{"product_id":"ocean-waves-a-novel-paperback","title":"Ocean Waves: A Novel (Paperback)","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe classic coming-of-age drama that inspired the Studio\nGhibli film, about a young man and his wayward first love who unexpectedly\nreunite, finally available in English.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c!--[endif]--\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eAfter leaving his coastal hometown of Kochi for college in\nTokyo, Taku Morisaki makes a surprising discovery. Rikako Muto—who had been a\ntransfer student at his senior high school and from whom he had grown distant\nafter a certain incident—has rejected an offer from a local university and\nflown back to Tokyo. Despite his efforts to look towards the future, Taku can't\nhelp but feel nostalgic. He is flooded by high school memories of the beautiful\nand complicated girl who flustered and fascinated him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eWhen Rikako arrives at school, she quickly becomes the\ncenter of everyone's universe. Academically and athletically gifted, she's also\narrogant, antisocial, and erratic. But no one can deny her magnetism; she's an\n\"it girl\" whether she wants to be or not. Taku begins to fall for\nher, as does Yutaka, his mature and cool-tempered best friend. Not wanting to\nthreaten their friendship, Taku tries to suppress his feelings. But once he\nenters Rikako's unpredictable (and irresistible) orbit, he can't escape. From an\nunforgettable school trip to Hawaii to a surprise visit to Tokyo in search of\nRikako's father, the two grow increasingly close—until a misunderstanding tears\nthem apart. As time passes, the little older and wiser Taku and Rikako cross\npaths again by chance, leaving Taku to wonder if their fleeting connection may\nbe fated for more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eBreezy yet bittersweet, delicate yet dazzling, \u003ci\u003eOcean\nWaves\u003c\/i\u003e beautifully explores the bumpy road between adolescence and\nadulthood, first love and heartbreak. The inspiration behind the Studio Ghibli\nfilm, Saeko Himuro's classic novel is available in English in this\npitch-perfect translation by Yui Kajita, and features gorgeous watercolor\nillustrations by Katsuya Kondo, the iconic Ghibli character designer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eTranslated from the Japanese by Yui Kajita\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eBorn in 1957 in Hokkaido, Japan, \u003cb\u003eSaeko Himuro\u003c\/b\u003e was a\nprolific novelist and essayist. She made her literary debut in 1977 when she\nreceived an honorable mention in the 10th Shosetsu Junior YA Novels New Talent\nAward for \u003ci\u003eSayonara arurukan \u003c\/i\u003e(\u003ci\u003eGoodbye, Harlequin\u003c\/i\u003e). Her works of\nfiction include\u003ci\u003e Kurara hakusho\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eThe Clara Chronicles\u003c\/i\u003e), \u003ci\u003eZa\nchenji!\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eThe Change!\u003c\/i\u003e), the series \u003ci\u003eNante suteki ni japanesuku\u003c\/i\u003e\n(\u003ci\u003eHow Wonderfully Japanesque\u003c\/i\u003e), and \u003ci\u003eUmi ga kikoeru\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eOcean Waves\u003c\/i\u003e),\nwhich was adapted into an animated feature film by Studio Ghibli in 1993. Known\nfor presenting a fresh worldview in the genre of coming-of-age novels with\nfemale protagonists, Himuro garnered much popularity as a leading novelist of\nher time. She died in 2008.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eYui Kajita \u003c\/span\u003eis a literary \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003etranslator and illustrator\u003c\/span\u003e, originally from the\ncountryside of Japan. Her translations include \u003ci\u003eRun with the Wind\u003c\/i\u003e by\nShion Miura, \u003ci\u003eThe Samurai Detectives\u003c\/i\u003e by Shotaro Ikenami, \u003ci\u003eThe Friday\nBookshop\u003c\/i\u003e by Sawako Natori,\u003ci\u003e Diary of a Ca\u003c\/i\u003et by Mayumi Nagano, and \u003ci\u003eOcean\nWaves\u003c\/i\u003e by Saeko Himuro. She has a PhD in English Literature from the\nUniversity of Cambridge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"TIMES DISTRIBUTION PTE LTD","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46479508603087,"sku":"9780063474994","price":29.98,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0574\/5662\/3823\/files\/download_c7a736e8-c0da-4b4e-b47b-e6808e5ba6b3.jpg?v=1794364930","url":"https:\/\/popular.baby\/products\/ocean-waves-a-novel-paperback","provider":"Popular Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}