By Jonathan Clements. “The history of manga,” notes the back-cover blurb for Matthieu Pinon and Laurent Lefebvre’s new book, “is inextricably tied to Japan’s social, economic, political, and cultural evolution.” But the authors neglect to mention the real selling point, which is that their History of Modern Manga actually bothers to point out where those […]
May 23, 2023 • Subscribe
More like this
Books: The History of Sushi
By Jonathan Clements. Eric C. Rath observes that in the anime series Sushi Police, fish are portrayed weeping at the injustices done to them by culinary criminals. Luckily,…
Books: History of Chinese Animation
By Jonathan Clements. Released as part of a Routledge series of translations of Chinese scholarship, Sun Lijun’s two-volume History of Chinese Animation is the largest work yet published…
Books: Anime — A History
By Zoe Crombie. Since its initial release in 2013, Jonathan Clements’ Anime: A History has served as a unique resource for anyone looking to contextualise their love of…
Street Fighter 6 and the History of “Modern Controls”
Street Fighter 6 has succeeded in its goal of bringing in new players through a simplified control scheme labeled “Modern.” The signature special inputs that Street Fighter pioneered…
The History of Hentai Manga
Kimi Rito digs deep into the tropes of anime's salacious sister medium, from tracking down the hentai's early manga creators to going back even further to the shunga…
Yasuke: A Modern Myth From A Little-Known Part of Japanese History
A samurai who hails from Africa tears numerous assailants to shreds in a fluid, yet sterile scene as the crimson blood of his foes dyes the surrounding
Manga Pulse 450: Ancient Modern
Welcome to the AP border town. Please have your papers in order. You there, step quickly. Hmm. It seems you have “Ruby” listed as a favorite anime. Problem?…
Kuro | A Modern Classic Mystery Manga
Kuro is a fantastic supernatural mystery manga by Somato. The definition of a modern classic for its genre, Kuro has incredible art and a touching story that can…
My history with manga
This is a repost from Organization ASG so some people probably have read it and for that I'm sorry, but I think it has its place on my…
Square Enix Manga & Books Reveals New Books Coming Spring 2023
The good folks from Square Enix Manga & Books have sent us their upcoming release slate for spring 2023. Headlining their releases is the Ch...
Book Review: As If: Modern Enchantment and the Literary Pre-History of Virtual Reality
In an age where the boundary between reality and fantasy is becoming increasingly blurred, the allure of fictional worlds has captured the imagination of millions. In his groundbreaking…
Manga artists challenge 'harmful books' labels
Plus: Avex forms anime and video production holding company; Hotel workers strike during Anime Expo; Toei Animation taps Latin American market; and more
Blooming Love | A Modern Classic Romance Manga
No post summary was provided.
An "Overdosed" History of Manga?! Translating & Examining the Yarisugi Manga Timeline
Without a doubt, one of the most disappointing aspects of English-speaking anime & manga fandom, though mainly the latter for the purposes o...
Books: Holmes of Kyoto
By Jeannette Ng. Now also an anime, as the title aptly implies, Holmes of Kyoto by Mai Mochizuki began a light novel series about a pair of amateur…
Books: World of Ghibli
By Zoe Crombie. A gorgeously illustrated guide to stories, characters, and cultures of the films of the beloved studio, An Unofficial Guide to the World of Studio Ghibli…
Comics and the Origins of Manga: A Revisionist History
Sometimes I com across a book that, while outside of my normal area of study, is so mind-blowing, I really just want people to know about it. Comics…
Get a Piece of Yuri Manga History at Cheapmanga.com
Our friends at Cheapmanga.com have been kind enough to make all remaining ALC manga volumes available at discount prices! Yuri Monogatari Volumes 3,4 & 6, the English-language global…
September 2020 Manga / Light Novel / Books Releases
So why not celebrate the coming of Fall with an order manga and light novels? We present to you the list of September 2020 manga, light novel, and…
August 2021 Manga / Light Novel / Books Releases
Here are the August 2021 manga, light novels, and book releases.
Books: Grave of the Fireflies
By Jonathan Clements. Long overdue for inclusion in the BFI’s Film Classics series, Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies finally gets the critical treatment, courtesy of Alex Dudok…
Books: Ascendance of a Bookworm
By Jonathan Clements. And then a pile of books fell on top of her, and she was dead. That can’t possibly be the beginning of a tale, can…
Books: The Garden of Words
By Andrew Osmond. This August, Makoto Shinkai’s film The Garden of Words – soon to have a new Blu-ray/CD Steelbook – will be adapted as a London stage…
My Favourite Books of 2023
I love to read. Especially Japanese and English novels with good stories. Here are my favourite books of 2023.
