|
Aoi Bungaku Series
is a twelve episode Japanese anime series featuring adaptations inspired by six short stories from Japanese literature. The six stories are adapted from classic Japanese tales. Happinet, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, McRAY, MTI, Threelight Holdings, Movic, and Visionare were involved in the production of the series. Character designs were provided by manga artists Takeshi Obata (#1–4, 7–8), Tite Kubo (#5–6, 11, 12) and Takeshi Konomi (#9–10). The stories adapted here may stray away significantly from the original plot of the classics, even if they try to capture the essence of the stories. There are some titbits told by the host Sakai Masato about the background of the story before the animation starts. Stories adapted * ''No Longer Human'', by Osamu Dazai (episode 1–4): The path of a man with intense feelings of alienation towards society and the feeling of "humanity". * ''In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom'', by Ango Sakaguchi (episode 5–6): A forest band ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
No Longer Human
, also translated as ''A Shameful Life'', is a 1948 novel by Japanese author Osamu Dazai. It tells the story of a troubled man incapable of revealing his true self to others, and who, instead, maintains a façade of hollow jocularity, later turning to a life of alcoholism and drug abuse before his final disappearance. The original title translates as "Disqualified as a human being" or "A failed human". The book was published one month after Dazai's suicide at the age of 38. ''No Longer Human'' is considered a classic of Post-war, postwar Japanese literature and Dazai's masterpiece. It enjoys considerable popularity among younger readers and ranks as the second best-selling novel by publishing house Shinchōsha, behind Natsume Sōseki, Sōseki Natsume's ''Kokoro''. Plot ''No Longer Human'' is told in the form of notebooks left behind by the principal character, . There are three notebooks chronicling Ōba's life from his early childhood to his late twenties. The notebooks are book ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tite Kubo
, known professionally as , is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. His manga series ''Bleach'' (2001–2016) had over 130 million copies in circulation as of 2022. Life and career Kubo was born on June 26, 1977, in Hiroshima Prefecture, where his father worked as a town council member. In elementary school, he had already decided to become a manga artist, due to reading the manga ''Saint Seiya''. His first one-shot was "Ultra Unholy Hearted Machine", written for the ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in 1996. He wrote his first manga '' Zombiepowder'', which was also published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in 1999. It ran a short 27 chapters before being canceled in 2000. According to the author's commentary, Kubo was in a state of severe emotional trauma when he wrote it. Kubo later stated that he was not used to the magazine weekly serialization and used to pay more attention to his editor's comments rather than his own ideas. His next series, ''Bleach'', about Ichigo Kurosaki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hell Screen
is a short story written by Japanese writer Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. It was a reworking of ''Uji Shūi Monogatari'' and originally published in 1918 as a serialization in two newspapers. It was later published in a collection of Akutagawa short stories, ''Akutagawa Ryūnosuke zenshū''. Translation "Hell Screen" was first translated into English by W.H.H. Norman in 1948, in his collection of Akutagawa short stories ''Hell Screen and Other Stories''. Numerous variant translations have followed, including the most recent one translated by Jay Rubin and published by Penguin Group. Plot overview "Hell Screen" is narrated by a mostly uninvolved servant who witnesses or hears of the events. The plot of "Hell Screen" centers on the artist Yoshihide. Yoshihide is considered “the greatest painter in the land”,Akutagawa Ryūnosuke. "Hell Screen." 1918. ''Rashōmon and 17 Other Stories''. Trans. Jay Rubin. New York City: Penguin Group, 2006. 3–9. and is often commissioned to create ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
, art name , was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short story", and Japan's premier literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him. He took his own life at the age of 35 through an overdose of barbital. Early life Ryūnosuke Akutagawa was born in Irifune, Kyōbashi, Tokyo City (present-day Akashi, Chūō, Tokyo), the eldest son of businessman Toshizō Niihara and his wife Fuku. His family owned a milk production business. His mother experienced mental illness shortly after his birth, so he was adopted and raised by his maternal uncle, Michiaki Akutagawa, from whom he received the Akutagawa family name. He was interested in classical Chinese literature from an early age, as well as in the works of Mori Ōgai and Natsume Sōseki. He entered the First High School in 1910 and developed relationships with classmates such as Kan Kikuchi, Kume Masao, Yūzō Yamamoto, and , all of whom would la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Spider's Thread
is a 1918 short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, first published in the children's magazine ''Akai Tori''. Plot summary Shakyamuni is meandering around Paradise one morning, when he stops at a lotus-filled pond. Between the lilies, he can see, through the crystal-clear waters, the depths of Hell. His eyes come to rest on one sinner in particular, by the name of Kandata. Kandata was a cold-hearted criminal, but had one good deed to his name: while walking through the forest one day, he decided not to kill a spider he was about to crush with his foot. Moved by this single act of compassion, the Buddha takes the silvery thread of a spider in Paradise and lowers it down into Hell. Down in Hell, the myriad sinners are struggling in the Pool of Blood, in total darkness save for the light glinting off the Mountain of Spikes, and in total silence save for the sighs of the damned. Kandata, looking up by chance at the sky above the pool, sees the spider's thread descending towards him and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Run, Melos!
