I've always wanted to read Dazai. The first title I randomly saw one day, ¡ÈThe Schoolgirl¡É, got my attention right away simply because its cover featured an anime-style illustration. Obviously, I knew nothing of the author, but I still wanted to get to know him (and his characters) through his work.

Earlier this summer, my wish finally came true when an invitation to read a collection of his incipient short stories landed in my inbox.

So, in short, I was set up. Or, maybe, I fell into an elaborate trap.

Read full article here:
https://witsandtwists.wordpress.com/2025/09/16/book-review-retrograde/