Description
Price: ₹511.00
(as of Jan 11, 2025 06:12:38 UTC – Details)
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’ KirkusThe 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 Pokémon 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.
Publisher : Constable (31 July 2021)
Language : English
Paperback : 368 pages
ISBN-10 : 1472131851
ISBN-13 : 978-1472131850
Item Weight : 289 g
Dimensions : 12.6 x 2.6 x 19.8 cm
Ruchi d. –
Eye opener
Nice book to know the revival story of japnese post world war II.
Monika Minj –
Too good
Too good. donât miss this
Rahul Podder –
Magnificent Work!!!!!
I was interested about Japan and it’s culture and according to reviews it was the best and bought and seriously it has served its purpose.I am not gonna lie the AUTHOR has beautifully described the history of Japan and I really liked it especially when I read the introduction I was like WOW!!!.So I would recommend anyone who wants to know more about JAPAN especially like after watching Anime for a year I am really obsessed with Japan.I hope in future I can travel.
Amazon Customer –
one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read. Every page taught me something new – opened my eyes to aspects of Japan that I’d never imagined.
Gera –
Gives you a great insight on the history of the japanase culture spread phenomena. In the last chapter the author gives his perspective on political issues which I think he got wrong kinda woke-ish. Asides from difference in views and very naive ones on his end and asseverations, I think the author did a good job and I’d recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Japan and who can recognize the huge influence they’ve had throughout history specially after WWII.
Juanpuol –
I bought this for my kindle as my interest for Japan has revived recently.Although I am not yet throw the book, I am lonving it!as a bit of a geek on what it comes to Japan manga and anime culture I have found this book fascinating. It is a nice was to discover Japan post-war history through its inventions that have revolutionized the world.Totally recommend it!
Rapaces –
I thought I knew a lot about Japanese culture but this book covered new pop aspects I ignored
Homer –
Very well done and interesting, I loved it!My English is not very good, but I had no problem on reading it.