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A Wind Named Amnesia / Invader Summer
What was left for humankind after it lost all of its memories? The basis for the classic, beloved animated film, A Wind Named Amnesia poses that question, as the world is wiped clean, the pasts of every man, woman, and child blotted out with the whisper of the passing breeze. What caused it--aliens, magic, or a war gone horribly wrong? When a young man named Wataru journeys across America in search of answers, he finds a world lost without the most basic knowledge. Can humanity rebuild from the aftermath?
In Invader Summer, a hot June afternoon in Yubue City is thrown into turmoil when a pale young girl appears, as if from nowhere, and captures the hearts of all the boys on the school playground. Quickly that love spreads, the entire town entranced by the beautiful young invader from outside their village. But a darkness has come to the town with the mysterious visitor, an otherworldly shadow that stretches across the blue mountain ranges, filled with menace and evil...
In Invader Summer, a hot June afternoon in Yubue City is thrown into turmoil when a pale young girl appears, as if from nowhere, and captures the hearts of all the boys on the school playground. Quickly that love spreads, the entire town entranced by the beautiful young invader from outside their village. But a darkness has come to the town with the mysterious visitor, an otherworldly shadow that stretches across the blue mountain ranges, filled with menace and evil...
478 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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1039 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 23, 2014
This was two Japanese novels combined into one volume, and I was actually impressed with both.
A Wind Named Amnesia is basically a Post Apoc book where, well, everyone gets amnesia and it leads to the world falling apart. There's more to it than that of course, but I will leave the spoilers out and just say its very interesting.
Invader Summer regards this new girl in town, and there's just something very strange about her. Once again, I'll omit spoilers but this was a good one as well.
I think I did prefer Wind better, and there is also an anime on that one but I haven't seen it. I didn't have much problem with the english translations, but some people have said they found it a little hard to adjust to.
Overall I would recommend these to anyone who wants to read something just a little different. If you are a manga fan then these would especially appeal to you, but even if not I think you may enjoy them. If you like dystopian fiction and/or sci fi with a bit of a creepy edge, try this one!
A Wind Named Amnesia is basically a Post Apoc book where, well, everyone gets amnesia and it leads to the world falling apart. There's more to it than that of course, but I will leave the spoilers out and just say its very interesting.
Invader Summer regards this new girl in town, and there's just something very strange about her. Once again, I'll omit spoilers but this was a good one as well.
I think I did prefer Wind better, and there is also an anime on that one but I haven't seen it. I didn't have much problem with the english translations, but some people have said they found it a little hard to adjust to.
Overall I would recommend these to anyone who wants to read something just a little different. If you are a manga fan then these would especially appeal to you, but even if not I think you may enjoy them. If you like dystopian fiction and/or sci fi with a bit of a creepy edge, try this one!
June 29, 2024
a wind named amnesia: can't believe that even after all they went through together wataru and sophia still said goodbye to each other like tinder hookups.
invader summer: gotta get me a man that's a kendo master and also so concretely in love with me that even after my death he is able to resist the infatuation spell of an irresistible alien. also he beats all the yakuza hitmen that are after him for being so good at kendo (b plot of the novel).
invader summer: gotta get me a man that's a kendo master and also so concretely in love with me that even after my death he is able to resist the infatuation spell of an irresistible alien. also he beats all the yakuza hitmen that are after him for being so good at kendo (b plot of the novel).
February 15, 2010
I loved the movie "A Wind Named Amnesia" and I loved the book. It can be dark, and the ending is left open, but it was definitely interesting to think about the implications of a mass amnesia among humans.
The second novel in this collection is "Invader Summer" which I found unique; a strange girl arrives and (almost) all the boys fall in love with her and strange things begin happening.
The second novel in this collection is "Invader Summer" which I found unique; a strange girl arrives and (almost) all the boys fall in love with her and strange things begin happening.
January 21, 2018
I normally only track manga/light novels/anything in that vein on my Anime-Planet list: https://www.anime-planet.com/users/so...
But, adding this one on Goodreads so that some of my friends will potentially pick this one up.
There's two unrelated stories in this volume: A Wind Named Amnesia is AMAZING. Easy 5 stars. Like a combo of Kino's Journey (anime) meets The Road, and unlike many JP light novels, this one doesn't feel overly manga/anime-ish (a good thing for crossover appeal with people who don't consume that media). The only downside is the non-ending, but if you're into post-apocalypse landscapes and intriguing sci fi tales, this is a must read.
