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Now that I thought about it, though, I realized that most people actually encourage you to turn bad. They seem to think that if you don't, you'll never get anywhere in the world. And then on those rare occasions when they encounter somebody who's honest and pure-hearted, they look down on him and say he's nothing but a kid, a Botchan. If that's the way it is, it would be better if they didn't have those ethics classes in elementary school and middle school where the teacher is always telling you to be honest and not lie. The schools might as well just go ahead and teach you how to tell lies, how to mistrust everybody, and how to take advantage of people. Wouldn't their students, and the world at large, be better off that way?

This is a wonderful, though often very frustrating read. It’s not frustrating because it is difficult, far from it (the translation is quite the page turner) but because I found myself nodding at the above quote. I did somewhat look down upon our unnamed narrator (known only as Botchan)�� and I admire the character in equal parts. The book is a morality story that shows the reader (or at least this reader) their own unpleasant side.

I found his character childish. I sat there the entire time feeling that, had I known him in real life, I would find him insufferable and wouldn't be able to stand to be around him. He's loud, brash and seems to think he's always in the morally right... and with a few exceptions brought on by misunderstandings, he is in the the right. That said, he is often right in a way that goes against society and the way one is supposed to act. At times I would root for him and others cringe and feel that awkward embarrassment that sitcoms seem to thrive on. That moment when the character does something baffling, everyone recognizes it, and you just laugh awkwardly.

Though it is frustrating, Natsume Sōseki has also caught so much truth in these actions that I can't help but be impressed. He understands human nature, good and bad, putting them on display from all characters. It is unsurprising that the novel is a classic in Japan (often cited as one of the author's most popular books and frequently found in school curriculum). It is a classic that has lost none of its charm since it was published over 100 years ago.

Now I do want to say a bit about the translation. Overall, it is wonderful, very readable and accessible to modern English reading audiences. That said, I question a few bits. First off, the principal's nickname is translated as "Badger" rather than "Tanuki." The translator states in his introduction that this was to be more accessible to English readers who may not know what a tanuki is... but in changing this he defeats part of the point of said nickname. A tanuki in Japanese myths is often a master of disguise or shapeshifting creature, this ties in with the principal's golden tongue, able to mislead or at least argue around the topic, distracting and laying blame where it should not be while keeping the school's reputation. I find badger does not bring to mind any of these connotations, and indeed makes me think of a different sort of personality. This wouldn't be that bothersome if the translator was going entirely for an English speaking audience and hoping they wouldn't need to look anything up, yet he leaves the often used phrase "na moshi" untranslated. I had knowledge of a tanuki, but had no clue what that meant and had to look it up online. This is what I found:

"Na moshi (〜なもし) is the Matsuyama dialect's equivalent of de gozaimasu-ne (〜でございますね), a phrase that doesn't quite translate into English. Think of it as a formal way to say desu-ne (〜ですね), for which there is no good English equivalent. "Isn't it?" comes close."

So yes, this could remain untranslated, and used frequently, but the nicknames could be changed rather unsuitably for the ease of English speaking audiences. I personally find that quite baffling.

In closing: despite some questionable aspects to the translation, and a few truly cringe worthy moments from our protagonist, I found this a delightful read. There are some genuinely comedic moments, that capture our human interactions with each other quite well, both the good and the bad. It shows us people are the same everywhere, suffering from many of the same flaws. It's an entertaining read and well worthy of its classic status.