The first author listed wrote a book called "A Geek in Japan" which describes the Japanese as "little 'non-thinking' ants who simply copy and improve what they see" among other choice observations. I would never select anything by him for any library.
Oh wow, I wasn’t aware of THAT phrase. There are a lot of great books about otaku culture… that doesn’t meet the standard.
I reviewed that book a long time ago - it was a weird combination of useful, fun infodump about Japan, and awful pronouncements about "the Japanese mind." Where the heck was the editor, was my thought.
I don’t remember having an issue with the nerdy content, but everything else about that book seemed so wrong in almost an old-fashioned way. Like that the Japanese “think in a different way from us….their minds work on the basis of images.”
I mean, who would write that in this day and age? And why would a respectable publisher like Tuttle release it?
it was really bizarre and awful. honestly I don't know what's up with Tuttle - I was just chatting elsewhere about how the manga they are publishing lately also makes me think "where the heck was the editor?" to the extent that I just won't read them anymore.
and yes maybe I'm extra fussy because I edit manga for a living but come on - Tuttle! They should know what they're doing!
Jeeeez
I read a bunch of positive Goodreads reviews and now I'm sad