1Q84 was my first book and I love it. I'm just getting into the 3rd book now and surprisingly I have not felt the length at all. It's been such an easy and enjoyable read. I haven't actually been bored at all...I'm just kinda going with the flow. I think it depends on what your used to reading. If your used to a faced paced or action packed story, maybe not your cup of tea but I read classics so I'm used to a slower paced flow. I'm really excited to read another Murakami book either Kafka or Sheep chase.
I'm nearly 60. I had to put up with being taught this in high school and college...and i was an English lit major. And while it has its place as a tool for helping to generate critical thinking reflection introspection etcetera, as with most of these self-obsessed deep thinkers his own life was in some ways a parody of everything that he seemed to be complaining about. Yeah I know he was World War II combat veteran etc. In the end though kind of like David Crosby lecturing people on how to be parents and he was such a dirtbag himself.... you get the idea. Do I think this book should be taught in school? Sure why not. But I think the narcissism and self-obsession and self-absorption of the author to say nothing of the character put on full display absolute hypocrisy and arrested development. And for someone who was in love with studying Eastern religion religion and philosophy Salinger sure seem not to get it
No way this made me cry, the thought of losing movies and shows as a form of art and media hurts me, and I really appreciate you making this video. I will certainly be speaking with my wallet for physical copies now.
As a Frugal Minimalist: I fully embrace Digital (Drm Free preferred) & the affordability of juggling streaming services one every month to maximize savings. HOWEVER! There are still Alternative Streaming Services that deserve full support and continue with Artistic and Passionate Practices! •CRITERION CHANNEL •MUBI •ARROW PLAYER •KINO FILM COLLECTION •SHONEN JUMP+VIZ MEDIA MANGA VAULTS •DC ULTRA •MARVEL UNLIMITED etc etc etc. All these are genuinely examples of the value of economical spending whike being blessed by the rich curations these benevolent companies have to offer for smorgasbord binges. Imo: Streaming Services with Offline Downloading is the bestvthing that ever happened to affordable entertainment.
Seems like the used dvd and cd market is quite alive though. Its so insanely cheap used, no wonder people Arent buying from these shops. Its one of the most sold category on eBay. Physical book sales are up and its the younger generations that are fronting this new boom in physical media. Even dumb phones. People are done being manipulated. 4k blue rays are getting a following. Stuff is happening
In my own case, as groundbreaking as CITR was in regards to Holdens depressed feelings about the world around him. I read CI.TR at age 16 in 1967 and lacking in maturity, I immediately viewed Holden as a hero and role model. Like many male teens of that period I was pro non-conformist, I played guitar in a band and I failed to see the positive aspects of my upbringing combined with all the advantages afforded me. So, yes many impressionable teens don't have the maturity to read CITR.
My English teacher nailed it. She assigned it over winter break. When we went back to school we took a quick quiz on it to prove we read it and then spent maybe 10 minutes discussing it. She didn’t impose any of her opinions onto us. She just let us talk about how we felt about it. I’m so glad I read Catcher when I did. I was the perfect age for it. I tried rereading it as an adult and didn’t enjoy it nearly as much. It was the only book in high school that I read and enjoyed.
His work definitely borders on pedophilloic and is outrightly sexist I can’t even make it through one of his works without being extremely uncomfortable. I own three of them and have read two but will neverrr buy anything buy him again. I feel like everything positive he brings to the table other authors can do (some better) with none of the weirdness. People just hook onto him because his name is so familiar.
what's the big deal, Japanese society is that way, and that's real world, these western phobias are artificial imposition on others. What I find weird is the need to point out that girls in bikinis is weird, why? may be America is sterile and the divorce rate proves that. America is a destroyed society and their ideas are not something world needs.
It’s frustrating. I’m glad some have covered this. But Japanese men also have to have signs around public areas to remind them to not sexually assault women and girls around them. So I think it’s a cultural issue and Murakami is a typical Japanese male hyper focused on women serving as humans to be used for pleasure or spiritual growth and not humans.
Whats funny is the idea of Patriarchy is deemed negative in the comments yet the whole of the modern world and most of what is fantastic and great about it is made by men. I think a lot of women are truly just envious and spiteful of what some men have achieved and wish to demean it as inherently bad because you know women are perfect and matriarchy obviously would work (not) is such a moronic and pathetic take. It's a repulsive attitude and one of slave morality. Matriarchal society would likely be much much worse and consist of mud huts and castrasted men. Imagine anything culturally relevant or any form of high brow culture or advanced technology coming out of it....absouely nil. Maybe instead of being unappreciative and whining what a great author thinks of women, become a writer, or amount to something more than a morally virtuous simpleton.
Until streaming can match the quality of a disc, there will always be a demand, however small, for physical media. Niche markets are still solid markets. You just have to drive up price to compensate for lack of volume. I don't think physical media will die. I DO think it will get more expensive.
This is fantastic content! Immersive Translate helps maintain the manga’s artwork while providing seamless translations, making the reading experience even better.
