So far in the James Bond book series, Bond has had some wild adventures – but You Only Live Twice could be his wildest yet.
James Bond explores Japan in You Only Live Twice!
That wasn’t You Only Live Twice’s tagline, when it was first published in 1964, but it could have been. At times, the book reads like a travelogue, with Bond musing at the start that he has never been east of Hong Kong before.
The End of the Line for Bond?
But before Bond flies out to Tokyo, we see a very damaged agent. His last two missions failed and he’s still grieving after the death of his bride, in On Your Majesty’s Secret Service. M is worried, and thinks about letting Bond go. He relents, though, deciding that impossible missions often brings out the best in Bond. So he packs him off to Japan.
There, 007 meets Dikky Henderson, an Australian stationed in Japan, and the head of Japanese security services Tiger Tanaka. The latter gets him to investigate a mysterious garden, the lair of a mysterious gaijin where people go to commit suicide.
The lair is typical Bond, a Japanese feudal castle with grounds covered in poisonous and man-eating plants and a lake chock-full of piranhas. One gruesome scene even shows a man jumping into the lake and being subsequently devoured by the hungry fish.
Enter Dave The Pelican…or Actor?
M’s instincts were correct, because in an easy to predict twist, the lair’s owner turns out to be Blofeld, the evil mastermind who killed Tracy. From the moment Bond realises that, he’s back at the top of his game. After Tiger takes him for some rudimentary ninja training, Bond travels to a remote village beside the castle, where Kissy Suzuki, his new Bond Girl, takes him fishing and introduces him to Dave, her pet pelican. As Bond Girls go, Kissy is a well-developed character, with an interesting backstory of having met David Niven. I enjoyed that reference, knowing that David Niven played Bond in the original, satirical version of Casino Royale. Eventually, Bond tears himself away from Kissy and Dave and enters Blofeld’s lair.
A Surprising Epilogue
There’s a few ups and downs, but Blofeld’s fate is never really in doubt. However, it’s after the big confrontation that Fleming springs a genuine surprise. Injured during his fight with Blofeld and then during his escape, Bond wakes with no memory of anything. And Kissy Suzuki wants to keep him that way! Eventually, Bond’s memory is triggered by a single word, written in English: Vladivostock. Knowing that she can no longer keep him to herself, Kissy sends him on his way to that city so he can start to recover his memories. She could have told him to go see Dikky Henderson or Tiger Tanaka in Tokyo but where would be the fun in that?
You Only Live Twice was slower-paced than most earlier Bond novels, being a much more introspective study of the grief and damage wrought on a man who’s been living on the edge for far too long. There’s also the usual uncomfortable moment when Bond is made to look Japanese (don’t ask), ruminations about Japanese culture v Western culture, and also Britain’s lowering status in world politics – something that remains true today! For all those slower moments, I enjoyed it. The bit where Kissy decided not to help Bond regain his memory came as a genuine surprise. A bit odd, perhaps, but I liked it.
Rating: 79%
Have you read You Only Live Twice? What did you think of Fleming’s portrayal of Japan? Let me know in the comments!
My Other Bond Reviews
Leave a Reply