Preface
This is the first new post in the "Novel" category on this blog in about four years.
I read novels and manga every day, but I often miss the opportunity to write about them, so I don't bother to write articles about them (you could also say I'm lazy).
When writing articles introducing games and other things, a large part of my motivation comes from wanting to share with everyone that there are such interesting works out there.
Therefore, in the case of famous works, I often think, "Everyone probably already knows how interesting they are, so I don't need to introduce them," and I end up not writing articles about them.
Therefore, I rarely write about well-known books that are normally published, unless I feel a strong urge to do so.
The reason I read Honobu Yonezawa's (honorifics omitted below) "The Tragedy of I" this time was because I learned about his work "Combustible Material," which won first place in this mystery awards, and decided to read it.
However, when I looked up "Flammable Materials" and "Black Prison" on Amazon, I found that the hardcover versions were quite expensive, so I decided to wait until paperback versions or cheaper used copies became available, and refrained from purchasing them this time.
However, while looking for an affordable book by a author I hadn't read before, I came across this work, "The Tragedy of I" (Ai no Higeki), and decided to give it a read.
I've read many of Honobu Yonezawa's works so far, and personally, I haven't been disappointed, so I read this one with high expectations as well.
Introduction (no spoilers)
Here's a brief summary of the plot.
This work consists of six chapters in total, excluding the prologue and epilogue.
Each chapter is in chronological order and connected to the others, but each chapter is structured as a self-contained episode, making it easy to read through gradually.
Formally, it can be considered a social commentary mystery.
Each episode concludes by unraveling the mystery behind the inexplicable troubles caused by the residents.
However, since the protagonists are civil servants working at the city hall, the solution is not like in a typical detective novel where they identify the culprit and present them to the police.
First of all, a city hall employee has no obligation, nor is he required, to solve the case.
And even when the truth is revealed, it doesn't necessarily mean that the situation will improve.
I think the individual circumstances and situations, as well as the protagonist Mangaji's attitude towards the incident, are what make this work uniquely interesting.
My internal image of "Minoishi" (AI generated)
My thoughts (contains some spoilers)
While each episode in this work is resolved individually, the epilogue shows all the incidents converging into one.
Each individual case is closer to what you might call an everyday mystery (although some of them involve criminal activity).
However, I strongly felt that these incidents eventually connected, and the story suddenly transformed into a socially conscious mystery.
I was surprised by the dynamic way in which what should have been incidents between individual people took on a unified meaning due to a certain motive, but at the same time, I felt a sense of understanding.
While there is catharsis in the resolution of each individual episode, the epilogue is what truly brings the story to a conclusion.
In this film, the inescapable transience of Minoishi, a place that is inevitably falling into decline, left a strong impression on me.
Through Honobu Yonezawa's descriptions, which convey the scenery of the settlement and the smell of the earth, the image of a remote village beginning to be abandoned by human hands came across vividly.
While somewhat detached and pragmatic, Mangaji is by no means devoid of emotion, and his attitude seems typical of a salaryman in modern society.
I felt a strong connection to the character, who, despite finding customers troublesome, is happy when they express gratitude, sad when they feel sorry for them, and possesses a certain degree of principles and a normal ambition for advancement.
[Please be aware that the following contains vague remarks about the ending.]
That's why, during the final scene, I felt an indescribable sense of powerlessness.
I strongly felt a sense of helplessness and powerlessness because I realized that the world moves according to larger currents, and individual efforts and emotions only create minor fluctuations within those currents.
And no matter how much the masterminds may justify their actions and offer excuses, they cannot be allowed to toy with the lives of real people.
Rather than anger, I sensed loneliness in Mangaji's feelings towards the masterminds.
It's a feeling of alienation, like, "I thought we were all friends, but now this..."
However, the fact that what happened at Minoishi was not due to a curse or a hex, but was undeniably caused by human actions, may offer some small consolation.
Because if it's caused by humans and not by supernatural forces, then there must be something that can be done about it, something that can be changed.
The ending leaves a strong sense of loneliness, but if we try to think positively, this is the kind of conclusion we might reach.
From the style of the writing and the beginning of the prologue, it was clear that a bright, happy ending was not something to be expected, but as expected (?), it had an interesting ending.
The works I introduced are here.
Rakuten Market: Iの悲劇（楽天ブックス）