Contos Japoneses [Japanese Short Stories]

I’ll admit, I approached *Contos Japoneses* expecting gentle fables—maybe something akin to *The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter* but with more samurai. Instead, Ozaki’s collection slapped me awake with its unvarnished depictions of seppuku and supernatural vengeance. The standout? *The Story of the Faithful Samurai*, where Toth’s narration turns the protagonist’s final moments into something almost unbearably intimate. His voice cracks just slightly as the blade descends, a choice that makes the ritual feel visceral, not ceremonial. That’s the kind of detail that elevates this from a mere reading to a performance. But it’s not all flawless. The production occasionally stumbles with inconsistent audio levels—some whispers (like the *yūrei* in *The Ghost of Oyuki*) get lost if you’re not wearing headphones. And while Toth’s Japanese pronunciation is commendable, a few names (*Momotarō*, notably) sound anglicized enough to pull me out of the moment. Still, these are quibbles. The real triumph is how the collection balances epic and intimate: one minute you’re swept up in the grand betrayal of *The Battle of Dan-no-ura*, the next you’re holding your breath as a farmer bargains with a *tengu* in the dead of night. For fans of *Kwaidan* or *The Heike Story*, this is a must—but be warned, it lingers like a curse.