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Botchan

Natsume Sōseki,

Joel Cohn (Translator)

3.61 · Rating details · 9,069 ratings · 1,111 reviews

Like The Catcher in the Rye or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Botchan, a hilarious tale about a young man's rebellion against "the system" in a country school, is a classic of its kind. Among Japanese readers both young and old it has enjoyed a timeless popularity, making it, according to Donald Keene, "probably the most widely read novel in modern Japan."

The setting ...more

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Paperback, 172 pages

Published March 16th 2007 by Kodansha (first published 1906)

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Jun 12, 2014 Jeffrey Keeten rated it liked it

Shelves: the-japanese

”Now that I thought about it, though, I realized that most people actually encourage you to turn bad. They seem to think that if you don't, you'll never get anywhere in the world. And then on those rare occasions when they encounter somebody who's honest and pure-hearted, they look down on him and say he's nothing but a kid, a Botchan. If that's the way it is, it would be better if they didn't have those ethics classes in elementary school and middle school where the teacher is always telling yo ...more

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May 27, 2012 Paquita Maria Sanchez rated it liked it

Shelves: literature

This was a somewhat strange deviation from a lot of the Japanese Lit I've read. This is particularly interesting given the time period which this was released, as most of the literature-literature (that is to say, Fiction Novels as opposed to fairy tales, poetry, religious/spiritual/political manifestos, etc) which I have read have been, for the most part, from decades after the release of Botchan. Originally published in the early 20th Century, it goes without saying that this novel came from a This was a somewhat strange deviation from a lot of the Japanese Lit I've read. This is particularly interesting given the time period which this was released, as most of the literature-literature (that is to say, Fiction Novels as opposed to fairy tales, poetry, religious/spiritual/political manifestos, etc) which I have read have been, for the most part, from decades after the release of Botchan. Originally published in the early 20th Century, it goes without saying that this novel came from a very different Japan than we see today, though the style, storyline, and narrator-as-character are distinctly Western-sounding in many ways. Out of surprise-fueled curiosity (I was, after all, expecting a more 'traditionally Japanese' novel, whatever the hell that narrow statement is supposed to mean), I poked around on the web a bit and discovered that, at the point when he composed this novel, Sōseki had quite recently returned from pursuing studies in England. Breathing a sigh of relief at this insight which eased my mind that I was not--or at least mostly not--projecting my own cultural background on a work and thereby downgrading or disrespecting it somehow, I began to reconsider what I had just read from within the context of a potential Western influence/critique.

The main character, first of all, is a very Dennis-the-Menace-y type of fellow. No, that's not right. Ignatius Reilly? No, not that pretentious, disgusting or lacking in self-awareness (though certainly the latter, to a large extent). I'm not making myself clear. New approach: basically, this 1900's Tokyoite goes to a small, highly traditional village in order to teach mathematics. He has always been a pest, always the troublemaker, half-assed and wise-mouthed to his parents, sibling, and peers, willful and arrogant despite his clear lack of knowledge on most matters, quick to anger, just as quick to lash out, sharp-tongued, obnoxious, indignant; extremely self-involved, basically...so much so he very quickly begins to look like a cartoon.

