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The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories
English (translation)Original Japanese
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
August 16, 2020
I tend to favor short stories over longer single pieces of fiction these days, especially if they connect in some way. The stories in this reader are not connected and have different authors, but it's one of the best collections I've ever read! I loved them.
Of course, it helps that most of them are written by authors I had already read and belonged to my faves list. We have here Kobo Abe (the Kafka-inspired Japanese master of absurd) and Ryo Hanmura, and Morio Kita (all of them really worth reading independently), but also several less-known authors whom I was happy to discover.
Japanese literature, in general, had trouble becoming known in the West due to the translation process being more difficult for it than for other languages. What with the three different alphabet systems and whatnot. That's why we tend to have access to translated Japanese classics but not so much contemporary fiction.
With science fiction, the problem intensifies, since there are few translators willing to deal with that jargon, as well. :) That makes this collection even more of a rare gem than it already was. The stories are great, also, beyond all these translation considerations.
Of course, it helps that most of them are written by authors I had already read and belonged to my faves list. We have here Kobo Abe (the Kafka-inspired Japanese master of absurd) and Ryo Hanmura, and Morio Kita (all of them really worth reading independently), but also several less-known authors whom I was happy to discover.
Japanese literature, in general, had trouble becoming known in the West due to the translation process being more difficult for it than for other languages. What with the three different alphabet systems and whatnot. That's why we tend to have access to translated Japanese classics but not so much contemporary fiction.
With science fiction, the problem intensifies, since there are few translators willing to deal with that jargon, as well. :) That makes this collection even more of a rare gem than it already was. The stories are great, also, beyond all these translation considerations.
May 23, 2022
مش عارف ايه اللي حصل من ساعة ما بدأتها. .
عاجز عن التركيز في أي قصة منها
اجتزت أغلب المجموعة بدون قراءة
عاجز عن التركيز في أي قصة منها
اجتزت أغلب المجموعة بدون قراءة
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March 26, 2021A better title for this is "Weird Tales From Japan".
A collection of Japanese short stories translated into English that are more speculative fiction than science fiction tending heavily to the weird side. The stories are light on character, description, and emotion, and heavy on concept. For this reason some are more like folk tales than contemporary fiction, though that could be due to the translation, which, based on the introduction, seems to have been done by an amateur group of fans of the genre.
Many of the stories are thought-provoking, though most are honestly just too depressing. My favorite of the bunch is "Hey! Come on out!" by Shinichi Hoshi, whose stories I was already familiar with. It's funny, short, and has its own voice. "The Standing Woman" is on par with dystopian classics like Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and The Giver. I luckily dodged mental scarring by skipping "The Savage Mouth", a story with gratuitous imagery that should come with a warning label.
Unfortunately, this collection seems to suffer from the impulse that drives most publication of Japanese work overseas. Whether it be literature or film, companies seem to be under the impression that people in other countries will only pay attention to Japanese media if it's weird or shocking in some way. This is true to some extent of media from any other country that eventually gets released in a foreign market, but it is particularly true of Japan - often called "Weird Japan". "Weird Italy" isn't a thing. Neither is "Weird Britain".
So, this group of sci-fi fans set out to find the oddest stories they could, then slapped "best" on it, and topped it all off with a vaguely Asian cover. Whether that "best" is fitting, I'm not too convinced. Oddest? Maybe.
The truth is, Japanese literature isn't all weird. Just like the literature of any country, it's varied. But in the U.S., we don't see the love stories, the comedies, the historical fiction, the thrillers. Just the freaky, weird stuff with lots of blood, and, I think, little humanity. So this goes on (apart from the work of artists with a brand and a sizable following, like Hayao Miyazaki or Haruki Murakami), perpetuating both the belief that Japan is weird and the demand for more of that weird. You can see it for yourself: check out your local library or bookstore, or search for Japanese movies on your movie streaming service. Look at the kinds of titles they carry.
Maybe that's how the world works, chasing money with no regard for impact, but it's a real shame. This approach to marketing means we miss out on stories, perspectives, and greater understanding of ourselves. Given the continuing popularity of Japan and Japanese culture, hopefully this is something that is changing.
