This novel is difficult and harrowing nearly all of the time but the prose is truly stunning. This was one of my favourite passages: 'Somehow, it is not the smile of a human being: it utterly lacks substance, all of what we might call the ‘heaviness of blood’ or perhaps the ‘solidity of human life’- it has not even a bird’s weight. It is merely a blank sheet of paper, light as a feather, and it is smiling.'
That was a brilliant review! It is a difficult book I agree but it clearly is a masterpiece. '“For someone like myself in whom the ability to trust others is so cracked and broken that I am wretchedly timid and am forever trying to read the expression on people's faces.” These lines and others similar to these made me cry. I am deeply fascinated by this book. There was indeed something similar between Natsuki from Earthlings and Oba Yozo in the sense that they both view themselves as aliens, but while Natsuki uses the magic of her imagination to cope with the world, Oba Yozo simply resigns finding escape in vices instead. Just started listening to The Setting Sun by him and I love it already. Thank you for your wonderful review once again and I hope the process wasn't much of a hassle. Not a big drinker myself, I understand the repercussions :D
Haha I appreciate you calling it "the process". It makes me getting drunk seem a lot more romantic. And you are absolutely right in your comparison of Natsuki and Yozo!
Drunk Willow is the best Willow 😆😆 but honestly though sober Willow is already so awesome ❤️ (I’ve heard so much about this book and now I feel like I should read it because of this review!)
I loved you in drunk character! Even when your speech falters it's amusing! The quality of your review is 5 star as always ! I will give ve this a read after I get to Dorian grey.
Even drunk you are so eloquent...and funny! I have just downloaded an audio copy of this book, but I will listen with caution ⚠️. Hope the hangover was not too bad! 😎
I thought I was the only one who correlated this book with The Picture of Dorian Gray, it just fits so well with it, with Horiki being Lord Henry and Yozo being Dorian Gray.
I find it fascinating how many different types of people find can relate to our joker wanna be as well as how hopeful I found the story in the end that being said, for proper book critique, I think that it is worth thinking of the time it is set and written in and how it portrays post war japan
I wish I was this eloquent and articulate when drunk!!! When I had one bottle too many, I'm suddenly speaking in gibberish non-human language hahahaha. Love this!!! 💕
Read it and loved every word of it. I did read the new translation though, which is a bit more literal and focuses on "yozo's voice" more. Love your review of it. Even drunk you are more coherent than I am sober.
When you started describing the story, I thought "hey, that sounds familiar". I've read it in manga form completely by accident, I was looking around the manga shelf in one of the libraries and there was this cover showing a humen puppet, the story seemed interesting so I ended up borrowing it, and then the second part. I didn't know it was based on a book, neither that the author's tragic story. I remember there was a part talking about double suicide early in the story too.
Drunk Willow is hilarious 🤣. I find it hard to take him seriously like this but he is still so eloquent and goes on to review the book like he is perfectly sober. Pretty amazing. Gonna go out tomorrow and get this book. Thanks Willow 😘
Love this Review 😂 Have you read the manga adaptation by Junji Ito? When I first read the book I wasn't expecting it to be so dark, but now I'm kinda intrigued to read his other novels.
You look adorable when you're drunk 😊 I read this book in February and I loved it so much! It's in my top 5 favorite books this year. I went through a roller coaster of emotions with Yozo, one moment I'm grumbling at how insufferable he is and wanting to slap him across the face, then five pages later I'm crying and praying for a happy ending for this poor man. The Prologue is probably my favorite part - I've never read such an exquisitely unsettling and creepy passage outside of a horror novel. Specially the description of the last photo - that straight up gave me chills.
This novel has been adapted in the first 4 episodes of the anime Aoi Bungaku (Blue Literature). The rest of the anime adapts other japanese evergreen novels.
You probably know by now but actually Dazai attempted a double suicide in the past, so he didn't so much write in his own ending before it happened as wrote about the first attempt in this book. He also wrote about it in a short novella years before, called "The Flowers of Buffoonery." By comparing the two books, you can kind of see how differently he viewed his world at those two time periods of his life.
I've only read Junji Ito's manga adaptation. Then I meant to read the novel but I still keep putting it off. One day I will read it! Anyway I had fun watching and listening to you be drunk. 😆🍷
I had a hard time reading this book because of the dense, almost flowery language Donald Keene used. Later I found out that there's a newer translation, although the title has been changed to "A Shameful Life" I never got around to reading that translation, but I did attempt to write my own as a way to keep up with my Japanese studies, and I felt like the vibe of the original text is so different from Keene's interpretation. Either way this is, as you said, not an easy read. I'd love to read the manga adaptation someday.
“ He felt like one of those young men who think that they’re the Joker” LOL
Adding the Tommy Wiseau image was one of my proudest moments.
This novel is difficult and harrowing nearly all of the time but the prose is truly stunning. This was one of my favourite passages:
'Somehow, it is not the smile of a human being: it utterly lacks substance, all of what we might call the ‘heaviness of blood’ or perhaps the ‘solidity of human life’- it has not even a bird’s weight. It is merely a blank sheet of paper, light as a feather, and it is smiling.'
I totally agree. There's a raw honesty and a ruthlessness to the prose that makes it its own kind of poetry.
That was a brilliant review! It is a difficult book I agree but it clearly is a masterpiece. '“For someone like myself in whom the ability to trust others is so cracked and broken that I am wretchedly timid and am forever trying to read the expression on people's faces.” These lines and others similar to these made me cry. I am deeply fascinated by this book. There was indeed something similar between Natsuki from Earthlings and Oba Yozo in the sense that they both view themselves as aliens, but while Natsuki uses the magic of her imagination to cope with the world, Oba Yozo simply resigns finding escape in vices instead. Just started listening to The Setting Sun by him and I love it already. Thank you for your wonderful review once again and I hope the process wasn't much of a hassle. Not a big drinker myself, I understand the repercussions :D
Haha I appreciate you calling it "the process". It makes me getting drunk seem a lot more romantic. And you are absolutely right in your comparison of Natsuki and Yozo!
