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エミリー
〈この残酷な世界に生み落とされたのは、きっと貴方に出逢う為だったのですよね〉。
少年と少女の困難で美しい生と性を描いて三島由紀夫賞候補となった表題作はじめ、アートとファッションへの美意識を核に咆哮する三つの愛の物語は、「うっとり読んでいると、破壊力抜群の言葉になぎ倒される」(解説より)。孤高の乙女魂と、永遠の思春期を抱くすべての人に放つ、珠玉の恋愛小説集。
少年と少女の困難で美しい生と性を描いて三島由紀夫賞候補となった表題作はじめ、アートとファッションへの美意識を核に咆哮する三つの愛の物語は、「うっとり読んでいると、破壊力抜群の言葉になぎ倒される」(解説より)。孤高の乙女魂と、永遠の思春期を抱くすべての人に放つ、珠玉の恋愛小説集。
221 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2002
5 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
Novala Takemoto
37 books69 followersNovala Takemoto (嶽本 野ばら) is the professional name of Toshiaki Takemoto (嶽本 稔明), a Japanese author and fashion designer. Takemoto has been one of the most active promoters of the Lolita lifestyle and remains fascinated with the Rococo era in particular. He was nominated for the Yukio Mishima Literary Award twice, for his novels Emily (in 2003) and Lolita (in 2004).
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 9, 2016
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
"The most important thing isn't for us to understand each other, but for us to search for meaning in each other."
I devoured this book in one sitting. And I contemplated for a while what to write about it. It is not enough to say that I enjoyed this book, but I did. I don't want to rehash the story and give you everything, it won't feel right. The words set a tone, and with that come a feeling, something I haven't been able to shake since I put the book down.
There are three short stories within this novel; Readymade, Corset, and Emily. Each story shares something, but is entirely different. Art & Fashion. That is what they contain, but not what they are about, though they are used to bring people together. By using these simple components Mr. Takemoto is able to weave together wonderful stories. His characters have a quiet strength. They are the outsiders, they understand loneliness and this gives them the courage to take risks when they need to. They are able to bear their souls, and are reborn.
The first story is a short and sweet beginning to something more.
The second story is an end.
The third story is about life, and the struggle to get through the day.
There is a beautiful sadness in them.
AD
"The most important thing isn't for us to understand each other, but for us to search for meaning in each other."
I devoured this book in one sitting. And I contemplated for a while what to write about it. It is not enough to say that I enjoyed this book, but I did. I don't want to rehash the story and give you everything, it won't feel right. The words set a tone, and with that come a feeling, something I haven't been able to shake since I put the book down.
There are three short stories within this novel; Readymade, Corset, and Emily. Each story shares something, but is entirely different. Art & Fashion. That is what they contain, but not what they are about, though they are used to bring people together. By using these simple components Mr. Takemoto is able to weave together wonderful stories. His characters have a quiet strength. They are the outsiders, they understand loneliness and this gives them the courage to take risks when they need to. They are able to bear their souls, and are reborn.
The first story is a short and sweet beginning to something more.
The second story is an end.
The third story is about life, and the struggle to get through the day.
There is a beautiful sadness in them.
AD
October 22, 2016
I really enjoyed this group of short stories! It had a very interested writing style as it focuses on the narrator who has a "You" in each story. These characters end up being the ones the main narrator pines after but all three stories have different and unique circumstances that keep them apart in some emotional and physiological sense. I also enjoyed how the author incorporated art in each of the stories, in terms of fashion and art pieces. It gave the stories a certain sophisticated spin that I do not see very often in stories. These stories also shed light on the how Japan sees mental illness, homosexuality, and bullying. As an East Asian Studies student, I really enjoyed this!
November 27, 2016
I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for review.
Applies to all the stories
From the synopsis I expected to read more about Lolita fashion and "geek" culture, but this was something different and I didn't like it at all. The amount of info dumping for any aspect of the culture was ridiculous. You immerse your readers in it, not give an entire history.