I have this friend named Zach who I call Buster all the time because he is clumsy to an absurd extent. I have even seen him, shit you not, step on the prongs of a rake lying on the ground in such a way that the handle of the rake shot up and hit him square in the forehead. I spat the sip of drink in my mouth directly into the firepit in front of me and choked up a bit, it was so ridiculously cartoonish and seemingly improbable. That's only something that happens in old slapstick movies, right? Turns out, nope. This is sort of how bumbling this character often is. I could just imagine the action sped up and in scratchy black and white film while crackling megaphone music played as our narrator literally egged people and desperately swatted at a bed full of hundreds of bugs, crouched in the shadows in his nightgown all night being eaten alive by mosquitoes until his face tripled in size solely so that he could grab a couple of students who had punked him, and give them a good lecture. Of course, he is an awkward, stuttery public speaker and cannot properly defend himself ever, and so the joke continues to pile on him, incident after incident, as he becomes increasingly insolent and ostracized in this small, humble town which is so far removed from his background of big-city-livin'. He is constantly mocked for his appetites, and feels personal insult in the idea that kids would not be the sole ones punished for their poor behavior, as this behavior clearly reflects on the instructor in charge being, perhaps, a poor sensei indeed. Basically, the old and the new, the frictions of traditional ways and modernization are encompassed head-on in this stubborn, stumbling character. He is definitely an ass, but as the story moves along, we begin to see a few bits of benefit leached from Botchan's ways. However, if I go into that in any more detail, I will ruin the book for you. I am curious, however, if Sōseki's silly-headed character was his take on the West after his time in England? That maybe a lot of Westerners seemed gluttonous and profoundly lacking in self-awareness and just plain too much, and this was his ode to them, for better or for worse? Maybe so, maybe not. Anyone who has read this and wants to throw two cents my way is more than welcome.

The closest novel I've read which I could compare this to would be Naomi, though Tanizaki's novel was released two decades later. Still, it has the same pre-World War II influence of Western aesthetics and attitudes encompassed in its pages, the same sly humor mixed with uncomfortable emotional displays and general social disconnect, examining the extravagances of the left-most sides of the map as they met the more humble and reserved traditions of Japanese culture which were in so many ways losing their footing in post-Shogun Japan. A strange and brief time, which this novel manages to encompass in a very simple story of the middle school antics of a city-slicker teacher in a teeny-weeny seaside town. It was pretty good, and I'm sure quite groundbreaking at the time. However, I couldn't get that silly old black and white reel of coordinated comic imagery out of my head. Needless to say, it's distracting reading a novel and picturing it like that, all circus-y and potshot. His relationship with his maid was really sweet, though. You know, once he came around a little, the silly bastard. ...more

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Nov 18, 2016 Michael Finocchiaro rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, humor, novels, read-in-french, japanese-20th-c, fiction, classics

Botchan is like Japan's Tom Sawyer. It is read by schoolchildren across the country and has been the subject of innumerable TV sketches and parodies ever since Soseki wrote it early in the 20th Century. It is a coming-of-age story ripe with sarcasm and very entertaining to read. There is also a comic book version (or more). It is an early masterpiece of Soseki that does not have the depth of I Am A Cat but yet has the power of his prose to make a lasting impression and - since it is long before ...more

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Jul 15, 2015 Jim Fonseca rated it liked it

Shelves: japanese-authors

This book from 1906, translated from the Japanese, is kind of a “Tom Brown at Oxford” set in Japan, and, in fact, the author did attend British schools, so maybe that’s where he got the idea for the book. A young man from Tokyo finds a job as a math teacher in a boys’ school out in the boondocks. He is a complete and total (insert your favorite anatomical word here). He is arrogant, looks down on the villagers, finds fault with everyone, talks down to his servants and landlords, can’t make frien ...more

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Feb 12, 2018 Bob Newman rated it really liked it

Shelves: japanese-literature

A rough diamond in Japan

In every country, people treasure certain images of themselves, whether they are accurate or not. In general, among numerous peoples like the Chinese, Japanese, French, Russians, or English, there are so many personality types as to make such images totally stereotypical. In real life, we have to take people as we find them, not stick them into boxes. But in literature, from time to time, an author creates a character that so pleases the readers---perhaps because they ide A rough diamond in Japan

