Sixty-Nine

69 is one of my favorite coming-of-age stories. It contains few enough "insight moments" to remain digestible. But there is something to think about, laugh at, admire, or learn on nearly every page.I'm not sure how much of the book is based on actual events in Murakami Ryu's life, but the story was realistic enough to keep me engaged. Murakami does a great job injecting humor into the first-person narrative, which also serves to develop the main character of Ken. There is a clear pattern: every 10 pages or so, Ken claims he did something sensible, then contradicts himself with "of course that wasn't the case. Instead, I ______."Without patronizing the reader, Murakami also touches on subjects like national identity, group membership and influences, Japanese culture, and social biases. Though a quick read 69, is thought-provoking and, to me, very effective in setting up several archetypal characters and subsequently refining some while showing the changes of others. As this mirrors real life - some people change while others seem to be older versions of their younger selves - the character studies in 69 are highly compelling.I highly recommend 69, especially to those interested in Japan or fans of Murakami Haruki or Natsuo Kirino.

This book is probably great for anyone 21 years of age and younger but anyone older than that will find it trivial and juvenile. It is written from the point-of-view of Kensuke Yazaki who is currently in his 30s and is looking back on his senior year of high school which just happened to be in 1969. He basically talks about wanting sex all the time, not unusual for a 17-year-old boy and how he is disappointed in his high school. His disappointment in his high school leads him to pull all sorts of pranks, i.e., pushing the female swim coach into the pool; his running away from home so he didn't have to compete in the school marathon; and his biggest prank of all vandalizing the school with graffiti and leaving feces on the principal's desk.Then over the summer break he decides they will have a festival like the ones they have in Tokoyo or even Paris and he writes a script for a play entitled "Beyond the Blood-Red Sea of Negativity and Rebellion". He also gets a band together and they hold the festival on November 23rd. Five hundred people show up.Except for these things happening it basically is about a selfish, self-centered teenager who thinks he's so smart he can change the world. Kensuke is literally quite full of himself. If you're looking for anything deep and/or meaningful, look elsewhere, you won't find it here.

I love Ryu Murakami's books. They are all dark, intriguing, and let you see a side of Japanese culture you usually don't see or imagine.

This novel took me a long time to get into. When I first bought it many many months ago, I bought it based on its chapter titles, the review on the cover, and the fact that I really enjoy Japanese literature. However, a couple of chapters in, I realized that this book is not as entertaining or as meaningful as its synopsis claimed it would be, and I put it aside in favour of another book. Months later, I decided to go back to reading this book.1969, what a fascinating year that was in history, and yet Ken's outlook on it was nothing more than amusing. The protagonists rambling goes on for pages as he allows you to get inside of his head, but I found nothing that really inspired me. I chuckled now and again, but for the most part, I found his thoughts tiring and quite immature to tell you the truth - for someone trying to rebel and start a revolution at school (to impress a girl) that is.I was actually more interested in the development of his friend Adama. Now that's a character that I found poignant, with interesting thoughts and ideas. His progression in the book from the popular, good looking, smart student to the good looking, troubled, rebellious outcast was fascinating. I would've liked to learn more about him and to have had him play a much more prominent part in the book.Alas, we get stuck with Ken, a self-pitying troublemaker. A typical teenager, with typical teen woes. I've read that this was a Japanese take on Catcher in the Rye, and I have to say that this was nothing like it. A failed attempt if anything.An amusing read about a teenager and his superficial problems. Read it, if that's the sort of thing you're looking for.

A very nice story about teenage in 69 Japan

It is brilliantly narrated and not once do you feel the book belongs to an older era.

Unlike Murakami's chilling psychological thrillers, this is a lighthearted semi-autobiographical account of a 17-year-old Murakami growing up in 1969 Sasebo, Japan. It's a coming of age story about getting one up over the Greasers and the Kendo team, rocking the school, and, of course, getting the girl.First published in 1987, the '60s culture references come think and fast, and can be confusing to readers who weren't there at the time. It's like a Japanese version of Greece."If everyone could feel as I felt at that moment, dressed in my preppy sweater and McGreagor coat and about to set out on a little journey with my Bambi-eyed girlfriend on Christmas Eve, all the conflicts in the world would vanish. Mellow smiles would rule the earth."The 2004 film adaption by Sang-il Lee seems impossible to find. A Japanese coming of age film I fully recommend [warning: it has no plot and is very arty] is: All About Liliy Chiu Chiu  All About Lily Chou-Chou [DVD] [2002 ] All About Lily Chou-Chou [DVD] [2002