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Susan J Napier's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Susan J Napier recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Susan J Napier's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1

Miyazakiworld

A Life in Art

The story of filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's life and work, including his impact on Japan and the world

A thirtieth‑century toxic jungle, a bathhouse for tired gods, a red‑haired fish girl, and a furry woodland spirit—what do these have in common? They all spring from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki, one of the greatest living animators, known worldwide for films such as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and The Wind Rises.
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Recommended by Susan J Napier, and 1 others.

Susan J NapierI looked at everything written about Miyazaki, met with many of the people who worked with him and interviewed Miyazaki myself. This gave me a chance to see this amazing auteur from the inside out. (Source)

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Japanamerica is the first book that directly addresses the American experience with the Japanese pop culture craze--including anime from Hayao Miyazaki's epics to the burgeoning world of hentai, or violent pornographic anime to Haruki Murakami's fiction. Including interviews with the inventor of Pac-man and executives from TokyoPop, GDH, and other major Japanese and American production companies, this book highlights the shared conflicts both countries face as anime and manga become a global form of entertainment and change both the United States and Japan in the process. less
Recommended by Susan J Napier, and 1 others.

Susan J NapierRoland Kelts explores the excitement about this cultural transmission, how we are in a time when we can go back and forth between and among cultures and get inspiration and even products and art from another culture. (Source)

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3

The Elephant Vanishes

In these stories, a man sees his favorite elephant vanish into thin air; a newlywed couple suffers attacks of hunger that drive them to hold up a McDonald’s in the middle of the night; and a young woman discovers that she has become irresistible to a little green monster who burrows up through her backyard. By turns haunting and hilarious, in The Elephant Vanishes Murakami crosses the border between separate realities—and comes back bearing remarkable treasures less
Recommended by Susan J Napier, and 1 others.

Susan J NapierMurakami is writer who creates wonderful visions the stranger aspects of our mundane world. Some people call him a magical realist; Murakami has our normal world being invaded by, by strange things. (Source)

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4

Manga! Manga!

The World of Japanese Comics

Since first published in 1983, Manga! Manga!: The World of Japanese Comics has been the book to read for all those interested in Japanese comics. It is virtually the "bible" from which all studies and appreciation of manga begins. More than that, given the influence of Japanese manga on animation and on American-produced comics as well, Manga! Manga! provides the background against which these other arts can be understood. The book includes 96 pages from Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix, Reiji Matsumoto's Ghost Warrior, Riyoko Ikeda's The Rose of Versailles, and Keiji Nakazawa's BarefootGen. less
Recommended by Susan J Napier, and 1 others.

Susan J NapierIt’s an excellent history of manga. It catalogues manga’s most important genres, creators, and characters. Fred Schodt really, really knows his stuff. (Source)

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5
[ Box Set | Book 1 | Book 2 ]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is an epic fantasy tale written and illustrated by legendary Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki, creator of My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. A modern masterpiece, the entire series is now available in this deluxe box set...
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Recommended by Susan J Napier, and 1 others.

Susan J NapierThis is probably Hayao Miyazaki’s manga masterpiece. It’s a very entertaining work. What’s particularly appealing is it has a very strong female protagonist, a woman named, named for the Greek princess in Homer’s Odyssey. (Source)

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