One other missed opportunity here is the lack of female authors. All of the authors included in the collection are male. Two female authors are referenced in the back of the book, in the list of recommended Japanese sci-fi reading, so why couldn't even one of their short stories be added to the mix? Another thing that I hope will change in newer anthologies.
So do I recommend this book?
If you're into Japanese literature, and you're curious about some of the science fiction that's out there, yes. If you like to be entertained and not bummed out about life, probably not.
A collection of Japanese short stories translated into English that are more speculative fiction than science fiction tending heavily to the weird side. The stories are light on character, description, and emotion, and heavy on concept. For this reason some are more like folk tales than contemporary fiction, though that could be due to the translation, which, based on the introduction, seems to have been done by an amateur group of fans of the genre.
Many of the stories are thought-provoking, though most are honestly just too depressing. My favorite of the bunch is "Hey! Come on out!" by Shinichi Hoshi, whose stories I was already familiar with. It's funny, short, and has its own voice. "The Standing Woman" is on par with dystopian classics like Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and The Giver. I luckily dodged mental scarring by skipping "The Savage Mouth", a story with gratuitous imagery that should come with a warning label.
Unfortunately, this collection seems to suffer from the impulse that drives most publication of Japanese work overseas. Whether it be literature or film, companies seem to be under the impression that people in other countries will only pay attention to Japanese media if it's weird or shocking in some way. This is true to some extent of media from any other country that eventually gets released in a foreign market, but it is particularly true of Japan - often called "Weird Japan". "Weird Italy" isn't a thing. Neither is "Weird Britain".
So, this group of sci-fi fans set out to find the oddest stories they could, then slapped "best" on it, and topped it all off with a vaguely Asian cover. Whether that "best" is fitting, I'm not too convinced. Oddest? Maybe.
The truth is, Japanese literature isn't all weird. Just like the literature of any country, it's varied. But in the U.S., we don't see the love stories, the comedies, the historical fiction, the thrillers. Just the freaky, weird stuff with lots of blood, and, I think, little humanity. So this goes on (apart from the work of artists with a brand and a sizable following, like Hayao Miyazaki or Haruki Murakami), perpetuating both the belief that Japan is weird and the demand for more of that weird. You can see it for yourself: check out your local library or bookstore, or search for Japanese movies on your movie streaming service. Look at the kinds of titles they carry.
Maybe that's how the world works, chasing money with no regard for impact, but it's a real shame. This approach to marketing means we miss out on stories, perspectives, and greater understanding of ourselves. Given the continuing popularity of Japan and Japanese culture, hopefully this is something that is changing.
One other missed opportunity here is the lack of female authors. All of the authors included in the collection are male. Two female authors are referenced in the back of the book, in the list of recommended Japanese sci-fi reading, so why couldn't even one of their short stories be added to the mix? Another thing that I hope will change in newer anthologies.
So do I recommend this book?
If you're into Japanese literature, and you're curious about some of the science fiction that's out there, yes. If you like to be entertained and not bummed out about life, probably not.
October 10, 2023
يبدو أنها سنة القصص القصيرة! مع النفس القصير لي في القراءة مع طفلة حديثة كثيرة البكاء؛ جربتُ كل أنواع كتب القصص القصص القصيرة
هنا كانت التجربة جديدة كلياً .. مع كتاب من اليابان يحوي قصصاً قصيرة لم أكن أتخيل أني قد أقرؤها قط
جميع قصص الكتاب جاءت من الخيال العلمي لكُتّاب الخيال العلمي الياباني الكلاسيكيين ثم ترجم الكتاب من اليابانية إلى الإنجليزية ,, ثم من الإنجليزية إلى العربية
فبالتالي -وبالطبع- فإن الترجمة بعد الترجمة قد أفقدت بعض النصوص معناها فتقف أمامها عاجزاً عن فهم المقصود منها ,, واختلاف الثقافات أيضا كان حاضراً كعائق عن فهم بعض النصوص الأخرى
لكنه بالمجمل تجربة فريدة ولطيفة ,, تكررعلى فترات متباعدة كهذه الفترة التي قرأت الكتاب بها
هنا كانت التجربة جديدة كلياً .. مع كتاب من اليابان يحوي قصصاً قصيرة لم أكن أتخيل أني قد أقرؤها قط
جميع قصص الكتاب جاءت من الخيال العلمي لكُتّاب الخيال العلمي الياباني الكلاسيكيين ثم ترجم الكتاب من اليابانية إلى الإنجليزية ,, ثم من الإنجليزية إلى العربية
فبالتالي -وبالطبع- فإن الترجمة بعد الترجمة قد أفقدت بعض النصوص معناها فتقف أمامها عاجزاً عن فهم المقصود منها ,, واختلاف الثقافات أيضا كان حاضراً كعائق عن فهم بعض النصوص الأخرى
لكنه بالمجمل تجربة فريدة ولطيفة ,, تكررعلى فترات متباعدة كهذه الفترة التي قرأت الكتاب بها
December 19, 2022
في اليابان كل شيء مختلفًا... حتى الخيال العلمي!!!
