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A review by yourspookymom
No Longer Human by Junji Ito
3.0
Before reading, I decided to look a bit more into the original author, Osamu Dazai. I wanted to walk into this with a general understanding of his background. With that being said, I did not read Dazai’s novel before this one and that had an impact on my overall feelings, so take that with what you will. It’s worth noting that Dazai’s work has been highly regarded in Japan, with No Longer Human being one of his last works of literature.
Whew, this story was BLEEK. Per usual, Ito has created a beautiful masterpiece through art and is very different than his other books. I recommend looking at trigger warnings before reading either.
**Spoilers ahead**
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This one is going to be long - I’m not sure how to feel about this book.
The story starts off intensely with fairly vivid imagery of child sexual assault by numerous caretakers of young Ōba Yōzō. It then rolls you into how his behavior, which we see as a defense mechanism, begins. It’s clear that he is thrown into the world by his family with little to no emotional support. Despite his wealthy upbringing, plethora of opportunities to start again, and an outright eradication of his criminal record, Yōzō continues to fall deeper into despair. I think the childhood abuse and overall debilitating shame that he feels can be slightly forgotten as the story reads on (especially at 600 pages long).
As a woman, this was a difficult read. I understand that many will say that Dazai’s presentation of the women in Yōzō’s life was actually not that they are to blame for his downfall... but with this rendition, I have a hard time seeing anything outside of that. Yōzō is continuously regarded as a magnet for women and that attention is a large part of his demise. His behavior leads to multiple suicides, death, and imprisonment of the women he becomes romantically involved with. My hope is that the intent of this is clearer in the novel itself.
My heart breaks for Yoshiko - most certainly the most tragic character in this story in my opinion. I think she was an incredible representation of the goodness around him that he could have enveloped his life with. Yōzō’s choice to not intervene the rape of his wife, yet obsess over it while she felt so shameful was also agonizing to read.
This one is a solid 3/5 stars for me. I read it all in one sitting & it made me deeply emotional. Ito’s work alone could have bumped this up, but the issues I have with the story keep it there.
Whew, this story was BLEEK. Per usual, Ito has created a beautiful masterpiece through art and is very different than his other books. I recommend looking at trigger warnings before reading either.
**Spoilers ahead**
-
-
This one is going to be long - I’m not sure how to feel about this book.
The story starts off intensely with fairly vivid imagery of child sexual assault by numerous caretakers of young Ōba Yōzō. It then rolls you into how his behavior, which we see as a defense mechanism, begins. It’s clear that he is thrown into the world by his family with little to no emotional support. Despite his wealthy upbringing, plethora of opportunities to start again, and an outright eradication of his criminal record, Yōzō continues to fall deeper into despair. I think the childhood abuse and overall debilitating shame that he feels can be slightly forgotten as the story reads on (especially at 600 pages long).
As a woman, this was a difficult read. I understand that many will say that Dazai’s presentation of the women in Yōzō’s life was actually not that they are to blame for his downfall... but with this rendition, I have a hard time seeing anything outside of that. Yōzō is continuously regarded as a magnet for women and that attention is a large part of his demise. His behavior leads to multiple suicides, death, and imprisonment of the women he becomes romantically involved with. My hope is that the intent of this is clearer in the novel itself.
My heart breaks for Yoshiko - most certainly the most tragic character in this story in my opinion. I think she was an incredible representation of the goodness around him that he could have enveloped his life with. Yōzō’s choice to not intervene the rape of his wife, yet obsess over it while she felt so shameful was also agonizing to read.
This one is a solid 3/5 stars for me. I read it all in one sitting & it made me deeply emotional. Ito’s work alone could have bumped this up, but the issues I have with the story keep it there.