The second, Invader Summer, I didn't enjoy as much. This story reads far more like an anime/manga, the occasional 'wtf' horror type moments didn't really lead to anything, and I wasn't terribly compelled with where the story went.
Still, the first 200 pages / A Wind Named Amnesia is easily a must-read.
But, adding this one on Goodreads so that some of my friends will potentially pick this one up.
There's two unrelated stories in this volume: A Wind Named Amnesia is AMAZING. Easy 5 stars. Like a combo of Kino's Journey (anime) meets The Road, and unlike many JP light novels, this one doesn't feel overly manga/anime-ish (a good thing for crossover appeal with people who don't consume that media). The only downside is the non-ending, but if you're into post-apocalypse landscapes and intriguing sci fi tales, this is a must read.
The second, Invader Summer, I didn't enjoy as much. This story reads far more like an anime/manga, the occasional 'wtf' horror type moments didn't really lead to anything, and I wasn't terribly compelled with where the story went.
Still, the first 200 pages / A Wind Named Amnesia is easily a must-read.
September 30, 2020
"Things are getting interesting in this sleepy little town."
Here you have two stories that are very different from each other, but also very similar. The author is actually more well known for her Vampire Hunter D novels (and the anime adaptation is pretty stellar), and honestly the only reason I read this particular novel was for the Yoshitaka Amano artwork. I'm a sucker for his work.
A Wind Named Amnesia follows a main character in a world where three years earlier everyone lost their memories. He was taught by someone else who (for reasons) retained their memories, and now wanders around being this new world's Batman -- saving lives, helping the less fortunate, all without killing (despite carrying a gun). The book follows his journey with a strange girl he meets, who asks him to take her to New Orleans. The story's premise was strong, but I sort of disliked how fast and loose the author plays with her own lore. Everyone's lost their memories -- except for the short side stories where for reasons one person or another didn't. Or only partially lost them. Or somehow overcame losing them. I also kind of disliked how "white knight" the main character became in (over)protecting his female companion. The ending(?) also felt really weak and just sort of....there to end the book and not much else.
Invader Summer, on the other hand, follows a high schooler in a small town in Japan where a mysterious girl arrives out of nowhere and starts a chain reaction of strange events. The book starts out sort of like a high school drama that takes place over a summer vacation, but with strange sci-fi twists out of the blue (and a random Japanese criminal underworld subplot) I had a hard time really getting into what was going on. I thought this particular book was the weaker of the two honestly; I started out being interested in this mysterious town's strange occurrances, but then lost interest when the book started swinging wildly between different tones. Was it trying to be a sci-fi mystery? A crime drama? A summer romance? I have no idea. The end was also...again....just kind of there.
I'm glad I read it for the artwork, because the story was kind of a letdown.
Here you have two stories that are very different from each other, but also very similar. The author is actually more well known for her Vampire Hunter D novels (and the anime adaptation is pretty stellar), and honestly the only reason I read this particular novel was for the Yoshitaka Amano artwork. I'm a sucker for his work.
A Wind Named Amnesia follows a main character in a world where three years earlier everyone lost their memories. He was taught by someone else who (for reasons) retained their memories, and now wanders around being this new world's Batman -- saving lives, helping the less fortunate, all without killing (despite carrying a gun). The book follows his journey with a strange girl he meets, who asks him to take her to New Orleans. The story's premise was strong, but I sort of disliked how fast and loose the author plays with her own lore. Everyone's lost their memories -- except for the short side stories where for reasons one person or another didn't. Or only partially lost them. Or somehow overcame losing them. I also kind of disliked how "white knight" the main character became in (over)protecting his female companion. The ending(?) also felt really weak and just sort of....there to end the book and not much else.
Invader Summer, on the other hand, follows a high schooler in a small town in Japan where a mysterious girl arrives out of nowhere and starts a chain reaction of strange events. The book starts out sort of like a high school drama that takes place over a summer vacation, but with strange sci-fi twists out of the blue (and a random Japanese criminal underworld subplot) I had a hard time really getting into what was going on. I thought this particular book was the weaker of the two honestly; I started out being interested in this mysterious town's strange occurrances, but then lost interest when the book started swinging wildly between different tones. Was it trying to be a sci-fi mystery? A crime drama? A summer romance? I have no idea. The end was also...again....just kind of there.
