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Ekon's Idols (Part 5) - rrf_1 - 2026-09-07 Tsukinaga Izuki “Tsuki Izuki” – Born in Okayama, Japan My favorite science fiction novelist Before matches, I like to listen to audiobooks.  They settle my nerves with a productive distraction while still allowing me to work through my match preparation exercises at the same time.  My favorite writer is the famous Tsuki Izuki of Japan, and at this point I have read all of his work.  I still make sure to always have at least one of Tsuki’s novels on-deck just in case something new from a different author isn’t quite “turning the pages” (it’s on tape, I know, but you get the point!).  Tsuki mostly writes science fiction that speculates on how changes to our human abilities or human nature would impact the way we interact with each other, like whether we would actually be better off in a world where a dominant genetic trait makes most people incapable of deliberately lying to others, or whether gender inclusivity would actually improve if humans gained an innate sense to perceive a person’s preferred gender identity without doubt.  In most cases, Tsuki carries a healthy skepticism about the good will of the human race, and these novels reflect back traits of ourselves that we need to confront as areas for improvement, but at the same time he usually also includes characters that stand out as inspiring exceptions to the immorality that is widespread in his books.  I appreciate that his main characters tend to hold diverse cultural or gender identities rather than the common tropes for protagonists.  I learn a lot reading Tsuki Izuki science fiction. Many of Tsuki’s characters find themselves in a very vulnerable state within the pages, but Tsuki himself is the opposite.  He is very unknown to the media except for a few details.  Whenever he is spotted in public, he is always with his three dachshunds.  He is also always wearing at least one pink piece of clothing, a behavior that his fans have developed elaborate theories about, from being a political statement to honoring a loved one.  Tsuki does share publicly his love of Japanese whiskey, although it comes more as a reverence of the craft rather than in the interest of sponsorship or money.  He declines all invitations to interview, sign books, and accept awards.  The only ways he engages with the literary community is by writing personal forewords in each of his books, although they can read a bit more cryptic than revealing, and by replying to his readers through handwritten letters, although his responses are unpredictable and rare (even after considering that the lucky few that do receive letters typically keep them private instead of sharing them with the world). Beyond those details, the rest of Tsuki’s life is just rumor.  I like to believe that he is an intense night owl, working mostly by moonlight, and that his books are in part autobiographical in nature, where one or more of his characters actually represents something Tsuki has personally experienced.  Maybe he has been sharing a lot about himself this whole time, just that it’s all been disguised behind the barrier of fiction.  It is likely I will never meet him in person or get a personal reply to one of my letters (speaking of which, I haven’t sent one in a while…), but Tsuki is a big role model for me because he is a good example of how to handle fame: don’t engage with the critics, and share yourself with the world on your own terms.  I won’t ever be as private as Tsuki, but I see from him how valuable it can be to keep your personal life within your own control.  Tsuki has also inspired me to pursue writing my own fiction, which has been a great mental escape from the rigor of professional football.