The story of Kikuo begins in the 1960s, following Tachibana Kikuo, the son of a yakuza boss in Nagasaki. After a violent accident, Kikuo is taken in by a famous Kabuki actor, Hanai Hanjiro, and taught to become a Kabuki actor by Shunsuke, Hanjiro's son. One has the talent, the other has the blood for a Kabuki actor. While Shunsuke and Kikuo start in a brotherly relationship, learning to become an "onnagata" - the female role - Kikuo's monstrous talent gradually becomes more prominent every performance, fueling jealousy in Shunsuke that he will never be as good as Kikuo. This leads to Shunsuke gradually being crushed down by Kikuo's talent and the great responsibility of his lineage. On the other hand, Kikuo's obsession with Kabuki escalates, starting to devote his entire being to it because of his absence of "blood" that protects him. His goal turns from becoming better at Kabuki to wanting to become the art itself, meaning giving up a normal life completely.
The contrast between the story's intensity as Kikuo and Shunsuke's lives start to distort and the detached style of narration builds on to the uneasy feeling, keeping readers hooked throughout the duration of the book. Each character's emotions and struggles were detailed, as if describing real people in that world. Although fiction, this book taught me the harsh reality behind the beautiful and sophisticated performances of Kabuki.