It’s the Modern World, the End of Times, the Decline of the West, the Revolt of the Masses. It’s the 1920’s. It’s going to be Very Silly.
It lasted such a brief time, squeezed between the revolutionizing Meiji (明治 1868-1912) and the warlike and industrious Showa (昭和 1926-1989). It was named after an emperor who was not very important after all. But in the Taisho period (大正時代), many Japanese tried the first steps towards a democratic, open society, challenging old values and [...]
On YellowPeril, I was being nostalgic about the anime series of my childhood (Muskehounds, Queen Millennia). There were some interesting collaborations between European TV producers and Japanese animation companies at that time. One example is the Italian series Reporter Blues from 1991, also shown in other European countries (such as Germany, on Pro7). It’s set [...]
Ever since my March visit to Japan, I nervously have been waiting for my manga shopping to arrive per fune, that is, ship mail. Today, the first package of two arrived! I made a list of the 6,5 kilogrammes of solid entertainment that arrived, with short reviews.
My favourite Japanese era is Taisho, as you might know. Without this short period of social radicalism, political turmoil, democratic experiments and general cultural craziness, the early 20th century history of Japan would look unbearably monolithic. Of course, the other epochs have their charm, as well as their dark sides, but they lasted much longer [...]
My favourite design from a little book about Taisho era graphics that I found in Japan. Unfortunately I feel too sick to entirely decipher the artist’s name - Tatsuo *something*-zawa. Japanese names are often really difficult to read because they can be written with very rare kanji that might not be pronounced according to the [...]