Aoi Bungaku Series

this anime consists of four chapters (4 totally different story) Episodes (1-4) are about “No Longer Human” based on real story it’s sad and a truly Tragic anime and so beautiful, i LOVED it, it’s relatable for a lot of people, it gets a 10 out of 10. Episode (5-6) it wasn’t as good as the first Chapter, there is a man and a pig and a wife! it wasn’t interesting for me BUT it has the potential to be a good anime for some people so you need to judge that by your self Episode(7-8) BEAUTIFUL, such a good anime, it shows the skill of villianifying! a character and how humans preserve one another, and how scared we are of each other and in reality your enemies are scared of you too! it gets a 10 out of 10. Episode(9-12) BORING, so i didn’t wasted my time, i didn’t like it ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- long story short it is a pretty Psychological anime (First and Third chapters), and it’s truly Underrated, don’t miss this anime it worths every second.

Aoi Bungaku series review The anime manages to portray the human nature and human society themes and executes them together with the help of the characters and story . It’s divided in different story arcs written by different authors from the Japanese literature .Each story arc symbolizes an aspect from our society and each brings a different message for the viewer and criticizes the human society through the characters actions and experiences.The main message that this anime delivers is about the struggle of each author to improve his works, portrayed with the help of the characters and story from their respective literature pieces of art. The first story is a autobiography of a famous author Dazai Osamu and his struggles to find his own identity as a human. He is a empty shell or a "ghost" as he describes himself and the anime portrays his sufferings and guilt.In the process of finding his own identity he relies on booze, women and drugs.The message is one disturbing and depressive too that the anime brings to the viewer. Its about betrayal, trust and the fact that you can't escape your past no matter how much you run from it. The second story symbolizes another aspect from our society and human nature through the use of the symbolic meaning of sakura blossoms beauty. It’s beauty is portrayed with the help of a beautiful woman that can bring happiness or disaster in the life of a man. The author shows to the viewer what lies beside the beauty of a woman, her hearth and desire, the two faces of a coin. He portrays the woman’s desire with the help of a bird who flies to the sky into the darkness and light scenery meaning it’s endless. Also it portrays the human instinct called fear of loneliness and the fact that each human depends on a person , that person gives a meaning and purpose for our life.But it also criticize that dependence and trust comparing it with a demon that steadily and at a slow pace ruins your life. The other stories portray other human nature theme aspects like the bond of friendship and tells the point of view from the perspective of each character. It shows their struggles and daily problems that they face through a beautiful allegory to the ancient greek legend Run Melos . The anime also takes a look into the human hearth and the dark side of it , with the help of a famous author literature work called Kokoro. It shows the lust and desire for unrequited love and the sacrifices that our characters are faced . Again the story its told from the both perspective of our characters to make it more appealing and realistic for the viewer. The last story is a more of a critic point of view on the hierarchy from our society . It shows what happens when an incompetent leader rules a country. It portrays also the struggles of a painting artist who needs to find his identity through his works and the sacrifices he is faced to achieve that. It’s a cruel and disturbing lesson about our human history that had many casualties because of many incompetent leaders who were blind about the truth that happens in the country they rule. All of this is conveyed to the viewer through the suffering, sacrifices and hell scenery(corpse burning, people buried alive) our painting artist is faced to create his ultimate piece of art. They say after you witness hell you become part of it and our painting artist becomes one with his ultimate painting creating a masterpiece . It’s a allegory to the fact you can’t make something of good quality be it art, literature or other domain without sacrifices. In conclusion the Japanese literature is indeed a masterpiece and this anime portrayed the struggles , sacrifices , loneliness , human drama, human nature , human society , hierarchy , value of life and death through each piece of literature that different authors wrote to convey their thoughts and point of view about them . Each piece of literature it’s a mirror that shows what’s inside of their mind and heart of each author. Captivating, amazing, fascinating , an anime that only Madhouse could made for the viewers with a dark atmosphere , a piece of art that symbolizes and delivers the message about the Japanese literature and human society. Overall 10/10.

