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69
It's summer of 1969, and Kensuke Yazaki is seventeen and interested in everything: the Rolling Stones, Rimbaud, the Velvet Underground, French New Wave, Jimi Hendrix, political protest and Janis Joplin, all of which is happening in a long way away. But Kensuke and his friends are going to bring 1969 to their provincial Japanese city, start a dissident movement, barricade their school, make a film, stage a festival. Not for the sake of art or politics, for a much better reason, for the only real reason. To impress girls.
Murakami's uncharacteristically sweet, semi-autobiographical account of an exciting time to be an exciting age, Sixty-Nine is funny and affectionate, brimful of passion, and as irrepressible as the brilliant brazen smartass Kensuke himself.
Murakami's uncharacteristically sweet, semi-autobiographical account of an exciting time to be an exciting age, Sixty-Nine is funny and affectionate, brimful of passion, and as irrepressible as the brilliant brazen smartass Kensuke himself.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
101 people are currently reading
5442 people want to read
About the author
Ryū Murakami
255 books3,693 followersRyū Murakami (村上 龍) is a Japanese novelist and filmmaker. He is not related to Haruki Murakami or Takashi Murakami.
Murakami's first work, the short novel Almost Transparent Blue, written while he was still a student, deals with promiscuity and drug use among disaffected Japanese youth. Critically acclaimed as a new style of literature, it won the newcomer's literature prize in 1976 despite some observers decrying it as decadent. Later the same year, Blue won the Akutagawa Prize, going on to become a best seller. In 1980, Murakami published the much longer novel Coin Locker Babies, again to critical acclaim.
Takashi Miike's feature film Audition (1999) was based on one of his novels. Murakami reportedly liked it so much he gave Miike his blessing to adapt Coin Locker Babies. The screen play was worked on by director Jordan Galland. However, Miike could not raise funding for the project. An adaptation directed by Michele Civetta is currently in production.
Murakami has played drums for a rock group called Coelacanth and hosted a TV talk show.
Murakami's first work, the short novel Almost Transparent Blue, written while he was still a student, deals with promiscuity and drug use among disaffected Japanese youth. Critically acclaimed as a new style of literature, it won the newcomer's literature prize in 1976 despite some observers decrying it as decadent. Later the same year, Blue won the Akutagawa Prize, going on to become a best seller. In 1980, Murakami published the much longer novel Coin Locker Babies, again to critical acclaim.
Takashi Miike's feature film Audition (1999) was based on one of his novels. Murakami reportedly liked it so much he gave Miike his blessing to adapt Coin Locker Babies. The screen play was worked on by director Jordan Galland. However, Miike could not raise funding for the project. An adaptation directed by Michele Civetta is currently in production.
Murakami has played drums for a rock group called Coelacanth and hosted a TV talk show.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 358 reviews
July 25, 2020
”With a hundred and fifty yen I could have had a bowl of noodles, milk, a curried bun, a melon roll, and a jelly doughnut. But I always made do with one bun--no milk--and saved the rest of my money to spend on books by Sartre, Genet, Celine, Camus, Bataille, Anatole France, and Kenzaburo Oe.
In a pig’s ass.
What I really needed the cash for was to go to coffee shops and discos where I could hit up on loose chicks from Junwa Girls High, a school with a FOX RATIO of over twenty percent.”
I laughed out loud when I read the passage above. Ryu Murakami set me up nicely. The saliva was increasing in my mouth just thinking about spending the rest of the novel with a character that loved the writers on that list. We soon learn our narrator knows what he should know about, like even being able to list prestigious authors like these, but doesn’t really know their books. He gives this inspiring speech about the films of Godard, but we learn that he has never seen a Godard film. His gift is the ability to stretch his thin knowledge into something that sounds like he is an expert. His name is Kensuke Yazaki, and people call him Kensuke, Ken-san, Ken-chan, Ken-yan, Ken-bo, and Ken-Ken. It is a constant battle for him to get people to just call him Ken.
He might be slightly ahead of the curve on the one name designation, like Picasso, or Sting, or Plato.
He is really just trying to get laid. It’s 1969, the summer of love, and love of any form has totally eluded him. He comes up with a scheme for a summer festival, to make money, but also to convince the most beautiful girl in the school, Hiroko Nagato, to be a part of it. He has a Scooby gang. Adama is the smartest member of the group who quickly determines that Ken is not only selfish but willing to do anything to get what he wants. ”Yeah, but listen, Adama, maybe it’s because there’s people like me that the human race has progressed this far.”
Ken sparks a minor rebellion at the school that quickly gets out of hand. He really is just doing it for attention rather than for some higher ideal, but he soon finds himself the poster child of a troubled youth. The more trouble Ken finds himself in, the more Hiroko seems interested in him. Thus, he is learning an important rule of seduction and being seduced...girls kinda dig bad boys.
This novel is somewhat autobiographical, and it certainly has that feel of nonfiction/fiction fusion. The unreliable narrator is great. The humor is unexpected and hip. Music plays a huge part with this group of kids like it does with any generation. You can be poor or rich, but everyone has access to a radio, making music something that anyone can make a connection with. They share albums. They sit around together listening to music, defining their lives by the lyrics.
I kept expecting the novelist, Ryu Murakami, to show up with a splash of gore or with some graphic description of an unusual sex act, but he shows untypical restraint. I talked to some of my friends who have read this book, many years ago, and they described it as haunting. Maybe it is the coming of age aspect of the book. Maybe it is the way it reminds us of who we were at that time in our lives and the friends who used to have so much influence on our lives then who are no longer in our lives. I like lines like this: ”In the end, what really mattered to her was, as she herself put it, ‘living life like the sound of Brian Jones’s harpsichord.’”
I can dig that.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten and an Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/jeffreykeeten/
In a pig’s ass.
What I really needed the cash for was to go to coffee shops and discos where I could hit up on loose chicks from Junwa Girls High, a school with a FOX RATIO of over twenty percent.”
I laughed out loud when I read the passage above. Ryu Murakami set me up nicely. The saliva was increasing in my mouth just thinking about spending the rest of the novel with a character that loved the writers on that list. We soon learn our narrator knows what he should know about, like even being able to list prestigious authors like these, but doesn’t really know their books. He gives this inspiring speech about the films of Godard, but we learn that he has never seen a Godard film. His gift is the ability to stretch his thin knowledge into something that sounds like he is an expert. His name is Kensuke Yazaki, and people call him Kensuke, Ken-san, Ken-chan, Ken-yan, Ken-bo, and Ken-Ken. It is a constant battle for him to get people to just call him Ken.
He might be slightly ahead of the curve on the one name designation, like Picasso, or Sting, or Plato.
He is really just trying to get laid. It’s 1969, the summer of love, and love of any form has totally eluded him. He comes up with a scheme for a summer festival, to make money, but also to convince the most beautiful girl in the school, Hiroko Nagato, to be a part of it. He has a Scooby gang. Adama is the smartest member of the group who quickly determines that Ken is not only selfish but willing to do anything to get what he wants. ”Yeah, but listen, Adama, maybe it’s because there’s people like me that the human race has progressed this far.”
