Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human: The Manga Edition

"I've lead a life full of shame. Human beings are a complete mystery to me."

Yozo Oba is tormented by a failure to find any value in himself or in human relationships, despite being surrounded by women who love him. He responds by creating the persona of a buffoon who mocks himself while entertaining others. But inside, he is tortured. Largely autobiographical, No Longer Human explores Dazai's own sense of failure and alienation which drove him to self-destruct with alcohol and numerous suicide attempts.

Osamu Dazai (1909--1948) is Japan's second most popular novelist (after Soseki), and his works are seeing a huge surge in popularity among young people now thanks to the success of the recent manga, anime and film series Bungo Stray Dogs, whose protagonist, a detective called Osamu Dazai, has similar character traits to Yozo Oba. Fans of manga and anime are turning to the original No Longer Human novel, whose themes of alienation from society and an inability to reconcile social appearances with inner self--told with great wit, irony and pathos--strike a deep chord among young readers today.