WRONG ABOUT JAPAN

In a stunning memoir-cum-travelogue Peter Carey charts this journey and his own re-evaluation of Japan through his attempt to understand its culture of animated film and cartoon. With an appeal that spans the generations, these cartoons are violent and disturbing but also inherently concerned with Japan''s rich history and heritage. Led by their adolescent guide Takashi, father and son look for the puzzles and meanings hiding within manga and anime, searching for what they call their own ''real Japan''. From Manhattan to Tokyo, and Commodore Perry to Godzilla, by way of the Atomic bomb, Wrong about Japan is a fascinating and personal exploration of two very different cultures. Twice Booker-winning novelist Peter Carey is exasperated by his twelve-year old son Charley. The boy has not inherited his father''s literary leanings and instead finds solace in Japanese video games, cartoons and animated movies. Carey tries to understand him by taking him on a trip to the heartland of these products: this ''study of Japanese culture through the lens of anime and manga'' is the result. On their journey the two encounter artefacts ranging from the ancient theatre of kabuki to the fascinating social codes of Japan''s answer to nerds, the otaku. But what represents ''the Real Japan''? Before embarking Carey had theorised manga as a series of allegories, about Japan''s opening to trade since 1854 and especially about the horrors of World War II. Its creators are only too keen to debunk his ideas, however, and he leaves with the impression that this culture is just as inscrutable as the Western adolescents who consume it.(Kirkus UK)