Hiroki Azuma is one of the premier cultural and literary critics of Japan. Up until recently his career has been focused on the postmodern style of literature until the late 90's, when he began to apply similar theories to Japanese pop culture. Azuma has recieved plenty of criticism for his transition from literature to the otaku cultural phenomenon, but that small loss is our gain.
This translated study, and in some ways a critique of the Otaku subculture gives English speaking audiences a rare glimpse of this emerging realm of academia of Japanese pop-subcultures. Azuma attempts to theorize and conceptualize what it is to be Otaku - why and how this has become a purely Japanese phenomenon. To Azuma the Otaku subculture is one of a sort of blind and unpredictable consumerism. From just the title one could make the assumption that this will be a strong cultural critique against Otaku, and while Azuma does indeed refer to them as "Database Animals" (His reasoning I will leave you to decipher) it is quite neutral and sometimes even positive.
I highly suggest this book for anyone interested in contemporary East Asian studies, its a simple read and you'll be left satisfied.
No comments:
Post a Comment