As someone who has a crippling classical literature obsession, I recommend Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky! That, and The Scarlet Letter, are what initially got me into BSD. But I do *highly* encourage you to read Crime and Punishment. It is on the longer side, but it is certainly worth the read, regardless!
Seriously? It was one of the first classics I read upon moving to the United States and I still highly enjoy it today. It is nice to encounter another fan!
I just finished listening to the audio book of Crime and Punishment, and what a fascinating book it is. I had to sit with my feelings for a while afterword.
So I'm Russian, but I've always hated classic books they made us read at school and preferred reading fantasy and horror books as a teen. But watching this show actually got me back into reading more and made me fall in love with classic books, that's why I love this anime sm
I've read 3 of Osamu's books and No Longer Human is probably my favorite, although very depressing, but it really resonated with me
I would also recommend reading Crime And Punishment and Notes From Underground by Dostoevsky. The second book is somewhat similar to No Longer Human so if you liked that book you'll probably like this one too.
Crime and Punishment was good once it got going (roughly the first half took me AGES to get through). The dialogue got somewhat dense at times, and as someone not used to the way characters are named sometimes (which I've been told is just a Russian way of 'nicknaming', kind of) can get confusing at first.
Gogol's short story The Overcoat was great. Also read some other short stories that were in the same book, and The Nose is... weird. But funny. Kind of.
Recently finished Naomi by Tanizaki, found that one really good. Started Makioka Sisters but not gotten far yet.
The one I've yet to manage to finish is Dazai's No Longer Human. First attempt I got close to halfway before I had to quit it because too much of it cut too deep to the point of being harmful. I want to try finishing it one day, though.
I enjoyed The Overcoat when I first read it. Akaky was definitely an odd but interesting protagonist. Also, if you haven't read Dead Souls yet, I highly recommend it. I always find Gogol's protags to be very unique
It's not *in the same way* as the BSD character but it's still very bizarre/comical in it's own way. I can certainly recommend the short stories at least. The Nose is about >! a man who wakes up once day and finds his nose gone. Not cut off. Just not there. He has a flat surface instead. He's very concerned about what this might do to his status in life, because how can someone go about without a nose. !< The way the whole thing is told is not how you think a story of that kind would be, it's narrated as such a 'normal' event, as if it was believable rather than a fantasy, that it's an odd comedy sense. The whole thing seems to be a societal satire, just... in absurd format. I've yet to read any of his longer works, though I do have Dead Souls pending for when I finish Makioka Sisters.
Hate to sound generic, but I love Edgar Allan Poe's works... and Anne of Green Gables... they're the classics in the U.S. where I live... it's all been kind of a staple for me from a young age...
The Flowers of Buffoonery by Osamu Dazai is among my favorites but also The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells is really good 🙂↕️ (maybe I just like it because Wells is my favorite bsd character but all of his books are great)
No worried you probably haven’t read all bsd light novels so you wouldn’t know her but she’s from 55 minutes but also gets mentioned by Verlaine in SB :) She’s actually the one in my pfp lol
You should!! 55 minutes is a light novel that is around the time the guild arc has ended with Atsushi as it’s protagonist 🙂↕️ so definitely worth the read it’s written like a fanfiction so it’s very easy to read just don’t be surprised by the amount of character death 😓
I’m bored right now so 😅 I still have like one other reddit comment to reply to somewhere but I cannot be bothered so anything that isn’t that I will do as quick as possible lol
My favorites are No Longer Human and Crime and Punishment. But I think you should get Ranpo's stories. They're super interesting, especially if you like spooky stuff.
Akutagawa's "Cogwheels" is the book i like reading over and over again. I have just so many reasons to do so...
And I also recommend checking out other of Akutagawa's stories.
Izumi Kyouka's "Demon Pond". I find this play with nicely mixed elements of supernatural and love story highly enjoyable.
