Stray by Ryu Kamio
Reading via an online reader copy is sometimes hard for me. But I persevere and just keep swimming, I mean reading. But with Stray there was the added issue of a big ol’ “watermark” in the middle of things. Nope, they did not want people copying the manga comic by Ryu Kamio and illustrator Nakamura Yuu. Plus, it is manga and therefore, the flow is off for my western eyes to start. With that said, a few days after starting, I finished this Yakuza meets […]
The Boy Who Drew Cats: A Japanese Folktale by Lafcadio Hearn
There are three main times when I swear. In no particular order, when I am tired and/or mad; when I want to make a point and when something is just so fudging (only I didn’t say fudge) good. And The Boy Who Drew Cats: A Japanese Folktale by Lafcadio Hearn is one of those fudging good books. Amazing story, amazing illustrations, amazing feeling to it, even an amazing back story of the author. Perhaps more for adults (collectors of art books, of Japanese folk tales, […]
Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami
She was truly a beautiful girl. I could feel a small polished stone sinking through the darkest waters of my heart. All those deep convoluted channels and passageways, and yet she managed to toss her pebble right down to the bottom of it all. ― Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance Sometimes when I’m with you. I remember the things I lost when I was your age. Like I remember the sound of the rain and the smell of the wind. And it’s really a gift, […]
Strange Pictures by Uketsu
A Tokyo student named Shuhei Sasaki, interested in all things paranormal and otherwise spooky, disovers a mysterious blog, last updated a decade ago. In it, a man who calls himself Raku, describes the pregnancy his wife, Yuki. A second story is about a young boy who goes missing; a third one about an arts teacher who is slain whilst camping out on a mountain. How are they linked? The reader is invited to scrutinise the pictures that the victims drew and to see if they […]
Ring by Koji Suzuki
This movie played a significant role in my life 20 years ago. I was a huge cinephile, and watched movies all the time. I don’t remember the exact sequence that led to me watching it for the first time, but this was the movie to watch if you were a fan of horror movies in the early 2000s. there was a florescence in Japanese horror that was kicked off by this movie, which, in turn, influenced movies being made around the world. And I enjoyed […]
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
To be able to grasp something of value, sometimes you have to perform seemingly inefficient acts. But even activities that appear fruitless don’t necessarily end up so. ― Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running CBR17 Bingo: Culture This book discusses a runner’s mentality as well as running culture. As an avid reader of Haruki Murakami, I’ve been meaning to check this book off of my list for going on ten years. I wondered though if his nonfiction could hold up […]
