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trin's review against another edition
3.0
Reading this book is sort of what I’d imagine watching a snuff film would be like. The story is a simple one: a young soldier in ’30s Japan comes home and informs his wife that in order to preserve his honor, he must commit seppuku before the night is through. The wife proves her love and devotion by agreeing to go with him, so they calmly organize their affairs, make love one last time, and then kill themselves. All of this is beautifully, and in fact, lovingly described. Parts of it, especially as the couple take comfort in each other’s bodies a final time, are moving in a mournful, bittersweet way. I’ve written some apocalyptic fiction and I’d love to be able to capture that sort of mood so well.
However, all of this is sort of spoiled by the fact that what the couple is doing is completely ridiculous. The idea of ritualistic suicide is bizarre to me, and in the case of this book, you can’t even fool yourself into thinking that the author might be subtly critiquing the practice, as Mishima himself later committed seppuku. Think about that for a moment. Read Mishima’s incredibly detailed description of ritual disembowelment and think about that. Or, you know, don’t. I won’t judge you. I spent several hours after I finished reading this slim novella feeling sick to my stomach, it’s so graphic—and I say this as someone who read [b:Exquisite Corpse|15320|Exquisite Corpse|Poppy Z. Brite|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266451246s/15320.jpg|17209] while munching on a burrito. It’s the rare piece of literature that can achieve that level of effectiveness.
So yeah, it’s a snuff film. But it’s an unusually stylish and well-directed one.
However, all of this is sort of spoiled by the fact that what the couple is doing is completely ridiculous. The idea of ritualistic suicide is bizarre to me, and in the case of this book, you can’t even fool yourself into thinking that the author might be subtly critiquing the practice, as Mishima himself later committed seppuku. Think about that for a moment. Read Mishima’s incredibly detailed description of ritual disembowelment and think about that. Or, you know, don’t. I won’t judge you. I spent several hours after I finished reading this slim novella feeling sick to my stomach, it’s so graphic—and I say this as someone who read [b:Exquisite Corpse|15320|Exquisite Corpse|Poppy Z. Brite|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266451246s/15320.jpg|17209] while munching on a burrito. It’s the rare piece of literature that can achieve that level of effectiveness.
So yeah, it’s a snuff film. But it’s an unusually stylish and well-directed one.
roxyc's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
tyufekchieva's review against another edition
4.0
A disturbing, but thought-provoking story - I found the semi-autobiographical aspects immersive. I quite enjoyed it, even wrote down some quotes which hit me hard.
rileymatkovich's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
prettyboypercy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Truly a heart-wrenching read. The exploration of sex and love, both erotic but revered, was such a - a devastating take
808jake_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
jakepasseri's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Violence, Gore, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: War, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Body horror
sebniv's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Angered by the apparent westernisation of the Japanese beliefs and values, right wing figure and reactionary Yukio Mishima held a speech at a military base in Tokyo on November 25th 1970. After his speech he would scream "Long live the empire" and committed seppuku.
This film, written and later directed by Mishima, serves as a chilling foreshadowing of his death. A lieutenant upset at his follow soldiers and countrymen for giving up in the war committing seppuku, and his wife following suit. This was a very interesting read of the thoughts of one when forcing death onto ourselves
While I very much disagree with his ideology and politics, I do Mishima as a person quite commendable, someone so steadfast in their beliefs that they choose to die over it.
I own two of Mishima's works, tho neither of them being political in nature, and I'm keen to explore more.
This film, written and later directed by Mishima, serves as a chilling foreshadowing of his death. A lieutenant upset at his follow soldiers and countrymen for giving up in the war committing seppuku, and his wife following suit. This was a very interesting read of the thoughts of one when forcing death onto ourselves
While I very much disagree with his ideology and politics, I do Mishima as a person quite commendable, someone so steadfast in their beliefs that they choose to die over it.
I own two of Mishima's works, tho neither of them being political in nature, and I'm keen to explore more.
nocario's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
staypositive's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0