Pure invention

Amazingly well researched, informative, and highly entertaining. If you're a fan of Japanese culture or just curious to learn more, I highly recommend this book. Jonathan Ross. A geek-friendly look at how Japan has influenced the post-World War II world, from games to Trump... A thoughtful study for non-residents of Japan's vast influence in subtle and profound ways. Kirkus. Walkman. Karaoke. Pikachu. Pac-Man. Akira. Emoji. We've all fallen in love with some Japanese pop culture creation, from the techy to the wild to the ultra-slick. But as veteran Japan media expert Matt Alt proves in this fascinating investigation of Tokyo's pop-fantasy complex, we don't know the half of it. Japan's games, gadgets, and fantasy worlds haven't just entertained; they've fundamentally changed the way we live. In the 1970s and 1980s, Japan seemed to be living in the near future, thriving thanks to the superior technologies of Sony and Toyota, while the West struggled to catch up. Then a catastrophic stock market crash in 1990 led to “lost decades” of deep economic stagnation and social dislocation. The end of the boom was supposed to plunge Japan into a spiral of marginalization, but at that very moment, its cultural influence soared—when, once again, Japan reached the future a little ahead of us. Hello Kitty, the Nintendo Entertainment System, and multimedia empires like Pokémon and Dragon Ball Z were more than just marketing successes. Artfully packaged, captivatingly engaging, and breathtakingly fun, these products made Japan a wellspring of the world’s imaginations and gave us new tools to cope with turbulent times. They also changed us as we consumed them—connecting and isolating us in new ways, opening new vistas of imagination and avenues for revolt. Through the stories of an unforgettable cast of artists, geniuses, and eccentric characters, Pure Invention reveals how Japanese creativity reshaped global culture and perhaps created modern life as we know it. It's Japan's world; we just play, text, sing, and dream.