Book Description
An expanded edition of the cult classic on Japanese animation This new edition of the groundbreaking bestseller is a must-have for both seasoned and new fans of anime. Japanese animation is more popular than ever following the 2002 Academy Award given to Hayao Miyazakis Spirited Away. It confirmed that anime is more than just childrens cartoons, often portraying important social and cultural themes. With new chapters on Spirited Away and other recent releases, including the forthcoming Howls Moving CastleMiyazakis next hit film, already breaking records in Japanthis edition will be the authoritative source on anime for an exploding market of viewers who want to know more.
Customer Reviews:
Significant improvements over the first edition.......2007-05-31
It is readily apparent that professor Napier has watched a considerable amount of anime since writing the first edition of this book. The analysis now covers a much broader range of material, and is much more effective for it. My only gripe is that professor Napier mentions Gundam in passing, but was unwilling to invest the time to explore that peculiar institution of Tomino-san's. I hope that she can overcome her reticence in time for the third edition.
exhaustive and thought-provoking.......2007-03-21
A wonderfully deep book that finely examines anime across all genres to explore the anime itself and what influenced it.
A deep analysis of Japanese Anime in general. .......2006-09-04
The author discusses the different anime genres (Mecha, fairy tales, fantasy, Sci fi, shojo, history, pornography etc). She examines the common themes like metamorphosis, merging of humans and machines, gender panics, masculine crisis, identity, disappearing shojos and the role of young heroins (shojos) across different animes. She attempts to explain how these themes fit into Japanese society, identity and culture both traditional and new. She uses examples from many different animes to illustrate her arguments. Animes used in the discussion includes Evangelion, Ghost in a Shell, Akira, Twin Dolls, Inuyasha, Wolve's Rain, Rouroni Kenshin, Ranma ½, Utena, Grave of the Fireflies and Miyazaki's work just to name a few. If you watch these animes, you might want to read this book to better understand Japanese anime in general. One whole chapter is devoted to pornographic anime. Since I am not allowed to watch these anime due to religious restrictions, I found her writing very informative. Dr Napier gave good explanations of the themes and genres in the context of Japanese culture and issues that challenge modern day Japanese society. I would recommend this book to anime lovers, students and researchers who have an interest in Japanese culture and literature.
One star has been taken out because:
1. Japanese anime is a lot more than what was covered in this book.
2. I greatly admire Rumiko Takahashi, the author of Inuyasha for her definition of the word "demon". Through Inuyasha, the author demonstrated the very abstract post modern notion that a word (eg demon) has a fixed meaning in our minds only because humans/man defined it as such, our understanding of a word can be re-defined. I did not like Dr Napier's short and superficial analysis of Inuyasha although I agreed with her views.
3. I think at times, the author was so carried away summarizing the animes that the point she is trying to make becomes unclear.
4. My favourite animes in order of preference: Inuyasha, 12 Kingdoms, Samurai 7, Last Exile, Escaflowne, Evangelion, Gundam, etc most of which are not selected for discussion in the book.
If you are die hard Miyazaki fan, you should love this book because a lot of focus is put on Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Nausicaa etc.
Due to the omission of Ono Fuyumi's 12 Kingdoms, I wanted to give this book a 2 star rating. However, I'm grateful that Dr Napier wrote a very well researched book on Japanese anime, giving us an insight into different themes and how these fit into Japanese society and culture.
"Napier Draws a rather complete picture of Japanese animation as a legitimate art form, and uses anime as a key to the culture that created it" Entertainment Weekly.
Book Description
The Rough Guide to World Music is the unchallenged reference work on sounds from around the globe. This third edition is more comprehensive than ever - updated and expanded throughout and with a number of new countries added. Volume 1: Africa & Middle East has full coverage of genres from Afrobeat to Arabesque, and artists from Amadou & Mariam to Umm Kulthum. The book includes articles on more than 60 countries written by expert contributors, discographies for each article with biographical notes on thousands of musicians and reviews of their best CDs.