على الرغم من أنني توقعت قصصًا عن الخيال العلمي الياباني مدفوعًا بالأنيمي والكوميكس والكارتون الذي أعرفه عن اليابان، إلا أنني فوجئت بقصص مختلفة تمام الاختلاف عما توقعته.
تصنيف الخيال العلمي هُنا رُبما لا يشابه ما نعرفه في هذا التصنيف من قصص الفضاء والكواكب أو الاختراعات العجيبة أو المخلوقات المُتفرّدة. هناك الكثير من الخيال لكن يغلب عليها الرمزية. رمزيات كثيرة في القصص تجبرك على التأمل ومحاولة إدراك المقصود.
لم أتوقع أن تحتوي على القصص على انتقادات اجتماعية سواء في محيط العمل أو في مجتمعات القرية أو المدينة. ولا أنكر أن هناك قصة أو قصتين أصابتني بالخوف من مدى تمادي الإنسان في الانسياق وراء رغباته.
أعدت قراءة مُقدمة الكتاب لجون أبوستولو بعد الانتهاء من قراءة القصص، وقد أفادتني كثيرًا لتزيل بعض الدهشة التي أصابتني عند قراءة القصص للمرة الأولى. يقول جون:
ليس للمستقبل سحر كبير عند أكثر كُتّاب الخيال العلمي في اليابان. يستعملون هذا النوع من القصص لتفحّص الماضي والحاضر محاولين فهم مجتمعهم الذي يتغيّر بسرعة.
قِلّة من كُتّاب الخيال العلمي اليابانيين يهتمون اهتمامًا حقيقيًا بالعلم، ويبدو أن مصطلح "الأدب القصصي التخيّلي" أكثر دِقة من "الخيال العلمي" كعلامة لعملهم.
هكذا نظرت إلى القصص مرة أخرى وأعدت التفكير فيها، فوجدت أن هناك من المعاني المدفونة فيها ربما بشكل مُبالغ فيه، لكن بكل تأكيد هي تحمل مشاعر إنسانية وحزن دفين لما آل أو متوقع أن يؤول إليه الإنسان في مستقبله.
القصص المُترجمة هي نتاج عمل فريق أمريكي آمن بجودة قصص الخيال العلمي الياباني وقام بترجمتها خوفًا لنشرها عالميًا يقينًا منهم أنها تستحق الانتشار العالمي.
تفاوت مستوى القصص بين الجيد و المتوسط، وربما كان هناك قصة واحدة دون المستوى.
أجمل القصص التي أعجبتني بالترتيب…
اخرج يا هذا - رائعة جدًا
المرأة القائمة - رائعة مجنونة رمزية تُذكّرني بأجواء 1984
الفم المتوحش - ممتازة رعب
الاختيار - ممتازة
بوكو تشان - جيدة
تريسيراتوبس - جيدة
الطوفان - جيدة
الصندوق الكرتوني - متوسطة لكن رمزيتها حزينة ومؤلمة
أسطورة سفينة الفضاء الورقية - متوسطة وتذكرني بالجزء الأخير من رواية العطر
المجموعة القصصية ”الطوفان وقصص أخرى“ تحمل مجموعة من القصص القصيرة الرمزية والمجازية تحوي الكثير من الخيال لكن أظن أن تصنيف الخيال العلمي ليس وصفًا دقيقًا لهذه القصص، ورُبما تسبب هذا في استياء القارئ.