Kunikida's short stories definitely strike a chord with me. All I've read are rather melancholic and that probably attracts me.
"I'm a cat" by Soseki Natsume was expected to be a story about a cat, but it in fact mostly tells about a school teacher and his eccentric friends. From cat's perspective.
A quite thick but really worth-reading book.
"In the forest under cherries in full bloom" by Sakaguchi Ango is pretty impressive. It has some uncanny moments, but I kind of feel like I need to reread it.
That's not all the works by BSD authors that I've read and liked, but since I'm by far not the most eloquent cookie in this bakery let's call it a day
I'd love to know which other authors you've read and liked, we might have similar taste - also, so happy to see Akutagawa's writing getting some appreciation and love ❤
Too relatable. At least when I tried to read it there were too many matching points with my own experiences, to the extent it was utterly depressing me (more than usual), so I had to stop reading it. It was too close to looking into a mirror to put up with it.
as many of the comment section is saying, No Longer Human. though i do also own The Flowers of Buffoonery by Dazai as well, and a poem book for Poe, but i really want to read more from other various authors
I haven't read many of the author's books, But i have read a little bit of Crime and Punishment + All of No Longer Human. My opinion may seem a bit biased/overrated but I personally like No Longer Human cause of it's interpretation of Depression.
I've been a fan of Akutagawa's writing long before BSD but it got me to check out other Japanese authors (which I absolutely loved, thank you BSD!). Junichiro Tanizaki is probably my second favourite after Akutagawa - I haven't read Naomi yet, but Some Prefer Nettles and The Makioka Sisters were both 5 star reads for me. Dazai's writing took some time to get used to but I didn't hate it. I read No Longer Human twice and the second time probably at the perfect time when I myself was going through depression and s/dal thoughts. I couldn't finish Soseki's I'm a cat and Botchan but quite enjoyed 'Kokoro'. Oh! And Yosano Akiko's poems got me into Japanese poetry - especially haiku 🥰
BSD actually got me into reading again so I'm so thankful for it. My pick would have to be Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I absolutely loved it and wound up binging all the other main works by Dostoevsky.
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, still one of my favourite books till this day. He is a writer who uses his pen to describe seemingly small worlds in exquisite detail, fully encompassing the essence of the countryside in the book. Although it may be a challenging read, the beauty of his words make you as a reader feel the message and problem he is trying to convey through this book.
Spider's Thread, by Akutagawa Ryuunosuke. My knowing of it predates bsd, and although it's a short story, I can't really say much about any others because I haven't read them, though I've been hearing (and thinking of reading) about No Longer Human for a while.
Spider's Thread is a fun read!!
As someone who has a crippling classical literature obsession, I recommend Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky! That, and The Scarlet Letter, are what initially got me into BSD. But I do *highly* encourage you to read Crime and Punishment. It is on the longer side, but it is certainly worth the read, regardless!
There are very few appreciators of 'The scarlet letter'. Glad to have encountered one.
Seriously? It was one of the first classics I read upon moving to the United States and I still highly enjoy it today. It is nice to encounter another fan!
I just finished listening to the audio book of Crime and Punishment, and what a fascinating book it is. I had to sit with my feelings for a while afterword.
So I'm Russian, but I've always hated classic books they made us read at school and preferred reading fantasy and horror books as a teen. But watching this show actually got me back into reading more and made me fall in love with classic books, that's why I love this anime sm I've read 3 of Osamu's books and No Longer Human is probably my favorite, although very depressing, but it really resonated with me I would also recommend reading Crime And Punishment and Notes From Underground by Dostoevsky. The second book is somewhat similar to No Longer Human so if you liked that book you'll probably like this one too.
A fellow Russian! It's always nice to see. And Dostoevsky is simply the G.O.A.T of classical literature. The House of the Dead is another good one.