Probably/definitely spoilers, you have been warned! Aoi Bungaku Series has an interesting idea of adapting famous short novels, but falls short trying to do six of them in 12 episodes of about 24 minutes an episode. What is really fun about this is that every episode starts with a real Japanese man generally informing you what the story is about and information about the author. No longer human (episode 1-4): This one I thought was the most interesting one. It tells the story of a young man that no longer believes he is humans and merely a "ghost". This is mostly because he simply doesn't understand humans, is alienated by his father because he wanted to be an artist and as a child several women had taken advantage of him (not that he seemed to mind, but still). He is tormented by the fact that he failed his double suicide with the woman he loved and is called a murderer by society. Even after that he wants to try being human and fit in while living by a reporter and her child. Of course all good things end. He ends up in a cycle of alcohol and sex with the female bartender. He really breaks after the talk with the child he had grown fond of and who even called him her dad. He runs away from the conversation and later has a nice talk about how society is just a group of people with the woman that constantly criticised him for drinking so much. The conversation made him care less about being human and she becomes his goddes. In the last episode they're married because apparently she really didn't want him to be a drunkard. They buy an appartment together wich he pays for as a succesful manga artist, which may only be because of the favours his wife has done. Those favours cause her to be raped, witnessed by him and his friend who doesn't really matter overall and came to say goodbye because he's going to work for the Japanese army. She wants to kill herself after the rape, but he stops her and tries to kill himself instead. It ends with him escaping the hospital, going to some woman that looks like the double suicide woman and asking her for some drugs to stop the pain. Yeah, pretty anticlimactic. The most annoying thing to me was that he is just engulfed with despair and never really reflects on his emotions and actions. Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita (episode 5-6): This one is a weird one. It starts simple- there lives a kind bandit in the mountains that doesn't kill and occasionally kidnaps cute woman to become his wife. Also, he has a big fear for cherry blossom that never really is explained. There's also this boar that can talk for some reason as a background character. In short, the bandit lives happily with his wives until he meets another beautiful lady, but this one's from the city. She causes him to kill almost everybody and lets him deliver their heads to her, because that's what she's into. In the end he wants to go back to the mountain, he hates the city. She agrees, he takes her to the mountain, but for some reason he walks to the cherry blossoms that are in bloom and which he is afraid of. His wife turns into a demon on his back, so he starts to choke her. Plot twist: she wasn't a demon, the bandit was the woman all along, she is dead, he may be dead and glasses waifu is alive and well with Boar-kun and waiting for someone to return as the note told her that was left behind in the house he had stolen for the new wife. This story is all over and may be liked (or hated) because of its cryptic storytelling at the end. Doesn't excuse the weird out of place comedy that you find in your typical slice of life comedies. The highlights of this story were the songs new wife sang. Kokoro (episode 7-8): This is about the love triangle between an ojou-sama, a 'sensei' and a monk. The first episode is seen from sensei's perspective, with the monk being pretty intimidating and ojou-sama being a victim of his mannerisms. Sensei warns him not to go for her and monk says he's not into her. Monk commits suicide after he learns sensei and ojou-sama are going to get married, sensei marries ojou-sama and is still not happy because of the suicide that haunts him forever. Then the second episode begins, from monk's perspective. He sees the world as a bleak place, with ojou-sama, the sunflower of his world, being the only one that literally brings color in his life. He sees sensei as intimidating and tries not to fall for her, but does. It's mutual ad they want to elope because of the arranged marriage with sensei. They plan to meet up at the train, where for some reason she doesn't show up even though it was her idea. This causes him to go into some meltdown, he tries to kill sensei, but decides killing himself is a better idea. He does leave a message that he didn't regret it as it was his warmest winter. This story is pretty straighforward, nothing really special aside from the color change with monk's POV. Run, Melos! (episode 9–10): A playwright writes a play based on the story "Run, Melos", and deals with his own feelings of betrayal towards his childhood friend. Also very straightforward, but the scenes where they tell the story through an actual play were pretty interesting and well done. The spider's threat (episode 11): There's this evil bandit that kills for fun, he kills some kid's mom and is stabbed by him later on. This causes him to get caught later on and publically excecuted. But because he didn't completely stab a spider while trying to escape from the city guards (this scene was so stupid) he gets a chance to escape hell. Of course he fails because he kicks other sinners from the string and calls it his own. it breaks, everyone falls back into hell, the end. They probably should've focussed more on hell and not on the bandit being an asshole and killing people honestly. Then it could've at least looked cooler. Hell Screen (episode 12): Takes place in the same universe as epoisode 11. The greatest painter in the country, is commissioned to draw his greatest work, an image of the king's country inside his mausoleum. But the king's an asshole so the kingdom is absolute shit for the commoners. So he wants to show that. In the end the daughter and king die in a fire and that inspires the painter to draw hell instead of suffering commoners, also, evil bandit guy is in the painting for some reason. Then the painter dies laying on his greatest work. Pretty stupid how it ended, but my opinion doesn't matter. Overall, the stories weren't well done, although most were at least interesting. The characters weren't that interesting though, everything seemed to focus more on the story itself. Maybe they just should've made a short anime series for each short novel and call all those the Aoi Bungaku Series so they could've gone more into detail and wrap it all up better. The art is solid as to be expected from Madhouse. As for the music, there were some really good scores, but the rest was okay. Not bad, not good, a fair 6 six for you, from me. EXTRA: In the short novel of No Longer Human the ending was decent/good so you can buy that book and read it for a better story overall. As for the other works, I'm fairly sure they're better from reading their synopsis. Like Kokoro, which has a lot more to tell than the anime had shown.

