Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 1: Super-Frog Saves Tokyo, Where I'm Likely to Find It, Birthday Girl, The Seventh Man

Haruki Murakami Manga Stories #1

by Jean-Christophe Deveney (Adapter), Haruki Murakami, PMGL (Illustrator)

Haruki Murakami's stories in graphic novel form for the first time!

Haruki Murakami's novels, essays and short stories have sold millions of copies worldwide and been translated into dozens of languages. Now for the first time, many of Murakami's best-loved short stories are available in graphic novel form in English. Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 1 is the first of three volumes, which will present a total of 9 short stories from Murakami's bestselling collections.

With their trademark mix of realism and fantasy, centering around Murakami's characteristic themes of loss, remorse and confusion, the four stories in this volume are:

Super-Frog Saves Tokyo: A few days after an earthquake, Katagiri discovers a giant frog in this home. The frog promises to save Tokyo from another earthquake, but Katagiri must help him. Is this real, or is Katagiri dreaming?

Where I'm Likely to Find It: A woman's husband goes missing so she hires detective. As the detective traces the man's whereabouts, he reflects on the meaning of his own life.

Birthday Girl: A woman tells her friend the story of a surreal encounter she has on her twentieth birthday with the owner of the restaurant where she works, who grants her a wish.

The Seventh Man: The story of a man scarred by the death of his childhood friend in a tsunami.

This novel visual take on these classic Murakami stories will be devoured by his fans and provide a new window onto his work for younger readers not yet familiar with it!

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Short Stories, Fiction, Japan, Comics, Fantasy

144 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2023

Reviews

[Liong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rated this manga book 5 stars because I loved the short stories.

While the art style is not necessarily my usual preference, the artwork itself is incredibly expressive.

The manga features four short stories that I have already read:

"Super-Frog Saves Tokyo."

"Where I'm Likely to Find It."

"Birthday Girl." (My personal favourite 😍 )

"The Seventh Man."

I truly enjoyed this manga and recommend it for casual reading.

However, be advised that it contains mature themes and graphic content, including [specific examples of mature themes or graphic content].

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘The battle was fought in your imagination. And the imagination is our battlefield. That’s where we win, and that’s where we lose.’

I’ve always been particularly charmed by the short stories of Hairuki Murakami and it seems a no-brainer to have his work adapted into a manga format. I’m mostly surprised this was my first time encountering such an adaptation and I wonder if previous ones have existed that just never made it’s way to the US. Hairuki Murakamai Manga Stories presents four different stories adapted by Jean-Christophe Deveney and with artwork from PMGL (while the word manga is in the title, the pages and frames all read from left to right and pages front to back) and gives a unique, visual offering into the variety of tales Murakami crafts. Its a fun exercise and while I’m not entirely sure these were the ideal selection of stories and found a bit of dissonance between the art and the way his stories often feel when reading them this was still worth picking up. Especially for long-time fans of the author, though for those looking for an introduction to him I would probably not recommend this as a good first read as, while it presents the whimsicality and range of his narratives, it lacks the actual writing that makes his stories so endlessly readable and enjoyable. Still, it is a fine collectors piece and I will certainly be checking out the second volume.

I once read a critic question why someone would do a film adaption of a book where the main character is the writing (I believe it was James Franco’s adaptation of Child of God by Cormac McCarthy?). While I do often find film and books to be less of a compatible medium as Hollywood would like us to believe, I tend to find graphic novel adaptations to be enjoyable more often. This one, however, I think falls under the aforementioned critic’s question, particularly as the stories chosen here are not particularly enhanced by giving them a visual treatment. Super-Frog Saves Tokyo is an obvious exception, as the aspects of a giant frog showing up in an apartment and some of the later scenes are pretty exciting to see visually, but the rest are all more or less mundane without feeling them through Murakami’s writing. His writing is what keeps me coming back almost more than his often surreal and zany stories and here you are lacking the vibes of his descriptions, the narrators’ internal thoughts wrestling with ambiguous emotions, and Murakami’s gift of rather soothing storytelling. Which is what makes most of these stories so good in the first place. Perhaps a visual adaptation of one of his novels would have been a better choice as his short stories do tend to be more ponderous and geared towards experiencing some enigmatic sadness.

That said, these are rather faithful adaptations and do probe to the heart of the emotional undercurrents. The art didn’t really capture for me how I tend to feel his stories inside myself when I read them, but its not bad either. I did really enjoy that the style changes for each story and I found Where I'm Likely to Find It and The Seventh Man to work much better artistically than the others, with the latter being a really good visual vibe for the story. I’m not backpedaling here, I actually really did have a good time with this collection, but my mind just seems to notice what felt amiss more than what worked.

