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The Worlds of Japanese Popular Culture: Gender, Shifting Boundaries and Global Cultures (Contemporary Japanese Society) ( Cambridge University Press )
Release Date: 1998-10-13
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List Price: $34.99
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Product Description
This is a lively discussion of Japanese popular culture from an anthropological perpective. An international team of authors considers a broad range of topics, including sumo, karaoke, manga, women's magazines, soccer and morning television. Through these topics--many of which have never previously been addressed by scholars--the contributors also explore several deeper themes: the construction of gender in Japan; the impact of globalization and modern consumerism; and the rapidly shifting boundaries of Japanese culture and identity.
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 good choice
This book arrived by mistake but ended up being an useful book in my class. I have to be careful with "one click order" that is new in Amazon. When I clicked to order other book this book was ordered by accident.
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 for study only
I bought this for my university course in Cultural Expressions in Modern ASia and it was very helpful and insightful but should only be used in an academic way. Not really that fun to read but useful.
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As an introduction...
As an introduction into what "Japanese popular culture" can entail, this is a good book; the articles written may not be as in-depth as wanted or needed, but this is not a book by one scholar alone. It is simply a collection of useful articles, that explore different aspects in Japanese popular culture and act as a sort of "grounding point" for further study.
There are themes of comparative study (American superheroes v. Japanese superheroes) and also themes of changing roles and changing identities (or the converse; that in some popular images, like in manga/comics, the perception that some roles DON'T or SHOULDN'T change).
But for anyone seeking a good introduction, it is a good book and worth having on your bookshelf.
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 Totally Circular ( cjon )
I'm probably not being fair to this book, since I have only skimmed (some of) it, but it seemed rather poor to me. To take a concrete example the essay on superheroes and monsters (by Tom Gill) was especially problematic. It uses the example of Superman vs Ultraman and states that (1) Superman is a total loner with no family or attachments (His family in Kansas? Supergirl? Lois Lane? don't count I guess) whereas Ultraman has a large number of companions (somewhat more true). (2) Superman's colors are like the colors of the American flag, whereas Ultraman's are like the "lucky colors" red and white (Q: has Tom Gill looked at the Japanese flag?). He then uses these and some better thought out characteristics of the characters to show that Superman is an American hero (individualistic) and Ultraman a Japanese hero (more like a kami). The problem is that (1) shows a lack of research, and (2) a lack of thought. This totally undercuts any later conclusions in the article.
The other articles I looked at seems a bit better, but this is not a very select selection.
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For pleasure and easy reference
This is an exellent book for the beginner in studies of japanese culture. It deals with different matters such as: sumo, manga/anime, karaoke, horse-racing and womens magazines - all in a scientific but relaxed tone. Maybe you want what bosozoku-driving is??? In short - comprehensive and informative. A must for your bookshelf!!
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Addiction
