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Japan may appear defensive on the economic and political fronts. Has the world lost interest in an aging Japan whose economy will fall to third largest? There is, however, a side of Japan that is the object of ever stronger and deeper affection around the globe: Japanese popular culture, particularly anime (Japanese animation) and manga.

True. In America, this seems to be growing. I see less and less of comic books and more manga novels, although manga is part of the Japanese culture. Not only that, but it seems manga is more.. I'm not sure what you can call it, but it has a different feel to it than a comic book, for obvious reasons. It's like comparing a cartoon to an anime. Although their qualitys are alike, they come from different culture and people, etc. Plus, most animes seem a bit more serious than cartoons, but that may be just the particullar shows I'm watching.. ~Z

Every Third Thursday of the month, the Sainsbury Institute hosts a lecture on a topic related to the art and culture of Japan. Talks begin at 6pm (50-minute lecture followed by refreshments). Speakers are all specialists in their field and the talks are intended to be accessible to those with no prior knowledge of Japanese history. Admission is free and all are welcome. Booking essential. To book a seat email us at sisjac@sainsbury-institute.org or fax 01603 625011 up to two days before the lecture stating your name, number of seats required and a contact number. Unless indicated otherwise the lectures are held at the Norwich Cathedral Hostry (Weston Room), Norwich NR1 4EH.

I just discovered that Asahi.com has a "Cool Japan" section, dealing with everything related to the various representations of Japanese modernity. These include both Western fantasy about present day Japan and japanese self-projection into the world.

"Ten years ago, the first SGMS had to be delayed because of the tragic event of 9/11, but two months later, seven academics from a variety of disciplines spoke on manga and anime to a crowd of 150 eager fans, academics, and students from junior high to college-aged. Since then, on the last weekend of every September, the expanding community of SGMS artists, actors, teachers, and students have gotten together to celebrate manga, anime and Japanese popular culture. Join us for the SGMS Masquerade Bash on Friday night with the Full Fashion Panic Fashion Show, music, food and costumed frivolities will prevail! Even the guests will be in costume! On Saturday and Sunday, there will be talks by guests Marc Hairston, Crispin Freeman, Thomas LaMarre, Christopher Bolton, Gilles Poitras and Frenchy Lunning. Classes in manga creation by Robert Ten Pas and Dennis Lo, Lolita Fashion creation by Samantha Rei, and more will be held. Watch for the announcement of our VERY SPECIAL GUEST soon!"

Not really new, but might be useful to have on one's bookshelves!

It is in French only, but an interesting article about the evolution of the manga market in France. It also highlights the progressive gaining of a foothold in Europe by Japanese publishers, especially through Viz Media Europe.

As production houses cut costs by sending animation jobs to South Korea, India and Vietnam, the number of experienced workers in Japan is shrinking. Competitors in China are another threat to Japan's cultural icon.

This is the blog of the Workers' Educational Association anime evening class. The first class is currently running in Central London from Tuesday 27 October to Tuesday 15 December 2009. Helen McCarthy is leading the class and will moderate the blog. The weekly handouts with notes, reading lists, viewing lists and links will be posted here on their own pages - see the right hand sidebar. There is also an expanded reading list - class members are welcome to add their own suggestions for further reading about anime, either on the reading list page or in their own posts.

AccessAsia is a specialized search engine that focuses on experts in the field of contemporary Asian affairs, including economics, health, politics, security, and trade. Enter any search term. Search results will list websites of experts from around the world who focus on Asian affairs.

This is not directly related to manga or even Japanese audiovisual entertainment industry, but it seems to be a useful tool for people working on these subjects if they need analysis of asian societies in general.

"Welcome readers who found this site in Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives."

This is a site from one of the author of the book "Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives", available from Amazon.com!

Indian Auteur is an independently run e-magazine, website, forum and blog started in Feb 2009.