Inuhiko Yomota stormed onto the scene in the 1980s — the scene being the revolving stage of Japanese polemics, on which new ideas and intellectual styles were presented, only to be swiftly replaced by a different set of ideas and styles. This was the era of the shinjinrui, in which a "new breed" of young consumers pursued novel objects and goals, both tangible and intangible.

Yomota was unique among those on the scene and he has kept returning to the limelight over the decades even as the stage has revolved beneath him.

What Is Japanese Cinema? A History, by Inuhiko Yomota.248 pagesCOLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS