Tag: Japanese author

Shuhei Fujisawa’s—Semishigure

In the days of the Samurai in ancient Japan, Bunshiro and his friends, Ippei and Yonosuke have a carefree childhood, but when Bunshiro’s father is accused of treason and forced to commit suicide, Bunshiro becomes head of the family and forced to take responsibility. While his two friends remain faithful, others shun him. Now in reduced circumstances, he puts all his effort into practising his fighting skill with bamboo swords.

While this story is about Bunshiro, it is an interesting look into past Japan, how government practices were carried out and at the same time, intrigue as those hungry for power, plot.

Haruki Murakami’s—Kafka on the Shore

During the WW11 a teacher takes a group of children on an excursion into the forest to pick mushrooms. When the children collapse in a comatose state with eyes open, she races back to the school for help. The children eventually recover, all except one boy who is taken to hospital. Decades later, Mr Nakata is that boy who eventually wakes up from the coma, but he’s forgotten everything, including how to read. The only thing he’s capable of is speaking to cats.

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Uketsu’s—Strance Pictures

When Kurihara introduces Sakaki to a puzzling blog, so begins what appears to be a series of unconnected murders. Sakaki struggles to decipher the series of mystery drawings left by Yuki who dies during childbirth and finds the husband’s blog does not give any clear answers. The reader is left hanging as the next chapter deals with a drawing done by a kindergarten student, but as each new murder unfolds, the pieces gradually fit together with help from mysterious drawings done by the victims.

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Haruki Murakami’s—The city and its uncertain walls

As a teenager, the boy fell in love with the girl who eventually confessed that the real her came from a different reality. When the girl disappeared from his life, his world crumbled and he plodded through his existence wishing he could find the strange world she claimed she came from. Her strange world became so real to him that he wondered if he was his real self or only his shadow.

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