Peering back into the past, we see the bonds formed in blood that connect together these four lawless desperados, and the deep wounds that still threaten to tear them apart as they continue on in their journey West. But can Sanzo’s gang afford to keep fighting their inner demons with every yokai in Togenkyo on their tail? A sudden run-in with Kougaiji and his entourage, among the many dangers and temptations of the long road to Tenjiku, will test their resolve to settle scores both past and present.

Japanese animation is at the nexus of an international multimedia industry worth over $23.6 billion a year, linked to everything from manga to computer games, Pokémon and plushies. In this comprehensive guide, Jonathan Clements chronicles the production and reception history of the entire medium, from a handful of hobbyists in the 1910s to the Oscar-winning Spirited Away and beyond. Exploring the cultural and technological developments of the past century, Clements addresses how anime's history has been written by Japanese scholars, and covers previously neglected topics such as wartime instructional animation and work-for-hire for American clients. Founded on the testimonies of industry professionals, and drawing on a myriad of Japanese-language documents, memoirs and books, Anime: A History illuminates the anime business from the inside – investigating its innovators, its unsung heroes and its controversies. This new edition has been updated and revised throughout, with full colour illustrations and three new chapters on anime's fortunes among Chinese audiences and subcontractors, 21st century trends in 'otaku economics', and the huge transformations brought about by the rise of global streaming technology.

A study of the early versions of the classic Chinese novel known to readers in English as Monkey. Dr Dudbridge examines a long tradition of earlier versions in narrative and dramatic form through which the great episodic cycle slowly took shape. The two main fields of interest are popular culture and folklore and the development of Chinese vernacular literature. Dr Dudbridge provides a very thorough survey of present knowledge about the whole topic and discusses critically a good deal of theorising about it. This is a study for experts. It uses Chinese characters, both in text pages and in the bibliography, which is very extensive. The plates reproduce paintings, carvings and sections of text relevant to the tradition.

The story of Xuanzang, the monk who went from China to India in quest of Buddhist scriptures.

The third volume in the classic saga: “A complete, faithful, and fully delightful translation of China’s most beloved novel.” —The Hudson Review Anthony C. Yu’s translation of The Journey to the West introduced English-speaking audiences to the classic Chinese novel in its entirety for the first time in 1983. Written in the sixteenth century, The Journey to the West tells the story of the fourteen-year pilgrimage of the monk Xuanzang, one of China’s most famous religious heroes, and his three supernatural disciples, in search of Buddhist scriptures. Throughout his journey, Xuanzang fights demons who wish to eat him, communes with spirits, and traverses a land riddled with a multitude of obstacles, both real and fantastical. An adventure rich with danger and excitement, this seminal work of the Chinese literary canon is by turns allegory, satire, and fantasy. With over a hundred chapters written in both prose and poetry, Yu triumphed in preserving its plot and the lyricism of its language in a translation that “does full justice to the adventure, lyricism and buffoonery [yet] is completely sensitive to the spiritual content of the text as well” (The New York Times Book Review). In this new edition, he has made his translations even more accurate and accessible. The explanatory notes are updated and augmented, and Yu has added new material to his introduction, based on his original research as well as on the newest literary criticism and scholarship on Chinese religious traditions. He has also modernized the transliterations included in each volume, using the now-standard Hanyu Pinyin romanization system. Perhaps most important, Yu has made changes to the translation itself in order to make it as precise as possible. One of the great works of Chinese literature, The Journey to the West is not only invaluable to scholars of Eastern religion and literature, but, in Yu’s elegant rendering, also a delightful read. “This revised edition is the crowning glory of a highly productive scholarly career . . . a text worthy of very wide reading.” —Journal of Chinese Religions Volume 3 of 4

Kaboku and Wanda shift from the practice room to the dance floor as their first dance contest approaches, and the competition is white-hot—both on and off the dance floor! The moment has come for Kabo and Wanda’s first dance competition. They’ve worked hard and prepared well, but they’ll have to face the best from other schools if they hope to emerge victorious. No matter what happens, there will be lessons they can learn and ways they can improve their dancing, if they’re willing to find them. But that’s not the only kind of competition going down. When Kabo walks into club one day to discover a completely unexpected showdown in progress, the only thing that will surprise him more than who’s having the dance battle is who takes up the gauntlet next!

Kazuya’s maritime heroics have complicated his decision to completely cut ties with his rental girlfriend, Chizuru. Now the stage is set for a different kind of conversation… Chizuru has always bailed him out of his cowardly ways and awkward encounters, but how will she react after he saves her life?