Book Review: Reading 'Dogs and Unlucky Years' — The Magic of 'Laughter'

The Magic of Laughter

This may come as a surprise, but I am actually

a fan of Mana Sakura. (Ti-ti-ti♪)

Mana Sakura. Her nickname is Manaty.
Some of you may know her, but for those who don't, to put it simply,
she is a super high-spec individual who is super cute, has a great figure, works in the adult industry, and is even a writer.

It makes you want to ask God, 'How much are you going to give to just one person? Come here for a second,' but Manaty, a.k.a. Mana Sakura, recently published a new essay book.
Here it is!

What a cute cover.
If I saw it lined up in a bookstore, I'd probably reach out and buy three copies.
Well, I just clicked 'buy' on Amazon while watching Prime Video at home.

This essay book is filled with her own words about her work in the adult industry and as a writer, as well as her private life, including time spent with her family and her dog. The writing is beautiful, intelligent, and humorous. Dogs, huh? I'd like to have a pet too. If it were a dog or a cat, I think I'd prefer a dog.

That's what I thought as I read through it.

As a side note, Manaty has recently been putting a lot of effort into her YouTube vlog videos. Apparently, she even does the editing herself. Seriously, where does that versatility come from... Plus, the editing is incredibly meticulous, the videos are interesting, and I highly recommend them!

As you can see if you watch her videos, she is the type who laughs quite heartily. The kind who laughs with a good, solid sound from the belly, a 'gahaha' laugh.

And, actually, I'm a 'gahaha' type too.
She mentioned in the book that she used to have a more reserved way of laughing, which means there was a turning point that changed how she laughs. The catalyst was the presence of 'Mayu-nee,' her manager who has supported her since her debut.

Mayu-nee, who would laugh heartily while clapping her hands, saying 'Duh-hah-hah-hah-hah' to liven up the party while still being attentive to everyone around her at dinner, and who would laugh 'Hya-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah' even when someone made a crude joke in the heat of the moment. Impressed by how she could blow away vulgar topics with laughter, Manaty started imitating Mayu-nee's way of laughing.

I have also changed my way of laughing after being influenced by certain people.
So, I could really empathize with this story.
I didn't really like my own way of laughing to begin with.
I admired the rhythm and the bright atmosphere that people who laugh loudly or with a cheerful, bubbly sound bring to a conversation.
It goes without saying, but moments where you can laugh from the heart don't come along that often throughout the day.

Because it's not that easy for truly funny things to happen.

On the other hand, things that aren't very funny happen all the time,
and there are days when I want to mutter to the sky, 'Give me a break...'

On days like that, I often find I haven't been able to laugh.

'Ah, I haven't laughed at all today.'

Looking back like that only makes my heart sink further.

The catalyst for changing how I laugh was a transfer at work.
(If you'd like to know the details of the transfer, please check out this article.)

The class I was assigned to had two teachers: a leader and a sub-leader.
Both had powerful mindsets, and even when things got a bit tough, they would say, 'Well, it'll be fine,' and manage to pull it off.
As I spent time with them, I naturally began to want to spend my days laughing just like they did, and to want to overcome difficulties by saying it would all work out and laughing heartily.
Perhaps because I was constantly hearing their boisterous laughter in stereo every day, I gradually began to feel a change in my own way of laughing.

I've come to realize that just by changing how you laugh, your mindset and the reactions of those around you can change so much, and I am now gratefully receiving the benefits of being a 'boisterous-laughing' positive person.

They were two very delightful people who were always bright, serious about their work, yet also a bit clumsy, managing to get through things while laughing boisterously and saying, 'Oh no, oh no!'
Since we were still in the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the children and childcare workers sat at separate tables during lunch, so the teachers would watch over the children's meals while happily laughing as they shared stories about their favorite Johnny's idols, complaints about their husbands, and stories about their own children.
I'm sure they are still brilliantly blowing away all sorts of things with spirit and laughter.

It's not just that they laugh because they have a low threshold for humor.
They have decided to live their lives laughing and lightheartedly.

I had never thought before that it takes resolve to laugh, but,
well, I didn't start with any grand sense of resolve either, but,
even so, now, knowing that I have this boisterous laughter for when the going gets tough makes me feel a little more at ease; it has come to play the role of a mental stabilizer.

When I think that my favorite author experienced something similar in a different place and through encounters with different people, I find myself wanting to share this joy with someone else.
I would be happy if I could share this happiness with you, the reader of this article.