Japanese Literary Awards

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Dai Yokozeki

よこぜき だい

Yokozeki Dai

Profile

Gender
Male
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
2002-

Awards

Edogawa Rampo Prize (56th)
2010
Work: Saikai (award title: Saikai no Time Capsule)
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Saikai (Reunion)

2010 Mystery 342 pages

Four childhood friends who buried a time capsule before graduating elementary school face the resurfacing of a long-buried secret decades later. The discovery triggers a murder investigation and forces each character to confront guilt, hidden pasts and interpersonal tensions as the truth about the missing gun and the crime emerges.

secrets from the pastguilt and atonementreunion and relationshipsmemory and time
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Saikai (2012)

Bibliography

  • Saikai (Reunion)

Adaptations

  • Television drama adaptation (2012, Fuji TV "Saturday Premium" special)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Contemporary mystery with an emphasis on psychological depictionConcise, stripped-down prose (reflected in the change to a two-kanji title)
Recurring Motifs
passage of timesealed memoriesentangled personal relationships

Legacy

With his debut Saikai, he won the 56th Edogawa Rampo Prize and gained attention after publication and a television adaptation. The selection and subsequent title change drew commentary, establishing him as a notable newcomer in contemporary mystery fiction.

In Popular Culture

  • Adapted into a Fuji TV television drama broadcast in 2012

Quotes

  • "Because there is no extraneous information, it does not limit readers and stimulates the imagination."
    Source: Selection committee / author comments (regarding the title change at publication) (2010)

Trivia

  • The work's original award submission title was "Saikai no Time Capsule"; it was retitled "Saikai" for the paperback edition.
  • He reportedly submitted for the Edogawa Rampo Prize for eight consecutive years starting in 2002 before winning.
  • Adapted into a TV drama by Fuji TV in 2012 (Saturday Premium time slot).