01 May / Mechademia, Volume 1: Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga edited by Frenchy Lunning [in Bloomsbury Review]
While not itself a graphic novel, Mechademia is an inevitable – and arguably necessary – byproduct of the manga and anime craze, imported from Japan and embraced by the West, having now established itself into the intelligentsia’s hallowed ivory towers. Move over, otaku – the professor wants to read alongside!
The debut annual journal creates an accessible, regular forum for scholars, critics, and fans to discuss the latest and greatest in the phenomenal pop culture world of graphic novels and beyond. Watch this space for the next installment. [Oh, and for those of you wondering …otaku basically is a not-so-polite way to say, ‘hey, YOU!’ in its original Japanese, but in the West, it’s become a badge of honor for the most hardcore anime and manga fans.]
Review: “In Celebration of Asian Pacific American Month: New & Notable Books,” The Bloomsbury Review, May/June 2007
Readers: Adult
Published: 2006