7 Reasons Why 1Q84 Sucks 

1Q84 is one of my all-time favorite books, but everything you said is true. And just for the record, if you hated the first quarter, you would've hated the rest, especially the ending. As a fan of the book, I wouldn't have wanted it to be any shorter. I felt like I could've lived in it the rest of my life. I've even re-read it two times since then. But, yeah, the misogyny is atrocious. I wish some other writer would come along who could write exactly like Murakami, just less... gross.

Loved your take on DNF-ing the book, it really does sounds so straight forward when you put it this way - finite amount of time on earth, why spend it hate-reading a book? Definitely something that's going to stick with me and I'm going to try to do from now on if I find myself not enjoying reading something! Norwegian Wood is one of my favourite books and I noticed his awful misogyny in there too but I think I convinced myself it was because of the character in that book, yikes to see that it's kind of a thing with Murakami's other novels too.. Thank you for a very entertaining video!

Never understood all the hype around Murakami. Never. And I adored how Mieko Kawakami dissed him, when media tried to compare her to him.

I read a Murakami Haruki short story for my Japanese degree but other than that I've never read anything by him because I've been so put off by hearing about his sexism and other tropes. I definitely want to try one of his books at some point soon because it feels weird saying I love Japanese fiction in translation without having read any of his novels (or at least tried because if I start one and hate it there's no way I'm gonna finish it). It's good to know the one I try should not be 1Q84 (I'll probably choose a shorter one lol), so thank you for this!

I expected these will be the reasons you hated this book and I actually had a good time watching this! You didn't annoy me at all, so don't worry about that. The sexual language and imagery in his work have always perplexed me, even though I've always read them with a sense of detachment. It's not something I do that much (mainly because it's not worth my brain power) but there are times when I wonder "why does Murakami have the need to mention or depict sex so much in his writing?" But even so, and even though I did go through the book, even though I even read the most awkwards lines or scenes in the book, I was able to forget about them and move on with the plot. It doesn't excuse any of the bad writing, but it was my experience. And as those sex scenes faded into the background, everything came to life for me. Beautiful imagery, beautiful scenes on the slide looking at the moon, the themes of love and fate and beliefs and reality, the sentences that hit me like a speeding truck, the crazy twiste and turns in the plot that kept me on the edge, the story in a story, the intertwining narratives both "real" and "fictional," the meaning of reality-those stayed with me. It would have been a better book if those bad parts were cut out, but as it was, it helped me through one of my darkest times in December 2020. I don't want to get into too much detail, especially as this is a RU-vid comment, but I was basically questioning a ton of things and my whole belief system fell apart. And this book gave me the building blocks to start over. To see the world differently, in a way that I was scared of before. And starting over scared me, but it surely did bring me on one harrowing journey and conflicts with both others and myself. And 1Q84 had given me a guide, a few scraps and notes however small or seemingly disconnected from me, to help me even after the story was over. Before I end this, I just want to mention a subplot that touched me toward the end of the novel: and it relates to Tengo, the male protagonist's, father. (Spoilers for anyone else, if necessary) Basically we get a lot of backstory about the father, which of course links back to Tengo's search for his real father, but what touched was how Murakami described going to see the old man. How the father was in a coma, and how, eventually, the father passed away. It was only later on that I learned that Murakami's father died during the writing of 1Q84, which implied that that was why the scene touched me; it felt real, to me. And the fact that a lot of Murakami books dealt with strained father-son relationships, thanks to his relationship to his own father, only made the subplot a lot more human to me. I don't know if what I said made sense, as I'm just writing from the top of my head, but still, continue being honest and I hope you maybe try his stories like After Dark or the short story Sleep. You don't have to, I just wonder what you'd think of them. Still, looking forward to your next video! Hope you're having a nice day.

I completely agree about this book. Reads like someone with less talent was inspired to write something after reading wind up bird...

Hey I have found your channel a month back and now I am literally a fan of yours! I admire how you bring such important topics to light and discuss with such comfort and ease. Amazing! I am also a booktuber, I do like Murakami quite a lot but reading this book made me feel pathetic! So yess you rocked!

I got this book from my cousin and his wife for my 20th birthday this January (I don't know why, I don't read at all, I'm barely surviving day by day running on 2 brain cells) and so far I'm ~200 pages in more or less. I agree with what you've said, there were some very questionable scenes in that book, as a queer person especially and a former cis woman (I'm trans), but honestly I'm appreciating how everything is spelled out for me story wise because I tend to get lost in books (as I said, running on very low brain power just to survive lol). I appreciated your review a lot and I'm glad your channel was recommended to me. your commentary was very fun. Subscribed :)

I haven’t started with the video yet, but finally!!!!! I will never forget how Mieko Kawakami critiqued him and I think this is now a safe space to say that I dnf-ed almost every Murakami book that I’ve tried to read…yes, he may be good(?) but I will always hate how he writes women and his writing somehow shows how most older Japanese men are a menace to the society haha

Thank you for saving my time. I read only two Murakami's books and I have mixed opinions. Maybe I should read other types of Japanese/oriental books. (I'm from Brazil and new here, but I already love your videos and the way you talk) ✨✨✨

This is my favorite video that you created so far (especially seeing you laughing so hard). I never read Murakami and based on your review, I won't skip it altogether.

