Romanisation: Ningyou ga Ningyou
English title (translation): A Doll is a Doll
Author: Ishin Nishio aka NisiOisin
Licensed in English? No. (Would be grateful if a staff member can verify it)
RAWS? Physical copy, in Japanese of course
Willing translator? Well a half-baked newbie will work on it as long as no one opposes.
Nishio is famous for his unique writing style: fun, quirky, absurd, and sometimes challenging. Ningyou leans towards the absurd and challenging side. If you examine it line-by-line, you may find the long-winded descriptions and monologues marginally digestible. But if you move away from one of the trees and try to see the entire forest, all you can see are random patches of colours that may not be even close to green.
Ningyou is both the best and the worst of Nishio. Unlike mainstream works like Bakemonogatari where you still have some moe elements to balance out the bitterness, the whole story basically builds on his absurd writing that makes no coherent plot. In my opinion the closest novel to Ningyou is Kuuchuu no Buranco, but that one is still leagues behind Ningyou in terms of craziness.
I liken the reading experience to seeing a Picasso painting. At the first glance you can only see random patterns that make no sense at all. But if you spare some time to see it from different angles and think more about it, you will gradually be able to experience its impact and the feelings of the creator. It is when you start to be able to appreciate the beauty in such randomness, and when you start to see order in such chaos.
There is no way to talk about the plot of Ningyou without sounding like being on an acid trip, and you should know why by now. But just for the sake of completeness here is a brief summary of the first part.
To commemorate the death of his seventeenth little sister, the protagonist went to a cinema in the mountains to see a movie, despite of the difficulties and obstacles he had to face on the way. On his way he met random people like bank robbers and a bear girl. Somehow he also received a phone call from his dead sister apologizing to him. After reaching the cinema, he watched a movie called "Ningyou no Tamashii" - while being hanged upside-down from the ceiling during the whole movie. When he returned home he found that it had been turned into a cinema.
The story does not end here but I guess this is enough as an introduction. A better way to have an idea of the story is to read the first few pages: which I have translated and included below. Anyhow the novel is extremely selective in regard of its readers. Do not be discouraged and actively avoid other Nishio works even if you consider the below sample as utter rubbish. The man is regarded as a genius in writing for good reasons. The problem likely lies on my less-than-satisfactory level of English and Japanese.
This is all I have to say. I would appreciate if you could spare a minute or two to read the sample, vote on the poll and comment on whether you would like to see a translation. I would also be grateful if there is any editor who would kindly lend me a hand and follow this project, since my English is obviously far from perfect.
The reason why I am going to a cinema is that my little sister has passed away.
As I generally take a minimalist approach in regard to visual information, this is the first time I go to a cinema in five years. Even for the death of my little sister, the latest one happened five years ago. If I have to count the total number of deaths or cinema visits, it is four - including this time.
It is wrong to say that I only go to cinemas whenever my little sister passes away. It is the reverse - exactly because my little sister has passed away, I go to the cinema. Nonetheless, if she frequently dies then there is nothing I can do. No way can I face my friends who always shout rudely at me.
I have a total of twenty-three little sisters. The one who always dies is the seventeenth. Despite of her smart outlook, her skull is a bit thick and she seldom talks. Still, as siblings I have to explain the truth to her in a reasonable way. You may call me a hypocrite, but I simply cannot help it.
The first death of my seventeenth little sister was a suicide. The second death was an accident. The third one was also an accident. As for this time, it was a suicide again. If her next death is again suicide then there is a Full House.
But upon careful analysis, if my sister was forced to choose between suicide and accidental death, more than likely she would plainly die in illness. She is exactly that kind of girl. Even if she manages to get Two Pair she will never get Three Card. A girl who is short of one card - this is how she is called, and is exactly the reason behind all of this. Simply speaking, a cynical, twisted person.
I must go and watch a movie.
)
