''Spark'' (original title: 火花) is a 2015

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

written by

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese comedian

Naoki Matayoshi is a Japanese comedian, screenwriter, and novelist who won the Akutagawa Prize in 2015 for his book ', which was adapted into the Netflix series '' Hibana: Spark''. Matayoshi is the '' boke'' of his comedy duo ''Peace'' alongside his partner Yu ...

. The story revolves around the career struggles of and relationship between two

manzai is a traditional style of comedy in Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy or stand-up comedy. usually involves two performers ()—a straight man () and a double act, funny man ()—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes ...

comedians. The English version of the novel is translated by Alison Watts and published in 2020. The novel won the 153rd

Akutagawa Prize The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes. History The ...

and was adapted as a

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

original series Original programming (also called originals or original programs, and subcategorized as "original series", "original movies", "original documentaries" and "original specials") is a term used for in-house television, film or web series productions ...

which is accessible worldwide.

Synopsis

Tokunaga is a young comedian struggling to make a name for himself when he is taken under the wing of Kamiya, who is either a crazy genius or perhaps just crazy. Kamiya's indestructible confidence inspires Tokunaga, but it also makes him doubt the limits of his own talent, and dedication to manzai comedy.

Reception

Sales

As of February 2017, the Japanese version of the book has sold more than 2.53 million copies.

Awards

* The 153rd

(2015) * The 28th Shogakukan DIME Trend Awards "Leisure and Entertainment Category" (2015) * Yahoo! Search Award 2015 Novel Award (2015)

Television adaptation

A 10-episode web television adaptation, titled '' Hibana: Spark'', premiered on Netflix as an original series on June 2, 2016.

References

{{reflist 2015 Japanese novels Novels set in Tokyo Novels set in Shizuoka Prefecture