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{{Short description|1976 novel by Ryū Murakami}}
{{Too many sections|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox book  | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
| name           = Almost Transparent Blue
| title_orig     = 限りなく透明に近いブルー
| orig_lang_code = ja
| translator     = [[Nancy Andrew]]
| image          = AlmostTransparentBlue1stEngTradePaperback.jpg
| caption  = Front cover of the 1st ed. English trade paperback (1981)
| author         = [[Ryū Murakami]]
| cover_artist   = 
| country        = [[Japan]]
| language       = [[Japanese language|Japanese]]
| genre          = [[Postmodern literature|Postmodern novel]]
| publisher      = [[Kodansha|Kodansha International (JPN)]]
| release_date   = 1976 (1st edition)
| media_type     = Print ([[Hardcover]])
| pages          = 126 (English 1st ed. hardcover 1977)
| isbn =  0-87011-305-4 |ISBN_note=(English 1st ed. hardcover 1977)
| dewey= 895.6/35 19
| congress= PL856.U696 K313 1977
| oclc= 3753849
}}
{{nihongo|'''''Almost Transparent Blue'''''|限りなく透明に近いブルー|Kagirinaku Tōmei ni Chikai Burū|"Almost Infinitely Transparent Blue"}} is a 1976 novel, written by [[Japan]]ese author [[Ryū Murakami]], that features a portrait of narrator Ryū and his friends trapped in a cycle of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll during the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mainichi.jp/premier/business/articles/20151209/biz/00m/010/023000c|publisher=Mainichi Shinbun|title=村上龍「限りなく透明に近いブルー」の刹那と叙情 | accessdate= January 2, 2020}}</ref>

==Plot==
Narrated by the main character Ryū, the novel focuses on his small group of young friends in the mid-1970s. Living in a Japanese town with an [[United States|American]] [[Yokota Air Base|air force base]], their lives revolve around [[Human sexual activity|sex]], [[Recreational drug use|drugs]] and [[Rock and roll|rock 'n roll]].

The near-plotless story weaves a vividly raw, image-intensive journey through the daily monotony of drug-induced [[hallucination]]s, vicious acts of [[violence]], [[Drug overdose|overdoses]], [[suicide]], and [[group sex]].

== Characters ==
* Ryū &ndash; Narrator. 19-year-old [[bisexual]] substance abuser.
* Lilly &ndash; Ryū's [[prostitute]] friend and casual sex partner.
* Reiko &ndash; [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]]n friend of Ryū and girlfriend of Okinawa.
* Okinawa &ndash; drug-addicted Okinawan friend of Ryū and boyfriend of Reiko.
* Yoshiyama &ndash; Unemployed [[Substance dependence|junkie]] friend of Ryū and abusive boyfriend of Kei.
* Kei &ndash; Friend of Ryū and girlfriend of Yoshiyama.
* Kazuo &ndash; Male friend of Ryū.
* Moko &ndash; Substance abuser friend of Ryū.
* Jackson &ndash; [[African American]] Airman at the local AFB, he arranges for group sex escapades between his base comrades and Ryū's group.

==Reception and legacy==
Murakami submitted the novel to the literary magazine ''[[Gunzo (magazine)|Gunzo]]''{{'s}} debutant contest, in which it won the first prize. It also won the prestigious [[Akutagawa Prize]] the same year. The title of rock band [[Luna Sea]]'s song {{Nihongo|"Blue Transparency -Almost Transparent Blue-"|BLUE TRANSPARENCY 限りなく 透明に 近い ブルー}}, off their 1991 [[Luna Sea (album)|self-titled debut album]], is a reference to the novel.

==Film adaptation==
26-year-old Murakami made his directorial debut with a film adaptation of his novel ''Almost Transparent Blue'', which he also scripted. It was released in Japan on March 3, 1979, and was distributed by [[Toho]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%99%90%E3%82%8A%E3%81%AA%E3%81%8F%E9%80%8F%E6%98%8E%E3%81%AB%E8%BF%91%E3%81%84%E3%83%96%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BC-685674|publisher=kotobank|title=限りなく透明に近いブルーとは | accessdate= January 2, 2020}}</ref> Hidenori Taga and Kei Ijisato under [[Kitty Records]] produced the film, starring [[Kunihiko Mitamura]] (Ryu), [[Mari Nakayama]] (Lilly), [[Haruhiko Saitô]] (Yoshiyama), [[Keiko Wakasa]] (Kei), [[Narumi Tokura]] (Reiko), [[Yuri Takase]] (Moko), [[Goro Masaki]] (Kazuo), [[Togo Igawa]] (Okinawa) and [[Akiko Nakamura]] (Mari).<ref>[https://archive.today/20130130112255/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/83536/Kagirinaku-Tomei-Ni-Chikai-Buruu/credits] New York Times: Almost Transparent Blue</ref>

==English-language editions==
* Ryū Murakami, ''Almost Transparent Blue'' (''Kagirinaku tōmei ni chikai burū''), translated by [[Nancy Andrew]], 1st hardback ed., Tokyo ; New York : Kodansha International : Distributed by Kodansha International/USA through Harper & Row, 1977, 126 pages. Tokyo ; New York : Kodansha International : Distributed by Kodansha International/USA through Harper & Row, 1977, 126 p. {{ISBN|0-87011-305-4}}
* Ryū Murakami, ''Almost Transparent Blue'', translated by Nancy Andrew, 1st paperback ed., Tokyo; New York : Kodansha International, 1981 (reissue, 1992), 126 p. {{ISBN|0-87011-469-7}}
* Ryū Murakami, ''Almost Transparent Blue'', translated by Nancy Andrew, 1st trade paperback ed., New York : Kodansha America, 2003, 128 p. {{ISBN|4-7700-2904-7}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/almost-transparent-blue-ryu-murakami/ Extensive review] by author [[Tao Lin]] at [[Thought Catalog]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20010220151038/http://j-pop.com/feature/archive/02_j_fiction/ryu.html Short J-pop.com review]

{{Ryū Murakami}}

[[Category:1976 Japanese novels]]
[[Category:Japanese-language novels]]
[[Category:Postmodern novels]]
[[Category:Existentialist novels]]
[[Category:Novels by Ryū Murakami]]
[[Category:Novels set in Japan]]
[[Category:Japanese novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Akutagawa Prize–winning works]]