Haruki Murakami felt immediately familiar for his poignant understanding of the modern human condition and his ability to reflect upon it with humor and grace; an ability shared by some of my other favorite creators (in other media), Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki and Shigeru Miyamoto. The wild sheep chase veers between the fantastical and the mundane without batting an eye, rather while winking knowingly at the absurdity of both extremes. I relish the enjoyment yet to come from reading his other books.