The entire book is narrated in the second person, which felt horribly awkward and poorly done. The narrators themselves all had almost the same voice and it was impossible to tell who was an adolescent girl and who was a grown man. The translation itself felt awkward because it changed some things that would have been more authentic to keep in Japanese like "senpai." Reading "senior" was so strange.
This might be more of a culture thing, but it doesn't change that it was bad. The women all are small and fragile and unassuming and underwhelming in every possible way except their appearance. They have almost no personality, seems like they struggle to do anything themselves. Why? If this is a book about outsiders and individuality, why reduce all the women to pretty caricatures? Ugh.
"Yes. I have no self-confidence in any area. That's why I'm always timid and apologetic. I'm a servile, useless creature."
"We don't really have much in common to talk about, do we? It's my fault. I'm an ignorant and boring person."
There were times when the women and their opinion were blatantly ignored and it wasn't seen as a problem, but rather something romantic because they knew what the women really wanted. What?
The romance was boring and rushed. Everything was so obscene and awkward. I don't mind if there's sex in the books I read, but it has to be done well and serve a purpose. The sex in these stories was tasteless and encouraged bad morals like "cheating is okay if you don't really love your partner. "
Corset was short and pretentious about the art. There was nothing whatsoever appealing about either of the characters.
Readymade was so poorly done. It had an overly dramatic, romanticized representation of suicide.
"Well then, mon cheri. After we finish our wine and leave this cafe, after we return to our homes, why don't we commit suicide?"
"Shall we?"
"Yes, let's. Absolutely. It's a promise."
For someone who was supposed to be mourning a dead friend, he seemed pretty apathetic to me.
The dialogue was long and boring. It was like unedited, unfiltered conversation with a random stranger you don't know. It was really difficult to keep track of who was talking, too.
Emily was by far the best story and I still had a ton of problems with it.
Her characterization was so inconsistent. She's afraid of men, but trusts this strange boy after talking to him all of a single minute.
The text is disjointed and a single comment about her hair Emily through several long flashbacks before returning to a short conversation. Not only that, but the things he shares are WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION for someone you just met. Talking about your sexual arousal and when you masturbate. What the fuck?
This story was an opportunity to delve into more unexplored territory. The male "you" in Emily is sexually attracted to males, but romantically attracted to males and females and instead of talking about how fluid and varied attraction is, it glossed over it to kind of reinforce a stricter idea of sexuality, where you can only romantically love someone you are sexually attracted to.
Despite it's problems and infodumping, this was still the only story that actually focused on Lolita culture and I did enjoy reading about what it meant to them and the outfits they wore. I think this story would have done well with pictures to illustrate the clothing.
Applies to all the stories
From the synopsis I expected to read more about Lolita fashion and "geek" culture, but this was something different and I didn't like it at all. The amount of info dumping for any aspect of the culture was ridiculous. You immerse your readers in it, not give an entire history.
The entire book is narrated in the second person, which felt horribly awkward and poorly done. The narrators themselves all had almost the same voice and it was impossible to tell who was an adolescent girl and who was a grown man. The translation itself felt awkward because it changed some things that would have been more authentic to keep in Japanese like "senpai." Reading "senior" was so strange.
This might be more of a culture thing, but it doesn't change that it was bad. The women all are small and fragile and unassuming and underwhelming in every possible way except their appearance. They have almost no personality, seems like they struggle to do anything themselves. Why? If this is a book about outsiders and individuality, why reduce all the women to pretty caricatures? Ugh.
"Yes. I have no self-confidence in any area. That's why I'm always timid and apologetic. I'm a servile, useless creature."
"We don't really have much in common to talk about, do we? It's my fault. I'm an ignorant and boring person."
There were times when the women and their opinion were blatantly ignored and it wasn't seen as a problem, but rather something romantic because they knew what the women really wanted. What?
