'This Horror is Amazing!' Ranks #1! (2024 Edition - Domestic). Masakuni Oda's 'Wazawai' Released by Shinchosha Bunko on March 30th.

A collection of short stories, 'Wazawai,' by Masakuni Oda, who has won both the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers and the Japan SF Award for 'Zangetsuki.' What is the unexplored territory of uncanny fiction tackled by this unique genius?

Masakuni Oda debuted in 2009, winning the Japan Fantasy Novel Award for 'Zoudaiha ni Tsugu.' In 2013, 'Hon ni Datte Osu to Mesu ga Arimasu' ranked #1 in the domestic category of the Twitter Literature Award. In 2022, he received the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers for 'Zangetsuki,' followed by the Japan SF Award the next year. 'Wazawai' is his fourth solo work following these achievements, and it won #1 in the domestic category of 'This Horror is Amazing! 2024 Edition' in 2024. Despite his sparse output, each of his works is a masterpiece, receiving high acclaim. The commentary by Nozomi Omori included at the end of the paperback edition begins as follows:

Honestly, there's a limit to how infrequently one can publish.

I imagine most Masakuni Oda fans sigh and murmur this to themselves. His debut work, 'Zoudaiha ni Tsugu,' which won the Japan Fantasy Novel Award, was published in November 2009. Even though over sixteen years have passed since then, he has only published four solo books. This is far too few. Given that he is a top-tier visionary among contemporary Japanese authors and a fantasist with overwhelming writing prowess, wouldn't it be harmless to make a bit more effort to let the world know about his talent?

...However, when I consider that despite such complaints about his infrequent releases, Masakuni Oda's name has not been forgotten, he continues to be avidly read, and every new book he publishes wins some kind of award, perhaps it can be said that the Japanese publishing world is not entirely beyond hope. (From the commentary on 'Wazawai')

'Wazawai' is a collection of uncanny tales, each themed around a body part.

The stories include "Shokushyo" (Mouth), "Mimiguri" (Ears), "Moushoku Ki" (Eyes), "Yawarakana Tokoro e Kaeru" (Flesh/Fat), "Noujou" (Nose), "Kamizawai" (Hair), and "Rufu to Rafu" (Skin). Astonishing imagination is born from human body parts, inviting readers into an unseen world.

While certainly frightening and terrifying, it is also a sense of ecstatic thrill as characters who have strayed from their path in life and have nowhere else to go embark on a journey to a new world. These are uncanny tales with a terrifying depth.

This work tied for first place in the domestic category of 'This Horror is Amazing! 2024 Edition' (Takarajimasha) along with 'Kinki Chihou no Aru Basho ni Tsuite' (by Sei-shin). Please visit the unexplored territory of uncanny fiction.

Book Description

Once you eat one, there's no turning back—. The narrator, a novelist, witnesses a woman devouring pages of a book in an unlocked multi-purpose restroom.