Worth picking up, and I will definitely still be reading the next volume when it arrives in 2024, Hairuki Murakamai Manga Stories is a quick but entertaining way to experience Murakami in visual format.

3.5/5

[Roya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
من برای این کتاب خیلییی هیجان داشتم و وقتی که یکی از آدم‌های موردعلاقه‌م بهم هدیه‌ش داد، از ذوق نمی‌دونستم چیکار کنم🥹 (جیغ می‌کشیدم!)
من قبلا این 4 داستان کوتاهِ موراکامی رو خونده بودم و وقتی یه داستان می‌خونیم، ناخودآگاه تصاویری از اون توی ذهن‌مون شکل می‌گیره. وقتی این مانگا رو می‌خوندم، تقابل تصویر ذهنی که خودم از داستان داشتم و تصویری که مانگاکا کشیده بود جالب بود.
مثلا صحنه‌‌ای که از مرگ قورباغه‌ی غول‌پیکر به تصویر در اومده بود و اون تصویری که خودم توی ذهنم داشتم خیلی متفاوت ولی جالب بود!
موقع خوندنش به این فکر می‌کردم که هر داستان می‌تونه به اندازه‌ی تعداد خوانندگانش تصویر متفاوتی داشته باشه و دوست داشتم سوپر پاورم دیدنِ تصاویر ذهنی بقیه از داستان‌ها باشه =)))
توی نگاه کلی، مانگا از لحاظ گرافیکی آنچنان قوی نیست ولی وقتی تصاویر رو دونه دونه و به تنهایی نگاه می‌کنی، متوجه میشی که نقاشی‌ها دقیقا مناسب فضای داستان موراکامیه و جزئیات زیبایی داره.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

فقط در کمتر از یک ساعت!
نیازدارم یکم بیشتر موراکامی رو درک کنم :)
بعضی از داستان‌هاش هنوز مفهومش برام گنگه :(

پ.ن: این جمعه من خودمو با کتاب و فیلم خفه کردم. (۲۷ مهرماه ۱۴۰۳)😎

[Trish Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

The thing about Murakami is that his writing is really good. His prose, his descriptions, his settings. So when we take his stories and turn them into comics, all of that is lost. And we're left with a very hollow version of what his stories are about - and, in this case, the UGLIEST comic i've ever read. And it's certainly not manga.

When I come across art in graphic novels I don't like, I usually think it's just not my art taste. But I hate the art in this comic it's awful.

The stories themselves... are okay. Murakami has a bad habit of getting something nice going and then ruining it with the most out of pocket sexual comment, and it's much more noticeable in this format.

[Bahar Hf · Rating 3 out of 5]