Ken sparks a minor rebellion at the school that quickly gets out of hand. He really is just doing it for attention rather than for some higher ideal, but he soon finds himself the poster child of a troubled youth. The more trouble Ken finds himself in, the more Hiroko seems interested in him. Thus, he is learning an important rule of seduction and being seduced...girls kinda dig bad boys.
This novel is somewhat autobiographical, and it certainly has that feel of nonfiction/fiction fusion. The unreliable narrator is great. The humor is unexpected and hip. Music plays a huge part with this group of kids like it does with any generation. You can be poor or rich, but everyone has access to a radio, making music something that anyone can make a connection with. They share albums. They sit around together listening to music, defining their lives by the lyrics.
I kept expecting the novelist, Ryu Murakami, to show up with a splash of gore or with some graphic description of an unusual sex act, but he shows untypical restraint. I talked to some of my friends who have read this book, many years ago, and they described it as haunting. Maybe it is the coming of age aspect of the book. Maybe it is the way it reminds us of who we were at that time in our lives and the friends who used to have so much influence on our lives then who are no longer in our lives. I like lines like this: ”In the end, what really mattered to her was, as she herself put it, ‘living life like the sound of Brian Jones’s harpsichord.’”
I can dig that.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten and an Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/jeffreykeeten/
August 28, 2025
This is Ryu's Norwegian Wood: Like Haruki Murakami's classic, it was first published in 1987, and both texts introduce a thirtysomething narrator who looks back on his youth which was spent during the countercultural 1960's. In "69", 17-year-old Ken and his friends Adama and Iwase want to bring the revolutionary spirit to their hometown of Sasebo, and it shows that while Haruki is the jazzy dude, Ryu is the punk rocker: His protagonists are certainly no introverts, and they are not well-versed in theoretical questions or particularly well-organized, but it's their determination to gain agency, to do it themselves, to stick it to the man, to let their imagination reign supreme that drives them to action. They feel antsy, they want something to happen, so they are trying to render their lives exciting - and get some girls. Ken's main object of desire: Beautiful theater kid Lady Jane.
Ken and his friends decide to make a movie and organize a festival, but before they tackle these ideas, they barricade their high school and decorate it with mostly random political slogans - to the dismay of the principal and the local police. They are naive agents of chaos, endearing in their longing to disrupt the peace, to evade complacency and boredom. They are children afraid to grow up to become what they see as adult role models around them. And what makes the story particularly sweet (please note how unusual this adjective is when generally describing Ryu's work!) is that many adults around them, especially Ken's dad, seem to understand their urging, and partly seem to agree in their exasperation with the world that surrounds them.
Much like Norwegian Wood is a very atypical Haruki, this is a very suprising Ryu - but while "Norwegian Wood" is somehow my favorite Haruki, or at least the most emotionally effective IMHO, "69", while a solid, funny, endearing story, lacks what renders Ryu so special: His fearless attitude towards shock and awe, his tendency to wrap up social criticism in sex and gore. And I miss that - which probably says a lot about me! :-)
Ken and his friends decide to make a movie and organize a festival, but before they tackle these ideas, they barricade their high school and decorate it with mostly random political slogans - to the dismay of the principal and the local police. They are naive agents of chaos, endearing in their longing to disrupt the peace, to evade complacency and boredom. They are children afraid to grow up to become what they see as adult role models around them. And what makes the story particularly sweet (please note how unusual this adjective is when generally describing Ryu's work!) is that many adults around them, especially Ken's dad, seem to understand their urging, and partly seem to agree in their exasperation with the world that surrounds them.
Much like Norwegian Wood is a very atypical Haruki, this is a very suprising Ryu - but while "Norwegian Wood" is somehow my favorite Haruki, or at least the most emotionally effective IMHO, "69", while a solid, funny, endearing story, lacks what renders Ryu so special: His fearless attitude towards shock and awe, his tendency to wrap up social criticism in sex and gore. And I miss that - which probably says a lot about me! :-)
June 5, 2010
When it comes to dizzying collections of words, Ryu Murakami has long been the writer most likely to make me wretch with glee. He's a Level 3 sensory offender, twiddling away at a reader's gag reflex just because he can. There is a scene in his novel "In The Miso Soup," (my favorite) that is so engraved in my brain that it has almost become a permanent ear worm. The depravity and desperation of "Almost Transparent Blue" have stuck with me for more than a decade. His novel "Coin Locker Babies" opens with such a shocking sentence that it's a wonder anyone makes it to Page 2 -- unfortunately.
But with "69," his roman a clef about a posse of restless, political, literary, music-loving teens noodling away at Simon & Garfunkle's greatest hits on a guitar and talkin' about a revolution, Murakami takes his best tool and hides it in a garage for the duration of the novel.
This is to say, I didn't almost barf once.
Kensuke Yazaki is a trouble-maker, the only son of school teachers, a Pisces, an egomaniac. A romantic reading Rimbaud. He's inspired by the political movements around him, and sets out to create his own. Shake things up at his school, which he sees a mindless farm that churns out person after identical person. He borrows blue prints from pre-existing movements and organizes a faction of students to help him make statements: On one occasion they set up a barricade at the school, paint naughty graffiti all over the walls, coax a timid hanger-on to release an epic dump on the principal's desk. This is part of a greater project: The Morning Erection Festival, during which he will show an original film starring some of the local high school hotties.
Much of this is to get the attention of a girl in his class, whom he refers to as "Lady Jane." And, readers, she falls for it.
This book is to cute, what "In the Miso Soup" is to chilling. (Some people like to attach a "Catcher in the Rye"-like quantifier to it which is a bit of a stretch). In its best moments, Kensuke is 100 percent false bravado, quaking at the puckered lips in front of him. The last 10 pages are pretty adorable, surprisingly.
But with "69," his roman a clef about a posse of restless, political, literary, music-loving teens noodling away at Simon & Garfunkle's greatest hits on a guitar and talkin' about a revolution, Murakami takes his best tool and hides it in a garage for the duration of the novel.
This is to say, I didn't almost barf once.
Kensuke Yazaki is a trouble-maker, the only son of school teachers, a Pisces, an egomaniac. A romantic reading Rimbaud. He's inspired by the political movements around him, and sets out to create his own. Shake things up at his school, which he sees a mindless farm that churns out person after identical person. He borrows blue prints from pre-existing movements and organizes a faction of students to help him make statements: On one occasion they set up a barricade at the school, paint naughty graffiti all over the walls, coax a timid hanger-on to release an epic dump on the principal's desk. This is part of a greater project: The Morning Erection Festival, during which he will show an original film starring some of the local high school hotties.
Much of this is to get the attention of a girl in his class, whom he refers to as "Lady Jane." And, readers, she falls for it.