In every country, people treasure certain images of themselves, whether they are accurate or not. In general, among numerous peoples like the Chinese, Japanese, French, Russians, or English, there are so many personality types as to make such images totally stereotypical. In real life, we have to take people as we find them, not stick them into boxes. But in literature, from time to time, an author creates a character that so pleases the readers---perhaps because they identify with him so much---that he (the character) is immediately assigned a place in the national pantheon. BOTCHAN, the title character of the novel of the same name, is one of them. Created by Natsume Soseki in the early years of the 20th century, Botchan still delights each subsequent generation with his honest, sincere naiveté. He is a young Japanese man who may not understand much of what's happening around him, but he stands by his simple principles, dispensing with all unnecessary formality, falseness, and fakery. In a society where politesse, social obligation and a certain measure of conformity are highly stressed, it must be a pleasure to read the tale of a young man who says what he thinks, refuses to behave politely, and consistently acts as he decides best. If he is not much of a rebel by American or European standards, he is a much beloved "straight shooter" by tighter Japanese measure. This book has been popular in Japan since its first publication and I would guess the reason is that Botchan's behavior mirrors what Japanese would 'like to be' more than the way they actually are. The rough diamond is a stock character in Japanese films and television shows from Mifune Toshiro's many "scungy-but-good hearted" samurai to the wildly-popular Tora-san. Westerners may not find much of a plot in BOTCHAN, but it is amusing, well-written, and enjoyable. It is a window on an older Japan far from bullet trains, animated adventures, and monsters that insist on attacking Tokyo. It is the story of a new young teacher in an isolated provincial town. I strongly recommend it for anyone, young or old. Botchan is one of those characters who will live forever in world literature. ...more

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Jan 16, 2018 John Velo rated it liked it · review of another edition

Short review: it's a Japanese Catcher in the Rye

Japanese literature has been one of the first genres I remember reading and loving — I fell in love with books when I read my first Murakami. Since then, I have ventured and looked for other Japanese authors and have found some that have appealed to me. This is my first Natsume Soseki novel, but sad to say, I am not overly impressed by it as I first thought I would be.

Botchan (or "boy master") tells us of a coming of age story of a mischievous boy ...more

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Jun 09, 2018 Katie Lumsden rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this one - a bit odd, but very funny! It's a kind of coming of age story, looking at a young man from Tokyo dealing with the gossipy strange world of a small town when he moves there to be a teacher. It kind of reminds me of Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh. ...more

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Sep 28, 2016 Vonia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: wanted-to-like-more-than-i-did, small-town-lives, high-school, coming-of-age, world-war-ii, revenge, young-adult, orphans, loneliness, academia

This is lauded as the Japanese "Catcher in the Rye". I agree with this assessment. I have been trying to decide which one I hated less. Hated might be a strong word. Nevertheless, like the character of Holden Caufield, Botchan is very candid, naïve, and narrates with a "fuckall" flair. From what I remember, Botchan seems a lot more close minded and discriminative, as opposed to Holden's lack of intelligence and mental problems. Holden is more against society in general, whereas Botchan has a mor ...more

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Nov 19, 2007 Dave rated it it was amazing

Very funny especially if you have ever been a teacher. It kind of reminds me of the trials and tribulations of Torgodevil in Korea (especially in the beginning). The novel details all the stupid politics and rivalries between teachers and the administration not to mention the students themselves, who are spoiled and unruly. The narrator is also interesting in that he is from Tokyo and looks down upon the small town as provincial and unsophisticated.
Though you can identify with him, the main cha ...more

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Mar 26, 2010 Praj rated it liked it

Shelves: にほん, ns

Botchan's story of his life as a middle-school teacher in the Japanese countryside is simple and entertaining.Botchan a complete stranger to compliments and praises in his childhood grows to be a loner with a 'I don't care' attitude.He gets confused or rather angry with the subtle manipulations he experiences later in life. The only emotional attachment he has and loves is that with his childhood maid Kiyo, who never stops from showering motherly love and praises on him.
The writings concentrat ...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Jayaprakash Satyamurthy rated it it was amazing

This translation has such an engaging voice - in-your-face, unapologetic, a little given to posturing but largely honest and down-to-earth. That sums up the narrator as well. He's a young man who is inclined to be tactless and rash. He has no especially strong ties except to a lady who works for his family as a servant and emerges as a kind of mother figure.

