Introduction
Depression is not sadness. Sadness is a component of depression, certainly, but there is much more to it than that. Depression might be better described as the lack of happiness, an inability to feel pleasure. The novel No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai depicts this beautifully. Told as a series of notebooks written by the main character, Yozo Oba, it is a Japanese classic and has been adapted into numerous forms. Oba is undoubtedly severely depressed, and the novel shows Oba’s journey and downfall through this depression.
His depression can be defined more specifically as grief over the loss of himself, and can therefore be broken into the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. For time's sake (both yours and mine), I will focus on the stages of denial and acceptance in particular. The adaptations that will be discussed are the manga adaptations by Junji Ito and Usamaru Furuya, the anime adaptation in the first four episodes of Aoi Bungaku, and the character Osamu Dazai in the anime Bungou Stray Dogs. This essay will seek to answer the question: how do the varying depictions of depression in No Longer Human and its adaptations affect the impact on the reader?
Denial
The first stage of grief is denial. This is represented in No Longer Human and its adaptations through Oba’s false happiness, which mainly took place in his younger years. Oba portrayed himself as a clown, and would make a fool of himself to make others laugh. Even as a child, however, he felt disconnected from others and himself. His crafted persona can be interpreted as a denial of his true feelings of anxiety and displacement.
In the original novel, this is mainly conveyed through the juxtaposition of Oba’s public and private personas. This is clearly shown in one scene where Oba paints self-portraits of himself and writes that “The pictures I drew were so heart-rending as to stupefy even myself. Here was the true self I had so desperately hidden. I had smiled cheerfully; I had made others laugh; but this was the harrowing reality” (Dazai 42). Although Oba portrayed himself as a cheerful goofball to the world, his true self was painfully depressed and confused with life. Oba spent the entirety of his childhood and adolescence hiding his depression under a mask of smiles and jokes, and this short passage emphasizes to the reader that not only is Oba not truly happy, but that he is desperately trying to maintain the illusion that he is.
Ito’s manga adaptation expands on this juxtaposition by adding a visual element to the inner dialogue. In one scene, Oba confesses that “My true nature, however… was one diametrically opposed to the role of a mischievous imp” (Ito 31).
This linguistic contrast is supported by a visual contrast. While most of the manga is drawn in various shades of gray, the panels that accompany this scene are in pure black and white.
The background of the panels are black, and Oba is depicted in white, with minimal shading and no pupils. This visual contrast serves to make this the most memorable of the scenes where Oba speaks on his fabricated clown persona. This line is a direct quote from Dazai’s novel, but without the visual element it does not have as strong of an impact as it does in the manga.
Furuya’s manga adaptation also utilizes a visual contrast, although quite differently to Ito’s. Furuya implements this contrast much later in the story, when Oba is at his lowest. Oba says that “I am a grotesque clown who dreams of happiness. I am an ugly, ugly clown” (Furuya, Vol. 3 194).
The contrast between “clown,” a word usually associated with laughter and happiness, and “grotesque,” a word that indicates repulsiveness, is further highlighted by a visual juxtaposition. The page shows Oba as both a child and as his current, older self. His child self is smiling and has very little shading, while his older self is heavily shaded to appear gaunt and haggard. Oba’s older self could be meant to represent his true self, while his child self represents the false image he presented to the world. The direct contrast between his two selves on the same page, especially because his child self had not been shown since the first volume of the novel, visually emphasizes the differences between the two.
Aoi Bungaku takes advantage of its ability to use sound to create contrast. In a flashback to his childhood, Oba recalls that “On the surface, I was constantly putting on a smile. But on the inside, I was desperate and sweating.” (“Monster” 02:20)
This music that accompanies this scene has a 3/4 time signature and is in a minor key. A 3/4 time signature is often associated with a waltz, which is typically a lively, happy dance. However, making the waltz in a minor key gives it a bittersweet sound, which is coupled by the sad violin that accompanies the waltz. The contrast between a typically happy rhythm and a sad minor key is critical to the melody’s role as a musical representation of Oba’s inner self.
The anime Bungou Stray Dogs utilizes both visual and auditory elements to portray contrast. The character Osamu Dazai in the anime is heavily influenced by his namesake, and it is often thought that No Longer Human was at least partly autobiographical in nature. As such, Dazai’s character will be analyzed in the same manner as Oba.
The art style used to depict Dazai differs based on his mood. When he is joking around, he is depicted in a cute, “chibi” form, which is a stark contrast from the anime’s usual style. In addition, the pitch of his voice changes drastically depending on his mood. He typically speaks in a relatively high-pitched, sing-song voice most of the time to show his relaxed and comical nature, but when he is being serious his voice becomes much lower and loses the playful lilt. The use of visual and auditory contrast serves to highlight the difference between the lighthearted way Dazai portrays himself to the world and the true, darker self he hides.