قراءة مُختلفة للأدب الياباني بترجمة معقولة ومتعة لا بأس بها.
تقييمي للكتاب 3/5
معيار التقييم:
نجمة = لم يعجبني
نجمتان = مقبول
3 نجوم = أعجبني
4 نجوم = أعجبني بشدة
5 نجوم = استثنائي
أحمد فؤاد
التاسع عشر من كانون الأول ديسمبر 2022
April 29, 2017
There are a lot of really good stories in here, but in terms of pages, almost half the book consists of stuff I just didn't really enjoy very much. Every story certainly has heaps of imagination, but some of it just really didn't interest me.
I thought this book would be a fun introduction to Japanese SF, which I know nothing about, and it is - but I was also happy to find that many of these stories have a lot of beauty and heart, like all of my favorite SF. Stories like the ones from Tetsu Yano, Yasutaka Tsutsui, Takashi Ishikawa, and the weird dinosaur story by Tensei Kino really sucked me in and sent a number of emotions swirling through my brain. Others were rollicking good fun. A couple were left happily unfinished.
I'd recommend it for those who think they'd enjoy it.
I thought this book would be a fun introduction to Japanese SF, which I know nothing about, and it is - but I was also happy to find that many of these stories have a lot of beauty and heart, like all of my favorite SF. Stories like the ones from Tetsu Yano, Yasutaka Tsutsui, Takashi Ishikawa, and the weird dinosaur story by Tensei Kino really sucked me in and sent a number of emotions swirling through my brain. Others were rollicking good fun. A couple were left happily unfinished.
I'd recommend it for those who think they'd enjoy it.
August 27, 2018
This was a welcome introduction to a different kind of science-fiction than the one I usually read. Whether it can be called science-fiction, though, I'm not so sure - these were stories ranging from (extreme) horror to the weird, the allegoric, many of them reminiscent of old Japanese folktales. However, this goes to prove the definition of the genre is very flexible among the world's cultures.
There were a handful I liked more than others ("Standing Woman", "Triceratops"), but all of them, without exception, gave me a great sense of discomfort. "The Savage Mouth", by Sakyo Komatsu - very well written - is probably the most disgusting story I've ever come across.
There were a handful I liked more than others ("Standing Woman", "Triceratops"), but all of them, without exception, gave me a great sense of discomfort. "The Savage Mouth", by Sakyo Komatsu - very well written - is probably the most disgusting story I've ever come across.
June 19, 2018
この本のアイデアを好きだから３スターをあげるけど一番良くない翻訳だった！サイファイだから話の中に本当に分からなかった！残念だったよ！
I like the idea of this book so I'm giving it 3 stars, but this was the worst translated thing I've ever read! And this is sci-fi so some of the stories I couldn't even comprehend which was so unfortunate!
**side note: each story has a different translator so they all come out differently - I just really don't understand what happened with this...I do think the stories I liked cloud my perception of this book so I kind of feel I should be giving it 2 stars, but I'm too nice LOL
I like the idea of this book so I'm giving it 3 stars, but this was the worst translated thing I've ever read! And this is sci-fi so some of the stories I couldn't even comprehend which was so unfortunate!
**side note: each story has a different translator so they all come out differently - I just really don't understand what happened with this...I do think the stories I liked cloud my perception of this book so I kind of feel I should be giving it 2 stars, but I'm too nice LOL
January 14, 2020
Some of these stories are wonderful, most are pretty good, and a couple are terrible. However, they are all quite unique.