I'm glad I read it for the artwork, because the story was kind of a letdown.
April 17, 2023
The first book is pretty rambling, and I don't really care for the main character being good at everything, but taken as a serious of vignettes it's not a bad road story. Eventually though, it's just tiring.
The second book was much better, although once again the main character is too good at everything. He didn't need to be and the sword fight showdown just didn't need to happen. Still, this story was a lot more poignant than the first. Even if I didn't think the execution was perfect, that was a good story.
The second book was much better, although once again the main character is too good at everything. He didn't need to be and the sword fight showdown just didn't need to happen. Still, this story was a lot more poignant than the first. Even if I didn't think the execution was perfect, that was a good story.
May 6, 2018
I found this compilation to be middle-of-the-road and disappointing. Whether it be due to poor translation or just mediocre story, I felt that the two stories contained within were flat and mildly uninteresting. I honestly have enjoyed the Author's Vampire Hunter D books much more, and the poor quality of the stories contained within was rather surprising to me.
I'd recommend skipping over this book unless you are a die-hard fan of the Author.
I'd recommend skipping over this book unless you are a die-hard fan of the Author.
January 24, 2022
DNF
Skip this and read Vampire Hunter D/watch Bloodlust. Both are great!
Skip this and read Vampire Hunter D/watch Bloodlust. Both are great!
September 19, 2022
Very bad translation made it hard to read!
December 31, 2024
fun and absurdist
March 16, 2017
Wind was better than Invader Summer, but both were enjoyable. They share some themes but are two distinct, separate stories.
February 25, 2017
This novel is comprised of two short stories, A Wind Named Amnesia and Invader Summer. While these stories fall into different subgenres and are not set in the same world, they are connected by the same theme: . This is not immediately apparent at the outset of reading either story but after reading both, it becomes obvious why both stories were published together in one book.
A Wind Named Amnesia is a decent post-apocalyptic/science fiction travelling story set across a semi-futuristic America. It has a few unexpected twists and a fair amount of action. I'm a little sad at the ending as . Incidentally, the one of the characters in this story is a girl named Lisa Simpson; it's not a reference since this story was written a few years before The Simpsons existed but it made me smile nonetheless!
Invader Summer is a horror/science fiction story set in a small rural town in northern Japan. It is somewhat reminiscent of Museum of Terror, Vol. 1: Tomie 1 (although Tomie came out some years later), in that the powerful attraction caused by one beautiful girl is enough to cause chaos and terror amongst those caught up in it. Thankfully the story never gets quite as dark as Tomie, though the resolution of the Yuko plotline starts to edge in that direction. It feels like there are some elements to this story that were left without much pay-off; for instance, . The action scenes were less interesting overall in this story as Katagiri was a fighting genius powerful enough to apply kendo techniques with his bare hands and the majority of his opponents were normal school kids. I did find the interactions with the super stereotypical Yakuza thugs amusing though.
For me, A Wind Named Amnesia was the stronger of the two stories as there was much less left unexplained at the ending and the characters felt believably under threat most of the time which helped to make the story more exciting and unpredictable. Invader Summer isn't a bad story but even though the main character was hated by all the boys in his school and was hunted by Yakuza thugs and even a highly skilled assassin, he seemed pretty much invincible which killed some of the tension. Still, both stories are worth a read.
A Wind Named Amnesia is a decent post-apocalyptic/science fiction travelling story set across a semi-futuristic America. It has a few unexpected twists and a fair amount of action. I'm a little sad at the ending as . Incidentally, the one of the characters in this story is a girl named Lisa Simpson; it's not a reference since this story was written a few years before The Simpsons existed but it made me smile nonetheless!
Invader Summer is a horror/science fiction story set in a small rural town in northern Japan. It is somewhat reminiscent of Museum of Terror, Vol. 1: Tomie 1 (although Tomie came out some years later), in that the powerful attraction caused by one beautiful girl is enough to cause chaos and terror amongst those caught up in it. Thankfully the story never gets quite as dark as Tomie, though the resolution of the Yuko plotline starts to edge in that direction. It feels like there are some elements to this story that were left without much pay-off; for instance, . The action scenes were less interesting overall in this story as Katagiri was a fighting genius powerful enough to apply kendo techniques with his bare hands and the majority of his opponents were normal school kids. I did find the interactions with the super stereotypical Yakuza thugs amusing though.
