The News Thread (for news that does not need a thread)

zappi said:
may I encourage you to read Schoolgirl, it's very short and yet is one of the best descriptions of being a teenager I've ever read

can also recommend giving his daughter Yuuko Tsushima's writing a go, Shooting Gallery is a collection of short stories & a good place to start imo
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You have persauded me: I shall finally give Schoolgirl a read. I think I was weirded out by the notion of Dazai writing from the perspective of a school girl. That said, his understanding of the human condition is such that he could put himself in the shoes of any outsider, or anyone at odds with the chains society places on us. The era and gender matters little.

And I was unaware Dazai had a daughter that became a famous author, using a pen-name. Her seemingly not relying on her father's fame, and carrying the weight of his death intrigues me. I'll circle back to her, after Schoolgirl. Maybelline.

...'Tis oddly fitting if, at journey's end, I were to read a novel about school girl(s), being an anime fan 'n all. Tho I daresay this book will be a different experience. T'would also be (a)ironically fitting given the most recent translation I own of NLH (I also own the pink version of the novel, yyyy pink) is titled 'A Shameful Life'.
 
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Aion (Retired) said:
Nothing against you sharing this - 'twas an interesting article to read, and reminded meee I own but have not read 'Schoolgirl' - but looking up... Bungo and seeing clips of Dazai as a bishie, in what looks like a reverse harem comedy/ANIME action thing made me cringe so hard I frowned. 'Tis displeasing.

Fyi, if you want to see Dazai's work in animanga, there is a way to do so that is neither A) in an isekai (holy shitaru, that 'genre' will stop at nothing) and B) whatever... Bungo is:

Method #1: Aoi Bungaku (aka Blue Literature). An anime that adapts various famous JP literature, including 'Run Melos!' (also by Dazai, and had an older anime movie). The first four episodes adapt 'No Longer Human'. It was made by Madhouse around the same time as Death Note, so it just so happens to both look AND sound similar; sharing the composer iirc. The internet has largely forgotten it as, like many of Madhouse's more seinen ventures, it likely sold terribly.
PS: This 'Aoi Bungaku - Saisho no Shin' AMV stayed with me, all these years, for anyone interested that cba to watch the anime.

Method #2: Usamaru Furuya's three volume manga, No Longer Human. This is a modern re-telling which just moves the time period to present day, via the conceit of Furuya stumbling on the blog of NLH's author self-insert protagonist, Yozo Oba. It's one of my favourite manga, although it does take a few liberties; namely with how it ends. It's mostly faithful and captures the mood of the novel, though.

Method #3: Junji Ito also did an adaptation of NLH, although his version is at best described as... loose given Ito used it to shoehorn in Tomie-style murderous women/comical horror as poor Oba sends every female mad with murderous lust. It is however set in the original time period the novel was, and some aspects such as the artistic depictions of Oba's fear of humans/their faces and his list of ten misfortunes were visualised wonderfully.

There was also a CG sci-fi movie - of all things - that even got a UK release. Never watched as assumed it'd be godawful. Do still own it, ofc. Just let the man rest in peace ffs. Plz.

Dazai wrote the template for all works that came later that deal with being afraid of people/society, and the severe depression that results from that disconnect. His novel was basically a suicide note to this end. Even things like Aku Hana, where the girls surrounding the protaginist pull him into despair, seemed inspired by it. So, TLTR: puk Bungo.
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I adore No Longer Human (even my pink one!!) and I feel that, the same way that Millennium Actress has the best final line from the protagonist in that story, No a Longer Human has the best final line from an observer character of the story. Short digression: I happen to be reading my first Natsumi Soseki novel: And Then (how can you resist that title?!), which I think you might like if you haven't already read it.

Thank you very much for the most informative methods #1 and 2, very much need to check these out now! I've got the Junji Ito manga but yet to read it, though I know now to temper my expectations, shocking that I still allow myself to get excited with anything referencing the Dazai novel. I absolutely and utterly do not know anything whatsoever about this sci fi cg movie you speak of (I am not ruling out that self-inflicted-brain-trauma-induced amnesia may be at work here). I haven't dared venture towards Bungo Stray Dogs yet, as am fearful of the amount of turning-in-graves that may induce and I don't fancy getting cursed by ghosts of authors past.
 
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