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'Amazingly well researched, fabulously informative and an awful lot
of fun. If you love Japanese culture or are just curious to know
more I can't recommend this book highly enough' Jonathan Ross 'A
nerd- and generalist-friendly look at how Japan shaped the
post-World War II world, from toys to Trump . . . A non-native's
savvy study of Japan's wide influence in ways both subtle and
profound' Kirkus The Walkman. Karaoke. Pikachu. Pac-Man. Akira.
Emoji. We've all fallen in love with one or another of Japan's
pop-culture creations, from the techy to the wild to the
super-kawaii. But as Japanese-media veteran Matt Alt proves in this
brilliant investigation of Tokyo's pop-fantasy complex, we don't
know the half of it. Japan's toys, gadgets, and fantasy worlds
didn't merely entertain. They profoundly transformed the way we
live. In the 1970s and '80s, Japan seemed to exist in some near
future, soaring on the superior technology of Sony and Toyota while
the West struggled to catch up. Then a catastrophic 1990
stock-market crash ushered in the 'lost decades' of deep recession
and social dysfunction. The end of the boom times should have
plunged Japan into irrelevance, but that's precisely when its
cultural clout soared - when, once again, Japan got to the future a
little ahead of the rest of us. Hello Kitty, the Nintendo
Entertainment System, and multimedia empires like Pokemon and
Dragon Ball Z were more than marketing hits. Artfully packaged,
dangerously cute, and dizzyingly fun, these products made Japan the
forge of the world's fantasies, and gave us new tools for coping
with trying times. They also transformed us as we consumed them -
connecting as well as isolating us in new ways, opening vistas of
imagination and pathways to revolution. Through the stories of an
indelible group of artists, geniuses, and oddballs, Pure Invention
reveals how Japanese ingenuity remade global culture and may have
created modern life as we know it. It's Japan's world; we're just
gaming, texting, singing, and dreaming in it.
Forget Godzilla. Forget the giant beasties karate-chopped into
oblivion by endless incarnations of Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and the
Power Rangers. Forget Sadako from 'The Ring' and that creepy
all-white kid from 'The Grudge.' Forget everything you know about
tales of terror before reaching for this book.
"Yokai Attack " is a nightmare-inducing one-stop guide to Japan's
traditional creepy-crawlies. Yokai are ethereal sorts of beings,
like ghosts, nearly always encountered at night; everyone has their
own take on how they might look in real life and what sorts of
specific characteristics and abilities they might have. This book
is the result of long hours spent poring over data and descriptions
from a variety of sources, including microfilms of
eighteenth-century illustrations from the national Diet Library in
Tokyo, in order to bring you detailed information on almost 50 of
these amazing creatures for the first time in English.
Illustrations, created by the talented Tatsuya Morino, detail the
potential appearance of each yokai. Alongside each illustration is
a series of "data points," with each yokai's important features at
a glance--especially handy for any potential close encounters.
"Yokai Attack " will surely convince you that Japan's tradition of
fascinating monsters is a long one--yet far from being history.
Ninja Attack! introduces dozens of unforgettable real-life ninja
straight out of the annals of Japanese history--many of whom are
all but unknown outside their home country. Ninja masters. Solo
assassins and operatives. Femme fatales as deadly as they were
beautiful. Swordfighters out of legend. And the Shogun and warlords
who commanded them. Each individual in this graphic novel is
profiled with a full-page manga-style drawing and a dossier
brimming with top-secret information, including photos, anecdotes,
and dramatic stories of the individuals in action. The book covers
ninja clothing styles, the types of weapons that were used, ninja
tools, ninja tricks of the trade, and the basics of the ninja diet.
It also includes a do-it-yourself tour of ninja related spots in
modern Tokyo. Ninja Attack! is everything you always wanted to know
about ninja but were too afraid you'd get a shuriken in the eye to
ask. Legendary ninja covered in this book include: Prince Shotoku
Mochizuki Chiyojo Hattori Hanzo Matsuo Basho Mamiya Rinzo Jiraiya
Book 2 of 3 in the Yokai Attack! series. Others include Yokai
Attack! and Yurei Attack!.
Yurei Attack! is a nightmare-inducing one-stop guide to Japan's
traditional ghosts and spirits. Surviving encounters with angry
ghosts and sexy specters. Haunted places. Dangerous games and how
to play them. And more importantly, a guided tour of what awaits in
the world of the dead. Yurei is the Japanese word for "ghost." It's
as simple as that. They are the souls of dead people, unable--or
unwilling--to shuffle off this mortal coil. Yurei are many things,
but "friendly" isn't the first word that comes to mind. Not every
yurei is dangerous, but they are all driven by emotions so
uncontrollably powerful that they have taken on a life of their
own: rage, sadness, devotion, a desire for revenge, or even the
firm belief that they are still alive. This book, the third in the
authors' bestselling Attack! series, after Yokai Attack! and Ninja
Attack! gives detailed information on 39 of the creepiest yurei
stalking Japan, along with detailed histories and defensive tactics
should you have the misfortune to encounter one. Japanese ghosts
include: Oiwa, The Horror of Yotsuya Otsuyu, The Tale of the Peony
Lantern The Lady Rokujo, The Tale of Genji Isora, Tales of
Moonlight and Rain Orui, The Depths of Kasane Book 3 of 3 in the
Yokai Attack! series. Others include Ninja Attack! and Yokai
Attack!.
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