Spark

A short novella full of wit and emotion. A great exploration into Japanese Manzai comedy and the love that exists in friendship. Would definitely recommend.

A short novella full of humor emotion the world of Japanese comedy.I enjoyed the characters the writing in this unique book,#netgalley#Spark

Manzai is a form of Japanese stand-up comedy involving two performers trading jokes at great speed. The author of this novel, Naoki Matayoshi, is himself half of a manzai duo.

Tokunaga is a young manzai comedian who is half of a duo called Sparks. He meets another comedian, Kamiya, half of another manzai duo the Doofuses, and asks him to become his senpai or teacher. Kamiya agrees, provided Tokunaga agrees to write his biography, and the two forge an unlikely friendship that lasts for many years.

As Tokunaga gradually becomes more successful, Kamiya resolutely follows his own instincts and refuses to compromise his approach. He says and does outrageous things that are often misunderstood, but is still determined to succeed on his own terms.

Part of the book is about being true to yourself and Tokunaga realises he cannot be like Kamiya, however much he looks up to him, because his personality is different. Despite this, Kamiya's approbation still matters to Tokunaga.

Another aspect of the book raises questions about what we perceive as art and whether this should please or provoke. As he examines this question, Tokunaga is forced to re-evaluate his performance style and the transitory nature of fame.

The humour in this book will not be for everyone - it probably helps to have an awareness of Japanese life and culture - and there is swearing at times, but there are some genuinely funny moments.

I found the relationship between Tokunaga and Kamiya endearing, even when long periods of time sometimes elapse between their meetings. Their friendship matters, albeit for a different reason to each, and that helped me connect to them.

Towards the end of the novel, Tokunaga criticises Kamiya for overstepping the boundaries between funny and offensive; however, the ending is touching and reaffirms the friendship between the two men.

The book has been adapted into a Netflix series called "Hibana", which will be of interest to anyone wishing to explore manzai comedy further.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Pushkin Press, in return for an honest appraisal.

Spark is about two struggling performers of Manzai, a Japanese style performance similar to stand-up comedy where the ‘straight man’ and the ‘funny man’ trade jokes at high speed. These jokes are not for us outsiders, but the main characters find themselves immensely funny. Tokunaga finds a mentor in Kamiya, who is his senior by four years. Individually they move from Osaka to Tokyo to make it big. Most of the story takes place near Kichijoji Station and Inokashira Park in Tokyo, Japan.

“Disrupt the colourful, beautiful world, and another unreal, more awesomely beautiful world will appear all on its own. That dude in the park had a radical instrument, but he wasn’t doing anything with it. An instrument like that has to be taken seriously. There’s no beauty in the world where it isn’t. I dunno how he got that instrument, but somehow he did, so now he owes it to the world to play the hell out of it.” And that also illustrates Kamiya’s drive. If you’re good at something, you owe it to the world to do the best you can. Be extreme in what you do. Pour your soul into it and dare to be different. Even clichés can be cool. His manzai uses the familiar – the ordinary – to wreak havoc.

“If you judge ideas by how ordinary they are, then creativity just turns into a contest of who or what’s the most unusual. On the other hand, if you reject new, unusual stuff completely from the outset, then it’s just a contest of technique. But if it’s only a combination of technique and originality that gets approved, then it turns into a contest who can be the most balanced.”

You can either get the audience’s sympathy or do something amazing. It is because of thoughts and conversations like that, that you should read this book. You might not find their jokes funny – I didn’t – but their approach to performing and creating things is really thoughtful. It’s not about what they do, but rather about the way they approach life and about their friendship. Tokunaga is a young guy who is insecure and follows someone he admires. The power that the one being admired has over the other is huge as his praise or rejection can make or break him. Until the student fails the master that is, then the situation is reversed.

Spark is both inspiring and sad. Naoki Matayoshi manages to draw your attention to two ordinary people and make them extremely important to you in such a short book. Tokunaga and Kamiya are both highly idealistic in pursuing their dreams. From their conversations you get a glimpse of how reality drowns those ideals. If your art is only for such a niche audience and you can’t make it big, what do you do?

“Spark” by Naoki Matayoshi is by all accounts a hit novel in Japan. It has sold more than three million copies, won the most prestigious Japanese literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, and was later adapted in a hit Netflix TV show with the same time. The book is finally being published in English.

During a small summer festival in the countryside, the young manzai comedian from the comedy act Spark, Tokunaga becomes awed by the confrontational and extreme humor of Kamiya, another manzai comedian. He is so in awe with him, in fact, that asks Kamiya to become his comedy master, to which the latter agrees only if the younger man writes his biography. The two men start speaking on the phone and meeting frequently, spending their nights out drinking and going to Kamiya’s non-quite-girlfriend who cooks and takes care of both of them. Through the years, the two men create a deep friendship all the while trying to pick their comedy careers off the ground.

