Arjanakura, a water city in Kyushu. Three disappearances took place here in quick succession. All of them were elderly women who lived in Japanese houses facing the ditch, but strangely enough, they returned shortly afterwards, but with no memory of their disappearance. Was she abducted by aliens, brainwashed by a new religion, or what? Former university professor Kyoichiro and his colleagues, who are interested in the case, realise the existence of a ‘human-like creature’. …
(deepL translation)
Content warnings if known
nothing specific that I know of, but there’s a very creepy atmosphere, according to reviews
Why are you nominating this book: This one I have wanted to read ever since @cat first recommended it ages ago. Onda is great at creating an atmosphere of unease, so I think this would be a good pick for when we’re in the mood for something creepy. This October, for example.
A serious fatal accident occurred at a large commercial facility in the suburbs of Tokyo. 69 dead, 116 injured, still no cause identified - numerous victims and witnesses are summoned, but their testimonies differ at every turn. What was captured on security video? What was the strange smell? What about the existence of the girl walking with a stuffed animal dragging behind her? Was it really an accident in the first place? The author’s quintessential story, which proceeds solely by Q&A!
(deepL translation)
Content warnings if known
May contain some graphic descriptions of violence due to panic? Unsure to what extent.
Why are you nominating this book: This book is entirely dialogue (my weakness)! Onda seems to specialize in telling a story from multiple angles, and this time there is no narration, just questions and answers.
I think it’s a glitch, yes. Although it is the same title and publisher.
My guess is that they liked the format, and asked more writers to do something similar, making it a loose series in terms of approach only?
edit: by the way, it seems to have very good reviews (because I needed to add to my wish list)
I promise I’ll stop with the nominations after this (erm, for a while at least). I wasn’t planning to nominate anything else, but this is a totally different genre to the previous ones, and it’s good to have wider representation, right?
An office awaits a contract worth 100 million yen, just before the deadline. A child actor is dosed with laxatives during an audition. A university student competing in a guessing game. A young businessman planning a break-up. An old man who can’t get to the meeting place. The old man’s haiku club mates, who are all police alumni. At Tokyo Station in mid-summer, each of the twenty-seven characters and one animal is waiting for the moment when something will happen. The time limit is approaching, people are entangled, strangers pass each other, and at that moment, the dominoes of destiny fall one after another! A masterpiece of a panic comedy, full of gusto and speed!
(deepL translation)
Content warnings if known
None that I know of
Why are you nominating this book: It’s a (slapstick?) comedy with multiple characters (28!), each with their own distinct stories, all somehow converging at Tokyo Station. Sounds fun. There’s also a sequel, ドミノin上海.
Thanks! That’s good to know. I’ve heard she has quite a range genre-wise, and wasn’t sure what that meant in terms of that kind of stuff.
All these nominations are getting me excited to read more of her works! I have about enough points on Bookwalker for 1 or 2 of the sale books, the only question is which one(s)…
Hmm, if we manage to run our first poll before the 14nth, you/we’ll know.
If we start our poll on the 6th, we can close it on the 12th, with time for purchases before the sales deadline runs out. How does that sound? The time for nominations may be too short, but then, large as her bibliography is, the options are still rather limited compared to other bookclubs, so maybe the short time for nominations won’t be a problem?
And then we can discuss the starting time and whether we want a strict schedule at all, and these things.
I wouldn’t worry about this too much tbh. As you say, the scope is so limited, so I don’t think that it really matters as much whether we pick from 5 or 15 of her works…
By the way, to all who are interested in the Bookwalker sale currently going on, I double-checked some of the bargains and it’s quite a mixed bag. Some clock in at only 30 or 40%, so you can get a better deal any time if you wait long enough for a 50% coin cashback fair (right, omk3? ). But if you don’t like the coin cashback, that’s of course a different story.
There are a small handful of books though where you get much more than 50% off in this sale, and these are rather worth grabbing in my opinion, as it is quite rare to get such a high discount.
I don’t know what you’re talking about
I only buy about a dozen books at every discount or coin back campaign, nothing much
But yes, if you’re interested in coins (I thought I wasn’t in the beginning, silly me, because “how much would I be able to read anyway?” ), it’s worth waiting if the discount is less than 40-50%. Although Gentosha has fewer of those than Kadowaka or Kodansha, I noticed.
Sayoko Tsumura - A beautiful and mysterious transfer student who came to a local high school. A strange game had been passed down to her high school for more than a dozen years. Once every three years, a student called Sayoko is chosen by an invisible hand. And this year was the year when the ``Sixth Sayoko’’ was born. School life, friendship, and love. Her legendary debut work seals the brightness of youth that will eventually be lost in a beautiful crystal and envelops it in pitch-black fear.
Content warnings if known
Unknown
Why are you nominating this book:
The premise seems really interesting to me, actually a little bit reminiscent of a visual novel! As it’s Onda’s debut work, I thought it would be good to start at the beginning and see how she develops. I also feel like mystery and horror are well suited to being read in autumn
We have 5 nominations, which is a fine number to start with, I think. If you have a book in mind that you’d like to nominate for our first poll, now is the time. I will open the poll around this time tomorrow.
I haven’t used all my three votes yet because I couldn’t decide between ドミノ and Q&A, so I may be able to break the tie. But it’s early days yet, so I’m sure it’ll change on its own.
, 
). But if you don’t like the coin cashback, that’s of course a different story.
smh
if it’s down to the wire I will look again!