is a Japanese Language, Japanese Novella, short story by Osamu Dazai. It was first published 1940 and is a widely read classic in Japanese schools. It was first used as teaching material for Japanese middle high schoolers in 1956. The story is a reworking of Friedrich Schiller's ballad ''Die Bürgschaft'', which tells the story of Melos and Selinuntius, originally Damon and Pythias. Schiller's version revolves around Damon and Pythias, an ancient Greek legend recorded by the Roman author Gaius Julius Hyginus. The most prominent theme of "Run, Melos!" is unwavering friendship. Despite hardships, the protagonist succeeds in saving his friend's life. Story Melos is a naive young shepherd with a sense of justice. He lives in a land ruled by Dionysius, a tyrant king who has killed many people, including his family members, due to his solitude and distrust of people. When Melos hears about the King's deeds, he is outraged, and he decides to assassinate the King. He sneaks into the ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Natsume Sōseki
, born , was a Japanese novelist. He is best known for his novels ''Kokoro'', ''Botchan'', ''I Am a Cat'', ''Kusamakura (novel), Kusamakura'' and his unfinished work ''Light and Darkness (novel), Light and Darkness''. He was also a scholar of British literature and writer of haiku, ''Kanshi (poetry), kanshi'' poetry and fairy tales. Early years Natsume Kinnosuke was born on 9 February 1867 in the town of Babashita, Ushigome, Edo (present Kikuichō, Kikui, Shinjuku, Tokyo), the fifth son of village head (''nanushi'') Natsume Kohē Naokatsu and his wife Chie. His father, a powerful and wealthy ''nanushi'', owned all land from Ushigome to Takadanobaba in Edo and handled most Lawsuit, civil lawsuits at his doorstep. He was a descendant of Natsume Yoshinobu, a Sengoku period samurai and Kashindan, retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Sōseki began his life as an unwanted child, born to his mother late in her life, forty years old and his father then fifty-three. When he was born, he already h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kokoro
is a 1914 Japanese novel by Natsume Sōseki, and the final part of a trilogy starting with ''To the Spring Equinox and Beyond'' and followed by '' The Wayfarer'' (both 1912). Set in the Meiji era, the novel tells of the acquaintance between a young man and an older man called "Sensei" ("teacher" or "master"), who holds a secret from his past regarding the death of a friend. ''Kokoro'' was first published in serial form in the newspaper ''Asahi Shimbun''. Along with Osamu Dazai's '' No Longer Human'' (1948), ''Kokoro'' is one of the best-selling novels of all time in Japan. Background Circumstance Sōseki explained in the preface that he originally intended to write various short stories and to unify them into ''Kokoro''. However, the short story that was supposed to be the first episode, , became longer than he had originally expected, so he decided to publish it as a single work in a three-part structure, keeping the original title "Kokoro". Title The title translated lit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ango Sakaguchi
was a Japanese writer, who wrote short stories and novels and was an essayist. His real name was . Biography Born in Niigata, Sakaguchi was part of a group of young Japanese writers to rise and prominence in the years immediately following Japan's defeat in World War II. Ango Sakaguchi was associated with the Buraiha or "Decadent School" (無頼派 buraiha, the school of irresponsibility and decadence), which designated a group of dissolute writers who expressed their perceived aimlessness and identity crisis of post-World War II Japan. In 1946, he wrote his most famous essay, "Darakuron" ("Discourse on Decadence"), which examined the role of bushido during the war. It is widely argued that he saw postwar Japan as decadent, yet more truthful than a wartime Japan built on illusions like bushido. (The work itself does not make any claims about the meaning of decadence.) Ango was born in 1906 and was the 12th child of 13. He was born in the middle of a Japan perpetually at war. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Osamu Dazai
, known by his pen name , was a Japanese novelist and author. A number of his most popular works, such as ''The Setting Sun'' (斜陽, ''Shayō'') and '' No Longer Human'' (人間失格, ''Ningen Shikkaku''), are considered modern classics. His influences include Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Murasaki Shikibu and Fyodor Dostoevsky. His last book, ''No Longer Human'', is his most popular work outside of Japan. Another pseudonym he used was Shunpei Kuroki (黒木 舜平), for the book ''Illusion of the Cliffs'' (断崖の錯覚, ''Dangai no Sakkaku''). Early life Shūji Tsushima was born on June 19, 1909, the eighth surviving child of a wealthy landowner and politician in Kanagi, located at the northern tip of the Tōhoku Region, in Aomori Prefecture. He was the tenth of the eleven children born to his parents. At the time of his birth, the huge, newly completed Tsushima mansion, where he spent his early years, was home to some thirty family members. The Tsushima family was of obscur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masato Sakai
あ is a Japanese actor. Since the success of '' Naoki Hanzawa'' (2013), he has become one of the most famous actors in Japan. Career Sakai aspired to become a bureaucrat until high school, but when he entered university, he decided to pursue a career as an actor. He won the award for best actor at the 31st Yokohama Film Festival for '' The Wonderful World of Captain Kuhio'' and ''The Chef of South Polar'' and the award for best supporting actor at the 2008 Nikkan Sports Film Award, at the 33rd Hochi Film Award and at the 51st Blue Ribbon Awards. He also received a nomination for best supporting actor at the 32nd Japan Academy Film Prize. Personal life He is married to Japanese actress and J-pop singer Miho Kanno is a Japanese actress and J-Pop singer. Her nickname is ''Kanchan'' (菅ちゃん). She was born in Sakado, Saitama, Japan. Career In 1992, Kanno made her debut as a member of a group called '' Sakurakko Club'' after passing the orientation .... He has two chi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and other editorial content, forums where readers can discuss current issues and events, and an encyclopedia that contains many anime and manga with information on the staff, cast, theme music, plot summaries, and user ratings. The website was founded in July 1998 by Justin Sevakis, and operated the magazine '' Protoculture Addicts'' from 2005 to 2008. Based in the United States, it has separate versions of its news content aimed toward audiences in five separate regions: the United States and Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and India. History The website was founded by Justin Sevakis in July 1998. In May 2000, CEO Christopher Macdonald joined the website editorial staff, replacing editor-in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
