Consent (novel)
Consent ( Japanese コ ン セ ン ト , Konsento ) is a novel by Randy Taguchi . It was first published in Japanese in 2000 by Gentosha and forms a loose trilogy with Antenna (2000) and Mosaic (2001). The English translation by Glynne Walley was published under the title Outlet 2003 by Vertical, Inc. and the Italian version (Presa elettrica), translated by Gianluca Coci, by Fazi Editore.
content
After a night of partying and an interlude with her colleague Kimura, 29-year-old Yuki Asakura, a freelance financial writer, learns that her enigmatic and estranged brother Taka perished in his newly rented apartment under mysterious circumstances. At the request of the family, she goes back to her homeland and tries to find out the true motives of the deceased between responsibility and grief. But the more she tries to understand, the stranger the events become, almost as if she were developing paranormal abilities: She gets visions and can smell death in other people. When the former psychology student realizes that she is no longer able to cope with the events on her own, she contacts her ex-boyfriend and ex-professor Kunisada, who recommends weekly talk therapy with dream analysis. At the same time, she meets her former classmates Ritsuko and Yamagashi again, with whom she exchanges her new experiences. Despite every help, the illusions increase and she seeks one sexual encounter after the other so that she does not lose the feeling and the connection to reality. When her predictions come true, she collapses. Between delusion and reality, she begins to discover her true “self”.
Interpretation and commentary
In the epilogue to Midnight Call , Taguchi mentioned the ancient custom that the stone was a symbol of love in Japan in earlier times. As a love oath, couples have given each other stones instead of writing letters. She is of the opinion that everyone must first find their own, right stone before it can be given away. According to her interpretation, she writes stories about women in search of their own stones, their true identity.
Love comes in different forms here, including a. sexual (Kunisada), romantic (Kimura), amicable (Ritsuko), sibling love (Taka), connectedness (Yamagashi), as well as spiritual and above all to oneself.
The focus here is on Yuki's change to her true self and her changed consciousness. She identifies herself as a "plug" and as a neo-shaman who can gain metaphysical energy (expressed in "vibrations and particles") through sexual stimulation and thus use her "healing power".
Taguchi herself once said in an interview that the protagonist is not looking for a cure, but rather a stimulation ( shigeki ).
criticism
The novel was heavily criticized by Tsukasa Yoshida as the author's childhood or previous life is emblematic of the novel.
Ryu Murakami hailed Outlet as one of the best novels in a decade.
Movie
In 2002 the film Consent was directed by Shun Nakahara and starring Miwako Ichikawa as Yuki Asakura.
swell
- Gebhart, L. (Ed.) (2012): Yomitai! New literature from Japan. EB Verlag, 424 pages, ISBN 978-3-86893-057-3
- Taguchi, R. (2000): Outlet. Vertical, 269 pages, ISBN 978-1-932234-04-6
Individual evidence
- ^ Full Publications List of Randy Taguchi. (PDF) Retrieved September 15, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c 'Earth Mother' Randy Taguchi wins plaudits for her fiction | The Japan Times . In: The Japan Times . ( japantimes.co.jp [accessed September 15, 2017]).
- ↑ An interview with Randy Taguchi. Retrieved September 15, 2017 .
- ↑ Shun Nakahara: Konsento. 2001, accessed September 15, 2017 .