annawookie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Body horror, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Gaslighting, Self harm, and Torture
Minor: Cannibalism
akilaasad's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The Miso Soup is narrated by Kenji, an unlicensed sex/nightlife tour guide in Japan, who meets Frank, an American tourist curious about Japan's sex industry. Frank's behaviour quickly unnerves Kenji, who suspects Frank has negative intentions regarding his visit to Japan.
This is my second time reading this book; the first was four years ago. This time, I rated it lower because I realised how much Kenji rambles on and how anti-climatic the second half of the book is. The buildup in the first half of the novel is so good that it compensates for the pointless/sterile ending. There is some intriguing discussion about how the West has influenced Japan, the state of society, and its outsiders, but the majority of it felt forced to the point it felt like a drag to read.
However, Ryu Murakami is brilliant with his descriptions, setting the atmosphere, the characters - whatever the scene, it presents itself so vividly when reading it. I enjoyed reading the first half of the book as it establishes itself as a thriller, we sense Kenji's apprehension towards Frank, and we observe Frank's blatant lying, which only makes the reader curious to see where the plot leads. The second half of the book lacks the tense mood of the first half since it is largely oriented on dialogue and philosophical discussion (a complete 180 which felt a bit out of place in my opinion).
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Murder, Self harm, and Gore
jen_prouvaire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Murder, and Self harm
Moderate: Medical content, Alcohol, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Stalking, Vomit, and Fatphobia
sirisolh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Self harm, Mental illness, Gore, Animal death, Body horror, Vomit, Torture, Violence, Sexual violence, Murder, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Alcohol, Misogyny, Self harm, and Suicide
scumbear's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Gore, Body horror, Stalking, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Murder, Animal death, and Vomit
theangelssing's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, and Self harm
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Suicide
kleine_elster_'s review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Sexual content, Misogyny, Death, and Body horror
luli_boy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Gore, Sexual violence, Murder, Mental illness, Torture, Vomit, Sexual content, Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Self harm, Sexual harassment, and Blood
eileenmccoy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Alcohol, and Blood
akbillingsley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Blood