Born of Japans cultural encounter with Western entertainment media; manga (comic books or graphic novels) and anime (animated films) are two of the most universally recognized forms of contemporary mass culture. Because they tell stories through visual imagery; they vault over language barriers. Well suited to electronic transmission and distributed by Japans globalized culture industry; they have become a powerful force in both the mediascape and the marketplace.This volume brings together an international group of scholars from many specialties to probe the richness and subtleties of these deceptively simple cultural forms. The contributors explore the historical; cultural; sociological; and religious dimensions of manga and anime; and examine specific sub-genres; artists; and stylistics. The book also addresses such topics as spirituality; the use of visual culture by Japanese new religious movements; Japanese Goth; nostalgia and Japanese pop; "cute" (kawali) subculture and comics for girls; and more. With illustrations throughout; it is a rich source for all scholars and fans of manga and anime as well as students of contemporary mass culture or Japanese culture and civilization.
2014-12-16 2014-12-16File Name: B00R3RXGJU
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The section with Julian Casablancas is pretty funny but theres not much redeeming about this bookBy Done in 60 SecondsIm no Neil Strauss fanatic. The Game changed my life and Emergency was a very interesting read. Ive never read his rock bios or even his interviews. So ELYWYD was a miss for me. Its become a bathroom book. I was hoping for more of a narrative but there really isnt one; its just an anthology of mostly bland interviews.Maybe im of a dissenting opinion but i dont find Lady Gaga all that interesting. I think it was a mistake to put her in the book; as nobody will care or even really remember her a decade from now. On top of that; its just her backstage rambling about her family. Who cares?The section on Brian Wilson should have been interesting but its not. All we learn about him is that his wife answers for him a lot because hes done so many drugs that its impossible for him to complete a thought.For some reason; Strauss goes on for page after page about what happened to wax sculptures from a closed-down Nashville museum. Again; who cares? They ended up where youd expect them to end up. Melting in a basement somewhere.The Who? Who cares?The guy from Soul Asylum? Who REALLY cares?The section with Julian Casablancas is pretty funny but theres not much redeeming about this book. And its long. Strauss phoned it in with this one.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. So much more than a compilation of interviewsBy Erik KetzanI was pleasantly surprised by Everyone Loves You When Youre Dead (ELYWYD?). I was expecting a collection of Strauss interviews over the years; assembled; like every other such book; in some kind of mundane order-- the interview with Madonna; then Gaga; then Bowie; etc.-- I was expecting to read the interviews I was interested in and skip the ones I wasnt.Thankfully; ELYWYD is so much more than that. The book splices dozens of Strauss interviews into a narrative so that; unlike most books of interviews; you actually want to read this one cover to cover. The narrative sometimes follows a theme (contrasting different rock stars views on faith; struggles with addictions; their childhoods; battles with record companies; etc.); and other times explores a particular story (for instance why some members of Pink Floyd dont speak to one another and why Pete Townshend resisted re-forming The Who).Like most of Strauss books; this ones a page-turner. I read over 300 pages in one day. The book goes down so easy that its easy to take for granted how *big* it is; in every sense. Its the condensation of apparently a couple decades worth of rock journalism; and assembling such a crazily entertaining narrative from what must have been thousands of hours of interview tapes must have been no easy task. But as entertaining and fun as the book is; its also a deep and surprisingly illuminating exploration of fame; art; and ego. Its a major and important book on music; stardom; and; well; the times we live in.Theres a lot more to say; and Im sure many other reviewers will jump in and say it. Anyone with a serious interest in music or pop culture in general will probably devour Strauss ELYWYD.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. AWESOME!By Matt SimonsThis is the first book that Ive read by Neil Strauss but wont be my last. Hes an amazing author and interviewer. Every interview in this book is entertaining. Ive learned so much about the celebrities Ive admired my whole life by just reading these in depth raw interviews. I really like how each interview is extremely different than the last. It will go from Snoop Dogg to Johnny Cash to Britney Spears to Led Zeppelin to Madonna and so on. All the words from each interview are coming strait from the mouths of each interviewee and not manipulated and twisted by journalists and thrown together for a magazine article. Youll really get to know each and every celebrity on a personal level. I would recommend this book to anyone. Ive found a new respect for almost every person in this book. Its all very entertaining!!!
