Rosie Zhong

It was a very very depressing book. At a certain point I felt extreme disgust towards the main character. His repeated affairs and substance abuse and in general, irresponsibility really put me off. His belief that he is no longer human became clear to me that it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, so, in a sense, his misfortune is his own fault. But in the epilogue, when the woman called Yozo an 'angel', I suddenly realised one thing Yozo spent an entire book trying to disprove--that he is indeed human. Yozo made many mistakes. He did things I would never condone on anyone. But I think, that was probably the reason why this was such a compelling read. The entire book is mostly written in Yozo's perspective(most likely a reflection of Dazai himself), and his self hatred started to inflict itself on me. I hated who he is, what he had done. But the startling reminder of the woman, made me remember that Yozo indeed had his good sides he himself could not see(thus being a horribly unreliable narrator), reminded me that human beings are nuanced. That they can be horrible, vile creatures, but they are not without their good sides. In fact, especially if you are one suffering from mental issues, that blindness to your own strengths tend to become even worse, and self hatred often becomes exacerbated. And it also reminded me of one more thing: The Human Condition. Humans can be strong, but they're also weak. It is really unfair to criticise Yozo or look down on him because under the right conditions, many wonderful humans have the potential to do the same. Well some will be too cowardly to actually act out, but then in that case they will think the same, which really isn't any better. But then again, it really depends on one's background. Some may need a harder push to reach their limit, others will be far weaker. I don't like his portrayal in Bungou Stray Dogs at all. It cheapens his character. It cheapens the life and experiences that Dazai went through. I feel the same for Fitzgerald, Fyodor and many other amazing authors whose legacy was cheapened by that anime. Still, it's a pretty good show to watch leisurely, and in addition without that show I would not have known Dazai Osamu at all. So at least the anime is introducing all these amazing authors and their works to the younger generation. I really hope they will look beyond the show and actually read up about these authors, though, because it's a huge pity if Dazai is only remembered over a cheap portrayal of himself.