The notion of the “Lost” in this film are malformed humans who quite literally drop off the grid. The title of the original book more accurately translates as “Disqualified from Being Human,” and this is the thread that director Fuminori Kizaki and writer Tow Ubukata take to its extreme in a cyberpunk reimagining. It’s interesting seeing Dazai’s novel filtered through the lens of sci-fi, especially given it has already been filmed in live action, as an anime series, several manga series and was a major influence on the anime Bungou Stray Dogs. While this is usually reserved for the rich, when depressed artist Yozo Oba (Mamoru Miyano) joins his drag racing friend and penetrates the elite’s inner sanctum, he discovers he has been imbued with terrific powers. system: Sound Health and Everlasting Long Life. Set in 2036 (Showa Year 111), human life has been extended using nanotechnology and the S.H.E.L.L.

HUMAN LOST (人間失格) seems completely removed from that world, but it is actually one of the more curious adaptations of the 1958 work to date. Yet as the second best-selling novel in Japan (after Kokoro), what resonates most with people is its personal narrative of a creator clearly dealing with various forms of depression and alcoholism. Osamu Dazai’s novel Ningen Shikkaku, commonly translated as No Longer Human, has largely been interpreted as being about the impact of Western influences on Japanese traditions. One of Japan’s most read novels takes a completely different approach in both setting and tone, yet still speaks to the very human condition of feeling like an outsider.

No longer human yoshiko