Văn Hào Lưu Lạc 4 - 55 Minutes

文豪ストレイドッグス [Bungō Stray Dogs] (Novel) #4

by Kafka Asagiri, Sango Harukawa (Illustrator), Kim Ngân (Translator)

Nhận công việc tiêu diệt một băng trộm, Công ty Thám tử Vũ trang đến đảo Standard, một hòn đảo “trôi nổi” ở vùng biển gần Yokohama. Tuy nhiên, trên đảo có tên khủng bố nọ đang âm mưu kích hoạt một vũ khí siêu năng lực vô tiền khoáng hậu. Khi đuổi theo kẻ địch, Atsushi gặp một người có siêu năng lực tên H. G. Wells, nhưng không thể biết Wells là bạn hay thù trong lúc thời gian không còn nhiều… Và khi Dazai tiếp cận chân tướng sự việc, con dao hung ác của kẻ chủ mưu đã áp sát anh…!! Đây chính là tập 4 của loạt tiểu thuyết đầy hấp dẫn Văn hào lưu lạc!

Genres: Manga, Light Novel, Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy

364 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2016

About the author

See 朝霧カフカ (Asagiri Kafka).
Japanese scenario writer and novelist.

Reviews

[Valéria · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars because i would let Wells beat me the hell up just so i could ask her to kiss it better after

[✨Rashi✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review soon maybe 😌
Thanks Kimia for giving me the full translated version! You are an awesome friend!
_____
The Plot
This light novel was different from the other novels. This time the main viewpoint was of Atsushi and I absolutely loved it. The novel is set after the events of vol.10 (according to the author).
The Agency has been called to this Island which is quite unique- it is never at a fixed place. Formed by three countries, it is a top secret Island and hence the ADA is called in when there is a suspicion of theft. The plot incorporates sci-fi, magical abilities and detective skills all in one book. Honestly, BSD never ceases to surprise me.

_________
General Thoughts
I loved:
1. Atsushi's perspective and he is honestly a cinnamon roll.
2. The Island Concept
3. The way skill's were explored
4. AKUTAGAWA
5. DAAZAAAAI
6. Those three thieves
7. The way every character, villian or hero, at the end is trying to find a rasion d'etre.
____________
Dazai:

While reading this book, I realised something...
If something happened to Dazai I don't think i could possibly continue the manga. I've been reading this manga since 2 years and the characters are really close to me now.

The reason I picked up this manga (my very first manga) was because of a Dazai fanart. When I saw him for the first time, I couldn't make sense of his character. To me, Dazai was both frighteningly understandable and surprisingly distant. There's something about him terribly human and out of the world at the same time. At this point, it looks like a love letter
I think this sentence from this book actually sums him up pretty well:
"Nobody could understand Dazai. Even if he appeared to be close by, he was millions of light years away"
__________

Spoilers and Quotes I Marked
1. "Having said that, Dazai pulled his head back in , fitting himself back into the trash can , then put the lid back on himself.
Together with the light tone of his voice, the trash can bounced, then tipped over to its side and rolled away"

And this man was the youngest executive of Port Mafia

2."As expected of Dazai, he was again thinking two, three steps ahead of an ordinary person. He had likely already strategized far beyond what he had explained just now.

You think Kaz Brekker is a master planner? Wait till you meet Dazai.

3.“Good-bye, Atsushi.”
At this point, I was sooo aghast. Like-I knew he would be okay but it still hurt okay?

4."Defense?” Akutagawa tilted his head. “Those clods of dirt? I thought this
was some new way to shake hands, so I stopped my attack.”

The side of Akutagawa we don't usually see

5.I already know all your attacks. I’ve seen enough,” said Atsushi as he glared at Akutagawa. “So don’t get in my way. I have to defeat him.”
“You—!”
“Hey, c’mon,” Gab chimed in, sounding fed up. “Why do I gotta be the third wheel? Are you friends or something? You guys seem to get along quite well.”

👀❤️

6. I didn't mark that part but I loved the moment when Atsushi realized that Dazai wasn't extraordinary or something. He was still human.
_________
FANART TIME

No chuuya in this one though...

[sally ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t choose the dazatsu life. The dazatsu life chose me and now I can never be the same.

As for the story, if you're in love with the Bungo Stray Dogs world as much as I am and could spend hours theorizing and talking about it, this light novel is a wonderful read. It's a bit confusing at parts, but the characters are solid and delightful as always, and I loved getting to know the new characters.