A book is but a medium through which an author conveys tone and meaning. A show is but a medium through which those same things may be conveyed. However, what happens when the meaning and tone transfers media? That depends on the success of the transition and the transference of media available. Though I do not base my reviews on how accurate the show is to the source material, it would be hard to judge each arc in the Aoi Bungaku Series without taking a look at the source material and acknowledging their existence. Due to the nature of this series, I also feel like the traditional categories are unsuitable for review, and thus will review the show on an arc-by-arc basis. No Longer Human (Ningen Shikkaku) Life stands still for no one, and it is up to the person to determine how they perceive life treats them. In No Longer Human, the main character struggles through several emotional and traumatic experiences before arriving at the conclusion of the four episode arc, the longest arc in the entire show. The show successfully portrays the effects and consequences of depression, suicide, and child molestation through the downfall of the main character. In the end, the show is a tragedy, and it does that extremely well with borrowing the skilled form of the tragic hero from Shakespearean literature. Although the show glossed over some details within the book, the show still does a wonderful job of showing the entire journey of the main protagonist, and how his life crumbles before his eyes. The art within this section was good, and the sound, or rather, the absence of sound, complements it well. I enjoyed this segment overall, and would give it a solid 9/10 for enjoyment. In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom (Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita) The weakest arc in the show, In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom slaughters the story to the point of almost incomprehension. The goal and motivation of the protagonist is never fully explored and is dumbed down to the idea of love. The significance of the cherry blossoms are never explained, and are merely used as a sort of supernatural veil to cover the horrible, gaping plot holes in the arc. The woman is difficult to figure out, especially her collection of faces. Is that just serving for the downfall of the protagonist? Anyways, the art and sound are fine, but this arc is butchered to a level which defies common understanding. I did not enjoy the arc, but I realize its potential. 5/10 Kokoro If I were judging this arc based on its interpretation of the book overall, this arc would not have a very high score. However, by itself, this two-episode arc is, I believe, one of the best in the show. The story of two men, told through both their perspectives, is one of contradiction, envy, and love, all at the same time. The two episodes are told through the perspectives of both Sensei and K, one of warmness, the other of isolation. The plot mirror each other in both episodes, describing roughly the same events. However, an important area to note is that the entire arc, similar to the book, is a metaphor. Thus, the plot details between the two episodes may be disjointed and not completely similar to one another. But this difference in presentation only serves to enhance the story, as the plot of the two stories unfold, different emotions are explored and details are hidden or discovered, bringing a brand new sense of enjoyment and thrill between the two episodes, even if they have the same plot. The characters are extremely well-fleshed out, even if readers of the book would disagree due to the show deviating from the plot of the book. The art helps to punctuate the atmosphere and inner feelings of each of the two protagonists, bringing their life into perspective and their experience during the plot. However, it is the sound during this arc that truly brings the emotion alive. A variation of a single piano piece both highlights and contradicts the joys and sorrows of Sensei's life, along with K's breakdown and realization of love. That single piano piece managed to review all the emotions present within the two episodes, resulting in a beautiful melody that almost brought me to tears. Overall, this arc is a solid 10/10. Run, Melos! The adaptation of Run, Melos! is interesting because it doesn't actually focus on the story itself, but rather the story is used to accentuate the main plot that is happening in modern time. The plot of the book is still present in the adaptation as a play, written by the true main protagonist. However, the portrayal of both Melos and the protagonist mirror each other, although the protagonist is much more explored in detail. However, the important part of the show, the theme, is still preserved from the book to the show, and this is the most important part of the character developing, giving the protagonist both a story of realization and redemption in the end. The question of waiting and the waiter is beautifully adapted by the show, as Melos onstage is experiencing the same thing the playwright protagonist is experiencing. The beautiful parallel truly brings the show to life, and the protagonist's journey of self-discovery comes to fruition in the end. The art, as with the entire show, is still quite wonderful, and the sound, though minimalistic in music, helps with ambient noises such as rainfall for the environment. This section is a 9/10. The Spider's Thread/Hell Screen These two stories are combined due to the show's decision to mix these two up in the same timeline. The Spider's Thread, overall, is a visually impressive but overall uninteresting adaptation. While the bandit's fate and journey is known, his motivation for his actions, his unwarranted killings, are never explained, leaving the plot and characters feeling empty. Although it would've been hard in one episode to highlight everything about the character, the development felt rushed and unfinished as a result. The sound is on par with the rest of the series, thus this section gets a 7/10. Hell Screen, on the other hand, delves into the setting of The Spider's Thread, highlighting the king and the painter. Much more development happened in this arc than in The Spider's Thread, and the painter's final work allows for an introspective moment of debauchery, apathy, and sin. The relationship between the daughter and the painter is capitalized, and the king's hedonistic and tyrannical attitude provides the background for this story, however unusual it is for the people in The Spider's Thread to be acting the way they were compared to how the king acts in Hell Screen. The art is more impressive than in The Spider's Thread, with the painter's final work detailing much more and highlighting more themes overall. The sound is on par. Overall, this section receives an 8/10.

