７７７ トリプルセブン
(777 Triple Seven)
by 伊坂 幸太郎 (Kotaro Isaka)
Author: 伊坂 幸太郎 (Kotaro Isaka)
Japanese Level: High-Intermediate (N2)
Genre: Action
Pages: 334
Bookwalker Japan: ７７７ トリプルセブン
Japanese Summary
殺し屋シリーズ最新作。世界で最も不運な殺し屋、ふたたび！！
あの世界で一番不運な殺し屋が、また騒動に巻き込まれる――。『マリアビートル』では新幹線から降りられなかったが、今度は東京の超高級ホテルから出られない……！？
伊坂幸太郎、２年ぶりの完全書き下ろし。殺し屋シリーズ最新作。
English Summary (translation by Japanese Talk Online)
The latest book in the assassin series. The world’s unluckiest assassin returns!
The world’s unluckiest assassin is dragged into another dispute. Ladybug safely departed the bullet train, but now he’s stuck in a fancy hotel in Tokyo?!
Why You Should Read ７７７ トリプルセブン
Simply put, 777 (Triple Seven) is a fun fast-paced action romp. If you’ve read 『マリアビートル』 or seen the movie spin-off Bullet Train then you’ll already have an idea what to expect.
777 is the 4th book in Kotaro Isaka’s assassin series after 『グラスホッパー』『マリアビートル』 and『AX アックス』.
After the second book『マリアビートル』(Ladybug) was adapted into the Hollywood movie Bullet Train (which ironically has almost no Japanese characters in it), author Kotaro Isaka decided to bring back the unlucky protagonist, (probably in the hopes it would get another movie adaptation.)
You don’t need to have read マリアビートル or the other two books in the series to enjoy 777, though.
777 itself follows Ladybug once more as he’s sent to a hotel as a messenger, but gets dragged into protecting a woman from a bunch of assassins. Just like the other books, the series of events are silly but entertaining. The fast-pacing of events keeps you locked on the story.
Why Japanese Learners Should Read ７７７ トリプルセブン
If you’re learning Japanese and want to give this novel a go, I highly recommended it for JLPT N2 level. The grammar isn’t complicated but there is a lot of advanced vocabulary and a little spattering of furigana for some N1 kanji.
Saying that, the writing itself if very light with short prose and lots of dialogue.
If you want to read this novel but don’t think your Japanese is good enough, there’s an English translation by Brian Bergstrom called Hotel Lucky Seven. (The other three novels in the series were translated by Sam Melissa.) You could read the English version then the Japanese.
If you’re not sure if you can read this novel or not, you can read a sample on Bookwalker here:
Summary
777 is a quick read. The writing is tight and the story is simple and short. I wasn’t a fan of a part of the ending, but the overall story was a lot of fun.
Whether you’ve read any of Kotaro Isaka’s other books or not, 777 is a fun short romp. It’s a great novel to read between more difficult books or as a way to get back into reading Japanese if you haven’t read anything in a while.
Similar Japanese Novels You Might Like
Strange House, Strange Mystery – 変な家 (Henna Ie)
Shoot the Enemy, Comrade – 同志少女よ、敵を撃て (Doushi Shojo Yo Teki wo Ute)
A Tongue Twisting Murder Mystery (アリス殺し)