Customer Reviews

So Crazy Japanese Toys!

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

This book is an amazing collection of killer photos and really hard to find information about the Japanese Toy characters that dominated all those tv shows for decades. As a designer and a toy enthusiast, I own it and love it. Hey it's 13 f'in dollars. you cant go wrong. Just to have all the photos alone is worth way more than that.

I must admit that I am no expert in the japanese toy field, but I LOVED this book as though I have know these toys for years! I came across it in a bookstore while I was looking for a gift to give to a friend that actually knows about this stuff. I had no idea there was such a comprehensive and specific book out there, I figured some book about rock and roll was what I would find, BUT NO! I found the PERFECT thing! SO CRAZY! I thought at first the layout of just pictures was a little odd, but the friend I gave it to said that is the old school way they put these things together. He absolutely loves it! (so do i, i got one for me too...)

THANK YOU MISTER MATISON FOR GIVING US SOMETHING TO GIVE TO OTHERS THAT IS SO FUN, SO COOL, SO CRAZY AND SO GOOD!!!!

I'm so happy to see a book that has a whole chapter dedicted to female heroines (and villains)! The chapter is called Rockin' Chicks. I never knew such great female characters existed. Only in Japan. The other chapters are fun too. Ultraman is in the Men In Rubber chapter. My brother and I watched Ultraman when we were kids. I totally forgot about Ultraman until I saw him in this book and all of the memories came back. (I actually bought this book for my brother but when it arrived I decided to keep it for myself. Bad sister! I ordered him one too.) The photos are so vivid and the design is great. I recommend this book to anyone who knows all about these Japanese shows (like my brother who loved it) or anyone who has an imagination. I have a new heroine and her name is Mimina! Great book.

[You] can't hide the author's vast knowledge of this fascinating subject. I found it alternatly charming and illuminating. The author ("Jimbo", obviously not his real name), most likely some kind of bike riding hero in strange suit himself, has managed to capture the flavor and oddity of the strange and wonderful world the japanese have created. The beautiful photography is a catalog of the bizarre no culture miner should be without. This book should serve as a "must-have" resource for students of Japan, Kaiju, Anime, Toys, and anyone who can't resist the lure of brightly colored vinyl.

This book is a must have for Japanese vinyl doll collectors or for those who appreciate awesome pictures. The book could have featured more vinyls, but I'm not complaining.

Beautiful photos and nice book on vinyl japanese toys.

I apprecciated

I'm so happy to see a book that has a whole chapter dedicted to female heroines (and villains)! The chapter is called Rockin' Chicks. I never knew such great female characters existed. Only in Japan. The other chapters are fun too. Ultraman is in the Men In Rubber chapter. My brother and I watched Ultraman when we were kids. I totally forgot about Ultraman until I saw him in this book and all of the memories came back. (I actually bought this book for my brother but when it arrived, I decided to keep it for myself. Bad sister! Not to worry - I ordered him one too.) The photos are so vivid and the design is great. I recommend this book to anyone who knows all about these Japanese shows (like my brother who loved them) or anyone who has an imagination. I have a new heroine and her name is Mimina! Grat book.