This anime consists out of 6 arcs of different lengths based on different books. As you would assume, some are better than others and there is a real masterpiece amongst them, . In this review, i am going to be focusing on the gems and explain what i found appealing about them. No Longer Human (Episode 1-4) - This is the flawless gem out of these arcs. The story is amazing. We follow the life of an art student who ignored his fathers appeal of studying something useful and contributing to the society. He goes from one addiction to another in order to find a purpose to live. He despises the society and claims that he is not a part of it, eventually blaming his life on its incapability to adapt people. What he fails to understand is that he is a part of it considering the people that he has managed to get involved in his life during the story. This story deals with the human psychology, and the narrator(Masato Sakai) probably has the best voice to deal with it. Desperation, false self-security and most importantly the indifference that our MC expresses are perfectly acted out. The art is wonderful. This is a personal opinion but i just love shabby buildings and dark atmospheres combined with the damp, misty light every single lamp emits. The art combined with the sounds really makes this an atmospheric anime, and i love atmospheric works of art. All this in 4 episodes, 4! Some anime have 12 or 24 episodes and still fail to set a proper story and atmophere. No longer Human was a 10/10 for me. I will most likely rewatch it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom (Episodes 5-6) - To save some time, i did not enjoy this. I thought about skipping this anime in the middle of the first episode because it was so different from the previous one, a huge step down. The only reason i kept on watching was because i saw a GIF of sakura petals falling over a skull which was beautiful and i figured it was this arc. This is your usual classic story built around what is supposed to be love. However it seems like it's not love, only lust from our MC. He does not think much, acts on impulse and all characters are overall very shallow. This was a 5/10 for me considering that the art and music were great even though the story was horrific. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kokoro (Episodes 7-8) - This was another gem. This time it was the story and not the art that i found astonishing. We follow a young man(MC) who is set up for life. The good education, the proper manners, everything you might want. Yet he lacks something. He cant find courage, determination and happiness. He goes to a man who seems to have these properties, a homeless guru who he takes home as his teacher to teach him his ways. Our MC is renting and has the daughter of his landlord as well as the landlord living in the house, and our MC is very fond of the former one. When the sensei moves in, they catch an eye for eachother, making an unofficial love triangle. You feel compassion and pity for our young MC whose love is perhaps being crushed by his own mistake. Without spoiling it the story progresses fairly expectedly, however when you watch the next episode, you see the situation from the eyes of the sensei. This one hits hard. You start to question everything you've seen so far, maybe our two characters shouldnt have met at all? For a 2-episode anime it sure is one hell of a journey that makes you understand that stereotypes dont go far. 9/10 for a great story and message. The art was not the best and did not set the atmosphere, but the story makes up for it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Run, Melos! (Episode 9-10) - Another great arc. This is the only arc which made me tear up. The art is on point with similar looks as "No Longer Human" and the story is very simple, yet so sad. Our MC this time is a writer living with his friend. His friend is also involved in the artist lifestyle but as an actor. The story has alot of time-jumps since our MC is writing a japanese version of a greek tale. During his work he realises that this tale is also the story of his life, making it a hard one to finish. The arc deals with insecurity, trust and platonic love. Once you get further in and the pieces start to fall into place you understand what the characters had to give up. 9/10 it is a simple but heart-wrenching story accompanied by a great atmosphere. I did not enjoy the ending though, i think they should have cut it earlier. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Spiders Thread (Episode 11) - A short arc about karma. Nothing too spectacular, i thought it had too much gore. The story starts off much later than where it should have started and we do not really get to know the reasons for our MC's thoughts and deeds. The story is very gory and progresses exactly as expected. The art is fine which pulls it up a little but not too much. 6/10 watchable but not very interesting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hell Screen (Episode 12) - As the pervious arc, this one is very predictable but instead of dealing with karma it deals with totalitarian regimes, which gives more to work with. Our MC is the best painter in the country and as expected the Lord wants him to paint more and more magnificent pictures of this wonderful land. However our MC has had enough. Very simple and predictable yet descriptive and teaching. It gives an idea of what it is to live under a totalitarian regime. Behind all the happy facades in form of parties and celebrations there is something much darker lurking, ready to attack as soon as you take a wrong step. 7/10 for a predictable short story but nice art and message. In total i give this anime 9/10 because i feel that especially the first arc outweigh most of the bad ones. The 4 first episodes are absolutely worth watching, you decide on the rest. They are evergreens because they are masterpieces, relevant yet today.

Not knowing where to start I would say Bungaku Aoi is a death Box!! Yes, because during these six stories, six of these classic Japanese, we are told the death from several views. I had almost never seen an anime in this genre, where despair is present from beginning to end! No Longer Human (Ningen Shikkaku): The first story (4 episodes) depicts a tragic period in the life of the author Osamu Dasai. The drama and richness of the narrative is found between themes of suicide, loss of identity and search for humanity ... The title of the new exhibits in the implicit battle of a man against himself. Needless to say that the registry is defeatist and no way out seems to be the general impression of the author on life itself. In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom (Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita): The second story is spread over two episodes. The atmosphere changes, the colours are brighter, plots keep coming faster and it seems to fall into a series of adventure. The animation on it is much more traditional and it detaches from the realism of other tales. The story refers to a kind of folklore, myth or legend that would be similar to the interpretation of loneliness. This tale amused me most because it integrates skilfully combines drama and burlesque. 3. Kokoro: The third story also adopts the same format with another small feature. This means that the author will be positioned on two different points of views in relation to the sequence of events. He tells two different ways of facts through the eyes of two antagonistic characters. The themes of friendship, love and trust are treated. Again, the narrative is subtly done and creates the surprise in the viewer. Run, Melos (Hashire, Melos!): If the title means anything to you or tells you absolutely nothing, it is an ancient Greek legend picked up by the Roman author Gaius Julius Hyginus(thank you Wikipedia!!). Why the choice of this tragedy? It’s to illustrate the trouble caused by the expectation in the eyes of the author through the themes of friendship and mutual trust. The Spider’s Thread and Hell Screen : Eh! As have we done with this drama? No, but the last two are so related stories rich in colour and moral. We go in a totally imaginary, probably another world in which human cruelty take you to artistically project a vision of hell. I particularly enjoyed the last one, I would call it ... Sumptuous. Overall: That is my brief impressions on Aoi Bungaku Series: a series of four new literary authors who have marked Japanese literature and my mind too. There is no fault that I can raise in this animation, simply astonishment. Whether through the realization of the different panoramas, the reproduction of the time details (including Showa 1926-1989), the atmosphere made by colours, design costumes, the transcript of this exchange between dream, the nightmare and reality, what is absolutely certain is that the quality of graphics absorbs the viewer and constantly seeking his attention. Each party, each story, I say absolutely every story has a great job. And the latest episodes have reached a paroxysm. A true artistic intelligence conducted on several levels and various sequences. The chara-design is very nice, the participation of manga artists who have worked on projects is famous for something. The characters are very charismatic. Aoi Bungaku Series interests, it is because his stories are intriguing. It is not in the superficial extravagance and excess, everything is just conducted, often in a very relevant realism. Ultimately, I would have had a great time, my words may seem inseparable recurring and my impressions, but I don’t have enough words to qualify this great narrative and screenplay work. This Series allowed me to dream. Even if I was totally conquered, there is no guarantee that this series can please everyone, so try it and judge it by yourself.

