Permitted and Prohibited Desires: Mothers, Comics, and Censorship in Japan

Rating:
Summary: An informative look at lesser known Japanese culture
Review: I was very pleased with this book , but also somewhat disappointed. The way Allison delves into each subject is astounding, and her own personal experiences illustrate the culture so that an American can understand it. What disappointed me, however, was how Allison becomes bogged down in explaining everything in psychological jargon. I know as an anthropologist, she must address certain things, but I ended up just skimming the sections.

The first chapters of the book cover Japanese comics, or manga. It does not cover popular manga, but rather how certain running themes reflect on Japanese culture. She particuarly looks into "ero manga," which is erotic, adult comics. She makes some shocking insights, but nothing that isn't mirrored in the U.S. She also briefly looks into children's television shows and hostess clubs.

The second part deals with mothers in Japan. This section of the book was so thoroughly interesting it made me wish the entire book covered the topic. The amount of work that the women must do is incredible. She also looks into Japanese schools, especially nursery schools. Allison's own personal experiences and her interviews with Japanese women really flavor this section.

The third section wraps up with censorship in Japan. Allison delves more into politics here, and the section didn't grab me as much as the others. It is still interesting, and the information is well delivered.

If you can put aside her psychological ramblings and concentrate on the actual writings, this book is wonderfully informative. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: An informative look at lesser known Japanese culture
Review: I was very pleased with this book , but also somewhat disappointed. The way Allison delves into each subject is astounding, and her own personal experiences illustrate the culture so that an American can understand it. What disappointed me, however, was how Allison becomes bogged down in explaining everything in psychological jargon. I know as an anthropologist, she must address certain things, but I ended up just skimming the sections.

The first chapters of the book cover Japanese comics, or manga. It does not cover popular manga, but rather how certain running themes reflect on Japanese culture. She particuarly looks into "ero manga," which is erotic, adult comics. She makes some shocking insights, but nothing that isn't mirrored in the U.S. She also briefly looks into children's television shows and hostess clubs.

The second part deals with mothers in Japan. This section of the book was so thoroughly interesting it made me wish the entire book covered the topic. The amount of work that the women must do is incredible. She also looks into Japanese schools, especially nursery schools. Allison's own personal experiences and her interviews with Japanese women really flavor this section.

The third section wraps up with censorship in Japan. Allison delves more into politics here, and the section didn't grab me as much as the others. It is still interesting, and the information is well delivered.

If you can put aside her psychological ramblings and concentrate on the actual writings, this book is wonderfully informative. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Informative, yet odd subject matter.
Review: In all honesty, the book was not exactly what I expected to be. By the title and description, you would think it was about pornographic comics in Japan. In actuality, the book turned out better than I anticipated. Anne Allison uses the comics factor as to illustrate one of the fathomless views of how women in Japan are viewed. She deals with certain topics such as mother-son incest and the concern for its growth within Japanese mass-culture; the role of women as mothers, wives, and basically, the "other gender".

Ms. Allison has outdone herself in including Marxist ideas into her theories concerning subjects pertaining to sexuality and gender roles. After reading "Permitted and Prohibited Desires", the anthropoligical differences between our culture and the non-Western cultures are clearly evident. The results, however, are not too pleasing.

Rating:
Summary: Informative, yet odd subject matter.
Review: In all honesty, the book was not exactly what I expected to be. By the title and description, you would think it was about pornographic comics in Japan. In actuality, the book turned out better than I anticipated. Anne Allison uses the comics factor as to illustrate one of the fathomless views of how women in Japan are viewed. She deals with certain topics such as mother-son incest and the concern for its growth within Japanese mass-culture; the role of women as mothers, wives, and basically, the "other gender".

Ms. Allison has outdone herself in including Marxist ideas into her theories concerning subjects pertaining to sexuality and gender roles. After reading "Permitted and Prohibited Desires", the anthropoligical differences between our culture and the non-Western cultures are clearly evident. The results, however, are not too pleasing.

Rating:
Summary: Not for just Manga fans!
Review: Let me put my above statement into better context: What I mean is that if a person is only imterested in manga, they probably will not enjoy this book. This not an introduction to erotic manga book, but instead is a book that deals with certain aspects of manga made for males. It foes into such things as panty shots and the male gaze and the domination of women by men in adult manga for males and women. Very good stuff, but for those who want info on manga itself, don't read here, few manga are covered here and the author onl uses a handful of stories. Manga known to english readers are not mentioned at all. Another thing unless you are well versed in the psychoanalytical theories of Freud and Lacan much of this book will seem very verbose and uncomprehensible. Skip the first chapter if you must it is unnecessary to enjoy the book. Also covered in this book are Japanese mothers and how they prepare their children for nursery school. You will not believe all that these women go through. Also the subject of Mother-son incest is brought out. a subject that was popular in Japan during the late 70' and early 80's in popular culture.