"The Flood" by Kobo Abe: Fantasy rather than sci-fi. People are being transmuted into water. It ends on a strange note. 3/5
"Cardboard Box" by Ryo Hanmura: Another fantasy. Cardboard boxes are anthropomorphic. It seems to be a commentary on life and death. 3.5/5
"Tansu" by Ryo Hanmura: A ghost story. It's quite dull. It lacks a fulfilling ending. 1/5
"Bokko-Chan" by Shinichi Hoshi: A gynoid is used to lure in customers, especially of the male variety. It's not great. 2.5/5
"He-y, Come on Ou-t" by Shinichi Hoshi: My personal favorite. A wormhole of sorts appears in a village. The townsfolk begin to use it as a wastebasket. The twist is amazing. 5/5
"The Road to the Sea" by Takashi Ishikawa: A boy who lives on Mars searches for a non-existent sea. Heartbreaking. 3.5/5
"The Empty Field" by Morio Kita: A UFO comes to Earth. The use of portmanteaux is exhausting, and it lacks clarity. 1/5
"The Savage Mouth" by Sakyo Komatsu: Tbh, this was hard for me to read, due to the macabre plot (a man slowly consumes himself). However, I do like the prose. 3/5
"Take Your Choice" by Sakyo Komatsu: A man is presented with three possible timelines from which to choose. Very good, though the twist changes the genre. 4/5
"Triceratops" by Tensei Kono: A science fantasy story. Ghostly dinosaurs are popping up. A battle ensues. Interesting. 3.5/5
"Fnifmum" by Taku Mayumura: A charmingly strange tale about a lovesick four-dimensional creature. 4/5
"Standing Woman" by Yasutaka Tsutsui: This story features a disturbing means of getting rid of malcontents. 4/5
"The Flood" by Kobo Abe: Fantasy rather than sci-fi. People are being transmuted into water. It ends on a strange note. 3/5
"Cardboard Box" by Ryo Hanmura: Another fantasy. Cardboard boxes are anthropomorphic. It seems to be a commentary on life and death. 3.5/5
"Tansu" by Ryo Hanmura: A ghost story. It's quite dull. It lacks a fulfilling ending. 1/5
"Bokko-Chan" by Shinichi Hoshi: A gynoid is used to lure in customers, especially of the male variety. It's not great. 2.5/5
"He-y, Come on Ou-t" by Shinichi Hoshi: My personal favorite. A wormhole of sorts appears in a village. The townsfolk begin to use it as a wastebasket. The twist is amazing. 5/5
"The Road to the Sea" by Takashi Ishikawa: A boy who lives on Mars searches for a non-existent sea. Heartbreaking. 3.5/5
"The Empty Field" by Morio Kita: A UFO comes to Earth. The use of portmanteaux is exhausting, and it lacks clarity. 1/5
"The Savage Mouth" by Sakyo Komatsu: Tbh, this was hard for me to read, due to the macabre plot (a man slowly consumes himself). However, I do like the prose. 3/5
"Take Your Choice" by Sakyo Komatsu: A man is presented with three possible timelines from which to choose. Very good, though the twist changes the genre. 4/5
"Triceratops" by Tensei Kono: A science fantasy story. Ghostly dinosaurs are popping up. A battle ensues. Interesting. 3.5/5
"Fnifmum" by Taku Mayumura: A charmingly strange tale about a lovesick four-dimensional creature. 4/5
"Standing Woman" by Yasutaka Tsutsui: This story features a disturbing means of getting rid of malcontents. 4/5
October 21, 2018
The introduction to the book really captures what makes Japanese Sci-fi interesting: You've got a country that went from Feudal to Technological in the span of less than a hundred years. There's a very specific tone to the stories that can't quite be emulated in Western science fiction. It's a mix of tradition, technology, superstition, etc. Spirituality and science aren't viewed as incompatible. The result is that a lot of sci fi from there feels like it has elements of cosmic horror. I love it.
That being said, you can tell that a lot of these stories are decades old even at the time of the book being published, and just on a personal level I had a hard time getting into some of them. It's hard to translate foreign languages to English precisely, so I sometimes wondered how much was lost in that process. Saying this as someone whose childhood was spent in Japan, so it's not being baffled by the general tone or anything like that. Just felt like I was skimming the top of some of the stories instead of getting to dive into them.
When they're good, they're really good though. Some of them felt like they'd be appropriate for a Junji Ito short story. At least one of them is really dark and uncomfortable, though, for anyone sensitive to that stuff--'the dark pit of insanity that is the human soul' kinda jank, and potentially upsetting, haha. I know that I was edging in that direction as I started through it.
Anyway, at the very least an interesting read. It gave me a little difficulty, but worth looking at.