Aoi bengaku ... a series which although i was a bit hesitant to watch but i am truly grateful that i did . Aoi Bengaku which literally means 'blue literature' is a collection of evergreen masterpieces of stories from japan . stories which are comparable to Shakespeare or some other famous guy ... it has 5 stories in it of which one of it is of 4 episodes and the rest are two episodes each . The mind blowing stroy awesome character designs by kubo tite , takeshi obata (which are famous for their works bleach and death note respectively ) and collective awesomeness makes it a really worthwhile show to watch . the drawbacks however although much less obvious are that even though it was a really great i can barely remember one or two of the soundtracks meaning even though they are great they don't seem to leave a lasting impression . I am not writing the summary as MAL tells me not to since the readers can read the synopsis themselves .this review was written since this anime even though it is this great it is nearly not as popular ... thanks for the read :D:D:D

This anime explores several literary works rich in meaning and symbolic imagery but I will focus my discussion on just one (No Longer Human) by the Japanese author Osamu Dazai. in order to avoid digression as my central point remains the same even if my words branch out My primary motivation for watching this work was my deep admiration —one could even say obsession — with No Longer Human, the only novel that has ever truly brought me to tears. A profoundly psychological novel, it is considered a semi-autobiographical work published just a month before the author’s suicide which lends it a tragically personal and heartfelt tone The novel spans 176 pages and is told through notebooks written by the protagonist "Oba Yozo" a young man who suffers from a severe sense of inner alienation and a deep feeling of not belonging It addresses existential and philosophical themes such as alienation, psychological conflict, addiction and self-collapse. It is a striking example of existential literature that moves through the realms of nihilism, anxiety and meaninglessness When I began watching the anime I expected the same harrowing experience in a visual illustrated form. I anticipated the same bitterness and emotional maturity the novel had instilled in me. Instead I was met with profound disappointment. I felt as though I were watching scattered snippets of a person who had failed to grasp the essence of the story, settling instead for a shallow retelling of events without diving into their true depth How could a novel of such weight and depth be compressed into four fragmented episodes. it was an unjust and unfortunate reduction of the original work. The adaptation felt worlds apart from the profound experience the novel offered me. it was merely a faint shadow Perhaps this gap stems from the inherent dilemma of translating between expressive mediums or from the philosophy of aesthetic experience or even what is known as the theory of psychological ownership, where one’s experience with the original work becomes part of their consciousness making it nearly impossible to replicate Later, after watching the other episodes that adapted works I hadn’t yet read, I found the experience somewhat better. But once I went back and read the original texts of those works I again noticed just how shallow and weak the adaptations were In conclusion, this anime offers a superficial adaptation of rich literary works and cannot serve as a substitute for reading the originals. If you’re not particularly interested in literature and are simply looking for something with a lightly philosophical or psychological tone, you might find it satisfying. But if you’re a passionate reader and someone who seeks to plunge into the emotional and psychological depths of a story, you might like me find yourself facing a disappointing experience — one that feels careless with your emotions

All right it’s a great work but they look like un end stories and I think the Books will be most interesting than the series cos the book always has more detail and deep emotion you agree with me right? the first story was deeply sad and I couldn’t watch it in one week! yeah it was really really psychological story then the second until third story was really boring and I don’t understand what the writer wanted from them.. But the fourth one “Run Melos!” was the greatest story in this series! it’s really emotional dramatical I really love it so much then the last two stories were fine to me In the end the Aoi Bungaku series not bad at all and the idea of make an old novels to anime is Great

In a word, this anime's theme can be described as perspective. It's really interesting to know what people think of what you perceive. Have you ever experienced this situation where you are doing something that you think is good and beneficial to others, but others think that what you're doing is evil. This series is relatable as it shows how cruel our society can be. Well, it's either you change this society, or you just accept it and adjust for your own good. Either way is hard to do because changing this society might make you the antagonist that everyone's against you. On the other hand, accepting the society that you might not fit in is really unacceptable. Most of the stories in this anime are related to this theme. It's really exciting to know how the characters deal with it. Story: I admit that all of these stories are really good. I was really amazed and at the same time shocked that these series came from different novels/books/literary pieces which I haven't read yet. You must really think hard to understand each character. Art: I have nothing against the art of this series. The art is not disturbing. It really gives that vibe of a thriller and mysterious anime. Character: Some characters really have vague personalities that you don't get what they were doing. They lack explanation that makes them hard to understand. You need to rewatch/rewind to get who they are. That's how bad they were portrayed. Enjoyment: As I said, It's really interesting how they tackled the problems of their lives in this series. Every story in this series is unique. Not one has bored me. Overall, this anime is really good and should be respected. I have nothing to say, just watch it. It's really good (a masterpiece); nothing's gonna be wasted.