I would absolutely love to know more about H.G. Wells; I hope she comes back! She could make the current manga arc, and even future arcs, very interesting.

And of course, I love Atsushi with all my heart. When I heard this light novel was Atsushi-centric, I knew instantly I was going to read it. He is my favorite character, my heart, and my soul. I love his kindness and his determination, his courage even in the depths of fear.

Kunikida is his usual grumpy, but supportive self. Dazai is still such an amazing character even if he's the worst. Akutagawa remains angry and the most graceful character.

You learn more about singularities, which I'm still very curious about! I hope this light novel gets adapted because I feel like a lot of people would enjoy it, and maybe the story would make more sense to my dumb brain.

I cannot believe the author dangled the reason why Dazai wants to die right in front of us and took it away. I can't believe Dazai told Atsushi something so important like his reasons for being suicidal and my boy just!! forgot!! Oh, Atsushi. You dummy. I love you so much.

[Amelya Buckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

not as gay as i thought but it was good cause dazai died

[zara · Rating 4 out of 5]

this does take a little bit more braincells to read because of the whole time travel shenanigans, but my god is it so bizarrely interesting and fascinating. i will say one thing though, the sskk in this are out to get me. they were batshit crazy they make me kick my table and pull my hair

[juls · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it (as I always do when it comes to bsd)

[gi · Rating 5 out of 5]

im crazy for u wells

[Wandering mehrsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shin soukoku are so married in this =))

[Kauzar Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There's a beast inside me,” thought Atsushi. “And that's not a metaphor. There's a literal beast inside me. Right now, he's howling and wildly feasting as he rampages. For some reason or another, he seems to have the power to negate wounds. Not the power to heal them or to recover but to negate. The reason he's able to do this isn't totally unrelated to my birth, probably. It's not unrelated to the suffering I've had to bear all these years. The beast-the tiger-is a manifestation of something within me. I still don't know what that something is, but if he commands me to stand, then I can't not stand-just like if he negates my wounds, then my wounds have no choice but to disappear.”

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

55 Minutes is another fun addition to the Bungo Stray Dogs light novel series. The story was engaging and nicely paced, with plenty of action, excitement and humour along the way. Dazai was, as always, my absolutely fave, but there were some wonderful moments with Atsushi and Akutagawa too. This book will certainly please Bungo Stray Dogs fans, but it is probably not the best starting point if you are new to the series as, while there was some explanation along the way, it is easier to read if you understand the world and the characters' skills. Great accompanying illustrations again, especially the colour plates, and I am keen to see what the author will do next for book five. 4.5 stars.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way that H.G. Wells was used here was wonderful and reminded me of my favorite French comic, City Hall.

[Bailey Salinas · Rating 5 out of 5]

ATSUSHIIIIIIII MY POOKIE

[Nova Syzygy]

This was actually very good. I’m still probably not going to give these ratings because I can’t make decisions, but I really enjoyed this one. The plot was complex and intriguing. I don’t really buy into the fact that so much could happen in 55 minutes, but oh well.

I thought the formulas thrown in about H. G. Wells’s ability were very cool, and I liked that.

I also thought it was nice how this light novel either confirmed or hinted at confirming most of my theories on what abilities are and how they work. dOeS tHiS mEaN i’M sMaRt? The steps needed for Dazai’s revival were very interesting, but I think the best parts were when Atsushi theorized about how abilities might not be part of the user. It was mentioned, briefly, that the tiger can negate injuries (and the claws have nullification powers), and so I think it’s also hinted that Dazai can avoid death so much because his ability nullifies it. It’s either that or he’s just not human, like his ability implies. He can turn his heartbeat off at will, after all. I don’t know. I still find this very interesting.

The connections between this and other elements of the overarching saga were very complex. Mimic’s involvement, references to the Transcendents, singularities, etc. I feel like all of those might tie in to Chuuya’s backstory as well, with the whole artificial ability thing he has going on. And Rimbaud has the ability to take others, so maybe he knew Verne at some point? It’s very likely that he did. I guess I’ll just have to wait for an official translation of Stormbringer before I can have these questions answered.

It was also very interesting (how many times am I going to use that word?) to see how this novel fluctuated between lighthearted funny stuff and complete brutality. If I hadn’t already known that the characters would make it out alive, I would’ve probably been mildly shocked at how brutal the deaths were. They were brutal, but somehow also beautiful. Strange.

