"The Three-Body Problem", the first installment of Chinese writer Liu Cixin's epic science fiction trilogy, is gaining popularity in Japan.

Screenshot of Hotpot Video shows a reader with the Japanese language version of "The Three-Body Problem". [Photo: China Plus]

On the first day the book was available in the Japanese market, 10,000 printed copies were sold. In less than a week, the book had 10 print runs, bring the total number of printed copies to 85,000.

"The content of the book is as fantastic as the world's other great science fiction. Its biggest trait is its belief in science. It shows a future based on humanity's hard work and rational thinking, instead of intuition and destiny," said one Japanese reader.

The book's Japanese translator, Nozomi Omori, said it's quite different from works that have come out of Europe, the United States, and Japan, in terms of its theme and its construction. He said the book's "distinctive Chinese cultural characteristics" has helped to draw the attention of Japanese readers.

A Japanese language edition of the second novel in the trilogy, "The Dark Forest" is expected to go on sale in 2020.

The battleship depicted in The Three-Body trilogy on display at "The Three-Body Problem Drama Exhibition" in Shanghai on March 17, 2019. [Photo: IC]

"The Three-Body Problem" was written by the Chinese science fiction author Liu Cixin. The 56-year-old is a nine-time winner of the Galaxy Award. He also took home the 2017 Locus Award, and was a nominee for the Nebula Award.

The 2014 translation of "The Three-Body Problem" by the American author Ken Liu won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Liu Cixin is the first author from Asia to win the Hugo for best novel.