Photographer Markuz Wernli offers more images from Mirei Shigemori book

Markuz Wernli is a visual artist and photographer active in Japan, Europe, and the United States. Here he offers a display of his work in Mirei Shigemori, as recently praised in Publisher's Weekly.

Native American in the Land of the Shogun is on Millikin Reading List

Millikin English Summer Reading List 2005: "If you are interested in Asian Studies, or have a fondness for discovering the source of the barriers in language comprehension, then this biography may be of some interest to you."
See the book here.

Mirei Shigemori : Modernizing the Japanese Garden reviewed in Publishers Weekly

From Publishers Weekly:
Deeply rooted in Japanese tradition, Mirei Shigemori (1896 - 1975) began his study of the tea ceremony and ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arranging) as a teenager. He pursued a career in fine arts and went on to revitalize the practice of Japanese gardening. Shigemori's approach combined 'the garden's religious roots' with 'the consciousness of his own place in history' to create a 'compelling manifesto for continuous cultural renewal.' Tschumi, a landscape architect who has written extensively on Japanese gardens, introduces the master's work to an American audience through an analysis of 10 of Shigemori's finest designs. An informative, meditative introduction sets the tone, followed by chapters devoted to individual gardens in Japan, each one presenting the project's historical context -- often going back centuries or more -- and describing the garden in detail. As readers move from one chapter to the next, insights accumulate. By the thoughtful afterword, serious scholars of Japanese gardening and neophytes alike will find new understanding of the discipline and Shigemori's unique contribution to it. Saito's perceptively framed photographs deepen the experience, providing a view of 'beautiful texture and detailing' that is 'hardly visible to the ordinary garden visitor.' Notes, a time line, a list of contacts, maps of locations and a glossary are helpful starting points for the further study this elegant volume inspires. (Apr.)
Copyright (C) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Yakuza Movie Book reviewed at MBR

The Yakuza Movie Book
MBR: Internet Bookwatch, May 2005

Gardens of Gravel and Sand reviewed in Tri-County News

Gardens of Gravel and Sand
The Tri-County News: "Featuring over 30 photos of graval and sand gardens taken in Kyoto, Japan, this thin paperback underscores the importance of 'experienceing the garden as garden.'"

Final Cover for Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves

This is the final cover image for Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook and here is the copyright information:
Front-cover image from Nemuri Kyoshiro 4: Joyoken, © 1964 Kadokawa Pictures Inc.

Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook will be out this summer!

Sample pages from Mirei Shigemori: Modernizing the Japanese Garden available at SBP website

Mirei Shigemori: Modernizing the Japanese Garden has four sample pages available!

Native American in the Land of the Shogun reviewed in International Journal of Maritime History

International Journal of Maritime History: "Native American in the Land of the Shogun is superbly researched. Schodt has done exhaustive work in archives in the United States, Canada, and Japan, has visited most of the important historical sites, some twice, and has subjected earlier scholarship on MacDonald to relentless and careful anaylysis. If readers find the narrative structure a bit discursive, they will be rewarded with well-written and knowledgeable introductions to a range of topics such as the history of whaling, Chinook royalty, Anglo-Indian marriage, the fur trade, and so on. In addition, they will be treated to memorable and sharply etched portraits of wild frontiersmen, powerful chiefs, wily traders, and refined samurai. This is a thoughtful, well-written and fascinating work that will appeal to readers interested in Japanese, American and Pacific history and in global cultural encounter."

SBP authors present Manga Mania! at The Japan Society

Wayne P. Lammers (center) joined Frederik L. Schodt (left) and Patrick Macias (right) at The Japan Society last night in San Francisco. Fred Schodt, author of books such as Dreamland Japan, presented a history of manga, Wayne Lammers, author of Japanese the Manga Way, presented a lesson in Japanese along with examples of how to use manga to learn Japanese and a history of Mangajin. Patrick Macias, co-author of Cruising the Anime City, moderated the panel and audience members asked all three about manga recommendations for learning the Japanese language along with Japanese culture.

