The End of Japanese Cinema

"Thanks to the studio system and the canonical work of auteurs, there was a time when everyone knew the greatness of Japanese film—when everyone knew exactly what Japanese cinema was. This gave way to a sense of decline, if not an end, after the demise of the new wave. In his provocative new book, Alexander Zahlten directs us to the curious, protean margins of the industry to redefine our understanding of 'Japanese cinema.'" - Markus Nornes, coauthor of A Research Guide to Japanese Film Studies

"Alexander Zahlten emphasizes a constellation of cinematic attributes that have rarely been considered so seriously in Japanese film and media studies: industry and industrial structures, distribution infrastructures, and viewing spaces. Demonstrating a special command of industry history, Zahlten facilitates fruitful dialogue between text and context that will change how people talk about Japanese cinema. A great read." - Miryam Sas, author of Experimental Arts in Postwar Japan: Moments of Encounter, Engagement, and Imagined Return

"A rich historical analysis. Recommended." - S. Pepper, Choice

"Provocative." - Etsuo Kono, Japan News

“Deeply thought-provoking. . . . Alexander Zahlten’s study represents a major scholarly contribution to the fields of Japanese film and media studies and allied disciplines. The End of Japanese Cinema is a remarkable achievement in the scholarship of film and media, both from and in Japan.”
  - Rea Amit, Film Quarterly

“The End of Japanese Cinema is an innovative account of some significant currents within modern Japanese film which have tended to be marginalised.” - Alexander Jacoby, Sight & Sound

"Zahlten’s nuanced readings of these industrial genres introduce concepts and terms that will be used productively for years to come. This book is an important contribution and should be read widely by scholars of Japan studies and film and media studies, particularly those interested in contemporary Japan." - Charles Exley, Journal of Japanese Studies

"This book doubtless makes a significant contribution to the study of Japanese cinema, even to Japanese media as a whole, particularly the chapters on V-cinema, but also its new analytical approaches and perspectives on pink films and Kadokawa films." - Martin Picard, Asiascape