Aoi Bungaku Series
Blue Literature

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai (episodes 1-4) follows the journey of a guy who has strong sentiments of estrangement from society and from "humanity." Ango Sakaguchi's Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita (episode 5-6) tells the story of a woodland robber who marries a beautiful girl he meets in the woods, but she is more than she first appears to be. [2] Natsume Sseki's Kokoro (episodes 7-8): In Tokyo, a young guy rents space from a widow and her daughter. In an effort to lift him out of his sadness, he extends an invitation to his boyhood friend to move in with him. They become estranged from one another as his friend develops feelings for the widow's daughter. Twice, the story is told from various points of view. Run, Melos! by Osamu Dazai (episodes 9–10): A dramatist addresses his own feelings of betrayal toward his boyhood friend in a play based on the story "Run, Melos." In episode 11 of Rynosuke Akutagawa's The Spider's Thread, Kandata, a vicious and nasty robber, is put to death and sent to hell. He had not killed a spider he encountered in the city, which was the only good thing he had ever done. He receives a thread from the spider to ascend towards heaven. However, his joy is short-lived when he notices that others have begun ascending the thread behind him. Hell Screen, by Rynosuke Akutagawa (episode 12): Yoshihide, the best painter in the nation, is asked to create a portrait of the king's realm for the mausoleum, which will be shown there. Yoshihide is only able to observe the plight of the common people in the realm of the tyrant king. He makes the decision to make his last piece a tribute to the nation as it is in reality.