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An interesting book about the messed up politics surrounding gender, food, and bodies in Japan (which in many ways mirror that same kind of messed up politics in the U.S.). The book offers an interesting answer to some of those problems by way of kinship as the protagonist arrives at a unique way of thinking about home, domesticity, friendship, family, and kin.

There might be no escape from the aforementioned mentioned messed up politics, but this book suggests that there might be different ways of inhabiting them.

Manchette books are always page turners and are usually funny. This one has its moments. I have read any Manchette that's been translated into English, and I will continue to do so. But this one, which has a lot of (too many?) characters and has less of the biting social critique of the other books, was kind of a bummer.

A patient in an asylum recounts his travels to the world of the Kappas, reptile-like creates from Japanese folklore. The patient meets poets, musicians, and many others, exploring the culture of Kappas. The social commentary here is interesting and makes me want to learn a bit more about 1920s Japan.

At one point, we learn that Kappas do not have the death penalty. They only need to name the crime and call out the perpetrator.

"And that's enough to make a Kappa die?" "Absolutely. We Kappas have much more sensitive nervous systems than you do."