That being said, you can tell that a lot of these stories are decades old even at the time of the book being published, and just on a personal level I had a hard time getting into some of them. It's hard to translate foreign languages to English precisely, so I sometimes wondered how much was lost in that process. Saying this as someone whose childhood was spent in Japan, so it's not being baffled by the general tone or anything like that. Just felt like I was skimming the top of some of the stories instead of getting to dive into them.
When they're good, they're really good though. Some of them felt like they'd be appropriate for a Junji Ito short story. At least one of them is really dark and uncomfortable, though, for anyone sensitive to that stuff--'the dark pit of insanity that is the human soul' kinda jank, and potentially upsetting, haha. I know that I was edging in that direction as I started through it.
Anyway, at the very least an interesting read. It gave me a little difficulty, but worth looking at.
March 2, 2016
I'm familiar with Japanese Science-fiction through animes and mangas; but these stories were really something else. The translation was weak overall and there were 2-3 of them that was lost in translation; but the rest were really unique in a creepy/gloomy way. The sheer strength of the ideas in the stories and the unique tone of each story made me really enjoy this collection.
November 18, 2018
Not enough science fiction from the rest of the world is translated into English. That is what makes this anthology worth getting. Since the 1960s, science fiction in languages other than English has taken quite different forms from the American styles that dominate in the English language. Little actual science fiction has been translated from Japanese, which is a shame given the selections here. The stories come from the 1960s through the 1980s. There is quite a variety. The first three are not really science fiction to my mind. Kobo Abe's "The Flood" is a think-piece, a fantastical "what if" scenario worked out at a very general level to get the reader philosophical. Ryo Hanmura's "Cardboard Box" is a different kind of think-piece, one of those that presents the point of view of an inanimate object, in this case a cardboard box. What does the world look like from that perspective? Again, interesting, but not really science fiction. Hanmura's "Tansu" is pretty much a ghost story. The first true piece of science fiction here is Shinichi Hoshi's "Bokko-Chan," a satirical critique of the Japanese fascination with female androids. Hoshi's "He-y, Come on Ou-t!" is another bit of social satire, in which a town takes advantage of physical anomaly without considering the consequences. Takashi Ishikawa's "The Road to the Sea" is my favorite story in the collection, a beautiful characterization of the urge to explore. "The Empty Field" by Morio Kita is another barely science fiction story, this time a modernist, stream-of-consciousness account of something that might or might not be alien. Sakyo Komatsu gives us a truly horrifying tale in "The Savage Mouth." His other story in the collection, "Take Your Chance," is quite different. This one is about how small actions can have big consequences in the future. It has a very clever surprise ending. Tensei Kono gives us another just barely science fiction story in "Triceratops," all about the pasts that we do and do not see right in our own neighborhoods. Taku Mayumura gives us an intriguing new type of alien in "Fnifmum," one that lives in the fourth dimension, but observes the other three. Yasutaka Tsutsui's "Standing Woman" presents the oddest sort of oppressive society I think I've read about, one in which the sick, the dying, and most importantly the disobedient are planted in the ground to become trees, a fate that goes for pets and people. The last story, Tetsu Yano's "The Legend of the Paper Spaceship," is a strange account of an isolated village, the people in it, and the possibility that the two most interesting people in it might not be human.
There are a few aspects to the stories that make them distinct from English-language science fiction, and might be related to Japanese culture and literary tradition. One is that, apart from the final story, there is very little that a reader might call characterization. Characters are mostly types, not stereotypes, but specific perspectives. Most the characters, even the protagonists, lack background or depth. This is fine, since most of the stories play out at the social level rather than the personal level. Another distinct aspect is the surprising ending. This is not the surprise ironic twist of "The Twilight Zone." Rather, the endings often take a sudden turn toward the introspective or philosophical, with haiku-like revelations that beg the reader to make the connection. This kind of ending is most apparent in "The Empty Field," "Triceratops," and "The Legend of the Paper Spaceship," but something of the kind happens with nearly every story. A third aspect is that no story here has what we might call a hero, and many do not even have what we might call an anti-hero. There is a kind of remoteness in the telling that dissuades a reader from making too much of any character.