I completely agree with you. This is exactly why I hate some of his novels. Actually Haruki Murakami is not critically-acclaimed in Japan (another Murakami, Ryu Murakami, is always critics' favorite). Mieko Kawakami's analysis of '1Q84' (in her interview with Haruki Murakami published in 2017) was really interesting, though (Mieko Kawakami is a big fan of his). She also asks him about the depictions of women and sex in his novels in the interview.

I listened to the audio book when it came out, I probably would have never read it. I don't remember much of it, but when I try to figure out what it actually was that did prevent me from *really* enjoying this book (and I have read a handful before this), it may have been the same reasons you have. Back then I just could not put a finger on it. I did not know the Murakami tropes and patterns back then, all I thought was, this book is just a tad too weird. So thank you for this rant, it helped me understand better why this book felt "off" to me.

This video is absolutely bang on. I do like Murakami, and 1Q84 was the first of his novels I read (The running autobiography was the first actual book I read), and I do have fond memories of it. About 7 years ago. I don't know why I didn't realise the issue with the characterisation of women at the time. Over the years and hearing the criticisms its obviously become much more apparent. I recently read Pinball 1973, as that was the last Murakami novel I haven't read, and it is present there too, which honestly made me roll my eyes. I'll continue to read his work, as I enjoy the writing style and the general way he puts narratives together, but I'll be much more aware of this aspect of his writing.

Thank you for saying this!!! Sometimes too weird is just NOT good - did not reflect before about the misogyny of Murakami but the more I think about it the more I recognise how this often annoyed me about his work...

Now this was enjoyable xD I feel the same as you regarding Murakami’s magic just wearing off the more you read it and the more you yourself grow? The first book of him that I read some 3 years ago was Norwegian Wood and I absolutely loved it, instant favourite. After dark, 5 stars. Sputnik Sweetheart, good enough. By the time I got to Kafka on The Shore the magic was wearing off so I gave it some time. Just a few days ago I read South of the Border, West of the Sun and absolutely hated it. I think it’s because when you first read him it’s an overwhelming and unique experience. The trademark-sad-lonely protagonist seems relatable at first and you’re so busy enjoying all these elements that you can overlook some really big holes in character development and the shit load of creepiness. Now that I’m sufficiently familiarised with the recurring plot elements for them to feel like background noise, the blatant misogyny and lack of creativity is a lot more glaring. Now I read him as *No thoughts just vibes* to just get into a mental space I’m well aquatinted with. I used to recommend him to people but I really don’t know anymore. Scared to go back and read my proclaimed favourites again. And yes, thanks for saving me the trouble of reading this one. There’s SOOO many positive reviews about this lol

That was my exact reaction when I read this book! I was so angry that I lost all that time reading... this. I could never touch another of his books.

Great video and almost everyone loves a rant! I was an enthusiastic reader of HK in the 90s but this slowly faded - the last two I read were Wind-up and Kafka around 12 years ago. Then this one came out and I couldn’t face it - seems it may have been the right decision! I got bored with the ‘Murakami bingo’ for one thing. The one book I am still wondering about reading is Underground - the non fiction account of the sarin attack on the Tokyo subway - any thoughts?

I used to defend some of his writing beCAUSE he only ever wrote from the pov of male protagonists. But now that i hear you say that it's the exact same situation even from a woman's perspective, there's absolutely no excuse. xD

Wind-up Bird Chronicle is one of my all time favorites. Read Kafka, Norwegian Wood, Sputnik Sweetheart, His memoirs of running, his short stories, A Wild Sheep Chase..... Though haven't read Killing Commendetore & 1Q84 just for the mixed reviews I had heard about these. Glad you have just saved plenty of time of mine 😀

Hi! Thank you for this video. It contributes to me to realize different opinions and approaches. However, I can say that there are many complex reasons in whether a book is loved or not. I have just read 1Q84. It took approximately 1 month because of its fluency. I really like Murakami's style and world despite some repetitions and uncertainty. I believe that a novel does not have to include perfect characters and also just good vibes. In addition, in today's world we have a lot of trouble about various kind of violence. Althought I thought some parts of book is unnecessary and a little bit boring, I could accept almost all scenes. In my opinion, the reason is related to perception and belief.

