Fully authorised by the man himself, this is the world's first study of the explosive Japanese genius destined to become the most influential filmmaker of his generation. Taking a critical, enthusiastic and accessible look at all of his 53 films and TV series, as well as his work as an actor and producer, this groundbreaking, exhaustive and complete work is set to become the definitive word on the most talked-about director of the decade.
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Special Offer until June 30, 2013: Receive an additional £5 promotional Gift Certificate, when you trade-in at least £10 worth of books. Learn more. |
|
There is a newer edition of this item:
|
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
An essential purchase for anyone wanting to know where cinema is heading in the 21st century. -- Pete Tombs (author of Mondo Macabro)
About the Author
Tom Mes is the founder and co-editor of MidnightEye.com, the world's leading English-language publication on contemporary Japanese cinema. His work has appeared in such magazines as Fangoria, Impact, Japan Magazine and Skrien. His writing on Takashi Miike has been published in England, the US, France and Russia.
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By "ceno_bite"
Format:Paperback
With perhaps the exception of the gruelling experience of Audition, his most well known film in the UK, Japanese auteur Takashi Miike's films are so unlike anything else past or present, so idiosyncratic and unpredictable in style, tone and ideas, that many are likely to dismiss them as nonsense. Indeed, as with other directors whom consistently offer truly unique film experiences, such as Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, even the most astute and proficient of film critics have made this mistake.
Tom Mes addresses this potential difficulty by deciphering and offering sound interpretations some of the more complex and seemingly imperceptible elements and themes within Miike's films. The enthusiasm for his subject pervades throughout the book, which is clearly expressed and well-researched, Mes creatively analysing and perceptively discussing the director's oeuvre. Miike's films are, without a doubt, more about style than content. And Mes's discussion is sensitive to this, highlighting particular visual and aural techniques and their baring on such things as the themes and overall tone of individual films.
Mes also avoids the trap many writers fall into when writing about something they zealously adore: that of offering little genuine criticism. This often comes about when authors are too protective of their beloved subject and/or blind to their flaws. In contrast, Mes's study is as conscious and honest of the faults and problems in Miike's work as it is of their ingenuity and brilliance. Moreover, he never supplies far-fetched readings of the films that unearth sub-texts or implicit meanings that over-stretch the most insignificant of details; a problem that frequently occurs when aficionados or scholars allow their over-active imaginations to get the better of them.
... Read more ›3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Mordum
Format:Hardcover
I was lucky enough to get my hands on this very Limited Edition Hardcover copy of Agitator (only 500 copies worldwide) direct from the publishers website. It is a fascinating insight into each and every Takashi Miike film, written by Tom Mes (who certainly knows his asian cinema). This book is also very honest, Tom Mes does'nt praise every film as a work of genius and if a film is awful then he will say it.
A must buy for any fan of Takashi Miike, or anyone remotely interested in film period! (and a true collectors item)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Anyone with an interest in Mikke, asian cinema or cinema in general will no doubt find something with this book.
Tom Mes' analysis of each film of the past decade from one of the worlds truly talented directors is informative, intelligent and often challenging.
The cinema of Takashi Mikke is a truly eye opening experience and i would advise you take a look .
Tom Mes' analysis of each film of the past decade from one of the worlds truly talented directors is informative, intelligent and often challenging.
The cinema of Takashi Mikke is a truly eye opening experience and i would advise you take a look .
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Tom Mes has provided an essential and comprehensive insight into one of the most exciting, innovate and prolific directors working in Japan today. 'Agitator' provides in depth reviews of all Takashi Miike's films to date written with genuine passion, but unflinching frankness. Mes does not shy away from examining the director's perplexing habit of accepting journeyman roles, working with substandard material, the results of which have not unsurprisingly been less spectacular than his more famous works such as Ichi the Killer and Audition.
The book is balanced well, providing a good overview of his origins and style, before launching into the reviews, which again are balanced well, his more influential films getting greater attention.
For anyone interested in Takashi Miike's work, 'Agitator' is THE book, bar none.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Agitator: The Cinema of Takashi Miike proved to be a very valuable asset for my dissertation research into Japanese horrors. It served as an indepth study into Takashi Miike's films and himself as a director. The book contains a number of horror films that I had been previously looking at which fitted perfectly with this purchase. I reccomend this for anyone who is interested in looking at Takashi Miike and Japanese horror films.
By Mr. T. Berriman
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
It is a danger when writing about a director as prolific as Takashi Miike that by the time you go to print he will have fit in a whole second career's worth of productions. With that in mind it is surprising to see that this 2nd ed. book, apparently published in 2006, only covers Miike's work up until 2002. In fact he has directed another 21 pieces since then, with another two more currently in production. Among those missing from this tome include his first self-written movie The Great Yokai War, the almost korean-style horror One Missed Call, and the short movie segment he did for Three Extremes. Of course his cameo in Hostel is also missing.
It is such a pity that this brilliant reference has not been updated to include his more recent work, or even a second book released.
With that said and behind me, I can now gush. This is a brilliant reference for any Miike fans, including a look at his life, the common themes in his movies, and his entire career up until Deadly Outlaw Rekka, including his assistant-director V-Cinema work. Each movie has at least one page dedicated to it, with some movies having a number of pages.
The book also includes a short "Ichi the Killer" production diary, a decent length interview with Miike, and a filmography including a (dated) section of "Miike films available on DVD".
If you like Miike's films, if you want to know more about him and what drives him, or if you want to learn about other directors with the gung-ho approach to film-making as Tarentino and Rodriguez, then this is absolutely the book for you!
It is such a pity that this brilliant reference has not been updated to include his more recent work, or even a second book released.
With that said and behind me, I can now gush. This is a brilliant reference for any Miike fans, including a look at his life, the common themes in his movies, and his entire career up until Deadly Outlaw Rekka, including his assistant-director V-Cinema work. Each movie has at least one page dedicated to it, with some movies having a number of pages.
The book also includes a short "Ichi the Killer" production diary, a decent length interview with Miike, and a filmography including a (dated) section of "Miike films available on DVD".
If you like Miike's films, if you want to know more about him and what drives him, or if you want to learn about other directors with the gung-ho approach to film-making as Tarentino and Rodriguez, then this is absolutely the book for you!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 9 reviews
4.1 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well, it's OK ...
Tom Mes gets full credit for writing the first book on the extraordinary work of Takashi Miike, but I was disappointed by the book as a whole. Read more
Published on 6 Jan 2008 by S. de Waal
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brother Number One Says...
This book is a cool reference guide for the novice or afficionado.
Published on 8 Aug 2003 by Queequeg!
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biography
- Books > History > Countries & Regions > Asia > East Asia > Japan
- Books > History > Cultural History
- Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Criticism & Theory
- Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Production & Technology > Direction & Production
- Books > Reference > Directories > Art
- Books > Reference > Directories > Film & Performing Arts
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
