Idahoe

5 - 'Confessions of a Mask' by Yukio Mishima I'd been searching for this author for so long. He popped up in a discussion I had with someone a few years back and had completely forgotten the name until I somehow stumbled onto his wikipedia page. Confessions of a Mask is a semi-autobiographical (I believe) account of a man's struggle with homosexuality, masculinity and finding a way to fit into society. It's poignant and the themes are communicated incredibly well. The narrator's desperate attempt to conform towards what his society wants and obsession with masculinity lead him to chase an identity far from himself, and result in his life becoming that of playing a part, not being himself. The book's outcome is identifiable before even beginning to read - there is no way for the narrator to become what he wants. His chase is futile, which makes the effort he dedicates to this transformation all the more heartbreaking. It's a sad and dark story. Like a lot of the books I've been reading, it's got a few decades on it now and it's sad that it's criticisms of society are still so relevant. My only real complaint is the ending is a little sudden. My friend gave me a summary of the first part of the book and I was very kind of O__o? I'm reading The Sandman: Overtures next and am a fan of Gaiman's so will hopefully pick this up at some point, especially if wiz is recommending it. Kinda sad to hear the plot is all over the place without much progression D=.

I always buy physical, even though I have an ereader. Supposedly books are the only entertainment form not losing large market shares due to the digital takeover (in the UK it stalled at around 22% of the market I think? from memory of the pwc/kpmg reports anyways).

I am so inspired LOL. The more I see of this game the more I want it. Did you go Vita or PS4? Am worried for the slowdowns of the PSVita version. And people are saying the combat is very Shin Megami Tensei, is it true? Yaaay for Parasoul making it into your display pic! I love her! Shame no Beowulf doe ;A; Not currently playing but it really looks good. If you're playing, do you recommend picking it up? OTL mmos are such a huge commitment. Oooh that'd be a good thread. Hopefully between all of here we could keep it active =D.

I like Harry Potter and I like JK Rowling but I kind of feel done with Harry Potter at this point. If she just wants to further expand on the lore though I can see that working. There's alot more to that magical world which would be cool to see. I remember the book she wrote anonymously/under pseudonym did pretty well? 4 - 'Sputnik Sweetheart' by Haruki Murakami It's pretty easy to identify a Murakami book - even if you ignore the big name plastered across the front and side. There's usually a lost and relatively stoic narrator, a lesbian sex sideplot, a struggle with identity, a need to flirt with life and death and a wobbly line which flows through reality and the abstract seamlessly throughout. Sputnik Sweetheart makes no real changes to this formula, although love makes its way to the forefront this time around as the narrator's longtime friend goes missing and he becomes entwined in a short struggle to find her. The actual plot for the book feels a little stunted at times as the symbolism behind certain acts ends up taking a little more than it should. With that said I think the writing in this one is absolutely amazing. The phrasing is clearly Murakami. It's both clear and incomprehensible - full of complex ideas and metaphors completed by the most trivial of callbacks. It's beautiful. Thank you, Murakami!

Very fortunate to have a granddad that wanted to make up for missing my last 5/6 birthdays, I guess. I think it's the most valuable of all the books I own - aside from maybe one or two of my artbooks ><. I enjoyed Of Mice and Men. Of all the books we were made to read for English Lit classes it was on the more pleasant side. Although screw the people that right the spoilers on the opening pages in class textbooks -_-. Ever17 is the original/inspiration for 999:9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors? I remember reading the summary for Ever17 and being really impressed - although never found time to play =(.

Wizzu maybe it would be best if we try over the summer? ><. Either that or maybe a free online version of a book to help people out? 3 - 'My Sweet Orange Tree' by Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos Never thought I'd weep over an orange tree.... just wow. My Sweet Orange Tree tells the story of a young, smart and mischievous child called Zeze. It discusses a lot of sad topics - from poverty, to death, to abuse - all the while exploring the salvation we find in escapism. The fact that this is all narrated from a child's perspective is probably the most gut-wrenching part. My Sweet Orange Tree is almost a coming of age story, in a sense, and yet the person 'coming of age' is five. Zeze's perspective, his understandings and misunderstandings make for a beautiful way of looking at the world. Aside from that, the book is a relatively easy read, although I do wonder if much is lost in translation. I read that book at the same time as I read Jane Eye. As most people here know, I can't stand Jane Eyre, so Grapes of Wrath was such a sweet release. Looking back though, it was just an ok book - lotsa monotony. Steinbeck not really my kinda writer.

