Japanese folktales have had an enormous impact on the history of fiction and storytelling, not only in their native Japan, but across the world. Now, in collaboration with Short Shorts Film Festival and Japan Cultural Expo, three young contemporary Japanese writers from Okinawa, Hiroshima, and Kumamoto have each written a short story inspired by traditional …
Year after year, we are treated to more incredible Japanese books in translation. After the fantastic turn-out of Japanese books in 2021 — especially Kyoko Nakajima’s Things Remembered and Things Forgotten and Mieko Kawakami’s Heaven — 2022 has a lot to live up to. Luckily, all signs point to 2022 being an even better year …
Of all the most beloved, best-selling manga — the ones with the biggest legacies; the staunchest fanbases; the biggest numbers — most of them are classic or modern shonen manga. But many of those shonen manga are now finished and ageing. Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach. These names are being replaced, but by what? By these …
When I first read and reviewed Banana Yoshimoto’s seminal work, Kitchen, I mentioned how it tackled ‘the brevity of life, and the dangerous potential of love and happiness to be painfully fleeting’. This theme is not only true for Kitchen but for all of Yoshimoto’s writing. It is, in a nutshell, what makes her tick …
The Kaguya-sama: Love is War manga is translated from the Japanese by Emi Louie-Nishikawa Created, written, and drawn by mangaka Aka Akasak, the Kaguya-sama manga (Kaguya-sama: Love is War) is a slice of life manga that pits two proud and brilliant, but socially inept, teenagers against one another. It’s a simple premise that works brilliantly …
Slice of life manga come in many shapes and sizes. Some focus on romance, others comedy. Some take simple situations and twist them into bizarre shapes. Others are queer coming-of-age stories. Essential Slice of Life Manga Whatever your personal flavour when it comes to slice of life manga, you’ll find something to sink your teeth …
Before you travel to any new country, you should know a little about its history, food, art, language, and customs. Japan’s literature and culture are so rich and the best way to learn more is to tuck into a few Japanese novels by some of the best Japanese authors, as well as some fantastic travel …
Books about witches take many different forms. Some are horror novels; others are historical accounts. Some are charming children’s stories; others are strange and disturbing mysteries. Setting witches at the heart of a novel, a comic book, or a nonfiction book can mean many different things and can cover many different genres, settings, and styles. …
The To Your Eternity manga is translated from the Japanese by Steven LeCroy Yoshitoki Oima is a modern legend of the manga world; a young female mangaka who has shaken the manga and anime scene with two incredible series’: A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi) and To Your Eternity (Fumetsu no Anata e). A Silent …
The Komi Can’t Communicate manga is translated from the Japanese by John Werry Tomohito Oda’s Komi Can’t Communicate manga (Komi-san wa Komyushou Desu) is a slice-of-life comedy that succeeds and fails in equal parts; propelled forward by a sweet premise that remains interesting, but its comedy moments are often jarring and forced. The titular Komi …