The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea, warning spoilers.
The use of descriptive words to describe each emotion and object was fantastic (honour to the translator too)
As you meet Noboru's friends and how they despise society which I feel is just the leader of the group influencing them all with his nihilistic views ( Noboru was very impressionable). First he respects Ryuji but when he tells his friends they basically say that is bullshit and Ryuji is just another empty person. and then near the end of the book you find out Ryuji doesn't even like Nobouru and it was just an act?
Was this meant to justify Noboru and his gang fucking KILLING his step father after manipulating Noboru into it.....
I can onlyn imagine the heartbreak his Mum would feel after that...
Also side note, I watched a review online. All she did was rant about how all this book does is feminine vs masculinity... I did not get that sense.... Although I am not a feminist?
Thoughts on the book /lit/ I thought it was great!
>>8225097
Arguing about feminism in Japan and Japaneses literature or other media is pointless because it's a male dominated society and always will be, ironic though how they've managed to come up with better written female characters without resorting to agenda pushing or for trendy reasons.
>>8225122
First Japanese novel I've read, but are you referring to manga at all?
>>8225097
I don't see any femininity as a theme, but, indeed, the book is about a masculine way of life, as japanese see it. You would the same themes a lot in anime and manga, though, of course, in a much more diluted and westernised way. It's a classical question of pursuing your dream versus obtaining happiness in small life, which, generally, only appears for a man. Though, of course, it's not the Dream Ryuji was seeking, but Glory (and death): a japanese particularity.
I'm tempted to say that the book is a metaphor for a ritual suicide, or seppuku: should a samurai be unable to attain glory by killing himself, his second, kaishakunin, would cut samurai's head and thus save his honor. Nodoru is the second then, as Ryuji forfeited the honor by settling down. It is worth mentioning that the author committed seppuku himself.
On a related note, I enjoyed finding the phrase "he maintained that their genitals were for copulating with stars in the Milky Way", for it reminds of a certain famous anime. Japanese culture is, of course, interconnected.
I didnt think it was anything special. Much preferred Spring Snow but maybe im just not edgy enough.
