Japanese Literary Awards

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Shinji Kimoto

きもと しんじ

Kimoto Shinji

Profile

Gender
Male
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist

Awards

Komatsu Sakyo Prize
Work: Kamisama no Puzzle
Organization: Komatsu Sakyo Prize Committee
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kamisama no Puzzle

2002 Science fiction 307 pages

A university-student protagonist, having failed credits, is asked to bring a genius but reclusive girl, Saraka Homizu, to his seminar. Posed with the question "Can humans create the universe?", the story follows their efforts to explore and demonstrate that possibility. The novel mixes hard-SF ideas about cosmology and mathematics with campus-life and coming-of-age elements.

CosmologyMathematicsCampus lifeCreation and ethics
Adaptations
  • [Film] Kamisama no Puzzle (film) / 三池崇史 (2008)
  • [Manga] Kamisama no Puzzle (manga) (2007)
  • [Game] Kamisama no Puzzle (game) (2008)

Bibliography

  • Kamisama no Puzzle
  • Kamisama no Paradox
  • Homizu Saraka's Extracurricular Activities (series, 5 works)

Adaptations

  • Adapted into a film (2008), manga (2007–2010) and a game (2008)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Expository, logic-driven prose reflecting scientific thinkingBlend of hard-SF with coming-of-age ensemble depiction
Recurring Motifs
Mathematical proofsCreation of the universeGenius and societySeminar and university relationships

Legacy

Kamisama no Puzzle, an SF work centered on mathematics and cosmology, reached a broad audience through manga, film and game adaptations. During the 2008 media adaptations the novel's hardcover sales ranked as the year's 3rd best-seller, indicating notable commercial attention. Its impact is stronger in popular culture than in strictly academic circles.

In Popular Culture

  • Broadened public recognition through a 2008 film adaptation and a manga adaptation
  • Hardcover sales reached the year's #3 bestseller during the media rollout

Quotes

  • Can humans create the universe?
    Source: Kamisama no Puzzle (novel) (2002)

Trivia

  • Cover illustrations for both hardcover and paperback editions were created by D.K.
  • Kamisama no Puzzle is listed as the winner of the 3rd Komatsu Sakyo Prize.
  • The film adaptation was directed by Takashi Miike and released in 2008.