Tokunaga dreams of becoming a successful manzai comedian (a type of Japanese comedy involving a duo, one straight man/one fool) with his troupe, Sparks. Then he meets up with an older manzai comic called Kamiya who takes him under his wing. Will they become the headlining comedians they hope to be?

Several things appealed to me about Naoki Matayoshi’s Spark: I had no idea what manzai was and wanted to find out; I’ve never read a comedic Japanese novel before and wanted to see what passes for Japanese comedy; and this was a huge bestseller in Japan and I wanted to see what appeals to modern Japanese readers.

Well, having read Spark now, I have the answers - and I know my tastes don’t align with Japanese audiences in the slightest because this book was AWFUL!

OK - are you ready to experience Japanese manzai comedy? Hold onto those sides now, you don’t want them splitting - here’s a sample:

“What’s your favourite food?”
“It’s hotpot.”
“Hotpot, eh?”
“Yes, hotpot.”
“You eat pots?”
“No, you know, the stuff that goes with it.”
“You must have extremely strong teeth.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“My teeth aren’t strong so I couldn’t do it, but what do you like better: metal pots or earthenware pots?”

I can’t bear to write any more of this tedious exchange but it goes on like this for another page. I know - it’s like a kid writing jokes. Later on, Kamiya (the more experienced comic) writes some “hilarious” haikus for a baby:

Two flies settled on a nun’s right eye.
Two flies sitting on the grave of a benefactor.
I am a fly, you are a cricket, that is the sea.
The flies are the antithesis of Parisiennes.
A melon from my mother covered in flies.

If I hadn’t been told beforehand that they were meant to be funny, I wouldn’t have known because they’re not even remotely amusing. Other “jokes” include Kamiya making the easily-manipulated Tokunaga get an erection while he moves his stuff out of his ex’s flat, to distract him from feeling sad or something; more childish crap about God painting the leaves different colours to signal the change in seasons; and the novel culminates in Tokunaga saying the opposite of what he means (eg. “Your place is a pigsty!” meaning it’s tidy) - sob sob, so funny AND emotional!

I’m just amazed that this barely-clever, unsophisticated material could be considered comedy by any adult.

Even without the unfunny material, there’s nothing about the novel that’s entertaining. Struggling entertainers struggling to make a living in showbiz - that’s it. They’re struggling because they’re not talented or funny and Kamiya might even be brain-damaged, he’s so unfunny. Take the ending, which was unpredictable but only because it was so bonkers. <spoiler>In an act of desperation, Kamiya gets F-size breast implants, like Meat Loaf in the Fight Club movie, because he thinks it’ll be so funny, he’ll immediately be put on TV. Amazing.</spoiler>

The writing is amateurish. A couple lines stood out to me: “The pain was painful... The pain was beginning to sting.” The pain was painful - wow. How did this win the Akutagawa Prize in 2015?!

Maybe manzai comedy works better live and I’d understand the humour better if I watched the TV adaptation on Netflix, but, going by this, it doesn’t surprise me that Japanese comedy has zero appeal outside of Japan. Spark is the antithesis of entertainment - not recommended to anyone, anywhere, anytime, anyhow!

Spark is about two struggling performers of Manzai, a Japanese style performance similar to stand-up comedy where the ‘straight man’ and the ‘funny man’ trade jokes at high speed. These jokes are not for us outsiders, but the main characters find themselves immensely funny. Tokunaga finds a mentor in Kamiya, who is his senior by four years. Individually they move from Osaka to Tokyo to make it big. Most of the story takes place near Kichijoji Station and Inokashira Park in Tokyo, Japan.

“Disrupt the colourful, beautiful world, and another unreal, more awesomely beautiful world will appear all on its own. That dude in the park had a radical instrument, but he wasn’t doing anything with it. An instrument like that has to be taken seriously. There’s no beauty in the world where it isn’t. I dunno how he got that instrument, but somehow he did, so now he owes it to the world to play the hell out of it.” And that also illustrates Kamiya’s drive. If you’re good at something, you owe it to the world to do the best you can. Be extreme in what you do. Pour your soul into it and dare to be different. Even clichés can be cool. His manzai uses the familiar – the ordinary – to wreak havoc.

“If you judge ideas by how ordinary they are, then creativity just turns into a contest of who or what’s the most unusual. On the other hand, if you reject new, unusual stuff completely from the outset, then it’s just a contest of technique. But if it’s only a combination of technique and originality that gets approved, then it turns into a contest who can be the most balanced.”

