Teito Monogatari #3

Continued from this post...

Then, I moved on to the original novel and have finished Volume 3 by now.

While the novel shares the same general setting as the films, the characters are strikingly different, retaining little more than their names and titles.

Here are my thoughts (spoilers ahead):

In Vol. 1:

- Kato has a rather attractive appearance rather than being a grotesque monster.

- There are subtle boys' -love elements.

- Mr. Shibusawa is depicted as quite talkative and easygoing, a very likeable person. 

- Tatsumiya is nothing like Junichi Ishida, who played him in the film.

In Vol. 2:

- Narutaki plays an active role with a clear stance, but his described appearance is far from Shiro Sano, who portrayed him.

- Kato begins to exhibit "chuunibyou" (eighth-grader syndrome)—talking big, yet surprisingly underwhelming.

- Yukari could have died at a much earlier stage, considering what she had been through.

- Keiko could have been portrayed as stronger—or at least disciplined enough not to be mesmerized so easily by Kato.

And in Vol. 3:

- Yukiko's job is completely different from what she did in the movie ("Teito Taisen”). Her overall image was so distant from Kaho Minami's portrayal that I found myself picturing Suzu Hirose instead while reading.

- Kato is no longer a grand villain; he devolves into a generic henchman, practically grunting like a Shocker Combatman from Kamen Rider.

- Again, there are slight homoerotic undertones.

- Tatsumiya dies unconvincingly fast and easily.

(End of spoilers)

On the whole, it might be better to view the films (especially the second one) as spin-offs centered around Kyusaku Shimada. That said, having watched the films beforehand helped me picture the characters and scenes vividy while reading.

By the way, I feel that Japanese society in the 1980s was much more open-minded—anything went as long as it was entertaining. If the film were made today, it would spark total chaos: the original author might sue the production company over the mangled adaptation, while netizens would greedily consume the surrounding scandal rather than the work itself, only to forget about it shortly after