Comedic Mechanism: Parade of the Jane Does
Comedic Mechanism: Parade of the Jane Does
Umisawa Kaimen, tr. ZephyrRz (Kafka Fuura)
Download the e-book (PDF:JIS-B6) [here] for free!
(The link will remain the same for revisions post-publication.)
Hashtag: #janedoes
Blurb
Why does print media still exist, so many years into our modern scientific age?
As the scientific age drifts into a period of inevitable stagnation, a cult-like organization known as the “Fantasy Release Movement” begins to solicit new followers, a mysterious weather phenomenon known as the “Devil’s Mirror” rains down upon the denizens of Kyoto, and a terrorist named “ICQ” disrupts the peace with a series of seemingly random, victimless bombings.
Amidst all this, having recently been discharged from a sanatorium after the incident at the Torifune Satellite, Maribel Hearn begins to see things that blur the lines between dreams and reality, encountering a being that calls herself a witch, and Merry…a ghost.
In four acts, from the perspective of Maribel Hearn, Usami Renko, and each’s nameless partners, we meet three witches (and perhaps another), each attempting to bring about an incident they believe will “cultivate the void”, reshape the world, and end their curse.
Steeped in French Surrealism and drawing inspiration from several sources, including Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen”; Erik Satie, Jean Cocteau, and Pablo Picasso’s “Parade”; and Max Ernst’s “A Young Girl Dreams of Taking the Veil”, Comedic Mechanism challenges our conceptions of art and the story, the act of creation, and the ritualistic ways we dance upon the stages of society.
Content Warnings
non-consensual sex (by an established partner)
some grotesque depictions (far less intense than The Gymnopédies Never End)
Theme Song
Title:
セルフ・トーキング 或いは 魔女というガラクタによる魂の在り処への言及のバラードTranslation: [link]
In Lieu of an Afterword
This is the first book by Umisawa Kaimen / Vita Sexualice I ever read, and it will forever be one of my favorites.
I hope you enjoy the story!
kafka-fuura 
Thank you very much for this… I own the original novel (in pdf form) so it will be fun to compare that and this translation
Thank you for translating! Are you planning to also translate The Portrait of Legion?
It is possible (dare I say, probable) that I may one day, but not in the near future.
It is a strange masterwork that deserves a good translation, even if the extreme nature of its contents means its audience will always be small.