Warriors of Legend Press Release (May 25th, 2005)

Sailorasteroid · Post by **Sailorasteroid** » Mon May 23, 2005 8:48 pm

Are you going to give us *any* inside info so we can feel that same superiority over our non-SMU friends?

Jumbled Thoughts · Post by **MarioKnight** » Mon May 23, 2005 10:55 pm

NameGoesHere wrote:Ever since that "you shall see soon enough" comment, I knew that you knew something, Dan. Otherwise, you would have said "we." You're a big meanie. I can just see a chibi version of you doing the I Know Something You Don't dance. XP

You want to see mean? All right, since you requested it, I'm more than happy to oblige.

How about letting everyone know certain info I know but won't tell you? Such as the ISBN, maybe the L.O.C call number? Not good enough? How about the fact that I know where I can order the book at THIS VERY SECOND if I so choose to? Is that being mean enough?

Ah, how I am loving this right now, killing everyone as they wait in anticipation is more fun than I thought. ^__^

Sailorasteroid wrote:Are you going to give us *any* inside info so we can feel that same superiority over our non-SMU friends?

Nope. ^_^ As much as I would love to, I can't really do any more than poke fun and get some buzz started about the book. However, to make everyone feel a bit better, I will tell you that the wait is very close to ending. Basically, we're all holding out on Jay to get the book to confirm that the print job is good so we can get the ball rolling. Hell, that's one of the reasons why I haven't ordered one already, no sense in getting it if the publisher screwed up and it doesn't get the ok (not to mention my move). Once this happens, all light will be shed about everything. This should be literally any day now, even as soon as tomorrow is possible.

However, since I'm feeling a bit nice tonight after all that evil (yet fun) stuff in my post so far, I will give out a tidbit of info that shouldn't matter much before we get the ball rolling. Nothing from the book itself, that is 100% hush-hush (though what I've seen is nice ^__^ ), but info to help curb everyone into buying it. I will tell you that once this book goes on sale, you can order it for the low price of........ $12.99.

There you go, info that hasn't been released publically prior to this post, you all may now feel a bit more superior to everyone else now.

peachvampiress · Post by **peachvampiress** » Mon May 23, 2005 11:08 pm

I will tell you that once this book goes on sale, you can order it for the low price of........ $12.99.

Can you tell us how many pages long it is? At $12.99 is sounds like it might be a short book.

Jumbled Thoughts · Post by **MarioKnight** » Mon May 23, 2005 11:16 pm

peachvampiress wrote:
I will tell you that once this book goes on sale, you can order it for the low price of........ $12.99.
Can you tell us how many pages long it is? At $12.99 is sounds like it might be a short book.

Heh, just look at the first post of this thread. =P It's 148 pages long.

ahiru · Post by **ahiru** » Tue May 24, 2005 12:15 am

..the anticipation is killing me.

Sailorasteroid · Post by **Sailorasteroid** » Tue May 24, 2005 5:56 am

I must admit to being more ambivalent. I've never been a big fan of Genvid the web site, and I don't see the book being that much better. It's just not my style.

Luna1986 · Post by **Luna1986** » Tue May 24, 2005 6:06 am

less than 24 hours till the book launch I think I'm going to burst at the seams!!

Jumbled Thoughts · Post by **MarioKnight** » Tue May 24, 2005 11:14 pm

And we are go! Just made an update to the site and added the banners for the book's site on the front page. Everything has now been revealed. Order. Read. Enjoy. ^__^

peachvampiress · Post by **peachvampiress** » Tue May 24, 2005 11:39 pm

Just saw the cover off the book and I must say that I love it......but am I the only one who noticed that Sailor Jupiter's silloette makes her look fat? Really, REALLY fat?

Oh, and one more question that I forgot. Will it mention all the senshi (Outers, Starlights) or just the Inners, because they're the only ones on the cover and the only ones I've seen mentioned (although I admit that I scimmed over a lot of articles so I may have missed it).

Jumbled Thoughts · Post by **MarioKnight** » Tue May 24, 2005 11:44 pm

I haven't seen enough of the book to know if the Starlights are mentioned or not, but I do know that the Outers are as one part I was able to read was an essay that featured Haruka.

Jumbled Thoughts · Post by **MarioKnight** » Wed May 25, 2005 12:23 am

First SM news of 2005, damn things have been slow in the SM world. o_o; Anyways, since there's now a news article on this, there's a thread in the news part of the forums, and has been merged with the already on-going thread about the book. Without further adeiu, here's the PR for the book.

http://www.smuncensored.com/news.php?id=75

Originally from http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/pressre ... hp?id=1033

May 25, 2005 (Stamford, CT) Genvid L.L.C., the minds behind the most widely respected—and one of the most entertaining—Sailor Moon websites in the world, is thrilled to offer a unique new way to learn about Japan. Warriors of Legend: Reflections of Japan in Sailor Moon turns Japanese cultural study on its head, showing how creator Naoko Takeuchi took the city and society around her and used it to shape a multi-billion dollar franchise.