Hello. I enjoyed watching this video. I too had a great time reading "What I Am Talking About When I am Talking About Running". I remember reading this autobiography on my 30th birthday in the best Waffle Cafe in Bruges, Belgium (I am from the UAE btw). That book resonated with me because Murakami spoke a lot about aging and how and from where he derived inspiration for his novels. I have read five books by Murakami and tbh, most of his novels are naughty/explicit and promiscuous (I guess that's why many people like him). Just a correction. You mentioned that Murakami doesn't write about LGBT sex. If my memory is supporting me, I remember in Norwegian Wood, one time, Ishida the late 30-year-old Naoko's roommate, narrates the story of a teenage girl experimenting with her body and how she felt euphoria from her touch even though it was nonconsensual. Anyway, the old man is a pervert and he should stop compensating his lack of talent with more nudity. You are the best/honest book reviewer. Keep going!

Didn't read "1Q84" yet but there are other female protagonists, like Mari Asai in "After Dark" and the narrator of his short story "Sleep". And they're both GREAT protagonist (the second even was praised by Mieko Kawakami). But the reason those protagonist are great is because he is not sexualizing them constanly, and, especially in "After Dark" (my favorite work of his) the focus is on Mari's growth as a person. I think Murakami writes women better when he's not trying to think like a woman. Your criticism towards Murakami are pretty much correct I think (well, he had a interview with Mieko where she adressed this issues, and Murakami pretty much dismissed all the criticisms... too bad, because I think he's a wonderful writer, one of my favorites, and this problem - among others - is gonna keep holding him up to be better) Murakami fans doesn't help at all 😶 Great channel, I always come here whenever I discover/read a japanese author. Suscribed! (sorry if my english is shitty)

Hi I was wondering what are those little yellow spots which appears on some books after you buy ,my mother is a librarian and she have seen that spots on lots of book ,she said something about foxing, do your books face this problem, how you manage to keep them safe.

I shivered when I saw the title of the video, not because I disagree - even though I love the book - but because the potential incoming slander towards you could be very intense 😬

I've just finished reading 1Q84 and I really enjoyed it... But you make so many good and valid points in this video! Really interesting to hear different opinions. Thanks for sharing your thoughts (and for really making me laugh!) ❤️

omg so he just writes "she breasted boobily down the stairs" but unironically lol

I don't even read Murakami but based on your reaction to this book in a previous video, I was looking forward to this. You did not disappoint!

I read the book in full and that was my first murakami. The sex scenes were disturbing for me. I was like, why do you need to include those? They can very well be omitted and it wouldn't affect the story at all. I remembered the beginning taxi and fire escape scene very well and that got me to continue until the end. I thought that was an interesting idea and how would the story go? I expected some interesting explanation or insights on her world changing etc but i was disappointed.

can anyone explain what they think about ushikawa, his end and the scene at sakigake near the end of the book. fascinated by where murakami took that guy in the story, and the meaning of his soul with its cold lump

I let go of the description of the sxual scenes and the image that the main characters had about themselves because of the great loneliness they had, as well as the emotional wounds of their childhoods... which consequently may have led them to have lives somewhat peculiar and certain type of perception about their bodies (aomame). I thought it was a good representation of that kind of loneliness that you've been experiencing for so long that you don't even realize it's there anymore. it ends up devouring every aspect of your existence, so yes, I thought the bad sx was on purpose, among other things haha... I was still very creeped out by the way the world saw Fuka(or her boobs).. so I was praying for Tengo to not have anything with her and AAAAAAA (but with a context of why and how it happend, it MAY not be as horrible/terrible as it sounds). So yeah.. in that aspect the book may not have been a criticism of this, if not, just "sadly human" to me. If you found the "boob recognition system" absurd, I can't imagine what you would think of Aomame missing her friends.. AND her boobs hahaha. So I completely agree with you! (and thank you for making me see stuff I may not have seen at first) At the same time I still love the book.

I was checking your different videos on Murakami because i finally gave his books a chance and i had to stop reading norwegian wood because of the pedophilia part (and i saw this was your last point here for 1q84). Like honestly there are so many problematic stuff in his books, and i agree with you : i could pass them if it wasn't so gratuitous all the time). after watching this video and also doing some research (like i tried to see why ppl loved his works so much so i looked at many things and also to see if what bothered me was a one time thing or not), i see it's tropes for him and i'll give up. I just don't want to subject myself to that. Like you said there's tons of other books to read. thanks always for your videos and honesty, and your enthusiasm or dIs-enthusiasm here.

This was actually the funniest thing to watch. 1Q84 was my first Murakami and it's the book that got me into Murakami. Despite all of its flaws and cringe worthy moment, i can't say I hated it. Great reaction though 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I really appreciate the review! I will NOT be spending time previewing this, & definitely NOT adding this to my class list.

I haven’t read it, but I own it and especially after your review I’m intrigued to read it tbh :D. Like, I’ve the same issues that you have with Murakamis books but I’m still interested reading Murakami writing from a female perspective. I’ve also noticed that his protagonists are usually really obnoxious (like Kafka) but his side characters (that aren’t female) are so vibrant and interesting ^^ I don’t know if you know what I mean, but I literally finished Kafka on the shore mainly to read more about Oshima (the guy working at the library) he’s so fun! Sadly Murakami really can’t write female characters, even if his life would depend on it ig :D

I'm a big fan of Kafka OTS, and I will absolutely go to bat for the creepiness in that book as a retelling of Oedipus Rex. I love how in that book the protagonist has to look at the rapiness and incest in his heart and come to terms with the fact that he has the capacity to do very bad things, and eventually learns to forgive himself and move beyond his base sexual impulses. Almost feels like Murakami in conversation with himself. The only thing I will take issue with you with on 1Q84 are the awkwardness of the sex scenes and of sexuality in general. I think that portraying sexuality in an alienating way, weirding the ways that sex is expressed and felt, is a big strength of Murakami's. I think he's being purposefully obtuse to get us to think about what we're attracted to and why, and to pull out the deep and pervasive sadness that is often the heart of intimacy. Besides that, you're spot on. Aomame was such an interesting character that was ultimately crushed under the weight of Murakami's fetish for her. Similarly the young writer is absolutely disrespected in a way that is really gross. I hate that such a creative book with so much to say is ultimately marred by that disgusting characterization. It's hard to read and really makes me long for the days of After the Quake and Kafka, when Murakami felt like he was considering his creative choices more carefully and intentionally.

I’m reading 1Q84 rn and am absolutely loving it. I like it so much, I’m literally reading it slowly with gaps because I don’t want it to end. But I’m fully with you on the parts you called gross. I’m super used to male authors being creepy and misogynistic (being a lit major who had to skim a bunch of “classics” and “must reads” exposed me to more than what I was ready for) but even then, the parts where he describes certain body parts of underage girls make me shudder. And idk why no one seems to mention this but Tengo’s reaction to Ushikawa’s physical appearance really worried me as it seemed to play into that horrible trope of equating supposed ugliness with bad character. But back to misogyny, I think Murakami is massively unaware of how he writes women. In Men Without Women, in the very first story, a character says he feels somewhat uncomfortable when a woman is driving because sth always seems to be different, that there is this tension, and that made me facepalm so hard. It’s like he has no idea that women face obstacles and you know, misogynistic attitudes, in almost every walk of life. I still read his books though because they just feel like this whole other experience and it’s soft, slow and calming. I couldn’t believe that I actually even liked the parts where Tengo and Aomame just prepare food for themselves. I think the reason why I like his books is because things of great significance happen but characters continue at a sluggish pace. There’s just sth so simultaneously unnatural but also human about it? I’m also someone who gets anxious with fast-paced books where bad things happen to characters quickly though so that might also have contributed to my liking this book. Lastly, and this is the end of my brain vomit, I just find it a relief that not everything is resolved and I find it okay because his books have always been more like a sensory experience for me, like I’m floating in a glass globe, am a massive eyeball, and am getting to watch things unfolding without disturbing anything and I usually feel like this for the whole book except when he ofc starts talking about boobs.

I had been WAITING FOR THIS, WILLOW! And I love your laugh, lol 😆 I was particularly interested in the aspect of the cult in this book. Is that an actual plot point or…? Did you even encounter the cult?

She's not butter! Fantastic review. I read this when it first came out but can't remember anything about it. I guess I've just blocked it from my memory.

I read IQ84 10 years ago when it first came out. I remember liking the story itself (i.e. the concept and main narrative arc(s)) but being less than completely happy with the characters and writing. I don’t remember having a strong reaction to the bad sex and misogyny, but then then I was a lot less mature back then than I am now. (I was in my early 60s when I read it and I’m in my early 70s now.) I recently did a reread of the Murakami books that I had read and enjoyed at the height of my Murakami period in the 2000’s, and was, frankly, shocked at how bad most of them now seemed to me. The one exception was Wild Sheep Chase, which, though it didn’t seem as good as I remembered it, still managed to stay in my list of favorite Japanese novels. In fact most of the books I was rereading seemed so bad that I drifted over from reading them as literature or even pulp entertainment to reading them clinically, for what they revealed about the psychological makeup of the author. (And same for my recent first read of What I Talk about when I Talk about Running, which I really could not find any other way to read.) And I ended up with a clear picture, informed by a psychological model called attachment theory. Basically the conclusion I reached was the root of pretty much everything that is distinctive about Murakami’s personality - inability/lack of desire to relate to others (whether individuals, including especially but not limited to women, or groups), attraction to fantasy worlds and people of his own making, obsession with the details of his everyday personal life, etc. - can be explained by a lack of bonding with his parents during early childhood, which is typically due to the parents rather than the child, particularly lack of positive engagement of the parents with the child. For those who are interested, psychologist Stan Tatkin’s popular book Wired for Love (2012), which uses attachment theory to explore adult couple relations, classifies partners into three personality types, Anchor (secure in relationships), Wave (needy, unstable in relationships) and Island (self-sufficient, avoids/is uncomfortable in relationships). Of the three types Murakami is a clearly an Island, and (IMO) a fairly extreme one at that.

