japanamerica

Drawing on the past of Osamu Tezuka By ROLAND KELTS In 1977, American author and translator Frederik L. Schodt and three friends formed a manga translation group in Tokyo, with the then-quixotic dream of introducing Japanese comics to a global readership. Schodt had arrived in Japan in 1965, courtesy of a father in the United States Foreign Service. He returned in 1970 to attend university after a short stint in the U.S. At the time, manga were everywhere in Japan, he says, and a lot more fun to read than textbooks. Schodt became addicted to the gag-and-parody series published in boys’ magazines. But one day a friend loaned him a copy of Osamu Tezuka’s epic 12-volume “Phoenix” — and he was stunned. “It made me realize that the work of Japanese manga artists was sometimes approaching the best in literature and film,” he says. So he and his translation team went straight to Tezuka Productions to get permission for their debut project. To their surprise, the artist, already a c...

Godzilla Resurgence: Japan Reboots Its Most Iconic Monster After a twelve-year hiatus, Godzilla returns to theaters in Japan this July, and could be more relevant than ever. By Jonathan DeHart If the trailer released in April is anything to go by, Godzilla Resurgence (Shin Gojira), could set a new bar for the series. Set to a dramatic musical score and devoid of dialog, the minute and a half of footage teases viewers with scenes of epic destruction, as Godzilla looms above, swaying what appears to be the largest tail in the series’ history. Fleets of tanks, helicopters and battleships unleash a vicious onslaught of firepower against the gigantic, irradiated lizard – to no avail – as panicked military and government officials frantically formulate a game plan and terrified citizens flee for cover. As the 29th installment in the monster’s sprawling filmography is being met with widespread anticipation, it begs the question: What gives Godzilla so much staying power? “Godzi...

My conversation with Madeleine Brand.