The great hype machine for my next book OTAKU IN USA has been switched on and the Thing Itself is now available for pre-order at Amazon Japan. Should be hitting the Hon-yas by August. Awesome cover and interior design by Slasher.
Like Roy Wood's album Mustard and DVDs of Death Laid An Egg, the book will only be available in Japan and there are no plans (yet) for an English language edition.
Editor and translator Tomo Machiyama spins a pre-release yarn on his blog. Here's a kind-of translation:
"The new book OTAKU IN USA, written by Patrick Macias, edited and translated into Japanese by Tomohiro Machiyama, will go on sale in Japan in August 2006.
This book took three years to make and wound up becoming 300 pages. It covers everything from the premiere of the first Godzilla film all the way to the recent yaoi boom. One American otaku, Patrick Macias, writes about how Japanese pop culture has been imported to the West.
The contents include:
* Henry G. Saperstein who dreamed of making a "Godzilla Vs. Frankenstein" movie!
* Ultraseven dubbed into English... and as a comedy!
* Spectreman brings environmental awareness to the USA!
* Gatchaman is transformed into a space patrol that travels across the milky way!
* American dream of seeing Yuki Mori nude in the US version of Yamato!
* Super robots Raideen, Combattler, and Danguard Ace all fighting on the same team!
* Voltron worshipped by gangster rappers!
* Godzilla 1985 is turned into an epic-length Dr. Pepper commercial!
* American shocked by their first exposure to the power of MOE via Lynn Minmei on Robotech!
* Eight years ago in America, when you said anime, it meant "hentai" !
* Sailor Moon was bashed as pornography, but revived like a phoenix by fan power!
* The Yaoi boom arrives in America!
* Visual-kei means "bands that look like anime characters" !
* Americans know how to navigate the freeways of Tokyo thanks to video games!
* The fear against child porn among Americans who try to understand MOE!
* The Anime manic life of Fred Patten, the world's oldest living otaku!
And more more more more... because it's 300 pages long!"
Wait...wait...Americans dream of seeing Yuki Mori nude? Where did that come from? And Minmay is Moe? I thought she was idol!
Patrick, what have you done? :)
You DO have to get this published in the US, you know. Surprised Stonebridge or Chronicle hasn't bit. I rather think it would be a good fit for Dark Horse as well.
Worse comes to worse? Self Publish! Hells bells man, between Amazon, The Right Stuf, a few other online anime shops if you couldn't sell 10k copies right off the bat I'll eat...something. something I shouldn't eat. Like a toy, or a book.
Posted by: Steve Harrison | July 10, 2006 at 12:00 PM
I'd love to read the book in English as well, but are the nerds of the American Otaku community ready to read about what humongous Sleestaks they all are?
I'd like to think they already know, but you know how "sense-a-teev" they are.
Also, did you use three pixels of my right buttcheek on that cover without my permission!? GOD!
Posted by: Joseph Luster | July 10, 2006 at 01:58 PM
I wish my Japanese was good enough to read this. But if Tomohiro Machiyama translated it into Japanese from English, will bringing it out in English be that hard, aside from finding a publisher? I'll probably end up buying it in Japanese, anyway.
Posted by: Frank C. | July 10, 2006 at 04:33 PM
The thing is, it's not really a cold-hearted Slam Book attack on our dear American otaku. It's more about just presenting the terrifyingf facts and letting people like Kojiro Abe and Fred Patten speak for themselves. The reader can then come up with their own snarky jokes if they feel so inclined.
Also, I don't know why anyone would buy this in English. Does anyone really want to read about the startling news that in America, Gatchaman was retitled Battle of the Planets and was re-edited so it happened in outer space?
Still, if someone wanted to put it out, I wouldn't say no to the money. Tomo and I both have the original text in English.
Posted by: Patrick Macias | July 10, 2006 at 05:48 PM
hey, does that say "love and misunderstanding" on the cover? I don't see what's so funny about that.
Seriously, looks like an amazing book and what I'm interested in reading are what the Japanese think about it. That means I want the Japanese reaction to an American writing a book in Japan about fans in America who like Japanese cartoons. Then we all spin around so fast we turn into butter.