*Takes a deep breath.... Sighs* Before I start, is it just me or the Host's facial expressions are way creepier than the stories themselves? Well, my favorites if I had to make an ordered list, 1. No Longer Human and Kokoro Oh gosh, those 2, if only they had their own separate shows, I bet they would have made a hell of franchises, I just move the darkness and the backstories, the characters, the emotions, I just love everything about them, definitely hidden gems, a sold 10/10 score as easy as that. 2. The Spider's Thread The main character, he's got to be one of the best if not the best character ever created in a show, It just suited the story, and made it even more immersive, his look, ideology, and decisions, he's just unique, 9/10. 3. Hell Screen Probably based on The Spider's Thread story, you can even say it's a continuation of the latter, a hellish society that was indeed, massacre and murder are committed publicly, and no one dares to oppose that cruel Emperor, a classic to say the least, 8/10. 4. In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom No, this could have been higher on the list, It had so much potential to be a masterpiece on its right, but, the forced humor kinda ruined it, if it was darker and ambiguous, It would have worked out even better, 8/10. 5. Run, Melos! I couldn't relate to the story that much, probably it's the reason I didn't enjoy it as I was supposed to? Friendship ties that endured struggles throughout the years, between an actor and a writer, 7/10. Overall, this gets 8.6, I'd say 9/10 if it wasn't for some withdrawal along the way, totally a deep anime, more likely intended for a more mature audience, I'd definitively recommend it for adults who would like to get into anime, I'm glad I watched this, would never regret passing by, see you all, and good luck.

This is one my favorite anime, First story "not human anymore" it was really deep, I felt really connected to the story.. the way how the main character think, who he is not human and selfish and his ending. (he kinda reminded me of light from death note). but this story was great. all of the stories are cool, kokoro, the two side of one story. the way how we see things from our own point of view, how things could be different if we look to the other side of the story, being judgmental on people look while it is heart what matters "kokoro". "Run, Milos" this story, left a scar in me. how friendship could be that much strong, and how people should think more of the things they do, how they should appreciate what others do for them. Story, sound, character, it is all something awesome. I really recommend you guys to watch this masterpiece anime. I would watch it again. maybe I will go now and re watch it >w<

This series is comprised of adaptations of 6 modern classics in Japanese literature which are Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human (Ningen Shikkaku), Run, Melos! (Hashire, Melos!), Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro, Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s Hell Screen (Jigoku Hen) , The Spider's Thread (Kumo no Ito), and Ango Sakaguchi's In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom (Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita). I will not talk about all 6 of the stories instead I will tell you about my favorite story. Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human (Ningen Shikkaku): A high school student becomes alienate, he falls into a cycle of self abuse, depression and drugs that taint his life for years. This story is told in 3 chapters (each chapter being at a different point in his life) ,the final chapter leaves him standing alone - an empty and hollow charicature of his former self. Story: (10/10) This series will leave you with many mixed emotions, the plots will have you very intrigued. After I finished Aoi Bungaku I felt different, like I had a greater understanding of many things including life's challenges. Art: (10/10) Each story has a different art style for example, No Longer Human has a more ominous art style while Run, Melos! has a more bright and enchanting art style. Sound: (10/10) The show is not dubbed, it is subbed (Even if you don't like subbed anime I'd still give this one a go) Characters: (10/10) This anime is good with expressing how the character feels, again each stories main character is DIFFERENT they have different personalities, etc... For example, No Longer Human's main characters life and personality is based of tragedy and depression. Enjoyment: (10/10) This series will keep you intrigued and you will probably end up binge watching it. Overall: (10/10) I HIGHLY recommend this anime series The first story Osuma Dazai's No Longer Human was SO good that I ended up actually buying the book

