Abstract

The Hundred Character Theatre is a collection of extra-short stories or micro-novels. Each story is completed in just one hundred characters in Japanese (approximately 50 words). KITANO Yusaku who won the Japan Science Fiction Gand Prize for Mr. Turtle which has been published in English by Kurodahan Press, is known for his long novels, but in recent years he has been presenting "almost 100 character novels" daily on Twitter as his lifework.
Folktales of raccoon dogs, called "tanuki" in Japanese, and foxes bewitching people have been passed down through the ages in Japan. This book contains 200 slightly mysterious micro-novels set in such a world. The author says, "I find stories about people being bewitched by raccoon dogs as interesting as stories about aliens invading the earth".
"Human charactors in this book never do anything unsophisticated such as forcibly uncovering identity of tanuki... Sci-fi is "fiction" after all, quite simply, it is a lie. And it is power of imagination and affection that makes those lies warm-hearted. Like the relationship between humans and tanuki in these stories, the author takes care of his works with full of gentle kindness to such lies." (from the commentary).
The extra-short novel is easy to read, making it ideal for bilingual editions for Japanese language learners.

"A tanuki comes to the polling place, posing as a human voter. We spot and tell them out, but they come again, and again. In the end we give in, let them cast a ballot. It will turn back into a leaf anyway and count not. But I think it shows they’re concerned, in the tanuki’s way."
(The Sniper in the Closet, page 20. English translation by Asahi Takaiye)
Cover illustration by WADA Radio, Commentary by UEDA Kohei

Author’s Information

Born 1962, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. In 1992, Kitano won the 4th Japan Fantasy Novel Award for Excellence for his debut novel, Where Mars Used to Be (Mukashi, Kasei no atta basho). He was awarded the 1st KATSURA Jakusaburo New Rakugo (Yagura Cup) Grand Prize for his story, Geocentric Theory (Tendosetsu) and the 22nd Japan Science Fiction Grand Prize for his work, Mr. Turtle (Kurodahan Press. 2016, English translation by Tyran Grillo). He has written numerous books, including Do-Natsu, KITANO Yusaku's Animal Book, Doronko Rondo, Kitsune no Tsuki, Kameri, Reiko and the Kamaboko Factory, and many others.
His lifework, The Almost 100-character Novel, continues to be published daily on Twitter, with more than 4,000 entries.