This book is to cute, what "In the Miso Soup" is to chilling. (Some people like to attach a "Catcher in the Rye"-like quantifier to it which is a bit of a stretch). In its best moments, Kensuke is 100 percent false bravado, quaking at the puckered lips in front of him. The last 10 pages are pretty adorable, surprisingly.
January 16, 2016
I imagine that if Ryū and Haruki were classmates in high school, silly Haruki will be the sidekick of smartass Ryū. Ryū will be the bully who will initiate Haruki to Rimbaud and rock music and Camus. And the disciple Haruki will suck it all in and intellectually surpass the impulsive Ryū. But Ryū will not care so much. He already had a streak of enfant terribleness in him. I’m kind of describing the plot here.
The similarities between the two Murakamis are obvious, at least with Haruki’s early books and this one of Ryū’s. They both have written angsty novels. That is to say, silly coming-of-age stories. They both mention a lot of songs in their texts. As if by mere mention of the songs' title, you hear the soundtrack playing. I like 69 very much. Its humor is loud funny, constantly bluffing, un-literary. It’s not overdone. Haruki’s humor, for his part, is serious and delivered with a straight face. Haruki is deadpan. The kind of joke that's not spontaneous but can also be rewarding if you're into it. I'll read more of both.
This book is published by Kodansha. Kodansha books have nice covers and are so prettily bound they resemble yummy candies with chewy covers. The jacket over paperbacks: a good waste of trees.
The similarities between the two Murakamis are obvious, at least with Haruki’s early books and this one of Ryū’s. They both have written angsty novels. That is to say, silly coming-of-age stories. They both mention a lot of songs in their texts. As if by mere mention of the songs' title, you hear the soundtrack playing. I like 69 very much. Its humor is loud funny, constantly bluffing, un-literary. It’s not overdone. Haruki’s humor, for his part, is serious and delivered with a straight face. Haruki is deadpan. The kind of joke that's not spontaneous but can also be rewarding if you're into it. I'll read more of both.
This book is published by Kodansha. Kodansha books have nice covers and are so prettily bound they resemble yummy candies with chewy covers. The jacket over paperbacks: a good waste of trees.
June 16, 2017
Rate: 4/5
Gần đây tôi đọc sách mà không coi trước mấy về mấy thứ giới thiệu này nọ, một phần tránh bị spoil, phần nữa là để tạo sự bất ngờ cho mình khi đọc.
69.
Tôi biết mọi người nghĩ gì về con số này. Ryu vốn lại chẳng chuyên viết về mấy thứ trần trụi như thế còn gì.
Nhưng không, không nhé.
Lúc nãy đọc hết xong tới phần phụ lục cuối, thấy nhận xét đây là cuốn sách tươi sáng nhất của Ryu mới giật mình gật gù đồng ý. Lâu rồi đọc văn học Nhật mới có một cuốn không chết chóc, đọc lại buồn cười, nhân vật chính thì kiểu cách như trong Bắt trẻ đồng xanh bước ra, còn nội dung thì như truyện của Cửu Bả Đao.
Tôi hay thấy tiếc vì tuổi trẻ mình không đủ dũng cảm điên cuồng được như thế. Oanh liệt như vậy thì sau này nhớ lại vui phải biết.
Gần đây tôi đọc sách mà không coi trước mấy về mấy thứ giới thiệu này nọ, một phần tránh bị spoil, phần nữa là để tạo sự bất ngờ cho mình khi đọc.
69.
Tôi biết mọi người nghĩ gì về con số này. Ryu vốn lại chẳng chuyên viết về mấy thứ trần trụi như thế còn gì.
Nhưng không, không nhé.
Lúc nãy đọc hết xong tới phần phụ lục cuối, thấy nhận xét đây là cuốn sách tươi sáng nhất của Ryu mới giật mình gật gù đồng ý. Lâu rồi đọc văn học Nhật mới có một cuốn không chết chóc, đọc lại buồn cười, nhân vật chính thì kiểu cách như trong Bắt trẻ đồng xanh bước ra, còn nội dung thì như truyện của Cửu Bả Đao.
Tôi hay thấy tiếc vì tuổi trẻ mình không đủ dũng cảm điên cuồng được như thế. Oanh liệt như vậy thì sau này nhớ lại vui phải biết.
April 25, 2015
This one really spoke to me!
I'll write more about it after the end of the readathon.
I'll write more about it after the end of the readathon.
July 21, 2020
She asked me if I had ever read 69 by Ryu Murakami, of course I hadn't but I didn't want her to know that. I did know of Haruki Murakami so I proudly made a remark comparing the two authors to sound smart, I bet nobody has ever made that connection I thought to myself, surely she will be impressed by this.
June 13, 2013
I originally read two of Ryu Murakami’s books after buying them in a Roppongi (Tokyo) bookstore. Almost Transparent Blue (his first) and Coin Locker Babies are paperbacks that I have boxed in storage from those trips of the mid-90s. Much to my delight the same bookstore was still in business when I visited in December 2011, but a favorite bakery (pan-ya) and music shop have disappeared.
Although I’ve know of it for many years, for some reason I never read 69 (or do not recall that I did). I don’t even remember if I bought it and just never opened the pages. Like Almost Transparent Blue, it’s not a long work but definitely reads easier and faster than the other two. Given the pseudo-autobiographical nature of his first novel, the reader assumes a lot of familiarity with the author. How much is true or invented is never quite told (unless it is in later author notes or blogs which I have not read).
69, on the other hand, is a more clearly autobiographical work with a more linear and digestible structure. The copy that I read had occasional words or phrases printed in a bold and larger font. I haven’t gone back to see if they form a specific “meta” phrase or sentence, but I will before returning it to the BPL.
Like his first novel, the existence of American troops in Japan is part of the story. While the number of military bases has been reduced in the past few decades, during his youth there were still significant numbers of troops due to the Korean and then Vietnamese Wars. (Today, there are still several bases on the island of Okinawa.)
The story takes place in Sasebo, Kyushu prefecture. I’ve been to Kyushu (the southernmost main island), but to work in the area near Beppu. It’s a very beautiful agricultural landscape with endless terraced fields and rice paddies (even in the heavy rains of June & July): it was and may still be the highest per-capital rice producer in Japan. I’ve never been to his hometown or the other areas named in the book. Even the factory areas that I did go to were extremely picturesque and photogenic.
The action covers the eighteen months when the protagonist and his friends are mid-term Juniors thru Seniors. As in his other books, the story is very strong - immediately grabbing and holding your attention. This is achieved by language, structure, and pacing. (The language is of course carried through by the translator’s efforts, as I read the English-language version.) His words are carefully chosen for their impact, but rush by as if in a flood. This makes the book a fast read (one day) while leaving strong images in the reader’s mind.
There are many coming-of-age novels, but Muarakami’s have been more powerful and longer-lasting. In the past year I have re-read Almost Transparent Blue and now read 69 and despite their age (37 and 26 years, respectively) they remain string and poignant tales. It is not the ground-breaking work that his earlier work was (or even Coin Locker Babies), but it deserves Four Stars (4.0). I hope you like it, too.