Also, I can’t believe that Garbage Can Dazai is now a thing that exists in canon. This is just Boxzai all over again.

[azriel ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

just as the other bsd light novels, “55 minutes” really is an experience. before beginning to read it, i thought it wasn't something relevant to the main plot but only a mere, calm novel. how foolish it was of me to have thought that at first. this, along everything connected to the bungō stray dogs universe, is a true masterpiece. i love asagiri's writing, he is perfectly good at expressing meaningful concepts such as the ones present in his works; the way he addresses and talks about several topics, while every character has their own devolopment, is indeed beautiful. i never was disappointed in reading his light novels, and “55 minutes” was no exception. each single novel represents an aspect of human's nature, and this is interesting considered that every bsd character struggles to accept their own humanity, especially osamu dazai.
i hope that other bsd fans read these light novels too :)
p. s. i'll add some of this novel's quotes when i have time.

[Lisichka · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Atsushi wasn't sure how much of the world was actually there and how much of it was merely a shadow, but all one could do was move forward."

[Insha · Rating 5 out of 5]

What in the ever loving blazes is this book🤲🏻

[kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

wtf was going on
also wells please run me over with a truck thank you very much

[Riley G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm updating this review, though I haven't reread it or anything. I just thought I would do so, to make my thoughts a little more clear, and give some.... warnings.

---------

This was an interesting book. And funny, quite funny. The characters are all super eccentric, especially Dazai. You can tell each character has a story, most were once (or still are) working for the criminal underworld. Atsushi, I'm convinced, is literally the only sane person in this whole book. And maybe Kyouka (maybe). And wellllll... as for Ranpo, he's just extremely arrogant (which is the reason I love him. He's so great, it's sad we don't see him until the end. He's basically Sherlock Holmes with a narcissist complex. So funny.)

Most of the characters are villains in some way. Higuchi and Akutagawa (Port Mafia members) are there to find the main villain, just as the Detective Agency is. Some of the detective agency members (Dazai and Yosano for instance) are reformed baddies, but they still have some of the habits they gained while working for the PM. Higuchi is such a fun character, you can't help but love her, villain though she is. Akutagawa... He's a zealous believer of "survival of the fittest", and the author does a great job of presenting that worldview in him. He'll kill an inferior member of his own team if they mess up his plans. I just loved seeing him and Atsushi work together towards the end, though. It was kinda sweet.

My favorite character is Kunikida. There's just something about a nerdy, ill-tempered fictional guy that I almost always totally fall for. They never cease to crack me up! What is wrong with me?! XD (Speaking of, anybody know any other books with that sort of fellow? Curious.)

This was a sci-fi novel, and almost dystopian, in a way, too. So you can imagine that there are things that would never happen irl. Especially since the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia, as well as a few characters outside of those, have special powers- everyone who have them are called "skill-users" in the book. Although this is true, there was one instance that I felt was too unrealistic. A character is standing there in a room at the TOP floor of a building, and the main villain sneaks up and stabs him (I mean really stabs him. 😖) and he somehow survives not just that, but through two other chars carrying him down to a secret BASEMENT under the island?! It explained that a result of his powers is he can stay alive through that stuff longer than an average human, but still.

I liked some of the descriptions in this one. They're intriguing. LISTEN TO THIS, GUYS!--

The blue buildings in the administrative district melted to the ground like sugar in a frying pan. The chemical complex on the coast instantly evaporated as if it had touched the surface of the sun. The cars nicely lined up on the pavement turned into gray hazes of heat and vanished along with the people inside as if God had suddenly revoked their existence on a mere whim. (though that part is a little... questionable to me... though it's roll-off-the-tongue description)
Even the boy gazing at the vast blue sky out the window.
Even the couples holding hands wile walking along the beach.
Even the criminals scheming in their underground lair.
Everything, in in that single moment, ceased to exist without warning. Nobody was even given a chance to experience the fear that they would be no more. Like a magic trick, everything disappeared at the drop of a hat. But unlike a magic trick, a magician's suggestive wink could not bring it back, for the missing city with a radius of twenty-two miles an a population close to four million would never return to normal again...
All that was left was the simmering crimson liquid crust of the earth, the haze that wavered like the lost souls of the dead, and the deep-blue summer sky that stretched all the way to the heavens.
It was eerily quiet. There was even a feeling of loneliness in the air. Only the vivid-white summertime cumulus clouds leisurely drifted across the firmament, carried by the winds possessing no concern over the disappearance of a massive city. --It was summer.
The first act in this tale of death and destruction began a mere....... fifty-five minutes ago.