Customer Reviews:
Work of Lunatic Scholarship Indeed.......2007-01-06
The first two editions of the Rough Guide to World Music have long been essential reference books for music lovers, and it still holds true with the third edition. Expanded and revised, this is the first volume in a three-volume set, this time around focusing on the music of Africa and the Middle East. Drawing upon a whole host of authors, this work broadens the horizons by looking at every major style of musc in the region, from classical and tribal music, to modern Afro-pop, al-Jeel and Rai sensations. New and popular generes, such as African rap, Arabesque and Toureg music, are also examined in depth, making this volume much more thorough than it's predecessors. The book makes a monumental effort to catalouge the best of newer CD releases, including mention of prominent CD labels, as well as classic hits. Also, in addition to the standard articles, interviews and CD recommendations, most chapters also include a suggested playlist of iPods or MP3 players, giving an overview of the country's musical styles.
The first section focuses on the vast and culturally diverse continent of Africa, and takes up roughly 3/4s of the book. Almost every major country and style is covered - Congolese soukous, Algerian rai, Ethio-jazz, Nigerian Afro-beat, high life from Ghana, East African taraab, chimurenga and mbira from Zimbabwe, and many more. Indeed, South Africa has three seperate articles focusing on pop, jazz and gospel, respectively. Other articles focus on specific cultures, such as the Kabylie Berbers of Central African Pygmies. New and expanded material includes a look at Toureg music, Libyan music, the San and !Kung bushmen of Namibia, Botswana and post-war Liberia. This makes it an essential buy for those interested in these little known countries. In addition, there are countless profiles, biographies and even interviews with many prominent musicians such as Rachid Taha, Angelique Kidjo, Malouma mint Meidah, Cesaria Evora, Yossou N'Dour, Oliver Mtukudzi and the Drummers of Burundi. Other short side bars and notes highlight topics as diverse as Malagasy reburial rites, Nigerian pop stars abroad, the tribal musics of Kenya, the Chaoui Berbers of the Aures Mountains, and Moroccan music festivals. Theres even an article on pioneering ethno-musicologist Hugh Tracey, who's recordings highlight now lost musical traditions from across sub-Saharan Africa. All in all, a great and wonderfully enlightening look at African music.
Although smaller than the section on Africa, the Middle Eastern section of the book is just as interesting and informative, even if the region is covers is somewhat smaller. The greats of Arabic classical music, such as Abdel Halim Hafez, Farid al-Atrache, Fairouz and, of course, Oum Kalthoum, are all covered. There is also a quite up-to-date (for the moment anyway) chapter covering Egyptian pop music, and seperate chapters for the regional musics of other Arab countries. Whereas they were lumped together in the previous edition, articles on Lebanon, Syria and Iraq have been updated and expanded enough to merit their own chapters, each showing their countries unique styles of music. The many, diverse traditions of Iran, Turkey and Israel are each covered, ranging from the whirling dervishes to bellydance to Persian classical music. There are also seperate articles covering ethnic groups such as the Kurds, Sephardic Jews and the Bedouin. The Caucasian republics - Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan - get pushed into this book too, due to shared cultural heritage with the Middle East. And, to top it off, theres a great new chapter about the rise of Arabesque, eletronic music that draws on Arab and Turkish influences (think Natacha Atlas, or Rachid Taha's remix of "Ya Rayah"). Very cool...
So, is it worth the buy? I'd certainly say so. If your a world music fan, especially one interested in African or Middle Eastern music, this book will become an essential reference for you. Especially if you want to learn more but have no idea where to begin. Even if you consider yourself pretty familiar with the musical styles here, you'll still find plenty of gems you may have missed out on, or never heard of before. Trust me on this one. It's already expanded my CD collection, and I've only had the new edition for a couple of days. The focus has greatly expanded from the previous editions too, which were a little heavily focused on pop music. This edition is more broad, showing a vast array of regional and cultural styles from across Africa and the Near East. It's a must buy, and I strongly recommend it.