Note: If you have never read 69 (or any of this novels), I suggest starting with 69 and then reading Almost Transparent Blue saving Coin Locker Babies for after these two. Doing so may lessen the impact of the earlier work, but it will give you a sense of the author’s style and creativity that may help you ride the more experimental work.
July 16, 2017
Lý do mua sách:
"Nakamura này", tôi nói, "cậu có nghĩ là có một ý thức hệ nào trong cục cứt không?"
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
November 10, 2018
The author has created a Japanese Holden Caulfield of a hero whose escapades illuminate life out in the sticks of Kyushu, in 1969. The voice is great and the honesty of the self-serving character (he was only really interested in doing student barricades and protesting the Vietnam War to impress a girl and get his rocks off). My only criticism is that there isn't a great deal going on in the way of plot. So, I wasn't really surprised to read that it's a largely autobiographical novel. Good stuff, if not great.
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July 14, 2018
Very cute and funny. Kids, eh?
Bits:
"Like most cigarette shops, this one was equipped with an old lady who you weren't quite sure was still alive."
"I asked Adama why the lighting in Japanese buildings was so bad, and he said it was because the Japanese were hopeless sex fiends."
"We all sighed. What could be more pathetic than a dried-up, saggy-assed, war widow PE teacher with two thousand five hundred yen in her wallet?"
"'Ken-san, it was you who wrote "To arms" on the library wall, wasn't it?'
'Yeah, that was me.'
'You got the kanji wrong.'
'Eh?'
'You used the one for "exams" instead of "arms". Everybody was talking about it. They said it couldn't have been a Northern student because if anybody here was that stupid, all they'd need to find out who did it would be a kanji test.'"
"You could hardly expect a seventeen-year-old kid who'd learned about Led Zeppelin and Jean Genet and doggy style to be happy about being stuck in a town like that."
"The class was English Grammar. The little gnome giving it was baring his gums as he read out sample sentences. His pronunciation was awful. It didn't sound like English at all; it was a language spoken and understood only in the teachers' rooms of high schools in provincial Japanese cities. I could imagine this guy in London - they'd think he was mumbling some inscrutable Oriental curse."
"The bus was nearly empty. Apart from gifted, sensitive Simon-and-Garfunkel fans like ourselves, the only people likely to go to the beach on Christmas Eve were broke, defeated families who, unable to make it through New Year's, had decided to kill themselves."
Bits:
"Like most cigarette shops, this one was equipped with an old lady who you weren't quite sure was still alive."
"I asked Adama why the lighting in Japanese buildings was so bad, and he said it was because the Japanese were hopeless sex fiends."
"We all sighed. What could be more pathetic than a dried-up, saggy-assed, war widow PE teacher with two thousand five hundred yen in her wallet?"
"'Ken-san, it was you who wrote "To arms" on the library wall, wasn't it?'
'Yeah, that was me.'
'You got the kanji wrong.'
'Eh?'
'You used the one for "exams" instead of "arms". Everybody was talking about it. They said it couldn't have been a Northern student because if anybody here was that stupid, all they'd need to find out who did it would be a kanji test.'"
"You could hardly expect a seventeen-year-old kid who'd learned about Led Zeppelin and Jean Genet and doggy style to be happy about being stuck in a town like that."
"The class was English Grammar. The little gnome giving it was baring his gums as he read out sample sentences. His pronunciation was awful. It didn't sound like English at all; it was a language spoken and understood only in the teachers' rooms of high schools in provincial Japanese cities. I could imagine this guy in London - they'd think he was mumbling some inscrutable Oriental curse."
"The bus was nearly empty. Apart from gifted, sensitive Simon-and-Garfunkel fans like ourselves, the only people likely to go to the beach on Christmas Eve were broke, defeated families who, unable to make it through New Year's, had decided to kill themselves."
April 29, 2025
Pop literature from another time and culture. While reading, I was reminded of reading similar literature from German writers Stuckrad-Barre or Kracht during the 90's. Tales of growing up, constant name dropping of music, authors, brands. Hedonistic pleasures and a critical look at the mediocrity of the masses.
There are differences though, the comparison is limping. 69 is written by Murakami (not Haruki) 18 years later in 1987. And the protagonist is 17 at the time which unsurprisingly is 1969. He might be Murakami himself, we won't know though to which degree. Maybe, more than we would think.
Those were revolutionary times. Even in Japan, as it seems which is surprising for me. The kids dreamt of breaking out of the binds of society. Learning to become accepted at a reputed university, studying to become another salaryman. Japan was even more authoritarian than the Western societies. Teachers regularly were beating pupils, straight humiliation was common. Ken, our hero, doesn't accept those limitations. He uses all available means for his own benefit. He plays in a band, he networks with all groups, he engages with political groups and sets up his own festival with self-produced movies and a theater piece. But as was common during my youth, his youth and probably even today, the one thing that was the biggest motivation of all was to get laid.
A fun quick read, referred to as a cult book in the blurb. A coming-of-age story with a rebellious twist and an interesting glimpse into a time when the cool kids in Japan mostly were into French nouvelle vague, French fiction and American jazz.
There are differences though, the comparison is limping. 69 is written by Murakami (not Haruki) 18 years later in 1987. And the protagonist is 17 at the time which unsurprisingly is 1969. He might be Murakami himself, we won't know though to which degree. Maybe, more than we would think.
Those were revolutionary times. Even in Japan, as it seems which is surprising for me. The kids dreamt of breaking out of the binds of society. Learning to become accepted at a reputed university, studying to become another salaryman. Japan was even more authoritarian than the Western societies. Teachers regularly were beating pupils, straight humiliation was common. Ken, our hero, doesn't accept those limitations. He uses all available means for his own benefit. He plays in a band, he networks with all groups, he engages with political groups and sets up his own festival with self-produced movies and a theater piece. But as was common during my youth, his youth and probably even today, the one thing that was the biggest motivation of all was to get laid.
A fun quick read, referred to as a cult book in the blurb. A coming-of-age story with a rebellious twist and an interesting glimpse into a time when the cool kids in Japan mostly were into French nouvelle vague, French fiction and American jazz.
July 1, 2023
Ho un debole per i libri di Murakami Ryu, mi è sempre piaciuto come scrive e anche i temi che tratta: le critiche alla società giapponese moderna e alle tradizioni scolastiche ma anche le descrizioni che fa della società giapponese nel periodo post guerra, specialmente nelle aree vicine alle basi militari americane. Rispetto ad altri suoi lavori bisogna ammettere che questo è molto più 'leggero' e decisamente molto divertente. Il protagonista spesso vorresti prenderlo a schiaffi ma è sicuramente un personaggio!!!
August 16, 2021
Absolutely loved this book.
So so much like Bret Easton Ellis.
Loved the story about the Yakuza date and his other "first" escapades.
This book is literally like a mashup of Haruki Murakami and Bret Easton Ellis. Couldn't be more perfect. So many bits about music in this book, and so much coming of age and sociology.
This might be my favorite Ryu book yet.
