Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 2: The Second Bakery Attack, Samsa in Love, Thailand

Haruki Murakami Manga Stories #2

by Jean-Christophe Deveney (Adapter), Haruki Murakami, PMGL (Illustrator)

Haruki Murakami's best-loved stories finally in graphic novel form!

Haruki Murakami's novels, essays and short stories have sold millions of copies worldwide and been translated into scores of languages. Now for the first time, in this three-volume series, Murakami's best-loved stories are available in manga form in English.

With their trademark mix of realism and fantasy, centering around Murakami's signature themes of loss, remorse and confusion, the three stories in this volume are:

The Second Bakery Attack: A newlywed couple lie in bed, hungry. The man tells his wife that ten years earlier, he and his friend tried to rob a bakery. The baker told them that if they listened to Wagner's Tannhauser and The Flying Dutchman with him, they could take what they wanted. They did so and left with enough bread to feed them for two days. On hearing this story, the woman suggests they try the same thing. They drive around Tokyo looking for a bakery, but the only place open is a McDonald's. With a shotgun they demand 30 Big Macs. They find an empty parking lot where they eat until their fill. The man feels calm and satisfied after this experience.

Samsa in Love: is an extension of the tale of Gregor Samsa in Kafka's Metamorphosis. The main character wakes up finding himself transformed into someone named Samsa, and then falls in love with a hunchback woman who comes to fix the lock on his door.

Thailand: A middle-aged woman takes a break from her job as a doctor to go on holiday in Thailand. She learns from a spirit doctor that her sterile life and inability to forgive have created a rock in her gut, which will be all that remains of her after she is dead.

These new graphic versions of classic Murakami short stories will be devoured by his fans and will provide a new window onto his work for younger readers not yet familiar with it!

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Short Stories, Fiction, Comics, Japan, Magical Realism

128 pages, Hardcover

First published April 9, 2024

Reviews

[Liong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Murakami manga book I have read.

I have read these three short stories before.

I am absolutely delighted to have experienced Murakami's world through manga.

The Second Bakery Attack
The artwork shows a funny and strange adventure of a couple. The night scenes and the empty bakery are a bit scary but exciting.

Samsa in Love
The drawings make the idea of Gregor turning into a human both weird and interesting. You see the world through his eyes, and the pictures help you feel how confused and curious he is.

Thailand
The pictures show a peaceful Thai place with beautiful nature. But they also show the main character's deep thoughts and feelings. It is calm but also emotional.

The pictures in these mangas can tell the story in a way that words alone can't. 😜

They help you understand the strange and surreal parts of Murakami's stories.

What about making these stories into a movie one day? 🎬🎥📽📺

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been fairly underwhelmed by both offerings of the Murakami Manga collections and once again find the story selection a bit curious. Not that these are bad stories and I do love visual enhancement but I suppose there are stories that have more visual opportunities than the ones that have appeared so far. I don’t dislike the artwork but at least for me it feels incongruous with the vibes I get from reading Murakami—which is cool, don’t get me wrong, I think this offers a fresh texture to the way we process and chew on his tales but I just personally haven’t cared much for it. Will I read volume 3? Absolutely. So while the rating is a bit low don’t take that as a sign to skip it either. I’d also enjoy reading something else from this artist.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This second volume of Murakami's manga was incredibly short and rather lacking in substance, consisting of 3 very short stories. My favourite of which was Vietnam, which follows a middle aged doctor as she leaves a highly stressful life in America to return to Japan, passing through Vietnam on the way. Here she befriends a chauffeur who allows her to open up her heart and her worries. I'm still not sure I entirely like the artistic style used, as the pictures sometimes feel a bit hurried and lacking in detail. However overall the stories are OK.

[Pawarut Jongsirirag · Rating 4 out of 5]

ชอบมาก

นานทีจะได้เห็นงานดัดแปลงของลุงมูในรูปของคอมมิก ส่วนมากจะกลายเป็นหนังซะส่วนใหญ่ ซึ่งหนังกับคอมมิกให้อารมณ์ของเรื่องเล่าของลุงมูแตกต่างกันมาก

แม้งานภาพจำเป็นต้องตัดทอนความซับซ้อนและความอิหยังวะบางอย่างในเรื่องสั้นของลุงมูออกไป แต่มันก็ทดแทนด้วย ลายเส้น ที่ทำให้เรื่องเล่ามันขยับขยายตัวเองออกมาในอีกมิติหนึ่งที่ตัวอักษรอาจทำไม่ได้ แถมลายเส้นประหลาดๆที่ไม่ได้เน้นสัดส่วนที่สมจริงอะไร ยิ่งไปด้วยกันได้ดีกับเรื่องสั้นสุดพิลึกของลุงมู

เป็นผลงานดัดแปลงอีกชิ้นที่ประทับใจครับ

ปล.ชอบเรื่อง Thailand ในเล่มมาก ไม่รู้ว่าในฉบับเรื่องสั้นจะให้ Vibe เดียวกับคอมมิคมั้ย

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ow, having read all 3 volumes, this one is my favourite. The 3 stories are not linked and I was surprised to recognise‘Metamorphosis’. Loved the graphics in ‘Thailand’ when it changes to show the Dr. reflecting and remembering her past.