The Japan Society offers Japanese language classes at various levels throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and are enrolling for the Summer 2005 semester.

AZNetNews offers Sacred Sanskit Words in contest

AZNetNews is offering Sacred Sanskrit Words and nine other titles in a drawing. Register for their email updates for a chance to win. AZNetNews named Sacred Sanskrit Words as an Editor's Choice for April/May 2005.

SBP titles reviewed in Santa Cruz Sentinel

Book Briefs Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto May 1, 2005

Sacred Sanskrit Words featured in Yoga Magazine

Yoga Magazine reprinted the introduction and the definitions to several words from Sacred Sanskrit Words. Yoga Magazine called the book, "A refreshing addition to anyone's book collection and useful for yoga practictioners."

Native American in the Land of the Shogun in Dragonfly Review

April 2005 - Dragonfly Review of Native American in the Land of the Shogun: "Like a novelist, Frederik L. Schodt explores the crucial role this little-known adventurer played in the historic opening and modernization of the forbidden land. His depictions of 1,000-mile fur-trading treks across the West and the gritty international whale-oil trade that took Macdonald to Japan make exciting history."

Donald Richie celebrates 81st birthday

Donald Richie celebrated his 81st birthday among friends and fans in Tokyo with a reading from his recent book, The Japan Journals: 1947-2004.


Shogo Oketani and Leza Lowitz, authors of several books including Designing with Kanji, hosted Mr. Richie at their Sun and Moon Yoga Studio on April 16. Pictured with Leza is Koichi Mori, who baked the birthday cakes.


And no, there aren't 81 candles on that cake!

Update: Ron Herman joins Christian Tschumi at The Japan Society for discussion on Mirei Shigemori

Author Christian Tschumi will be speaking at the Japan Society about the controversial designer of Zen gardens and subject of Tschumi's new book, 'Mirei Shigemori: Modernizing the Japanese Garden.'


The author will be in a discussion with landscape architect Ron Herman who has created more than four hundred full-scale garden designs in his 35+ year career. Currently Mr. Herman is engaged in the 25-acre Japanese-style village of Oracle CEO Lawrence Ellison and other large estates including residential projects for Joe Montana, Neil Young and numerous other sports, entertainment and high-tech personalities.

For details on the event this May at the Japan Society, see the previous blog entry.

Big Brother and Little Sisters: Moe Market Worth 88 Billion Yen

Anime News Network found a report at Yahoo! Japan that a research firm has valued the moe market at 88 billion yen (US$840.5 million).

This should come to no surprise of fans of the book, Cruising the Anime City: An Otaku Guide to Neo Tokyo. Author Tomohiro Machiyama writes that moe might be the single most important keyword to understanding otaku in Japan today:

"In Japan, you will see flyers and posters with moe characters for escort clubs and massage parlors. Even on a train, a typical moe anime girl talks to you from a TV monitor. Everywhere, moe girls smile at you, just like Big Brother in George Orwell's 1984."

Japanese the Manga Way reviewed in The Japan Times

The Japan Times Online: "...Even without manga the book would be one of the best explications of Japanese grammar and structure available."

Anime Essentials reviewed at WarCry Network

WarCry Network review of Anime Essentials: "...Pick up this one if you're new to the genre or want to give someone a basic overview and assure them it's not all violent pornography."

For a Life Less Ordinary, Try Marrying an Otaku

The Japan Times has a hilarious column by Kaori Shoji discussing her friend's marriage to an otaku.

If you think you're in love with an otaku, learn more about them with Cruising the Anime City: An Otaku Guide to Neo Tokyo and Anime Essentials: Every Thing a Fan Needs to Know.

Meanwhile, let's see someone stitch "Ota-yome no michi wa ibarano michi" ("The path of the otaku wife is strewn with thorns") on a pillow or something.

Stone Bridge Press announces eight new books for Fall 2005

Stone Bridge Press, publisher of books about Japan, will release eight titles in Fall 2005. The Fall Season covers music, spirituality, design, fiction, poetry and Asian studies, plus the paperback version of Donald Richie’s personal journals and the latest book by Leonard Koren.