For me, A Wind Named Amnesia was the stronger of the two stories as there was much less left unexplained at the ending and the characters felt believably under threat most of the time which helped to make the story more exciting and unpredictable. Invader Summer isn't a bad story but even though the main character was hated by all the boys in his school and was hunted by Yakuza thugs and even a highly skilled assassin, he seemed pretty much invincible which killed some of the tension. Still, both stories are worth a read.
March 4, 2022
I bought my copy from Half-Priced Books; a friend I happened to be with caught it, glanced at it then placed it back on the shelf, curiosity got the better of me and I snatched it right back off the shelf. I knew then and there that it was coming home with me.
Reading through A Wind Named Amnesia was quite the adventure since the thickness of the book required some concentration. Because I have seen the movie twice, I was half-expecting it to be identical to the book.
I was wrong!
In the first chapter, it is slightly different, particularly how Wataru met up with Sophia. In fact, throughout the whole story, there is a 2/5 difference compared to the anime. The map of their trail is even different, it not only doesn't start in California to New York, those states are not even mentioned.
Even the antagonist is different.
But overall, if you enjoyed post-apocolyptic storytelling or even anything by Hidiyuki Kikuchi, then I recommend this book.
For Invader Summer, for me was a horror-suspense that really tested my suspense. It took me many months to get around to finishing it.
If I may, this story kept me motivated by absorbing the nostalgic settings in 1980s Japan. Just like I would in Haruki Murakami's novels. As most expect in Japanese action-adventure stories, many will expect a katana. However, that isn't the case with our hero, a modest, yet slightly intoverted Kempo champion taking on the threats of the earth and Yakuza, armed with only a bokken.
Reading through A Wind Named Amnesia was quite the adventure since the thickness of the book required some concentration. Because I have seen the movie twice, I was half-expecting it to be identical to the book.
I was wrong!
In the first chapter, it is slightly different, particularly how Wataru met up with Sophia. In fact, throughout the whole story, there is a 2/5 difference compared to the anime. The map of their trail is even different, it not only doesn't start in California to New York, those states are not even mentioned.
Even the antagonist is different.
But overall, if you enjoyed post-apocolyptic storytelling or even anything by Hidiyuki Kikuchi, then I recommend this book.
For Invader Summer, for me was a horror-suspense that really tested my suspense. It took me many months to get around to finishing it.
If I may, this story kept me motivated by absorbing the nostalgic settings in 1980s Japan. Just like I would in Haruki Murakami's novels. As most expect in Japanese action-adventure stories, many will expect a katana. However, that isn't the case with our hero, a modest, yet slightly intoverted Kempo champion taking on the threats of the earth and Yakuza, armed with only a bokken.
March 13, 2010
these two novels are bound in one volume and both are very good stories. the first, "a wind named amnesia" is about the world after almost everyone loses all of their memories, even the most basic needs to survive. it follows a character by the name of wataru as he travels across the former united states in order to learn what happened to the memories of people and to observe what people are now doing in order to cope. along for the journey is a girl by the name of sophia...and she seems to know more than she originally lets on.
the second, titled "invader summer" is about a small town that is nearing the summer when a beautiful young girl steps into town causing almost all the boys to fall in love with her. weird things begin to happen as katagiri (a genius kendo student) befriends the girl and attempts to find out the truth of the odd summer.
the second, titled "invader summer" is about a small town that is nearing the summer when a beautiful young girl steps into town causing almost all the boys to fall in love with her. weird things begin to happen as katagiri (a genius kendo student) befriends the girl and attempts to find out the truth of the odd summer.
December 21, 2010
A Wind Named Amnesia was an odd choice for me to pick up. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of stories set in a post-apocalyptic world, though I make an exception for Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Yet even this science-fiction classic written by one of the major names of the genre left me at best, lukewarm. However, the particular apocalypse as described in Amnesia felt different–it wasn’t an all out war or an obvious alien invasion. Something stole the memories of humankind, specifically their memories of civilization. Therefore, our intrepid duo of Sophia and Wataru not only had to survive their cross-country odyssey, but they also had to learn just why America (and the rest of the world) has reverted to a primitive state.....
