Tower of the Sun

by Tomihiko Morimi

ABANDON THE PURSUIT OF ORDINARY HAPPINESS! One young man’s barren college life changes forever when he shares a budding romance with a girl named Mizuo...only for it to all come crashing down when she has the gall to dump him! With the specter of a solitary Christmas Eve looming, he tears through the streets of Kyoto with just his powerful (some might say delusional) imagination to protect him from the cruel world at large. A Japanese fantasy novel for every man who’s been let down by love—and those still bracing for it!

Genres: Fiction, Japanese Literature, Japan, Novels, Light Novel, Asian Literature, Slice Of Life

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 19, 2003

About the author

Born in Nara Prefecture, Tomihiko Morimi graduated from Kyoto University, and his works often has Kyoto as setting.

Associated Names:
* Tomihiko Morimi (English)
* 森見 登美彦 (Japanese)
* 모리미 토미히코 (Korean)
* โมริมิ โทมิฮิโกะ (Thai)
* 森見登美彥 (Chinese)

Reviews

[Chisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

何かしらの点で、彼らは根本的に間違っている。なぜなら、私が間違っているはずがないからだ。

This book starts with these sentences, meaning "In some way, they're fundamentally wrong. This is because there's no way I'm wrong." I love the mismatch between his a little too intellectual writing style, which reminds me of those of literary figures in the Meiji or Taisho era, and the absurdity of his stories. Also, I love the fact that a Japanese publisher has enough sense of humor that Morimi won The Japan Fantasy Novel Award for this novel. Who else in the world thinks of mere delusions of a male university student without any girlfriend as a fantasy novel? The main character tackles many too absurd things too seriously to be true, but as I read the story further and further, I couldn't help feeling he was getting more and more likable, adorable, even. Yes, I love this story.

A little more sentences I love from this story:
「良薬とはつねに苦いものである。ただし、苦いからと言って良薬であるという保証はどこにもない。毒薬もまた苦いのだ。」― "Good medicine always tastes bitter. However, just because a medicine tastes bitter, there's no guarantee that it is a good one. Poison also tastes bitter."

[Sergio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very much a proto-Tatami Galaxy or Night is Short, Walk on Girl. It's full of those works' brand of humor, ridiculous situations and colorful characters. The main character is very easy to hate, and part of the humor comes from him being a shitty, inconsiderate megalomaniac who's very transparently heart broken and desperate for companionship.

[Ed Fox-Gliddon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. Feels like something of a spiritual predecessor to the Tatami Galaxy and Night is Short, Walk on Girl with the strong links to its Kyoto setting and elements of magical realism.
I will say that while the main characters of those come across as stubborn, the main character here comes across as pretty dislikable. Fortunately his sense of self-importance is presented as a character flaw that lessens as the story goes on, but due to the first person perspective I could see how a reader could miss that the book is gently poking fun at its narrator.
It's probably not Morimi's greatest work, but it's a fun read. I started reading in the lead up to Christmas which feels like the perfect time given the untraditional festive setting.

[Pan Fong Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

#无聊人生 #宅男 #幻想 #妄想
久仰森见登美彦的大名，决定先拜读第一部作品。

老实说，一开始读的时候觉得这本书好闷，不知道在讲什么，也搞不清楚故事重点，真的一度想放弃继续阅读了。不过后来再读了读序言和简介然后继续读下去之后，才开始了解这本书的本意；就是无厘头和充满痴心妄想的人生故事。

有些书老爱讲述感人肺腑的平凡故事。这本讲的也是平凡故事，在我看来还真的是相当平凡的情节。然而当中还加入了很多了不起的想像和描写。对旅遊景点等地方的描绘不说，作者常常写些无聊但是令我爆笑的内容。最令我印象深刻的就是主角收到署名"水尾小姐"的包裹的那一段。噢现在回想还是觉得无聊又好笑哈哈哈！

看完了突然有一种噢没有了吗的感觉，有些意犹未尽。无聊的人看无聊的书产生了微妙的化学效应吗？

[Tajinder Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times, I felt like this book was all over the place. I did have a lot of good laughs (laughing at the characters), but it was a little difficult to read at times. I kind of looked at them as cynical losers, but the things the characters said and did were just weird and offsetting. They were extremely hard to sympathize with. The last few pages really got to me though. Overall, I enjoyed the book as I interpreted it as a messed up individual getting over the girl he loved. Hopefully MC becomes a better person following this!

[Geraldo Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd describe this book as "Magical-Realism-for-babies".
Of particular note: I like how the writer focuses too much on mundane, inane things, and not too much focus on the actual plot. In other books I'd hate this, but the writing (and translation) feels so smooth and flowing that I never minded any of it. Rather, it's the part that I like the most about this book.

[Tyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like other Morimi's books I've read so far, this one is an absurd tale brilliantly written (and smoothly translated). However, for me as a woman, this book sits, swaying, rather uncomfortably at the border of funny and creepy. Is this the study of a highly imaginative, proud man who has not moved on from an old love, or of an incel and stalker?

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf'd after about 100 pages. I just couldn't read anymore and forcing myself was painful. I love the anime adaptations of his other novels (Tatami Galaxy, Night is Short, The Eccentric Family), but this felt very much like the draft version of his later works. I tried to get through it for months and I just couldn't. Maybe I'll come back to it once I read his other novels I own.

[BaiLing · Rating 3 out of 5]

說實在的，這個故事的主角根本就像一個……一廂情願的變態宅男嘛！短暫交往過（還是根本就沒交往只是自己單戀）的女同學和他分手後，他仍暗中追尋女孩子的活動路線。因為一切以暗中進行為原則，所以還不致於構成「跟蹤狂」的犯罪型態，勉強只能說是「還有點廉恥心的跟蹤狂」吧！

男主角是個該畢業還在最後掙扎的研究生，身邊登場的不是怪怪學長，就是怪怪同學或學弟。「孤家寡人」是他們的共同特點，窮，也是，所以當然也住在相同類似的破爛租屋。

總言之，這就是一本沒有女人愛的男研究生/大學生的京都生活記事。放輕鬆點看，會覺得其實這種有點無厘頭的故事，還是有點笑點的。但要是心有旁騖，就覺得，怎麼老是胡說八道，重點哩？就是追不到女朋友的男人哀歌啦！

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual, whimsical book. Really funny and witty dialogue/character exposition, although the book was a bit rambling at times. 4 stars because I had fun reading it, and genuinely chuckled quite a lot. First 2/3 of the book are the strongest. Based on this I will definitely seek out more of this author’s work.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in 2017

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

後のヒット作の土台を築いた森見登美彦のデビュー作品。主人公やその仲間達の妄想に溢れた「クリスマスファシズム」に対抗する（だが実際は彼女が欲しい）様がとにかく最高にくだらなく面白い。個人的には『四畳半神話大系』のストーリーや登場人物の方が僅かな差で好きだが、本作が存在したからこそ『四畳半』も存在すると考えればそれだけで十分本作のレゾンデートルが成立すると思う。

[Shushi · Rating 3 out of 5]

作为出道作品，还不能很好地驾驭才气（写得比较乱），但独特的京都幻想风格已经成形了（可惜新作《夜行》里这种风格被淡化了，不知道森见在作怎样的考量）。

[Ally · Rating 1 out of 5]

森見登美彦は合わないと分かっていたにも関わらず、勧められたので渋々何年ぶりに彼の作品を手に取りました。何も印象は変わっていませんでした。やはり合わない、以上。

[Oche Ali]

Evil book.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

本当にがいい

[Riky Bae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book.

[nosey · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,9⭐️
Less structured than „The Tatami Galaxy” but it also makes it more organic and mature in a way

[Alessandro Tosoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

The weakest of the university story books by Morimi. Still a very good read which can appreciated more without the expectation of something at the same level of Tatami Galaxy or The Night is Long

[Peter H · Rating 4 out of 5]

By all accounts this madlad has written the same book five times. And I’m here for it!!

[loid-san · Rating 2 out of 5]

not your best work mr Morimi, do better

[Khadijah Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story and beautifully written

[Dao Chau · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Morimi's first book, it definitely shows. While it is still interesting and absurd in just the right way, it gets boring at times and the main character makes makes incels look normal. It feels like a weaker version of Tatami Galaxy and Night is Short, but it's still worth the read as it shows the growth of the author compared to his other novels.

[Atanas Petkov · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I got this book by accident, because I simply liked the description of the premise, thinking it would be another heartfelt Japanese story that I've been reading and really enjoying recently (such as "Three days of Happiness", or "The Tunnel to Summer: The Exit of Goodbyes"). Once I started reading it, however, I was greeted by a completely different writing style - comedic, lighthearted, almost psychedelic. Then I realized what it reminded me of.

I had watched "The Tatami Galaxy" anime years ago and remember being really confused the first few episodes but really enjoying it by the end. It had become exactly the kind of heartfelt story I wanted to experience. As such I wasn't surprised to learn this book was written by the same author. That quirky writing style was unmistakable.