SEPTEMBER



The Tokyo Zodiac Murders: Detective Mitarai's Casebook
by Soji Shimada, Translated by Ross & Shika MacKenzie. 252 pages, US$22.95

This is the first book by mystery master Soji Shimada ever translated into English! The book that launched Shimada's mystery novel career, The Tokyo Zodiac Murders introduces self-styled detective Kiyoshi Mitarai who in one week must solve a series of murders that have baffled Japan for forty years. With maps, charts and other illustrations, Shimada challenges you to solve the mystery before Detective Mitarai. The Japan Times called the book "Intricately constructed and entertainingly exotic."



Tokyo Fragments: Short Stories of Modern Tokyo by Five of Japan's Leading Contemporary Writers
by Ryuji Morita, Tomomi Muramatsu, Mariko Hayashi, Makoto Shiina, and Chiya Fujino, Translated by Giles Murray. 206 pages, US$19.95

Tokyo is far more than streets and skyscrapers full of gray-suited businessmen, super-trendy teenagers, and schoolgirls in sailor-suit uniforms. Five of Japan's most popular contemporary fiction writers present their vision of life in different quarters of Japan's capital. From Tokyo's mean streets to its bars and elegant cafes, here are stories that measure the pulse of the city while dissecting its heart. These five stories break down the metropolis into fragments of experience that anyone can relate to and enjoy. It is also the chance to sample these leading Japanese authors whose work has never before appeared in English.



The Flower Shop: Charm, Grace, Beauty & Tenderness in a Commercial Context
by Leonard Koren. 112 pages, $19.95

From the author of Wabi-Sabi, on the intersection of beauty and design. If beauty is defined as a quality encompassing both extraordinary sensoriality and exemplary human behavior, then possibly the most beautiful flower shop in the world is located in Vienna's low-key-but-hip 4th District. Blumenkraft (literally, "Flower Power") is a place of inspiration, refuge, and virtue that will inform and enlighten anyone involved in design and modern commerce. Mixing analysis, anecdote, and observation, Leonard Koren once again reveals the key principles of practical wisdom at work in the world. His concise and lucid text is illustrated by his own photographs.



The Japan Journals: 1947 - 2004
by Donald Richie, Edited by Leza Lowitz. 510 pages, US$18.95

Following on the critical success of the hardcover, this is the trade paperback edition of Richie's journals: a record of both a nation and evolving expatriate sensibility, providing insight on world-famous friends along with Tokyo's demimonde. This is not a mere recounting of daily details, but a literary tour de force, filled with insights into culture, art, and personality.



Erotic Haiku
by Hiroaki Sato with illustrations by Emi Suzuki. 112 pages, US$9.95

"deserted beach—a bikini top rolls in on a wave." Short but sweet, haiku is one of the world's most pleasurable forms of poetry, and size definitely matters when haiku turns to erotic themes. By turns cheeky, brilliant, teasing, sad, bitter, and lustful, these tiny poems (sometimes called "erotiku") submitted by numerous lovers (of poetry) pack an enormous erotic wallop. Each haiku appears in English and Japanese for maximum enjoyment, with playful pen and pencil drawings throughout. Best when read aloud, because after all, "without clothes, it's a different conversation."

OCTOBER



A Light from the East: A Gathering of Asian Wisdom
by Frank MacHovec. 176 pages, US$16.95

The great spiritual traditions of Asia in a remarkably compact format... Included are Indian, Tibetan, and Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Yoga, T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Shinto, Confucianism, Feng Shui, and Falun Gong, with brief discussions and excerpts from key works like The Tibetan Book of the Dead and The Book of Five Rings, including the complete I Ching and The Book of Tao. Excellent for casual reading, classroom surveys, and for anyone wanting a broad view of how the Asian Ways complement and reflect each other. Easy to read yet comprehensive in an inexpensive package, this is the perfect "starter kit" for people interested in Asian religion and wisdom.



