The Wild Dogs of Kumamoto

By Luc Jorgart

Luc Jorgart (2025)
ISBN-13: 978-1917244022

Review by Isabel Bratt

The Wild Dogs of Kumamoto by Luc Jorgart is a coming-of-age novel following Nagata Ryuji, a teen boy outcasted by his friends, family and peers, as he finds his place amongst a feared bosozoku motorbike gang. The novel centres around the ideals of self-forgiveness, redemption, and identity and largely succeeds through its compassionate portrayal of traditionally flawed people. However, some of the depicted relationship and a lack of sincere depth made it sometimes an uncomfortable reading experience.

The story follows teenager Nagata Ryuji as he is troubled following his father’s imprisonment, and finds himself distanced from his mother. After having frequent problems at school, he is forced to move to a boarding school in Kumamoto, separated from his friends and girlfriend. Life in Kumamoto is no simpler, as the protagonist winds up bullied by his peers, being attacked and hassled every day. In attempting to escape his tormentors, Ryuji stumbles upon Club Avon, an underground burlesque bar. It is here that he meets Nana, who offers him protection, and introduces him to the life of a member of the bosozoku gang Wild Dogs. Ryuji, desperate to gain some control over his life, joins the gang, forging both lifelong friendships, and enemies.

Jorgart provides a humanising portrayal of bosozoku gang members, giving character to those typically portrayed as scandalous, or stereotyped. We see the members’ weaknesses, their friendships, and their moments of kindness. The Wild Dogs of Kumamoto is unafraid to demonstrate how complex and intricate humans really are, and gives an honest portrayal of human flaws and strengths. Whilst the Wild Dog gang members are humanised, they are still shown to be dangerous, and part of a battle for power. With the gang constantly at the throats of rival gangs, and facing threats from the inside, I enjoyed the twists and turns of bosozoku life.

The novel focuses on Ryuji’s attempts at self-improvement. Initially having joined the gang to gain power, and strengthen his social standing, Ryuji slowly realises that a life of anger and violence is no answer. Following a betrayal from a friend, graduating school, and an opportunity to take over the gang, Ryuji decides to step down from his criminal life, and return home. Over the course of the novel, we see Ryuji’s interest in the arts, which inspires his change in direction. He frequently writes diary entries, and the novel ends with a hopeful turn toward the arts, as he decides to become a writer and document his gang-member days. I found this ending twist to be fitting, as writing allows Ryuji to transform his experiences into something constructive, rather than simply attempting to forget the person he once was. His journey feels less like a complete rejection of his past, and instead more like an attempt to understand and accept it, implying that redemption really comes from reflection, not action.

However, one aspect in which I believe Ryuji was irredeemable, was in his treatment toward female characters. He frequently mistreats the women in his life, with the novel constantly asserting that these are the kind of mistakes that can be easily forgotten, with no work done to change the attitudes that prompted said mistreatment. For instance, in the last section of the novel, Ryuji cheats on his soon-to-be fiancé, a plot point I found to be unwarranted, as it brought about zero necessary development. Ryuji had already moved on from his gang-member days, and was beginning to move toward a more peaceful life. Whether intentional or not, I found the portrayal of the novel’s female characters to be reductive. I felt as though the novel implied that mistreating women is a forgivable mistake, and one that is almost essential for men to grow and develop. This ultimately weakened the novel’s exploration of redemption for me, as the women affected by Ryuji’s actions weren’t afforded the same levels of complexity, or opportunity for development.

The writing itself was an easy and fun read, with more focus on character building through dialogue and action, as opposed to description. Despite the fast pace, I enjoyed learning about Ryuji’s world: exploring Kumamoto’s bustling nightlife; racing down country lanes on motorbikes; returning home to the vast sea surrounding Iki Island. However, the straightforward prose, while accessible and fun, occasionally became awkward and too literal, providing little depth and immersion beyond immediate action.

Ryuji’s journey from an angry and isolated teenager to someone willing to move on from his actions is compelling, and Jorgart succeeds in portraying his characters as flawed, complicated individuals. The Wild Dogs of Kumamoto provided an interesting exploration of redemption, although at the expense of the female central characters’ autonomy. I enjoyed the memorable characters, and the vividity of the bosozoku world, but I was left questioning whether the novel’s understanding of redemption was unfairly biased in favour of men.