Reverse the Curse
Totto Chan, which we seriously need a page for. It was so sweet and gentle and kind and 
.
As far as adult stuff goes, Sei Shonagon would eat Carrie Bradshaw for breakfast. And then giggle about her awful taste in men.
A True Lady's Quest - A Jojo is You!
The Bipolar Troper
To be honest the only Japanese novel I read all the way through is Battle Royale. I loved the book. I saw the movie and hated it, and I never had any interest whatsoever in the manga adaptation.
The Kagami topic has now reached 201 posts! (Nov 5)
DUMB
Just wanna say, Yukio Mishima, "Patriotism", jegus wtf.
But uh... I would like to try reading some Haruki Murakami sometime.
[1] This facsimile operated in part by synAC.
Moribito Guardian Of The Spirit is a good read. Haven't seen the Anime, but I'd like to.
edited 7th Oct '10 4:13:42 AM by MrW
I read the first volume of Kino No Tabi (haven't seen the anime) and it was pretty good, although not a lot happens until the "colleseum" chapter.
It influenced some of the themes for some off my stories.
I'd really like to read Mithochodria Eve but I keep forgetting to see if it's carried by Barnes and Noble or any of the other stores around here.
納豆 post-processor
^I think the OP was referring to Japanese literature not based in anime/manga.
Bitter Hateful Cynic
This topic FAILS... because nobody mentioned Murakami yet!
^^ I know, I was just thinking it hadn't counted since I never saw the show.
Responsible adult
I do admit to a certain fondness for Brave Story, even if it is a massive Door Stopper that could've been edited down by a LOT.
"Proto-Indo-European makes the damnedest words related. It's great. It's the Kevin Bacon of etymology." ~Madrugada
'In A Grove' is really good
also once read a short story told from the perspective of a cardboard box that was a Tear Jerker, it almost makes you feel bad for not treating all your boxes with loving care
Necro, because I just read Usurper of the Sun by Housuke Nojiri. It's part of the whole Haikasoru thing Viz is doing, same with Brave Story. Pretty interesting as far as alien contact stories go....fairly hard on the Hard on Soft Science scale.
All of the other Japanese literature I've read has at some point or another been adapted into anime/manga, so I guess it doesn't count. I'm planning on reading I Am a Cat, though.
edited 24th Nov '10 5:57:11 PM by Tumbril
Tumblr here.
So I picked up a spiffy version of The Changeling by Kenzaburo Oe today, turns out... I kind of like the idea of a man who sends tapes to a guy who listens to an old Walkman. It's poetic in a "damn my iPod rocks but I miss tapes" kinda way.
But I guess there's more to Japanese literature than reverse-nostalgia, just like there's more to this country's narrative output than anime and manga. Personally unless the art is very, VERY good with a story that is very, VERY good, a lot of anime and manga falls apart for me.
But Japanese novels/poetry? I kinda like it, in a reactionary to the popular way. Actual Japanese people may read less "real" novels, specifically from their own culture, but that's where I come in. People like me who try something that's connected to stuff they already like but in some ways is far divorced. What do you guys think?
Hell Hasn't Earned My Tears