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Since this thread is now in anime town, I think it's only natural to talk about Japanese authors. Plenty of folks have heard of Murakami. Personally I feel like he's a great stepping stone if you wanna move up from genre fluff since his books tend to be in a neat middlebrow place while also being quite approachable. My personal favorite is Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World, if you've seen  it was one of the show's influences. His most recent book in English, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, is also a great starting point with his work. If you want something weirder, there's The Windup Bird Chronicle, which can get a bit Twin Peaks-esque.Kobo Abe is one of my favorite Japanese authors, his most well known work is Woman in the Dunes and it is quite good. My personal favorite though, is The Ark Sakura, a book in which a paranoid loner tries to turn an abandoned mine into a doomsday shelter. In the first chapter you learn about a (fictional) bug that cannot crawl, that survives by slowly spinning around throughout the entire day and eating its own feces in the process. It's a fantastic way to start a book and really sets the tone for what's to come. Kenzaburo Oe is someone who I keep meaning to read more of, as he's one of two Japanese authors to have won the Nobel prize. The only work of his I've read was A Personal Matter, a semi-autobiographical work involving a man unsure if he really wants to be a father, and thinking about escaping from all of the responsibilities that entails, even contemplating indirectly killing the child. I've no idea how much of it is his own life, but regardless it's a fascinating glimpse into the mind of an insecure man.
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May 18, 2016 00:26
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You did it. You blew it up. You maniacs.Srice posted:Kenzaburo Oe is someone who I keep meaning to read more of, as he's one of two Japanese authors to have won the Nobel prize. The only work of his I've read was A Personal Matter, a semi-autobiographical work involving a man unsure if he really wants to be a father, and thinking about escaping from all of the responsibilities that entails, even contemplating indirectly killing the child. I've no idea how much of it is his own life, but regardless it's a fascinating glimpse into the mind of an insecure man. I was really bothered by the ending to A Personal Matter. That guy went too dark and too deep to pull himself out at the end and be unharmed. I cannot believe someone who sank that low could redeem himself so effortlessly and without greater personal sacrifice.
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May 18, 2016 00:37
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If anyone's interested in poetry, I recommend Nakahara Chuuya. Sadly my favorite isn't available in English but his two collections should be.
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May 18, 2016 00:38
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Srice posted:Since this thread is now in anime town, I think it's only natural to talk about Japanese authors. Or, of course, the current Mishima Book of the Month, Temple of the Golden Pavilion  http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3774553
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May 18, 2016 00:39
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Mel Mudkiper posted:You did it. You blew it up. You maniacs. His transformation at the end did feel really glazed over, though it didn't bother me enough to deeply affect my enjoyment of the book overall. I do wish that we had a little more time at the end, especially given its semi-autobiographical nature. Hieronymous Alloy posted:Or, of course, the current Mishima Book of the Month, Temple of the Golden Pavilion poo poo, I knew I forgot someone! Mishima rules.
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May 18, 2016 00:42
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Well gently caress it, lets send this loving things both ways. I really tend to not like anime at all. Unless its Satoshi Kon. That guy is cool and good. Anyways, I am trying to be a better person and learn to appreciate different things I didn't like before on their own terms and expand my horizons. What is some anime/manga an unrepetently pretentious lit snob would like?
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May 18, 2016 00:44
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Read or Die might tickle your fancy even if it gets pretty silly. Gatchaman Crowds might also be pretty good for you if the idea of a superhero story without any of the superheroing and more social and public relation implications is interesting to you. If the idea of a Magical Girl series that specializes in telling the story of meta story telling with a focus on ballet and classical music as the backdrop also possibly interests you then Princess Tutu might also be a show for you.
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May 18, 2016 00:47
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Mel Mudkiper posted:Well gently caress it, lets send this loving things both ways. This, Futaba Anzu posted:read the novelizations of yojouhan shinwa taikei, otherwise known as the 4.5 Tatami Galaxy, which is a time looping story about one man's woes over seemingly wasting his college years and wishing to redo them only to find himself consistently repeating the same mistakes. but with the show. If you're into fairy tale-like, supernatural short stories, Mushishi is also very good.
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May 18, 2016 00:47
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Mel Mudkiper posted:Well gently caress it, lets send this loving things both ways. I highly recommend anything directed by Masaaki Yuasa. Mind Game is still on Netflix so that's a great spot to start. Much like Kon he's real big into letting the animation speak for itself when needed, though he approaches it in a very different way.
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May 18, 2016 00:48
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Baal posted:Read or Die might tickle your fancy even if it gets pretty silly. Gatchaman Crowds might also be pretty good for you if the idea of a superhero story without any of the superheroing and more social and public relation implications is interesting to you. If the idea of a Magical Girl series that specializes in telling the story of meta story telling with a focus on ballet and classical music as the backdrop also possibly interests you then Princess Tutu might also be a show for you. I noticed your av. I am trying JoJo right now but trying to decide on a final opinion. I appreciate the unapologetic homoeroticism replacing the traditional oversexualization of women.
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May 18, 2016 00:50
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Would the manga of Nausicaa fit that? I'm not far into it to really say either way but I'm really enjoying what I've read and people never seem to stop praising it
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May 18, 2016 00:51
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If you don't care for Phantom Blood I'd definitely tell you to at least finish Battle Tendency since that's the one that usually catches people's eyes.
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May 18, 2016 00:51
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Very early on in Mind Game, the protagonist dies and meets God, and it's my favorite visual depiction of a higher power in anything. Our protagonist can't comprehend what God would actually look like, so God is constantly, constantly changing appearance at a rapid rate, from looking like a person, an animal, or even something otherworldly. It's amazing and is something that would be impossible to accomplish in a live action movie without a hell of a lot of money and special effects.
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May 18, 2016 00:52
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Srice posted:Very early on in Mind Game, the protagonist dies and meets God, and it's my favorite visual depiction of a higher power in anything. I was always fond of Dante's description of God as three orbs of colored light in constant intercommunion with each other
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May 18, 2016 00:53
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Mel Mudkiper posted:Well gently caress it, lets send this loving things both ways. If you like The Count of Monte Cristo you could try Gankutsuou which is kind of a  sci-fi/fantasy take on it with a really rich and unusual visual style.I also think Silver Spoon is pretty much enjoyable by anyone. It's the daily life of a young man who applies to an agricultural school in order to piss off his parents; realities of rural life, animal husbandry, that kind of thing. Funny and sweet. Yakiniku Teishoku fucked around with this message at 01:11 on May 18, 2016 |
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May 18, 2016 01:01
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You should read the manga Billy Bat, by Naoki Urasawa. It's about a Japanese-American comic artist who returns to Japan to discover the origins of the titular comics character, only to be caught up in a centuries old web of conspiracy and murder, all centered around the mysterious Billy Bat.
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May 18, 2016 01:09
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Yakiniku Teishoku posted:I also think Silver Spoon is pretty much enjoyable by anyone. It's the daily life of a young man who applies to an agricultural school in order to piss off his parents; realities of rural life, animal husbandry, that kind of thing. Funny and sweet. In this vein, All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriott. It's a bunch of short stories written from the viewpoint of a country veterinarian in rural England in the 1930's, right before modern drugs came in, right before WW2. (Later books keep going through WW 2 and into the 1950's). Lots of funny, lots of sweet, occasional moments of poignancy ("Just ten years later they developed the antibiotics that would have saved Mr. Tibbs").
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May 18, 2016 01:19
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Yakiniku Teishoku posted:I also think Silver Spoon is pretty much enjoyable by anyone. It's the daily life of a young man who applies to an agricultural school in order to piss off his parents; realities of rural life, animal husbandry, that kind of thing. Funny and sweet. Might take a look at this. I tend to go for things more character heavy than plot heavy.
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May 18, 2016 01:21
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:In this vein, All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriott. I'm going to read this 
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May 18, 2016 01:22
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To turn it back around, since a lot of you guys really seem to like weird pseudo-adventure stories with modern fantasy elements, y'all best be reading Jose Saramago someday.
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May 18, 2016 01:24
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Mel Mudkiper posted:To turn it back around, since a lot of you guys really seem to like weird pseudo-adventure stories with modern fantasy elements, y'all best be reading Jose Saramago someday. I looked him up and I'm going to try to read some of him too! Is there one in particular I should start with or is it fine to just work through his 'notable works' at random?
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May 18, 2016 01:33
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Knorth posted:I looked him up and I'm going to try to read some of him too! Is there one in particular I should start with or is it fine to just work through his 'notable works' at random? Blindness is the masterpiece
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May 18, 2016 01:35
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:In this vein, All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriott. Sounds great! I'll check it out 
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May 18, 2016 01:35
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Mel Mudkiper posted:Blindness is the masterpiece Looks good, another book for the kindle list.
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May 18, 2016 01:37
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Also if you guys never read Garcia Marquez get on that train too
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May 18, 2016 01:39
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Mel Mudkiper posted:Blindness is the masterpiece Neat, thanks for the recommendation Um, Mushishi is another good anime that people might like. It's basically a series of 20 minute stories of a man travelling around Edo-period Japan helping folks as they come into contact with mostly benign spirits. The show is gorgeous and incredibly peaceful, even though some of the stories get pretty melancholic or dramatic Knorth fucked around with this message at 01:54 on May 18, 2016 |
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May 18, 2016 01:48
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:In this vein, All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriott. James Herriott is awesome. His first three anthology books were something I bonded with my mom over, and they're just a great mix of feelings
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May 18, 2016 01:49
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read the cosmicomics by italo calvino and watch whisper of the heart thank you
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May 18, 2016 01:56
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I'm going to recommend that you read k-on, op.
