The Sound of Waves

A Japanese love story written by Yukio Mishima and published in 1954, The Sound of Waves tells of a romance between the somewhat dull yet hardworking Shinji and the beautiful Hatsue.

Needs a Better Description.


 * Attempted Rape: Yasuo tries to do this to Hatsue--going so far as to pin her down--but is promptly cut off by a pesky hornet.
 * Anticlimax: One of the biggest complaints with the story is that all the problems get Handwaved away if not outright ignored completely at the ending of the book.
 * Book Dumb: Shinji.
 * Coming of Age Story
 * Disappeared Dad: Shinji's father died during a bombing attack in World War II.
 * Hollywood Homely: Chiyoko.
 * Jerkass: Yasuo.
 * Love At First Sight: Shinji to Hatsue, and vice-versa.
 * Love Triangle: Two of them. Shinji has a crush on Hatsue, and as does Yasuo. Fair enough. Chiyoko happens to like Shinji, but unfortunately for her, he barely knows she exists, and her low self-esteem makes the situation especially problematic for her.
 * When Chiyoko realizes this, she uses Yasuo to spread a rumor claiming that Shinji and Hatsue had slept together. She does regret it later on.
 * Thanks for the Mammary
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: Considering that the book can be described as Mishima's love song to traditional Japanese culture, it's unsurprising that Hatsue fits this trope perfectly.