I just finished this book and it's definitely something

>>7976591
It's fantastic. Kashiwagi is the best part of the novel imo. The ending was very cathartic.

From what I've read so far I would say The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea > Spring Snow > The Temple > Runaway Horses, though I think they're all fantastic.

>>7976591
Great book but Runaway Horses is still my favorite.

>>7976707
>Spring Snow
That's the first in a series. Have you read the entire series?

>>7976866
Only the first two, now I'm taking a break from Jap lit to read Ulysses (meme, I know).

Honestly wanted to see someone choke the angsty protagonist more times than I can remember. Equally unlikeable characters in sailor who fell. I mean all of his characters in his books exhibit some sense of douchiness but I remember golden pavilion being particularly bad. Especially since it tries to romanticize or try to be pretentiously artful about the true story it's based on.

>>7976909
You don't read Mishima for the ethically questionable young male protagonists?

Romanticizing the monstrous nature of passionate young men is what MIshima is all about.

Personally, I love that aspect of his work.

>>7976941
I think mishima was an immensely talented writer who is at total odds with me philosophically. And I've read most everything available in english.

Mishima reminds me of the Kafka story, "the penal colony." Where the guy believes in the torture machine so much that he would rather put himself on it than quit using it altogether. Where the passion of his idealism squashes any sense of reality. It's ridiculous. I admittedly an kind of fascinated by it.