70 Japanese Gestures: No Language Communication
by Hamiru-aqui, Translated by Aileen Chang. 160 pages, US$9.95

Who needs to speak Japanese? There's a lot you can say with traditional hand gestures and body motions that are universal as well as uniquely Japanese. This whimsical look at "the language of no language" will teach you to hurl insults, flirt, agree, excuse yourself, cross the street, and even make promises—wordlessly! (And who is that stoic guy wearing a suit in all the photos?) Finally, a way to tell someone at a loud party, "Your underwear is showing," in four easy hand motions... This is a book for the serious student, the class clown, and the crazy guy at Akihabara Station hoping to communicate with Godzilla.

NOVEMBER



The Way of Taiko
by Heidi Varian, Foreword by Seiichi Tanaka. 128 pages, US$18.95

Taiko drumming is an ancient sacred practice in Japan, originally used to drive away pests from ricefields and then to call to the gods in thanks at harvest time. Today taiko in Japan and especially North America has evolved into a form of mental, physical, and martial arts training that combines rhythm, harmony, and movement. This book is for anyone who would like to try taiko or who is fascinated by the instruments, dances, and compositions of a typically powerful taiko performance. This book contains an introduction to taiko history as well as resources for students and fans.

Kansai Time Out excerpts The Japan Journals

Kansai Time Out - April 2005 Issue (no. 338) prints seven entries from Donald Richie's The Japan Journals.

Four SBP books reviewed in Protoculture Addicts

Protoculture Addicts Issue #83 reviews four Stone Bridge titles on page 17.

Cruising the Anime City: "This book is the perfect guide to Otakudom."

Mobile Suit Gundam: "The novels are essential for a better understanding of the Gundam universe and are a definitive must for all Gundam fans."

Japanese the Manga Way: "Learning Japanese is not easy, and to succeed you need all the help you can get. This manual is a good way to start since, even if it doesn't make learning that much easier, it makes it funnier and more interesting."

The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film: "...A well-written, well-documented and useful resource."

Japanese the Manga Way reviewed at JapanVisitor

Books on Japan :: Japanese Language | Learning Japanese

Authors Patrick Macias and Tomohiro Machiyama to speak at Get Lost Books in San Francisco next week

On April 20th Get Lost Travel Books hosts TOKYO ANIME, an event in which Patrick Macias and Tomohiro Machiyama, authors of Cruising the Anime City: An Otaku Guide to Neo Tokyo, present a different view of Tokyo: an alternative-pop world of comic book and electronic game stores, anime film locations and the hang-outs of cosplay (those who dress up as anime characters). "...the information is one of a kind."

This free event starts at 7 pm at Get Lost Bookstore, 1825 Market Street, San Francisco, 94103

The Japanese Art of Sex is a finalist for the 2005 Benjamin Franklin Awards

Publishers Marketing Association - Benjamin Franklin Awards
Named in honor of America's most cherished publisher/printer, the Benjamin Franklin Award recognizes excellence in independent publishing. We're honored to see The Japanese Art of Sex as a finalist for the awards presented in June during BEA.

Cruising the Anime City reviewed at Anime News Network

Anime News Network - Special review

Patrick Macias and Tomohiro Machiyama interviewed at Anime News Network

Anime News Network - Interview: Cruising the Anime City

Wabi-Sabi returns in Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune | Wabi-sabi: Read all about it: "Considered one of the must-reads if you want to really know wabi-sabi, this 1994 slim volume poetically pours forth the history and philosophy underlying the Japanese aesthetic that honors the beauty in all things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. It is a manual to set you forth."

Author Patrick Macias interviewed in Newsday article on NY art exhibit

New York City - Museums - Japan, the monster of pop art: 'Little Boy' exhibit illustrates haunted feeling of a devastated postwar nation

PBS Program Features Taiko Group (That is also featured in upcoming SBP book)

Northern California PBS Station KQED will feature the San Francisco Taiko Dojo tonight at 7:30 pm and again on repeats throughout the week.

In Fall 2005 Stone Bridge Press will be publishing The Way of Taiko by SF Taiko Dojo student Heidi Varian with foreword by SF Taiko Dojo founder Seiichi Tanaka. This will be the first English-language guide to the exciting world of Japanese spiritual drumming.