You can either get the audience’s sympathy or do something amazing. It is because of thoughts and conversations like that, that you should read this book. You might not find their jokes funny – I didn’t – but their approach to performing and creating things is really thoughtful. It’s not about what they do, but rather about the way they approach life and about their friendship. Tokunaga is a young guy who is insecure and follows someone he admires. The power that the one being admired has over the other is huge as his praise or rejection can make or break him. Until the student fails the master that is, then the situation is reversed.

Spark is both inspiring and sad. Naoki Matayoshi manages to draw your attention to two ordinary people and make them extremely important to you in such a short book. Tokunaga and Kamiya are both highly idealistic in pursuing their dreams. From their conversations you get a glimpse of how reality drowns those ideals. If your art is only for such a niche audience and you can’t make it big, what do you do?

I often read Japanese novels and then wonder what exactly I've just read, and this one fit that trend pretty well. I struggled with this one - I wanted to like it but ended up practically forcing myself to finish it. I don't think it helps that Japanese comedy is VERY foreign to Westerners, and I had to look up Manzai on Wiki to get an idea of what the style actually entails. I liked the sections of the book around the comedy more than the actual comedy parts - some of the descriptions of Tokyo were very evocative.

This is the story of Tokunaga, a budding comic in Japan. After his move to Tokyo, he meets Kamiya, a more experienced comedian. This short book follows the pair as Kamiya agrees to be Tokunugas sensei if in return he writes his biography.

This is a journey through different levels of success in the comedy world, the story is centred around friendship, passion and what it takes to achieve your dreams.

I know nothing about the Japanese comedy scene so this book was certainly a learning curve, I did enjoy reading it. I wouldn't normally pick up a book with comedy tropes however I did like the journey I went on with the two protagonists. This book was a phenomenon in Japan and now has a Netflix TV series.

Spark by Naoki Matayoshi is out now! Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic read! I love the simplicity in translation. Centred around two central characters who both participate in Japanese Manzai and their relationship as sensei and senpai.
It is funny, and although I feel something was lost a little in translation it is still a rollicking read. There is much discussion around Manzai and comedy performance philosophy between the characters which also fits nicely as a philosophy on life and performance.

A very refreshing novel! I have rarely read anything like it. I am a Japanese literature lover and really enjoyed learning about manzai.

Manzai is a type of traditional Japanese stand up comedy that features two performers. In this duo you generally have a straight man and a funny man (I say man because apparently it is very rare to see women performing manzai, even nowadays). The straight man is not very clever and generally confused, while the funny one of normal intelligence and keep correcting the straight one in an exaggerated manner. Jokes are usually exchanged at high speed.

This story is very much about manzai but also about friendship, admiration, inspiration but also the stand up comedy thrill, how addictive it can be, how your life can revolve around it, how it is an existence in itself.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I have to say to it is very specific in its humour. But when I say that, I mean that humour is very culture and language specific. Speaking fluently two languages myself, my humour is very different from one language to the other. Humour is all about references, word play, puns etc so most of their funny conversations and performances didn’t really do much for me. However I did find it fascinating.

Thanks Net Galley and the publisher for letting me read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Manzai is a form of Japanese stand-up comedy involving two performers trading jokes at great speed. The author of this novel, Naoki Matayoshi, is himself half of a manzai duo.

Tokunaga is a young manzai comedian who is half of a duo called Sparks. He meets another comedian, Kamiya, half of another manzai duo the Doofuses, and asks him to become his senpai or teacher. Kamiya agrees, provided Tokunaga agrees to write his biography, and the two forge an unlikely friendship that lasts for many years.

As Tokunaga gradually becomes more successful, Kamiya resolutely follows his own instincts and refuses to compromise his approach. He says and does outrageous things that are often misunderstood, but is still determined to succeed on his own terms.

Part of the book is about being true to yourself and Tokunaga realises he cannot be like Kamiya, however much he looks up to him, because his personality is different. Despite this, Kamiya's approbation still matters to Tokunaga.

Another aspect of the book raises questions about what we perceive as art and whether this should please or provoke. As he examines this question, Tokunaga is forced to re-evaluate his performance style and the transitory nature of fame.

The humour in this book will not be for everyone - it probably helps to have an awareness of Japanese life and culture - and there is swearing at times, but there are some genuinely funny moments.

I found the relationship between Tokunaga and Kamiya endearing, even when long periods of time sometimes elapse between their meetings. Their friendship matters, albeit for a different reason to each, and that helped me connect to them.

