This could have been a good story. There are samurai who secretly hunt demons! Kaiju as big as mountains! An epic quest to save Japan!

But it ultimately falls flat because the narrator, and the story, are completely without emotion. Even when people are dying. Even when he's fighting monsters. Even when he falls and breaks his leg, seemingly ending his quest - he doesn't feel sadness or pain or even resignation. Even when a child assists in his father's ritual suicide! So he says that he has to kill the kaiju to save the people in its path, but it's hard to care as a reader because it seems like the narrator doesn't care either.

Also... there's only so many times in one short story you can say "I did [badass thing]... because I'm a Samurai and Samurai can do that." The narrator is completely one-dimensional. Much like he has no feelings, he has no apparent flaws. And as much as that might sound like an awesome character... it makes for an extremely boring narrative. ( )

2015-05-19/100%: I was intrigued at the beginning, then disappointed at the end. At least it didn't have the awkward language of the puppy nominations. Fucking puptards. There were a bunch of good short works last year and this year they all suck. ( )