Drunk Willow is the best Willow 😆😆 but honestly though sober Willow is already so awesome ❤️ (I’ve heard so much about this book and now I feel like I should read it because of this review!)
You're too kind lol and sober Willow also recommends this book fully!
I loved you in drunk character! Even when your speech falters it's amusing! The quality of your review is 5 star as always ! I will give ve this a read after I get to Dorian grey.
Thank you so much! It was very fun to make.
Even drunk you are so eloquent...and funny! I have just downloaded an audio copy of this book, but I will listen with caution ⚠️. Hope the hangover was not too bad! 😎
Absolutely, listening with caution is highly recommended! The hangover was fine at first and got worse as the day went on lol
I thought I was the only one who correlated this book with The Picture of Dorian Gray, it just fits so well with it, with Horiki being Lord Henry and Yozo being Dorian Gray.
I find it fascinating how many different types of people find can relate to our joker wanna be as well as how hopeful I found the story in the end
that being said, for proper book critique, I think that it is worth thinking of the time it is set and written in and how it portrays post war japan
I wish I was this eloquent and articulate when drunk!!! When I had one bottle too many, I'm suddenly speaking in gibberish non-human language hahahaha. Love this!!! 💕
lol thank you. I am one of those people who rarely seems drunk when drunk
Read it and loved every word of it. I did read the new translation though, which is a bit more literal and focuses on "yozo's voice" more.
Love your review of it. Even drunk you are more coherent than I am sober.
😂😂😂😂😂 This has to be one of my favorite video of yours. Please review "A Little Life " , pull an Enerst Hemingway's stunt again🧡
I don't often take requests but this one is a fabulous idea!
When you started describing the story, I thought "hey, that sounds familiar". I've read it in manga form completely by accident, I was looking around the manga shelf in one of the libraries and there was this cover showing a humen puppet, the story seemed interesting so I ended up borrowing it, and then the second part. I didn't know it was based on a book, neither that the author's tragic story. I remember there was a part talking about double suicide early in the story too.
Fantastic review. More of these please (if you feel comfortable doing them)
I had an absolute blast making it. Just trying to find the right book to do another drunk review of but I'd love to do lots more :)
Drunk Willow is hilarious 🤣. I find it hard to take him seriously like this but he is still so eloquent and goes on to review the book like he is perfectly sober. Pretty amazing. Gonna go out tomorrow and get this book. Thanks Willow 😘
Love everything about this video!
That means it was worth making! Editing your own drunk video is like taking care of a drunk friend lol
This novel is sad and dark one .After reading it I felt depressed.
Anyway whatever you do it's so lovely!
I really enjoy this video,thankyou!!
Absolutely same, that's why I did the video drunk lol
Love this Review 😂 Have you read the manga adaptation by Junji Ito? When I first read the book I wasn't expecting it to be so dark, but now I'm kinda intrigued to read his other novels.
You look adorable when you're drunk 😊 I read this book in February and I loved it so much! It's in my top 5 favorite books this year. I went through a roller coaster of emotions with Yozo, one moment I'm grumbling at how insufferable he is and wanting to slap him across the face, then five pages later I'm crying and praying for a happy ending for this poor man. The Prologue is probably my favorite part - I've never read such an exquisitely unsettling and creepy passage outside of a horror novel. Specially the description of the last photo - that straight up gave me chills.
You're absolutely right about the prologue, I agree! And it made me so sad to imagine that this is how Dazai saw himself.
i love this book and you are doing gods work by uploading this video 😂 cheers willow
Hahaha thank you so much for your appreciation 💜
I love Willow, but I love drunk Willow more 😄📚 makes me want to drink.
No Longer Human is my first book I read in 2021 and it's so depressing 😭
Hahaha I really didn't want this to be a video that enables bad habits lol
This novel has been adapted in the first 4 episodes of the anime Aoi Bungaku (Blue Literature). The rest of the anime adapts other japanese evergreen novels.
You probably know by now but actually Dazai attempted a double suicide in the past, so he didn't so much write in his own ending before it happened as wrote about the first attempt in this book. He also wrote about it in a short novella years before, called "The Flowers of Buffoonery." By comparing the two books, you can kind of see how differently he viewed his world at those two time periods of his life.
I've only read Junji Ito's manga adaptation. Then I meant to read the novel but I still keep putting it off. One day I will read it! Anyway I had fun watching and listening to you be drunk. 😆🍷
Great review. One issues though the ring lights reflecting off your glasses is a little annoying as your eyes are hidden.
God, I know. Annoyed me too. But I was drunk, and more importantly the glasses hid the bags under my eyes lol
I started reading this in Japanese. Hopefully I can get through it.
God I'd love to get to a point in my studies to attempt that! Good luck!
I had a hard time reading this book because of the dense, almost flowery language Donald Keene used. Later I found out that there's a newer translation, although the title has been changed to "A Shameful Life"
I never got around to reading that translation, but I did attempt to write my own as a way to keep up with my Japanese studies, and I felt like the vibe of the original text is so different from Keene's interpretation. Either way this is, as you said, not an easy read. I'd love to read the manga adaptation someday.
ure very pretty
You... did it on purpose.
Did what, mate?
This video is one of the most wonderful things my brain has experienced...
and I want to live in it the rest of my days.