is a 1976 novel, written by

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese author

Ryū Murakami is a Japanese novelist, essayist and filmmaker. His novels explore human nature through themes of disillusion, drug use, surrealism, murder and war, set against the dark backdrop of Japan. His best known novels are '' Almost Transparent Blue'', ' ...

, that features a portrait of narrator Ryū and his friends trapped in a cycle of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll during the 1970s.

Plot

Narrated by the main character Ryū, the novel focuses on his small group of young friends in the mid-1970s. Living in a Japanese town with an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

air force base An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...

, their lives revolve around

sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...

drugs A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

and

rock 'n roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African American music such as jazz, rhythm and ...

. The near-plotless story weaves a vividly raw, image-intensive journey through the daily monotony of drug-induced

hallucination A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...

s, vicious acts of

violence Violence is characterized as the use of physical force by humans to cause harm to other living beings, or property, such as pain, injury, disablement, death, damage and destruction. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence a ...

overdoses A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014.

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

, and

group sex Group sex is sexual activity involving more than two people. Participants in group sex can be of any sexual orientation or gender. Any form of sexual activity can be adopted to involve more than two participants, but some forms have their own na ...

Characters

* Ryū – Narrator. 19-year-old

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

substance abuser. * Lilly – Ryū's

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

friend and casual sex partner. * Reiko –

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

n friend of Ryū and girlfriend of Okinawa. * Okinawa – drug-addicted Okinawan friend of Ryū and boyfriend of Reiko. * Yoshiyama – Unemployed junkie friend of Ryū and abusive boyfriend of Kei. * Kei – Friend of Ryū and girlfriend of Yoshiyama. * Kazuo – Male friend of Ryū. * Moko – Substance abuser friend of Ryū. * Jackson –

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

Airman at the local AFB, he arranges for group sex escapades between his base comrades and Ryū's group.

Reception and legacy

Murakami submitted the novel to the literary magazine ''

Gunzo :''The article is about the historical figure. For the Japanese magazine, see Gunzo''. Gunzo (also ''Cunzo'') was a 7th-century duke of the Alamanni under Frankish sovereignty. His residence was at ''villa Iburninga'' (today's Überlingen) at L ...

'' debutant contest, in which it won the first prize. It also won the prestigious

Akutagawa Prize The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes. History Th ...

the same year. The title of rock band

Luna Sea Luna Sea (stylized as LUNA SEA) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1986. Due to the use of makeup and costumes early in their career and their widespread popularity, they are considered one of the most successf ...

's song , off their 1991 self-titled debut album, is a reference to the novel.

Film adaptation

26-year-old Murakami made his directorial debut with a film adaptation of his novel ''Almost Transparent Blue'', which he also scripted. It was released in Japan on March 3, 1979, and was distributed by

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

. Hidenori Taga and Kei Ijisato under Kitty Records produced the film, starring

Kunihiko Mitamura is a Japanese actor and singer. He is well known for his role in Taiyō ni Hoero! and Hide in the Hissatsu series. Selected filmography Film *'' Almost Transparent Blue'' (1979) as Ryu *'' Hissatsu: Sure Death'' (1984) as Hide *''W's Tragedy' ...

(Ryu), Mari Nakayama (Lilly), Haruhiko Saitô (Yoshiyama), Keiko Wakasa (Kei), Narumi Tokura (Reiko), Yuri Takase (Moko), Goro Masaki (Kazuo),

Togo Igawa , known professionally as , is a Japanese character actor who works primarily in British theatre, films and television. He was nominated for a BAFTA award in 2012 for his role in Total War: Shogun 2. Career Igawa founded ''Black Tent Theatre'' ...

(Okinawa) and

Akiko Nakamura Akiko can refer to: * ''Akiko'' (comic book), an American comic book * ''Akiko'' (film), a 1961 Italian comedy film * Akiko (Amiga), a custom chip used in the Amiga CD32 games console * Akiko (given name), a common Japanese female given nam ...

(Mari).
New York Times: Almost Transparent Blue

English-language editions

* Ryū Murakami, ''Almost Transparent Blue'' (''Kagirinaku tōmei ni chikai burū''), translated by Nancy Andrew, 1st hardback ed., Tokyo ; New York : Kodansha International : Distributed by Kodansha International/USA through Harper & Row, 1977, 126 pages. Tokyo ; New York : Kodansha International : Distributed by Kodansha International/USA through Harper & Row, 1977, 126 p. * Ryū Murakami, ''Almost Transparent Blue'', translated by Nancy Andrew, 1st paperback ed., Tokyo; New York : Kodansha International, 1981 (reissue, 1992), 126 p. * Ryū Murakami, ''Almost Transparent Blue'', translated by Nancy Andrew, 1st trade paperback ed., New York : Kodansha America, 2003, 128 p.

References

External links

Extensive review
by author

Tao Lin Tao Lin (; born July 2, 1983) is an American novelist, poet, essayist, short-story writer, and artist. He has published four novels, a novella, two books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a memoir, as well as an extensive assortment o ...

Thought Catalog ''Thought Catalog'' is a website founded in 2010 by American entrepreneur and media strategist Chris Lavergne.Newton, MattheThought Catalog And The New Age Of Confessional Media''Forbes.'' June 7, 2015 Owned by The Thought & Expression Compan ...

Short J-pop.com review
{{Ryū Murakami 1976 Japanese novels Japanese-language novels Postmodern novels Existentialist novels Novels by Ryū Murakami Novels set in Japan Japanese novels adapted into films Akutagawa Prize–winning works