Shin’ichi Hoshi was a master of the short form – and short here means extremely short. His tiny stories – often just a page or two long – have had many devoted readers among several generations. Hoshi started a boom in so-called short-shorts (shooto-shooto), as the Japanese call his texts.
Kimagure Robotto (Whimsical Robot) is one of the collections which present the author’s works. The charming anecdotes oscillate play with both humour and science-fiction themes, and their punchlines are always surprising and clever. It is an extremely enjoyable read. The short form and light style will work well for intermediate-level Japanese students.
