 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS | | | ▪ | ADAPTATION / ART: | | FRENCHY LUNNING | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 303 | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 12/26/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 07/06/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Japan's pop culture, once believed non-exportable, is now hitting the shores of other nations like a tsunami. In North America, young fans consume vast amounts of manga and anime, while academics increasingly study the entire J-pop phenomenon to understand it. One community has passion while the other has discipline, and what has been lacking is a bridge between the two. Mechademia is the bridge, and with a name like that, how can you really go wrong? Mechademia is a series of books, published by the University of Minnesota Press, devoted to creative and critical work on anime, manga, and the fan arts. Linked through their specific but complex aesthetic, anime, manga, and the fan arts have influenced a wide array of contemporary and historical culture through design, art, film, and gaming. This series seeks to examine, discuss, theorize, and reveal this unique style through its historic Japanese origins and its ubiquitous global presence and manifestation in popular and gallery culture. Each book is organized around a particular narrative aspect of anime and manga; these themes are sufficiently provocative and broad in interpretation to allow for creative and insightful investigations of this global artistic phenomenon. Though not itself a graphic novel, Mechademia is an inevitable – and arguably necessary-by-product of the anime and manga craze, imported from Japan and embraced by the West. The debut annual journal creates an accessible, regular form for scholars, critics, and fans to discuss the latest and greatest in the phenomenal pop-culture world of graphic novels and beyond. This book is a fascinating read into the many different aspects of history and culture of Japan and how it has affected the world, as well as how it may have affected you yourself. Networks of Desire - the second volume in the Mechademia series - explores the varieties of desire that structure and influence much of contemporary anime and manga in manifestations that range from the explicitly sexual to more sublimated text and imagery. Collecting original essays by scholars, artists, and fans, Networks of Desire considers key issues at play in a Japanese society increasingly uncertain of its place in a globalized world: from idealized representations of same-sex desire in such shôjo manga (girl’s comics) as The Rose of Versailles, to fan fiction inspired by the gender-switching manga Ranma ½, to desire in otaku communities. Deftly weaving together desire and discourse, Mechademia 2 illuminates the techno-carnal fantasies, animalistic consumption, political nostalgia, and existential hunger underlying the most popular and influential expressions of Japanese popular culture today. You might not know what to think about a book like this just from looking at the cover or skimming the inside - so it really must be said that this is a very insightful and involving work that most anime fans at a higher maturity level would get a lot out of. This book is interesting – that’s a straight fact. At times it is a great history lesson, but more of the time it is an engrossing psychological “picking apart” of many of our favourite anime in ways that we can easily understand, despite the complexities. This book doesn’t just talk about anime and Japanese culture – it relates these things to ideas and concepts that may be a real part of our lives, whether they be day to day, or just in the background. It’s wonderful that someone has taken the time to further investigate the hidden meanings behind the actions of characters in television series and films that we have enjoyed – it’s really quite involving, and a rare read. It can be hard to find someone who is able to have a really stimulating conversation with about deeper subjects relating to an anime we have enjoyed – but with this book there are hundreds of ideas and nuances to ponder over. It’s a smart read, but never so smart that it gets ahead of itself or that it isn’t understandable. It has a really great balance, and could easily be recommended to any anime fan with a thirst for insight beyond just watching a show, or being a fan. Frenchy Lunning (author/editor) is professor of liberal arts at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and also editor of Mechademia 1: Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga.
IN SUMMARY:
Mechademia: Networks of Desire is an excellent, intelligent read without ever being stuffy about what it knows and wants to share with the reader. A perfect book for any mature fan looking to expand their understanding of the anime they know and love.
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