The romance was boring and rushed. Everything was so obscene and awkward. I don't mind if there's sex in the books I read, but it has to be done well and serve a purpose. The sex in these stories was tasteless and encouraged bad morals like "cheating is okay if you don't really love your partner. "
Corset was short and pretentious about the art. There was nothing whatsoever appealing about either of the characters.
Readymade was so poorly done. It had an overly dramatic, romanticized representation of suicide.
"Well then, mon cheri. After we finish our wine and leave this cafe, after we return to our homes, why don't we commit suicide?"
"Shall we?"
"Yes, let's. Absolutely. It's a promise."
For someone who was supposed to be mourning a dead friend, he seemed pretty apathetic to me.
The dialogue was long and boring. It was like unedited, unfiltered conversation with a random stranger you don't know. It was really difficult to keep track of who was talking, too.
Emily was by far the best story and I still had a ton of problems with it.
Her characterization was so inconsistent. She's afraid of men, but trusts this strange boy after talking to him all of a single minute.
The text is disjointed and a single comment about her hair Emily through several long flashbacks before returning to a short conversation. Not only that, but the things he shares are WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION for someone you just met. Talking about your sexual arousal and when you masturbate. What the fuck?
This story was an opportunity to delve into more unexplored territory. The male "you" in Emily is sexually attracted to males, but romantically attracted to males and females and instead of talking about how fluid and varied attraction is, it glossed over it to kind of reinforce a stricter idea of sexuality, where you can only romantically love someone you are sexually attracted to.
Despite it's problems and infodumping, this was still the only story that actually focused on Lolita culture and I did enjoy reading about what it meant to them and the outfits they wore. I think this story would have done well with pictures to illustrate the clothing.
August 25, 2017
http://literary-lion.tumblr.com/
Disclaimer: A free copy of this book was received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Her nickname is Emily and she wears only Emily Temple cute clothes. It’s because of this that she’s teased at school and can’t find a place to belong. When she meets a boy outside the Emily Temple cute shop they start an unlikely friendship - bonding through their separate tribulations
The book opens with the story “Readymade” which was incredibly dull and slightly pretentious. It then flows into “Corset” which can be described the same way. Nearly halfway through the book is when Emily starts and while it’s a slight improvement the stories suffer from some of the same issues.
The most glaring issue is the narration. Takemoto’s characters are hard to pin down. The middle-aged woman, middle-aged man, and teen girl all sound the same. In fact, until the point the characters specifically state their gender and age there are almost no context clues to who the might be. The first two protagonists appear to not even have names. The narration also refers to the protagonist’s love interest as “you” with no reason. This might be a quirk of Japanese literature but extremely awkwardly translated.
There is - in fact - quite a bit of awkward translation issues. The translator decides which words should remain Japanese with a footnote to explain and which to bring over. He leaves words like OL (Office Lady) abbreviated when translating wouldn’t change the meaning and uses Senior instead of Senpai when in English calling someone “Senior” doesn’t feel at all the same.
“Corset” and Emily are both disturbingly sexual. Sexual in a way that sometimes is meant to be sexy but isn’t. Examining only Emily there is a scene with sexual assault on a child that really doesn’t add much to the story. There’s a separate male on male rape. There’s a consensual sex scene that’s uncomfortable at best. It’s not clear what Emily is going for but it doesn’t feel like a book about geek culture at all.
There’s no real conclusion to Emily. There are a few pretentious paragraphs about the real message of the story - how things change and happiness is fleeting - and then it ends. The book is at its climax, no pun intended, where all the problems have been built up and we don’t get to know how it ends. It’s just over. It’s tremendously unsatisfying to read, the author is clearly pushing and agenda and it doesn’t feel like it’s examining the culture of Lolita fashion at all.
It’s a weak novel and it’s a shame that the translation kicked Emily while it was down.
