Customer Reviews

Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Horror, Fantasy, and Sci Fi Films

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

This would have been a very interesting book but there are simply too many factual and typographical errors to recommend it. As far as I'm concerned, the book's only redeeming value is in the cross-listings given in each entry, which allow basic navigation through this genre for those who are new to it.

Did Thomas Weisser actually watch any of these movies before writing about them? I find that hard to believe as I've managed to track down a lot of these films, only to find them completely different than his reviews. Weisser's never had much credibility - this just continues to add to his legend.

Here is a shining little star in the otherwise empty universe of the Japanese Cinema reference books. Why a "little" star? And who is the reader? For serious buffs ("otakus" of Japanese movies) it contains not enough infos, and has too many gaps (where, for example, is "Kujakuoh"?) On the other hand, in case of beginners of the genre, it is almost sealed by the red tape. Personally, I enjoyed it, but what about the others?

I really wonder about this author. He professes to love the Asian cinema so much yet what he writes about Asian men and women tend to be degrading. Regarding women, the author obsesses on appearance rather than acting ability. As for men, he has a tendency to lump them into a faceless, violent, crazed mass. I'm not really sure if this author means it or not, but his books have the feeling of borderline racism or voyeurism disguised as movie reference books. The subject of Asian cinema deserves much better than this and Asian people should be outraged.