maiborromeo's review
5.0
Would it be possible to request for a 10/5 stars from goodreads?
This is a mind-blowing, gut-wrenching masterpiece. How did I not hear of Otsuichi sooner? This collection of short stories is all I need to release all my emotions after a long reading slump. I ugly-cried and laughed. For a young individual himself, the author knows how and what to feel about death. It's sad, but delivered beautifully and in a more subtle way that would not hurt so much..Just like a Ghibli scenery in the face of death. Hauntingly beautiful.
This is a mind-blowing, gut-wrenching masterpiece. How did I not hear of Otsuichi sooner? This collection of short stories is all I need to release all my emotions after a long reading slump. I ugly-cried and laughed. For a young individual himself, the author knows how and what to feel about death. It's sad, but delivered beautifully and in a more subtle way that would not hurt so much..Just like a Ghibli scenery in the face of death. Hauntingly beautiful.
jadesuiwai's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
vivian_bookaholic's review
3.0
3,75 / 5 sao
Bộ này lúc mới đọc hai câu truyện đầu làm mình thấy rờn rợn phấn khích cực. Nhưng sau khi đọc hết 11 mẩu truyện thì thích nhất có lẽ chỉ có "Seven rooms", "So far" và "Zoo" thôi. Càng về sau cảm giác các câu truyện giảm dần độ kinh dị va độ hay. Nhiều câu truyện cảm giác thiệt biến thái, chết tới nơi mà còn cười đùa được... Nói chung phục tác giả đầu óc cỡ nào mới viết được mấy truyện này.
Bộ này lúc mới đọc hai câu truyện đầu làm mình thấy rờn rợn phấn khích cực. Nhưng sau khi đọc hết 11 mẩu truyện thì thích nhất có lẽ chỉ có "Seven rooms", "So far" và "Zoo" thôi. Càng về sau cảm giác các câu truyện giảm dần độ kinh dị va độ hay. Nhiều câu truyện cảm giác thiệt biến thái, chết tới nơi mà còn cười đùa được... Nói chung phục tác giả đầu óc cỡ nào mới viết được mấy truyện này.
juliwi's review
3.0
Short stories are some of my favourite things. Not only are short stories incredibly difficult to write but, when you get them right, they are absolutely amazing. They also allow an author to really stretch their imagination, covering different topics and maybe even experiment with different writing styles. So when I saw ZOO I knew I wanted to give it a try! Thanks to Shueisha and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Part of the reason I started A Universe in Words was because I wanted to push myself to read more literature from different countries and cultures. Perhaps short stories are one of the best ways to get to know the literature of a different country because you get so many different takes of an author's style. ZOO contains a range of stories written over four years, between 1998 to 2002, which range across different topics but retain a dark sense of humour. The stories in ZOO should all be classed as horror, technically, with dark twists, morbid realizations, and absurd overtones. Some of the situations created by Otsuichi in this collection are hilarious and yet they are intensely uncanny and creepy at the same time. The original ideas behind almost every story is fascinating and often the core plot will stay with you way after you've finished the story, but at times the writing style doesn't entirely do justice to the stories itself.
Otsuichi has a very stripped back writing style, which doesn't rely on overt dramatization to get the tension in a situation across. Horrid things are coldly spelled out and partially this is what makes the stories so fascinating. However, this means that sometimes it also feels as if the stories are rushed or written too simply. The stories unfold, with one twist after another, and then simply end. This sounds like exactly what a short story must do, but being used to horror stories which focus more on the interiority of its characters, Otsuichi is both refreshing and also strange. It might take some getting used to but in the end ZOO is very rewarding collection of horror stories from a truly different voice. Among my favourite stories are probably 'The White House in the Cold Forest' which gave me the shivers and 'Seven Rooms', which was amazing.
I am really happy to have read ZOO, every story had something unique and interesting to offer the reader. Otsuichi has a fascinating imagination and I basically want to see full length film adaptations of each of these short stories. I'd recommend this to fans of Horror fiction and Absurd fiction.
Part of the reason I started A Universe in Words was because I wanted to push myself to read more literature from different countries and cultures. Perhaps short stories are one of the best ways to get to know the literature of a different country because you get so many different takes of an author's style. ZOO contains a range of stories written over four years, between 1998 to 2002, which range across different topics but retain a dark sense of humour. The stories in ZOO should all be classed as horror, technically, with dark twists, morbid realizations, and absurd overtones. Some of the situations created by Otsuichi in this collection are hilarious and yet they are intensely uncanny and creepy at the same time. The original ideas behind almost every story is fascinating and often the core plot will stay with you way after you've finished the story, but at times the writing style doesn't entirely do justice to the stories itself.
Otsuichi has a very stripped back writing style, which doesn't rely on overt dramatization to get the tension in a situation across. Horrid things are coldly spelled out and partially this is what makes the stories so fascinating. However, this means that sometimes it also feels as if the stories are rushed or written too simply. The stories unfold, with one twist after another, and then simply end. This sounds like exactly what a short story must do, but being used to horror stories which focus more on the interiority of its characters, Otsuichi is both refreshing and also strange. It might take some getting used to but in the end ZOO is very rewarding collection of horror stories from a truly different voice. Among my favourite stories are probably 'The White House in the Cold Forest' which gave me the shivers and 'Seven Rooms', which was amazing.
I am really happy to have read ZOO, every story had something unique and interesting to offer the reader. Otsuichi has a fascinating imagination and I basically want to see full length film adaptations of each of these short stories. I'd recommend this to fans of Horror fiction and Absurd fiction.
riley_ng15's review
4.0
Đây là tuyển tập truyện ngắn vừa dị vừa ghê nhưng lại ấn tượng nhất trong số những sách thuộc mảng kinh dị mà mình từng đọc :))
Khuyến cáo nếu bạn không chịu được mấy cái biến thái, quái dị, dễ bị ám ảnh thì cân nhắc trước khi đọc
Khuyến cáo nếu bạn không chịu được mấy cái biến thái, quái dị, dễ bị ám ảnh thì cân nhắc trước khi đọc
daynpitseleh's review
3.0
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is very dark Japanese fiction - the stories don't start out as dark, but they all have that knife twist that makes you feel uncomfortable. It's not an altogether pleasant experience, but it's an interesting, thought-provoking, unusual one. My favorite story was SO-far.
This is very dark Japanese fiction - the stories don't start out as dark, but they all have that knife twist that makes you feel uncomfortable. It's not an altogether pleasant experience, but it's an interesting, thought-provoking, unusual one. My favorite story was SO-far.
readswithaimee's review
3.0
I definitely didn’t enjoy this book as much of Otsuichi’s other works. Some stories were big misses with me but there were a few great ones like the sandbox story and the final one. Definitely worth a read but I did feel there were more misses than hits.