Botchan wanders into a career as a teacher in a provincial school and comes face to face with treachery, hypocrisy and the complexities of ...more

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Jul 01, 2017 Roxana Chirilă rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Some time ago, when I was a student, we had to read Soseki's "Botchan" for Japanese Literature. Now, I wasn't amazingly rich, nor was it exceptionally available in second hand bookshops (you could forget buying a new copy), so I turned to Google and searched for a free copy.

That's how I found Matt Treyvaud's translation, which was free at the time - he'd translated it in a month (NaNoWriMo style, but instead of writing a novel, he translated one), while mostly drunk. And it was a riot: bad langu Some time ago, when I was a student, we had to read Soseki's "Botchan" for Japanese Literature. Now, I wasn't amazingly rich, nor was it exceptionally available in second hand bookshops (you could forget buying a new copy), so I turned to Google and searched for a free copy.

That's how I found Matt Treyvaud's translation, which was free at the time - he'd translated it in a month (NaNoWriMo style, but instead of writing a novel, he translated one), while mostly drunk. And it was a riot: bad language, humor, a heroic dunderhead fighting against the system. I loved it. I think I was one of the few in my class who did, which came as no surprise when I saw that nearly everybody else had managed to find an uptight version with all the fun removed.

To be honest, I have no idea which version is closest to Soseki's. I speak Japanese badly enough that really understanding the original (or understanding the original without tremendous effort) is out of the question. But regardless of who got the most accurate version, I feel like I got the better deal. Mine actually felt like the rant of a not-very-clever, reckless man, whereas theirs seemed too polished to ring true. (I have a vague feeling the original isn't full of swear words, though, even if they're fun to read)

The main character is a loud, proud, reckless young man from Tokyo, who isn't very smart and is well aware of it. His parents disliked him, his brother dislikes him and barely gives him his part of the inheritance before parting ways as quickly as possible, but the old lady who took care of him as a child loves him, praising his honesty and good heart and thinking he'd end up becoming someone great.

With his part of the inheritance, he goes to college and studies science, and immediately after that he gets a job away in the countryside, as a math teacher. The town he ends up in, though, is anything but nice. Between a landlord who's desperately trying to sell him (forged) antiques and kicks him out when he refuses to buy any, students who love poking fun at him for stupid reasons and teachers who are doing their best to stab each other in the back, Botchan keeps walking on and doing his thing with the force of one who knows he isn't clever or subtle and doesn't want to be.

Soon, he doesn't know whether to trust the effeminate, Westernized Redshirt, who gives him all sorts of sage and vague advice about life, or the direct and apparently two-faced Porcupine, who seems honest, but might not be. And everybody seems to want something or other from him, whether it's money or cooperation - but that's okay, when he's in doubt, he follows his own morals and exasperates or worries those around him.

A fun and memorable story. ...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Darryl rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Botchan was written by Soseki in 1905, and it is widely considered to be one of the most important works of Japanese literature, as it was one of the first modern works that touches on the conflict between traditional values and beliefs found in remote Japanese villages, and the influence of the West and a modern society in a major city such as Tokyo.

The narrator is a young man of slight build but feisty spirit who has recently graduated from university with a degree in physics, who has been hir ...more

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Jul 15, 2011 Alexander rated it did not like it

This novella was neither thought-provoking nor entertaining. My lack of enjoyment, in some part, may have been due to the fact that it's a satire of a specific social order that I'm not familiar with -- but the bulk of the problem lay in the book's over-simplicity.

The intrigues between the 2-dimensional characters (that make up the bulk of the story) are trite, dramaless and inspire no emotional reaction from the reader. Each of the faculty members has one or two personal qualities and does not ...more

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Nov 08, 2017 Markus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-english, modern-fictions

BOTCHAN
By Natsume Soseki (1867-1916)

This short novel, written in the first person, is the story of a young man who grew up in Tokyo and after graduating from high school accepted a job as a teacher in a remote village by the sea, far south.

