No Longer Human (人間失格, Ningen Shikkaku, Nhân Gian Thất Cách) is a 1948 Japanese novel by Osamu Dazai. It is considered Dazai's masterpiece and ranks as the second-best selling novel ever in Japan. The novel, narrated in first person, contains several elements which portray an autobiographical basis. The novel presents recurring themes in the author's life, including suicide, social alienation, and depression. Many believe the book to have been his will, as Dazai took his own life shortly after the last part of the book (which had appeared in serial form) was published.
This illustrated version of the book is my graduate project. The artworks is done using watercolor and retouches with photoshop.
The book cover is based on the concept of a Japanese mystery box (秘密箱). Because the thing I appreciated the most out of this book is honesty and how the author, for the last time, willingly opened his beautifully decorated box to show us all the things that have been hiding inside since the start of his life.
The First Chapter
The Second Chapter
Part I
The Second Chapter
Part II
The Third Chapter
Painting process
Final project
Full project in interactive flipbook form:
Flip & zoom to see the details
This is an unpublished project.
If you interested in publishing the book with these illustrations, please contact me at
h4lc70n@gmail.com
Thank you for the support throughout the project.