Was a pain to get ahold of (bless my granddad for getting it me) but I have 'My Sweet Orange Tree' to sit and read. Never thought kpop would have an impact on reading habits, haha! So far so good. I think I'm one of the few that couldn't get into 1Q84. May just have been because I'd read too much Murakami at once though, haha. Dance, Dance, Dance & Norwegian Wood are definitely amazing though. Ah that's understandable. Lemme know if you guys ever pick to do a book discussing thing! Sounds fun. And you can read on your phone? I always struggle to read for extended periods of time from electronic devices ><. Sent you a friend request on MAL! I am (KSCholy.)

Not reading at the speed I would like to be. Mostly due to exams and an internship consuming my life OTL. Wizzu, is this thread having any sort of reading challenge for the year? My aim is to complete between 30-40 books in the year (I can't do 52.... it's just too large a number). 1 - 'No Longer Human' by Osamu Dazai I wish I knew why I loved such depressing reads. No Longer Human reminds me a lot of 'The Bell Jar'. It's a semi-autobiographical piece, with a focus on the narrator's detached relationship with life and the rest of humanity. The distance both narrators (and I guess writers by extension) place between themselves and the world does result in a lot of interesting commentary on society, as they pass judgement from the view of an outsider looking in on ways of living they are unable to comprehend. I guess that might be why I enjoy both works a lot? They're both incredibly sad and dark reads though. No Longer Human is relatively short and not too difficult to consume. It's blunt and bleak, with no attempt to redeem anything or anyone. I can't really fault it for that though, I just wish it wasn't so. 2 - 'Angelarium: Book of Emanation' by Eli Minaya & Peter Mohrbacher More of a picture/art book than a reading book, but am still going to classify it under 'read' due to the great short stories that accompany the pictures. The book follows Enoch's journey into the land of the angels/gods (Ein Soph) and his discoveries. Each short story works more as a parable for different human concepts - wrath, love, joy. The writing is rather over the top, requiring multiple reads (at least for me - I'm not the sharpest of people) to begin to understand the message. With that said, it's still very enjoyable. The accompanying art is definitely the main seller for me though. It's gorgeous! 3 - 'My Sweet Orange Tree' by Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos Never thought I'd weep over an orange tree.... just wow. My Sweet Orange Tree tells the story of a young, smart and mischievous child called Zeze. It discusses a lot of sad topics - from poverty, to death, to abuse - all the while exploring the salvation we find in escapism. The fact that this is all narrated from a child's perspective is probably the most gut-wrenching part. My Sweet Orange Tree is almost a coming of age story, in a sense, and yet the person 'coming of age' is five. Zeze's perspective, his understandings and misunderstandings make for a beautiful way of looking at the world. Aside from that, the book is a relatively easy read, although I do wonder if much is lost in translation. 4 - 'Sputnik Sweetheart' by Haruki Murakami It's pretty easy to identify a Murakami book - even if you ignore the big name plastered across the front and side. There's usually a lost and relatively stoic narrator, a lesbian sex sideplot, a struggle with identity, a need to flirt with life and death and a wobbly line which flows through reality and the abstract seamlessly throughout. Sputnik Sweetheart makes no real changes to this formula, although love makes its way to the forefront this time around as the narrator's longtime friend goes missing and he becomes entwined in a short struggle to find her. The actual plot for the book feels a little stunted at times as the symbolism behind certain acts ends up taking a little more than it should. With that said I think the writing in this one is absolutely amazing. The phrasing is clearly Murakami. It's both clear and incomprehensible - full of complex ideas and metaphors completed by the most trivial of callbacks. It's beautiful. Thank you, Murakami! 5 - 'Confessions of a Mask' by Yukio Mishima I'd been searching for this author for so long. He popped up in a discussion I had with someone a few years back and had completely forgotten the name until I somehow stumbled onto his wikipedia page. Confessions of a Mask is a semi-autobiographical (I believe) account of a man's struggle with homosexuality, masculinity and finding a way to fit into society. It's poignant and the themes are communicated incredibly well. The narrator's desperate attempt to conform towards the heterosexual norm and obsession with masculinity lead him to chase an identity far from himself, and result in his life becoming that of playing a part, not being himself. The book's outcome is identifiable before even beginning to read - there is no way for the narrator to become what he wants. His chase is futile, which makes the effort he dedicates to this transformation all the more heartbreaking. My only real complaint is the ending is a little sudden.

Everytime I visit this thread I'm reminded I need to finish Disgaea 4, haha! Fenrich is awesome and I'm surprised how fun the game is. Need a PS4 one day and will join you on D5 T_T. Are you a fan of Takehiko Harada? And if so do you know if his artbooks are worth picking up? I like how colorful his work is but I've never really been too big on the kinda-chibi styling (although Harada's is more appealing than chibi). Promised myself in the new year I would work on actually completing games instead of leaving them lying. Warhammer - Vermintide was my first one completed with friends. Was fun - kind of like a less-refined Left 4 Dead. Kinda sad there wasn't more levels though. Also finished Hunie Pop... I feel like this was a waste of my life and really regret the first time I reached the end of a character arc and did not have headphones plugged in ._.

