Hanzai Japan: Fantastical, Futuristic Stories of Crime From and About Japan (40 page)

A web browser that threatens to conquer the world. The longest, loneliest railroad on Earth. A North Korean nuke hitting Tokyo, a hollow asteroid full of automated rice paddies, and a specialist in breaking up “virtual” marriages. And yes, giant robots. These thirteen stories from and about the Land of the Rising Sun run the gamut from fantasy to cyberpunk, and will leave you knowing that the future is Japanese. Featuring the Hugo Award-winning short story “Mono No Aware” by Ken Liu!

Koushun Takami’s
Battle Royale
is an international best seller, the basis of the cult film, and the inspiration for a popular manga. And fifteen years after its initial release,
Battle Royale
remains a controversial pop culture phenomenon.

Join
New York Times
best-selling author John Skipp,
Batman
screenwriter Sam Hamm, Philip K. Dick Award-winning novelist Toh EnJoe, and an array of writers, scholars, and fans in discussing girl power, firepower, professional wrestling, bad movies, the survival chances of Hollywood’s leading teen icons in a battle royale, and so much more!

The secret history of the most famous secret agent in the world. A bunny costume that reveals the truth in our souls. The unsettling notion that Japan itself may be a dream. The tastiest meal you’ll never have, a fedora-wearing neckbeard’s deadly date with a yokai, and the worst work shift anyone—human or not—has ever lived through. Welcome to
Phantasm Japan
.