Review: Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World, by Matt Alt
by
Stuart Holland
At the beginning of this book, I was a bit worried it might end up being a bit voyeuristic - looking at Japan as if it were some mythical and magical place instead of a real one. But it pulls back from that, and picks an ensemble cast of case studies of Japanese artists and historical events to draw a through line much of the 20th and early 21st century and how Japan’s cultural journey in that time affected everybody else’s.
I enjoyed learning about a lot of the early manga artists, about Sanrio and Hello Kitty (and particularly the unconfirmed in-joke about the origin of the name Sanrio).
It was fun when the book touched on areas that I already knew well, and it gave good explanations for newcomers that were enough to get the context it needed.
From aspirational artists like Osamu Tezuka, to alt right trolls on /b/, Pure Invention covers a lot of ground and draws some surprising connections. If you’re interested in Japan, I think you’d enjoy it!
Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World