Damn, I'm in the middle of 1Q84 and was initially planning to release a review, but this video scared me! :D

I loved your reaction and how much you hated it(and your laugh😊)! I was debating with myself whether to read this book, or any other that i still havent (e.g. Killing Commendatore, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage), but I think I'm gonna spare myself. There are plenty other Asian writers, who dont incorporate misogyny in their works 😏

How do you look so good in all of your videos? Totally love your style mate. Also I have turned into a huge fan of your intellect suddenly. I hadn't watched a lot of your videos untill now, but one of your latest 'shorts' video made me binge all the rest of them. Loving your work 100% buddy. You are super

The only thing I read by him was Norwegian Wood (because 'YOU HAVE to read Norwegian Wood' ). I finished it a couple of weeks ago and something felt really off for me about it. I couldn't put my finger on it all this time and now, of course, a light went on. The terrible, terrible portrait of women! That's it! I'm quite ashamed that I'm so indoctrinated by reading male writers writing women all my life that it took me this long to spot it.

I'm about 300 from the end and still wondering "Where is this going?" Not so much in the plot sense, but why any of these characters were worth investing in. Also really tired of the fetishistic language. I don't think I've seen a character more obsessed with the shape of their breasts than Aomame. My god... Tengo never talked about his dick with this much anatomical focus. I plan to finish it, but I've spent half of the last 500 pages wondering what's really happened less because he's good at ambiguity but that I feel like we've been staring at Aomame and Fuka-Eri's breasts every other page.

Thankyou for this, I've had this book sat on my shelf for awhile and been put off reading it learning of the sexism in Murukami's books. I kept wondering if it'd be something i could look past but now I know that's definitely not the case. I think I'll go off some of your other recommendations like Idol, Burning and Convenience Store Woman instead. As a side note I've fallen in love with your channel over the last few days. Your recommendations are always so unique and have such interesting concepts and the way you talk about books is so beautiful (aside from this video which was hilarious) and reminds me of why I love reading so much 🥰

I've read Killing Comendatore and Kafka on the Shore, and do not feel compelled to read more of his novels. I found a used collection of his short stories and have read one of them...not bad, but seems derivative of Raymond Carver's work......Also I have little patience with novels which are a thousand pages or more so I wouldn't even consider 1Q84.........All that said, I loved your rant...................

Hilarious video! hahaa! 🤣 I love how you hate the book, it's incredible. Gotta say, I never read that one, though. The only novel by Murakami that I ever read was "Norwegian Wood" about 10 years ago. The only thing I remember about it was the awkward sexual stuff, I couldn't even tell you what the book's about at this point. But I remember people telling me Murakami was so great, and after the novel...I always wondered if I just didn't get it because I had zero interest in reading any more of that, honestly.

This is so fucking funny. I've never read a murakami book, mostly because he shows up on r/menwritingwomen on a near daily basis, and each entry is worse than the last. And writing women like that is an instant No from me. (See also: stephen king). This is just icing on the cake.😂

For our class book club me and my roommate chose 1Q84 because she loves Murakami and I love Ishiguro but when we finished I was just like "___" I hate this book I hate it so much while she loved it so much oh man I relate so much with you

I really needed this video. I thought I was losing my kind. This was my first Murakami, after seeing his novels absolutely dominate any modern surrealist or magic fiction list. I made it about 8/47 hours into the audiobook and just couldn't for all the reasons you said. It's just so slow and boring too. The prose is nice enough and I there was a time when I was eager to see the magic goat and the tiny people and the religious communist insurrectionists, but I just could get there. I'm sure this has already been pointed out, but it bears repeating because it's so ridiculous. An author in his 60s wrote his 30ish ball-kicking assassin as having a fetish for older men beginning to lose their hair who have odd shaped heads and penises that are reasonably sized! I'm really glad you mentioned ones you previously liked. I'm going to need a big break, but I will trying Wind Up Bird or Kafka at some point, but I need to cleanse with a bunch of anything, but cishet men for a while. Hope you didn't get too much hate and if you did it boosted the video! Love the nails and your hair looks lovely BTW. Take care! ❤

Let's be honest, Murakami has been one of my favourite authors for years, but I agree with most of what you said (except the length, that didn't bother me at all). 1Q84 is clearly one of his novels I liked least. I couldn't help rolling my eyes up at every boob description and sex scene in this trilogy (and other books he wrote to be honest). And the more I grow up the more I become bothered by those. I also remember the sex scene between Fukaeri and Tengo making me totally uncomfortable back then. Since now, I have always been able to cope with these points in his books because I liked the universe, stories and atmosphere he builds so much that I felt okay disagreeing with the caracters vision (or the author's vision, at that point, seeing that this is a pattern is every single one of his books) of women. But the more I read his books, and see that all of his male narrator protagonist are more a less the same, and the female ones are all equally badly written, the more it feels like he just fails as an author to create protagnoists that aren't reflects of himself or his vision. So yes, I still enjoy reading his books because there is something in the atmosphere and strangeness in his stories that resonnates in me but I can totally get why these points would make someone hate his books. And I would love them a thousand times more if he was able to do an accurate depiction of women just once in his life.

