A fairly current addition to Japanese Studies The End of Cool Japan is a collection of writing by academics from four continents of the Anglophone world, excepting an inclusion from China, which begins to reveal just how convoluted and varied the legal, ethical and cultural questions around Japanese comics and animation are. Although geared more towards researchers and teaching it is a fascinating read for anyone with interest in the challenges of Japanese popular culture due to both its dominate and fringe parts, as well as the comfortable and uncomfortable realities of Japan itself. In other words what is cool and not cool.

These matters, covering an ambiguity filled mega-hit like Death Note, gatekeeping, religion and politics including imperialism are far from easily discernible. While a theme near throughout the collection is Japan’s pornographic, erotic and racy output in comics and animation, such are only one source of contention both at home and abroad. Though, I admit the most interesting topics of the book for me were with the discourse around various questions of Japanese comics with sexual content. 

The End of Cool Japan doesn’t answer definitively what is and is not acceptable across jurisdictions. Nor intend to present proof that the not cool is never in the wrong. Such would be expecting something of the impossible, or failing to understand its purpose. The issues are so complicated and ever changing, global in reach. However, The End of Cool Japan does with breadth and personal accounts invite a needed and ongoing intellectual conversation, even if such conversations are not at all times cool to have. 

 

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