>>8244Sorry. If you like Hiroki Azuma, you might want to check out Asada Akira. There's a collection on Japanese film theory by Naoki Yamamoto called Dialectics without Synthesis. This isn't strictly speaking anime-related, but worth checking out. Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn isn't an 'academic' work, but I consider it scholarly. The same with Okakura Kakuzo's Book of Tea. I really like this one. Heidegger is said to have stolen ideas from this book. Precarious Japan by Anne Allison is pretty good book. Robo Saipians Japanicus by Jennifer Robertson. Anthropology of the Machine: Tokyo's Commuter Train System by Fisch. If you are into Japanese religion, I'd recommend A New History of Shinto by Breen and Teeuwen amd Sourcebook in Shinto by Stuart Picken. There are a lot of really fun anthropology papers on Japan that focus on everything from maid cafes to conventions too but you have to surf scihub to find good ones. I wouldn't waste money and energy focusing on a specific journal, only do that if you find an academic who's work you like.
I can't think up of anything else right now, but if I get the time, I could go digging for some of the books and papers for you. If I see other fun papers on Japan, I'll be sure to post them here.
>>8245Sorry. I shouldn't have been so kneejerk. I apologize. Generally, I don't enjoy academic works on Japanese media because I'm generally very cynical and pessimistic towards academia, and Westerna academia specifically. I only have a preference for Japanese academics because they are less likely to be intellectual tourists. Good scholarship is rare these days. There's lots of sloppy work, lazy analysis, tone deaf arrogance, and lack of reflection with that crowd. I recognize that I have many of these flaws within myself too and struggle to rectify them.
One thing that really bothers me is the way academics can kill fun subcultures.