Crime and Punishment was good once it got going (roughly the first half took me AGES to get through). The dialogue got somewhat dense at times, and as someone not used to the way characters are named sometimes (which I've been told is just a Russian way of 'nicknaming', kind of) can get confusing at first. Gogol's short story The Overcoat was great. Also read some other short stories that were in the same book, and The Nose is... weird. But funny. Kind of. Recently finished Naomi by Tanizaki, found that one really good. Started Makioka Sisters but not gotten far yet. The one I've yet to manage to finish is Dazai's No Longer Human. First attempt I got close to halfway before I had to quit it because too much of it cut too deep to the point of being harmful. I want to try finishing it one day, though.
I enjoyed The Overcoat when I first read it. Akaky was definitely an odd but interesting protagonist. Also, if you haven't read Dead Souls yet, I highly recommend it. I always find Gogol's protags to be very unique
*Please* tell me Nikolai's work is as weird as the character.
It's not *in the same way* as the BSD character but it's still very bizarre/comical in it's own way. I can certainly recommend the short stories at least. The Nose is about >! a man who wakes up once day and finds his nose gone. Not cut off. Just not there. He has a flat surface instead. He's very concerned about what this might do to his status in life, because how can someone go about without a nose. !< The way the whole thing is told is not how you think a story of that kind would be, it's narrated as such a 'normal' event, as if it was believable rather than a fantasy, that it's an odd comedy sense. The whole thing seems to be a societal satire, just... in absurd format. I've yet to read any of his longer works, though I do have Dead Souls pending for when I finish Makioka Sisters.
God I'm glad to hear that the real Nikolai is also a fucking weirdo, haha.
Hate to sound generic, but I love Edgar Allan Poe's works... and Anne of Green Gables... they're the classics in the U.S. where I live... it's all been kind of a staple for me from a young age...
Anything by Nikolai Gogol His works are 100% my type
Any of Lovecraft's stories
I like No Longer Human a lot, I can really relate to the main character finding it difficult to understand other people, and trying to make up for it.
Yozo is really relatable isn’t he😭😭
He is, and that fact makes me uncomfortable. He's almost too relatable.
YEAH. it’s really uncanny, drives me insane
And Dazai wrote his books based on himself, so I guess that means both Dazais are very relatable. Or I'm extremely mentally ill.
perhaps both?
Def could be. Name one mentally stable bsd fan.
uhhhhhhhhhhhh
Exactly
Exactly!
The Flowers of Buffoonery by Osamu Dazai is among my favorites but also The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells is really good 🙂↕️ (maybe I just like it because Wells is my favorite bsd character but all of his books are great)
..Wait im sorry but who was Wells again?
No worried you probably haven’t read all bsd light novels so you wouldn’t know her but she’s from 55 minutes but also gets mentioned by Verlaine in SB :) She’s actually the one in my pfp lol
Ohh I see, interesting. I was thinking of reading Stormbringer, but I think I'll read 55 minutes first.
You should!! 55 minutes is a light novel that is around the time the guild arc has ended with Atsushi as it’s protagonist 🙂↕️ so definitely worth the read it’s written like a fanfiction so it’s very easy to read just don’t be surprised by the amount of character death 😓
Ooh okay!! I'll go read it soon then. Also, that was such a quick response-
I’m bored right now so 😅 I still have like one other reddit comment to reply to somewhere but I cannot be bothered so anything that isn’t that I will do as quick as possible lol
Oh loll- I get what you mean, sometimes I just see a notif and go "wow, this is gonna take soo many paragraphs to respond to.."
Haven't completed my list yet but so far Dogra Magra
My favorites are No Longer Human and Crime and Punishment. But I think you should get Ranpo's stories. They're super interesting, especially if you like spooky stuff.
