This week I watched the first and second season of Ajin, and ended up liking it a lot!

While the characters weren’t anything super special to me, the general plot, action and politics were really nice. And by nice I mean suitably nasty and nihilistic. Some of the torture scenes felt really bad to see.

I think Ajin does a pretty good job at showing people with differing goals and motivations, how they might react to opposing forces, and sometimes change their minds in the process.

Something I didn’t like so much was the lack of diverse female characters. On the other hand it was nice how the story wasn’t just about Japan, but included  references to other countries as well.

So, I finally started reading Acid Town after some recommendations, and actually became quite excited about it! I’ve been reading BL more than usual this and last year, and while I liked some stories, this is the first time after Mirage of Blaze that I have really liked something a lot. I also think they have a lot in common.

First of all, I absolutely love having a complicated non-romance related plot going on (like in Mirage). I think it both has value an interest in itself, as well as the added benefit of giving space and time for the relationship stuff to sink in. The more time is spent to show the world, society, work and everything else, the more real the characters in that environment feel.

I also like having a wide cast of characters (also like in Mirage), with all kinds of different relationships with each other. I like it that they are different ages, genders, sexual orientations, national backgrounds... Not quite as diverse as in Gangsta, for example, but still. And while I kind of hoped for more focus for some characters (especially Tetsu), I appreciate the perspective that different characters and relationships get as you become able to compare them with the others in that same world and story. So while each relationship can be really intense on it’s own, it’s still only one part of the whole. For me that’s really important and helps avoid the claustrophobic feeling that comes from some stories that only focus on one relationship.

I’m not going to lie, I also love all the angst and difficulties the characters have to go through. I like it that they are morally grey, and especially when they realize that themselves. Special points for this go to Tetsu. What an idiotic yet touching thing of him to go confess to Yukio after hearing about how he was abused, and how great that he acknowledges (and regrets, I think) the ugliness of his own feelings on the matter. This is also a very Mirage thing: realizing and dwelling on human weaknesses. I’m very much looking forward to see how some of them are handled as the story progresses.

To balance the angst and ugliness, some of the relationships are really heartwarming, and there’s a lovely sense of purity about them. And even then, they aren’t overtly idealized, as the characters still have their moments of doubt and not so perfect behavior in those relationships.

As to other similarities with Mirage, I think Yukio has some resemblance to Takaya/Kagetora - a nice childhood turned bad, precious younger sibling, tough attitude combined with inner sensitivity, some quality that makes guys fall for him etc. Also there’s the question of how guarded they are, after all: clearly they have built some walls, but how strong they are in the end, it’s debatable. I think Kagetora is overall stronger than Yukio though, and with their other differences, Yukio does become his own, specific character - who I actually like a lot at this point.

I could probably go through most of the characters and point out why I liked them, haha. Reiji and Masatsugu turned out to be especially moving, and I’m looking forward to see what happens to them. It seems there’s going to be a lot of waiting ahead to find out, but oh well. I think this series is going to be worth it.

After finishing the season, sleeping on it for a bit and reading and talking with other people, here’s where I ended up in: To put it short, I wasn’t satisfied with it. I didn’t like the humor, I didn’t like the romance or whatever it was in the end, and for me, the sporting and competition weren’t intense enough. There were some moments that got me a little excited, and I somewhat liked Yuuri Plisetsky, but not enough to save the series for me. The longer story:

I’ve been slacking off with keeping a reading journal on anything else besides Mirage. Here’s what I’ve been reading recently:

Non-fiction

Zen and Japanese Culture by Daisetsu Suzuki has been really good. I especially enjoyed the parts about swordsmanship and haiku, and they helped me deepen my own practice of those arts. Still reading the part about tea ceremony, and looking forward to the chapter about appreciation of nature. Interesting perspectives into the differences of zen and philosophy in general. Main thing to think about so far: how to experience things without the intervention of concepts.

Inei raisan by Tanizaki Junichiro has been an pleasurable look into Japanese aesthethics of shadows, interiors and nature. I’ll probably finish reading it soon. In the book Tanizaki discusses certains aspects of Japanese architecture and their way to subject people to the coldness of the outdoors, and quotes Saitou Ryokuu: “sensuality is chilly” (my translation from Finnish). I agree. I miss winter.

Fiction & poetry

Bashô - The Complete Collection by Jane Reichold was a really nice book, and I’m happy to have now read all of Bashô’s published poetry. I’m not totally sure what I think of the translations, but it’s wonderful that the book also provides the Japanese source texts and word-for-word translations, so I’m sure I’ll be looking at them more closely as I learn the language better.

Poems to eat by Ishikawa Takuboku (the Finnish translation) - I’m actually rereading this again after letting it be for a couple of years. I still love it. It’s so melancholic, and has a good balance of vastness and smallness.

Five Women Who Loved Love by Ihara Saikaku (the Finnish translation) seems fun, and gives the impression that not much has changed about humans in 400 years.

Manga

Koihana tsurane by Isaku Natsume - started reading this due to a recommendation, because BL in a kabuki setting, why not. Seems to be bit light and silly for my usual taste, but I did relate to some parts, and I always approve of the rivals to lovers thing, so.

Berserk by Miura Kentarou has been really good, oh boy. I love the combination of human ambitions and relationships, the grossness and gore, the evil and the concept of god. I also watched the old anime and follow the new adaptation now as it’s ongoing. I would also love to cosplay Griffith in some form if I’ll find company for it.

Next on my book pile

I’m trying to clear out the others before I start reading the Genji monogatari. I also have books on Japanese aesthethics, Pure Land Buddhism and ikebana that I would like to read soon.

And then I keep thinking about reading Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus and Osamu Dazai's short novel Kakekomi Uttae, as they apparently inspired Kagetora and Naoe’s relationship in Mirage.