The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953 [Paperback]

Jonathan Clements (Author), Motoko Tamamuro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003

Deeply connected to Japanese anime, manga, music, and film is . . . Japanese TV. This encyclopedic survey of the next cultural tsunami to hit America has over one thousand entries—including production data, synopses, and commentaries—on everything from rubber-monster shows to samurai drama, from crime to horror, unlocking an entire culture’s pop history as never before. Over one hundred fifty of these shows have been broadcast on American TV, and more will follow, perhaps even such oddball fare as a Japanese "The Practice" and "Geisha Detective." Indexed, with resources for fans, couch potatoes, and researchers.

Jonathan Clements is contributing editor to Newtype USA Magazine and coauthor of The Anime Encyclopedia.

Motoko Tamamuro is an art historian and contributor to Manga Max.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"More and more people I know around the world are hooked on Japanese TV dramas, even if they don't speak Japanese. If you're not hooked, you will be soon. And you'll need this book. Kudos to Jonathan Clements and Motoko Tamamuro for creating an entertaining and immensely useful encyclopedia. I'm in awe." Frederik L. Schodt, Author of 'Manga! Manga!' and 'Dreamland Japan' -- Review

About the Author

Jonathan Clements is the former editor of Manga Max magazine, and the translator of dozens of anime, including Samurai Gold, Slow Step and Plastic Little. He has been awarded the Japan Festival Award for outstanding contributions to the understanding of Japanese culture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Stone Bridge Press (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880656817
• ISBN-13: 978-1880656815
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #704,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Pop Culture

More About the Author

Jonathan Clements is the author of many books on East Asian history, including biographies of emperors and empresses, statesmen and warriors, foreign visitors and outcast rebels. His works have been translated into over a dozen languages, including French, Spanish, Korean and Dutch, and he achieved a rare distinction when his book on the First Emperor of China was itself published in Chinese.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a book for Japanese dorama fans!!!, December 28, 2003

By 

Dennis A. Amith (kndy) (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953 (Paperback)

This is the book that Japanese drama fans have been waiting for. As a fan and also a creator of the online J!-ENT Japanese Dorama Database, it is a real pleasure to see a book not only covering Japanese drama but also sentai and including anime references for the anime fans who have discovered Japanese dramas. Within the last five years, there has been a significant Japanese dorama boom in many countries thanks to the growing popularity of anime, Japanese music and Japanese/Asian entertainment. Although Japanese drama is not readily available as Japanese animation or Asian cinema on DVD, there is a growing fandom for dramas thanks to the International channels, Japanese rental stores, fan-trading/subbing, BT and VCD's. What I like about this book is that it has something for everyone. For fans looking for information on trendy Japanese dramas, the very long duration NHK and TBS dramas (especially those samurai/historical dramas), sentai and of course, dramas within the last fifty years, I was very impressed how the authors handled and included them in this book. What I worried about the most was the translation or the titles that would be used for the drama because what other countries have used as their English title for a Japanese drama has nothing to do with the translated title and thus, I was happy by the way this book handled that. One thing that also impressed me is the author and Stone Book Press's dedication to update the encyclopedia (there are dramas missing and a few errors but they are not as numerous and can be fixed in the next version especially with the input from readers). For a freshman book, it actually surpassed what I was expecting and I highly recommend the purchase of this book. So, may you be the trendy drama fan like me or the fan who just watched the live version of GTO or You're Under Arrest and are hooked and want more! This book is THE ONLY SOURCE that you will find this much information on Japanese dramas.-KNDY

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Amazing, December 11, 2003

By 

Blakeslee (Eddor) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953 (Paperback)

Just when you thought there was nothing new to say about Japanese popular culture, this incredible book rolls off the presses. Riding the "dorama" wave within anime and manga fandom, the authors have opened up an entirely new area in Japanese media studies. Very few cultures have such guides to their TV available -- only the USA, the UK and Brazil have any comparable volumes in existence. The introduction is particularly interesting, demonstrating the earth-shattering effects of the English-language broadcasting industry -- simply by being five years ahead after the war, the USA came to dominate the style and practise of Japanese TV. Superman becomes Ultraman, the Westerns become samurai dramas, and, amazingly, one of the most influential TV shows in Japan *today* is still the all-but-forgotten American "Thirtysomething". An incredible window into the way that English-language culture is transformed when viewed through the eyes of another nation.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Japanese TV, December 3, 2003

By 

Rhonda Eudaly (Fort Worth, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953 (Paperback)

This is a well thought out and researched project into the history of Japanese television. Not only does Clements and Tamamuro catalog all available references, they cross-reference them to untold degrees, AND provide a concise overview of the industry's history. There are also amusing sidebars with observations and bits of trivia not found in any other compliation of this type.

This is a MUST for any fan of the Japanese culture and an eye-opening experience for those who equate Japanese entertainment to pop music and anime.

Definitely a comprehensive source of information for anyone in the industry or just needing a pop culture reference.