FOCUS

We love anime!

In the space of a few decades, animation has become a mainstay in the world of Japanese pop culture. An essential element of Japanese pop culture, animation has a long history. Here it is. For many people outside Japan, watching anime is their first contact with otaku culture and remains their main [...]

[HISTORY] Animation’s bond with television

The famous 34th episode of Tetsuwan Atom was produced by Studio Zero in 1963. To explain the reason behind our great love of Japanese anime, we need to look at the role played by the small screen. Writer and editor NAkAGAWA Yusuke is the author of more than 70 books about Japanese pop culture. he wa[...]

[TREND] Watch your step

Based on her long experience, TAKEUCHI Yukari analyses the prospects for the animation industry. In the coming years, the Japanese animation industry could experience a decline. What is the current status of animation in Japan, and in what direction is it going? Zoom Japan discussed the past, presen[...]

[ECONOMY] Quality always pays

According to Francesco Prandoni from Production I.g, the studio’s success is due to its maintaining the highest standards. In the vast world of Japanese animation, a company that has consistently come up with original and beautifully produced works is Production I.G, one of the hundreds of studios[...]

[TOP] Anatomy of an incredible success

Despite its childlike appearance, Demon Slayer has attracted a very large audience. By successfully dethroning Spirited Away, Demon Slayer has become the new phenomenon in Japanese animation. Japanese animation even managed to grab the world’s attention during the Covid-19 pandemic. This time, how[...]

No.83 [FOCUS] Eternal spirit of pleasure

The erotic album of the Comical Cuckoo Clock or Sex Adoration of the Women of the Night (Ehon hakai yobuko-dori). Detail from the 9th print. Unsigned. Philippe Pons and Pierre-François Souyri invite us to explore the world of sexuality and eroticism. Published in France at the beginning of October [...]

No.83 [TREND] Sex, did you say sex ?

From the early 1990s, some men began to turn their back on flesh and blood women. Over the past three decades, Japanese sexual habits have changed. We assess the situation. Sex is both a necessity and a pleasure, and popular attitudes toward sex have historically oscillated between these two poles. [...]

No.83 [ECONOMY] Business is business

The sex industry represents a huge market. Benefitting from loopholes in the law, there are countless specialised establishments generating an incredible turnover. Japan has the biggest sex industry in Asia and one of the biggest in the world, but finding reliable data on its inner workings and the [...]

No.83 [EVOLUTION] Soapland, an odd bath

Nikita, 28, takes a break between shifts at Soapland Paradise, in Kawasaki. Despite being banned, prostitution continues to thrive with the existence of particular establishments. Look for Yoshiwara on the map and you won’t find it. Officially, the name does not exist anymore, the district having [...]

No.83 [IN SITU] I’m Riri, a soapland employee

Aged 29, this university graduate has chosen to work in one of these establishments popular with men. It’s 11:00 on an unusually warm day in November when I walk into one of the many soaplands that take up four full blocks in Senzoku, the Tokyo red-light district that used to be called Yoshiwara. [...]