So Crazy Japanese Toys! [Paperback]

Jimbo Matison (Author), Rodney Alan Greenblat (foreword) (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003

When huge alien spiders or ocean-dwelling mutant dinosaurs hell-bent on destruction decide to pay a visit to humankind, they always seem to stop in Japan first. So Crazy Japanese Toys! showcases a cast of totally cool, totally sugoi creatures culled from the most popular Japanese children's TV shows. From early and obscure Japanese shows to programs that have gained mass popularity around the worldincluding Ultraman, Space Giants, and Johnny Sokko and His Flying RobotSo Crazy Japanese Toys! will delight both casual fans and hardcore aficionados. Readers will encounter rubber-clad superheroes galore, kawaii 'n' cuddly characters, high-revving motor heroes, and of course rockin' chicks of both the friend and foe varieties. This book is a must-have for anyone attracted to anime and manga. This isn't mere eye candyit's a gobstopper.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jimbo Matison is a writer, artist, animator, designer, and voice talent [his voice shouted the popular 1990s Sega scream (SEGA!)] and an award-winning director, who started his career on MTV's Liquid Television and lives in San Francisco.

Rodney Alan Greenblat is a New York City artist whose popular character lines include Rodney Guy from the TV show UgoUgoLuga, Parappa the Rapper video games and TV series, and Thunder Bunny.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811835294
• ISBN-13: 978-0811835299
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #79 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Toys

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for collectors of Japanese toys., April 22, 2003

By 

Elvis-from-Hell (Fort Lauderdale, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Crazy Japanese Toys! (Paperback)

As a long time collector of Japanese vinyl monster toys, I'm so glad that we finally have a domestically published book for stateside collectors (until this great book was published, we collector-types had to rely on expensive and hard to find Japanese import books as reference tools).

This book is beautifully put together by Jimbo Matison and follows the format of many of the Japanese toy collector books, i.e. each page consists of a single photograph of a toy placed in a fantasy setting (similar in format to the book on vinyl toys available from the Marusan USA website) with a "key" at the back of the book that gives the name of the toy, date of production, manufacturer information, etc.

Rather than a comprehensive collector's guide that tries to list every vinyl toy ever made (like Sean Linkenbach's Godzilla collectibles book), this book takes a selective approach to showing these toys. There are "chapters" organized according to genre of toys (heroes, monsters, female characters, vehicles, etc.) with a sampling of both vintage and new toys in each category. This is not a price guide, rather, the toys are photographed and presented for their design and artistic appeal. There's a nice combination of toys from vintage manufacturers such as Bullmark and Marusan as well as modern companies like M-1 and Marmit.

The only criticism I have is that I wish the book showed more toys! On balance, this is a beautiful, large format book with page after page of beautifully photgraphed japanese vinyl toys. You'll love this book whether you collect these toys or are just interested in their aesthetic appeal.

Nice work Jimbo!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These Toys Rock !, May 5, 2003

By 

Mark R. Nagata (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: So Crazy Japanese Toys! (Paperback)

Just got this book and it Rocks ! The photos are richly reproduced, most in full page format. The innovative use of textured backgrounds paired with some of the craziest looking toys ever made, make this book a must for your coffee table.This book is pure , 100% eye candy to feed your imagination..it's no wonder many if not all the current hot designers and artists have been influenced by Japanese toys, old and new.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Cool, May 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: So Crazy Japanese Toys! (Paperback)

I'm not a collector or anything but I just thought these characters were so cool, most of them i've never seen before, all in close up details and really great color. I completely recommend it for the money.