New to anime or Japan studies? Warriors of Legend is a fun and accessible way to learn the basics without sifting through pretentious textbooks. We tell you what you need to know about syncretism, after-hours cram schools, and how life gets rough when you're not like everybody else.

Japanese culture maven? We'll show you a whole new Tokyo under the Sailor Moonlight. Warriors of Legend has original photos and fresh analysis of everything from the Hikawa Shrine to the Tennōzu Sphere Tower—plus a few ghost stories from a place called Darkness Hill.

Otaku at large? Warriors of Legend sees your Sailor Moon knowledge, and it raises you an Ami Mizuno. We reveal what you can't find online, like the deadly stories behind those monster-of-the-week speeches, how Minako's lousy love life was predestined, and why Kimi-chan's statue was such a fitting place for Ami to contemplate her true calling.

Whether you want to dig deeper into Tokyo's history and Japanese society, or you're looking for a trivia edge on your Moonie friends, Warriors of Legend: Reflections on Japan in Sailor Moon is a sure bet to enlighten and entertain.

Warriors of Legend: Reflections on Japan in Sailor Moon retails for US$12.99. It is 148 pp., paperback, with 45 photos & map. ISBN 1-4196-0814-2. Available at www.WarriorsofLegend.com.

About the Authors:

Jay Navok holds a Masters degree in Regional Studies East Asia from Columbia University and is winner of the Japanese government's 2005 Monbukagakusho research scholarship.

Sushil K. Rudranath is a practicing attorney in the state of Florida and holds a Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida.

Jonathan Mays (Editor) is a freelance writer for Newtype USA, Animerica, Anime Insider, IGN, Protoculture Addicts, and Neo Magazine (UK), and is the Senior Editor of Anime News Network.

About Genvid L.L.C.:

Genvid L.L.C.'s mission is to expand peoples' understanding of Japanese pop-culture outside Asia, particularly in the English-speaking world. Our staff includes award-winning Japan specialists, lawyers, Japanese pop journalists, and PhD students.

NameGoesHere · Post by **NameGoesHere** » Wed May 25, 2005 1:26 am

I will see if I can't order one through the local Hastings. If I cannot, which I wouldn't be surprised about since Hastings never gets my book orders right, I'll probably have to wait until I can get it through Amazon. >.<*

MarioKnight wrote:You want to see mean? All right, since you requested it, I'm more than happy to oblige. How about letting everyone know certain info I know but won't tell you? Such as the ISBN, maybe the L.O.C call number? Not good enough? How about the fact that I know where I can order the book at THIS VERY SECOND if I so choose to? Is that being mean enough? Ah, how I am loving this right now, killing everyone as they wait in anticipation is more fun than I thought. ^__^

You still suck so much for this comment. I am glaring at you right now. You have no idea how much I am glaring at you. If you had any idea of how extreme my glaring at you is, you would be shocked.

Shocked.

Sailorasteroid · Post by **Sailorasteroid** » Wed May 25, 2005 5:53 am

Yeah, really. If you think I'm ordering a book when it's released, like some unwashed member of the ignorant proletariat, forget it.

Jumbled Thoughts · Post by **MarioKnight** » Wed May 25, 2005 6:03 pm

Sailorasteroid wrote:Yeah, really. If you think I'm ordering a book when it's released, like some unwashed member of the ignorant proletariat, forget it.

You already posted that you think that the book wouldn't be for you, and that's fine, I can see how people wouldn't like it just as others would. However, that comment was really uncalled for. If you're going to post derogatory comments like that in this thread instead of adding to the conversation, even constructive critisim, then please don't post in this thread.

NameGoesHere wrote:You still suck so much for this comment. I am glaring at you right now. You have no idea how much I am glaring at you. If you had any idea of how extreme my glaring at you is, you would be shocked.

Shocked.

Hehe, I'm just having fun, nothing wrong with that. ^_^ And I'm not shocked from your glaring, but I also can't see it, you'll have to show me sometime and we'll see if I'm shocked or even scared. But that doesn't change the fact that I had a lot of fun.

Sailorasteroid · Post by **Sailorasteroid** » Wed May 25, 2005 6:43 pm

MarioKnight wrote:
Sailorasteroid wrote:Yeah, really. If you think I'm ordering a book when it's released, like some unwashed member of the ignorant proletariat, forget it.
You already posted that you think that the book wouldn't be for you, and that's fine, I can see how people wouldn't like it just as others would. However, that comment was really uncalled for. If you're going to post derogatory comments like that in this thread instead of adding to the conversation, even constructive critisim, then please don't post in this thread.