All in all, the collection gives an English-language reader a refreshingly different thinking about how to use the tropes of science. Even though several of the stories are not really science fiction, all are definitely interesting reads, well translated to make nothing clunky for the English-language reader, apart from the occasional confused word error (a to/too, for instance).
There are a few aspects to the stories that make them distinct from English-language science fiction, and might be related to Japanese culture and literary tradition. One is that, apart from the final story, there is very little that a reader might call characterization. Characters are mostly types, not stereotypes, but specific perspectives. Most the characters, even the protagonists, lack background or depth. This is fine, since most of the stories play out at the social level rather than the personal level. Another distinct aspect is the surprising ending. This is not the surprise ironic twist of "The Twilight Zone." Rather, the endings often take a sudden turn toward the introspective or philosophical, with haiku-like revelations that beg the reader to make the connection. This kind of ending is most apparent in "The Empty Field," "Triceratops," and "The Legend of the Paper Spaceship," but something of the kind happens with nearly every story. A third aspect is that no story here has what we might call a hero, and many do not even have what we might call an anti-hero. There is a kind of remoteness in the telling that dissuades a reader from making too much of any character.
All in all, the collection gives an English-language reader a refreshingly different thinking about how to use the tropes of science. Even though several of the stories are not really science fiction, all are definitely interesting reads, well translated to make nothing clunky for the English-language reader, apart from the occasional confused word error (a to/too, for instance).
September 19, 2018
The stories contained in this anthology are much more "Japanese" than "science fiction," I think. A better title might have been "The Best Japanese Wonder Stories" or something, as all of them have some wondrous element, but many fall closer to the magic-realism or fantasy or quasi-folktale side of things - mostly because of their short, almost impressionistic lengths. That said, they were mostly good, and the prose was good too - I don't know what fluent Japanese readers would say if comparing the originals to their translations here, but I did feel that some of the "Japanese-ness" came through fine.
There's additional historical interest here from a purely meta-level perspective, as this collection pre-dates the new "yellow peril" themes of much Eighties Anglo sf, where everyone thought that ultramodern Japanese megacorps would own everything in 199X or 20XX. And yet you can also see certain tendencies that would later crop up in fully-sfnal anime in the Eighties and beyond.
Highlights included "The Savage Mouth," "Standing Woman," and "The Legend of the Paper Spaceship" - not coincidentally, all very sfnal.
There's additional historical interest here from a purely meta-level perspective, as this collection pre-dates the new "yellow peril" themes of much Eighties Anglo sf, where everyone thought that ultramodern Japanese megacorps would own everything in 199X or 20XX. And yet you can also see certain tendencies that would later crop up in fully-sfnal anime in the Eighties and beyond.
Highlights included "The Savage Mouth," "Standing Woman," and "The Legend of the Paper Spaceship" - not coincidentally, all very sfnal.
November 22, 2017
Years ago I read a fair amount of Japanese fiction (in translation), and always found it interesting. There was one story in particular that had always stuck in my mind, but I couldn't remember where I had seen it and hadn't found it since. Good news: It's in this collection -- although I'm pretty sure this is not where I had first seen it, as I remember it from several years before this was published. That story is Sakyo Komatsu's "The Savage Mouth", and it's as good as I remembered (and pretty creepy). Other highlights for me include Komatsu's "Take Your Choice", a classic old-school-sci-fi style story (although apparently originally published in the '80s, it felt to me like a '40s-'50s US style); Tensei Kono's "Triceratops"; and Yasutaka Tsutsui's "Standing Woman". Unfortunately, overall I found the collection rather light, so I'm not sure it would be one I'd recommend as an introduction to the genre -- especially today, I'm sure there are more current collections that readers would be more likely to get into. But oh, to have "The Savage Mouth" back, that's wonderful....
October 3, 2021
The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories was a book that possibly had bad translations, bad or mediocre writing, or ideas that could have succeeded with more work. There were, however, two stories that stood out for me:
'Cardboard Box' where a cardboard box has sentience. I won't spoil the story because I'm hoping you can read it for yourself.
'He--y, Come on Ou--t!' I imagined as a story that could have an adaption for live-action; a Twilight Zone-type of story. I also won't spoil this one.
'Cardboard Box' where a cardboard box has sentience. I won't spoil the story because I'm hoping you can read it for yourself.