Bigger and better!.......2006-12-23
The Rough Guides--the CDs and the books--offer spectacular resources for anyone interested in international music. This is the first volume in a projected 3-volume set that will replace the current two-volume edition. The material on Africa and the Middle East present about 50% more material than before, and include suggested "playlists" in addition to the biographical and discographical information included in the previous edition. As a radio programmer I find the Rough Guides quite useful.
Customer Reviews:
Extraordinary: Overwhelmingly Wonderful.......2000-12-28
The research here is remarkable. The scholarship is first-rate, the information exhaustive (although never definitive since world music grows with leaps and bounds moment by moment).
I love dipping into this attractively illustrated, logically organized, and utterly helpful guide to find whole realms of sound which I not only didn't know existed but also could not even have imagined existed without the help of these fine fans of the music about which they write so clearly and well.
The world today is a depressing place. Sorrow is everywhere one turns. But this celebration of music continually energizes and revivifies. Buy it; enjoy it; and expand your CD collection.
Everything V. 1 was for Middle-East, African, & European ..........2000-12-20
... this one is for Latin & North American, Caribbean, Indian, Asian/Pacific idioms. I picked up the original '94 edition to explore World Beat rhythms in improvisatory settings, and was excited to hear the new edition would cover two volumes. I am NOT displeased !!
Customer Reviews:
An Essential Guide for World Music Lovers.......2006-06-14
Even after all these years, this book is an essential for world music lovers, from novices interested in learning more about something they just heard off the radio to seasoned music lovers interested in rounding out their collections. This encylopedic work (the first volume in the series) gives a brief survey of the different music traditions of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, divided by country, region, style or ethnicity. Each article was written by different authors, so obviously there is some variation, but they include very thorough details on the history, culture, background and style of the music, along with a sample discography at the end. Most articles include one or two profiles of famous artists from that country.
The first section, Europe, covers almost every country in Europe, as well as giving articles on the Saami people of Scandinavia, Gypsy music, regional cultures from Spain (like the Basques and Galacians), and Bhangra, the festive dance music of Britain's Punjabi diaspora! Everything you would expect is here, like Spanish flamenco, Portuguese fado, Greek rembetika, Norwegian fiddles, Scottish bagpipes, Celtic music from Ireland, Swiss alp horns, the haunting vocal music of Bulgaria and so forth. There are also quite a few surprises hidden in here too. Much of this section tends towards the folk, for obvious reasons.
The Middle Eastern chapter covers the music of Turkey, Iran, Israel, Armenia, Georgia and the Arab states (except for parts of North Africa), as well as Kurdistan and the Sephardic Jews. Theres alot of variety here, from the classical Arabic pop music of Oum Kalthoum, Fairouz and Abdel Halim Hafez, to modern Egyptian pop like Amr Diab, Natacha Atlas, and Hakim. Along the way, theres also the haunting sound of the Armenian duduk, Nubian music, Persian and Turkish classical traditions, Lebanese dabke, dervish rituals, Georgian polyphonic singing, Sephardic romances, Iranian-American pop music and Palestinean folk songs (which is great to see them acknowledge that Palestine DOES have a unique culture). This section is very good, with a very rich mix of traditions and cultures.
The biggest part of the book deals with Africa, with a very strong emphasis on regional pop music. Some countries (like Libya, Somalia and Namibia) are sadly overlooked, but all the powerhouses of African music are hero... Ethio-jazz, Algerian rai, high life from Ghana, Congolese soukous, Malagasy pop from Madagascar, Kenyan benga, South African gospel, Nigerian afrobeat, Senegalese mbalax, Moroccan gnawa, mbira music from Zimbabwe, Kabylie Berber music, east African taraab, recordings of the Pygmy people of Central Africa, Mande music of Mali... so much gets covered here, including numerous lesser known traditions (like the music of Zambia, Sierra Leone, or the Indian Ocean). Its by far the most exhaustive part of the book, full of great information, important artists and numerous CD recommendations.