هرچند مانگا خوندن من به خیلی وقت پیش برمیگرده و اولین تجربه های من از این نوع ادبیات، مانگای جنایت و مکافات اوسامو تزوکا بود، همون زمانی که شاید این حجم از علاقه به خوندن مانگا و تماشای انیمه یا نبود و یا جلب توجه نمی کرد و فقط توی شماره هایی از نشریه محبوب برادرم، یعنی پیلبان، از مقاله های شروین فضل علی زاده راجبش چیزاهایی می خوندیم و بحث می کردیم، اما شخصا زیاد اهل خوندن مانگا نبوده و نیستم و طرفدار متعصبشم نبودم ولی انکار نمیشه کرد که گاها ایده های ناب و نبوغی در این ادبیات میشه پیدا کرد که پشتوانه ی ادبی قوی هم داره.
اما جدا از این، این نوع قصه گویی سرشار از اقتباس های خوبی از ادبیات جهانه، از جمله همون جنایت و مکافات تزوکا که ازش نام بردم. نمی تونم بگم دوستش داشتم ولی با خودم فکر می کردم این نوع اقتباس با این نوع گرافیک، علی الخصوص امروز، می تونه همیشه مشوق نوجووناباشه که برن اصل اثر رو مطالعه کنن، نوجوونایی که به مانگا علاقه زیادی دارند ولی میلی به خوندن ادبیات جهان نشون نمی دن، چون احتمالا ریتم کند و پر طمانینه ای داره که حوصله شون رو سر میبره .هرچند این فکرم تضمین شده نیست و من از امار نوجوونایی که با خوندن مانگاهای اقتباسی به خوندن آثار اساسی و درجه یک تمایل پیدا کرده باشند، اطلاعی ندارم.
وقتی داشتم مانگای داستانهای کوتاه موراکامی رو می خوندم هم به یاد همین فکرم افتادم... مانگای موراکامی چهار داستان از سه جلد داستان کوتاه موراکامی (بعد از زلزله، نفر هفتم ، کجا می توانم پیدایش کنم) انتخاب کرده و من وقتی دنبال نسخه انگلیسی بودم به دو جلد دیگه ی این مانگا برخورد کردم که احتمالا اگه اشتباه نکنم مجموعا شامل دوازده داستان از موراکامیه که به شکل مانگا در سه جلد ارائه شده. علاوه بر اونچه بهش اشاره کردم (اشنایی و کنجکاو کردن ذهن برای خوندن کتابهای اصلی) نکته ی خوب دیگه ای که این مانگا داشت، توجه به جزییات داستان های کوتاه بود که من قبلتر بهش توجه نکرده بودم و چون تصویری ارایه شده بود، منو شخصا، متوجه ریز جزییاتی از داستان کرد، که باید بهش دقت می کردم و سابقا نکرده بودم. اما از طرف دیگه، ازونجایی که موراکامی استاد دیالوگهای فلسفی - روان شناختیه، بخش های زیادی از دیالوگ بین افراد توی مانگا از دست رفته بود به خصوص در داستان ابر قوباغه و نجات توکیو. ولی در ارائه تصویر ذهنی درست و توجه به توصیفات ریز خیلی خوب عمل کرده.
در آخر اگه با موراکامی آشنا نیستید و تعریفهای زیادی ازش شنیدید و تصمیم دارید موراکامی بخونید، توجه داشته باشید که داستان های موراکامی صرفا جهت سرگرمی نیستند و اگه دنبال قصه گویی به شکل کلاسیک هستید، رئال پسندید، ممکنه بدجوری تو ذوقتون بخوره و حتی از سبک نوشتاری این نویسنده و دنیای جادویی که خلق کرده تا به نظر عادی برسه، منزجر بشید.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not manga. Calling this manga is like calling Ghandi a Bollywood film. It's a western style comic adaptation of Japanese short stories. Pretty ugly art at times with a pen that looked like it was running out of ink. I did like the art of the Super-Frog and of the tidal waves in the final story.

I haven't read the original stories but this did get me interested in reading some of Haruki Murakami work.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a young man in my twenties, I devoured Haruki Murakami. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore, Sputnik Sweetheart, IQ84, and more. Seventeen at last count. The dreamlike fantasies of other worlds, the magical realism, the meticulous prose of the English translations, the lack of plot and the melancholic atmosphere, I found great comfort in reading book after book. And then one day, after the author went past his prime, I started finding them repetitive and I stopped reading. Perhaps my tastes have changed, perhaps they weren’t as sophisticated as I once thought. I like to think my standards have improved, but who knows? In any case, it can’t be denied that Haruki Murakami is among the most successful fiction writers on earth and has had a great impact on literature.

I also happen to be a fan of Japanese manga comics. So therefore, a manga adaptation of Murakami short stories should be right up my alley. I have now finally read Haruki Murakami Manga Stores Volume 1, which adapts the author’s short stories “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo,” “Where I’m Likely to Find It,” “Birthday Girl,” and “The Seventh Man.”

I’m not totally sure these always work, but it’s certainly an interesting idea to adapt these stories into another medium. (There have been several successful film adaptations of his works, in fact.) The term manga in the title, however, does not really lend itself to assumptions about heroic shonen adventures and cutesy anime girls. Perhaps this should be thought of more as artistic indie comics.

The first story, “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo” is a weird tale of a Super-Frog. With a typical Murakami protagonist, a dull businessman/sarariman type having an existential crisis, it’s unclear in the story if the frog is real or just a figment of his imagination. In that way, it’s a good introduction to the vibe of this collection. I also don’t know what to make of it. Is it good literature? Is it just weird for weird’s sake? For more depth, I’d have to read the original prose short story to analyze. The comic version, with decent colorized art, is as confusing as it is anything else.

“Where I’m Likely to Find It” is in black & white, which is more typical for manga, albeit using a bit of color in some scenes in which a mirror seems to show an alternate world. This is what Murakami often writes best, a subtle fantastical mystery without any true resolution. In a sort of neo-noir genre, an amateur investigator explores a staircase to find a missing husband. There’s something of satisfying conclusion, but of course what really happened is never quite explained in the end.