As you would expect, his first experience as a young teacher is sewn with stumbling blocks.
Riotous students, as well as a sly and hypocrite gang of fellow instructors, make his life miserable.
He is simple-minded but honest and intolerant to injustice, he is h ...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Rise added it · review of another edition

Botchan (1906) is a comic novel whose enduring appeal continues to entertain generations of Japanese readers. It's main character is a newly graduated Tokyo-bred young man sent to teach mathematics at middle school in an out of the way locality. As a young boy, Botchan, as he was fondly called by the household help Kiyo, is destined to be the black sheep of the family. His relationship with his father and brother is civil at best. Kiyo is the only one who was patient with him and who believed he ...more

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Apr 20, 2017 Jim rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, asian-lit, humor

Faculty politics is nasty and brutish. Natsume Sōseki also shows us that it can be funny. A young graduate is sent to a country town in southern Japan and finds himself in a middle school where the faculty politics is unrelenting and devastating. The book Botchan is Japanese for "young master."

Though he lasts scarcely a month, he manages to wreak revenge on "Red Shirt" and "Clown" in a satisfying way, which I will not describe here for fear of ging away the plot.

This is a quick read and a well- ...more

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Apr 22, 2017 Tim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1900s, reviewed, japanese, classic

Now that I thought about it, though, I realized that most people actually encourage you to turn bad. They seem to think that if you don't, you'll never get anywhere in the world. And then on those rare occasions when they encounter somebody who's honest and pure-hearted, they look down on him and say he's nothing but a kid, a Botchan. If that's the way it is, it would be better if they didn't have those ethics classes in elementary school and middle school where the teacher is always telling you

Now that I thought about it, though, I realized that most people actually encourage you to turn bad. They seem to think that if you don't, you'll never get anywhere in the world. And then on those rare occasions when they encounter somebody who's honest and pure-hearted, they look down on him and say he's nothing but a kid, a Botchan. If that's the way it is, it would be better if they didn't have those ethics classes in elementary school and middle school where the teacher is always telling you to be honest and not lie. The schools might as well just go ahead and teach you how to tell lies, how to mistrust everybody, and how to take advantage of people. Wouldn't their students, and the world at large, be better off that way?

This is a wonderful, though often very frustrating read. It’s not frustrating because it is difficult, far from it (the translation is quite the page turner) but because I found myself nodding at the above quote. I did somewhat look down upon our unnamed narrator (known only as Botchan)… and I admire the character in equal parts. The book is a morality story that shows the reader (or at least this reader) their own unpleasant side.

I found his character childish. I sat there the entire time feeling that, had I known him in real life, I would find him insufferable and wouldn't be able to stand to be around him. He's loud, brash and seems to think he's always in the morally right... and with a few exceptions brought on by misunderstandings, he is in the the right. That said, he is often right in a way that goes against society and the way one is supposed to act. At times I would root for him and others cringe and feel that awkward embarrassment that sitcoms seem to thrive on. That moment when the character does something baffling, everyone recognizes it, and you just laugh awkwardly.

Though it is frustrating, Natsume Sōseki has also caught so much truth in these actions that I can't help but be impressed. He understands human nature, good and bad, putting them on display from all characters. It is unsurprising that the novel is a classic in Japan (often cited as one of the author's most popular books and frequently found in school curriculum). It is a classic that has lost none of its charm since it was published over 100 years ago.