Sorry, I know that was kinda long. BUT SERIOUSLY. THAT WAS SUCH A VIVID DESCRIPTION. And sad. But.... still. Here's another favorite:

It was as if his [Dazai's] eyes weren't focused on the scenery outside but were watching vivid memories play back in his mind... Atsushi felt as if he could see the white smoke of a cigarette rising in Dazai's eyes.

Okay, moving on, I promise.

I was so stunned by who the villain really was. It was so well-done. We spent most of the story following these goofy bandits, one of which was a young teenage boy who called himself the Boss's number one disciple. But when Dazai is about to explain it all, WE LEARN GAB IS THE MAIN VILLAIN! Y'know, Gab was just... he grows on you so much throughout the story, then you learn he's the guy. My sister and my joke is this: "We liked Gab... Until we didn't like Gab." So now we call loveable characters that we later learn are villains "Gabs". GAB, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO US, WE ACTUALLY KINDA LOVED YOU?! The author did such a great job with him, he actually managed to break my heart.

There's alot of comedy in this book, in between the action. Dazai is the character that literally takes nothing seriously, yet he stays five steps ahead of the rest of the cast the whole time. You grow some respect for him, though it's difficult to tell when he's not jesting. And the way Kunikida falls for some of his pranks... XD Dazai and Kunikida's arguments never cease to be comedy gold.

I have to mention the art in here. IT IS SO GORGEOUS! Especially those first couple of pages, where the spreads are in color?! WHAT!!!! I just love all the illustrations throughout. My favorite is the one at the very end. (It goes with the description of Dazai's eyes mentioned above.)

This is overall a fairly enjoyable book. But I'd like to warn of some content... Because that's the biggest problem I have with it.
*Content*: A few uses of d*mn; one use of the donkey-word; one use of the s-word (I scribbled it out with a sharpie in mine); a few vain uses of "hell" (Like h*ll, what the h*ll); some bloody violence (including a blood-covered room from a murder on a surveillance cam, and a sadistic "skill-user" using his power to wring a minion to death (the skill-user is the Port Mafia's most deadly weapon, basically), and a character is stabbed quite thoroughly, though he does not die); a mention of a girl acting a little too worried over her sea-sick brother; a mention of a woman staring zealously at some autopsy photos,; the MC's leg is severed in an emergency door as he uses his power to escape the sadist guy (the power heals his limb); a character is obsessed with committing suicide, though he only speaks of it and never follows through (comedy); a character mentions breaking one time into a weather-station when the forecast was wrong (comedy); a character pulls a prank to fool his friends into thinking he had a heart-attack; one character constantly tries to strangle another character when he does something foolish (comedy); a villain uses sake (alcohol) to bribe some guards; the city of Yokohama is incinerated, which is what the MC goes back in time to prevent; a bandit mentions "remembering the names of all the women he's slept with"...

So I wouldn't slam it down on the table saying "READ THIS!" due to that content stuff. The book before this one in the series (providing you skip the short story at the beginning, because that one bugged me) is less violent. That one's more about the relationship between a boy and his "mentor", as well as a murder mystery. Maybe I'll go back and re-review that one too.

Anyway, I did enjoy following Atsushi, and I loved the banter between Kunikida and Dazai. I also loved Higuchi, and how she sought so much for Akutagawa's attention. (Just why, girl? You're too good for him.) And I loved how two sworn enemies worked together to defeat the biggest foe towards the end. I enjoy seeing Atsushi and Akutagawa work together. Seriously. If Akutagawa wasn't constantly trying to kill Atsushi, they'd make a great team.

One more thing I nearly forgot to mention before I wrap up: You may have recognized some of the characters' names. All the "skill-users" are named after authors, and their powers are based on one of that namesake author's works. (HOW CLEVER IS THAT?!) Since it takes place in Japan, most are Japanese authors (Osamu Dazai (No Longer Human), Atsushi Nakajima (Beast Beneath the Moonlight), Doppo Kunikida (Matchless Poet), Ryuunosuke Akutagawa (Rashomon), etc.) but there are some more familiar names to we English speakers! (H.G. Wells, and Jules Verne. Also, one of the bandits says his hero is Arsene Lupin-- Maurice Leblanc's famous Gentleman-Burglar) I think this is just such a cool take on authors (I wonder what my power would be???)

