With this book Patrick Macias had the difficult task of filling in the large void of Asian Cinema related literature on the bookshelves of the US. It's certainly not a job to be taken lightly, and Macias' book Tokyoscope goes far and beyond the call of duty in this aspect. Released in 2001, there isn't much else to speak of on the shelves as far as competition goes. The book itself is divided into multiple categories that thoroughly delve into many different areas of Japanese cinema. From the Giant Monsters section all the way to Takashi Miike and Riki Takeuchi, there's more than enough information and personal recollection on any of the subjects within to appease any rookie or veteran of Japanese films. And that's the best feature that this book has. It serves as a great introduction to anyone, even if the only Japanese acting they've seen came in the form of Mr. Miyagi. At the same time though, fans that have been submerged in the cult film world of Japan their whole lives will still no doubt learn a thing or two from this book.

The very first thing that will catch the readers eye is the eye-popping design, which comes off as very unique and perhaps a bit retro. The artwork by Happy Ujihashi deserves a book unto itself, and it splatters across the pages like a Yakuza tattoo. The inside is littered with ads, posters, illustrations, profiles and insights into the steamy underbelly of the film industry that add to the book's distinct flavor.

A couple of the more interesting sections are those devoted to Pink movies and especially the Yakuza Chapter. This is probably because I know the least about these two genres of Japanese film, and welcomed all the knowledge. The section on Noboru Ando, real life gangster turned self-portraying actor raised my eyebrow the most, and the intriguing historical background info on Yakuza movies as a whole sums the book up nicely. The style in which Tokyoscope is written establishes a unique feeling, not coming off as some history lesson telling you that this and that happened, blah blah. It's more personal, in that it seems like Patrick Macias is just shootin the shit about his favorite movies and you get to sit on the couch and absorb it all.

The book also contains a few reviews of movies that fall into each individual chapter's category. One of the best features within the reviews is an availability notice at the bottom of each page. It lets you know whether a film is out in any form domestically, or import only. After reading about a couple dozen movies I direly wanted in the book, it was nice to know whether I had any hope of finding them or not.

Of course, there are always going to be people bickering about what was not included in the book, but it's all beside the point. It's a great read through and through. Like Janick said with his review of the book Eros in Hell, you won't find Seijun Suzuki or Akira Kurosawa within these pages either. This may rub people the wrong way, but I don't think these directors (though amazing, no doubt) fit the profile of Tokyoscope. The contents buried in these pages are strange, intriguing, and informative to no end. If you harbor some interest in true Japanese Cult cinema, you can't ask for much more. Now bring on Tokyoscope 2!

Rating: 5/5

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