天帝妖狐 was first published in 1998, but it really doesn’t feel like something someone could write at the age of 20~. It has those recurring themes of loneliness and friendships, but the setting and plot felt very unique compared to the other short stories I read. I really loved it, as well as the other short story from the collection, A Masked Ball.
天帝妖狐
てんていようこ
Details
Author
乙一 (おついち) · Otsuichi
Language
Japanese
Format
Short Stories
Published
2001
Pages
256
Read
2026-07-14 → 2026-07-20
Finished
★★★★★
Short Stories
1
A Masked Ball
2
天帝妖狐
てんていようこ
Review
★★★★★
Updates
100%
Finished 天帝妖狐! I
75%
I started the short story 天帝妖狐, and it’s really good, I’m amazed that this should be one of Otsuichi’s first writings!
50%
I finished the first short story/novella, A Masked Ball, it was incredibly engrossing, the idea of the communication through graffiti was so great. The plot and the end are both excellent.
25%
I just started it, there’s a story called A Masked Ball before 天帝妖狐, and it’s so so good!
For once, there are actually several characters named, but I just went on reading, and didn’t make a list. Don’t really need lists anyway for short stories.
Characters
天帝妖狐
夜木
やぎYagi
writes the letter
鈴木杏子
すずき きょうこSuzuki Kyoko
recipient of the letter
田中正美
たなか まさみTanaka Masami
Rent the second floor of the Suzuki house
俊一
しゅんいちShunichi
Kyoko’s big brother
博
ひろしHiroshi
Masami’s son
早苗
さなえSanae
Yagi’s interlocutor
木嶋
きじまKijima
Yagi’s teacher
弘樹
ひろきHiroki
Yagi’s friend
秋山
あきやまAkiyama
Shunichi’s friend
井上
いのうえInoue
Shuninchi’s friend