Even before anime gained popularity in the U.S., Japanese live-action television shows (or known as "dorama") quietly made their way to domestic television targeting mainly Japanese audiences living in America. However with the expansion of Japanese anime in mainstream culture and the growing interest of Japan in general, more and more people are expanding their interest beyond anime and are discovering the genre of Japanese live-action television series. Also, with more and more Japanese TV companies adopting manga and anime storylines for live-action, the interest in the Japanese drama is expected to grow even further.
Co-author of the famous Anime Encylopedia, Jonathan Clements and his co-author for this project, Motoko Tamamuro, embarked on a new venture creating The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953 which focuses on Japanese television serials ranging from sappy romances to samurai epics to old-school monster series. Using the same format as The Anime Encyclopedia, Clements and Tamamuro begin their book with an introduction and history of Japanese live-action series on television. Through their introduction, readers can see how television has evolved into the many different genres of dramas we can watch on Japanese TV today.
The bulk of The Dorama Encyclopedia contains information (such as producing company, year, etc.) and a synopsis of each drama listing. Each series is arranged alphabetically by its English counter-part title rather than its original Japanese title. As an avid Japanese drama watcher myself, this made it difficult for me to look up certain titles I had heard about in Japan. Not all English titles are the literate translation of the Japanese titles, so it may be somewhat challenging to find a drama based upon its original title. However, since book is released for the westernized world, I understand it may be more convenient for those who do not understand Japanese. Luckily, the Japanese titles were also included in the information section of each drama listing and in the well-organized index in the back of the book.
Within some drama listings, Clements and Tamamuro include more commentary and in-depth story analysis than others. Their comments about the dramas are quite insightful and for those who may have watched that particular drama can see the storyline in a whole new perspective. For readers who may not have any plans to watch those series, the commentary may help readers understand the concepts behind the drama's storyline. In addition, some listings are accompanied by artwork or images that helps the reader visualize the storylines of some series. Although it may have been beneficial to include a greater amount of images and screen shots to create a more graphical appealing layout, it is obvious that there was much more important textual ground to cover. Perhaps the reasoning behind the few images may be that the book could have doubled in size (and cost!) as well.
Towards the back of the book, Clements and Tamamuro also included a listing of American television series broadcasted in Japan and the Chinese titles of Japanese dramas (since Japanese dramas seem to be quite popular in other Asian countries) that are available abroad. The reader will also discover a bibliography, which features online sources (including our very own Akadot!) where you can find additional information and databases about Japanese dramas online.
Although Japanese live-action series have not yet entered mainstream society, this book will be helpful to those who are already interested in this form of entertainment. In addition, it can peak the interest of those who are interested beyond anime or Japanese culture in general. Not only does it have the ability to inform, but it is also a great reference guide to those wanting to read more on the subject. Covering such a wide time span, those who are already interested in dramas may find interest in reading the older drama listings from the past. Clements and Tamamuro should be applauded for the effort, hard work and time that must have been necessary to research and create such a resourceful book that is sure to help others learn about Japanese TV culture beyond anime.
