Wrong About Japan

The Taipei Times review’s Peter Carey’s book “Wrong About Japan,” which has been out in the U.S. for about six months.
My favorite part of the book is where Carey interviews the creator of “Mobile Suit Gundam” and tries out his own scholarly interpretations of the cartoon. The creator simply repeats, over and over, that the intention of the comic is to sell robot toys. Nothing more. This had a profound effect on my attitude toward manga.
The book has its flaws (mainly, the author’s annoyingly bumbling persona), but it’s a quick read that provides some interesting background on Japanese culture, including interviews with a sword maker, a survivor of the firebombing of World War II, and anime king Hayao Miyazake. It’s worth checking out, especially if you can get it from the library.