4 comments about Japanese Movie Posters: Yakuza, Monster, Pink, and Horror.

1. I happen to collect various art and photographs of entertainment from the early 1900's to modern times and I've always been interested in others collections of art or photography.
   
   "Japanese Movie Posters" is a book that features posters from various genres such as yakuza, sci-fi and monster, samurai, pink, horror, animation and new cinema and goes further by allowing the reader to have a chance to purchase the book.
   
   Similar to other Cocoro Books (DHP Publishing) releases, this book can be seen as a photobook but you do get commentary for each poster and its respective genre. Also, unlike other recent releases from Cocoro Books, this book is about 8×12 and quite large, featuring large full color photos and more.
   
   The book was written by Chuck Stephens, a contributing editor from "Film Comment" and Jinema Junpo", Masuda Tetsuya, a prdocuer and runs the cinema section at the bookstore @wonder and the final person featured is Kairakutei Black, known as a walking encyclopedia on Japanese films of all genres.
   
   The pages feature a large image of the poster and below the image is the title of the film (in English and Japanese), the film studio and year it was made, the director and how much the poster costs. Then a brief information on the film.
   
   So, an example would bey "Return of the Tokyo Drifter" (Zoku: Tokyo Nagaremono" which was releasd in 1966. It was great to see classic posters like this, that go back in the 60's and the same can be said for other genres featured. Especially for the Sci-Fi films such as Godzilla, Mothra, Gamera and Ultra Man films. Great to see those posters.
   
   As much as the book features straight up movie posters, this book is not for the young as it does contain nudity.
   
   Once you get to the chapter of "Pink" (adult films produced by indie productions), then you do get to see quite a bit of the nudity featured on the posters and it's not full frontal nudity but a lot of the movie posters featured a lot of women nude from the the torso up.
   
   I'm sure one of the biggest attractions of this book will be those who are enamored by anime films. Posters from the 1978 "Farewell Space Battleship Yamamoto", 1979's "The Castle of Cagliostro", 1984 "Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer" and many Miyazaki film posters are featured. But unfortunately, anime posters are limited to only nine pages and I admit that I was hoping to see posters from the late 70's "Gundam" films, the 1982 "Cobra" film, a few other Miyazaki films and more.
   
   Also, another attraction is the "samurai" posters which seem to be the most expensive in terms of collectability. But if there was one thing I was hoping was that there would be Kurosawa Akira posters featured. I know that the book features films from 1960's and up but I would have loved to see the posters for "Yojimbo" or even "Ran".
   
   As for the category "New Cinema", you get newer films such as Kitano Takeshi films and films that I watched in Japan such as "Odoru Daisousassen" have their posters featured.
   
   And featured at the end of the book is an index in both English and Japanese for those looking for a film poster in this book which was cool to see both featured. And as mentioned, a way for fans to purchase the posters online.
   
   "Japanese Movie Posters" is definitely another welcomed niche book from Cocoro Books. The fact that this company continues to bring niche books that appeal to fans worldwide is great and as much as one can see many film or TV drama posters on the train stations or high above buildings, and many around the Odaiba Fuji TV area, for me, it's always cool to see artwork, photography or posters from a film, especially if it was created before I was born.
   
   I did feel that I wish there were as equal amount of coverage for other genres, especially for the coverage of anime films and wished there were posters for Kurosawa-related films. That would have been awesome to see.
   
   But all in all, the guys did a great job featuring the posters and giving information on the films. And as much as it serves as a visual reference for fans interested in purchasing the posters, it also works as a great entertainment book covering Japanese entertainment within the last 40 years.



2. If you buy one book on Japanese cinema this year, this is it. They have done a terrific job of laying out the history of Japanese film in poster format, in correct color no less, with
   a lot of useful information for the Japanese film buff, and collector since many of the posters are available to order right from this publication. My only comment is when will their next
   book be issued? Enjoy!



3. I discovered this new book put out by Tokyo-based DH Publishing by accident. And am glad I did. Chock full of full-page full-color posters of the most wonderfully wackiest of Japan's classic movie posters. There's everything from Horror and Monster to Samurai and Ninja, Pink (what they call soft porn) to Anime, and even some new posters thrown in. My best is easily the Sci-Fi genre, which includes the ultimate Ultraman. Also, you gotta check out some of the Monster posters, like Godzilla and some huge Ice Man creature. I bought two of these, as I knew it would make that perfect present when you've run out of ideas what to buy someone. DH Publishing arigato! I'm going to check out their other books. I hope they're as good!



4. Japanese Movie Posters: Yakuza, Monster, Pink And Horror is an eye-opening, full-color presentation of movie posters representational of the best and the worst of Japan's cinema. From lurid and graphic horror to yakuza movies to posters of Hayao Miyazaki's wondrous words of animation, Japanese Movie Posters offers an unforgettable slice of Japanese popular culture in the twentieth century. Brief yet erudite and scholarly commentaries by Chuck Stephens (contributing editor to "Film Comment", a columnist for "Kinema Junpo, and a freelance specialist in Asian cinema for publications worldwide), Tetsuya Masuda (vintage poster expert and head of the cinema section of wonder antiquarian books), and Kairakutei Black (a Japanese film critic and traditional "rakugo" comic storyteller) offer informed and informative insights into the psychology and media background of the individual posters round out this impressive collection. A unique compendium of cinematic poster art, Japanese Movie Posters is a welcome and highly recommended addition to any personal or academic Cinematic Studies reference collection.

