Dana is excited about her school trip to Japan despite the fact that she is surrounded by the Melly Mob, "in-crowd" kids who make fun of her. Dana is certain she will be less of an outsider in Japan, home of manga and anime. But she soon discovers that it's just as difficult to fit in with a foreign culture as it is to fit in at school. And the only other manga fan that she meets refuses to talk to her. As Dana learns to meet people halfway and gains some friends in Japan, Melissa, leader of the Melly Mob, makes every effort to remind her that she's still an outsider. Also available in French.
Almost right from the introduction of baseball to Japan the sport was regarded as qualitatively different from the original American model. This vision of Japanese baseball associates the sport with steadfast devotion (magokoro) and the values of the samurai class in the code of Bushidō, in which greatness is achieved through hard work under the tutelage of a selfless master. In Contesting the Myths of Samurai Baseball Keaveney analyzes the persistent appeal of such mythologizing, arguing that the sport has been serving as a repository for traditional values, to which the Japanese have returned time and again in epochs of uncertainty and change. Baseball and modern culture emerged and developed side by side in Japan, giving cultural representations of this national pastime special insights into Japanese values and their contortions from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Keaveney explains the origins of the cultural construct “Samurai baseball” and reflects on the recurrences of these essentialist discourses at critical junctures in Japan’s modern history. Since the early modern period, writers, filmmakers, and manga artists have alternately affirmed and debunked these popular myths of baseball. This study presents an overview of these cultural products, beginning with Masaoka Shiki’s pioneering baseball writings, then moves on to the long history of baseball films and the venerable tradition of baseball fiction, and finally considers the substantial body of baseball manga and anime. Perhaps what is most striking is the continuous relevance of baseball and its values as a point of cultural reference for the Japanese people; their engagement with baseball is a genuine national love affair. “A fascinating study of samurai baseball and the culture it represents viewed through historical and contemporary literature, poetry, manga, and movies. An important, original work that is full of insights. Christopher Keaveney has put enormous effort into researching this book and he is to be congratulated. I learned a lot by reading it.” —Robert Whiting, author of You Gotta Have Wa and The Meaning of Ichiro “Keaveney’s book offers a nuanced introduction to the Japanese model of samurai baseball along with an analysis of many of the works that treat the guiding principles of that model. A fresh look at Japan’s national pastime.” —Bobby Valentine, former MLB player and manager and former manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball “Christopher Keaveney effortlessly combines a thorough knowledge of Japanese baseball—its players, managers, fans—with the cultural productions surrounding it. The result is a nostalgic trip through history and an edifying survey of literature, film, and manga.” —David Desser, professor emeritus, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Der er her tale om et to-binds værk om ovennævnte krig på over 1200 sider. Værket er skrevet på grundlag af en række fremtrædende militære forskeres undersøgelser af bl.a. nyåbnede russiske og tidligere ubrugte japanske kilder. Værkets hovedtese er, at denne krig er en direkte forløber for første verdenskrig, hvorfor forfatterne benævner den russisk-japanske krig, World War Zero. Bind I vurderer den russiske side og den vestlige kontekst, medens bind II ser på den asiatiske side af krigen. I begge bind ses på følgende forhold: Militære, diplomatiske, sociale, politiske, økonomiske og kulturelle sammenhænge, der alle har spillet en rolle.
Dana est excitée à l'idée d'un voyage scolaire au Japon, même si elle y va avec la bande à Melly, le groupe des élèves in qui se moquent d'elle. Dana est persuadée qu'elle s'intégrera bien au Japon, pays du manga et de l'anime. Mais elle découvre bientôt qu'il est tout aussi difficile de s'intégrer dans une culture étrangère que dans sa classe. Et Melissa, chef de la bande à Melly, ne rate pas une occasion de lui rappeler qu'elle est différente des autres.
“My body is filled with poison…” The first man that Seika falls in love with in the purest way possible is a researcher that she calls Doctor Ryo. Growing up in a small enclosed world, he was the first person to make her happy both as a person and as a woman. With him by her side, she can do anything. She can even wander the night and use her body to transmit poison to its intended victims. The problem is, no matter how strongly she feels for Ryo, she can never touch him because of the poison she carries. The bittersweet mystery you’ve been waiting for starts now. Vol.1, 44 pages.
Dairy work has been a struggle for Hachiken, but farming may be better than he thought! But real life isn't always fun and games. There are frustrating and challenging times. Through it all, Hachiken strives to stand strong even when it seems everything is falling apart.