Disclaimer: A free copy of this book was received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Her nickname is Emily and she wears only Emily Temple cute clothes. It’s because of this that she’s teased at school and can’t find a place to belong. When she meets a boy outside the Emily Temple cute shop they start an unlikely friendship - bonding through their separate tribulations
The book opens with the story “Readymade” which was incredibly dull and slightly pretentious. It then flows into “Corset” which can be described the same way. Nearly halfway through the book is when Emily starts and while it’s a slight improvement the stories suffer from some of the same issues.
The most glaring issue is the narration. Takemoto’s characters are hard to pin down. The middle-aged woman, middle-aged man, and teen girl all sound the same. In fact, until the point the characters specifically state their gender and age there are almost no context clues to who the might be. The first two protagonists appear to not even have names. The narration also refers to the protagonist’s love interest as “you” with no reason. This might be a quirk of Japanese literature but extremely awkwardly translated.
There is - in fact - quite a bit of awkward translation issues. The translator decides which words should remain Japanese with a footnote to explain and which to bring over. He leaves words like OL (Office Lady) abbreviated when translating wouldn’t change the meaning and uses Senior instead of Senpai when in English calling someone “Senior” doesn’t feel at all the same.
“Corset” and Emily are both disturbingly sexual. Sexual in a way that sometimes is meant to be sexy but isn’t. Examining only Emily there is a scene with sexual assault on a child that really doesn’t add much to the story. There’s a separate male on male rape. There’s a consensual sex scene that’s uncomfortable at best. It’s not clear what Emily is going for but it doesn’t feel like a book about geek culture at all.
There’s no real conclusion to Emily. There are a few pretentious paragraphs about the real message of the story - how things change and happiness is fleeting - and then it ends. The book is at its climax, no pun intended, where all the problems have been built up and we don’t get to know how it ends. It’s just over. It’s tremendously unsatisfying to read, the author is clearly pushing and agenda and it doesn’t feel like it’s examining the culture of Lolita fashion at all.
It’s a weak novel and it’s a shame that the translation kicked Emily while it was down.
July 12, 2016
I received a free copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Protagonist/s: 3/5
Love Interest/s: 2/5
World Building: 4/5
Plot: 2/5
Overall score 11/20 which is 3 stars.
This was a little more literary collection of short stories than I was expecting but they weren't completely terrible.
The first story was Readymade which was the shortest story in the collection which is only a few pages long. It focuses on a woman who asks a co-worker on a date to an art exhibition. The man - only referred to as you which is how all the love interests are viewed - is rather pretentious but at the end they can see each other's views in the artwork they liked.
The second story was Corset which started off slow, got interesting with the fashion and then got dull near the end. Both characters were dull and I was unsympathetic towards the both of them but there was a good quote: "So I make you uncomfortable? It must be because I'm a depressed man who likes goats." The authors love of fashion was clear in this story and I liked that.
The final story was Emily which was...a weird one. The fashion stuff was interesting and you felt sorry for the two main characters but the unfortunate scenes of rape made me very uncomfortable. There were two that should definitely be warned about. The relationship between the two characters was mostly sweet but how it was at the end of the book was kind of a little too open.
I'm glad I read this collection but it's not something I'm sure I'd read again.
Protagonist/s: 3/5
Love Interest/s: 2/5
World Building: 4/5
Plot: 2/5
Overall score 11/20 which is 3 stars.
This was a little more literary collection of short stories than I was expecting but they weren't completely terrible.
The first story was Readymade which was the shortest story in the collection which is only a few pages long. It focuses on a woman who asks a co-worker on a date to an art exhibition. The man - only referred to as you which is how all the love interests are viewed - is rather pretentious but at the end they can see each other's views in the artwork they liked.
The second story was Corset which started off slow, got interesting with the fashion and then got dull near the end. Both characters were dull and I was unsympathetic towards the both of them but there was a good quote: "So I make you uncomfortable? It must be because I'm a depressed man who likes goats." The authors love of fashion was clear in this story and I liked that.