Books: The Impact of Akira
By Andrew Osmond. If you were asked which singer comes to mind in connection with Akira, most readers would think of Kanye West cosplaying Tetsuo in his pants…
Books: The Ethics of Affect
By Jonathan Clements. Those silly do-gooders in Akihabara, making a computer game company take down a mere advertising billboard on the grounds it might offend, shock or otherwise…
The Books of Monster Hunter
Want to see ALL videos early? Support me on patreon for exclusive access! https://www.patreon.com/oceaniz TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro 01:44 - Artbooks 07:30 - Lorebooks 15:21 - Guidebooks Books shown/discussed in this video: Monster Hunter World Editors…
Tattoos and Books of Friends
I have been thinking about getting a tattoo and I just want to blabber on about it with you guys!
The Lazyness of Modern Shounen Jump
Disclaimer: This is all just my opinion. I’m obviously not in the board rooms of Shueisha & I don’t have any specific or unique data to reinforce. Perhaps…
The Impossibly Modern World of 'Flebus'
On Ernest Pintoff's 1957 Terrytoons classic.
Pick of the Week: Modern Dracula
MICHELLE: It's absolutely Glitch for me this week. Siblings investigating a weird town would be enough on its own even without the goodwill Lost Lad London engendered, honestly,…
Blue Box | The Gold Standard for Modern Romance Manga
Shojo fans hate her. Shonen fans want to be him. Everyone should read Blue Box. A wholesome romance that delivers every trope with the right sense of flair and…
Mangaka Spotlight #1 Kaoru Mori: The Queen of Modern Historical Fiction in Manga
A video series where I talk about and highlight different mangaka and their works. Here I dive into Kaoru Mori, one of the most prolific modern mangakas that…
Peak Modern Visuals
Starting this post, I want to make this clear. I really like the aesthetic from older anime and modern anime. I do love the look of peak cel…
Pick of the Week: Classic and Modern
MICHELLE: Part of me really wants to pick Marmalade Boy here, as it's one of the first manga I ever read and I have tremendous nostalgic feelings about…
The Curse of the Modern Anime Fan
Internet Pitstop and I talk about anime's growing popularity globally. We discuss how it was like for us to bring Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and Pokemon games to school, seeing…
Books & Sake
「高円寺古本酒場ものがたり」狩野俊 Story of Koenji Books & Sake, by Suguru Karino The “Story of Koenji Books & Sake” is Suguru Karino’s account of how he started a bookstore and…
Books & Sake
「高円寺古本酒場ものがたり」狩野俊 Story of Koenji Books & Sake, by Suguru Karino The “Story of Koenji Books & Sake” is Suguru Karino’s account of how he started a bookstore and…
Books: Ghibliotheque
By Andrew Osmond. The Ghibliotheque podcast started in 2018, and soon became an institution. It offered a journey through the films of Studio Ghibli, presented by Michael Leader…
Books: Sexiled
By Shelley Pallis. Tanya is twenty-five years old. She’s got half a decade of adventuring behind her, looting treasure from dungeons, spell-casting to protect her friends from goblins…
Books: Orienting
By Jonathan Clements. “My stay here has been so short,” said Rabindranath Tagore to Japanese students in 1916, “that one may think I have not earned my right…
Not a Fan of E-Books
I’m watching Skull Face Bookseller Honda-san / Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san on VRV / Crunchyroll. It’s a slice-of-life anime, with some comedy sprinkled in. I love bookstores, so I…
Books: The Works of Hayao Miyazaki
By Shelley Pallis. In an already crowded field of critical appraisals of Ghibli films, the Toulouse-based Third Editions offer their latest English-language publication, Gael Berton’s The Works of…
Books: The Story of British Animation
By Andrew Osmond. Most people looking at this review will be anime fans. But what does “British animation” bring to your mind? Probably Wallace and Gromit and Aardman.…
Books: This Great Stage of Fools
By Jonathan Clements. “Aren’t you making a mistake,” asks the lady selling cinema tickets. “Almost certainly,” sighs Alan Booth, a man who came to Japan to study classical…
History of Ghost Taxis of Japan
Translated and Sourced from Shigeru Mizuki’s Mujara, Japanese Ghost Stories: Spirits, Hauntings, and Paranormal Phenomena, and Other Sources To learn more about Japanese Ghosts, check out my …
The Troubled and Confusing History on the Translation of the Soremachi Manga
Fan translations have been the driving force for the growing popularity of anime and manga outside Japan for decades now. This is because there are hundreds of manga…
Shimoneta: Japan’s History of Censorship!
There comes a time in every teenager’s life where they stumble across something that arouses their interest. Depending what kind of parents they have or how they react…