1Q84 was the first book i read from haruki murakami and i couldn't finish reading it. I was hating so much the girl's pov (i forgot her name), her pov was so boring and the same thing over and over, every time her chapter starts i want to skip it to the other character's pov, its so annoying. I ended up not finishing it because i thought the struggle would not be worth it. Not to mention the continuation, i was afraid the other books of the series would be the same so i just DNF.

I was waiting for this

It's weird. I have loved everything else Murakami I have read(4 other reads), but this one failed miserably. So overblown was this novel. So many needless depictions. But the two lead characters were not very interesting to me as well. Thanks for the thoughts!

yes, a rant!!! love this! Loved Norwegian Wood by Murakami and parts of the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Some of the magical elements put me off reading more of his magical realist stuff...

I've tried reading Norwegian Wood 4 times now and i just can't get past page 100. Don't get me wrong I do love a book where absolutely nothing happens and messed up characters do messed up things but something about the misogynist male pov puts me in a reading slump. the only book of his i enjoyed was Sputnik Sweetheart because even tho it's still not good atleast it had pov of only women 😭

How mean to recommend such a big book to someone to introduce Murakami, people need to rethink their recommendations. I read two of his shorter beloved books years ago and decided that I don't need more of him in my life. But they were short books to give him a try. You really should make all those people who told you to read this to read something they'll hate. Kudos for finishing it.

I've tried a couple of times to read this book because I like some of his other books. You're totally right, it sucks!

Love this. He's one of my favorite authors but this side of his writing has always bugged me.

Hi! I'm a new subscriber. I found your channel while looking for a review of Klara and the Sun. It was this video that made me decide to subscribe. I loved 1Q84, although it disturbed me. I loved your thoughtful opinion of this book.

1Q84 is the first novel by Haruki Murakami that I have read. I like it very much. The world in the book is immersive, and sometimes I feel inexplicably frightened, and it has written the confusion in the minds of many people. This is contemporary 1984, and I have to put him in a prominent place on the bookshelf.

Okay, the funny thing is that I read this book and I don't remember a thing about it? Was is that unremarkable?

There's so much great Murakami out there: Wild Sheep Chase, Dance Dance Dance, Hard Boiled Wonderland, Kafka. etc. I saved 1Q84 for the end and ... wow... this ain't it. I stopped after part 1 of 3. Bored to tears. And yes, pretty much yes to everything you said here. sigh.

After-hours is written from a "woman's" perspective too, I liked that one because it was short and weird, and I can't remember the main female protagonist being awfully written (some of the other women kinda suffer tho) but hey, Murakami bingo exists for a reason.

I loved wind up bird and got 1Q84 ages ago knowing nothing about it and now I'm thinking of never reading it lol. Murakamis sexism and weird horniess was enough in the bg for me in his other stuff I've read but idk if i could handle something this blatant

I didn't get past the first time the teacher meets the teenage writer. It made me so uncomfortable and thats really saying something because I was a Randy 18 year old at the time

I personally admired his style and works (Norwegian wood and South of the border) and tbh I never looked at him as a misogynist. Now and then I would think, "why does this have so many sex scenes. " It's like I didn't even _notice_ I really feel like I failed as a man ugh

I just plainly decided to stop reading Murakami, the misogyny in his writing 'paired' lol with his simple and acclaimed writing style just doesn't do it for me and it's hella frustrating to read. Spoilers here: Mind you I only read 2 of his books, but 1q84 really did it for me. I would've liked to see more explanations of the actual mystery of the Little People, Sakigake, or at least attempts at what they mean to Murakami or the characters but instead we're just reading about Tengo and Aomame introspecting (which I don't mind at all), then Ushikawa (who was used to tense the mystery situation and get you interested to read more and to retell the plot only to serve no purpose by being killed off). The ending was anticlimactic and though Murakami is known to leave open ends and leave you questioning and wondering to his books, in my opinion the romance and reunion between the 2 characters didn't seem compelling or believable. The book could've also been cut to 700 pages, it was those Ushikawa chapters and straight up leaving the mystery that really slowed down the pace for this book.

Such an enjoyable video :D You raise such a great point, I would love to be his editor and go ah thank you Murakami-san for this titty chapter, yeah no sorry, it got deleted for some reason, but send me more pages about that second moon, love that stuff :) I really like a lot of his books but yeah he just keeps putting in eye-rolling stuff and I wish his editor would reign him in more because his magical realism just really works for me.