Acceptance
The final stage of grief, in contrast, is acceptance. No Longer Human and its adaptations portray this through the sense of hopelessness and defeat that becomes particularly pervasive in the ending of the novel. After the events of the novel, Oba is left with nothing and no one but himself, and the loss of what little faith he had in humanity. This can be interpreted as his acceptance of a seemingly unchangeable destiny of a life lived half dead.
Dazai’s novel creates a bleak and emotionless mood to convey this sense of hopelessness. The ending phrases of Oba’s portion of the novel are as follows:
"Now I have neither happiness nor unhappiness.
Everything passes.
That is the one and only thing I have thought resembled a truth in the society of human beings where I have dwelled up to now as in a burning hell.
Everything passes. (Dazai 116)"
Dazai utilizes repetition and italics to emphasize the phrase “Everything passes,” which in turn highlights Oba’s feeling of hopelessness after all that he has experienced. The specific mention of this being “the one and only thing” that Oba sees as an absolute truth also helps to convey a feeling of defeat in life. Oba, after twenty-seven years of life, concludes his tale not with profound epiphanies or advice for the reader, but instead a grim conclusion: everything passes, and it does not matter whether he is happy or not. Everything will simply pass.
Ito takes advantage of his artistic medium to create the same feeling in a visual manner. His adaptation shows Oba as being in an almost catatonic state during this last stage of his recorded life to visibly display his hopelessness. Oba’s final words to the reader are the same as in Dazai’s novel: “Now I have neither happiness nor unhappiness. Everything passes.” (Ito 610-611) This is accompanied by a double-page spread featuring Oba’s son flying a kite on a beach while his mother follows and Oba watches from afar. What would typically be a cheerful and happy scene is marred by its bleakness and sense of desolation. The sky is cloudy and gray, and there is no sun. The text is small and plain, almost blending in with the sky. The final page of the novel depicts Oba, who is white-haired, gaunt, possibly blind, and in a wheelchair (Ito 612).
It brings to life the final paragraph in Oba’s notebooks in horrifying detail: “This year I am twenty-seven. My hair has become much grayer. Most people would take me for over forty” (Dazai 116). The character, who had once been a handsome young man, is shown as a skeletal ghoul with empty eyes and an emptier smile. The reader is thus able to feel hopelessness on Oba’s behalf by witnessing his change into an empty husk.
Furuya takes his own artistic liberties to create a bleak ending. In both Dazai’s original novel and Ito’s adaptation, Oba is sent to a home outside of Tokyo, where he is left under the care of an old woman and his access to drugs is cut off. Furuya’s more modern adaptation instead places Oba on the streets, surrounded by garbage bags, and presumably still an addict. Oba’s final words are simply, “The dimensional ascent begins…” (Furuya, Vol. 3 220)
This is a reference to an earlier scene where, in the throes of a meth-induced frenzy, he rambles nonsensically about alternate dimensions. Furuya’s addict Oba, similar to Ito’s Oba, appears skeletal, old beyond his years, and delirious. This Oba, however, while keeping the same blank, unseeing expression as in Ito’s adaptation, is not smiling. The reader is left with the sense that Oba is, hopefully, in a happier place than his existence on earth, but still feels hopelessness for this pitiful creature. The hopelessness of this scene is amplified by the modern setting. This is an image that most, if not all, of the audience has seen before: homeless men left with nothing after their drug-induced downfalls. Furuya’s adaptation, while not strictly accurate to the original novel, still conveys a sense of defeat in chilling clarity.
Aoi Bungaku, in addition to its added auditory capabilities, is able to add color. The anime adaptation does not directly use the ending scene from the original novel, but instead creates its own ending that still expresses the same sense of defeat. In the final scene, Oba and the demon version of himself that has haunted him since he first painted it are sitting around a small stove and tea, and is assumed to take place after Oba takes drugs. Oba, after first appearing in this setting, says, “Oh, there you are. We’ll always be together from now on.” (“New World” 21:53)
The background of this scene is composed of soft splotches of yellow, orange, and pink, with light filtering from the sides, and is thus a stark contrast to the anime’s usual dark, muted colors. Aoi Bungaku shows Oba calmly accepting his demon self, after over a decade of trying to escape it. It is not the harsh, almost forced defeat depicted in Dazai, Ito, and Furuya’s version, but instead a calm acceptance of loss. While a markedly different take on Oba’s downfall, it is arguably equally striking nonetheless.
Bungou Stray Dogs, on the other hand, utilizes character and the deviance from it to highlight hopelessness. As discussed in the previous section, Dazai is depicted as a light-hearted and childish character. This serves to highlight any moments where he breaks away from this facade and gives those around him, as well as the viewer, a glimpse into the true self he hides behind his facade of carelessness. After a betrayal by a close friend, Dazai tells him that “I knew this from the beginning… anything I would never want to lose is always lost. It is a given that everything that is worth wanting will be lost the moment I obtain it.” (“A Room Where We Can Someday See the Ocean.” 18:37) It is a startlingly dark and hopeless portion of dialogue from a character who is rarely serious, and as such it becomes that much more memorable.
