Audiobooks

I started it and love it very much. I haven’t watched the drama and probably won’t, so I don’t know how close the novel is from it, but I was surprised that it’s so openly and massively about suicide. It also really feels like a novel, not a novelisation, I actually did not even know about the drama before looking up the title.

The start and premise of the story were so strange, but I loved it, it was a good mix of coming of age and mystery, with topics such as overcoming discrimination. The parts about the cat were difficult to listen to though, would not necessarily recommend because of that.

来自沉船的爱意 felt so strange to me, the main character’s considerations and concerns felt so practical…

I feel like I say it every time, but this short story was really extraordinary. The idea and the setting were so great, and the quest for happiness too. I really loved this one!

Finished 死亡之车. I really loved it! I loved the mix of horror and suspense with still recurring themes like school bullying and isolation.

I’m listening to 死亡之车, this short story is quite suspenseful, and it feels different from the others too.

I forgot to update, but I listened to a bunch of stories during the weekend. They’re all so great, and many have magical/supernatural elements, which makes them different, while still having everything I like about Otsuichi’s short stories.

I love Otsuichi’s short stories so much! The first three ones from this collection were very short, but all so impactful. 五分钟的永远 is such a beautiful title too, I really loved this one.

Couldn’t sleep last night, so I listened to the last short story. I loved this one very much, but it was really sad and this idea of complete solitude and darkness was both depressing and terrifying. Not the best to try and fall asleep, but it was a really impactful short story, the kind you’ll continue to think about for a long time.

Finished 手胶卷中的少女, listened to it during my Sunday run. The end was quite good! I found that the background music was a bit too much though…

I listened to the first half of 手胶卷中的少女. This one is more mystery/horror! It also feels very natural as audiobook, because it’s basically one character talking the whole time.

Finished the second story. How a very brief, awkward and intense encounter can drastically influence two characters’ paths. Loved this one too!

I forgot to update when I finished the first short story, but I found it very sad, though very good too, as always.

I couldn’t sleep last night, so I started 小偷抓住的手. Each story by Otsuichi feels so unique!

I finished 花之歌 and listened to 谎言女友 which was very short, but one of my favourites! I love this kind of stories so much!

I made some progress on 花之歌, I find this one a little bit more difficult to understand than the other ones.

Listened to 花之歌 a bit today. It’s exactly like last time, once I get started with the text and know the context and the characters, I don’t need it anymore and can understand well.

I listened to 骑士内裤君 (it was very short!) and started 花之歌. I’m following along with the book for this one, at least for the beginning.

I couldn’t sleep last night, so I listened to the second short story, 伤. This one was another fascinating story. It’s crazy to think we’re spending such a short time with the characters, but I feel like I’ll never forget about them.

I listened to the first story, 只有你听到, today, and it was such a nice listen. Otsuichi’s stories about loneliness feel so relatable. His characters never get the easy happy ending too, which always makes me feel melancholic.

I finished the story that gives its name to the collection, 失踪假日, it was a long one, maybe more a novella than a short story? Like the first one, I was very surprised at the end, when the story turns into a mystery with a really good twist. I really didn’t see this one coming.

I couldn’t sleep at all last night, so I listened to 失踪假日. I really love this story.
Also listening lying in bed was much easier than listening on-the-go or while doing other things. I felt like I understood everything!

I finished 玛利亚的手指, which I loved, and started 失踪假日 which is also the longest.

I found it hard at first and couldn’t follow well, so I read the first pages in the book. The text is very easy (as everything I read by Otsuichi so far), but my listening is bad compared to my reading.
It’s interesting that just reading the beginning is enough to get me started. I know the context, setting, character names… and then I can just listen and understand pretty well.

Listened to 玛利亚的手指 a lot today and made good progress. Another really good story!

I finished 幸福宝贝, and I really really love Otsuichi’s stories. This one was fantastic, I loved the main character, and I was loving the story so much (I thought it would be a story of friendship or romance), but then all of the sudden I realised I was reading a mystery all along, even though it didn’t feel like it. The end was really good, and at the same time, like many of the short stories I’ve read, it left me quite sad.

