I recently finished Peter Carey’s Wrong About Japan: A Father’s Journey With His Son. It’s a remarkably short book, demanding only a day or two of casual reading. It’s also a frustrating book, at least from the viewpoint of an anime fan.
Admittedly, I’m not terribly familiar with Carey’s work. I understand he’s a novelist by trade, and it’s perhaps for this reason Wrong About Japan reads more as an aimless travelogue than a serious piece of reporting (the New York Times review makes a similar point). Often, Carey betrays his own premise, indulging himself with entire chapters on swordmaking and the legacy of World War II. Even in interviews with an assortment of celebrated anime directors and manga artists, Carey himself hogs the spotlight. His Japanese hosts are kind enough to chuckle at his ignorance of their craft and culture, and his son bright enough to give him a jab in the side when appropriate, but as a reader, it took effort to resist muttering “jackass” under my breath with each page.
Thankfully, Carey at least comes to admit his being in over his head, although whether he does so out of acceptance or exasperation, I can’t say. But, I couldn’t help but feel like poor Takashi, our hapless otaku specimen (and local color), annoyed with Carey’s reluctance to see the “Real Japan” right before his eyes. If the author had practiced a bit more humility, he perhaps would have recognized Takashi as a walking encyclopedia of anime and manga culture. I suspect he would have gained more insight from an afternoon in Akihabara with Takashi than in countless interviews with industry stars such as Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino.
The book’s heavy focus on Gundam is an indicator of how Carey only skips across the surface of his subject matter. Granted, Gundam is big, but trying to explain anime and manga culture through the lens of Gundam alone is akin to writing the history of rock ‘n roll using nothing but references to Elvis. And, as Mr. Tomino himself openly admits, Gundam was created in order to sell toy robots and little more (you don’t build a $100 billion industry on social commentary alone). In some ways, Carey and son, being non-Japanese Gundam fans, are a bit of an oddity, for the franchise never saw the sort of popularity in North America that it saw in Japan. American fans cut their teeth on another giant robot franchise: Macross.
Wrong About Japan is not without value, however. The interplay between Carey and son is entertaining, and one particular interview explains the concept of otaku more convincingly than most books on the subject. And, of course, I’d be lying if I said Carey’s lack of familiarity with his subject wasn’t as amusing as it was vexing at times.
Finally, I was surprised by the mention of Jeremy Hedley in the book’s acknowledgments. Apparently, he accompanied Carey and his son on their visit to Studio Ghibli as chronicled in the book’s penultimate chapter. Coincidentally, I believe I first discovered Hedley’s blog via that particular post. It’s a strange, small world.