I love how the narrative keeps breaking what I thought was real, and he goes "just kidding", "this is what really happened". Outstanding writing.
I enjoyed "the mission". Good social commentary on becoming an adult and rejecting normal life.
The police investigation part was intense. I felt like I was there with him. Really well written.
I liked this book's message, and story.
I loved the book's "missions". The preparations for the school play was outstanding.
4.9/5
So so much like Bret Easton Ellis.
Loved the story about the Yakuza date and his other "first" escapades.
This book is literally like a mashup of Haruki Murakami and Bret Easton Ellis. Couldn't be more perfect. So many bits about music in this book, and so much coming of age and sociology.
This might be my favorite Ryu book yet.
I love how the narrative keeps breaking what I thought was real, and he goes "just kidding", "this is what really happened". Outstanding writing.
I enjoyed "the mission". Good social commentary on becoming an adult and rejecting normal life.
The police investigation part was intense. I felt like I was there with him. Really well written.
I liked this book's message, and story.
I loved the book's "missions". The preparations for the school play was outstanding.
4.9/5
July 31, 2022
the more mysoginistic, racist and predatory japanese version of holden caulfield. with the main character’s selfishness and performative woke “ideals” embraced in order to impress a girl (because what other mysoginistic narrative could be more widely used by writers that try so hard to make the reader empathise with their shitty, one-dimensional main character by using a “bewildered” teenage boy as an alibi for justifying problematic behaviors towards women?) I couldn’t find a single thing I liked about this story.
not to comment on the fact that our 17 year old protagonist describes his sister’s 6th grader friend as “strangely sexy” and accounts his daydreaming of her ,,budding breasts”.
just very problematic and shallow overall
not to comment on the fact that our 17 year old protagonist describes his sister’s 6th grader friend as “strangely sexy” and accounts his daydreaming of her ,,budding breasts”.
just very problematic and shallow overall
May 22, 2009
This book concludes my 5 book marathon of Japanese authors. During this stretch I read two other books by Ryu Murakami and this one couldn't have been more different. There weren't any ice picks, murders, sex or graphic violence to be found in this book. Murakami shows that his talent does not lie solely in the violence and insanity of Piercing and In the Miso Soup.
It is a story of a boy's 17th year set in 1969. It is filled with the usual coming of age tropes but never comes off as stale and is brought to us from a Japanese perspective. It was heartfelt, entertaining and a worthwhile read. If you are interested in seeing the softer side of Ryu Murakami than this is the book for you.
It is a story of a boy's 17th year set in 1969. It is filled with the usual coming of age tropes but never comes off as stale and is brought to us from a Japanese perspective. It was heartfelt, entertaining and a worthwhile read. If you are interested in seeing the softer side of Ryu Murakami than this is the book for you.
January 21, 2008
Ryu Murakami, 69 (Kodansha, 1987)
Murakami (no relation to Wind-Up Bird author Haruki Murakami, by the way) is (or bloody well should be) best known in the west for writing the novel upon which Takashi Miike's most astounding film, Audition, is based. (It has recently been translated into English. Miike fans, rejoice.) He first came to the attention of the horror underground, though, with a book called Coin Locker Babies, which, as it turns out, is very difficult to find these days. In fact, I put in a request for it at the library and instead ended up with this odd, fun, rather beguiling little novel instead. (Coin Locker Babies is still, it seems, missing in action. I put in another request for it. We'll see what happens.)
Obviously autobiographical in nature (set in the town where Murakami was born, with a protagonist the same age he was at the time, etc.), but one wonders if any writer this side of Fannie Flagg is capable of writing himself with such a jaundiced eye. Ken Yazaki is seventeen in 1969, utterly bored with school (and horrified at the idea of going on to med school, which he has been studying for), grabbing every attempt he can to latch himself into the American-inspired underground culture, and the most unreliable narrator this side of the guy sitting next to you at the lunch counter telling you about the five-foot bass that got away. In order to facilitate getting laid, he and his best friend, Iwase, decide they want to put on an avant-garde festival (Americans old enough to remember the sixties, think "happening" here); music, film, drama, art, poetry, you name it. To this end, Ken ropes in a serious, diplomatic chap named Adama, and the three of them set out to start making music, film, drama, etc. Along the way, they get caught up in the protest of the Vietnam War, leading to an idea to blockade the school.
Most of the time, you just end up shaking your head and wondering what is going through this kid's mind. But as the novel progresses (and this could be used as a textbook for the writing 101 tenet that in order for a book to work, the lead character must change in some way), we get more insight into what's going on in Ken's head. Whether that's because he's discovering it himself or just more willing to reveal his thoughts is left to the reader to decide. As we get more insight into Ken, the book becomes better, so the first few chapters may drag some. Stick with it, this is fun stuff. The plot is just scatterbrained enough to work (and to his credit, once Murakami gets Ken onto one track, he does tend to hold it to its logical conclusion), the characters are engaging, and the book ends up being a lot of fun. Not your usual coming of age tale. ***
Murakami (no relation to Wind-Up Bird author Haruki Murakami, by the way) is (or bloody well should be) best known in the west for writing the novel upon which Takashi Miike's most astounding film, Audition, is based. (It has recently been translated into English. Miike fans, rejoice.) He first came to the attention of the horror underground, though, with a book called Coin Locker Babies, which, as it turns out, is very difficult to find these days. In fact, I put in a request for it at the library and instead ended up with this odd, fun, rather beguiling little novel instead. (Coin Locker Babies is still, it seems, missing in action. I put in another request for it. We'll see what happens.)
Obviously autobiographical in nature (set in the town where Murakami was born, with a protagonist the same age he was at the time, etc.), but one wonders if any writer this side of Fannie Flagg is capable of writing himself with such a jaundiced eye. Ken Yazaki is seventeen in 1969, utterly bored with school (and horrified at the idea of going on to med school, which he has been studying for), grabbing every attempt he can to latch himself into the American-inspired underground culture, and the most unreliable narrator this side of the guy sitting next to you at the lunch counter telling you about the five-foot bass that got away. In order to facilitate getting laid, he and his best friend, Iwase, decide they want to put on an avant-garde festival (Americans old enough to remember the sixties, think "happening" here); music, film, drama, art, poetry, you name it. To this end, Ken ropes in a serious, diplomatic chap named Adama, and the three of them set out to start making music, film, drama, etc. Along the way, they get caught up in the protest of the Vietnam War, leading to an idea to blockade the school.
