Finished cover for The Flower Shop

Here is the finished cover for the upcoming book, The Flower Shop: Charm, Grace, Beauty & Tenderness in a Commercial Context which you can read more about here.

New Book: Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves

The first popular survey of Japan's samurai film genre and its heroes!

Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook
by Patrick Galloway

June 2005 (Berkeley, CA) Stone Bridge Press, publisher of books about Japan, introduces its third major book on cinema, this time celebrating one of the most beloved genres from Japan: the samurai film!

Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves is a critical guide to over 50 top samurai films, including such masterworks as the Oscar-winning Gate of Hell, Yojimbo (remade five times, including A Fistful of Dollars), the influential Lady Snowblood, and newly released hits like Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi.

"Packed with great reviews and tons of background details, Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves is a must for fans or would-be fans of the samurai genre," said Robert Woodhead, CEO of AnimEigo. "I've already used it to make note of several films that we ought to release here in the U.S."

Also here is information on the samurai era in Japan, the Japanese film industry, and the key actors and directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune, and Tatsuya Nakadai who turned these warrior tales of loyalty, duty, revenge, and explosive swordsmanship into a great dramatic art that has captivated the world.

Author Patrick Galloway is a lifelong student of Asian philosophy, film, and culture. Tired of how his favorite film genre is mistreated by most academic film critics, he took matters into his own hands and wrote the book for which he and his fellow samurai movie fans have been waiting.

"It is rare even among the Japanese to find anyone so well informed and passionate about Japan's unique genre of samurai films," said legendary actor Tatsuya Nakadai. "I admire Patrick Galloway's great enthusiasm, and I hope his book will help you enjoy these films too."

Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook is 240 pages, paperback, with 40 black & white photos. It retails for US$19.95. ISBN 1-880656-93-0.

Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves follows The Yakuza Movie Book and The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film in the Stone Bridge Press collection of film guides.

ACTORS AND DIRECTORS PROFILED:
Hideo Gosha -- Shinobu Hashimoto -- Raizo Ichikawa -- Shintaro Katsu -- Masaki Kobayashi -- Akira Kurosawa -- Toshiro Mifune -- Tatsuya Nakadai -- Tetsuro Tamba -- Tomisaburo Wakayama

FILMS REVIEWED:
Adventures of Zatoichi -- Band of Assassins -- Chushingura -- Daimajin -- Destiny's Son -- Gate of Hell -- Harakiri -- Heaven & Earth -- Hunter in the Dark -- Kagemusha -- Kwaidan -- Lady Snowblood: Blizzard from the Netherworld -- Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance -- Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx -- Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades --- Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance -- New Tale of Zatoichi -- Rashomon -- Red Lion -- Roningai -- Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto -- Samurai 2: Duel at Ichijoji Temple -- Samurai 3: Duel on Ganryu Island -- Samurai Assassin -- Samurai Banners -- Samurai Rebellion -- Samurai Reincarnation --- Sanjuro -- Seven Samurai -- Shogun's Samurai -- Sleepy Eyes of Death: Sword of Seduction -- Sleepy Eyes of Death: The Chinese Jade -- Sword of Doom -- Taboo -- Tenchu! -- The Hidden Fortress -- The Razor: Sword of Justice -- The Razor: The Snare -- The Razor: Who's Got the Gold? -- The Secret of the Urn -- The Tale of Zatoichi -- The Tale of Zatoichi Continues -- Three Outlaw Samurai -- Throne of Blood -- The Twilight Samurai -- Wicked Priest: Cast a Net of Drunken Anger -- Yojimbo -- Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters -- Zatoichi -- Zatoichi Challenged -- Zatoichi: The Festival of Fire

Designing with Kanji reviewed at TattooSymbol.com

TattooSymbol.com | Tattoo Symbols, Designs, and Information: "[Designing with Kanji is] A great resource for finding the perfect kanji tattoo symbol. Very nicely done!"

Mirei Shigemori reviewed at Midwest Book Review

MBR: Reviewer's Bookwatch, June 2005: "Mirei Shigemori: Modernizing The Japanese Garden is a welcome and respected contribution that will be of immense interest to professional gardeners, landscapists, horticultural experts, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Japanese gardening and culture."

Japanese the Manga Way reviewed at ActiveAnime

ActiveAnime: "Japanese the Manga Way is one of the few books that actually IS a helpful resource for Japanese language students at all levels. [author Wayne] Lammers is a language teacher himself, so expertise clearly shows in this entertaining, highly useful Japanese language book."

Midnight Eye reviewed in Film International

Film International #15/2005:3 May 25: [The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film] draws a lineage of recent Japanese cinema that is not quite in line with the mainstream understanding of Japanese cinema... Although [chapters on Seijun Suzuki, Hideo Nakata, and other directors] are all individual portraits, they cross-reference on all important points so you do get a very good sense of developments in Japanese cinema that make perfect sense but may otherwise not easily be understood... Indispensable for anyone with a deeper interest in Japanese cinema."

Being Japanese American reviewed in The Asian Reporter

The Asian Reporter: "Being Japanese American offers a great opportunity for JAs to process their feelings and experiences in relationship to other JAs who, through their stories and photos, share empathy and understanding."

