I was born in 1945, the year of Japan's defeat in World War II. In 1995, exactly half a century later, I completed Toppamono. It was the year of Japan's second defeat, when the double blow of the Great Hanshin Earthquake and the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway rocked a nation beginning to feel the full impact of the bubble economy's collapse.
Much of my existence has been characterized by defeat; living with it has shaped my outlook and made me who I am. I feel closest to those who take defeat in their stride and just keep going, rather than to those who aspire to victory down a rational path. In life's losers I find a humanity lacking in the winners. It is this sentiment that lies at the heart of Toppamono.
著者について
Miyazaki Manabu has spent a lifetime in conflict with authority. A social commentator of penetrating insights, he now lives in Tokyo.
This is a really bad book if you ask me. I read half way through and I was extremely bored. All I kept seeing were several words repeated. I thought this book would give an insight to the Yakuza world and how it functions,etc. Like the foundations. This is nothing but a simple, lame recap of a guy who went through some semi-yakuza and other dealings. Some of the details, for like 150 pages are his high-school/university demonstrations. I mean, how boring is this!. The title is about his involvement in the underworld, yet half the book is merely about demonstrations, JCP, etc etc. If you want a fun read- read Confessions of a yakuza- that is excellently written, and the story will keep you entertained. I could not pick up Toppamono after the 150th page. It was just too boring, I felt like skipping pages. What a waste of a buy.