Over all, its a wonderful introduction to the vast (and sometimes confusing) world music scene. The book was written in the late '90s, so some of the information is a little dated and a few REALLY great new artists or CDs aren't mentioned, but thats a minor detail. In fact, many of the CDs mentioned in the suggested listening section remain best sellers today! Theres also the occaisonal trend of focusing in on pop music or CDs more readily available in the west, but again, theres nothing wrong with this. Think of this book more as an introduction or a guide book and you'll be fine. Once you get into world music, or even just a particular culture or region, you'll be good. So check this book out and see what you like (or don't like).
Suriname has more than only tradional music.......2005-09-20
I love having both volume one and two. They have much useful information. But speaking about the Netherlands where I lived for 35 years as a professional Surinam musician: I didn't like the part about Surinam music because it was very uncomplete. The writers didn't mention the two best known Surinam bands Fra Fra sound and the Ronald Snijders band. They only mentioned traditional style groups like Carlo Jones band pretending that the others are jazz, which is ridiculous.
Every other country mentions it's musicians and bands who fusion their worldmusic with jazz, like Cuba's Irakere, Brazil's Milton Nascimento, Argentina's Piazola, South Africa's Dollard Brand and so on. But in case of Suriname they simple cut that important part away. This also happened in part two. Sad and incomplete, because the mayor part of the innovation, promotion, touring and study comes from these new style bands.
Ronald Snijders (flutist-composer, writer, drs ethnomusicolgy)
About as good as it could be in one volume.......2004-07-08
Although I wish that there was even more room to fit in all that's needed. I do notice that, for instance, there has since this volume a separate pocket-size one for Irish music, and no doubt others. I studied the areas I was most familiar with to see if any surprises emerged. A couple each time; unfortunately, these were impossible to find on cd (cassette even out-of-print in more than one instance) if you lived more than a few miles from the musician, I reckon!
This inevitable let down between supply and demand for those outside of the countries who want to hear the music does frustrate armchair listeners like me. Go to the Egyptian chapter, for example, and you'll find that most of the genre's picks are bootlegged as tapes in the market stands. Since 1999, I gather that this tendency keeps growing given filesharing and cd-burners, so I'm not quite sure how one would find much of the music on smaller regional labels today even from reputable importers.
This evolution aside and perhaps beyond RG's survey, this does whet your appetite for music. But be forewarned that much of it comes at quite a price from the net or a music store, if you're lucky enough to find what you want. The illustrations in the text, the sidebar profiles, the list of merchants appended: all these represent a labor of love and a fine reference source.
I do wish, finally, that RG had kept their guides on the Net (as it had at least with the Rock Guide in the later 1990s) so they could be updated as CDs go in and out of print.
This book RULES!!!.......2004-05-27
I love this book - it would be utterly useful to everyone except the MOST savvy World Music person with a big ol' advanced degree.
I do a radio show of Arab music (WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago!) and consider myself an educated aficionado, and I refer to it CONSTANTLY. This is truly the current ultimate guide to World music - just great. They are righ when they say "your CD collection will GROW" It will!
The best World Music's Guide released since today.......2000-06-26
Walk inside the universe of World Music is not easy. You have the feeling to moove in a jungle of names, titles and unknown instruments. A Guide is necessary to understand and help you for orientation. This book is good for primers and experts, speaking about generes, origins, musicians and their best records. From the 1994's first edition the new release is more rich and reflects the high number of World Music records released in the last five years. I think you are in presence of the best guide you can buy today on the matter.