Towards the end of the novel, Tokunaga criticises Kamiya for overstepping the boundaries between funny and offensive; however, the ending is touching and reaffirms the friendship between the two men.

The book has been adapted into a Netflix series called "Hibana", which will be of interest to anyone wishing to explore manzai comedy further.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Pushkin Press, in return for an honest appraisal.

This book captures the up and down relationship between two Manzai comedians. I find the relationship between the characters a bit unbalanced at times, especially when one seems more invested in the relationship than the other. I wished I was able to read a bit more of the Manzai comedic action (which I personally am absolutely obsessed with) than the overall relationship between the two men. The two men, Tokunaga and Kamiya are basically mentor and mentee, with Kamiya barely offering sound advice. Tokunaga throughout the book captures Kamiya's stories for a biography, and it's hardly complimentary because Kamiya seems to garner more negative than positive feedback from his actions. It got a little wonky towards the end for me. The two men were out of touch for a while, and when they reconciled it was with a most interesting revelation. Definitely an interesting read.

A strange little novella about two comedians and their pupil/teacher relationship over the years. I enjoy most Japanese literature that I have read previously but this one just didn't do it for me, the end was also really strange and I found it hard to keep my attention focused while reading.

Many thanks for the early reading opportunity.

I found it difficult to engage with this book, it was cleverly written and the comedic relationship between the two main characters is richly described. However, I struggled with the concept of the story but the friendship between Tokunaga and Kamiya is touching.

Spark was a mixed-bag read for me. I found some of the scenarios funny, and it offered an interesting discussion on the nature of comedy, alongside intriguing character portrayals of Tokunaga and Kamiya. However, in reading this book with zero knowledge of manzai, I probably missed a lot of cultural references and undertones, as the story failed to fully grip me. It might be interesting to check out the Netflix series if I get time, as seeing the comedic styling in action would probably help, to get a sense of how it comes across. I'm glad I gave this book a try, as it was something different and new, but it's not one I would race to reread. For me, it's a 3.5-star read, as it had some good moments and would probably mean more to readers who are familiar with manzai.

If there’s one universal thing, it’s that everyone who loves life loves to laugh. But comedy is subjective: what you might find to be funny might be different from what I might find to be funny. So is the case with the 2015 Japanese short novel Spark. It’s about a brand of Japanese comedy called manzai, which always consists of two people: a straight man and a funny guy. There’s a whole industry centered around manzai comedians in Japan — frequently, a group of these performers will do their schtick in theatres at an event hosted by a talent agency in a way that’s similar to North American stand-up comedy. The different thing is that, at the end of the night, the acts get graded by the audience on how funny they were, and then they’re ranked. If you start to become an act that gets highly ranked, you might find more gigs (and more professional ones) and TV appearances coming not too far behind.

What’s striking about this novel — written by a stand-up Japanese comic — is that it shows manzai to be absurdist comedy. It may not be, to Western audiences, particularly funny. In fact, a lot of it — as illustrated by this book — pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable and civilized behaviour. Case in point, this short novel focuses on the relationship between two manzai from competing troupes who join in a master-servant style of relationship with the older manzai showing the ropes to the younger one. At one point early in this story, the duo comes across a drummer in the park. Rather than simply enjoy the music, the sensai of the duo actually begins to accost the drummer to not playing a beat to his liking. Case in point part two is another part of the novel where the duo encounters a young woman and her crying baby in a park. To soothe the child, the elder of the duo begins to recite haiku about flies.

Some may think that something got lost in translation with this book, but I’m not so sure. I think that what young Japanese people might find funny is of a different sensibility that a Western audience might find funny, and I think manzai is meant to be bizarre. But, speaking of which, the humour is plenty weird. Essentially, you have to come to this book as a Westerner not expecting gut-rattling laughs but the touching and tender story of the master and his servant bonding, and the servant gradually coming to eclipse the success of the master. If there’s any particular problem in the telling of this tale, it’s that we don’t get a lot of scenes of the troupes performing their material on stage, and there’s not a lot of backstage gossip-y style elements to this story. That means we have to focus on the odd couple relationship between the two men at the story’s heart. And that, in turn, doesn’t give readers a lot to chew on.

Having said that, though, Spark is a fun and entertaining book. It’s a quick, breezy read and it has a light touch. It does end with a bit of a zinger that shows just how far some people will go for the pursuit of laughs in the name of comedy, even if it might offend some. Still, Spark is an enjoyable read — and it’s easy to see both why this novel became a cult hit in Japan and spawned a Netflix series. Speaking of which, that series is now a few years old, so it’s a little strange that the English translation of this book is only following now, but whatever. Having read this book, I’d be curious to see how the TV series turned out and how faithful it is to the source material, which meanders at best.