I'm a new viewer of yours and you're really inspiring me to read more Japanese authors. I've never heard of Mieko Kawakami but I've been reading more Yoko Ogawa books this year. I've always loved Murakami's writing style, I have read a few of his books but not 1Q84, and I follow booktubers who also love him and I have friends who love him too. But I've just noticed something. It just dawned on me that every person who gushes over his writing style always says something to the likes of "he's so great... the way he writes women is questionable... But besides that he's so good..." And they brush it off, and I usually do the same. I love that the main reason you hated this book is because of how he wrote the female characters and the sex scenes. It's actually really validating. I think it's something more people should give importance to. This is a valuable review! Calling out bad misogynistic sex scenes should be normalized, and I'm here for it!

I love your channel, Willow. Thank you.

Thank you! We need to put limits to misogyny and sexualisation of underage persons!!

Such a great rant!!! I am bias because I've never ever liked Murakami or his writing. (Why does he always write sex scenes with underaged girls? Why are the women always horney af!?) But still, thank you for this validation.

I'm ashamed to admit these were my favourite books 10 years ago. What I liked about them will probably remain a mystery, as I agree with everything you said in this video and now I remember that these creepy and lame sex scenes.

The beginning was so terribly boring. The second third of the book was very interesting, bc it makes you think that there's a huge thing coming, but in the end, that thing never comes. The last third also gets exciting, yes, but you notice it's trying to keep you onto something that doesn't arrive...

This is hilarious. I read this when it first came out as an undergrad during my "Murakami phase." Of course I thought this book was brilliant. It would be interesting to re-read this now as I'm sure I would have a different perspective on it. I'm gonna skip that though. 😆

I think he got to write scenes that are magical and some kind of romantic, but totally agree with you in that scene with Fukaeri and Tengo it was to much to handle the subtle r*pe of Tengo and the body description of both Fukaeri and Aomame, was gross all of it forgotten for the romance between the protagonist

Just finished 1Q84 and absolutely loved it. It was the first book I've properly read since I was much younger and found this video when looking to see what others thought. A lot of your points are very coherent and didn't even cross my mind while reading, which reiterates your point about casual readers and their affiniation for the book, compared to the more negative critical response. I personally really liked the dual narrative of the book and the slow plot development, especially in the third part. I do however agree wholly on your point about the sex scenes, they felt mysoginistic, awkward and filled with unnecessary details, especially in Aomame's scenes. But for whatever reason I just found myself gripped by the story and the concept itself. Maybe my views will change on the book as I explore more books, but I did find 1Q84 to be, on the whole, a very good read.

There are probably 2 reasons for length. First is that the trilogy was written over a few years, so he has to keep reminding the readers about previous plot points. The other is probably because the chapters have to keep going back and forth between the 2 protagonists. They have to present information in a way where the 2 sides slowly converge, so he has to slow down either one or the other to achieve this.

Oh dear. Yeah, the writing of women and the strangely and off-puttingly clinical sex scenes were among the things I didn't like about 'the Windup Bird Chronicles'. It was the intense ennui and alienation that I really couldn't deal with during quarantine, but if the weird sex isn't a deliberate part of creating that vibe...that might be a problem for me with trying his other novels.

"[Her insides] powerfully churned! Like a cement mixer!" 🤣 I'm dead. How did I not discover your channel till recently. How. Only found your content through redditors' recommendations on the books subreddit. Thanks YT algorithm /s

Thanks for the video man. I had the book in my hands today but decided to check a review first. You saved me valuable time. The stuff you mention would have annoyed the shit out of me. Have read 7 of his books now...2 left me somewhat indifferent, found the short stories very uneven but really loved Hardboiled, Dance, Kafka and The Wind-up which I'm currently finishing.

To understand why Murakami writes the way he does you should read his book "what i talk about when i talk about running". He talks about the critisism he gets for his own views and ideas. That includes some of things you point out in this video. I think it's important to have different takes on things and people, it doesn't matter if those takes are right or wrong. In the end it makes us think and questions this Author's reality and we don't have to agree with it or understand it. As long as we all can accept that we all have different and sometimes very negatively viewed perspectives on life. Is it better to comform and please others or is it better to keep being yourself and write books that have some weird and sometimes disturbing thoughts and ideas, but that are also comming from a genuine and real place? I personally can feel the cringe reading some scenes in his books and be like why would you write about it?? But at the same time it makes me think and question his and mine own ideas about sometimes really simple things in life and human behaviour. That's something i really like about Murukami and this is why i keep comming back for more.

