重松 清, Shigematsu Kiyoshi Shigematsu Kiyoshi is a contemporary Japanese writer. He is one of the best-selling authors in Japan, and the major theme of his novels is about family. His most notable works include Naifu (ナイフ) (1997), Eiji (エイジ) (1999) and Bitamin F (ビタミンF) (2000). Shigematsu’s works in other genre including journals, editorials and critics are highly commended. He also worked in novelising screenplays.
This novel is a compilation of the memories of Kaim, an immortal who's lived for a thousand years. The eternal traveler is mostly a quiet observer, witnessing the extraordinary events in the lives of otherwise ordinary people. The stories have a strong moral core opposed to violence and contain many life lessons. I had originally read some of the "dreams" on the X-box game and was shocked by the literal quality and moral lessons contained.
The clunky videogame 'Lost Odyssey' contains 33 incredibly good short stories, which you just optionally bump into in the course of your standard 50-hour murder-looting spree. They are understated, sentimental, and literary where the main plot is cliched, badly written (translated?) and garish.
I don't know whether reading them alone would have the same effect as this contrast, but they are free in English here.
Deeply meaningful and moving tales of an eternal warrior, this collection, excerpted from the Lost Odyssey video game, is sure to bring a tear to your eye, while encouraging deep thoughts on the dynamic complexities of life. Definitely an amazing and strikingly poetic read.
Finished the game recently so I guess this counts?
An incredible short story collection from an underrated gem of a game. It follows a thousand year old warrior moving through his epochal life, but instead of being a montage of his badass adventures it is instead a look through a millennia of love and life, war and death, the highest and lowest of humanity. Each and every story here is uniquely wonderful and I could gush about them all day but I really don't want to spoil any of the story (they are extremely short anyway) so please do yourself a favour and look up "A Thousand Years of Dreams" on Youtube for the in-game visual novel style experience (with the stellar music of the legendary Nobuo Uematsu).
This is a spotless, masterful piece of sheer art and it deserves nothing less than a spotless rating.
A collection of short stories from the Lost Odyssey videogame, written by famed Japanese writer Kiyoshi Shigematsu. Each story is a recounted memory from the life of the game's main character, Kaim, an immortal being who has lived for over 1000 years and longs for death. Two prominent themes running throughout the collection are the fragility of human life and the desirability (or lack thereof) of eternal life.
I cannot stress enough how good these stories are. Their literary quality is superb, and Shigematsu is undoubtedly a talented writer -- he is famous in Japan for a reason! To this day, "Hanna's Departure" still makes me cry, despite knowing what will happen. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Best of all, the entire collection can be found online through the Lost Odyssey Wiki (google it)! One should wonder whether eternal life is desirable after reading these stories, as Kaim does.
Some personal favorites: "Hanna's Departure," "The Upstreamers," "A Hero's Return," "Little Liar," "They Live in Shells," "White Flowers," (this one is fantastic), "Stones of Heaven," "Letters from a Weakling," and "The Village Closest to Heaven."
Técnicamente este libro no lo leí (porque está en japonés, básicamente), pero todos los cuentos cortos aquí contenidos me los leí digitalmente en el juego.