No comments about Modern Guns: Identification & Values (Modern Guns).

1 comments about Conservation of Furniture (Butterworth - Heinemann Series in Conservation and Museology).

1. this book is a great reference, plus it endorses many of the treatments and techniques i've been using for many years.

1 comments about 1001 Wristwatches: From 1925 to the Prsent.

1. I bought this as a gift for a watch collector. He's still going crazy for it. The book has a wide range of watches with great, clear pictures for each. However, there's only a small description for each watch that includes what it's made of and what kind of mechanism it has in it. This book does not have prices but it's great to look through even for someone who is not a collector.

2 comments about The Ultimate Corkscrew Book (Schiffer Book for Collectors.).

1. This is a great book for the collector or anyone with an interest in the subject of corkscrews. The photos are superior and the authors knowledge is evident in the comments and information presented.



2. Donald Bull obviously knows his corkscrews. He has assembled a fascinating exposition on corkscrews which delights your eyes as you turn each page. If you thought corkscrews were just for opening bottles, you're wrong. Donald Bull shows you that corkscrews are works of art as well.

   The layout is beautiful and his corkscrew erudition is undoubtable. You should get a copy for yourself. A work of art.

5 comments about FELDBLUSE: The German Army Field Tunic 1933-45.

1. Don't feel compelled to write a wordy review - this is just the best book ever made on the in-depth examination of the German combat tunics of WWII bar-none. Outstanding book and well worth the money!



2. Good photographs, but some concerns with the work. On page 41, the waffenfarbe for panzergrenadiere is misidentified as that worn by mountain troops - an error far too common in German Army collector's literature, suggesting that the research for this book was done by consulting the same secondary sources that have been circulating misinformation for the past few decades. But we wouldn't know, because there are no footnotes, and worse, no photo credits. However, there is a list of primary sources listed on the back page, and reference is made to this throughout the text.
   
   There are a great many suppositions made and conclusions drawn from facts not in evidence. The cartoon on page 29, for example, shows a pattern of private purchase field blouse in use with turn back cuffs and buttons on the rear that the authors are unfamiliar with. Rather than accepting this contemporary evidence at face value, the authors have labeled it a "mistake". A check of other sources might have yielded better dividends. Private purchase field blouses with turnback cuffs in officers' quality cloth for NCOs were in fact permitted in the German Army, so this cartoon is not necessarily a "mistake". Try Angolia.
   
   There are other examples of conclusions drawn from garments that have no provenance, but are being assumed to be wartime originals. There are also full page photos of such things as assault gun tunics and Waffenrocks, which seem to be mere filler.
   
   Some nice colour photography up to the standards of MILITARIA magazine - though as one may guess, the models all look very clean and very French. Comes close to being as useful as Pruett and Edwards book on Panzer uniforms. A good overall effort and some useful details for collectors. Contemporary photos are clear and the large size format is welcome. Book is affordably priced, unlike others in the same genre.



3. Excellent book, but short. Wets your appetite for more. Excellent pictures & text - highly recommended.



4. This book is exceptional for its size (128 pages). It has many excellent photographs of original tunics: exterior, front, back, interior showing lining, stitching patterns; ink stamps of tailors, garment firms, size and acceptance markings. There are photos of tunics lying flat with equipment, firearms, personal items, with extensive captions identifying all items. Other accurately exposed color photos have male models wearing the tunics with typical gear. The chapters are arranged in chronological order, 1933-1944, with B&W period fotos. Only drawback, only nine pages on officer's tunics. Otherwise, an exhaustive reference with attention to detail and vivid realism you will never tire of examining. A beautiful reference book with no fakes, war movie fantasies, or poor quality reproductions.



5. This book is by far the best ever written on this subject. The book is detailed with great information and color pictures of original garments.

1 comments about Standard Companion to Carnival Glass: Identification & Values (Collector's Companion to Carnival Glass).

1. Good book. Small enough to be portable. Illustrations are good with wonderful information about the piece,i.e., colors, maker, year and value.

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2 comments about Shotguns for Wingshooting.

1. Fantastic book overall!! Topics covered include side by side to autoloaders to various kinds of ammo for all types of birds. Great read from an honest author!



2. Barsness has written the best current overview of shotguns for hunting: not sporting clays, trap, etc. He is not aligned nor does he show a marked prejudice for a particular type of shotgun like the side by side which is so prevalent today. He explains the advantages and downsides of various guns and does a particularly good job on the very important, if not vital, subject of stock design and fit. Although I think you can find much of this information elsewhere, Barsness brings it together in a very concise format and cuts through the "poppycock." Plus, the photos are great!

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