My apologies. It was failed sarcasm, and a play on the fact that I almost always pre-order books. Guess it wasn't over the top enough.

Mercurius Twin · Post by **Mercurius Twin** » Thu May 26, 2005 7:55 am

Ha ha... Talk about timing. I get to Japan, just as a book that tells a load of stuff about an anime/manga that I adore is released in North America ONLY.

Lousy minor setback... *Shakes fist at ceiling*
Waitaminute... I'm in Japan, aren't I? I have better access than you guys do to everything else. Still... I want it. Lucky foreigners. ^_^

Anywho, sounds like a nice book (and in English, no less! You'd be surprised how much I'd give for an ENGLISH Sailormoon something-or-other right about now). Finally, you guys have something Sailormoon-related that I cannot just go out and find at the bookstore down the street.

Oh, and by the way, MarioKnight, I think you did an excellent job creating awareness of this book (at least among us SMU-ers). Very, very amusing, indeed one of the more amusing things I've seen since I last took a peek at one of my classmates' English tests. ^_^

Jumbled Thoughts · Post by **MarioKnight** » Thu May 26, 2005 10:03 pm

Awesome, I'm glad that I'm not the only one who appreciates the amount of fun I had. ^_^

And if I remember correctly, the publisher has many places throughout the world, so you might be able to get it that way. Otherwise, I know that Jay and the rest of the staff are working on more international options that may be cheaper.

Has anyone here got the book yet? I'd like to hear what everyone thinks of it, and encourage you to leave feedback on the book's site or on their forums. Sadly, I'm going to have to wait a week or so before I can get one, since it had to come out when I'm between two places.

Sailorasteroid · Post by **Sailorasteroid** » Fri May 27, 2005 12:18 am

OK, with full attention toward courtesy, here's why I have problems with this whole thing:

First, I have never seen Sailor Moon as any kind of stepping stone toward learning about Japan. To me, the Japanese nature of the show contributes to its greatness, but it's not the raison d'etre. From what I can tell, this book is not about Sailor Moon, as seen through the prism of Japan; it's about Japan, as shown through Sailor Moon examples. In other words, it's "edutainment." I've learned a lot about the Japanese culture from my anime-watching years, but the anime, or the manga, or the video game, is primary to me. On the other hand, I think it's presumptuous to attempt to show Japan through anime, since there is so much more to the country. If someone wrote a book on the nature of America as viewed through the prism of The Simpsons, I'd feel slightly insulted. Culture is one thing, and entertainment is another, and mixing the two strikes me as a kind of double blasphemy.

Second is the nature of the hyping of this book. I hadn't heard much of anything until this week, and all of a sudden it's being treated as a must have, like a new manga tankouban. I wouldn't have minded so much if the "online community" had been kept in the know as to the nature of the book. I've been to several web sites that were turned into books, like theslot.com and wrestlecrap.com, and I was happy to buy those books because they reflected the web site. In this case I think all the good stuff was held off the site and even now isn't really being given the right treatment. Put it this way: if Ian A. Miller turned Dies Gaudii into a book, I'd be first on line to buy. If he had put up one essay, said, "wait for the book!" and just went to work writing, I would be long gone.

And lastly, if it can do for the fanbase what it claims to do (which is a distinct possibility, don't get me wrong, I think there's every chance of success, and I think if nothing else the book will make back its cost), then it's going to spread to people who maybe should not be that strong of a fan. I make no secret of my otaku elitism; I favor the devotee over the dabbler. I dread speaking to someone, somewhere, sometime, and hearing, "Oh, I know all about Sailor Moon; I read Warriors of Legend!" when they haven't even seen the whole show.

However, I may be dead wrong on this whole issue, and I'm almost certain there's an epigram about books, covers, and judging one by the other. So if I see the book in a store or a library, or if I can borrow one from a friend, I will look myself and determine if it's worth buying. Also I will join up at the site forum and see if I can get some information that way. I am making every effort to keep an open mind on this, but I simply have reservations.

Post by **Tiff** » Fri May 27, 2005 3:04 pm

...wow. this is scary. I'm in no way interested in this book.. I hope that doesn't mean I'm no longer interested in sailor moon.

It's like..I love the show, and still watch it now and then..but any of the newer stuff just doesn't appeal to me anymore. PGSM was fun to watch, but I didn't keep up with it religiously like I did the show. A few years ago, i'd have jumped at getting that book. But like..reading this thread, i'm just going "meh. *shrugs*".

-_- I'm getting old.

jupiter23 · Post by **jupiter23** » Fri May 27, 2005 3:12 pm

If I can find this book in a book store, I might consider buying it. It really depends on if I have the money.

And you are not old, Tiff-san. My boyfriend says stuff like that, too. And he just turned 22 the other day.