Average customer rating:
- A good Introduction to World Music
- Keep politics out of world music
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World Music: The Rough Guide, First Edition (Rough Guides)
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
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ASIN: 1858280176 |
Amazon.com
Once you start flipping through World Music, there's no stopping. Unlike other genres, world music spans so huge a territory (the world) that there are surprises and new pleasures for everyone. The table of contents sets the tone. Laid out as a map of the world, the chapters are located directly on the map. This is followed, however, by a traditional table of contents, laid out in linear 1 to 13 format for those who don't go for the visual approach. However you chose your dive-in point, you won't be disappointed. A tremendous amount of work has gone into this guide, covering a remarkable number of subgenres and groups. Search for a group you've heard of, read up on a specific genre like klezmer or flamenco, get CD recommendations, or troll for new finds like Altan, the Irish band of the '90s, and Ibrahim Tatlises, the premier Kurdish performer. There's a wealth of sounds out there that Rough Guide makes accessible. --Stephanie Gold
Customer Reviews:
A good Introduction to World Music.......1999-03-29
This is a good introduction to the major figures of world music and is a handy companion for anyone exploring the music. My other favorite world music book is "The Brazilian Sound" (Temple University Press, 1998), which I also purchased through amazon.com.
Keep politics out of world music.......1999-02-17
I purchased this book because I wanted a guide to unfamiliar (for me) world music. It is wide ranging and if browsed quickly, appears encyclopedic. Imagine my surprise when I searched for Israel and find NOTHING. There is a large section on Palestinian music, which is rife with anti Israel rhetoric. Music is a universal language. All cultures have much to offer of interest. Music is a force for peaceful interaction among people of different cultures. Even peoples whose politics are in conflict have found common ground through musical expression. I am dissapointed that a book with such promise turns out to be an outlet for some of the contributors political views. I write this not merely because I disagree with the point of view of the editors: I feel we should KEEP POLITICS OUT OF WORLD MUSIC.
Average customer rating:
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The Rough Guide to The Music of Louisiana (Rough Guide World Music CDs)
Rough Guides
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
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Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: 1843530287
Release Date: 2002-09-26 |
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The Rough Guide to Brazil Bahia (Rough Guide World Music CDs)
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
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Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: 1843534908 |
Book Description
Bahia is the musical heartbeat of Brazil, and is home of the tropicalia movement, axé, samba-reggae and the mesmerizing beat of the mega-percussion ensembles - the Blocos Afros. The Rough Guide To The Music Of Brazil: Bahia offers you some of the most delectable sounds from this cultural centre, from renowned artists such as tropicalia-legends Gilberto Gil and Tom Zé, percussionist Carlinhos Brown and the infectious music of Daniela Mercury.
Customer Reviews:
Great Guide in Your Pocket.......2005-10-01
Plilip Sweeny takes us on a journey through Cuba's rich musical heritage. In this compact edition, the reader is introduced to the major musical elements and artists that contributed to the development of Cuba's contemporary music culture. In addition, this booklet is a great guide to the recordings that capture Cuba's musical traditions of Rumba, Son, Bolero, Trova, and the music that emerged throughout the 20th century.
This is guide is a must have for the enthusiast of Cuban music.
This Book Fills in the Gaps.......2004-09-29
This Rough Guide packs far more information in its pocket sized format than most of the other currently available full-sized books on the topic of Cuban Jazz. Most other books on the topic would have you think that Cuban music began with Desi Arnaz and ended with the now graying artists featured in Buena Vista Social Club. This Rough Guide discusses Son, Bolero, Mambo and other musical styles, describing their origin and the (not widely known) artists who first popularized them. And ... it picks up with the new generation of musicians that bring that work current. I used the book's comprehensive descriptions (together with Amazon's "Listen to Samples" features) -- to build a broad collection that begins at the beginning and ends at the end.
Book Description
While all sorts of music are accessible to lovers of diverse sounds, Ethiopia is often regarded as the forgotten musical continent, the missing link within the pan-African harmony. Brassy, electric, urban pop has exploded in popularity after the fall of the dictatorship, providing a swinging and hypnotic, poignant yet funky sound to the streets of Addis Ababa. From the golden age of Ethiopian music (the `Swinging Sixties') to the new generation of producers, The Rough Guide To The Music Of Ethiopia has been carefully compiled by Francis Falceto to provide an overview of the wealth of sounds of this musically rich country.
Average customer rating:
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The Rough Guide to The Music of Japan (Rough Guide World Music CDs)
Rough Guides
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: 1858284872 |
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