A B.R.A.G. MEDALLION HONOREE. Award-winning author Blue Spruell reimagines classic Japanese folklore in an historical fantasy adventure of warlords, swords & mythical beasts from old Japan – Banzai! Lost in the mists of Mount Fuji . . . but no one can escape destiny. Orphaned by a rival warlord and bewitched by a ghost, young Taro must discover his birthright and destiny as the legendary boy samurai and hero of Japan. Accompanied by Tanuki, his shape-shifting badger sidekick, Tarō embarks on a quest of self-discovery and revenge, falls for Kamehime, the teenage samurai daughter of a powerful warlord, and ultimately becomes embroiled in the political struggle for the imperial throne. Along the way, Tarō and his allies face fearsome yōkai, the ghosts, goblins, and ghouls of Japanese folklore. "A riveting tale of betrayal, honor, and revenge that instantly hooks you in and just refuses to let go." - READER'S FAVORITE, Five Stars Review
A reexamination of the woman who created the legend of Robert Capa, the world'sfirst female photojournalist to die in combat, Gerda Taro In Paris in 1934, a young and beautiful Jewish émigrée, Gerda Pohorylles, met a Hungarian political exile, André Friedmann. They reinvented themselves as the photographers Gerda Taro and Robert Capa--and he would become the most important photojournalist of his generation. When Gerda was killed in the Spanish Civil war at the age of 26, Robert Capa was her most notable mourner--his grief was beyond control. Her funeral drew crowds of thousands and she became a hero of the political left. Despite the legend that was built around her, she subsequently became a mere footnote in Capa's story. Seventy years after her death a long-lost suitcase was discovered in Mexico, containing thousands of negatives by Capa and Taro. Most astonishingly of all, the "Mexican suitcase" showed that photographs that had been attributed previously to Capa were, in fact, the work of Taro. Jane Rogoyska's book will trace Taro's life and reveal the depth of her relationship with Capa. Charismatic and extraordinary, they epitomized one of the most tumultuous periods of the century.
"Catholicism, like most world religions, is patriarchal, and its official hierarchies and sacred works too often neglect the lived experiences of women. Looking beyond these texts, Juliana Flinn reveals how women practice, interpret, and shape their own Catholicism on Pollap Atoll, part of Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia. She focuses in particular on how the Pollapese shaping of Mary places value on indigenous notions of mothering that connote strength, active participation in food production, and the ability to provide for one's family." "Mary, the Devil, and Taro contributes significantly to the study of women's religion and the appropriation of Christianity in local contexts. It will be welcomed by not only anthropologists and other scholars concerned with religion in the Pacific, but also those who study change in gender roles and Marian devotions in cross-cultural perspectives." --Book Jacket.
Compiled by his family after his passing, this deeply emotional book honours Taro’s memory and the legacy of his journey through life. International D.J., adventurous risk taker, soul-searcher, Taro Joy lived a life few of us can even imagine - including his demons! The Tao of Taro uses raw poetry, prose and significant photos to tell stories about his travels through the music industry, Tokyo’s underworld, the U.S. prison system and spiritual revelations he had after several death defying experiences. These stories are of a boy’s and a man’s search for balance in chaos, which led him, towards the end of his life, to understanding. As a line from the book says, “Even the bad stuff is inspirational."
Throughout his career, Taro Yoko was despaired by the image of humanity returned by most big budget video games. Taro Yoko's strange work reviews the entire career of this extraordinary creator, his games (Drakengard, NieR) and sheds light on the link that constitutes his work. Check out this complete book on Taro Yoko, which explores the contours of its games, their development, the complexity of their stories and their thematic depth. With a preface by Taro Yoko himself ! EXTRACT Nowadays, most of the players who have heard of Taro Yoko do not associate his name to any particular face. Inconvenienced by public appearances, the director systematically equipped himself with a device to cover his face during meetings with the press, at least since the creation of NieR. Shortly before the announcement of NieR: Automata at the E3 2015, Yoko even had a mask made, based on the character Emil, by a plastic artist from PlatinumGames for a mere four hundred euros. Since then, he has worn it every time he is in the presence of photo and video cameras. His persistence in hiding his face under this thick layer of plastic naturally arouses curiosity. One might be led to believe that this is a communication strategy or the eccentricity of an enigmatic creator. Nevertheless, the visual anonymity of the director is in no way a means to nurture the mystery of his personality. Far from comparing himself to the likes of Banksy (a famous street artist and statement maker, who prefers to remain anonymous), Yoko just prefers to let his games speak for themselves. In fact, ask him, and he will answer with no difficulty that he grew up in Nagoya, in the Japanese prefecture of Aichi. Restaurant managers (izakayas, ramens, tempuras, etc.), his parents flitted from one restaurant opening to the next and entrusted their son’s education to his grandmother. WHAT CRITICS THINK "Overall, I enjoyed my time with The Strange Works of Taro Yoko, especially as a fan of the man’s works [...] It’s a great companion piece for long-time fans, and if you’re looking for more unofficial content to read about for the Drakenier universe, you can’t go too wrong." - RPG Site ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nicolas Turcev - Journalist specialized in pop culture, he has contributed to the following magazines: Chronic’Art, Carbone, Games and Gamekult, and occasionally participates in the video game analysis site Merlanfrit. He is also the author of several articles of the Level Up collection at Third Éditions.
'Soon after becoming the Supreme Commander of Allied Powers, MacArthur ordered all Japanese weapons confiscated and destroyed. This order includes swords, even Shinto temple swords of great beauty and value. Some of these art swords, called nippon-to, are documented national treasures. At the same time, Japanese secret societies, such as Showa and the Kanesuka Brotherhood, are to sell them to bigtime foreign collectors for the lucrative profit they will bring. The Johkai Priest of the nearby Sengaku-ji Temple and his assistant, Yoshida Nobu, have asked us to smuggle two extremely valuable swords out of Japan and keep them hidden until political conditions are favorable for their return.' Charged with smuggling priceless swords out of Japan to protect them from being destroyed by Allied forces or sold on the black market by criminal organizations, Blaz Carvajal, Ragnor Ragnvold, and Magwitch Russell conceal the swords and transport them back to the United States for safekeeping. Among the swords is the Hachiman Taro, invaluable Samurai sword from the sixteenth century. Showa, a Japanese secret society, sends Watanabe, a brutal, Japanese POW guard, to retrieve the swords from the trio. Once in the United States, Watanabe covertly tracks down the swords' locations. Can Blaz, Ragnor, and Magwitch keep the swords from falling into Showa's hands? What lengths of brutality will Showa go to retrieve the swords? Who will emerge victorious in the battle for the blades? Follow the path of the swords in the history-rich, action-packed Hachiman Taro: Firstborn of the God of War.