The perception of good and evil is tested in aoi buganku. The need to conform to society over to keep one's nature is a struggle which the characters of the stories deal with. It makes us question ourselves and our morals while presenting us a tragically, beautiful story. Plot-wise the anime is based off of 6 Japanese classics. Since the stories have already been deemed classics it is not a question of if the plot is well developed or if overall it was good. The job of this anime was to interpret it in a way that we could understand the plot and translate it well to the viewer. The host says in the introduction before every episode that classics are "aoi" or blue. The anime was meant to preserve the integrity of the stories and present them in a way that would not undervalue the original works. With the 1st story which was by far the longest physiologically and time-wise, the main character battles with his inner-self and his desire. It goes through his life experiences as his ages. The anime itself gives us a very raw display which is left to our interpretation. As the story progresses, you find yourself morally disagreeing with the character's actions. This connects you to the story making you more invested. As the anime progresses to the next story it connects them by having the host explain a back story on the authors and a bit of their back story in order for the viewer to understand it better. Personally I found this quite helpful for the transition rather than just saying that this was a new story. It gives something to anticipate to. For the second story I found myself quite confused, but due to the prior explanation I could understand it better. I found myself more dumbfounded with the lack of time perspective. I found many questionable bits that took aware from the overall plot. But it also brings the question to me if the creators purposely did that. I don't think I enjoyed it as much as the story that was its predecessor. I don't know if the gravity from the first one overshadowed the 2nd but overall it did leave me with a lasting impression which made me have to take a minute to soak in and process it. With kokoro I found myself more attentive with. All the plots have been quite dark but stylistically the story have a more lighter feeling. With the following episode I found myself interested by the 2 different views of the men. Though I was curious as to which one was the true interpretation. By now it has become quite apparent in my mind the social differences between men and women during the era again. I have been slightly educated on the era but it gives me another glance at the matter. Run Melos was quite interesting to me. By far it is the upbeat endings out of all the stories. In this one the main character struggles with memories from the past. I loved the fact that you didn't really know which end he was on. You questioned if he was culprit or the victim. The story takes you on a physiological journey of betrayal and whether to forgive. It gives us a life lesson to think for ourselves. The spider's web is very different on contrast. It's a simple story of a man who then is robbed back by his karma. There's many stories with a similar plot but I found this one to be different since it was simple. It's simple to the point where it shows justice is slow to occur even with the glorified image of it. They finally finish it off with a story of death by passion. Though the concept is bastardized often the story still manages to relay the theme. How much sacrifice will you go through to change the future for others? With modern day values this concept is as I said bastardized. I found it as an interesting note to end off on which left me on my bed staring at the computer screen. Character-wise I found them to be very defined. They did not stray from expectation nor leave me to be desired. I found them befitting to their corresponding stories as well as invaluable to the series. Stylistically the artwork corresponds with it's stories. The overall presentation of it combined with the plot was an exhilarating experience. I found it to complement very well to the character's feelings as well as the overall plot. In anime plot is half the story. To translate these classics well it must have captivating art to correspond with the captivating stories. If not the anime is left to be desired. Since the anime is very heavy on dialogue I found myself less impacted by the sounds. Though I did find the music of kokoro to be quite soothing after its predecessors which is probably why I liked it more. As an anime viewer I want to experience to the best of my ability what I can of an anime. I typically do not find physiological to be up my ally but with this anime I found myself intoxicated by the plots and theory. I will not lie though due to my inability to watch physiological much I was tempted to fall asleep at times only to find myself scared of missing little details and the fright of batshit crazy nightmares. I found the anime to be pleasing and opening to new experiences of Japanese literature and I hope someday I will properly be able to read these classics. Seeing as the main goal of the anime was education of the classics and preservation I found it to do just that. I do hope for future generations of anime viewer to watch this anime for I found it as an experience that should happen as some point in an anime viewers career. Overall the anime rates a 8/10.

It is outstanding because it is outstanding perhaps the real joy of this six-stories long anime series is behind the fact that it is actual literal work, written by famous Japanese writers whose social suffering and personal experience shines through each and every one of the six stories included. Story: 1.No Longer human: the story centers around a troubled young artist in search for self-reclaim and confidence, while taken through the series, we are witnesses to the brutality of society when inflicted upon an unsuspecting young mind born with no real ties to the material world, this story hits you deep with drama unrelenting, and some heart-wrenching scenes, I can only imagine it being the best of the six, since the novel itself is considered the most common and most famous in Japan 2.Under the cherry blossoms in full bloom: quite the bizarre telling of a mountain bandit living in seclusion, then the introduction of a young bewitching woman, whose mental sanity and stability is in question, while all seems straight forward in this story, the end and the reference to the cherry blossoms from beginning to end leaves you jaw-gaping and wondering even more as to the meaning hidden in the director's mind. 3. Kokoro: Perhaps one of the most heart-wrenching stories ever told, the themes included vary from romance (which is the main) to isolation, and psychological references thrown on the bonds of friendship, trust and betrayal all interplay gracefully, leaving you wanting more, the story takes place in 2 directions, all the more merited as it is second to none in terms of real life drama injected with self-sacrifice and Love. 4.Run Melos Run ! : Is a perfect example of straight forwardness, heavily influencing friendship as a whole concept, while one friend waits for the other to join him on his life course, betrayal is laid bare, but what is the real reason behind the heartache, some would say it is slightly affiliated with shojou but I found it exemplary and heavily-sympathetic and so much enjoyable, after all friendship is a variant just like anything else subjective to human feeling and behavior. 5.The Spider's Thread: Although intended by the author to fascinate children, the anime show is taken beyond that with the main theme implemented but brought with maturity to adult viewers, A villainous villain is introduced, a mass murderer, the incarnation of pure evil, yet with a slice of humanity, when the decision arises for him to take the road to salvation or leave it, we come to terms with why the series shines best, heavily influenced by themes similar to Dante's inferno, this is thought-provoking literature indeed. 6.Hell screen: Focusing on darker themes, the injustices wrought by men in power over poor peaceful societies, though somewhat linked to The spider's thread, Hell screen is rather different in character portrayal, as a famous and capable artist is asked to take place in the forming of his masterpiece by the emperor's command, the artist and his daughter witnessing atrocities in their beautiful city, begin to take a twisted and unsuspected approach against tyranny in all its forms, heavy on themes from heaven and hell, this show does not disappoint. All in all, I enjoyed the series, the art with which it was presented, superb quality and utmost dedication, brings the viewer to a satisfied closure, and since it has been quite sometime before I enjoyed a real Drama/fantasy setting, this series was greatly appreciated. Highly recommended