'He--y, Come on Ou--t!' I imagined as a story that could have an adaption for live-action; a Twilight Zone-type of story. I also won't spoil this one.
September 11, 2023
As with any collection, this volume has great stories and some pretty awful ones. A number of them are collected elsewhere. Cardboard Box (detailing the spiritual journey of a cardboard box) is perhaps the most unique. Fnifmum is also unique, but also rather beautiful. The Road to the Sea is strange and sad, while The Savage Mouth is one of the most disgusting stories I have ever read (and yet is often anthologised). The collection has a good range, but only two or three really stand out as notable.
Read
October 3, 2021I enjoyed this book a lot. The 13 short stories found inside are definitely a hit or miss. Some are a few of the most creative short stories I have ever read, while one of them I couldn't understand at all after reading it twice. Not specifically Science Fiction, but rather a mix of a few genres where reality is slightly or extremely altered. Would recommend this to anyone looking for something slightly unexpected or different.
May 17, 2022
مجموعة قصصية أكثر من رائعة ومن الواضح أن مفهوم الحيال العلمي يختلف في الأدب الياباني ففي المجموعة أكثر من قصة قد تصنف كفانتازيا أو رعب مثل الصندوق الكرتوني وتانسو للكاتب الكبير ريو هانمورا والملاحظ أيضا أن القصص القصيرة أقوى بكثير من القصص الطويلة فجاءت قصة سفينة الفضاء الورقية أطول قصص المجموعة وآخرها مبهمة ومملة بعض الشىء.وتظل أقوى قصص المجموعة هي قصص ساكيو كوماتسو الفم المتوحش المرعبة جدا والغير تقليدية وألاختيار التي جاءت نهايتها مفاجئة وذكية جدا .في النهاية مجموعة قصصية تستحق القراءة
January 24, 2021
A collection of short science fictions stores; a strange mix of stories.
Most enjoyed,
"He-y, Come on Ou-t" by Shinichi Hoshi
"The Savage Mouth" by Sakyo Komatsu
"The Legend of the Paper Spaceship" by Tetsu Yano
Most enjoyed,
"He-y, Come on Ou-t" by Shinichi Hoshi
"The Savage Mouth" by Sakyo Komatsu
"The Legend of the Paper Spaceship" by Tetsu Yano
May 13, 2022
" ما من سبب البتة.
ولم ينبغي أن يكون هناك سبب؟ يحب الناس أن يجدوا لكل شيء سببا. لكن حقيقة الأشياء لا تعلل أبدا. الوجود بأسره : لم هو موجود كما هو؟ لم على هذه الصورة من دون غيرها؟
هذا السبب، لن يمكن لأحد أن يشرحه..."
ولم ينبغي أن يكون هناك سبب؟ يحب الناس أن يجدوا لكل شيء سببا. لكن حقيقة الأشياء لا تعلل أبدا. الوجود بأسره : لم هو موجود كما هو؟ لم على هذه الصورة من دون غيرها؟
هذا السبب، لن يمكن لأحد أن يشرحه..."
August 18, 2017
A few of these were pulpy but others deserved six stars
March 3, 2019
Loved this series of stories, particularly "My Savage Mouth," a bizarre tale of self-cannibalization. Yes, you read that right.
February 12, 2022
I liked "Cardboard Box" by Ryo Hanmura
Read
September 8, 2022only read the first short story about humans liquifying and lost the book :C
September 11, 2022
مجموعة قصصية رائعة
December 23, 2022
قصص خيال علمي من الأدب الياباني
ربما تعجب من يحبون ذلك النوع من الأدب ولكنها لم تستهويني بعضها قصص خيال واخري رمزية وقصه خيال علمي رعب
ربما تعجب من يحبون ذلك النوع من الأدب ولكنها لم تستهويني بعضها قصص خيال واخري رمزية وقصه خيال علمي رعب
March 9, 2023
Many of these stories are very short, read once sort of things. An interesting book but not a keeper.
November 16, 2023
أعتقد أنه كان مجرد وقت مضى
July 12, 2024
يدهشني الأدب الياباني في مقدرته على توظيف الخيال لسرد قصص واقعية ومشاعر خاصة.
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