The final story was Emily which was...a weird one. The fashion stuff was interesting and you felt sorry for the two main characters but the unfortunate scenes of rape made me very uncomfortable. There were two that should definitely be warned about. The relationship between the two characters was mostly sweet but how it was at the end of the book was kind of a little too open.
I'm glad I read this collection but it's not something I'm sure I'd read again.
April 11, 2021
Lolita fashion in the early 2000s was kind of frumpy and street snaps from that time period show girls in the fashion with ass-kicking energy and don't-fuck-with-me shoes. Takemoto was an early lolita-as-a-lifestyle thinker/writer and wrote many essays about how lolitas were rebellious strong maidens, didn't need friends, etc (see some translations here) and also wrote "Kamikaze Girls", another story featuring a teenage girl who wore lolita fashion and was a loner but strong. I would say that "Emily" is kind of the flipside of that characterization - a teenage girl who wears lolita-adjacent fashion and is bullied and ostracized. It's short but explores the idea of clothing as armor, specifically in the case of the main character, hyperfeminine clothing and style that rejects the male gaze as a response to sexual assault. There is a lot of uncomfortable sexual assault in this novella and some awkward consensual sexual content, so it's not for everyone but I enjoyed it.
Disappointingly, "Readymade" and "Corset" both felt kinda pretentious to read at some points though and seemed to just try and namedrop as many artists and fashion designers as possible.
Disappointingly, "Readymade" and "Corset" both felt kinda pretentious to read at some points though and seemed to just try and namedrop as many artists and fashion designers as possible.
January 16, 2020
While it was interesting to read about the history of ETC, I'm not sure if it's accurate or not. If that part was a footnote I'd be more inclined to pull value from that, as I also didn't feel it moved the story along.
The story felt juvenile but also very very adult.
As for the other stories, I don't remember a ton of details but the one about the affair made me VERY uncomfortable and I had to put this book down for over a year before attempting to read Emily. Whether that was because it was challenging some long held beliefs and doing it's job as a story or just bad, I don't know- but I also felt fairly unimpressed with the story Emily as well. Novala certainly captures the teenager voice, however. We need more western accessible EGL themed fiction, however, so if one is hungry for EGL stories, then Emily is certainly an option.
The story felt juvenile but also very very adult.
As for the other stories, I don't remember a ton of details but the one about the affair made me VERY uncomfortable and I had to put this book down for over a year before attempting to read Emily. Whether that was because it was challenging some long held beliefs and doing it's job as a story or just bad, I don't know- but I also felt fairly unimpressed with the story Emily as well. Novala certainly captures the teenager voice, however. We need more western accessible EGL themed fiction, however, so if one is hungry for EGL stories, then Emily is certainly an option.
December 3, 2023
Takemoto San feels like the late 90’s Osamu Dazai. The nonchalance pace, flowery prose and the in depth insight in the hearts of the outcast and the alienated.
There’s something so poetic in his observations of the human conditions through fashion and arts that may sound inane or absurd, but that’s the charm of it. He sweeps you along to unforgettable journey within the pages of yeh his stories and leave you both amazed and relieved at the end of the pages.
There’s something so poetic in his observations of the human conditions through fashion and arts that may sound inane or absurd, but that’s the charm of it. He sweeps you along to unforgettable journey within the pages of yeh his stories and leave you both amazed and relieved at the end of the pages.
