Things I Read: A Wild Sheep Chase - Seductive Ears and Star-Shaped Sheep

Did you know that Japan’s consumption of wool ranks among the highest in the world? Inexplicably though there are only 20,000 sheep living in the entire country. Most of Japan’s wool actually comes from imports, only made possible through cheap trade with countries such as China. That's the power of foreign trade in a nutshell if ever you wanted to know.

I’m regaling this to you because I’ve been reading A Wild Sheep Chase, Haruki Murakami’s third novel. The story focuses on a recent divorcee living in Tokyo in the mid-1970s who, after receiving an inexplicable photograph by an old friend, is visited by a mysterious secretary representing one of Japan’s hidden political elite. 

The secretary orders him to undertake a mission to find a sheep marked with a distinctive star shape on its back. This leads to the literal wild sheep chase of the title.

Naturally the story leaves a lot to the imagination but it's largely about the mysterious forces at the heart of society. It does an excellent job striking a contrast between these and regular ol' aspects of daily life. Its plot offers many personal and philosophical ruminations. It ends quite satisfyingly too, which is a real rarity for a Murakami book.

All in all, I’m a big fan.

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Things I Played: Shenmue HD - Methodical Detective Work and Kung Fu

I never played the original Shenmue back in the day so it's been interesting going through the remastered version in crisp, clean high definition. Of course I turned on the Japanese VA and put it in 4:3 mode straight away because momma didn't raise no fool.

It's interesting to see how open-world games were envisaged back in the early 2000s; it's nothing like today's perfectly designed adventures that keep the player entertained within an inch of their lives. Shenmue is more of a cross between Animal Crossing in its rigorous appreciation of the mundane qualities of everyday life, and Yakuza in its bloodthirsty Virtua Fighter-inspired combat. 

It's full of tension, excitement and fear and that's not just when you're waiting to see which gatcha capsule you've won. 

Like any good lover it has plenty of infuriating moments. The harbour part towards the end is tremendously boring. It's basically five days of moving boxes in warehouses where the game grinds the game to a complete halt. The romance between the game's main character Ryo and Nozomi didn't work for me either, but  I did shed a tear at the thought of hotdog vendor Tom leaving to go back to America. 

Don't worry hot-dog bro, we'll always have Yokosuka.

All in all, Shenmue is a decent game that strikes up a strong nostalgia trip. It's a lot like remembering what it used to be trying to find a payphone. Remember those? I do. BT boxes everywhere.

I'm already looking forward to the second game.

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