Writing and translating a book about comedy, especially the type like manzai where rhythm and delivery matter the most, is an incredibly difficult task. It is made even more complicated by the fact that any type of translation, even one as superb as that of Alison Watts, between English and Japanese simply cannot render properly the intricate wordplay and freeform connections that make this type of comedy so popular in Japan. This made me a bit worried going into the book as I expected it to be more manzai jokes-heavy, considering it is written by a comedian and is about comedians. However, this isn’t a problem here. That is because at its core, “Spark” is not a funny novel and it does not aim to be one. Rather, it is an entertainingly serious book about the art of manzai, the people who dream of making others laugh, and the brutality of the entertainment world.

And what a brutal and unforgiving world that is. With new comedians popping out all of the time and even the older acts like Spark having to constantly fear falling back into obscurity, even after getting a bit of recognition and TV fame. This uncertainty is what fuels the characters’, and by extension, all other manzai comedians’ deep insecurities and fear of rejections. This we see both through Tokunaga’s constant internal monologue but more importantly and poignantly, through Kamiya’s apparent nonchalance and dedication to never quitting manzai. Starting off as commendable in the beginning, this attitude verges on the mad towards the end of the short novella.

Kamiya’s character arc and its relationship to Tokunaga’s growth both as a comedian and later, a person, is one of the most fleshed-out and touching aspects of “Spark.” And undoubtedly, its main focus. Told in third person through the eyes of Tokunaga who becomes less and less admiring as time goes by and starts seeing his master in a more objective but ever friendly and non-judgmental way. Through him, we too, start seeing this apparent god of anticomedy for what he really is, a vulnerable and self-conscious person full of insecurities and complexes. A person who is okay to mooch off a girl who obviously loves him but is afraid to start a relationship because he doesn’t want to disappoint her. In a word, he is a polarizing type of person who is a true non-conformist or a fake who fears of growing up and does not want to admit his life has been a waste. Though Tokunaga thinks the first for the majority of the novel, with time, he starts feeling ever so slightly that it is the second. However, we as readers cannot but see right from the very beginning glimpses of Kamiya’s childishness and insecurities.

Our investment in the characters and their growing camaraderie is made even stronger through Alison Watts’ brilliant translation. The novel just flows and has this incredibly cinematic quality to it. Many a time I saw the scenes of Kamiya and Tokunaga drinking and talking about life so vividly in my mind, that I thought I had seen the hit Netflix show based on the book. And I mean real actual scenes playing in my mind with different angles, cuts and the whole shebang. In fact, this cinematic feel to the story is so strong that it actually implanted false memories of actually sitting and watching the episodes; and checking my phone; and talking to my chinchilla. Though I am absolutely convinced I hadn’t seen the Netflix show (I’m not the biggest fan of the streaming service and the majority of its productions), the vividness of the memories made me check numerous notes and online accounts just to make sure. Well, I was correct, I hadn’t. What’s even more, many of the scenes of the TV show which I skimmed upon finishing the book in a single day, turned out more or less the same as I had “seen” them in my imagination. That is incredible and speaks volumes about the quality of Naoki Matayoshi’s writing and Alison Watts’ translation.

Naoki Matayoshi’s “Spark” is a short, entertaining, and easy to read novel about manzai and the growing friendship between two comedians. Though about a very niche artform such as is the manzai comedy, the novel deals with universal themes in an elegant and delightful way.

An insight into modern Japanese culture full of off-the-wall humour, drunken philosophising and ever-shifting dynamics in the relationship between teacher and student.

I really enjoyed ‘Spark’ which is more about the relationship between two young men, than about the comedy they perform.
I was not aware of the style of stand up comedy, manzai, before reading this book, it sounds quite amusing. The main character, Tokunaga, meets a more experienced manzai comedian, Kamiya, and asks him to be his sensei. Kamiya agrees and gives Tokunaga confidence, guidance and lots of alcohol!
Spark is a story of their journey together and experiences in the world of manzai.
Will either of them have real success in the competitive world of manzai? Will their friendship endure? Will Kamiya’s eccentricities tip into madness?
A brilliantly original book, highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not my usual type of book but I really enjoyed it! It is a nice short read, very entertaining and enjoyable. I was glad to read it on my kindle because although it was translated into English, there were certain words/phrases which I was not accustomed too. However having said that, having read it I would be up for reading more Japanese fiction in the future.

An engaging read, not something everyone will love, however. Some understanding and familiarity of Japanese culture will be helpful to enjoy this tale of two manzai comedians, and the friendship that develops between them. Tokunaga, a young comedian, latches on to Kamiya, a more experienced comedian, and becomes Kamiya's student of sorts. Tokunaga is unsure of himself, unsure of his talent, and looks up to the bold, brash, confident Kamiya almost reverently, even as he sees Kamiya's style of comedy goes beyond the bounds of what's funny and not offensive at times. The friendship between the two is the real star of the story, the awkward camaraderie, the drunken conversations about life and the art of manzai. An interesting character study, worth reading.

#Spark #NetGalley

This was such a cute novella! Definitely a fun read and I really enjoyed reading it. Give this one a try.