What's unique about GAIJIN?

Plus another fun interview.

Hey!

We’re starting week 2 of the GAIJIN Kickstarter campaign. I a really fun interview with the Take A Knee Podcast that’s available on both audio and video. Take a look!

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Let’s talk about what makes GAIJIN unique.

What's different about this book?

GAIJIN is a very unique crime thriller. While "Stranger in a Strange Land" is a tried and true fiction troupe, Gaijin's use of the world of professional wrestling, specifically Japanese Pro Wrestling, helps set the story not just in an ethnically foreign culture but in a completely different subculture— the world of kayfabe.

Kayfabe is an old carny term that defines the fictional world of pro wrestling. The wrestlers themselves still use it to "keep things quiet." 

At its heart, Professional Wrestling is a con—just an elaborate scheme to convince the audience that what they're watching between the ropes is a legitimate contest. Ensuring only business people know how things work is called "keeping kayfabe."

Just because the veil of kayfabe lifted for crowds decades ago and the fanbase who watches no longer believes, that doesn't mean there aren't certain aspects of the business that need to be kept in kayfabe.

GAIJIN is the story of a talented man who resents his profession and finds a much more lucrative, if not dangerous, means of employment. Matt Bradley's need to keep kayfabe puts him into direct conflict with his friends, co-workers, and rivals in the Tokyo underworld. 

In Matt's old world, kayfabe is a necessity. In this new world, keeping secrets kills.

Using the world of pro wrestling allows GAIJIN to employ a dual narrative structure. Not only do we experience Matt's journey from drug mule to kayfabe kingpin, but we also see the rise of Black Phoenix, Matt's stage name.

Black Phoenix was a star in the biggest company in the world before Matt's struggles brought his career to a collapse. However, in the fictional world of the ring, Phoenix's former partner, Stan Anderson, is set to regain his world heavyweight championship. With the A1 Tournament looming and a shot at the champion awaiting the winner, Anderson brings Phoenix in as a tournament assassin. 

Black Phoenix's job is to take out the competition, ensuring that Anderson, the company's top heel (villain), wins the tournament. However, to everyone's surprise, the crowd develops a respect for the high-flying foreigner. The masked man's reckless style wins fans across Japan, turning the assassin from a vile heel to a beloved babyface (hero), which makes him question his true motivations in the tournament.

The dueling narrative, in which a man simultaneously goes from hero to villain and villain to hero, gives GAIJIN a unique reading experience soaked in the grimy throws of noir with pro wrestling accents.

If you haven’t had the chance back this campaign yet, please jump on board!

J.D.