is a 1976 novel, 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 n ...

ese author

Ryū Murakami is a Japanese novelist, short story writer, essayist, and filmmaker. His novels explore human nature through themes of disillusionment, drug use, surrealism, murder, and war, set against the dark backdrop of Japan. His best known novels are '' A ...

, that features a portrait of narrator Ryū and his friends trapped in a cycle of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll during the 1970s.

Plot

Narrated by the main character Ryū, the novel focuses on his small group of young friends in the mid-1970s. Living in a Japanese town with an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

air force base An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

, their lives revolve around sex,

drugs A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalati ...

and

rock 'n roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

. The near-plotless story weaves a vividly raw, image-intensive journey through the daily monotony of drug-induced

hallucination A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the qualities of a real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. Hallucination is a combinati ...

s, vicious acts of

violence Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened ...

overdoses A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

, and

group sex Group sex is Human sexual activity, sexual behavior involving more than two participants. Participants in group sex can be of any sexual orientation or gender. Any form of Human sexual activity, sexual activity can be adopted to involve more th ...

Characters

* Ryū – Narrator. 19-year-old

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...

substance abuser. * Lilly – Ryū's

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

friend and casual sex partner. * Reiko –

Okinawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 Square kilometre, km2 (880 sq mi). ...

n friend of Ryū and girlfriend of Okinawa. * Okinawa – drug-addicted Okinawan friend of Ryū and boyfriend of Reiko. * Yoshiyama – Unemployed

junkie Junkie is a pejorative usually referring to a person with an addiction. Entertainment and media * ''Junkie'' (novel), a novel by William S. Burroughs * "Junkie" (song), 2013 song by Medina featuring Svenstrup & Vendelboe * ''The Junkies'', a ...

friend of Ryū and abusive boyfriend of Kei. * Kei – Friend of Ryū and girlfriend of Yoshiyama. * Kazuo – Male friend of Ryū. * Moko – Substance abuser friend of Ryū. * Jackson –

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

Airman at the local AFB, he arranges for group sex escapades between his base comrades and Ryū's group.

Reception and legacy

Murakami submitted the novel to the literary magazine ''

Gunzo {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 :''The article is about the historical figure. For the Japanese magazine, see Gunzo''. Gunzo (also ''Cunzo'') was a 7th-century duke of the Alamanni under Frankish sovereignty. His residence was at ''villa Iburni ...

'' debutant contest, in which it won the first prize. It also won the prestigious

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 Th ...

the same year. The title of rock band

Luna Sea Luna Sea (stylized as LUNA SEA) is a Japanese rock band formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1986. Due to the use of make-up and costumes early in their career and their widespread popularity, they are considered one of the most successful and inf ...

's song , off their 1991 self-titled debut album, is a reference to the novel.

Film adaptation

26-year-old Murakami made his directorial debut with a film adaptation of his novel ''Almost Transparent Blue'', which he also scripted, in 1979 and

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...

distributed the film in 1980. Hidenori Taga and Kei Ijisato under

Kitty Records Kitty Films (キティフィルム ''Kiti Firumu'') was a production company established in 1972 in Japan. History The company was first established in 1972 as Kitty Music Corporation under Hidenori Taga. It was a subsidiary of Polydor and M ...

produced the film, starring

Kunihiko Mitamura is a Japanese actor/singer. He is well known for his role in Taiyō ni Hoero! and Hide in the Hissatsu series. Selected filmography Film *'' Almost Transparent Blue'' (1979) as Ryu *'' Hissatsu: Sure Death'' (1984) as Hide *''W's Tragedy'' (19 ...

(Ryu), Mari Nakayama (Lilly), Haruhiko Saitô (Yoshiyama), Keiko Wakasa (Kei), Narumi Tokura (Reiko), Yuri Takase (Moko), Goro Masaki (Kazuo),

Togo Igawa , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor who works primarily in British films and television. In recent years, he has had roles in major films such as '' Revolver'', ''Memoirs of a Geisha'', '' The Last Samurai'', and ''A Matter of Size ...

(Okinawa) and Akiko Nakamura (Mari).
New York Times: Almost Transparent Blue

English-language editions

* Ryū Murakami, ''Almost Transparent Blue'' (''Kagirinaku tōmei ni chikai burū''), translated by Nancy Andrew, 1st hardback ed., Tokyo ; New York : Kodansha International : Distributed by Kodansha International/USA through Harper & Row, 1977, 126 pages. Tokyo ; New York : Kodansha International : Distributed by Kodansha International/USA through Harper & Row, 1977, 126 p. * Ryū Murakami, ''Almost Transparent Blue'', translated by Nancy Andrew, 1st paperback ed., Tokyo; New York : Kodansha International, 1981 (reissue, 1992), 126 p. * Ryū Murakami, ''Almost Transparent Blue'', translated by Nancy Andrew, 1st trade paperback ed., New York : Kodansha America, 2003, 128 p.

References

External links

Extensive review
by author

Tao Lin Tao Lin (; born July 2, 1983) is an American novelist, poet, essayist, short-story writer, and artist. He has published four novels, a novella, two books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a memoir, as well as an extensive assortment of ...

Thought Catalog ''Thought Catalog'' is a website founded in 2010 by American entrepreneur and media strategist Chris Lavergne.Newton, MattheThought Catalog And The New Age Of Confessional Media''Forbes.'' June 7, 2015 Owned by The Thought & Expression Compa ...

Short J-pop.com review
{{Ryū Murakami 1976 Japanese novels Japanese-language novels Postmodern novels Existentialist novels Novels by Ryū Murakami Novels set in Japan Japanese novels adapted into films Akutagawa Prize-winning works