“Birthday Girl” feels different in starring a female character, and probably has the most dynamic art. Maybe it’s clichéd that the main character is a waitress, but it’s suitable for the purposes of the plot. She meets an old man, they have a drink together, and she gets a birthday wish granted which the reader doesn’t get to know. It does inspire imagination, which is ultimately the point of this kind of style.

The final one is “The Seventh Man,” and it is the most haunting of them all. A story-within-a-story, a nameless man speaks about his childhood from a less modern era. There is nothing necessarily supernatural, when he experiences a typhoon and its horrifying aftermath. A childhood friend drowns, which is expressed with sadness and mystification. A good meditation on trauma. Like the rest of the stories, this may not be a good read for everyone. The overlap of Murakami and literary comic readers is rather specific, but for me I’m glad I gave it a try.

[Ali Book World · Rating 4 out of 5]

ورودم به دنیای مانگاهای موراکامی را به خودم و همه‌ی شما تبریک عرض میکنم.
.
داستاتهای کوتاهی که در این کتاب به صورت مانگا در اومدن:
- قورباغه‌ غول پیکر توکیو را نجات میدهد.
- کجا ممکن است پیدایش کنم؟
- هدیه تولد
- نفر هفتم

[Seyed Mohammad Reza Mahdavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستان های مانگا
هاروکی موراکامی
ژان کریستف دونی
تصویرگر پی ام جی ال
ترجمه ی امیر مهدی حقیقت
نشر چشمه
تعداد صفحات : 142

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't have a great track record with Murakami, so why I though his manga would be any better I don't know. I hated the artwork in this - it's scratchy and dark without adding anything particularly of interest to the text. All of thr stories are a bit odd too, with no clear plot line and abrupt endings. I also really don't get Murakami's obsession with adding odd sexualised comments to mundane conversations either. One minute a man is talking to a super frog about saving Tokyo, and then the next he's mentoning he has a tight foreskin. Out of nowhere. Just why?

The only story I have enjoyed was The Seventh Man, which is about a man who is traumatised after a childhood accident involving a friend and a brutal typhoon leading to a lifetime fear of water. However even that was a struggle because there's just no point to the story, and the text itself is brief and fleeting adding no depth to the plot.

Very meh for me.

[Amin Houshmand · Rating 4 out of 5]

تصویرسازی‌های جذاب از داستان‌های موراکامی که هنوز هم اجازه تخیل به ما میدن

[Maryam · Rating 3 out of 5]

یه مانگای بامزه از داستان‌های موراکامی عزیز:")
جزئیات جالبی داشت ولی بازم حس میکنم هیچ‌چیزی اصلِ داستان‌های موراکامی نمیشه، اون جدیت، اصالت و قلم قدرتمند موراکامی که بهت این فضا رو میده تا خودت تصویر سازی کنی.
در کل مطالعه‌ی این مانگا تجربه‌ی خوبی بود، داستان‌هایی که قبلا خوندیم، اینجا تصویر‌سازی شده‌ان تا بهتر و قشنگ‌تر درکشون کنیم.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories read like a Twilight Zone episode. Mental Health is a big theme throughout and they are interesting in a quirky "huh" way. Loved the Super Frog episode and the Birthday Girl. I'm still left with a feeling of incompleteness in regards to the stories even though they each have a resolution it just seems like there's still story to be told, like you're catching something in your peripheral but never head on. It's a weird feeling and worth it on that merit alone. The artwork is very manga but like old school which kind of tracks considering the characters we're reading and seeing. Recommend? Yes. Is it the best? No. But it is interesting and thought provoking.

[Hoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

ترکیب «موراکامی و مانگا» جذاب بود.
قلم و داستان‌های موراکامی رو خیلی دوست دارم و واسه خوندن این کتاب خیلییی هیجان داشتم.
تصویرسازی‌ها هم خوب بودن، ولی نمیدونم اگر داستان‌ها رو قبلا نخونده بودم، این کتاب به تنهایی روایت کاملی از داستان‌ها داشت یا نه.

[Paria · Rating 3 out of 5]

اولین مانگایی بود که در زندگیم خوندم. جالب بود ولی داستان‌ها ته نداشت (؟)

[Nilo0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

خیلی جالب و بانمک بود. نمی‌دونستم هاروکی موراکامی مانگا هم داره.
داستان اول بانمک بود، دومی معمایی‌طور بود، سومی اجتماعی و چهارمی تلخ و غمگین.

تصویرسازیش خیلی قوی و قشنگه. حتی کوچک‌ترین حرکات و صداها رو هم آورده.
اینجور تنوع داستات در مانگا رو خیلی دوست داشتم و تجربه خوبی بود.