Still, the book was off to a rough start - the protagonist was really unlikable with his delusions and stalker behavior. I realized quickly that it was intentional on the part of the author to subtly poke fun at his main character. The other male characters were not much better either. It was also hard to follow the story sometimes since it jumped from one short vignette to another with no transition in between with no coherent structure. The narrator protagonists frequently engaged in long-winded stories from his past and it was hard to follow the timeline. He also frequently used "big" words and mentioned locations in Kyoto which made it even harder to understand.

Nevertheless, by the middle of the book I felt like the story was getting into its groove once the mystery of the titular tower was introduced. At that point in time I got really excited and thought things would finally become more focused and interesting. Unfortunately that didn't end up being the case. The mystery of the tower and the protagonist's love interest's obsession with it remained unresolved. The story got back to its previous style of random musings and delusions.

As such I was almost ready to just give up and leave the book unfinished but I thought - what the heck - it's a short book, might as well power through. In the end, I'm glad I did. The last 30% of the book and especially the last few pages were really enjoyable. Somehow the protagonist and his friends became more sympathetic as the story made them look more vulnerable and human with regards to their social interactions. In the end, despite their self-imposed rejection of "ordinary happiness", or normal social interactions and aspirations and especially of romantic pursuits, deep down they were all desperate for human affection...especially from the opposite sex. In a way it was pretty pathetic, but adorable at the same time. I could feel they were all good guys who were just lying to themselves and trying to deal with their social awkwardness as best as they could.

The same goes double for the protagonist - in the end he was just a young man who couldn't get over his breakup and was still obsessed with the girl, so he used his delusions as a coping mechanism. The final parts of the story detailing his memories of the moment they broke up, the moment they had their big argument, and the good memories from their relationship in general were really good and heartwarming.

The book's ending was pretty open with the whole situation pretty much unresolved. It was pretty confusing what actually happened and the narrator himself states he wouldn't tell us. Nevertheless, I felt like the protagonist was finally able to grow a bit and let go - by finally admitting he might be in the wrong.

After finishing the book I felt good about it, but not to the same extend as with "The Tatami Galaxy". I later learned this book is the author's first work and it shows - it's still pretty experimental and unrefined. Still, it's a good book and pretty short, so it doesn't overstay its presence. If it had been longer I might not have finished it and would have missed on the nice ending.

[Kaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

この本は、私が初めて読む森見氏の作品で、しかも彼のデビュー作だったわけですが、なかなか楽しんで読みました。ユーモア溢れる文体も気に入りました。イケてない京大五回生の失恋話、と書いてしまうとシンプルなのですが、主人公はもちろんその友人達の奇妙に面白いこと。主人公が、いろいろなことを肥大に妄想的に解析しているのが非常に面白いのですが、ある部分、ある程度は”それはなかなか合っているかも”という部分もなくもありませんでした。時々出てくる叡山電車、そして太陽の塔。これは一体何を意味しているのかなぁ、と何度か考えました。太陽の塔は何度でも思い出したい、彼女との思い出、そして叡山電車は”そこ”にたどりつく”手段（あるいは夢想？）”なのかなぁ。もちろん、現実的には叡山電車で太陽の塔に行く事はできないのですが。

そのほかに思ったこと：　私は太陽の塔を実際に訪れた事が無い。　比叡のふもとから叡山電車に乗った事が一度だけあるが、貴船も鞍馬にも（行きたかったのに）行った事がない。　太陽の塔のミニチュアって売ってるのかなぁ（欲しいかも）。　小さい招き猫、欲しいなぁ。

[Nautes03 · Rating 3 out of 5]

'밤은 짧아 걸어 아가씨야'를 먼저 읽고 이 책을 읽었는데, '태양의 탑'의, 이제는 헤어진 여자친구가 '밤은~'의 여주인공과 여러모로 닮아보여서 마음이 짠했다(게다가 두 작품에 일관되게 나오는 여자 캐릭터의 특성이 이렇게도 겹치다니, 이건 작가의 취향 또는 이상형인가보다 싶기도 하다). 따라서, '태양의 탑'을 먼저 보고 '밤은~'을 보는게 더욱 나을 것이다. 처음엔 그저 찌질해 보이기만 했던 주인공이 가면 갈 수록 사랑스러워 질 것이고, 그러다보면 나중에는 가슴이 아파질 테니까.

[Othy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this was fun. The description of the book on the inside cover suggests a much less interesting, straight novel about love, not this wacky jaunt. Great writing, an obnoxiously fun first person narrator, and a weird weird world!

[Mastugae Kiyoaki · Rating 3 out of 5]

less delicated

[Nael · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredibly charming