I’m only just at the beginning, but I love it and it’s crazy how we’re immediately drawn into the story and we start caring for the characters right away. The author is such a good story teller…
The first short story is also extremely easy to listen to! I’m really happy about that, it means I can listen to it while doing other things, I don’t need to be 100% focused or look at the text.
The narration is very good, background noises are okayish, but I would have preferred the audiobook without the background music that is sometimes added.

I finished 伊娃．瑪莉．克羅斯, I didn’t need to look at the text after all, it was easy to follow once I got started. Loved this one as well! Very disturbing, but very good!

I had started the last short story, 伊娃．瑪莉．克羅斯, then given up because it was too hard and I couldn’t follow well enough. I gave it another try while keeping an eye on the text this time, which makes it very easy. I listened to 1/3 already, I don’t know if I’ll continue to read along while listening, or try to listen only from now on. Now that I know the context, it should be easier.

I listened to 某印刷物的下落, it has a really interesting (but dark) topic!

I listened to 無線電對講機, this one was very short. I was surprised to see an adult protagonist, most of the other main characters are all teenagers or children, at least in the short stories I’ve read by this author so far. I liked this one a lot! The voice acting is so good too, it’s really a shame that I could not find the name of the narrator… So annoying.

I listened to 殺死瑪麗蘇, this one was a bit more difficult than the previous ones, especially at the beginning, but it was okay still. I enjoyed it, it’s about fiction and real life, and I guess what writing means for the protagonist, though said like that it doesn’t do justice to the short story. I really loved the end, and overall, I like the direction the story took, I like that writing is not idealised as something sacred or whatever. It kinds of serves a purpose, but this purpose can change.
Not my favourite story of the collection, but I enjoyed it!

I finished 宗像與鋼筆事件, I loved it so much!
It wasn’t as different as I thought it would be (given that it was written under another pen name). It’s about class bullying and discrimination, standing for someone else, friendship and fighting for justice. It also contains a very good mystery. Overall it was suspenseful, had relatable characters and meaningful topics, I really loved it!

I listened to 宗像與鋼筆事件 today, and I’m about halfway through now. I love this short story so so much. So far, I love it as much as the previous one 山羊座的友人.
Also, it’s funny because now I find the audiobook very easy to follow, so I’m glad I gave this audiobook another try (the first time I tried to listen to it I found it very hard and almost gave up).

I started the third story, 宗像與鋼筆事件, and I absolutely love the beginning. It’s written under the pen name 中田永一, and I believe it’s the pen name the author used mostly for romance? (I’m not entirely sure). I thought the story would differ completely and be an entirely different style, but so far it feels similar to the previous one, 山羊座的友人, with a similar setting and topic (school bullying).

I finished 山羊座的友人, this short story was absolutely fantastic. The author has such a talent to make us care deeply for the characters.
But this story really amazed me, because I thought it would mostly be focused on characters, but it turns into a real mystery where clues lead to deductions which then lead to an unexpected ending. It’s really an amazing short story!

I had some time to listen today! Only three chapters left for 山羊座的友人. The story is really really good.

I listened to 山羊座的友人 for about 30 minutes today, I think I’m almost halfway through. Somehow, the story has become very easy to follow now, I don’t have any problem understanding it, and I really really love this story. This one feels closer to the short stories from Zoo 1.

I started the second short story: 山羊座的友人. I found the beginning very hard, I had to listen to it several times and even open the book to check out the names, because I could not remember them well as I didn’t know how they were written. After several attempts and giving up a few times before starting again, I think I’m now following much more easily. Still a challenging listen!

I listened to the first short story: 可爱的猿猴日记 by 乙一, and it was very easy to follow. The first time I tried this audiobook, it felt very hard, so maybe I was just not focused enough. The tone of this one is so different from the first two short stories of Zoo 1 I’m currently reading!