Category: japanese literature

Dandelions by Yasunari Kawabata

A book I started a year or two ago but returned to recently. I started it afresh and it was a difficult reason for me. Not due to the subjects of mental health and relationships but how the book is structured as a conversation between a mother and her daughters boyfriend.

I expected more from the novel and it seemed to be disjointed and all over the place with the conversations, and it just ended abruptly, it was unfinished at the authors death but I don’t think it should have been published.

As a character I didn’t like Kuno and how he asserted himself to Ineko and her Mother, saying the mother is wrong to commit her to treatment and how marriage is the only way to fix her. Rubbed me up the wrong way.

I think a lot to do with the issues were the death of Ineko’s father and that was the trigger of her ailment. I also think that if the novel was finished the end may be that they both (Ineko & Kuno) are afflicted with mental health issues with him seeing a white rat and white dandelion. Possibly even the mother with her seeing a Sprite.

All in all I am glad to have read it but I wouldn’t come back to it.

The Knight Cartoonist and Her Orc Editor Vol. 3 by Indoso

I finally got around to reading this third and final installment of this series. A lot going on here with our Editor having a family issue and a subsequent monster attack. It was a fun volume to read and it wrapped up nicely, but I wish there was more. Feels like there would be more to come from this series. And it being several years old now I guess that really was that.

A fun, light and enjoyable series. A little bit of implied nudity but hardly anything really. You see more on pulpy book covers.

Super-Frog Saves Tokyo by Haruki Murakami

An interesting short story. I haven’t read much of Murakami but what I have read has been okay. This was a short and fun read, a bit odd too. I did squirm at the end reading about the bugs especially being tucked up in bed myself.

The illustrations and design of the book are excellent though makes a little tricky reading on the Colorsoft Kindle. It does showcase the abilities of coloured e-ink though. See Kindle screenshot below.