew to care for them. it made the end of this story sadder than I expected- change is never easy, but oh this change was hard.
old gen (kunikida doppo)
prose-like and tragic, this story explores unrequited love from a different perspective- familial. part of me ached as I read it.
botchan (natsume soseki)
as this was only the first chapter of a longer novel (and apparently one of natsume's most famous), it is hard to tell exactly how I feel about the characters. I am intrigued, though, and will probably end up seeking out the full novel to read later.
one soldier (tayama katai)
a tragedy steeped in anti-war sentiment, this story ached and ached and ached.
the wild goose (mori ougai)
domestic scenes with an undercurrent of something slightly amiss, this is another small part of a larger work I should read eventually.
a tale of three who were blind (izumi kyuoka)
eerie, with the vibe of an old horror story. the imagery was beautifully constructed.
kesa and moritou (akutagawa ryunosuke)
the translator for this short story noted that akutagawa holds a "particular genius for the macabre," and this is a perfect example. the change in perspective was refreshing and the ending enough to make me shiver.
the firefly hunt (tanizaki junichiro)
a short snippet from light snow, this outtake is mostalgic and dreamy.
the mother of captain shigemoto (tanizaki junichiro)
another snippet from one of his longer works. this carried with it a strange sort of sadness; one stemming from resignation and hopelessness.
villon's wife (dazai osamu)
this short story maintained the semi-biographical nature of all of dazai's works, though rather than providing his usual perspective, we viewed these characters through the perspective of a wife.
growing up (higuchi ichiyo)
how higuchi managed to introduce such a varied and interesting cast of characters in such a short period of time is a mystery, especially considering how deeply I grew to care for them. it made the end of this story sadder than I expected- change is never easy, but oh this change was hard.
old gen (kunikida doppo)
prose-like and tragic, this story explores unrequited love from a different perspective- familial. part of me ached as I read it.
botchan (natsume soseki)
as this was only the first chapter of a longer novel (and apparently one of natsume's most famous), it is hard to tell exactly how I feel about the characters. I am intrigued, though, and will probably end up seeking out the full novel to read later.
one soldier (tayama katai)
a tragedy steeped in anti-war sentiment, this story ached and ached and ached.
the wild goose (mori ougai)
domestic scenes with an undercurrent of something slightly amiss, this is another small part of a larger work I should read eventually.
a tale of three who were blind (izumi kyuoka)
eerie, with the vibe of an old horror story. the imagery was beautifully constructed.
kesa and moritou (akutagawa ryunosuke)
the translator for this short story noted that akutagawa holds a "particular genius for the macabre," and this is a perfect example. the change in perspective was refreshing and the ending enough to make me shiver.
the firefly hunt (tanizaki junichiro)
a short snippet from light snow, this outtake is mostalgic and dreamy.
the mother of captain shigemoto (tanizaki junichiro)
another snippet from one of his longer works. this carried with it a strange sort of sadness; one stemming from resignation and hopelessness.
villon's wife (dazai osamu)
this short story maintained the semi-biographical nature of all of dazai's works, though rather than providing his usual perspective, we viewed these characters through the perspective of a wife.
Japanese Short Stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
4.0
This was my first experience reading Akutagawa, and I was not disappointed. His depictions of macabre scenes are particularly moving; I was surprised at how gripping even the folk stories had become through his retelling.
Venus in the Blind Spot by Junji Ito
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
10 short stories depicting horrors of diferent kinds in a mix of vivid colour and chilling greyscale — this was genuinely very scary. made me excited to read more of his works.
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
2.0
of the 8 stories in this collection, I could only really follow 4 of them, and only truly enjoyed reading 2 (Understand and Story of Your Life). I feel that with a better grasp of the real scientific and philosophical concepts Chiang discusses through his plots, I would be able to draw a deeper meaning from the other stories. hence, this book gets one star for each story I enjoyed (though I really do wish I could rate it higher).
No Longer Human by Junji Ito
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Osamu Dazai’s dark, semi-autobiographical novel is the perfect match for Junji Ito’s horrifically riveting art style. this is a story that can perhaps be best described with the help of an alternative title translation — “Disqualified from Being Human”. it’s the story of a man who never finds a place to truly belong, and that anguish clearly carries through the entire story.
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 1 (Light Novel): Osamu Dazai's Entrance Exam by Kafka Asagiri, Sango Harukawa
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
learning that episode 6 and 7 of the anime (some of my favourite episodes) were first a story about Dazai and Kunikida working together for the first time made me mad. WHY DID THEY CHANGE IT WTF IT WAS SO PERFECT