By Thankyou-Tatsuo / Special to The Yomiuri Shimbun
Osamu Dazai, Junichiro Tanizaki, Doppo Kunikida, Atsushi Nakajima: If you’re into modern Japanese novels, you can probably instantly name works by these literary greats.
Osamu Dazai, Junichiro Tanizaki, Doppo Kunikida, Atsushi Nakajima: If you’re into modern Japanese novels, you can probably instantly name works by these literary greats.
The new TV anime “Bungo Stray Dogs” that began airing in April features characters who have the same names as these writers. The anime is based on a popular comic of the same title, written by Kafka Asagiri and illustrated by Sango Harukawa. It is being aired on several channels, including BS11 and Tokyo MX TV.
The appearance and behavior of the characters are entirely different from those of the novelists; the only thing they have in common is their names. Nevertheless, I was enthralled as the story unfolded. I found it particularly amusing that the characters each had a “killer ability” inspired by representative works of the authors they are modeled on.
The lead character is Atsushi Nakajima. The actual novelist, known for his novel “Sangetsuki” (The Moon Over the Mountain), died young. Atsushi in “Bungo Stray Dogs” is a man at loose ends, walking aimlessly in Yokohama after being thrown out of a children’s institution.
To a literature fan, it is appealing enough that his name is Atsushi Nakajima, although he is represented as a good-looking man who looks as though his hair has been dyed gray with a trendy, asymmetrical cut. Nor does he wear thick glasses as the real-life novelist did. But don’t let that worry you. This is just a characterization for manga/anime.
On the verge of giving up hope, thinking he has no choice but to die a dog’s death, Atsushi saves a man about to drown in a river.
The man, who turns out to be rather nonchalant, is Osamu Dazai. He claims to be a “suicide maniac.” Of course, this Dazai has nothing to do with the novelist, but you can’t help smiling when you see him with things that remind you of the man of letters.
Dazai tells Atsushi that he works for Buso Tanteisha (Armed detective agency), which is said to solve tough cases even the military or police will not touch. Dazai tells Atsushi that he and his colleague, Doppo Kunikida, have been pursuing a huge man-eating tiger. Atsushi joins in the pursuit, but in due course hears from Dazai that Atsushi himself is the tiger they are after. This development is exactly like events in the novel “Sangetsuki.”
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- © 2016 Kafka ASAGIRI, Sango Harukawa/Kadokawa/Bungo Stray Dogs PartnersAtsushi Nakajima in “Bungo Stray Dogs”
We find out that Atsushi turns into a tiger without realizing it, which may account for him being thrown out of the children’s institution. Unable to control himself, Atsushi leaps at Dazai.
Dazai fights back with his special ability to negate the power of his opponent, bringing Atsushi back to his real conscious self. The ability is called “Ningen Shikkaku” (No Longer Human). Seriously? Did they say “Ningen Shikkaku”? That is Dazai’s most famous novel.
Atsushi’s ultimate weapon is “Gekkaju” (A beast under the moon). He was abused and routinely ignored at the children’s institution, so he has no option but to become a huge white tiger. He gradually starts to find a place where he can be himself, thanks to his encounter with Dazai and his colleagues at the detective agency.
The humorous approach, the mysterious plot and the exciting action in the drama are must-see elements of this work. It only started recently, so I’m eager to see the hidden abilities of the other literary giants.
Don’t be offended that they aren’t the great writers you know. I hope you’ll enjoy them.
Thankyou-Tatsuo is a manzai comedian and a linguist in the Japanese language.
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