So, I won't exactly recommend, unless you like sci-fi mysteries, and don't mind the content.

From now on, I'm gonna try and put the first and last lines of books at the end of my review, because for me, I love remembering them. So here we are:

"Yokohama ceased to exist that day."
"It was a long, endless road."

And hopefully this review coherent, because it's almost ten o'clock at night, so I'm rushing to finish... Tata!

---------
Old Review

This book was quite funny, and intriuing too. Each of the characters are rather eccentric, especially Dazai. Kunikida is my favorite character.

They have powers. But there is one instance I felt that was a little too unrealistic, even with the powers. Towards the end, someone gets stabbed all the way through his body, and he lives. Not only that, but two other characters drag him to the "basement" of the island, from the top of a building. No one would live after being stabbed and moved a great distance, even if they had powers.

I still loved this book though, as I found the characters really funny and descriptions were rather interesting.

[lu ¿ aero · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok dunque da dove iniziare

wow. semplicemente uau. era da tipo un anno che un libro non mi prendeva così tanto da fare binge reading anche /in classe/ e soprattutto in inglese, è stato una boccata d'aria fresca fr.

poi mi è piaciuto tantissimo il fatto di avere il pov di atsushi, mi ha aiutato a capire molte più cose sul personaggio e anche sui personaggi di dazai (aka il cessone) e kunikida (aka the dramatic king).
poi ommioddio akutagawa has braincells?? fino adesso lo avevo sempre visto un po' come il "braccio" della port mafia (che effettivamente è, ma in maniera diversa rispetto a come lo vedevo io = ha un cervello che usa non è completamente succube degli ordini e menomale se no erano tutti aria fritta)

POI VABBE per tutta la novel metà del mio cervello pensava "se ranpo fosse qui il libro sarebbe già finito" infatti quando è arrivato alla fine ho quasi urlato ormai lo adotto

ribadiamo dazai grosso cesso ma il suo personaggio mi piace allo stesso tempo e queste due metà del mio cervello si picchiano a vicenda da stamattina però ok, parlando seriamente credo sia perché io ho un grosso senso di comunità quindi mi da urto che lui non dica mai niente e faccia tutto per il suo fine "personale" . e poi si quando l'hanno accoltellato ci sono rimast una merda perché tipo NO CAZZO COME NON È VERO DAI e niente.

to sum up grz eli ormai bsd ha catturato pure me definitivamente e niente si sta levando la mia visione stereotipata dei personaggi daje

nota: lettura dopo aver letto il vol. 10 (guild arc)

PRE REVIEW: è la prima volta dopo mesi che faccio una maratona così di lettura soprattutto in inglese, onestamente voglio lanciarmi di sotto

la review seria la scrivo dopo devo fare fisica

[Aҽɾιαʅ Dყɳαɱιƈ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this copy along with #3 from Barnes and Noble!!!!!

Very fun concept with the whole time-traveling, even if it was a bit confusing at times, and I smiled when I recognized another author (I've listened to a bit of H. G. Wells' book The Time Machine on audiobook).

The plot did end up being somewhat similar to that of Dead Apple with the whole, *ahem* Dazai "dying" but I still very much enjoyed it, and I never say no to more Dazai book time :)

[dikshya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This followed such a classic Bungo Stray Dogs formula I could never hate it. It had so much action, main character Atsushi (and random homoerotic moment with Akutagawa????), Dazai almost died like usual, and Ranpo to the rescue, it was just so good. All it was missing was Chuuya tbh but other than that I have no complaints.

[Nanao253 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good! My gosh! Can we please get an adaption of any kind?! This deserves a lot more!

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is the 1st bsd ln i've read that wasnt dazai focused and i honestly loved it!

[marilynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

went through the 5 stages of grief multiple sskk were out to get me on this one phewwww

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

gay people saving the day once again

[khione · Rating 5 out of 5]

this needs to get animated !!

[★julia✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

BSD LIGHT NOVELS R MY HEAR ME OUT I LOVE THEM SM
IT WAS SO SO SO GOOD
AND I ALMOST STARTED CRYING AT THE END WHO LET THEM PUT ODA IN THE PICTURE???
I need Wells in anime she's sooooo pretty

[Sima ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best thing to happen in this volume, was that we got introduced to new characters Authors, H.G wells and Jules Vern?😭

[ali ☆]

MY ARMED DETECTIVE FAMILY‼️‼️‼️‼️

[Kayleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing stuff