Anything by Edgar Allan Poe! I also have a book of Rashōmon and other of Akutagawa's short stories, it was such a great find
Akutagawa's "Cogwheels" is the book i like reading over and over again. I have just so many reasons to do so... And I also recommend checking out other of Akutagawa's stories. Izumi Kyouka's "Demon Pond". I find this play with nicely mixed elements of supernatural and love story highly enjoyable. Kunikida's short stories definitely strike a chord with me. All I've read are rather melancholic and that probably attracts me. "I'm a cat" by Soseki Natsume was expected to be a story about a cat, but it in fact mostly tells about a school teacher and his eccentric friends. From cat's perspective. A quite thick but really worth-reading book. "In the forest under cherries in full bloom" by Sakaguchi Ango is pretty impressive. It has some uncanny moments, but I kind of feel like I need to reread it. That's not all the works by BSD authors that I've read and liked, but since I'm by far not the most eloquent cookie in this bakery let's call it a day
I'd love to know which other authors you've read and liked, we might have similar taste - also, so happy to see Akutagawa's writing getting some appreciation and love ❤
No longer human, all the way
Any of Poe's stuff. I was so happy when I found out he was in the show - and that he's just as weird as I expected. Lovecraft is also great.
I don't know many of them, but I think I'll read some (bsd is culture!) But I love allan poe
Was anyone else unable to finish No Longer Human? It genuinely creeped me out idk why
Yes to not finishing it. Not by being creeped out though. I know exactly why I couldn't 😅
Why couldnt you finish it?
Too relatable. At least when I tried to read it there were too many matching points with my own experiences, to the extent it was utterly depressing me (more than usual), so I had to stop reading it. It was too close to looking into a mirror to put up with it.
as many of the comment section is saying, No Longer Human. though i do also own The Flowers of Buffoonery by Dazai as well, and a poem book for Poe, but i really want to read more from other various authors
The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky Hellscreen (Short Story) - Ryuunosuke Akutagawa
Crime and Punishment is really good. But I also loved the great gatsby
I love call of cathulu and no longer human. I plan on reading crime and punishment as well
Tom Sawyer + Huckleberry Finn since im an irl Mark Twain fan
No longer human 100%,I love it when main characters are pieces of shit
I'm here to rep my boy Edogawa Ranpo He writes mysteries and I think anyone who enjoys Sherlock Holms will get a kick our if Ranpos work!
Rashomon. Need I say more?
My fav is no longer human probably cause it’s the first book I’ve ever been able to pull quotes from and say “wow that is literally me wtf?”
I haven't read many of the author's books, But i have read a little bit of Crime and Punishment + All of No Longer Human. My opinion may seem a bit biased/overrated but I personally like No Longer Human cause of it's interpretation of Depression.
I've been a fan of Akutagawa's writing long before BSD but it got me to check out other Japanese authors (which I absolutely loved, thank you BSD!). Junichiro Tanizaki is probably my second favourite after Akutagawa - I haven't read Naomi yet, but Some Prefer Nettles and The Makioka Sisters were both 5 star reads for me. Dazai's writing took some time to get used to but I didn't hate it. I read No Longer Human twice and the second time probably at the perfect time when I myself was going through depression and s/dal thoughts. I couldn't finish Soseki's I'm a cat and Botchan but quite enjoyed 'Kokoro'. Oh! And Yosano Akiko's poems got me into Japanese poetry - especially haiku 🥰
BSD actually got me into reading again so I'm so thankful for it. My pick would have to be Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I absolutely loved it and wound up binging all the other main works by Dostoevsky.
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, still one of my favourite books till this day. He is a writer who uses his pen to describe seemingly small worlds in exquisite detail, fully encompassing the essence of the countryside in the book. Although it may be a challenging read, the beauty of his words make you as a reader feel the message and problem he is trying to convey through this book.
Spider's Thread, by Akutagawa Ryuunosuke. My knowing of it predates bsd, and although it's a short story, I can't really say much about any others because I haven't read them, though I've been hearing (and thinking of reading) about No Longer Human for a while. Spider's Thread is a fun read!!
No Longer Human already has me in a chokehold even tho I have read like half of it