Happy New(ish) Year everyone!!! I hope 2016 is a good gaming year for you all! I picked up Hunie Pop in the sales. I usually enjoy the joke games. Like Hatoful Boyfriend turned out to be a really hilarious game with an amaaaazing plot twist. And Bad Rats was at least committed to its awfulness. Hunie Pop does nothing for me. The Bejeweled game got repetitive and after you've heard one of the girls bicker with another it all just becomes the same. It's silly but not my silly. Also picked up Undertale. Immediately clicked with me. Punny humor is always a way to get me and I really like the stupid jokes and ways of achieving things. The cast is super-endearing - even the minor characters. Can understand why it wouldn't click with people though.

Would be sad if so - I actually kinda like Baraka, haha! In any case hoping all the DLC is out soon so I can buy the komplete edition. I'm pretty fine with FFVII being episodic. Each disc is around 20 hours from memory of how I was playing it(I think?), so would still be getting my money's worth! Then again I'm so slow when it comes to games. Plus chasing down that damn golden chocobo took forever! Don't mind the new battle system, but I also really like TRPG's and I guess am scared for their future. FFVII's change makes sense, and it looks great! I just hope they don't edit any of the story.

For those interested, Haruki Murakami has a Q&A website currently open. Apparently he's accepted questions in English as well as Japanese - although truthfully I'm not sure how the site works to ask the questions OTL. I read 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' by Agatha Christie recently. Like with a lot of mystery novels whether it was good or not was pinned on its resolution and honestly... I was pretty disappointed. Spoke to someone else who said they quite enjoyed it though, so it's likely more an issue of me, haha. I recently got a book bursary from my University which I have to admit was a wonderful shock. Should probably have bought accounting books.... oh well. Too late now!

So it looks like Steam's database got leaked and in the process alotta games got outed? Most notable ones are Guilty Gear Xrd, The Danganronpa series, Final Fantasy X & VI, Journey, Dreams (MediaMolecule?), Everyone's Gone to Rapture and alot more movies are on their way over. Hopefully these turn out to be true. Specifically Danganronpa, since increasing the series' sales would be wonderful.

Managed to get two games finished in the past few weeks. Killer is Dead was stereotypical Suda51 - lotsa style on a budget. Nonsensical but in the best way possible. Never Alone was the other game I played. Great co-op game with a wonderful story and well worth the purchase. Nice to see games being used as a medium to tell different culture's tales and have those people be in control in the creation process. Always great to see what games can do for good. S....S...S... Sindel.....?

Shoulda kept it but also brought back dick physics I mean if we're going for weird perversion might as well go all out Capcom.

Glad you liked it! And wow IU in your display pic and sig as well as BEG support. I like your taste! Knew I'd be happy with this comeback. Songs could have been anything, but having BEG back and actively promoting... as in properly promoting with a reality show and interviews and photoshoots and teasers... it's so nice! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRkyKPBoMB8 Look at them harmonizing!!! I haven't seen 'em do that in too long! It's sooo nice! Wave is my favorite song. Followed by Obsession. Super happy to see JeA and Sunny Hill's Misung get credits on Fractal, which is the albums biggest grower for me so far. Dice Play & Time of Ice Cream are fun too. Heck, I think I like most the songs. MV for Brand New World is nice. Never know what to expect other than for something really out there... and out there it was! Here's to hoping these promos go well and even once it's over we see them again relatively soon.

LocoRoco, Patapon and Katamari Damacy all need comebacks. That feelgood factor they all gave with great soundtracks to boot is just too good.

I'm pretty much the same. If I see myself doing too much of one thing I'll even it out with another. Playing too many games has got me back into reading and watching TV Shows. I picked up Murakami's first two novels (Wind & Pinball) in hardback recently and got straight into them. Was interesting to find out he actually wrote his first book in English before translating it back into his first language. He said it helped in streamlining what he was saying, as since his English was limited he could only ever really write what he wanted and nothing else. When putting it back into Japanese he added all the fancy stuff whilst maintaining the beat. Also interesting to hear he never had any intention of writing another book after his first, and had he not won a competition (one he forgot he even entered) he'd likely have never gone back to write again. Kinda shocking to think Norwegian Wood could have never happened. Anyways, Hear the Wind Sing is interesting albeit a little clunky. Can't decide if the fragmented structure is endearing or just confusing. Still vastly prefer this to his most recent works. Sorry for being absent wizzu! Let's keep the reading going.