The Japan Society
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Issue 51 (June 2014, Volume 9, Number 3)

Issue 51 (June 2014, Volume 9, Number 3)

In this third issue of 2014, we are pleased to bring a broad range of reviews on a diverse selection of topics and genres to the fore.

We begin with Chris Corker looking at Granta: 127, a collection of stories and images solely focussed on Japan covering a range of styles and perspectives.

We then move onto two animated films, one re-release of a 1991 classic, the other a brand new effort from a renowned director. Chris Corker’s review of Roujin Z considers whether Hiroyuki Kitakubo’s anime has aged gracefully as well as reflecting on the film as a social commentary, as relevant today as it was in the ‘90s. We also look at Miyazaki Hayao’s latest offering, The Wind Rises, where David Knox considers this film that addresses the desire to create something beautiful and the realities of those creations being used in war.

The next review is of Glorious Misadventures: Nikolai Rezanov and the Dream of a Russian America, which chronicles Rezanov’s attempts to establish and develop Russian settlements across the world. Sir Hugh Cortazzi highlights the relevance to Russo-Japanese relations of the unsuccessful and arguably disastrous efforts of Rezanov to establish trade relations with the Japanese.

We then review up and coming director Isogai Nagisa’s The Lust of Angels which delves into the issues of harrasment of schoolgirls on public transport.

Finally, we look at the evolution of the traditional into the modern with Mary Murata’s review of Taiko Boom, a book which examines the current social and international profile of taiko drumming.


Content

Contributors

Guest Editor
William Cottrell
Managing Editor
Isabel Barne
Special Reviewer
Sir Hugh Cortazzi

Reviewers
Chris Corker, David Knox, Mike Sullivan & Mary Murata

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