Now I do want to say a bit about the translation. Overall, it is wonderful, very readable and accessible to modern English reading audiences. That said, I question a few bits. First off, the principal's nickname is translated as "Badger" rather than "Tanuki." The translator states in his introduction that this was to be more accessible to English readers who may not know what a tanuki is... but in changing this he defeats part of the point of said nickname. A tanuki in Japanese myths is often a master of disguise or shapeshifting creature, this ties in with the principal's golden tongue, able to mislead or at least argue around the topic, distracting and laying blame where it should not be while keeping the school's reputation. I find badger does not bring to mind any of these connotations, and indeed makes me think of a different sort of personality. This wouldn't be that bothersome if the translator was going entirely for an English speaking audience and hoping they wouldn't need to look anything up, yet he leaves the often used phrase "na moshi" untranslated. I had knowledge of a tanuki, but had no clue what that meant and had to look it up online. This is what I found:

"Na moshi (〜なもし) is the Matsuyama dialect's equivalent of de gozaimasu-ne (〜でございますね), a phrase that doesn't quite translate into English. Think of it as a formal way to say desu-ne (〜ですね), for which there is no good English equivalent. "Isn't it?" comes close."

So yes, this could remain untranslated, and used frequently, but the nicknames could be changed rather unsuitably for the ease of English speaking audiences. I personally find that quite baffling.

In closing: despite some questionable aspects to the translation, and a few truly cringe worthy moments from our protagonist, I found this a delightful read. There are some genuinely comedic moments, that capture our human interactions with each other quite well, both the good and the bad. It shows us people are the same everywhere, suffering from many of the same flaws. It's an entertaining read and well worthy of its classic status. ...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Rachel rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, japanese-in-translation

Botchan is the nickname of the otherwise unnamed narrator, a young man who leaves Tokyo to teach math at a middle school in a country town in the south of Japan. He has no particular interest in teaching, but he has nothing better to do so he accepts the job when offered. Botchan the novel is considered the most widely-read of all Japan's modern novels and Botchan the character is often compared to Holden Caulfield, but I find the comparison inapt since Holden was an obnoxious creep who thought Botchan is the nickname of the otherwise unnamed narrator, a young man who leaves Tokyo to teach math at a middle school in a country town in the south of Japan. He has no particular interest in teaching, but he has nothing better to do so he accepts the job when offered. Botchan the novel is considered the most widely-read of all Japan's modern novels and Botchan the character is often compared to Holden Caulfield, but I find the comparison inapt since Holden was an obnoxious creep who thought he was the smartest person in any room he happened to be in, whereas Botchan is mostly just cranky yet fully aware that he's not all that bright. His attitude seems to be that if a dumb guy like himself can see what's what, then why can't all these other idiots figure things out?

The standard reading is that Botchan has little patience with the rigid social structure of the educational system (and likely Japan in general), no patience at all for the way that indirect conversation passes for politeness, and thus he functions to subvert the inherent hypocrisy of the academic politics at his school. But his lack of thoughtfulness and tendency to barge headlong into situations he doesn't fully understand belies that reading. In the very first sentence of the book he tells us, "from the time I was a boy the reckless streak that runs in my family has brought me nothing but trouble," and the rest of the novel, which takes place over only a few months, illustrates that point. He acts out whenever he's angry, and he's almost always angry, but angry in a humorous way. Essentially, he's George Costanza as a 21-year-old high school teacher in 1904 Japan.

But the problem I had with Botchan is that he's tiresome. He's relentless about sticking pins in people and situations and after a while you just want him to take a break. His irritation pretty quickly becomes irritating itself. The book can be read in an afternoon, and although I recommend the book, I don't recommend reading it all in one sitting, unless you have someone you need to yell at afterwards. ...more

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Mar 28, 2018 Askell rated it liked it · review of another edition

[2018]

I did not expect when I read, its been said that this was closely alike with Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn's adventures. A very fun reading and so entertaining in the beginning, though get little bit dull in the middle to the end of the book, full of satire about morality and fakeness in the society.

I thought there would be some serious rebellious acts towards school or society system, as it was written at back of the cover. But NO, the confrontations are merely viewed as sa [2018]

I did not expect when I read, its been said that this was closely alike with Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn's adventures. A very fun reading and so entertaining in the beginning, though get little bit dull in the middle to the end of the book, full of satire about morality and fakeness in the society.