Wabi-Sabi in Chicago Tribune

Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers was mentioned in the Sunday Chicago Tribune:
"...The 1994 tome considered a classic treatise on all things wabi..."

Donald Richie interviewed in Asahi Shimbun

In a March issue of Asahi Shimbun English edition, Gabrielle Kennedy interviews Donald Richie about The Japan Journals: 1947-2004

"An outsider who stayed the course, endeavoring to become 'the person who penned the best likeness.' His view has come full circle: from the difficult and turbulent days of the occupation when he rode allies-only carriages, the USA was criminalizing war efforts and Ueno was abuzz with an energy akin to Paris's left bank through the economic boom and into the present where the USA has cajoled Japan back into war, albeit this time on its side. Change he admits, but with all the original proportions in tact: things get 'higher,' he writes, but not necessarily 'better.'"

Japanese: The Manga Way reviewed at Animefringe

Animefringe: April 2005 - Reviews - Japanese: The Manga Way - An Illustrated Guide to Grammar & Structure

Sacred Sanskrit Words in Daily Yomiuri

Daily Yomiuri On-Line Book Review/New Paperbacks

Watching Anime, Reading Manga reviewed in Sequential Tart

Sequential Tart - The Report Card

Author Christian Tschumi to discuss Mirei Shigemori at The Japan Society

The Japan Society of Northern California hosts a ‘Meet the Author’ event with Christian Tschumi on May 16 at 6:00 p.m. at the Mechanics’ Institute (57 Post Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco). Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. and a RSVP is required. Register online at www.usajapan.org or call 415.986.4383. Admission is $5 for Japan Society members and co-sponsors; $7 for non-members.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Discover the controversial scholar who radically altered the way we look at Zen gardens

MIREI SHIGEMORI: MODERNIZING THE JAPANESE GARDEN

By Christian Tschumi, Photographs by Markuz Wernli Saito

March 2005 (Berkeley, CA) ­ Stone Bridge Press, publisher of books about Japan, presents the first book in English about the master who revitalized a Japanese classic tradition.

Mirei Shigemori (1896­ - 1975), a garden maker and scholar, who was trained in painting, flower arranging and the tea ceremony, is increasingly admired for his contemporary designs, the result of his life’s objective to restore the evolution of the Japanese garden.

Believing that the Japanese dry landscape garden (or Zen garden) had fallen into cliché, Shigemori applied modernist shapes, colors, and materials to create stunning avant-garde works that also celebrated the ancient gods and rituals at the heart of Japanese culture.

This book explores ten major Shigemori works­from the checker-board garden of Tofukuji (1939) and the "Hidden Christian" dry landscape at Zuiho-in (1961) to the masterful stone settings at Matsuo Taisha (1975)­using design/cultural analysis, garden plans, and photographs.

AUTHOR
Christian Tschumi is a practicing landscape architect with degrees from Switzerland, the United States, and Japan. He wrote his dissertation on Mirei Shigemori and the renewal of the Japanese garden.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Markuz Wernli Saito is a visual artist and photographer based in Kyoto and San Francisco.

Mirei Shigemori: Modernizing the Japanese Garden
By Christian Tschumi, Photographs by Markuz Wernli Saito
April 2005, $18.95, 128 pp., paper, 75+ color photos & illustrations
ISBN 1-880656-94-9, 9781880656945
Gardening & Horticulture / Design

Author Frederik L. Schodt interviewed in Asahi Shimbun

In a recent issue of Asahi Shimbun, author Frederick L. Schodt was interviewed about growing up in Japan and his books (including Dreamland Japan), but mostly about his current book, Native American in the Land of the Shogun.

"Where MacDonald was not entirely successful in building his bridge between East and West," reports The Asahi Shimbun. "Schodt continues to act as an informative and appealing intermediary, whose work deserves the attention of those aiming to gain a better understanding of Japan and its place in the world."

Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening reviewed at Mecha Anime HQ

MAHQ reviews the first part of the trilogy now available in a single volume called Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation.

Watching Anime, Reading Manga reviewed at VGO Network

VGO Network:
"...Having read through [Watching Anime, Reading Manga] cover to cover thus far, Mr. Patten has turned me into an Anime History Minor..."

Cruising the Anime City mentioned in Asahi Shimbun article

Tourism promotions feature anime as the biggest draw

Japanese The Manga Way reviewed in JETAANY newsletter

JETAANY Newsletter (PDF)

Read the review of Japanese the Manga Way on p.14. You must have Adobe Reader for this newsletter.

Author Mark Schilling quoted in article on Japanese horror films

Japan Movies Giving the World the Creeps

Mark Schilling is the author of The Yakuza Movie Book.

The Japanese Art of Sex author Jina Bacarr on the radio tonight

Jina Bacarr will be interviewed and take calls from listeners tonight at 11:30 PM Easter on News/Talk 101.5 FM with Harrell Carter in Jackson, TN . You can listen to the show online here.

Also, Jina's recent interview on Conscious Sex with Halley Elise has now been archived.

Naikan reviewed in Spirit of Change Magazine

Spirit of Change Magazine - The Review Pages (March/April 2005 Issue)

"Used in Japan at dozens of retreat centers as well as for a variety of uses from mental health counseling to enhancing business practices, Naikan is based on three questions that provide the foundation for examining your life, your actions and your relationships."

Japan Society hosts Manga Mania! featuring SBP authors

This program, entitled Manga Mania! Quick and Easy Tips to Read Manga, will feature renowned author and translator, Wayne Lammers. His recently published work, Japanese the Manga Way: An Illustrated Guide to Grammar & Structure, provides an in-depth alternative Japanese language textbook using various manga excerpts and examples and Mr. Lammers will present quick and easy tips on using manga to learn Japanese. Joining Lammers will be Fred Schodt, author of Manga! Manga! and Dreamland Japan, who will provide background on the explosion of manga’s popularity here in the U.S. Patrick Macias, author of TokyoScope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion and co-author of Cruising the Anime City – An Otaku Guide to Neo-Tokyo, will moderate this one of a kind discussion and Japanese lesson!

This exciting panel discussion on manga and the Japanese language will take place on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 at 6:00 PM at 312 Sutter Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA. Registration begins at 5:30 PM. RSVP required. You may register online at www.usajapan.org or call 415.986.4383. Admission is $10 for members; $15 for non-members; and $5 for students with ID.

Co-sponsored by and books sold courtesy of Stone Bridge Press.

Sacred Sanskrit Words reviewed at DesiJournal.com

DesiJournal.com - Sacred Sanskrit Words Review

Author Patrick Drazen interviewed in Miami New Times

This article on anime fandom features comments from Anime Explosion! author Patrick Drazen:
miaminewtimes.com Cartoon Swoon 2005-03-17

SBP authors are less 'Wrong About Japan'

Prize-winning author is 'Wrong About Japan'

This review of Peter Carey's latest book was far from positive, but the best part is at the end, when the reviewer names authors Frederik L. Schodt and Fred Patten as better writers on Japanese pop-culture!

The Midnight Eye Guide reviewed in Neo Magazine

Neo Magazine, Issue 004

"...The Midnight Eye Guide still contains much that will enhance your viewing experience, with snippets of unexpected trivia like Masato Harada’s early job dubbing The Empire Strikes Back. It’s informative and well worth the cover price..."

Author Jina Bacarr on the radio this week

Jina Bacarr, author of The Japanese Art of Sex, will be on two radio shows this week, both available online.

Thursday, March 17th at 3 pm Eastern Time: Sex Conscious with Halley Elise
This show will later be archived.

Friday March 18th at 6:30 pm Eastern Time: Bonnie Graham's Long Island's Dating. This show can also be heard at WGBB's Long Island's Talking link.

The Anime Companion 2 reviewed in Anime Insider

“Most anime are created specifically for Japanese audiences ... Luckily, The Anime Companion 2 sets you straight on the ins and outs of Japanese culture and history with over 500 new references.” -- Anime Insider, April/May 2005

Cruising the Anime City reviewed in Library Bookwatch

"A 'must-have' for the collector who needs to know 'the' hottest shopping spots in Tokyo!" -- Library Bookwatch, March 2005

Being Japanese American reviewed in VOYA

Being Japanese American: A JA Sourcebook for Nikkei, Hapa ... & Their Friends

“Teens who want to know a little more about contemporary Japanese American culture beyond all the history books about the World War II internment experience will find great information here…” -- Voice of Youth Advocates, April 2005 Issue

Author Gilles Poitras introduces Cutie Honey at SF film festival

This weekend the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, CA (Saturday, March 12 at 9:45 PM) and the Castro Theatre in San Francisco (Sunday, March 13 at 9:15 PM) will both have an evening showing of Hiroaki Anno's latest film, the live action adaptation of Go Nagai's famous Cutie Honey as part of the S.F. International Asian American Film Festival 2005.

Gilles Poitras, author of Anime Essentials, The Anime Companion, and the upcoming The Anime Companion 2 (pictured), will be introducing the film at the Sunday night showing in San Francisco.

The Japan Journals reviewed in Midnight Eye

"Richie's catalogue of this constantly dynamic and changing metropolis is essentially a story with three intertwining narratives: of how Tokyo has intrinsically changed, how it has changed in the eyes of the world, and how the writer has changed within it. At almost 500 pages in length, as a personalised account of one city's miraculous rise from post-war ruin through the Bubble years of excess to its recession years at the end of the millennium, it is perhaps the most fitting testimonial one could ever wish for."

Midnight Eye book review: The Japan Journals 1947-2004 (Donald Richie)

Midnight Eye also discusses Richie's experimental films, recently released on DVD:
A Donald Richie Film Anthology

Cruising the Anime City review in Film Fanaddict Magazine

Film Fanaddict Magazine

Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp interviewed in Missing Image

Beyond the hype missing image

Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp, authors of The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film, were recently interviewed by this German blog (in English). A 2-page article based on this interview will be in Spex Magazine in late March.

Author Jina Bacarr to guest on Love and Romance with Sue this Saturday

Jina Bacarr, author of The Japanese Art of Sex, will talk love, romance, geisha, and more on Sue McGarvie's radio show this Saturday night, March 5 at Midnight Eastern/9 pm Pacific. Catch it on the radio in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, or find out how to listen online.

Watching Anime, Reading Manga in Collector's Corner

Boyce McClain's Collector's Corner, February 2005, Issue #147: "So you think you know everything there is to know about anime and manga, huh? Sorry bucko but your knowledge pales in comparison to author Fred Patten who over the past 25 years has written several volumes worth of articles and reviews about anime and manga. Stone Bridge Press has compiled the lion share of his work in an oversized paperback collection that gathers together his observations on anime, Japanese society, manga, fandom, artists and more (oh boy, a lot more!). Here's just a sampling of what you can expect in Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews: articles on fanzines, the first ads seen in America, the inside on conventions, mainstream films influenced by anime, reviews of soundtracks, videos, artists bios, extensive reviews on some famous manga and anime titles. His clever insights and thoroughly researched articles make reading Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews insightful, educational and best of all, fun."

Midnight Eye reviewed in Newtype USA

Newtype USA reviewed The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film in its February 2005 issue:

"This is easily one of the most important books on Japanese cinema ever released in English. Asian film aficionados Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp (co-editors of the authoritative website midnighteye.com) bring us 97 reviews of Japanese films accompanied by 20 in-depth profiles of filmmakers including Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale), Seijun Suzuki (Branded to Kill) and Sogo Ishii (Gojoe). Chronicling the rise of today's crop of wildly talented indie filmmakers after the fall of the Japanese studio system, Mes and Sharp write with passion, insight and a collective critical voice that's neither cumbersome nor too casual. Of note to anime fans are featured write-ups on the films of Hayao Miyazaki and Katsuhiro Otomo, making this a book that every fan of Japanese cinema should own." -- Justin Kovalsky