I read my first Murakami last year, Norwegian Wood, I absolutely hated it so hard it was painful to me. The misogyny was something I could never look past it was disgusting. Women were only there to have sex with the main character, when one of them killed herself the only thoughts he had of them was him having sex with her and the sex itself. There was a scene where a female character described a scene in which her father had died and she exposed herself to his memorial photograph so ''he could look at my c**t''. I hate read it until the end but won't go back to him for more. I'm legit worried for the women who state he is their favourite author, I don't know if the patriarchy has gotten to them too hard and it's a form of self hate because how a woman could even like it, let alone favour it I find hard to comprehend.

I am glad I started reading 1Q84 because it brought me to this wonderful channel 😬!

I agree i’m starting on it after men without women and another short story book an I really can’t care for his poorly written females and boring dudes, sexual encounters. I’m glad i’m not on my own on being annoyed by these things.

I agree with you dude. I’m a pretty big HM fan, read most of his stuff…. 1/3 the way through 1Q84 and it stinks. The creepy sex stuff, the cult stuff that just matter. Etc.

Dont get me wrong but I think you are judging Murakami's biases with your own biases🙂

your laugh is so infectious omg 😂👌🏻

5 months ago i read this book and i was quite dissapointed , everyone's in my group of friends who read was talking about it , so i read it and it's very awkward and gross like i can agree with every single point but i respect people who like it with my whole heart , at the end of the day everything is preference... ^^

Man you really made me laugh with your depiction of this novel... :-)

My husband couldn’t read it either. He said it sucked, it was awful and your assessment is spot-on.

Hello! I'm a new subscriber (less than a year?), and you were recommended to me by a very close bookstagram friend. And I would like to say that I share your hate for 1Q84. I've read it a long time ago, and I remember hating it because it's too long and it was so pointless, apart from the misogynistic things that you've listed. And I'm certainly baffled when this is the most praised books by Murakami overglorifiers.

I remember reading this Murakami book where the climax to the whole thing was a fellatio given by the female character who -of course- keeps disappearing Tokio Blues style. Murakami sure literally sucks this way too 😂 But I thought you’d also refer to his poor prose or the fact that his novels seem to go from nowhere to nowhere. I’ve found his Japanese prose to be almost insufferably meagre and depressive. I find successive claims that he could be a Nobel candidate offensive.

Hi I'm adding on to the people here who love 1Q84 but agree with what you've identified as issues. What's fascinating about this discussion to me is that it seems like the books often get evaluated as acts of the author's virtues, both artistic and morally. That isn't unfair, and I would totally agree with anyone who says that 1Q84 is a demonstration of Murakami's clumsiness, lack of thoughtful artistic direction, and most importantly by far, his misogyny (which blends into his sexualization of minors I think). I don't think I'm forgetting or forgiving any of that when I say that I find the books captivating and moving. They are artifacts to me, like pieces of a shipwreck or a preserved animal skull: looking at them and considering them deeply is a troubling, disturbing experience, but there's something beautiful about it. I don't know what his intentions were, and regardless I think his careless and horny meanderings are embarrassing, not to mention repugnant. But I'm not judging him like he were an Olympic diver. Instead, I'm getting catharsis by seeing a bunch of messy and slippery feelings I have inside get brought out on the pages. Feelings that only really get stirred by this shitty, bewildering man and his shitty, bewildering writing.

Murakami's style and development of magic realism/introspection are what I like about him. In that sense he is unmatched. I do think people are too quick to judge him by modern standards. We are all products of the culture around us. His views and descriptions of women are reflections of how women were represented in the literary culture of Japan, which has traditionally had a level of aesthetic emphasis and abstraction from reality. Just look at manga... Saying all that I would agree with what you said. His descriptions of women and his characters' treatment of women are bad. Murakami just doesn't know how to write women. I don't like the repeated themes that make Murakami Bingoable and that his work sometimes seems slightly pop art mass-produced. I found 1Q84 troubling and was not able to finish it. Sure there is a deeper meaning, but I was not prepared to shovel the snow to get there. Norwegian Wood is one of my favorite novels (It could unquestionably do without a few scenes that should be edited out). I also kind of think one of Murakami's themes is men's inability to understand women and the damage that misunderstanding causes. I like the fact that it is written from a purely male perspective and it deals with their memory of what happened not what actually happened. In fact, if you ask me the book wouldn't work if it truly took into account the female perspective. It's written from the perspective of a lost young man with a lot to learn. It kind of shows people the Darkside of others and one of those flaws is only being able to see things from their own perspective even though they try.

I think the overall theme is interesting and wild. It is fantasy like most of Murakami’s books, of course. However, as a girl, I think the sex scene ( Tengo & Eriko) was so creepy that I can’t stand reading it. I even skipped that entire scene. It was horrible and I still don’t understand why she had to do so. Even if some sort of ceremony, it still doesn’t make sense.

I feel like this video would have been a good contender for another one to film when drunk

I didn’t want it to end!! But yes I hear you on the sex scenes! And to be fair to Murakami Tango didn’t want to have sex with Fuka Eri. He was paralyzed with a hard on and she started it because her body was being used as a vessel.