I thought there would be some serious rebellious acts towards school or society system, as it was written at back of the cover. But NO, the confrontations are merely viewed as satire statement of the main character's thought, and little bit physical conflict.

I would say Its fine and fun reading but no more than that.
___________________

[2020]

Saya lagi senang membaca ulang buku-buku di rak saya. Beberapa hal, saya menemukan sesuatu yg menarik dalam pembacaan kesekian kali. Saya lebih mampu mengapresiasi buku yang saya sedang baca, bisa membaca lebih santai dan pelan (pelan bukan dalam arti ritme yg lambat), tapi lebih menghayati. Belakangan ini saya lebih menghargai "slow reading", daripada tergesa-gesa membaca sekadar memperbanyak koleksi buku yg sudah dibaca. Saya belajar memaknai kualitas suatu karya, bukan kuantitas atau seberapa banyak buku yg sudah saya baca.

Dalam Botchan ini, semisal, saya jarang menikmati karya satir dan ringan, namun membaca ulang dengan lebih "sadar" membuat saya lebih menghargai. Sekalipun penilaian dan selera saya tidak berubah, buku ini tidak terlalu membuat saya gelisah. Bagi saya gelisah atau tidaknya saya di akhir adalah indikator layak atau tak layaknya sebuah buku dibaca.

Berbeda dengan novel-novel Soseki yang lahir pada periode kedua yg lebih serius dan dingin, di periode pertama novel-novel ini lebih ringan dan bernuansa satir. Buku ini, katanya, populer di kalangan tua-muda di Jepang. Tapi buat pembaca luar sulit untuk memahami motif dari si Botchan, semata karena sulit untuk mengontekskan diri dengan kehidupan sosial Jepang, atau tata krama formal dan berpura-pura yang menjadi kritikan sentral buku ini. Bagi pembaca Jepang, tentu maklum bila buku ini populer karena mereka jelas mereka berada di dalamnya, mereka adalah bagian yang dikritik dalam buku ini. Yah saya pikir, buku ini bakalan sangat lucu dan bagus bila saja literasi budaya Jepang saya cukup baik. ...more

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May 27, 2019 J.M. Hushour rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is one of Natsume's first published novels and is widely regarded as a timeless classic in Japan, on par with Huck Finn, I suppose. Botchan is a fresh-faced yet hilariously bitter and acerbic young man navigating the torturous absurdities of Japan around 1905. Taking a job as a math teacher in a the Japanese equivalent of redneck backwater, he is exposed to the torments of students and colleagues alike, which he quietly rages against in writing. Noteworthy for its scathing commentaries on s ...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Marieke rated it liked it

Shelves: 2012, fiction, classics, japan, worlds-lit

I may revise my star rating upwards after I think some more about this book and the time period it was written during. At the very least, it was funny (though not hilarious like the description says) thanks to the narrator's attitude (must come up with an accurate adjective) and i really did enjoy it. This is three stars of the strong variety, not wishy-washy variety. More later... ...more

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Jul 20, 2014 Vishnu rated it really liked it · review of another edition

First read - 20/7/2014-26/7/2014. Loved it then, loved it now.

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Apr 02, 2019 Hiba Arrame rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: japanese-literature

I don't really know how to feel about this one, not to say I disliked it, but I just didn't feel it. It went right above me, and I'm afraid I am subconsciously comparing Kokoro to this one, and will probably do the same thing with the rest of Natsume's books.
It was fun reading about Botchan and accompanying him through his days, there were parts where I had a good laugh and others where I wanted to take Botchan by his shoulders and shake some sense into him. He is good willed, but too impulsive ...more

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May 12, 2010 Paula rated it it was amazing

'Ever since I was a child, my inherent recklessness has brought me nothing but trouble …'

'Botchan' was written 106 years ago and is still one of most popular books in Japan.