Much of the book consists of scenes in Japanese bars as its characters plot their next moves, and the dialogue is punchy enough. Essentially, what you get with Spark is a buddy comedy. This is a tale about how two people who are polar opposites of each other can get along throughout a 10-year relationship and I would assume that much of the book was grist from its author’s chosen career. In any event, Spark is a book that has its deficiencies — I wanted to see more of the Japanese comedy world — but more than makes up for them with character sketches. This is a love letter to Japan and its particular brand of comedy, and is a particular postcard to the city and suburbs of Tokyo in particular. And while the scales of success tip for each of these characters — and the success or failure seems to happen overnight and is glossed over — you’ll forgive the author for being light on the touch of detail and simply enjoy the ride.

Much like Japanese comedy, different people are going to have different reactions to this book. If you’re looking for observational humor developed from everyday life, look elsewhere. If you’re looking for an exposé of the Japanese nightclub or theatre scene, look elsewhere, really. This is simply just a delicate delicacy, a juicy, tasty book that’s skimpy on details of the hows and whats but more about the human relationships and costs surrounding being part of a two-man comedy act. (Which reminds me, we never really hear much from the respective partners in the comedy troupes these characters belong to, but no matter. I’m grousing.) You’ll probably read Spark and just go skipping along the pages, marching to the distinctive beat of an odd novel that offers a whole lot of enjoyment, even if it might be skimpy in the laughs department — or at least the style of laughs you’re used to. It’s a unique read, that’s for sure, and anyone interested in Japanese pop culture would certainly enjoy this wild ride of a novel.

Spark is a short novel about Japanese manzai comedians struggling to be popular. Tokunaga is a young comedian who does manzai, a style of comedy with two performers who do quick back-and-forth jokes, and is trying to rise up in the comedy world. When he meets Kamiya, an older performer, they strike up a friendship that has its own back-and-forth, constantly getting drunk and debating what is funny. The book follows the ups and downs of their comedy careers and their conversations as they stay friends across the years.

This is a bittersweet comic novel that highlights the difficulties and absurdities of making it in comedy and being deemed funny. Going into it without knowing anything about manzai, it was interesting to see the dynamics between not only comedic partners, but mentors and students, and also think about the fleeting nature of popularity, especially in comedy. The book also engages with questions of how far you can go in comedy, and it was refreshing to have moments like Tokunaga actually pointing out why what Kamiya thought was funny was actually devaluing someone else's experience. I didn't find the novel as funny or moving as others have said, but it was quirky and interesting, and its short length makes it easy to read.

A short novella full of humor emotion the world of Japanese comedy.I enjoyed the characters the writing in this unique book,#netgalley#Spark

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This seems to be a culturally specific book and I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I would have if I had more understanding of the culture this was written for and I understand not everything is written for me.

We follow Tokunaga as he connects with Kamiya, both of whom are comedians trying to hit it big. We learn the nuances of their friendship and their lives. We also get a peak into their comedian sets.

Overall it's very character driven which other readers may find more compelling than I do.

The novel chronicles the friendship of two manzai comedians over a decade. Kamiya is the sempai and Tukunaga is the kohai (elder and younger respectively).

This is a short novel that has been extremely successful in Japan. The author, Naoki Matayoshi is well-known in Japan and the book has apparently sold 3 millions copies and there is a Netflix series based on this novel called Hibana: Spark (which I’m going to watch). I had never heard of manzai before and Wikipedia tells me that “manzai usually involves two performers (manzaishi)—a straight man (tsukkomi) and a funny man (boke)—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes revolve around mutual misunderstandings, double-talk, puns and other verbal gags”.

The whole novel is build around the manzai concept with a lot of dialogue between performers. It’s a heartwarming story with Tokyo as a backdrop and it features a lot of Tokyo nightlife. This is definitely an insider’s account into the manzai industry in Japan and the struggle to become successful. A lot of the humour did not appeal to me and I thought that we didn’t really get to know Kamiya and Tukunaga apart from that top layer of their struggle to become successful. I still think that this is a fast-paced, fun and quirky novel that will appeal to anyone who is interested in contemporary Japanese culture.

With thanks to the publisher for the digital review copy via Netgalley.

A short novella full of wit and emotion. A great exploration into Japanese Manzai comedy and the love that exists in friendship. Would definitely recommend.