Most of the time, you just end up shaking your head and wondering what is going through this kid's mind. But as the novel progresses (and this could be used as a textbook for the writing 101 tenet that in order for a book to work, the lead character must change in some way), we get more insight into what's going on in Ken's head. Whether that's because he's discovering it himself or just more willing to reveal his thoughts is left to the reader to decide. As we get more insight into Ken, the book becomes better, so the first few chapters may drag some. Stick with it, this is fun stuff. The plot is just scatterbrained enough to work (and to his credit, once Murakami gets Ken onto one track, he does tend to hold it to its logical conclusion), the characters are engaging, and the book ends up being a lot of fun. Not your usual coming of age tale. ***
September 7, 2011
There are a trillion very concise (and very similar) summaries of Murakami's 69 so I'm going to skip all that and simply say This is a Fun, Fun Book That You Should Read. I was literally on the train laughing out loud as I read this; Ken Yazaki's smartass transparency is both charming and humorous, and I could go for reading a 70 and 71 as well! Ryu Murakami does teenager personality and voice SO well (from my not-a-teenager perspective); one of my favorite characters in Audition so happens to be the teenager (Shige) though the story was more on the horror/murder/crazy person end of things.
While it would be useful for the reader to be a Stones/Beatles/S&G/60's rock fan - or have a really cool friend who can provide you with a fancy schmancy mixed cd - one can completely make do with, say, an internet connection and a Youtube link. I was more familiar with the classical pieces (Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Symphonie Fantastique, etc.) but again, there's plenty of flavor there to make it a good read even if you aren't familiar with all the music/pop culture references.
While it would be useful for the reader to be a Stones/Beatles/S&G/60's rock fan - or have a really cool friend who can provide you with a fancy schmancy mixed cd - one can completely make do with, say, an internet connection and a Youtube link. I was more familiar with the classical pieces (Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Symphonie Fantastique, etc.) but again, there's plenty of flavor there to make it a good read even if you aren't familiar with all the music/pop culture references.
October 14, 2021
both murakamis are infamous for their ill treatments of female characters. but i, somehow, think ryū nails at vengeful woman trope. i’ve watched audition and it’s practically a ‘she did that’ movie.
69, unlike his other works, is entertaining, hilarious, and easy to read. kensuke sounds like a japanese version of holden caulfield, but he’s not whiny and pretentious. he’s a sarcastic smartass who’s interested in music, books, films, and wooing girls. his crush said she was attracted to boys who got involved in barricades and demonstrations. so, he started a dissident movement at his school to impress her. ultimate simp. lol.
i swear i would have rated this higher if i could look past kensuke’s sexist perverted thoughts and the use of some derogatory terms (he’s seventeen and it’s 1969 in japan, but still...) because i love pop culture references, and discussions about politics and education system in this book.
69, unlike his other works, is entertaining, hilarious, and easy to read. kensuke sounds like a japanese version of holden caulfield, but he’s not whiny and pretentious. he’s a sarcastic smartass who’s interested in music, books, films, and wooing girls. his crush said she was attracted to boys who got involved in barricades and demonstrations. so, he started a dissident movement at his school to impress her. ultimate simp. lol.
i swear i would have rated this higher if i could look past kensuke’s sexist perverted thoughts and the use of some derogatory terms (he’s seventeen and it’s 1969 in japan, but still...) because i love pop culture references, and discussions about politics and education system in this book.
January 31, 2022
3 ½⭐
Carino! Spensierato, come dovremmo essere tutti a 17 anni. Ha incomprensibilmente faticato un po' ad ingranare, ma erano scogli miei mentali perché poi fila liscio. Spero sia stata una saggia decisione aver letto questo prima di Blu quasi trasparente che mi aspetta da una vita, dapprincipio in ebook e poi da due anni in cartaceo perché la Atmosphere l'ha ristampato. Ma dopo qualche paginetta non avevo proseguito, ora mi imporrò di affrontarlo. Sono contenta di aver scoperto un nuovo autore appassionato di musica con la M maiuscola e grande cinema. Nel magico 1969
Carino! Spensierato, come dovremmo essere tutti a 17 anni. Ha incomprensibilmente faticato un po' ad ingranare, ma erano scogli miei mentali perché poi fila liscio. Spero sia stata una saggia decisione aver letto questo prima di Blu quasi trasparente che mi aspetta da una vita, dapprincipio in ebook e poi da due anni in cartaceo perché la Atmosphere l'ha ristampato. Ma dopo qualche paginetta non avevo proseguito, ora mi imporrò di affrontarlo. Sono contenta di aver scoperto un nuovo autore appassionato di musica con la M maiuscola e grande cinema. Nel magico 1969
May 7, 2025
An entertaining, sometimes humorous, cleverly written novella. A coming of age story about a seventeen year old living in Sasebo, a small Japanese city in 1969.
Kensuke, now in his early thirties, reflects on his year as a seventeen year old. He writes about his student days, his friends, and how he became involved in a student protest at his school that had negative consequences for himself and those students involved in writing protest slogans on school property. Kensuke as a seventeen year old is shallow, cynical and romantic. He longs to get away from his communities conservatism. Along with his fellow students, he embraces western film, art and music.
I particularly liked the last four pages where the narrator makes brief comments on what happened to all the people that he was involved with in 1969.
Here are some quotes from the book:
‘This was a factory, a sorting house. We were no different from dogs and pigs and cows: all of us were allowed to play when we were small, but then, just before reaching maturity, we were sorted and classified. Being a high school student was the first step toward becoming a domestic animal.’
‘You might be a chicken or a human being, but show a little rebelliousness and the next thing you knew you were all on your own.”
An enjoyable reading experience.
This book was first published in Japanese in 1987.
Kensuke, now in his early thirties, reflects on his year as a seventeen year old. He writes about his student days, his friends, and how he became involved in a student protest at his school that had negative consequences for himself and those students involved in writing protest slogans on school property. Kensuke as a seventeen year old is shallow, cynical and romantic. He longs to get away from his communities conservatism. Along with his fellow students, he embraces western film, art and music.
I particularly liked the last four pages where the narrator makes brief comments on what happened to all the people that he was involved with in 1969.
Here are some quotes from the book:
‘This was a factory, a sorting house. We were no different from dogs and pigs and cows: all of us were allowed to play when we were small, but then, just before reaching maturity, we were sorted and classified. Being a high school student was the first step toward becoming a domestic animal.’
‘You might be a chicken or a human being, but show a little rebelliousness and the next thing you knew you were all on your own.”
An enjoyable reading experience.
This book was first published in Japanese in 1987.
April 25, 2018
Một cuốn tươi sáng của Ryu Mủakami, ít nhất là không tự tử. Thanh niên thất bại trong tình trường và thành công trong chiến dịch tuổi trẻ. Sự phát triển của kinh tế đi kèm với những mặt trái văn hoá, con người cứ chênh vênh giữa mộng và thực, còn hoài niệm về thời áo trắng, dù vui buồn, cũng trong sáng và đẹp đẽ nhất.
Read
September 9, 2025Perfect little book and perhaps the one time you could mistake Ryu Murakami for the other Murakami
December 23, 2020
Recensione completa di Luigi Urru: x
Pubblicato per la prima volta in Giappone nel 1987 e uscito in Italia nel 2019, edito da Atmosphere nella traduzione di Gianluca Coci, 69 SIXTY-NINE di Murakami Ryū è un romanzo intenso e coinvolgente, un manifesto generazionale che ci trasporta nel Giappone di fine anni ’60.
