Japanese Literature discussion
This topic is about
Strange Houses
Book Club
>
2025/09 Strange Houses by Uketsu
date
newest »
newest »
I bought this while on holiday and read it today in one sitting on the train, it is really propulsive and I enjoyed it, even though I think Strange Pictures is a bit more tense near the end. But the twist here at the end is very well done!
I brought this recently as well & can read it over the next couple of weeks. I liked Strange Pictures quite a lot
Read this in Indonesian before reading Strange Pictures and I liked Strange Pictures better. I feel like it had an interesting premise and had a good hook but the sinker wasn't really that well written. My father's an architect and loved it though.
Just finished this & posted my review
i am on chapter three. How ever it shakes out, I will be surprised. So, I am not thinking too hard about it to suspend over analyzing it.
Nice! I've got a hold put on my copy. I hope I can get it in time :)
Finished my second pass through this novel yesterday, this time with the audiobook version. So far, each of Uketsu’s novels have been engaging and the stories, though twisty, are accessible. I also read the first 2 volumes of the manga version. The 4th is just out and the 5/last volume is due in Jan 2026 in English translation. I plan to continue to read the series. A movie version, “A Strange House”, was released in 2024.
I didn't know there was a movie! I just looked it up but it doesn't have great reviews overall. Seems like it deviates from the book in a way that doesn't work out. Has anyone watched it?
I didn't know there was a movie! I just looked it up but it doesn't have great reviews overall. Seems like it deviates from the book in a way that doesn't work out. Has anyone watched it?
I finished, and although I think the work has several weaknesses, I did really enjoy looking over the floor plans. Hope you all Enjoy :)
Kim wrote: "I didn't know there was a movie! I just looked it up but it doesn't have great reviews overall. Seems like it deviates from the book in a way that doesn't work out. Has anyone watched it?"I would like to watch a bit of the movie to see how it was visualized. I saw the meh ratings… :(
I had not read anything by Uketsu yet and I did enjoy his writing style, cheeky and fresh. It could be a game of the board game "Inconvenient Guests," where dialogues with somewhat absurd theories about room layouts and murders occur. I found the plot a litte simple, but I loved the floor planes. Reading your coments here, I will try strange pictures.
I am not alone in thinking that "Strange Pictures" was way better, and I also didn't know it is also a movie. Maybe I will give it a chance.
I did not enjoy this as much as strange pictures. I thought the reason for the strange houses was a bit weak and this wasn’t so much a page turner for me. I was more frustrated with how much the story was being dragged along when the story isn’t that complex
I was disappointed as well, but did enjoy the house plans and trying to figure out or create my own mysteries.
I liked the audiobook better than the written text but I needed the written text to slowly puzzle out some of the story, especially the "postscript".Volume 4 of the translated manga version came out in September 2025 by Seven Seas but I have not read it yet.
The English translator, Jim Rion, writes about his translation experience and has several articles on translating Uketsu.
He advises that his articles have spoilers and writes that his articles should be read after finishing the stories.
Here is the one on translating Strange Houses:
https://jimrion.com/2025/09/30/transl...
There are specific comments on the postscript and the author's intentional differences for the English version of the story.
If you like Rion's commentary then here is another of his articles about Uketsu articles that I liked:
https://jimrion.com/2024/09/17/transl...
The linked video on Internet Writtin' Man is fun, funky, and cool.
Jim also includes the video that started things off, Strange Houses 変は家, with English subtitles.
(Note: I subscribe to Jim Rion's newsletter.)
Remember to click "Notify me when people comment".
I will add more background as we get closer to Sept.
r/Jack