This doesnt stop at movies. Video Games, Music CD's, Vinyls, Cassettes, VHS tapes, Books, seasons of TV shows, Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels. just stop buying it all digital and go to your local stores or god forbid amazon and get physical copies. It will get expensive but you will always have that product unless you for some reason give it away
Y'all might find "The End of Ownership" by Aaron Perzanowski and Jason Schultz interesting. Honestly, it's kind of bleak, but it provides some very interesting insights.
JD Salinger worked in counter-intelligence for the military during World War 2. It is suspected some sort of trigger words are in it, and part of some sort of MK Ultra program geared at males (i.e. the guy accused of shooting rock star John Lennon dead in NYC had a copy of "Catcher in the Rye" on him, John Lennon was carrying his wife's ((Yoko Ono)) music demo "Walking on Thin Ice" at the time.) Some other assassination instances as such. The other suspicion I have is with Judith Rossner's "Looking for Mister Goodbar" geared toward females, but it is not required reading for high school students. I did not see that she served in the military but worked for publications like "Scientific American." I doubt anyone would criticize their great writing skills.
I started with Kafka on the Shore and then Killing Commendatore. I fell in love with both these books and now am reading the rest of his books in order. I don't think I would have done this if I had started with a different novel. For me he is an author like Hesse that you have to encounter by chance allowing the universe to guide you to the right book to start with.
Finally a new video from the legend! I miss your content so much man. Hope all is good and would love to see you upload more if you have the time or desire
Am I one of the only odd balls who never stopped buying physical media 🤔 I never agreed with the subscription streaming model. I must be one of the very few who keeps all media player formats, only thing is I wish I had a working cassette player and vhs rewinder. I would be kicking myself if I threw out my record player. I miss Napster but it was the beginning of what became the subscription model of spending hundreds of dollars per year to own nothing. I bet looking back now a lot of artists wish they never fought against P2P.
Guess what, the world is sexist bc it is compiled of highly individual and subjective perspectives of beautifully flawed ppl with their individual attachment patterns. If you take away that from a novelist and his characters, what's left is cardboard cutouts. It is a non-topic for me. I don't understand this preoccupations with labels, in particuraly when it comes to Murakami. We could also say his protagonists are stereotypical while his female characters are elusive and unpredictible which makes him a poor writer of male characters?
i had to read this in AP English in 11th grade (i live in Germany) and absolutely hated this book lol, i probably would´ve enjoyed it more outside of school. like without the pressure to read 20 pages a day and analyze everything and to be graded on everything
I just finished reading Norwegian Wood considering that it was one of the most popular books of Murakami. I was highly disappointed by the book and didn't like a single character. There were so many undigestible things that happened throughout the book. The main character was not interested or passionate about anything. The worst part was when *spoiler* Naoko died he thought about her body and how someone with such a soft body die. WTF Murakami. I don't think I ever wanna read that Authors book again
your comments about "being american" and "not understanding japanese culture" threw me off so much i couldn't even finish the video. it's really weird how the topic is sexualization of (younger) women and you try to make it about "cultural differences" when, in reality, it's not. feels disrespectful towards many female japanese authors out there...
I don’t think it’s dying, it’s just more niche these. However, it is making a huge resurgence along with cd and vinyl. We got HMV in the uk which reopened and every time I go there, it’s always packed and that is a good thing. Literally picked up a few movies yesterday.
Well said. Even music streaming apps remove stuff from time to time, or increase the price. I use my family's Paramount+ subscription and Spotify subscription and do not pay myself for any type of subscription. I am also an avid collector of collecting my fav movies and music albums of all time on physical
The character’s stoicism seemed forced just for the novel’s sake when he falls in love with a woman who clearly has no interest in him and treats him like shit. That’s when I stopped reading. Just rang false.
I’ve read a few of his books, and just finished his book of essays “Novelist as a Vocation.” In it he has an essay about his readers called “Who do I write for?” and his main point in the essay is that he doesn’t have a clear understanding of who his readers are because they span demographics like age, gender, location, background, etc. But, like your example from the Running memoir, he has one sentence that sticks out: “My readers are about evenly split between men and women, and apart from the fact that many of my women readers are quite beautiful-this is no lie-there’s no characteristic they all share.” It just seemed odd to me to call out that many of his women readers are beautiful. And he also discusses a few examples from young women readers who got in touch with him, including one who praised him for really understanding the emotions and interior lives of young women as represented in his novels. The final thing I’ll mention is that there is a little bit about his wife in this book, but not a lot. When he talks about selling his jazz cafe, leaving Japan because he was sick of the criticism against him and the Japanese publishing industry, he doesn’t mention his wife at all during those major life events. So it seems like through your examples and his examples, he often objectifies women and represents them in how they benefit (or don’t) men.
Definitely get to the TWO Manning trilogies (Balkan and Levant) - some of the best WWII writing by a non-combatant who was in the midst of everything. Plus don't neglect all three of J.G. Farrell's novels - TROUBLES is excellent and one of the best books on the Irish/English battles of the 1920s. For Trollope, I prefer the Palliser series over the Barchester, and HE KNEW HE WAS RIGHT is powerful. As for Ackerley, MY DOG TULIP is bizarre but interesting. And oddly I also bought my copy of THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE in Oxford, but this year. And you can never have too much Machado de Assis.