Review of Aoi Bungaku Series (No Spoilers) The series is divided into standalone arcs, each adapting a story from Japanese literature set in different historical periods. Despite being only 12 episodes long—with the longest arc spanning 4 episodes and the shortest just 1—every segment is consistently strong, and some shine as true masterpieces, delivered with exceptional quality. This anime achieves in one episode what others fail to convey in hundreds. Every story is clear, emotionally resonant, and narrated in the most compelling way possible. The artwork and direction are phenomenal, particularly the background art and character designs, which are crafted with immense care. The characters’ expressions brilliantly convey their emotions. In summary, this is an underrated gem that didn’t receive the hype or praise it deserved, yet it merits far more respect and appreciation than it got

This anime felt like an amazing ride and opened an interest in Japanese novels for me. To start off there are different stories in this. The stories are each from different Japanese authors from many years ago, such as Osamu Dazai, Notsume Soseki, and more. I feel fans of Bungou Stray Dogs will like this because the authors are included in both of the anime. The stories were all well written and very enjoyable to watch. My most favorites were two of Osamu Dazai's works, 'No Longer Human' and 'Run, Melos!'. These two as well as the other stories were able to convey the way the characters felt. There were times I felt sad, felt tons of sympathy, anger, relatability, and more. Out of all of them the only novel I've read was No Longer Human so it might be a bit biased on my part. I enjoyed reading it so seeing it play out was very fun for me. The last two episodes were a bit of a miss for me but nonetheless still enjoyable. The characters were all interesting for the most part. Even if the stories last a few episodes (1-4) it's easy to get a bit attached to the characters. The character designs weren't anything extraordinary but they were memorable for me. There are some mature scenes with the characters so if you're cautious about that then here's your warning. The music, art, and animation were all wonderfully done. The art in the last two episodes especially caught my eye. The different styles of art all around were intriguing. I loved the music in the second to last episode the most because it gave me a sort of nostalgic feeling. It reminded me a bit of TGCF's music. Another thing I have to add is how well done the voice acting is. The VA's in this didn't make my ears bleed. Most of the time it was soothing and relaxing to listen to their voices. To me the voices felt more natural so it's another plus. I definitely recommend this to anyone who's interested or just needs something to watch. Fair warning for suicide themes (Seen mostly if not only in Osamu Dazai's stories)! I'm surprised this isn't more popular but I hope it gets a bit more attention.

This series is a must-see for those who are fans of the thriller or psychological drama genres! Every story in this series gave off a feeling of what it can be like to feel alone or amiss is this world, or what we can be nurtured to become or what nature intends as a result of that nurture. The stories within the series deal with the human psyche and human behavior, and how it can affect yourself and those around you and those you share close bonds with. Madhouse did an amazing job with the art in this series and it made it extra enjoyable.

Aoi Bungaku Series, I found this anime, to be very personal, as I suffer from mental illnesses, and can relate to the thought or even act of suicide, so I found this anime to be very reflective, similiar to looking at myself in the mirror. And the drinking part, to basically numb the pain or to not feel anymore, is definitely one I can relate too, although episode five I thought was odd, and it didn't seem like it had any connect to the original story line, or so I thought. I think in it's own way, it makes sense, each one, each episode is a collection of stories, all rolled into one anime, and each one is unique just like the last. I liked that quote that that one chick said, it's really interesting and true, she said "Society is just a group of individuals". This anime was a beautiful work of art, it's like staring into the depths of my madness.

AOI BUNGAKU ANIME REVIEW OVERALL: 8/10 PLOT: 8/10 This series is shocking? At first, I felt really bored and irritated watching this. I thought the story will focus on Dazai suicidal and negative emotions but it is actually a 5-6 stories in one series. Honestly, thanks to this anime I understand why Dazai (BSD) is a suicidal one. Though I really really hate that first story. I understand what the concept that story is trying to imply. That the world is trying to suck his sanity from him. That it is full of misery and the like. But. The world is also a beautiful place. It is also a wonderful one. It is just on the eye of the one who's going to see it, for me. If you are not strong enough to live this world, then start being one. The second, third, up to the last story is great, in my opinion. Yes, it also reflects the world as a different one. However, they've successfully portray it in a different aspect. They've show us how people see things in a different perspective. How people see the unknown a terrifying one. How the world we're living really looks like. Well, some people might hate this series since I think, it consists of beliefs and negativeness and truth that they don't want to accept. NOTE: The authors of this story made this long years back. Imagine if they're alive right now and is holding a pen. I think they're story would be something more than that. Because I think, the world now is much worse than back then. CHARACTERS: 8/10 The character is humane. Well, it is not our typical human who everyday sings out of joy in being alive. They are those people who know what the world really is and still, trying to live with it. All characters nearly have the same opinion as everyone else. However, I stil don't like Dazai or rhe first story. It is too emotional. He allowed the world to eat the sanity in him, thus, he became something which don't know the world hope and the like. Yes, the other character is also like that. Maybe I just noticed him the most since there are 5-6 episodes? For the story. And that really bore me. Apart from that, I like all the characters and how the scene go. It is interesting and it is our reality. SOUND: 8/10 The voices of the artist perfectly fits on the characters, in my opinion. It was insane but human, terrifying but sad, it was beatiful. The opening songs are different since there are also 5-6 stories. Though the ending song has only one. Maybe it's a great songs. I just don't like it. It is somewhat depressing. It is not that the song was bad. I think it suit the stories. ENJOYMENT: 8/10 The first half, I honestly did not enjoy that much. However, the second half keeps me going. It is interesting and eye opener. It is the reality we've been running away to see. For me, it is a good watch. It is worth the time.