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May 18, 2016 02:03
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Akutagawa and his short stories are a cornerstone of Japanese culture, but they don't seem to get as much recognition in the west. A lot of his stuff is variations on old Buddhist fables, and it's neat seeing what changes between the traditional stories and his reinterpretations. "In a Grove" is his best known story and what was adapted into Kurosawa's Rashomon. Definitely read it if you somehow haven't. It'll only take 20 minutes at most.
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May 18, 2016 02:05
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Mel Mudkiper posted:To turn it back around, since a lot of you guys really seem to like weird pseudo-adventure stories with modern fantasy elements, y'all best be reading Jose Saramago someday. done  (that's skylight) you should watch tatami galaxy because its a fantastic adaption of a real (ie non YA/LN) novel
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May 18, 2016 02:24
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Despite being someone that appreciates Japanese culture I really haven't made much of an effort to explore it outside of film and other visual mediums. This thread has encouraged me to change that, thanks. Unfortunately my time is limited these days so hopefully I can find audiobook versions until I get more free time. Anyway, if you feel like watching an anime I really love Aim for the Top! Gunbuster and would recommend it's sequel, "Diebuster" as well. They're only six episodes each so not a huge time investment and I found both to be extremely moving.
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May 18, 2016 02:31
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Sephiroth_IRA posted:Despite being someone that appreciates Japanese culture I really haven't made much of an effort to explore it outside of film and other visual mediums. This thread has encouraged me to change that, thanks. Unfortunately my time is limited these days so hopefully I can find audiobook versions until I get more free time. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is not really an audiobook but its a pretty good 2 hour movie that looks at a few Mishima books and how they correlate with his life. Worth watching because Mishima the man is just as fascinating as his novels.
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May 18, 2016 02:34
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Is Kokoro any good? Kate Beaten did some comics on it that I liked and it's considered to be an extremely good representation of Japanese literature, but I don't want to waste my time if it's as disappointing in substance as Dracula was
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May 18, 2016 02:37
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Bookmobile, I'd like a recommendation based on ~my animes~. Right now I'm reading through the first (and only English translated) Legend of the Galactic Heroes novel, which is also an OVA which I watched ages ago. I really really like how it presents a "broad sweep" view of the conflict between two major powers, focusing mainly on the politics and military aspects instead of a lot of space opera stuff like "oh no we're in a space war and I'm in a love triangle". But it still has characters, and you get attached to them, it's just that their lives are presented on a historical scale. So, are there any similar books out there, sci-fi, fantasy, or whatever? I'll take both fiction and nonfiction, though I prefer fiction because finding history books of this sort I feel is easier to do on my own. To summarize, I want:
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May 18, 2016 02:53
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Gyre posted:Bookmobile, I'd like a recommendation based on ~my animes~. Sounds like the entire military sci-fi genre
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May 18, 2016 03:00
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Gyre posted:Bookmobile, I'd like a recommendation based on ~my animes~. Harry Turtledove is the closest I've seen, specifically his Darkness series - starting with "Into the Darkness". It's a fantasy version of WWII with a whole bunch of changes so it's not quite the same, and it follows like a bazillion characters on all of he factions. His writing is decent to good, so it's a tentative rec. If it seems like that's your bag, check it out!
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May 18, 2016 03:04
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Two books I always like to recommend to people are Listen to the Voices from the Sea and In the Faraway Mountains and Rivers, two volumes containing the collected writings of several dozen Japanese student soldiers who served and died in WWII. Obviously a historical piece, it's mostly comprised of letters and memoirs, occasionally poems, and one or two sketches, and presents a pretty insightful, sometimes intimate look into the lives of a lot of the young men who fought in the war, many of whom are critical of the war and Japan's military conduct. There are a lot of other books on the subject I could recommend, but these are the two that have stuck with me the most, and since I know it's a topic that resurfaces all the time I figure someone out there might learn a little something by checking out these books.
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May 18, 2016 03:11
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Gyre posted:Bookmobile, I'd like a recommendation based on ~my animes~. Ringworld maybe? It's definitely broad in scope, and the conflict of powers is ever changing throughout and it's overall a very nice book. It's hard sci-fi. Into Thin Air is great in a man v nature sort of way. Very broad in what it explores, very thorough, and the main players are interesting and weird and well portrayed Something specific to war or militarism is tough. Perhaps Starship Troopers though the 2nd half is moon dry. Future War is also fantastic and escapes a lot of the space opera memes but is only broad in an examination of society kind of way. fake edit - oh Childhood's End may fit the bill for you Bad Seafood posted:Two books I always like to recommend to people are Listen to the Voices from the Sea and In the Faraway Mountains and Rivers, two volumes containing the collected writings of several dozen Japanese student soldiers who served and died in WWII. Obviously a historical piece, it's mostly comprised of letters and memoirs, occasionally poems, and one or two sketches, and presents a pretty insightful, sometimes intimate look into the lives of a lot of the young men who fought in the war, many of whom are critical of the war and Japan's military conduct. These sound great, I'll check them out
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May 18, 2016 03:29
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Sorry. Just checking something
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May 18, 2016 03:36
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