'Botchan' is the story of Botchan, not his name, its a endearing or dismissive name for a young man of a respectable family, his real name is never revealed.

Botchan has always been a handful for his family and as he gets older, he still remains a handful. Following the death of his Father, Botchan uses his inheritance to stu ...more

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May 22, 2011 Ellie rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, asia, 2011ind-chal200bks, library

Botchan: A Modern Classic by Natsume Sōseki was a complete pleasure. Written in the early 20th century, in Japan it nonetheless feels completely modern. The translation I read was a very old one and seemed a bit awkward. Despite that, the story of a young man in Tokyo who feels too honest for his world and surrounded by phonies was as close in tone as that sounds to The Catcher in the Rye. It was, however, somewhat more lighthearted. As a teacher, I have to admit I identified with the hero who t ...more

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Jul 05, 2013 Wiebke (1book1review) rated it liked it

Now this is a Japanese classic about morale, but I had to look this up, to really get it.
The novel follows a rather dislikable character, who looks down on others and is very judgmental. However, he is also a very simple and straightforward guy, following what he beliefs is right and honest behavior.
We mainly watch him in a village surrounding on his first assignment after his studies. He is a teacher in a school and there are many situations, where he gets into trouble with other people/teacher ...more

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Aug 30, 2008 Nami rated it really liked it

This was fun, short, verging on sweet. Because I am not entirely sure what I took from it morally (unless I am to imagine it's a straight a,b,c growing up tale - I'm not sold that it is), I can't really say I found it completely sweet. I don't know what the word is because amoral, lacking morals, all have a bad sense about them. Maybe it had empty morals. Or maybe even morals that really weren't morals at all.

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I'm totally enjoying this book. Also, I'm freaked out because it randomly mention ...more

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Nov 04, 2017 George K. Ilsley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: humour, japanese, modern-classic, fiction

It's is never too late to achieve the education of a Japanese high school student. I wonder if they still read this one?

This is a Japanese classic, roughly the equivalent of Catcher in the Rye, in that it is now considered YA and pokes fun at received wisdom. However, Botchan (the nickname of the protagonist) is so sweet, to my eyes— the rebellion is so muted, so Japanese, that at most the book reads as gentle humour. ...more

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Mar 01, 2018 Coralee rated it it was amazing

There was something quirky in this book that I just really liked. Loved the blunt narration and the narrator's dry humor and lack of sensitivity. Funny story with a few honest-to-goodness gems of interpersonal insight. ...more

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About Natsume Sōseki

Natsume Sōseki

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Natsume Sōseki (夏目漱石), born Natsume Kinnosuke (夏目金之助), was a Japanese novelist. He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat and his unfinished work Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and composer of haiku, kanshi, and fairy tales. From 1984 until 2004, his portrait appeared on the front of the Japanese 1000 yen note. In Japan, he is often considered t ...more

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Quotes from Botchan

“Now that I thought about it, though, I realized that most people actually encourage you to turn bad. They seem to think that if you don't, you'll never get anywhere in the world. And then on those rare occasions when they encounter somebody who's honest and pure-hearted, they look down on him and say he's nothing but a kid, a Botchan. If that's the way it is, it would be better if they didn't have those ethics classes in elementary school and middle school where the teacher is always telling you to be honest and not lie. The schools might as well just go ahead and teach you how to tell lies, how to mistrust everybody, and how to take advantage of people. Wouldn't their students, and the world at large, be better off that way? Redshirt had laughed at me for being simpleminded. If people are going to get laughed at for being simpleminded and sincere, there's no hope. Kiyo never laughed at me for saying anything like what I said to Redshirt. She would have been deeply impressed by it. Compared to Redshirt, she's far and away the superior person.” — 57 likes

“إن كان الصدق والبساطة يجعلان المرء عرضة للاستهزاء، فهذا يعني أنه لم يعد هناك أمل في هذا العالم” — 22 likes

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