Two New Japanese Journals

A number of research chores and a bad cold have kept me out of the blogging loop. The gap, however, did remind me that I have been meaning to mention two new journals that have appeared in Japanese that promise to pursue at least some issues related to film and other moving image media. Both have also recently published reviews of some of my publications (which means they can't be all that bad!).

JunCture 超域的日本文化研究 had its first issue published in January. It is the official journal of the Research Center for Modern and Contemporary Japanese Culture at Nagoya University and should be published once a year (their website has a call for submissions for the next issue). The first one featured the special topic "Deconstructing Japanese Culture" and articles by such well-known culture scholars as Naoki Sakai and Mori Yoshitaka. Among the many articles on various topics, including literature, dance, and ethnography, there are several film-related pieces, including Fujiki Hideaki's examination of the ill-fated National Center for Media Arts (the so-called "Anime no Dendo"), Mizobuchi Kumiko's piece on the use of film in Japanese language education in the 1950s, and Hata Ayumi's analysis of Ogawa Shinsuke's Forest of Oppression.  Dogase Masato also contributed a nice review of our Research Guide to Japanese Film Studies. The website tells you how you can get a copy. 

ecce エチェ had its second issue published in March. It is being put out by Shinwasha, the publisher that has been releasing the great "Nihon eigashi sosho" series (I have an article in an upcoming volume edited by Fujiki-san). The periodical is being edited by Iwamoto Kenji, Kitano Keisuke, and Akira Lippitt. This issue focuses on the camera eye, with articles on Vertov, Bazin, and Apitchapong Weerasethkul, as well as a continuation of an interview with Sasaki Shiro of ATG. There's also a good review of my A Page of Madness by Hiyama Hiroshi.

Especially with more mass market sites for serious film criticism and discussion largely disappearing, it is nice to see these more academic works trying to take up the slack. I do hope, however, that they do get a larger audience as well.

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