Justice with a Smile

by Osamu Dazai, Michael Day (Translator)

Young Susumu Serikawa is at a turning point. Should he continue his boring school education or chase his dream of becoming Japan's most famous actor? And how can he do that now that his father is dead, his mother is bedridden and his older brother is a university dropout?

In the hands of skilled author Osamu Dazai, Susumu's dilemma becomes a uniquely powerful tale of teenage angst and survival. Based on the diary of a real-life actor, Serikawa's entries are full of biting judgement and egotism alternating with shame and self-reproach—but also a touching idealism and faith that ultimately guide him forward.

This novel, translated into English for the first time, probes the same self-destructive dynamics that torment the young characters in Dazai's other works, but with a vastly different outcome. The bold, contemporary translation by Michael Day delivers an unforgettable new protagonist for Dazai's many fans.

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Japanese Literature

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Osamu DAZAI (native name: 太宰治, real name Shūji Tsushima) was a Japanese author who is considered one of the foremost fiction writers of 20th-century Japan. A number of his most popular works, such as Shayō (The Setting Sun) and Ningen Shikkaku (No Longer Human), are considered modern-day classics in Japan.
With a semi-autobiographical style and transparency into his personal life, Dazai’s stories have intrigued the minds of many readers. His books also bring about awareness to a number of important topics such as human nature, mental illness, social relationships, and postwar Japan.

Reviews

[Aj Koerner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the main character and I am glad there was a happy ending cause I thought it would be a sad ending

[Lucien Welsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

[ Thank you to Tuttle Books and edelweiss+ for the advanced copy ]

I am a huge fan of Dazai's work and have been thrilled that more of it is being translated (and even re-translated).

The diary format of Justice with a Smile is still very characteristic of Dazai's typical style. It is full of the familiar self-deprecation and somewhat manic excitement in the protagonist as we follow him at the end of his time in grade school and his entry into college and the arts. What I did enjoy in this story was how childish the protagonist is while still feeling as though he is so much smarter than everyone else. He isn't stupid, but he's blinded by his own attempts at intellectualism that he makes foolish mistakes like so may of us (myself included) make during the transition from youth to adulthood.

Sadly though, I was somewhat bored with this one the longer it went on, and found the translation majorly lacking. There were instances of modern phrases ("bro", "dumpster fire", etc.) that took me away from time period of the story (1940s) and even attempting to write out dialect from another prefecture as something that resembles the accent of a stereotypical English orphan kid in London took me out of the Tokyo setting entirely. I found myself questioning the translation choices more than I was focused on the story.
Being the Dazai fan that I am, it was disappointing to be let down by the translation and while I will always read anything that gets translated, I will be hesitant to purchase translations done by Michael Day based on Japanese literature.

[pae (marginhermit) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carries more hopeful tones than his more famous masterpieces, it follows a story of Susumu (inspired by real life actor T) and his inner mythology youth..until a failure breaks him. I love how this book is told in diary format hence we can see the inner conflict, the self acceptance, the resignation slowly enters, and make their own stand. It breaks everything he told himself; breaking his arrogance, self assurance (a little bit too much on that). and he surely can succeed as an actor. Real life hits, and he realized..sometimes i need to be smeared to appear cleaner and brighter.

But can you blame him though? He bloomed a little early- at the wee age of 16 and convinced his frontal lobe os developed, thinking everyone else is miserable and he has so much to live for? Blessed the innocence (and ignorance). Luckily his sh*t hits the fan pretty early and it dawns that just because you’re struggling, you are not social. It concludes with acceptance and honestly, I love how fleeting the tone is.

[Periplus Bookshop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novel Justice with a Smile ini menghadirkan sisi lain dari Osamu Dazai, penulis legendaris Jepang di balik No Longer Human. Pada novel ini, dikisahkan tentang pencarian jati diri seorang remaja. Tokoh utamanya, Susumu, sedang bimbang, antara melanjutkan pendidikan atau mengejar mimpinya menjadi aktor paling terkenal di Jepang. Namun tanpa keberadaan ayah yang sudah meninggal, ibu yang sakit, dan kakak yang menyerah pada hidup, impiannya terasa jauh dari jangkauan. Berdasarkan kisah nyata dari buku harian seorang aktor muda, novel ini menggambarkan pergulatan batin, tekad, dan keinginan untuk bertahan di tengah tekanan sosial dan keluarga. Dazai menampilkan protagonis yang berbeda dari biasanya, seorang remaja penuh semangat yang berjuang menertawakan nasib di tengah keputusasaan. Inilah karya introspektif tentang mimpi, kegetiran hidup, dan keberanian untuk tetap tersenyum dalam menghadapi kenyataan. https://blog.periplus.com/2025/10/27/...

[Jason Ho · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was somewhat surprised to be honest by this book - Osamu Dazai is known for writng rather nihlistic and morose novels such as the two classic canon texts No Longer Human and The Setting Sun, whereas this novel while still featuring a misanthropic and self hating narrator is if anything inspirational and even christian, with the protagonist Susumu winning over adversity and achieving his goals of becoming an actor through perseverance and belief in god. In deed regarding christianity, the narrator quotes verses from the bible a lot and the novel even starts off with a quotation of a hymn, a stark contrast to the very negative if anything ironic portrayal of the religion in his later works like per se no longer human where he states that he can "not believe in heaven but only in hell". I am not super religous but reading the book made me want to go to church. I wish this more hopeful version of Dazai was featured more to be honest.

[calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

agak kaget sama endingnya karena ngga sesuai tebakan gw (tapi lebih kaget lagi baca translator’s afterwordsnya)