キノの旅 Kino no Tabi by 時雨沢恵一 Keiichi Sigsawa

Title: キノの旅 ―The beautiful world
Author: Keiichi Sigsawa
Illustrator: Kouhaku Kuroboshi
Publication Year: 2000
Publisher: メディアワークス
Pages: 238

I actually read this book a while ago, and am currently on the second volume, but the first volume left such an impact on me that I  flipped through it again recently and thought it would be good to do a review.

First a little background information: I picked up this book because I loved the anime adaptation, and wanted it to go on, but I don't think it matters whether one has seen the anime or not, as the book stands on its own. Indeed, the anime may be very loyal to the novels, but I consider the novels the superior work (and I adored the anime, so I'm not saying this lightly!).

Summary: A traveler called Kino, and a talking motorcycle travel from country to country, experiencing   both the beautiful and not so beautiful sides of human nature.

Plot & Characters: There are really very few main characters in this book, mostly because it involves traveling, which demonstrates the state of everlasting newness a traveler might feel well. The basic plot is not unlike the one of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, as it is more concerned with showing sides of human nature than describing any real place. This lends it a dark, story-like quality which is easy to lose oneself in. In fact, once I began a chapter, I found the book was hard to put down, and the endings always left me thinking. It wouldn't be exaggerating to say that it changed my world view more than once.

Prose & Readability: I am pretty sure that this is the first time I fell in love with an author's literary style.
The prose is clear, yet descriptive, and the frequent use of older kanji (with furigana) gives it a rustic feeling. Like with most light novels, all non-jouyou kanji have furigana. It isn't the easiest book I have read, but it isn't the hardest either. It is however, the most interesting.

Who would I recommend this to: Everyone! But particularly those who like dark stories which leave them thinking.

First Paragraph (chapter 1):
緑の海の中に、茶色の線が延びていた。
それは土を簡単に固めただけの道で、西へ向かってまっすぐ走っていた。辺(あた)り一面には膝(ひざ)ほどの高さの草が、風の通り抜けるさまを示すように、緩やかに波打っていた。近くにも遠くにも、木は一本も見えない。
道の真ん中を、一台のモトラド　（注・二輪車。空を飛ばないものだけを指す）が走っていた。後部にあるキャリアには、薄汚(うすよご)れた鞄(かばん)がくくりつけられている。
モトラドはエンジン音を響(ひび)かせながら、かなりのスピードで走っているが、たまに左右にぐらつく。そのたびに運転手はあわててハンドルを切り、体を傾け、進路の修正をした。
運転手の体躯(たいく)は細い。黒いジャケットを着て、腰を太いベルトで締めていた。ベルトにはポーチがいくつかついて、後ろにはハンド・パースエイダー（注・パースエイダーは銃器。この場合は拳銃(けんじゅう)）のホルスターをつけている。 

The first paragraph provided for readers to help judge for themselves whether a book is a good fit for their current level, and is presented with all furigana shown in the actual book.

A Dark Night's Passing by Naoya Shiga

Title: A Dark Night's Passing
Japanese Title: 暗夜行路
Author: Naoya Shiga
Publication Year: 1993
Publisher: Kodansha America
Pages: 408

OK, so I read this one in English because I happened to spot it at the library and couldn't resist (Also, the Japanese version was a hundred pages longer). It's supposed to be an 私小説, and I loved the last one of those I read (Touson Shimazaki's 破戒). It also got very good reviews. This is why I shouldn't put so much faith in reviews..

Summary:
Kensaku, a young man confronts his demons and family secrets.


Plot & Characters: Plot, what plot? Or rather, the plot was so rambling I was wondering when it would get to the good part. It was just too hard to connect to Kensaku. In some ways he was such a jerk that I wondered if the author had wanted him to be hated, and yet I didn't even hate him, because hating requires energy, and this novel was too bland for that. Kensaku is the filter through which we see the world in this novel, and yet that just seemed to make every character nicer and more compassionate than him. The one thing I liked about the book, was the descriptions of Taishou era society, those parts were full of life, and provided interesting insights into how Japan was like back then, but trudging through the rest of the novel wasn't worth it. I will note one thing though, this book makes a great sleep aid.

Prose: The prose was clear and tight, which initially drew me to the novel, it's just that it seems to lose all sense of pacing as it goes on, or maybe it didn't have much to begin with.

Who I recommend it to: Those who like to read about historical Japanese society, those who don't mind rambling novels.

きみにしか聞こえない(Kimi ni shika Kikoenai) ＣＡＬＬＩＮＧ ＹＯＵ by 乙一 Otsuichi

 

Title: 君にしか聞こえない　CALLING YOU
Author: Otsuichi
Illustrator: Miyako Hasumi
Publication Year: 2001
Publisher: 角川書店
Pages: 201

I loved this book! I think Otsuichi has become one of my favorite authors after reading this, despite the fact that most of his works are horror, his short stories for young adults are well written. There's something almost magical about the way his clear prose flows.

Summary:
This book is a collection of short stories by Otsuichi which were originally published in The Sneaker light novel magazine. It contains three stories:

Calling You:
The titular story is about a girl who really wants a cell phone, but has no friends to call. One day she finds she suddenly has a cell phone that only she can see, and it starts ringing...

傷 -KIZ/KIDS-:

This story is about an 11-year old boy who is places in a special class for misbehaving children.
Once there, he befriends a shy child who has an interesting ability to heal others' wounds, but does it come at a price?

鼻歌:
A patient finds himself in a hospital after a train accident, comes upon a flower with the face of a girl, whose singing brightens the lives of his and the other hospital patients.

Thoughts:

Plot & Characters: All the stories are told in first person, which makes it easy to "get inside a character's head", and fairly easy to read. I didn't think I would get into this book, but by the end of the first and second stories I was in tears, and I don't cry easily. The third story, particularly the ending, seemed a bit rushed, and I ultimately didn't enjoy it as much as the others. It was still good, but not great like the others. Still, the first two stories were such page-turners near the end it more than made up for the third story.

Prose & Readability: The prose flowed well and was easy to read. The author has a way of really making one connect with the characters. All the stories were in first person, which any person who has read a few manga volumes should be able to follow without much trouble. I wouldn't recommend this as a first book, but maybe a second or third.

Who would I recommend this to: People starting out reading Japanese books, people who want an easy read that leaves a lasting effect.

First Paragraph:
わたしはおそらくこの高校で唯一(ゆいいつ)の、携帯(けいたい)電話を持っていない女子高生だ。その上、カラオケにも行かないし、プリクラを撮(と)ったこともない。今時こんな人間は珍(めずら)しいと、自分でも思う。
校則では禁止されているけれど、携帯電話なんてだれでも持っている。正直なところ、教室でクラスメイトがちらつかせるたびに、平静でいられなくなる。教室に着信のメロディーが流れるたびに、取り残された気分になる。みんながあの小さな通信機器に話しかけているのを見ると、あらためてわたしには友人がいないのだと気付く。

The first paragraph provided for readers to help judge for themselves whether a book is a good fit for their current level, and is presented with all furigana shown in the actual book.