[Nique 💫 chroniqled ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you are a fan of Murakami and comics, you are sure to enjoy his short stories in manga form.

this was quite an entertaining read for me. i had to keep myself from finishing it all in one sitting!! so i limited myself to one story a day hehe

i loved how the art style kept changing, and suited each story uniquely. if you’ve read the actual short stories, you would have a lot of fun trying to spot the little details in the comic panels from the original text 🥰 it took me a while to get through each story because of this 😌

one of my favourite Murakami short stories ever is Super Frog Saves Tokyo— i find it so hilarious and i was so glad to see it had been turned into a manga, since i am also a manga reader.

in this collection, though, if i had to choose a favourite, it would be The Seventh Man. this story, told in comic style, managed to evoke such a melancholic feel, as if i, the reader, was going to be sucked into the storm as well (you would know what i mean if you’ve read this story, or are planning to).

all in all, i give this book 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
do take note i might be biased because i am am Murakami superfan HAHAHA so i am speaking to all the fans like me out there as well: this is a MUST READ ✋🏻🥹 now i’m itching to reread Murakami’s short story collections now ✊🏼😩

this baby will be out on October 24th!! ♥️

thank you so much to @tuttlepublishing for giving me this gorgeous copy 🥰✨ #niquereviews #harukimurakami #tuttlepublishing

[Ryhne · Rating 3 out of 5]

با شناختی که از موراکامی دارم به نظرم خط های داستانیش میتونست قوی تر باشه
اما چون خود داستان هارو به طور مستقل (نه در قالب مانگا) نخوندم نمیتونم نظر قطعی بدم
با همه اینها، طراحی های بامزه ای داشت؛ تجربه خوبی بود.

[Zahra Pakdel · Rating 3 out of 5]

این نمره رو در واقع به نقاشی‌های کتاب دادم و نه به داستان‌های آقای موراکامی که خیلی زیبان.

[Dominika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a unique and cool collection of supernaturally-themed short stories, rendered in graphic novel form in detailed and engaging art. This one has appeal even for those who aren't normally fans of manga--with its large color artwork and Western-style reading format, there's less of a learning curve for American readers.

[Zsa Zsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a head scratcher.
I’ll probably reread it soon.
The second one is coming out April 8th.
Can’t wait to read that one.

[Tom Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed these, even though they lose quite a lot of Murakami's magic in being adapted as graphic novels. Super Frog works well, as does Seventh Man, the other two less so with all their unresolved mystery and enigmatic endings.

[Nicoleta-Letiția · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeing what I've read is literally one of the most wonderful and pleasing things in life for me, so this book brought me so much joy.
It's a quick and enjoyable read. Might also be a good option if you got into a reading slump.
One thing that is a bit unclear for me is why they decided to leave the "manga" in the title? As far as I know, manga is actually written from back to front. These stories are adapted for the English readers and are depicted from front to back, just like normal comics. In any case, this is just an observation, as in the end this doesn't really matter because the book is still fantastic.

[آرزو · Rating 3 out of 5]

نمی‌دونم راستش. نه خیلی لذت بردم نه خیلی ناامیدم کرد. درکل به‌نظرم موراکامی رمان‌نویس بهتریه تا داستان‌ کوتاه‌نویس.

[Sahel.hn · Rating 3 out of 5]

انگار زیاد با موراکامی ارتباط نمی‌گیرم (؟)... ولی خود مانگا و تصویرسازی‌هاشو دوست داشتم

[Pawarut Jongsirirag · Rating 4 out of 5]

ชอบเล่มนี้มากกว่าเล่ม 2

ชอบงานภาพมากเลย มันไปด้วยกันดีกับเรื่องสั้นของลุงมู ที่ก็แปลกแหวกแนวแทบทุกเรื่อง พอภาพมันเสริมและขับเน้นความแปลกเข้าไปอีกตลบ ความแปลกที่แทรกอยู่ในเรื่องสั้นเลยชัดขึ้น และทำเสพเรื่องราวได้อิ่มเอมกว่าแค่อ่านจากตัวอักษรไปซะอย่างงั้น

รอเล่มต่อไปอย่างแน่นอนครับ

[KimiCat · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only liked the last story: the seventh man. This story had meaning to me whereas the other ones were either meaningless or had mentions of perverse thoughts that didn’t fit in the story. This is my first time with this author

[eci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not much of a manga or a comic book person, obviously I bought this purely because of Murakami. Frog was adorable though lol