Read more at A Wind Named Amnesia
Read more at A Wind Named Amnesia
May 27, 2010
Okay. I'm not sure if I read this book wrong or I'm just stupid. Do people get their memory back?! I mean, it didn't really tell me(in my opinion). But I was like, this is awesome so crazy dust cloud took everyone's memories and they're totally clueless and out of control but no: it's aliens who are testing whether we are fit to join the galaxy. I mean... that's a really weird way to test their theory. I was all into it until the end and they it really turned on it's sci-fi power which kind of left me in the dust. Thank god the book report part I had to do on this book wasn't about the plot but it had to do with interviewing the auther (figuratively speaking of course). I liked this book but I was left totally confused. At least this gives me a chance to read it again...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2011
Are humans worthy to be part of the space community? Do we explore out of a sense of adventure or to pass on responsibility for our actions on earth? The aliens want to know!!!! So they take all of our memories away as kind of a reset button.
The lead character probably has the characteristics the aliens are looking for. In the end the lead character will continue to travel whether memories are returned or not.
The second story occurs during the summer time in a port city. A myserious girls presence triggers odd events. The concept of the first story was more intriguing to me, but I enjoyed the way the second story was written. Had a challenge in keeping the characters Japanese names straight in the second story.
The lead character probably has the characteristics the aliens are looking for. In the end the lead character will continue to travel whether memories are returned or not.
The second story occurs during the summer time in a port city. A myserious girls presence triggers odd events. The concept of the first story was more intriguing to me, but I enjoyed the way the second story was written. Had a challenge in keeping the characters Japanese names straight in the second story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2010
Like my sister, I wish there were 1/2 stars. I liked this book a little more than average, but not enough to warrant four stars. This is actually two novellas in one book. The first I've been familiar with as an anime for years (and years...). I guess I'll have to watch it again though, because except for the basic set up, I don't remember anything that was in the book from the anime. The book made a lot more sense and gave more answers than I remember the anime doing.
The other story was quite different in just about every way. But I think perhaps I liked it a little more than Wind Named Amnesia. An intriguing take on... ah, good, spoiler alert flag... alien invasion.
The other story was quite different in just about every way. But I think perhaps I liked it a little more than Wind Named Amnesia. An intriguing take on... ah, good, spoiler alert flag... alien invasion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2013
my first book by a japanese author. it was really interesting and had brilliant ideas. but even the author admits that these are his early youthful works. there were a few things that bothered me. in amnesia it was the cliffhangers. they were resolved immediately after. this kind of killed the suspense a few times. in invader i did not like the end. it is a long built up to the end and finally it was ruined for me with this forced quick end. still, i liked the revolutionary and imaginative stories, the pictures and the overall feeling in both stories.
January 21, 2017
DNF. 2.5 stars.
I really wanted to love this, as I'm a huge fan of Kikuchi's works, but unfortunately this one just fell flat for me. I think the main issue I had was readability. The translators were really true to the Japanese, but they didn't give it any appealing style. In Japanese, there is a lovely style to Kikuchi's writing, but the translators just didn't pull that through with this one. I definitely prefer the translator(s) that Dark Horse hired to do the work for the Vampire Hunter D novels....
I really wanted to love this, as I'm a huge fan of Kikuchi's works, but unfortunately this one just fell flat for me. I think the main issue I had was readability. The translators were really true to the Japanese, but they didn't give it any appealing style. In Japanese, there is a lovely style to Kikuchi's writing, but the translators just didn't pull that through with this one. I definitely prefer the translator(s) that Dark Horse hired to do the work for the Vampire Hunter D novels....
March 25, 2015
The first story seemed a bit slow for me and was pretty easy to guess what was happening before it happened. I enjoyed Invader Summer more but found it a bit hard to get into what was going on at first. Still, greatly written and I recommend fans of Kikuchi to check it out!
Read
July 27, 2012Another book I'm relegating to the back burners. This book is just sitting by my bed staring at me but I think I might leave it be for now as I try to get through other currently reading books.
May 1, 2012
the longer I am away from these 2 stories, the longer they stay with me. the are a different read more like an amine then a novel. good.
Want to read
February 21, 2010Illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano.
Yesssss.
Yesssss.
February 8, 2013
I actually abandoned this halfway through the second story, and I don't think I'll ever finish it. I can't get past the prose style of the translation. It feels tedious to read.
July 10, 2014
A great read by my favorite Japanese author. A wind Named Amnesia was the best of the two books. The second was good just harder to read and grasp the meaning...
August 17, 2015
Fantastic!
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