69 by Ryu Murakami

This book is really smart and funny.The dialogs here remind me of "The Catcher in the Rye". At first, I thought that Ryu Murakami has something related to Haruki Murakami (one of my favorite authors) since their last names are similar (naive thought), but it turns out that there's only a coincidence, nothing more.

The style of the writings are also very different. If Haruki Murakami is a bit serious with weird things here and there, while Ryu Murakami's writing is really simple and entertaining.

Particularly for this novel, Ryu writes that this novel is a happy novel and he himself writes it with full enthusiasm.

The setting was back in 1969, a vivid period, where the baby boomers came out and believed that they could change the world. The story is about a high school student, Ken Yazaki who as a teenager has a lot of energy and so many dreams to explore. He really cares with the things happen around him. To make other friends realize this, he sometimes undertakes action that could be considered dangerous.

As an unusual student, Ken has a not- too-good relationship with his teachers who acclaim him as a naughty student. For his favorite girl, Lady Jane, Ken decides to conduct a small revolution, just to attract the girl's attention, see how 'creative' he is. He also manages a film festival with his friends for all high school students.

Reading this novel could recharge your energy, like the following quote:
" To live a happy life, we need energy
it is a struggle
to date, I still continue the struggle"

Ryu is a recipients of numerous prestigious awards in japan. He introduces the Japanese pop culture style. People recognize him as a humorous and happy person. He once said that, "I actually don't like to work, so I just want to finish my jobs and then have fun."

Well, it must be nice to have a friend like him. His happiness and positive thoughts may spread and influence his surrounding. I'm curious about his other book (already translated in bahasa) "In the Miso Soup", is it as interesting as this one?