Posted by: dave merrill | July 10, 2006 at 06:03 PM
Yeah, the subtitle of the book is "Love and Misunderstanding! The history of adapted Anime in America!"
Posted by: Patrick Macias | July 10, 2006 at 06:05 PM
The Nazi in the corner is the most vital detail. If this ever gets released in English, I'm totally on board for this torture oni hell ride.
But however would one get a couple hundred people to fire off some correspondence to Stone Bridge or Palgrave or whomever? Hmm, perhaps it's time for the TM/PM tag team to do a run-in on the AWO!
(looks up)
Oh yeah, I was supposed to email Dave!
Posted by: Daryl Surat | July 10, 2006 at 06:59 PM
"humongous Sleestaks?" Put that on a XXXL t-shirt and wear it to the Jumbo Happy Big Buffet...
Posted by: danno! | July 10, 2006 at 07:41 PM
I think Dave's got the hook for the US edition. The Japanese take on what America did to these shows. Reactions to the news. Fan Circle OUTRAGE!
Of course, if it's like most 'old school' Japanese discussions on such things, it'll all be "well, they know best how to sell such things" and "We have complete faith and trust the show will be treated with respect" and the ever popular "well, that's a different approach..."
Posted by: Steve Harrison | July 10, 2006 at 09:09 PM
As for why English speaking people would want to read it, some of the material would definitely be familiar, but having all of it in one place would be convenient. And if it's 300 pages, that's a lot of information, especially if it also covers non-anime Japanese pop culture in the US. Also, as others have said, reading a book about American fan culture specifically aimed at the Japanese would be cool.
Also, will the book have a lot of pictures?
Posted by: Frank C. | July 10, 2006 at 09:30 PM
very cool, but--i was asked to write a book on the same subject in japan years ago, when i lived in tokyo. i fast learned that japanese publishers offer no advances and little in the way of royalties. no cash.
did you have different experience?
Posted by: stuart alt | July 11, 2006 at 10:30 AM
As with all book deals, it really depends who you are dealing with...and who is doing the dealing (my editor and translator, who is also a best-selling author in Japan, basically took the proposal to his publisher, which is how I got in). Were you talking to a major publisher or a little guy?
Posted by: Patrick Macias | July 11, 2006 at 10:39 AM
Also, are you, like, Matt Alt's long-lost brother or evil twin?
Posted by: Patrick Macias | July 11, 2006 at 10:43 AM
Honestly, I think your book in english would be great reading when on the toilet doing #3. Please reconsider!
Posted by: Danielle Tokunaga | July 13, 2006 at 03:16 PM
I would buy this book in a heartbeat! I just love having to find out how much of this occured over the years.
Posted by: Chris Sobieniak | July 18, 2006 at 11:29 PM
Ooh!Japan offers a shopping service which buy Japanese products and ship them for all who live in oversea.
You can get any Japanese products through this service without coming to Japan.
Ooh!Japan provides not only the shopping service, but also full information about Japanese culture and its lifestyle. Check out more:
http://oohjapan.com/
Posted by: Musca | September 04, 2006 at 10:54 PM
Fuck you, Ooh!Japan.
Posted by: Patrick Macias | September 05, 2006 at 10:38 AM
OK, I have to ask, because I'm a nosey nelly...
Patrick, that fuck you to Ohh!Japan has the sound of intense burning...something. Do you know something that I, as a casual fanboy, wouldn't know, such as they raped you and didn't say thank you or something? Or they're just the usual clueless overpriced because the gaijin don't know any better idiots?
Or MAYBE they're just drive-by spammers and need to die die die?
Tell the tale, man.
Posted by: Steve Harrison | September 05, 2006 at 05:33 PM
*twiddles fingers absently looking suspiciously like Hinata Hyuuga* I need some help, so any answers or advice will be MUCH appreciated. The situation isn't so hot for my family right now, so I've lost myself in writing. And they say write what you know right? So I've started writing about my anime con, anime, manga, games, Japanese music experience, basically, how I became an otaku. Can anyone tell me the names of publishers that might be interested?
Posted by: Karolline Costa | July 29, 2008 at 05:25 PM