"At last, a critical analysis of Godzilla movies that breathes enough fire to be worthy of the Big G himself. This is a book for anyone interested in Japanese culture - scholars and fans alike will be delighted with these smart, provocative essays that explore what Japan's most popular monster has meant at home and abroad." - Annalee Newitz, author of Pretend We're Dead: Capitalist Monsters in American Pop Culture"These thirteen essays contextualize Gojira in terms of war memory and scientific modernity, Japanese folklore and worldwide fandom, and 'green' and 'pink' globalization. Well-researched and illuminating, this book challenges students and teachers alike to confront all-too-common stereotypes about cheesy cultural products from Japan. In Godzilla's Footsteps is the most ambitious attempt to date to make sense of postwar Japan's popular culture historically, and to examine Japanese history through pop culture icons." - Franziska Seraphim, Assistant Professor of Japanese History, Boston College, author of War Memory and Social Politics in Japan, 1945-2006 (2006) "In Godzilla's Footsteps is a fascinating look back at the early seeds of today's blossoming Japanese pop culture abroad." - Greenman Review