Beh, se questo è il Sessantanove del Giappone non si può certo dire che sia stato un quarantotto, pardon un Sessantotto! Certo, gli episodi non mancarono ma tra quelli che Murakami enumera non uno mostra l’impeto che ebbero il Maggio parigino, gli scontri di Valle Giulia, la primavera di Praga o le manifestazioni contro la guerra in Vietnam.
Piuttosto, atti di insubordinazione oggetto di cronaca locale; riottosità adolescenziali dal respiro corto quanto le notti estive; sceneggiate estemporanee per far colpo sulle compagne di scuola; schermaglie e scaramucce vagamente situazioniste, o forse neanche tali (lo sfoggio di nomi di personalità straniere che punteggia le pagine – da Arthur Rimbaud a Gigliola Cinquetti, da Tagore a Jean-Luc Godard – non contempla Guy Debord); bravate di ragazzi che, alla fine degli anni Sessanta, si destreggiavano come meglio potevano tra noia e scontentezza nelle maglie piuttosto uniformi di una società compatta nel perdurante sogno della crescita, senza scampo per i rari Querdenker che provavano a svegliarla.
Il Sessantanove qui ambientato a Sasebo – città natale di Murakami – è una parodia scimmiottata da studenti un po’ svogliati, provvisti di parole di seconda mano divenute titubanti slogan sul tetto del liceo e, al più, di un improvvisato gusto scatologico da impiegare in atti di irrisione verso il preside. È nient’altro che un ulteriore pezzo di modernità importata, inevitabile come la lavatrice nelle avventure di Sazae-san e come il blues suonato dai marines neri al bar del porto.
Clicca qui per leggere la recensione completa!
Pubblicato per la prima volta in Giappone nel 1987 e uscito in Italia nel 2019, edito da Atmosphere nella traduzione di Gianluca Coci, 69 SIXTY-NINE di Murakami Ryū è un romanzo intenso e coinvolgente, un manifesto generazionale che ci trasporta nel Giappone di fine anni ’60.
Beh, se questo è il Sessantanove del Giappone non si può certo dire che sia stato un quarantotto, pardon un Sessantotto! Certo, gli episodi non mancarono ma tra quelli che Murakami enumera non uno mostra l’impeto che ebbero il Maggio parigino, gli scontri di Valle Giulia, la primavera di Praga o le manifestazioni contro la guerra in Vietnam.
Piuttosto, atti di insubordinazione oggetto di cronaca locale; riottosità adolescenziali dal respiro corto quanto le notti estive; sceneggiate estemporanee per far colpo sulle compagne di scuola; schermaglie e scaramucce vagamente situazioniste, o forse neanche tali (lo sfoggio di nomi di personalità straniere che punteggia le pagine – da Arthur Rimbaud a Gigliola Cinquetti, da Tagore a Jean-Luc Godard – non contempla Guy Debord); bravate di ragazzi che, alla fine degli anni Sessanta, si destreggiavano come meglio potevano tra noia e scontentezza nelle maglie piuttosto uniformi di una società compatta nel perdurante sogno della crescita, senza scampo per i rari Querdenker che provavano a svegliarla.
Il Sessantanove qui ambientato a Sasebo – città natale di Murakami – è una parodia scimmiottata da studenti un po’ svogliati, provvisti di parole di seconda mano divenute titubanti slogan sul tetto del liceo e, al più, di un improvvisato gusto scatologico da impiegare in atti di irrisione verso il preside. È nient’altro che un ulteriore pezzo di modernità importata, inevitabile come la lavatrice nelle avventure di Sazae-san e come il blues suonato dai marines neri al bar del porto.
Clicca qui per leggere la recensione completa!
October 5, 2017
I was two years old in 1969. I often wish I was 19 or 20 at that time. It would have been so great. But really, I’m glad I was only two in that year because it makes me the best part of two decades younger today, and much better off for not taking all those drugs.
This novel is not about drugs; however, it is all about the mood, the poetry and the music of the late sixties. It’s also about being a teenager, which is such a defining period in all of our lives; no matter what decade we were born in.
I loved this ‘roman a clef’ novel. I loved the juxtaposition of a globally rebellious period in time set in a smallish town. I am already fascinated with Japanese popular culture thanks to Haruki Murakami. I just wish Ryu Murakami had taken a little more time to develop this great story further. But then again, I may be missing the point.
I also don’t like the points system of rating books; just can’t pigeonhole things.
I loved this novel and definitely recommend it!
This novel is not about drugs; however, it is all about the mood, the poetry and the music of the late sixties. It’s also about being a teenager, which is such a defining period in all of our lives; no matter what decade we were born in.
I loved this ‘roman a clef’ novel. I loved the juxtaposition of a globally rebellious period in time set in a smallish town. I am already fascinated with Japanese popular culture thanks to Haruki Murakami. I just wish Ryu Murakami had taken a little more time to develop this great story further. But then again, I may be missing the point.
I also don’t like the points system of rating books; just can’t pigeonhole things.
I loved this novel and definitely recommend it!
April 11, 2016
Ryu Murakami's second novel is quite a departure from his first book, "Almost Transparent Blue". Both are coming of age novels set in Modern Japan, but while "Almost Transparent Blue" had a discordant, chaotic dark tone, this one reads like a "Happy Days" script. Murakami is a contemporary of Haruki Murakami (no relation) and while an award winning author, I still have yet to see the appeal. "69" is in reference to the year 1969 and is a story of a high school senior and his attempt to win over a school girl. There is even a "Fonzie", a Yakuza complete, or should I say uncomplete, with missing fingers. A final retrospective chapter is included ala "American Graffiti" chronicling the characters 15 years later. I will read Murakami's next book but I still fail to see an award winning endeavor.
January 7, 2013
A year in the life of a 17 year old high school boy in Tokyo provides a light and at times hilarious look at adolescent angst and bravado. With his main objectives being to draw attention to himself, earn the admiration of girls, especially one sylph-like goddess, Ken Yazaki joins a politico society to plan an anti-establishment barricade of his school and plans a film and stage play with a couple of his best friends.
In the background, providing us with references to the times, are references to the music and musicians of the times, both jazz and rock and roll.
It's a wonderful snapshot of an innocent time for Ken and his friends in their last year in high school before sitting for the university entrance exams or moving on to different directions in their lives.
In the background, providing us with references to the times, are references to the music and musicians of the times, both jazz and rock and roll.
It's a wonderful snapshot of an innocent time for Ken and his friends in their last year in high school before sitting for the university entrance exams or moving on to different directions in their lives.
August 25, 2025
Una breve crónica de un Japón atravesado entre la tradición y los movimientos culturales y revolucionarios de fines de los 60.
No pretende ni busca la profundidad de otras novelas japonesas que presentan estos choques culturales, su objeto es la historia personal del autor, es una especie de «coming-to-age».
Por lo anterior, es una lectura fresca, liviana y bastante entretenida. Quizás un poco fuera de lo común de lo que en occidente leemos de los autores nipones, incluso, de otros libros del mismo autor.
