MADreads

Samurai swordsman vs. giant robots

July 14th, 2006 Jon - Central Library

The cover of the hardcover edition of Wrong about Japan juxtaposes a samurai swordsman with one of the giant robots from Mobile Suit Gundam. Peter Carey spends most of the book trying to understand the relationship between them. Though interesting, the book is burdened by Carey’s preconceived notions of what manga and anime mean, especially by his insistence that they mean something about Japan or what it means to be Japanese.

In his efforts to understand, Carey and his twelve-year-old son visit a sword maker and anime creators, Kabuki Theater and Sega World. After each episode, Carey learns that things weren’t quite what he thought they were, but rarely offers readers little more than his own bewilderment.

It was his son’s interest in manga and anime that prompted their trip to Japan, and the juxtaposition of classic samurai with futuristic robot works better as a metaphor for the distance between Carey and his son. In fact, the father-son relationship was the most interesting aspect of this slim travelog.

Entry Filed under: Nonfiction