かえるくん、東京を救う (Super Frog saves Tokyo)
(one of the short stories in the short stories collection 神の子どもたちはみな踊る (After the earthquake) by Murakami Haruki)
Summary
One day, Katagiri, an ordinary bank employee, comes back home and find a giant frog making tea in his kitchen. According to them, they have a big mission to fulfill : save Tokyo from a huge earthquake.
Availability
It’s available for cheap in the short stories collection 神の子どもたちはみな踊る (After the earthquake) on
I’m reading it in another edition, where the short story is edited alone, but with a translation in english and various comments (it’s not an abreged edition, it’s just an edition of the short story alone).
It can be found on amazon, for example.
Personal Opinion
I’ve read two third of the short story, but I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s a reading both humoristic and with a lot of tension. The situation is really absurd and yet we get totally caught by the urgency of saving Tokyo. The two characters, the bank employee and the giant frog, are both touching and hilarious, each differently.
I may add that I’m a total fangirl of Murakami Haruki, and I love his style as well as his stories. But before this short story, I had never read him in japanese.
About the level
I’m a beginner in japanese (normally going along with the ABBC), but this short story is totally readable for me. It’s rated level 18 (with “??”) on Learn Natively.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- A masterpiece from a great japanese author.
- A lot of dialogues.
- There are patterns in the text, because there is some repetition humour.
Cons
- No furigana
Do I have to add a poll here ?