The Midnight Eye Guide reviewed in Camera Austria

Camera Austria: "The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film by Jasper Sharp and Tom Mes is probably the most detailed Western publication about recent Japanese cinema."

The Japan Journals reviewed in The East Bay Express

eastbayexpress.com | Summer | | 2005-06-08
In "Traveling, So You Don't Have To," Anneli Rufus writes that "Japan Journals 1947-2004 oozes intensity and encyclopedic knowledge on everything from Zen to Sanyo."

Tokyo Story is #1 in Halliwell's Top 1000 for film

The Times reports that the new Halliwell's Top 1000 lists the film Tokyo Story at the very top. James Christopher writes, "But the arrival of Halliwell’s Top 1000 films 'in order of merit' has confounded the expectations of the most ardent fan... I wonder how many pub pundits would have earmarked Tokyo Story as the greatest film? Halliwell's bold and dramatic decision to nominate this 'obscure' classic by the Japanese maestro Yasujiro Ozu flies in the face of conventional — or contemporary — wisdom. It's a spectacular victory for those of us who believe that less is more. The film is as bare as one of Aesop's Fables. It sits at the top of the pile, as inscrutable and compelling as a three-line haiku."

Another article in The Times adds that "We can only pray that the film's newfound fame does not lead it to harm. A Hollywood remake starring Britney Spears and Ben Stiller under the title of Honey, I Alienated the Kids would simply be too much to bear."

Stone Bridge Press is the publisher of Tokyo Story: The Ozu/Noda Screenplay by Yasujiro Ozu and Kogo Noda and translated by Donald Richie and Eric Klestadt with new introduction by Donald Richie. The title is the current prize for SBP's Win This Book.

Japanese the Manga Way and Watching Anime, Reading Manga reviewed in NEO Magazine

NEO Magazine Issue 006 on Japanese the Manga Way: "If you study the way Lammers recommends this book will be excellent value for money and well worth the [retail price]."
NEO Magazine Issue 007 on Watching Anime, Reading Manga: "The range is enormous, and you can't fail to find something of interest whether you're interested in specific series or even something controversial like pornography in anime."

The Anime Encyclopedia reviewed at WarCry Network

WarCry Network: "The Anime Encyclopedia is insanely readable."

Authors Patrick Macias and Tomohiro Machiyama interviwed in LO Magazine

LO Magazine interviews authors Patrick Macias and Tomohiro Machiyama about Cruising the Anime City in Issue 13. The entire issue is available as a 4.8MB PDF - ZIP.

Anime books recommended in South Florida Sun-Sentinel

In "Graphic novels all about style"Okeechobee Boulevard reference librarian Terrence Bosky, in an interview with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, recommends The Anime Encyclopedia and The Anime Companion for readers who want to learn more about anime.

The Midnight Eye Guide reviewed in The Asian Reporter

The Asian Reporter - BOOK REVIEW:"Best of all, The Midnight Eye Guide offers priceless context for, and insights into, the most important aspect of the industry — the films themselves."

Author Frederik L. Schodt interviewed by The Japan Foundation Newsletter

The Japan Foundation Newsletter interviews Frederik L. Schodt about his translation work and books such as Dreamland Japan, The Four Immigrants Manga, and Native American in the Land of the Shogun. Note: You will need Adobe Reader (free) to open the newsletter as a PDF.

Author Helen McCarthy and book Hayao Miyazaki featured at Animefringe

In its special on Howl's Moving Castle, Animefringe interviews Helen McCarthy about Studio Ghibli, her own work, and on the anime industry as a whole.

The same issue of Animefringe reviews McCarthy's book, Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation: "...For those who like a little thought provoking criticism and a little insight into the art they are enjoying, McCarthy manages to explain everything in a deep and thought provoking way."

The Four Immigrants Manga reviewed at Animefringe

Animefringe, June 2005 - Reviews:"[The Four Immigrants Manga] is a great book for lovers of American history and of manga."

The Japanese Art of Sex wins Ben Franklin award!

Congratulations to author Jina Bacarr and illustrator Yelena Zhavoronkova! The Japanese Art of Sex won the 2005 Benjamin Franklin Award in the category of Psychology/Self-Help. The award was announced last night (June 1) in New York City.

Named in honor of America's most cherished publisher/printer, the Benjamin Franklin Awards recognizes excellence in independent publishing. Publications, grouped by genre, are judged on editorial and design merit by top practitioners in each field. The trophies are awarded to the best books in several categories and are presented to the publishers during a gala awards ceremony on the last evening of the Publishing University (just before the opening of Book Expo America).

See the previous blog about the book being a finalist here.

Author Gil Asakawa interviewed in Fort Worth Star-Telegram

In the Star-Telegram's article, "The Star East," Being Japanese American author Gil Asakawa discusses Asia's and Asian America's influence on pop culture. Registration is required (but free!) to read this article.

Watching Anime, Reading Manga reviewed in VOYA

VOYA on Watching Anime, Reading Manga: "Co-founder of the first anime club in America, Patten displays a wealth of knowledge on the subject of anime that is never doubted in this collection of his published articles."