books @ cc.

by Natsume Soseki (1922)

Botchan, a young Japanese “black sheep of the family”, a younger son that fell short from his older brother, is a “straight-shooter” with a knack for troubles and misdeeds. With his family favouring his older brother, the only one who seems to genuinely care for him (and vice versa) is Kiyo, the woman-servant. When his father dies, he was given a small portion of the legacy but was disclaimed of any further family responsibility.

by Kenzaburo Oe (1964)

Bird, the anti-hero protagonist of this book, is the archetypal frustrated, alienated youth, resenting the burdens of responsibility that age and marriage has caged him in from reaching his utopian dream of travelling to Africa. Casting his life adrift, never bothering for (if not resentin) any purpose, never facing his problems, Bird is forced to face his newly-born baby, the final obligation that “may clang the door shut”: a deformed, vegetable infant.

by Remy Sylado (2003)

A historical novel, the story of Kembang Jepun tells the story of a Menadonese child sold by her brother to Shinju in Kembang Jepun, Surabaya, to be trained, disguised, into an out-and-out Japanese geisha, and takes place from pre-Japanese colonial to post-independence era. The strength of the novel lies not on its romantic plot, but on its rich historical facts and nuances colouring its meticulously constructed universe.

by Edogawa Rampo (1956)

A lucidly-translated collection of short mystery stories , Japanese Tales gives English-language readers a spell-binding peek into the works of Edogawa Rampo, “Japan’s most famous mystery writer”. (I first knew about the name from the Indonesian-licensed manga Detektif Conan  by Aoyama Gosho, and Febby then acquaint me further to Rampo’s popularity among Japanese readers.)

A Father’s Journey with His Son
by Peter Carey (2004)

When Charley, Peter Carey’s shy 12-year-old son, became acquainted (and soon) obsessed with manga (Akira, Barefoot Gen) and anime (Gundam, Ghibli’s, Blood: The Last Vampire), Peter too was soon enticed by the foreign “strangeness” and “exoticism” of modern Japan. Together they went to Tokyo, guided by Charley’s visualist online friend, Takashi (and as always, baffled by the toilet).

by Kobo Abe (1966)

The narrator, a scientist whose face has been disfigured in a laboratory explosion, penned his (self-absorbed) thoughts and confessions in three notebooks meant for his wife. Feeling disconnected with the rest of humanity with the lack of a face, he created a mask, a personality to go with it, with the glee of someone who felt s/he’s deceived the world.

If the focus of the Mainichi Seiten! is the relationship between Taiga Obinata and Shuu Asuou, Kodomo wa tomaranai is about Yuuta Asuou (Shuu’s adopted son) and Mayumi Obinata (the youngest of Obinata family).

Everyday is a bright day!
Story by 菅野彰 (Akira Sugano)
Art by 二宮越美 (Etsumi Ninomiya)

Shuu Asuou, an SF writer whom Taiga Obinata worked together with as an editor, turned up in front of Obinata’s household with his ‘brother’, Yuuta Asuou. Obinata brothers - Taiga, Juu Sanan, Akinobu Jinan and Mayumi - were shocked, even more when he asked whether they’d heard from Shima-san. ‘How did you about know Shima-nee?’ ‘How’d I know her… I’m her husband.’