[امیرمحمد حیدری · Rating 2 out of 5]

خاطرم نیست با چه نشری خواندم، اما حتی ترتیب خوانشش هم اشتباه بود (از چپ به راست)، کیفیت تصاویر و ترجمه و ویراست هم افتضاح. الباقی هم که داستان خود موراکامی بود که به دلم ننشست.

[marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Very cool to see Murakami in manga form, but the art style seems too grungy for Murakami. I like the last story, Thailand, the most; it had the most genuine character connections and interactions, and depth I think. I also like Samsa, which was a reverse twist on Metamorphosis. I can’t say I cared much for the first story, unfortunately.

[kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5! the three short stories depicted here are so strange!! i haven’t read these stories in their original form. but this graphic novel manga version is still very enjoyable and i can tell that the artist made a lot of thoughtful choices in the design. the onomatopoeia words that were with the pictures were skrange tho maybe they inspired by original authors language? idk

the second bakery attack - so odd with the mfs waking up starving in the middle of the night, the hubby admitting he’d robbed a bakery in his youth, the wife saying okay boo boo round two then, then shes got the gun ski masks everything bing bang boom oh wait this is a mcdonald’s. fuck it put the food in the bag anyway. then there was the whole bit about how there first robbery was like they didn’t even rob him the owner just made them listen to a record with him then they could take it all. whole time the mfs telling this from the frame story of him in a random boat at sea like it was interesting but also tf?? solid 3.5

samsa in love - actually really enjoyable!! weird with the boner part but you can tell this author was writing from the idea that love is a huge motivator for living, maybe even the reason but he talking about romantic sexual intimate love. okay murakami!! interesting. maybe it’s just a cockroach turned human’s reason for love - procreation and the inevitable intimate processes that come with that in our human existence. but i still think this was strong. they didn’t have sex and i really liked the desire part of him just really wanting to be with her first and foremost to talk. but also the mf wakes up and shes the first person he’s conscious of so maybe this is a lil less special with the meaning that you could love anyone that is there the first opportunity you get. idk. perplexing but i really liked that it was a reversal of the metamorphosis maybe this one gets 4 stars okay the boner part was even funny

thailand - interesting and maybe the least weird of all. woman going on a lil retreat getting away from life worries, she’s in menopause, she’s alone, she’s doing her thing, she’s trying to let go of some supposed rock in her body of shit she’s holding on to. and you can tell she is because she’s thinking about some guy that ruined her and how she couldn’t have kids because of him (something real bad musta happened like… violent) and how she hopes he dies a violent death, meanwhile she’s swimming in this beautiful place staying at a resort all week and then her driver takes her to this fortune teller ish woman and she’s saying let go of the pain!! let go of the stone!! and she’s trying to trying to trying to and then she goes to tell her driver what it’s about and he’s like no! don’t tell me! words turn into stone!! which is an interesting concept. so she doesn’t tell him and we end without ever learning. and that’s a whole big interesting choice. well if we don’t say it how do we face it? if we don’t put our words into stone how do we get it out? mf story ends without that insight thanks murakami. ends with this whole question of what do WE exist for. damn. i don’t even think this mf knows either i’ll say that. but i think he wants us to think about it

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always been a big fan of Murakami’s unique writing, so I was super excited to dive into one of his manga collections. This one in particular was made up of 3 stories.

The artwork was beautifully drawn, and so unique to look at. I spent so long taking in all the expressive details. As for the actual stories, they were very surreal and weird. If you haven’t read Murakami before, this is definitely a great one to start with.

Synopsis and Thoughts:
The Second Bakery Attack - In this a newlywed couple lies in bed hungry. The man recounts a time he and a friend robbed a bakery. After hearing this the woman suggests they try the same thing, but instead of a bakery, they end up robbing a McDonalds. This one was honestly just really fun and wild. I enjoyed how random the entire story seemed but would have loved for more to happen in it.

