赤・黒 池袋ウエストゲートパーク外伝

Ikebukuro West Gate Park

by Ira Ishida

ギャンブルにはまって借金をかかえる映像ディレクター・小峰渉のもとに、池袋最大のカジノの売上金を狂言強盗する計画がもちかけられる。計画は成功、時給の１億円が手に入ると思った鼻先で金が奪われ……。本作は「池袋ウエストゲートパーク」シリーズの外伝で、お馴染み氷高組のサルが小峰と組んで、池袋を拠点にするヤクザたちの巧妙な罠から起死回生を狙います。息つく隙（ひま）もないスピーディな展開の末、最後にルーレットの玉がおちるのは、赤か、黒か！

343 pages, Paperback Bunko

First published February 1, 2001

About the author

Ira Ishida (石田衣良) is a Japanese novelist, actor, and TV commentator.

After graduating from Seikei University, he worked for a number of different advertising production companies and as a freelance copywriter. In 1997, he published his first novel, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, which won the 36th All Yomimono New Mystery Writer's Prize. In 2003, he won the Naoki Prize for 4-Teen.

His novels describe the culture of young people in Japan, particularly young women and otaku without a college education. Many of his works have been adapted for manga and television. As an actor, he made his first appearance in a leading role in the 2006 film Love My Life.

Ishida's pen name, Ishida Ira, was derived by splitting his real family name Ishidaira.

Reviews

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ira Ishida is a talented author, this novel is a fine demonstration of his talent, it's an up-beat, no-nonsense 'underdogs fight back!' crime/detective novel.

The story of Red. Black begins with a failed robbery attempt, and under the threat of the yakuza, the Main Character (one of the betrayed robbers) and his girlfriend needed to find out who was behind the scheme and where the stolen yakuza's money had gone to, the intensive plots and its many comical moments and the awesomely written casino scene in the ending part would definitely keep you reading.

I really do enjoy how Mr. Ishida writes his underdog MCs and how they wouldn't give up before revenge is served, However, I am not really happy to find the voices of different characters look a bit too smiliar with one another (not to mention the MC's voice sounds the same like the MC from the author's other popular series: Ikebukuro West Gate Park), clearly the characterization of different MCs could have been done better.

[BaiLing · Rating 3 out of 5]

書名雖然有《池袋西口公園》字樣，但本來的兩位主角：G少年幫主崇仔出來跑了一下龍套，自家水果店打工仔真島誠根本只被提到名字。不過，因為事件是發生在蛇雜處的池袋西口公園附近，所以書名還是套用了知名的系列名稱。

靠拍B級影片餬口的導演小蜂勝，因沉迷賭博欠下龐大賭債，在友人的慫恿下參加了自編自導的賭場現金搶劫，不料，各自不相熟識的四人小組完美的黑吃黑計畫竟然破功，鉅款被窩裡反的成員搶走，一人喪命，一人被毒打簽下賣身契，小峰勝憑著機智口才，和賭場老大立約，如果追回鉅款、查出幕後勢力，事成之後，不但賭債一筆勾銷，還可以有獎金可領。

接著便帶著大家進入池袋西口公園的賭博世界，分析黑道企業經營的成與敗，可以聽(骰子)音辨落點的神人賭客，最後一把決定骰子落在黑或紅輪盤上的豪賭……。

終於「破獲」黑道支派背地裡耍手段的陰謀，翻天覆地的緝凶刑案也喜劇收場。小峰勝終於戒賭，有情有義的女人堅守和軟弱男人的情愛。池袋西口公園也一樣，有些熟客退場，有些新人進場，仍舊龍蛇雜處，依然沒有改變。

這是發生在平行異次元世界的故事，通篇輕快跳躍，描繪的畫面很有廣告短片的架式。即使是血腥拚殺場面，就像看英雄電影掃射壞蛋，聲量驚人卻毫無哀痛傷感。

適合想要閱讀卻更需要輕鬆心情的任何時刻，那一點點的閱讀時光，可以增生不少再度勇敢面對現實的氣力。