A Murakami Minute: Manga Stories Volume 1 Introduction

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Our Hosts

Caleb James K.

Caleb James K. is the former Editor-in-Chief of the literary journal, Drunken Pen Writing, and the host of the DPW Podcast. He’s also a fiction writer, poet, and aspiring novelist.

Spencer Church

A former aspiring comic book artist, Spencer is the cohost of the DPW Podcast as well as a short story writer and avid reader.


We are back with A Murakami Minute! This time, we are covering Haruki Murakami’s Manga Stories Volume 1. In this first volume, Jc Deveney has adapted four of Murakami’s stories into a manga collection with art by PMGL Pierre-Marie Grille-Liou. 

The four stories in this collection are: 

Super-Frog Saves Tokyo: A few days after an earthquake, Katagiri discovers a giant frog in this home. The frog promises to save Tokyo from another earthquake, but Katagiri must help him. Is this real, or is Katagiri dreaming?

Where I’m Likely to Find It: A woman’s husband goes missing so she hires a detective. As the detective traces the man’s whereabouts, he reflects on the meaning of his own life. 

Birthday Girl: A woman tells her friend the story of a surreal encounter she has on her twentieth birthday with the owner of the restaurant where she works, who grants her a wish.

The Seventh Man: The story of a man scarred by the death of his childhood friend in a tsunami.

#212: Overrated American Novels Drunken Pen Writing Podcast

We begin today's episode talking about a giant snowstorm and Russian literature. After that, we revisit an old topic with a twist. We discuss American novels that are overrated.  You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast You can check out Caleb's work at http://www.calebjamesk.com. 
  1. #212: Overrated American Novels
  2. #211: Words You Should Cut From Your Work
  3. DBS #132: Why You Should Level Up Your Reading
  4. BOTM #22: The Sugar Man
  5. #210: Our 2025 Writing Year In Review

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