Samsa in Love - This one was definitely homage to Kafka’s story, Metamorphosis which was really interesting. The story is about a being that morphed into a human and ends up falling in love. I didn’t know what to expect going into it, but I was definitely surprised by this one. Such an intriguing story.

Thailand- Is about a woman who specializes in thyroid medicine. She ends up taking a vacation to Thailand where she learns she has a rock in her gut. This one had me on the end of my seat, nothing about it was predictable. This story was so unique and creative, probably my favorite out of the 3.

[Andra · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second installment of the Murakami manga stories and this was a strange one. Honestly, I can't say I enjoyed the first two stories much - the heavy symbolism and surrealism made them too obscure (or, maybe I'm just too dumb for them, which is also a valid theory).

The third story made more sense to me and was more in the vein of Murakami-that-I-like. Still, all the stories had this common theme of dissatisfaction - longing, hunger - and of being stuck, which made them feel really oppressive and claustrophobic somehow.

The artwork, however, continues to be bang on.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comics adaptation of 3 Murakami short stories. The art is in the French style, and very good. Makes me want to read some more Murakami short stories, and also re-read Wind-up Bird Chronicle. All of the stories had kind of similar themes of disconnectedness, distance, isolation, and the rare connections one makes in these circumstances. They give an impression of overhearing a conversation on a bus between two strangers that you never see. Old records play prominent roles in two of the three stories. I want to see a manga adaptation of a story he told in an interview about his dad trying to get rid of the family cat.

[Rajita P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

เป็นหนังสือรูปแบบลายเส้นสี comic ดัดแปลงจากเรื่องสั้นของอ.มูราคามิ ซึ่งฉันเองเคยอ่านเรื่องสั้นทั้งสามเรื่องนี้มาแล้ว ไม่อยากสปอยด์ผู้ที่ยังไม่ได้อ่าน แต่สำหรับผู้ที่อ่านแล้วอยากบอกว่าควรหาหนังสือเล่มนี้มาอ่านร่วมด้วยจะช่วยเปิดจินตนาการ และทำให้เราเห็นภาพได้ชัดเจนขึ้น

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ran in the library today and picked this up by chance. I enjoyed it so much. The three stories are delightful. I listened to Erroll Garner’s Concert by the Sea afterwards. Def interested in reading books by Murakami now. The story, Samsa in Love is my favorite. I love Kafka’s Metamorphosis so this reversal story was right up my alley.

[Beth]

I'm not inclined to rate this book.
I didn't love any of the three stories, but I must say, much can be conveyed with pictures and a few words so the stories got me thinking.

[Alyna Hermosillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet stories with beautiful illustrations. Favorite story was Samsa in Love when the little hunchback girl told Samsa “if you think of someone enough, you’re sure to meet them again”.

[Sofia Freitas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thailand, my favourite story out of the 3.
Also, the art is beautiful.

[Iselin · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories are by no means the stories I would have personally chosen to see in manga form. They’re not his worst. Not his best either. Thailand is fine… I guess…

[Parisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

had read all three stories over the years, but i enjoyed revisiting them in this darkly visual format

[Sebastiano Saraceno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good adaptations of Murakami's short stories. I'd give four stars to the first two (both artwork and plots), while the final one, "Thailand", is probably one of the best Murakami has ever written, and the artwork is superb!

[Sam Snyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sappige kort verhalen in beeld.

[magalim96 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird, twisted and a little disturbing. Not sure if these short stories worked for me, even though the illustrations were enjoyable.

[John Fetzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murakami manga of a few short stories, volume of 3 more. Quick and mainly enjoying the grapgical presentations of the stories read years ago. Very Japanese in style.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care for the vast majority of these stories; only one of them were interesting. This may sound a bit harsh but I think I definitely prefer Murakami's works to be in novel form and not graphic novel.

[Macs Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

The art styles incorporated into the Murakami Manga volumes are dreamlike in their own right and perfectly capture the shaky vibe of his stories. The original onomatopeias aid in this othering. Each of these three stories had some twist which really kept me on my toes. "Thailand" in particular is the most fleshed out of any of the seven stories which has come out so far. I will certainly reread these in another year or two. For someone who wants to get an idea for Murakami in the most immersive way, this is a decent place to look!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series, this time with 3 short stories by Murakami, adapted by Deveney.
I had already read Samsa in Love (in the collection Men Without Women (https://wordsandpeace.com/2017/07/16/...).
The art style didn't work as much for me as in book 1. For sure, it's super expressive, but I don't like too much what PMGL does here with faces especially.
Still, if you have never read Murakami, that's a good way to try.
Not sure why the English translator's name is never mentioned. Sigh...

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this less than the previous volume. I am definitely more familiar with the first 2 stories, so maybe I had higher expectations for them. Liked it but didn't love it. I hear there will be a 3rd volume, I'll still read it.

[Jumana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting Murakami’s second manga series was like stepping into a lucid dream with a well-worn map that still manages to surprise. I hadn’t realized this was a continuation—Murakami has a way of making any entry point feel like the starting point. It’s comforting and disorienting all at once.

The Second Bakery Attack was a standout for me. It’s just so... Murakami. The calm absurdity, the quiet urgency, the way an ordinary craving for bread unravels into something mythic and symbolic. It captures his signature: the mundane folding into the surreal without fanfare, as though the two were always meant to coexist.

And of course, the ending. Murakami never gives closure in the traditional sense—he hands you a mirror instead and leaves. You're left turning the story over in your head, wondering what was real, what was metaphor, and why it all felt so personal. That’s the magic.

If Murakami were to start a short series dedicated to the red herrings in his work—those tantalizing threads that lead nowhere and everywhere—I’d devour it. I can already imagine: an episode about the crow from Kafka on the Shore, or finally hearing the untold story of the old man who talks to cats. That backstory still haunts me. What if these oddities were actually connected, each a puzzle piece from a grander, unseen Murakamiverse? I’d love to see those breadcrumbs turned into entire feasts.

Until then, I’ll keep chasing the echoes in his work, always a little unsure of what I’m looking for—but certain I’m meant to be looking.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The illustrations are well done. There are three very different stories in this collection, ‘The Second Bakery Attack’, ‘Samsa in Love’ and ‘Thailand’.

‘The Second Bakery Attack’ is about a recently married couple, lying in bed one night, suddenly feel very very hungry and deciding to rob a bakery.

‘Samsa in Love’ tells the story of Gregor Samsa who wakes up as a human after living as a bug.

My favourite by far is ‘Thailand’ where Satsuki, a middle-aged doctor, travels to Thailand for a conference and then for a vacation. She mets a spiritualist who causes her to rethink her life. This story had a very Haruki Murakami feel (sic). There is more dialogue and there are a number of plot surprises. Satsuki is a doctor and had been living in USA for ten years. Her husband divorced her, commenting that Satsuki did not want children. She decides to move back to Japan, attending a conference in Bangkok, then to go on a week’s vacation. Whilst on her flight she recalls run-ins with practicing doctors. In Thailand she learns that her vacation has been thoroughly planned by her assistant, catering to Satsuki’s personal preferences. Her personal vacation chauffeur is a unique character who arranges for Satsuki to visit a spiritualist who predicts dreams. After the spiritualist, the chauffeur tells Satsuki that ‘If you devote all of your energy to living, you will not be able to die well.”

A worthwhile read and a must read for Haruki Murakami fans!

This graphic novel was first published in 2024.

[Boon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 2" brings three of Murakami’s captivating short stories to life in the engaging format of manga. As someone who had not previously read "The Second Bakery Attack," "Samsa in Love," and "Thailand," I was immediately drawn into Murakami's enchanting and fantastical world.

Of the three, "Thailand" stood out to me, not just because of its connection to my home country, but due to the profound way it intertwines superstition with the protagonist's mental trauma. The story deeply explores the emotional landscapes of its characters, making it a particularly resonant piece.

The artwork in this manga series is exceptional, featuring a unique style that effectively captures and enhances the emotional depth and surreal qualities of Murakami's writing. The illustrations complement the narrative beautifully, adding a rich visual layer to the already intriguing stories.

I highly recommend this collection to both fans of Murakami and newcomers alike. The combination of his imaginative storytelling with striking manga art makes "Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 2" a memorable and worthwhile read.

[allneon_like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. My favorite stories was the second bakery attack, just on account, I was thinking about it the most after reading and certain lines resonated with me. For the second bakery attack and samsa in love, I went to listen to their original short stories to see if anything changed or made more sense. Some parts of the second bakery attack make more sense in the short story (the boat and volcano imagery is better described in the short story). Fun read but I feel like Murakami's use of magic realism is way better read in a short story than visually, that's the only downside that may be apparent to a more experienced fan of his. Thailand was good, I couldn't find an audiobook or short story online but the story seems to be written well enough for me. Murakami's magic realism was at full display here more than the other stories. Really liked her character the most out of all the stories. This is a good introduction to Murakami though I will say and worth the read if you're not ready to explore his writing style at a novel-length level yet (I was considering getting a novel of his from my Library but I already carry and have too many books I have to give back lol)