The scene is accompanied by a mournful piano melody, and the amplified echoes of ice clinking in a glass. This parallels a scene from an earlier episode, prior to the betrayal, where the characters perform a toast in the same bar. The previous scene included the same ringing of ice clinking, except with the three glasses of three friends instead of just Dazai’s lone glass. It’s a subtle but profound representation of Dazai’s solitude and his hopeless acceptance of it. The break from typical character and parallels to an earlier scene spotlight this reveal of Dazai’s hidden feelings.
Conclusion
These five versions of No Longer Human use varying techniques to convey the theme of depression, more specifically the stages of denial and acceptance. How, then, do these differing depictions of depression affect the story’s impact on the reader?
It is perhaps unfair to compare Bungou Stray Dogs, which is not a direct adaptation of the novel, to the other, much more in-depth interpretations. However, even though Dazai’s story is not the main focus of the arc, the viewer is still able to see glimpses of Dazai’s darker self behind the front he presents to other characters and the viewer. Through the use of artistic contrast, changes in voice, characterization, and parallels, the relationship between denial and acceptance is clearly shown even in Dazai’s short scenes. While it may not have as heavy of an impact as the other adaptations that focus solely on the story, Dazai’s character still leaves an impressively strong impression on viewers.
Aoi Bungaku is arguably the kindest in the impact it leaves on the viewer. The musical contrast of the episodes’ theme is very fitting for Oba’s character, and is a perfect representation of the sorrow that tainted every aspect of Oba’s life, even happiness. In addition, by ending the series on a scene that is such a contrast to the rest of the anime, the viewer is left wondering if the ending is meant to be happy. Oba appears as though he has found an oasis, a place to rest, maybe even the closest thing to a home he’s ever had, in this strange drug-induced world. He’s made peace with his inner demon, and the viewer could believe that there is hope for him still. Choosing to leave the viewers in Oba’s drug-induced haze is perhaps the only way to end his story on a happier note.
Furuya and Ito’s adaptations are not so kind. Their graphic depictions of Oba’s life and downfall horrify and sadden the reader in equal measure. The endings are bleak and carry a sense of finality; there is nowhere for him to go. Oba can go neither up nor down, he simply exists while awaiting a physical death. The contrasts and atmosphere created through the visual medium help to highlight the pitiful nature of his life, from childhood to adulthood. Furuya and Ito force their readers to accept Oba’s fall into a hopeless, defeated existence in all its horrific detail, in contrast to how Aoi Bungaku gently offers its viewers the same defeat. The depictions of Oba as a defeated, lifeless shell of a human serve to further emphasize his downfall and the tragedy of his life.
Despite the lack of visual and auditory aspects, however, Dazai’s original novel remains the most impactful. The adaptations do not leave the same lingering feeling of uneasiness and grim hopelessness as the original does. The use of literary juxtaposition, repetition, and emphasis all contribute to the novel’s impact, but most of all, Dazai creates a pervasive mood of defeat that is unmatched by any of its adaptations. The visual and auditory additions, while emphasizing many of the themes of the novel, can also distract from the core messages. When only able to experience Oba’s emotions through his words, the reader is put face-to-face with every raw emotion that Oba experiences, and every emotion that Oba does not experience. One could argue that the feeling of bleakness is conveyed best with true bleakness—the lack of anything but words. When left with only words, there is no escape into colors or music or shading. There are only the echoes of a single sentence.
Everything passes.
yEE. starting off strong with an essay i wrote for my english class that was meant to be like <1,000 words long and i got carried away so i have an almost 3,000 word paper. but i adore this review so much; it's probably my favorite essay i've ever written in terms of topic, process, and result. this will probably be the most formally written thing i'm gonna ever post because as much as i liked writing it, i dunno if i wanna go through the process again.
Works Cited
“Bungou Stray Dog.” Bungou Stray Dogs, written by Yoji Enokido, directed by Takuya Igarashi, Bones, 2016.
Dazai, Osamu. No Longer Human. Translated by Donald Keene, New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1973.
Furuya, U. No Longer Human Vol. 1. Vertical, Inc., 2012
Furuya, U. No Longer Human Vol. 2. Vertical, Inc., 2012
Furuya, U. No Longer Human Vol. 3. Vertical, Inc., 2012
Ito, J. No Longer Human. Viz Media, 2019
“Monster.” Aoi Bungaku, written by Satoshi Suzuki, directed by Morio Asaka, Madhouse, 2009
“New World.” Aoi Bungaku, written by Satoshi Suzuki, directed by Morio Asaka, Madhouse, 2009
“Nowhere to Return.” Bungou Stray Dogs, written by Yoji Enokido, directed by Takuya Igarashi, Bones, 2016
“The Dark Age.” Bungou Stray Dogs, written by Yoji Enokido, directed by Takuya Igarashi, Bones, 2016
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