No pretende ni busca la profundidad de otras novelas japonesas que presentan estos choques culturales, su objeto es la historia personal del autor, es una especie de «coming-to-age».
Por lo anterior, es una lectura fresca, liviana y bastante entretenida. Quizás un poco fuera de lo común de lo que en occidente leemos de los autores nipones, incluso, de otros libros del mismo autor.
May 2, 2019
Buku yang klasik dan funky. Imbas semula yang random, tentang Kensuke dan tahun-tahun di usia belasannya waktu di sekolah tinggi. Tahun 1969 dengan tentera laut dari barat yang masih bermastautin di Kyushu. Naratifnya bergerak pantas dari satu imbasan ke satu imbasan seperti syot-syot filem. Setiap babaknya dikisar dalam perihal kegemaran Kensuke-- tentang puisi-puisi dan karya-karya Perancis; Rimbaud, Sartre, Genet, Céline, Camus, Bataille, Anatole France. Ada cerita tentang teater-teater bawah tanah, pop art dan jazz yang aku suka. Juga hal-hal rebel budak sekolah, filem 8mm bajet rendah dan pemuzik barat yang jadi idola-- Beatles, Velvet Underground, Iron Butterfly, Simon & Garfunkel, Led Zeppelin. Beraura vintaj, sangat hip! Ia sangat beritma dan lucu juga. Aku suka personaliti Kensuke walaupun perangai dia agak sukar nak diramal. Babak kena home detention antara kegemaran-- that life is absurd, life wasn't absurd scene selepas sejambak bunga ros daripada Lady Jane. Manis penuh gula dan melodramatik. Tahun manis seorang budak lelaki tujuh belas tahun. Lama aku tunggu untuk festival dan filem 8mm bajet rendah arahan Kensuke-- satu perjalanan yang sangat tragis sebenarnya. Entah kenapa aku suka tiap kali Kensuke mengungkit pasal perang di Vietnam dan buku-buku yang dia pernah baca.
The thing is, kontens 69 saja dah buat aku jatuh cinta dengan buku ini-- Amore Romantico, Wes Montgomery, Claudia Cardinale, Lady Jane et cetera et cetera aku rasa macam comel gila. Setiap bab akan ada satu naratif berkait hal musik dan falsafah hidup ala Kensuke. Kawan-kawan Kensuke yang bagi seribu perasaan-- Adama yang ada pemikiran laju macam kereta api-- paling emo, tetapi yang paling menurut perintah dan punya perasaan belas kasihan, dan Iwase yang dah penat jadi seorang Iwase. Karakter-karakter lain yang aneh dan nakal tapi cukup buat aku terhibur.
Random yang kadang huru-hara but it was a good read, anyhoo. Epilog akhir sedikit bagi aku rasa sepi (dan terharu). Si novelis Kensuke, dan bagusnya persahabatan itu masih wujud walau sudah terpisah berbelas tahun. Buku yang lazat.
The thing is, kontens 69 saja dah buat aku jatuh cinta dengan buku ini-- Amore Romantico, Wes Montgomery, Claudia Cardinale, Lady Jane et cetera et cetera aku rasa macam comel gila. Setiap bab akan ada satu naratif berkait hal musik dan falsafah hidup ala Kensuke. Kawan-kawan Kensuke yang bagi seribu perasaan-- Adama yang ada pemikiran laju macam kereta api-- paling emo, tetapi yang paling menurut perintah dan punya perasaan belas kasihan, dan Iwase yang dah penat jadi seorang Iwase. Karakter-karakter lain yang aneh dan nakal tapi cukup buat aku terhibur.
Random yang kadang huru-hara but it was a good read, anyhoo. Epilog akhir sedikit bagi aku rasa sepi (dan terharu). Si novelis Kensuke, dan bagusnya persahabatan itu masih wujud walau sudah terpisah berbelas tahun. Buku yang lazat.
February 6, 2023
This is not for everyone i tell you upfront. But i enjoyed the heck out of this.
Snarky, funny, offensive, 69 follows youth on the cusp of manhood challenging the traditional beliefs and culture, with the intention of bringing justice and stopping the war for love and peace. No, scratch that. Its just about a boy who is foolish and dream too big a dream and always makinga fool out of himself with the pretense of being cool.
Kensuke Yazaki or Ken was a self centred, egomaniac, Pisces, 17 year old high school boy who loves to over exaggerate everything and anything but somehow made them work and as much as he is offensive and loud with ridiculous ideas, following his perspectives and thoughts made me cackle so much bcus this guy is stupidly funny. The dry humor, on your nose comments can get annoying and i will say people will be turn off by how narcisstic and selfish this dude is but then he is just another young immature teenager who only thinks about girls and virginity and thats kinda sad but also normal? I laughed a lot reading this.
In your youth where you are being ahead of your time, wanting to form a revolution in the late 60s, with musics, and books and literatures, the wars that are present, the fascism and nationalism, the anger towards older adult for being the highet authority who kept supressing you just because you are young, wanting to impress girls with false pretense of coolness while talking nonsense without understanding. Its kinda refreshing to read. Though, im definitely not a fan for the misogynistic remarks (eye rolls) but Ken is so negative most of the time and also loves to bullshit so i mean you do you, man. On the other hand, Adama the handsome coal mining sonfrom a small town is more cool headed and i like him better because he knew Ken can be over too much and he will string him back to the ground which is a great friend do.
The last chapter left a bittersweet feelings, its the kind that is full of emotions and kind of cute
Snarky, funny, offensive, 69 follows youth on the cusp of manhood challenging the traditional beliefs and culture, with the intention of bringing justice and stopping the war for love and peace. No, scratch that. Its just about a boy who is foolish and dream too big a dream and always makinga fool out of himself with the pretense of being cool.
Kensuke Yazaki or Ken was a self centred, egomaniac, Pisces, 17 year old high school boy who loves to over exaggerate everything and anything but somehow made them work and as much as he is offensive and loud with ridiculous ideas, following his perspectives and thoughts made me cackle so much bcus this guy is stupidly funny. The dry humor, on your nose comments can get annoying and i will say people will be turn off by how narcisstic and selfish this dude is but then he is just another young immature teenager who only thinks about girls and virginity and thats kinda sad but also normal? I laughed a lot reading this.
In your youth where you are being ahead of your time, wanting to form a revolution in the late 60s, with musics, and books and literatures, the wars that are present, the fascism and nationalism, the anger towards older adult for being the highet authority who kept supressing you just because you are young, wanting to impress girls with false pretense of coolness while talking nonsense without understanding. Its kinda refreshing to read. Though, im definitely not a fan for the misogynistic remarks (eye rolls) but Ken is so negative most of the time and also loves to bullshit so i mean you do you, man. On the other hand, Adama the handsome coal mining sonfrom a small town is more cool headed and i like him better because he knew Ken can be over too much and he will string him back to the ground which is a great friend do.
The last chapter left a bittersweet feelings, its the kind that is full of emotions and kind of cute
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