April 23, 2020
Estoy bendecida. También he de decir que iba a lo que iba, y a lo que iba era a lolitear. Corset es un poco prepotente. El resto me gustan. Emily mola mil *y tiene gay content*
November 13, 2025
I really enjoyed the story of Emily until the ending😭😭 kinda ruined it for me
December 18, 2024
So....this was uncomfortable. A guy writing a smut scene between kids. I liked the fashion apsect of the novella, that's why I bought it, now I want to burn my kindle
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2014
First: What is Shueisha thinking? Bad enough they released this digital-only, but they make it exclusive to the Sony e-book store? Seriously? I only found out about it because someone asked Nick Mamatas on the Haikasoru blog whether they'd be putting Otsuichi's books out on Kindle, and he replied that Shueisha is handling the digital release. Took me forever to find out where they were being released, and twice as long to get the Sony e-reader software on my Kindle, which is something ordinary people will never do just for an Otsuichi or Takemoto e-book.
So, after all that, how's the book?
Well, there are two short stories and a novella here, and the two stories are a nice treat, but the novella is awesome. Maybe not to the level of Kamikaze Girls, but still damned good. The plot concerns a bullied girl who (surprise!) is obsessed with a fashion brand, in this case, Emily Temple. One day she meets a boy from her school who is likewise bullied, and they become friends and eventually fall in love, despite the fact that he's gay and they'll never be able to consummate their relationship.
So, after all that, how's the book?
Well, there are two short stories and a novella here, and the two stories are a nice treat, but the novella is awesome. Maybe not to the level of Kamikaze Girls, but still damned good. The plot concerns a bullied girl who (surprise!) is obsessed with a fashion brand, in this case, Emily Temple. One day she meets a boy from her school who is likewise bullied, and they become friends and eventually fall in love, despite the fact that he's gay and they'll never be able to consummate their relationship.
October 4, 2016
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I don't even know where to start. This book was all kinds of bad. The very first story in a book that is supposed to be about teens and the gothic/lolita lifestyle, is a story involving two boring adults having a very boring conversation about art. The second story 'Corset' was an improvement upon the first selection. It was atmospheric and genuinely creepy and in my opinion the best out of the book.
The final story, for which the book is named, really missed the spot. 'Emily' is filled with disconnected characters, who seemed to have no real motivation or reason for what they were saying and doing. Speaking of doing....could have done without all the sex. It was really distracting and hindered the story.
Can't really recommend to anyone. Just skip it.
I don't even know where to start. This book was all kinds of bad. The very first story in a book that is supposed to be about teens and the gothic/lolita lifestyle, is a story involving two boring adults having a very boring conversation about art. The second story 'Corset' was an improvement upon the first selection. It was atmospheric and genuinely creepy and in my opinion the best out of the book.
The final story, for which the book is named, really missed the spot. 'Emily' is filled with disconnected characters, who seemed to have no real motivation or reason for what they were saying and doing. Speaking of doing....could have done without all the sex. It was really distracting and hindered the story.
Can't really recommend to anyone. Just skip it.
July 23, 2016
Well, that sorta wasn't what I expected, but I liked it. This is not for teens, even though they are going to read it. They are not going to get the first story. When was the last time you read anything that threw around the term fauvists? The second is about nihilism and egoism that makes cheating on your lover or spouse seem okay. And the third has some pretty mature content of the sexually abusive kind. Some are going to say that he glosses over that too much, but I think it worked in the context of the story about two very damaged children.
July 31, 2016
This book was not what I thought it would be. It is a collection of essays, however they are not intriguing or fun to read. The narration and style of writing does not appeal to me. I know this was originally published in Korea but I am not sure if the style is due to culture or translation. At times this book seemed creepy and not in a gothic well intended manner. The essays seemed dull and uninspired. I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, review is based on personal experience reading this book
July 22, 2016
Sigh, this is the first time in a long time I have give a 1 star review. I could scrape from the bottom of the barrel all day and it is what it is. Take poor formatting, dry story-telling and sprinkle it with some awkwardly horrible sexual content and you have Emily. It doesn't work.
Full review here.
Full review here.
September 6, 2016
This was totally not my thing. I am not sure what I was expecting, but I found it a bit shallow and not very well written. Maybe I just don't get this manga like atmosphere. Maybe it's for the younger manga lovers. I'll ask my students if one of them wants to read it.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews