The last section of the book focuses on the export of Japanese pop culture to the world. Although most of these selections are academic, they are still highly readable. Several articles comment on the complementary association of television, manga and the other genres. For example, a serialized manga will promote the sale of printed manga, leading to the formation of large “alliances” in which each partner promotes the other. Image alliances have also formed so that each format can borrow images from the next, saving the need for reproduction and redrawing and thus reducing costs. These alliances have also been established in other Asian countries, but they have not yet formed in North America. Nevertheless, the American marketplace has come to realize that any manga with an anime counterpart in English will sell better.
Other Asian cultures, in particular, are strong consumers of Japanese pop, mostly because many of these cultures are rapidly industrializing and look to Japan as role models. They can more easily identify with the customs, cultures, lifestyles and values of the Japanese, which are similar to their own. While Craig aptly describes how these genres reflect the Asian culture, his anthology seems to lack articles that discuss in detail the social or cultural impact of pop on Japanese and Asian consumers.
Japanese pop has captured a broad and enthusiastic Asian market, to be sure, but it has also faced cultural barriers in the United States. Many American audiences consider the productions too realistic and sometimes too violent. Characters Son Goku from Dragon Ball, who are drawn naked, are altered by adding a fig leaf (12). Americans have also found it difficult to accept feminine superheroes. Since the manga, anime and other forms reflect the ordinary, daily life of Japan, they are often filled with scenes of rice, noodles, martial arts, Shinto shrines, traditional houses, and Japanese customs and beliefs. These are foreign concepts to which Americans find it hard to relate. The products that have been successfully imported into the US market place, such as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, have been substantially altered to make the product more “American.”
Craig’s anthology does not address the fact that markets change as consumers and cultures change. University libraries are encountering a more visually-oriented learner who prefers videos to books. This consumer might readily accept the more visual media that Japan pop offers. An examination of the current literature shows that the increasing pervasiveness of the internet has also broadened cultural outlooks. Improved telecommunication allows for the transmission of film clips online, allowing producers to deliver films and television programs directly to US consumers through their websites. This development, in turn, facilitates greater access to Japan pop as well as information about these cultural forms. An increase in conferences on the subject of Japanese manga and animation has heightened its awareness, and the launch of other Japanese products like Pokemon have increased the interest in other Japanese pop forms. With an increasing emphasis on diversity and the awareness of other cultures in America,
American tastes will presumably become more global, leading to an even more profound influence of Japan pop on American society.
The predicted increase in the popularity of pop culture renders Japan Pop! an invaluable resource. It serves as an excellent introductory overview of Japanese popular culture, while at the same time offering a glimpse of the rapidly changing Japanese society. This anthology is superior to many of its contemporaries, for it not only covers a wide swath of popular culture but also offers critical evaluations, describes the various media and presents rich illustrations. This anthology is indeed refreshing since many leading titles, such as the Encyclopedia of Japan Pop Culture are merely descriptive. For this reason, Japan Pop! has a broad appeal to the general public, yet it has still been successfully adapted as a textbook for university courses across the United States.
