Mechademia 1
Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga
Mechademia 1 engages the rise of Japanese popular culture through game design, fashion, graphic design, packaging, and fan culture.
Contributors: Anne Allison, William L. Benzon, Christopher Bolton, Vern L. Bullough, Martha Cornog, Patrick Drazen, Marc Hairston, Mari Kotani, Thomas LaMarre, Antonia Levi, Thomas Looser, Susan Napier, Michelle Ollie, Timothy Perper, Sara Pocock, Brian Ruh, Takayuki Tatsumi, Toshiya Ueno, Theresa Winge, Mark J. P. Wolf, Wendy Siuyi Wong.
Japan's pop culture, once believed unexportable, 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 phenomena 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 one go wrong? So why wait? Hop in your giant mobile suit and stomp down to the local real or virtual bookstore to purchase a copy right now!
Frederik L. Schodt, author of Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics
After decades in which American popular culture dominated global media and markets, Japanese popular culture—primarily manga and anime, but also toys, card and video games, and fashion—has exploded into a worldwide phenomenon. From Pokémon and the Power Rangers to Paranoia Agent and Princess Mononoke, Japanese popular culture is consumed by an eager and exponentially increasing audience of youths, teenagers, and adults.
Mechademia, a new annual edited by Frenchy Lunning, begins an innovative and fresh conversation among scholars, critics, and fans about the complexity of art forms like Superflat, manga, and anime. The inaugural volume, Mechademia 1, engages the rise of Japanese popular culture through game design, fashion, graphic design, commercial packaging, character creation, and fan culture. Promoting dynamic ways of thinking, along with state-of-the-art graphic design and a wealth of images, this cutting-edge work opens new doors between academia and fandom.
The premiere issue features the interactive worlds that anime and manga have created, including the origins of cosplay (the manga and anime costume subculture), Superflat, forgotten images from a founding manga artist, video game interactivity, the nature of anime fandom in America, and the globalization of manga.
Contributors: Anne Allison, Duke U; William L. Benzon; Christopher Bolton, Williams College; Vern L. Bullough, California State U, Northridge; Martha Cornog; Patrick Drazen; Marc Hairston; Mari Kotani; Thomas LaMarre; Antonia Levi, Portland State U; Thomas Looser, NYU; Susan Napier, Tufts U, Austin; Michelle Ollie; Timothy Perper; Sara Pocock; Brian Ruh; Takayuki Tatsumi, Keio U, Tokyo; Toshiya Ueno, Wako U, Tokyo; Theresa Winge, U of Northern Iowa; Mark J. P. Wolf, Concordia U; Wendy Siuyi Wong, York U.
Japan's pop culture, once believed unexportable, 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 phenomena 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 one go wrong? So why wait? Hop in your giant mobile suit and stomp down to the local real or virtual bookstore to purchase a copy right now!
Frederik L. Schodt, author of Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics
Mechademia 1 is a juicy compendium that casts a wide net over the worlds of manga and anime. Following myriad paths of aesthetic and sociological analysis, the book reveals (and revels in) the richness of these wildly popular media and their impact upon games, art, the academy, and fan-based communities. The scholarship is strong and diverse—this is a beautiful, lively book which has something for the otaku in all of us.
Scott Bukatman, author of Matters of Gravity: Special Effects and Supermen in the 20th Century
The essays are insightful, greatly detailed, and footnoted properly for academic study, but the subject matter is as fascinating as any fan might want. A fascinating glimpse inside the more esoteric aspects of anime/manga, and one that fans and scholars alike will welcome.
Foreword Magazine
Though not itself a graphic novel, Mechademia is an inevitable—and arguably necessary—by-product of the mange and anime 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.
Bloomsbury Review
A yearly compilation of insightful essays and reviews assembled by a board of professors and researchers in Asian studies, Mechademia is a ‘forum for Anime, Manga, and the Fan Arts’ that goes into minute detail and, for a change, really is a scholarly tome instead of merely looking the part.
Newtype USA
The book is a fascinating read into the many different aspects of history and culture of Japan and how it has affected the world.
Nichi Bei Times
This is the inaugural volume of an academic-level annual devoted to anime, manga, and related art forms and issues. A great first effort, recommended for all academic and public libraries. Mechademia 1 aims to bridge the gap between academics and fans.
Library Journal
