Love at Least

As Yukiko Motoya's Picnic In the Storm has recently been published in a translation by Asa Yoneda it seemed apt to give another of Motoya's books a mention. Yukiko Motoya has been awarded just about every major literary award in Japan so hopefully more of her writing will eventually be forthcoming in translation. Among the novels and plays of hers that have already seen adaption to film include Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!, directed by Daihachi Yoshida, Third Window Films,  and also her play Vengeance Can Wait which has been translated into English by Andy Bragen and Kyoko Yoshida and is published by Samuel French, if you fancied giving that a read.

The film Love At Least directed by Kosai Sekine released last year is adapted from Motoya's novel from 2006, Ikiteru dake da, ai follows a couple as their relationship faces falling apart as Yasuko retreats into depression. Here is where I redirect you over to Mark Shilling's review over at the Japan Times. It's a movie I'd love to see and further more a novel that again hopefully might appear in translation, more spaces to watch eh?.


The Lonesome Bodybuilder translated by Asa Yoneda at Electric Literature.