Fourteen years old

Author: [Japan] Ishida Iryo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Japan's annual bestselling youth novel, winner of the 129th Naoki Prize, confronts social issues in Japan such as dating for money, online love, homosexuality, and domestic violence, authentically portrays friendship and trust that transcend time. Ishida Iryo, the most popular youth novel writer in Japan today. A diary of youth in Japanese schools, a Naoki Prize-winning work that depicts the adventures of today's middle school students, showcasing their joys and pains of growing up! This is a rare novel that genuinely portrays the friendship of young boys. The book revolves around fourteen-year-old boys who, despite their flaws, are truly good boys. They possess passionate friendships.
The Asahi Shimbun review titled "The Shining Fourteen-Year-Olds of the Ameya Yokocho Playground Boys" by Ishida Iryo—The boys in Ishida Iryo's book mix tears as they desperately convey their gentle hearts to the readers. As long as we can continue to read Ishida Iryo's works, I think, the world might not be as bad as it is now.
The Modern Weekly review: "Paid dating, truancy, homosexuality, domestic violence—though the book selects material from our time, it depicts an unchanging friendship and trust that transcends it. The soul of fourteen-year-olds tells us about the shining hope and the journey of their experiences. Therefore, I want to dedicate this book to fourteen-year-old children. Even adult readers will be reminded of the 'feeling of classmates.'"
The Nikkei Business Review review: "The widespread use of smartphones and computers has allowed today's middle school students to access vast amounts of information. But even living in such an environment, they are no different from the past and still struggle with the same problems." Indeed, in this book, the boys worry, confusion, anxiety, and hurt over their favorite girls or family matters. Love, family, and interpersonal relationships—whether now or in the past—are inevitable sources of teenage troubles.
The Nikkei Entertainment Review: "After reading it, I was reminded of the pure friendship of my youth, and my eyes filled with tears. I wanted to see my old friends and return to the past. It deserves the Naoki Prize."
Online comments: The book is full of emotions and worries of fourteen-year-olds, and reading it is a happy experience. It's a book that anyone can read, but perfect for middle school students.
Online comments: Four boys living in Ameya Yokocho, each with different backgrounds and personalities, share pure friendships. They read adult magazines together, give a boy with a terminal illness a paid dating girl as a birthday gift, and embark on adventures in the mysterious adult world. At fourteen, they experience the allure of teenage sexuality and the friendship forged under the threat of death.