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Phantasm Japan: Fantasies Light and Dark, From and About Japan
From the editors of the acclaimed science fiction anthology The Future Is Japanese comes Phantasm Japan, which collects new stories—from the best Western and Japanese fantasists—that explore new worlds, ancient worlds, and this world.
340 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2014
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583 people want to read
About the author
Nick Mamatas
186 books248 followersNick Mamatas is the author of the Lovecraftian Beat road novel Move Under Ground, which was nominated for both the Bram Stoker and International Horror Guild awards, the Civil War ghost story Northern Gothic, also a Stoker nominee, the suburban nighmare novel Under My Roof, and over thirty short stories and hundreds of articles (some of which were collected in 3000 Miles Per Hour in Every Direction at Once). His work has appeared in Razor, Village Voice, Spex, Clamor, In These Times, Polyphony, several Disinformation and Ben Bella Books anthologies, and the books Corpse Blossoms, Poe's Lighthouse, Before & After: Stories from New York, and Short and Sweet.
Nick's forthcoming works include the collection You Might Sleep... (November 2008) and Haunted Legends, an anthology with Ellen Datlow (Tor Books 2009).
A native New Yorker, Nick now lives in the California Bay Area.
Nick's forthcoming works include the collection You Might Sleep... (November 2008) and Haunted Legends, an anthology with Ellen Datlow (Tor Books 2009).
A native New Yorker, Nick now lives in the California Bay Area.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 6, 2021
Diverse, surprising (which shouldn't be surprising in itself ;) and highly recommended--I'd say more than The Future is Japanese.
In my reading notes below, I've boldfaced the stories that took my breath away:
https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...
In my reading notes below, I've boldfaced the stories that took my breath away:
https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...
December 18, 2014
When I was contacted about reviewing Phantasm Japan by its editor, Nick Mamatas, I was excited, because the anthology's premise — bringing stories about Japan and/or by Japanese writers to a broader public — sounded really good and I'm always interested in broadening my cultural scope so to speak. So I'm a little sad to report I was somewhat disappointed by this collection of stories. To be fair, this may be because it turns out I'm not the best reader for these stories that have a specific aesthetic and form, which can feel a little choppy story-wise. But mostly it was because there were several stories that just didn't work for me.
Unfortunately, the two stories that worked least for me, were also two of the longest stories in the bunch. In fact, one of them Dempow Torishima's Sisyphean is the longest one clocking in at a whopping 71 pages. Sisyphean was a story that was just too weird for me to parse. There are probably people out there who will love it to bits exactly because of its weirdness, but for me it was just hard to get through all the descriptions and trying to picture them in my mind and I think it got in the way of my appreciating the underlying story, which was interesting; interesting enough for me to wrestle through all of the 71 pages. The other story that didn’t work for me at all was Quentin S. Crisp’s The Last Packet of Tea, so much so that I couldn’t even finish it, in fact I didn’t even get past the first five pages. And I tried to read it three times. What bounced me out of the story every time was its prose. The writing just felt very heavy-handed and overly florid. It rarely happens that I just can’t finish a story, but this was one such occasion. The story may be brilliant, but I couldn’t get past the writing.
Of course there were also some stories that I really loved. I think my favourite of the bunch was Project Itoh’s From the Nothing, With Love. A brilliant SFnal take on the James Bond lore, I loved how the story played with the different concepts of awareness and the true meaning of the soul. The twist at the end was magnificent and I really enjoyed this story. Another one I really loved was Miyuki Miyabe’s Chiyoko. Featuring a huge pink rabbit suit, several generations of toys and some beautiful notions on the importance of child’s play and beloved toys, I absolutely adored this one and its ending. Jacqueline Koyanagi’s Kamigakari is a haunting story about the end of the world by the sun going supernova, told in a fascinating two-person second person narration. And lastly there was Gary A. Braunbeck’s Shikata Ga Nai: A Bag Lady’s Tale. A ghost story with a memory quilt at its heart, it also dealt with the sad truth of the Japanese internment camps in the US during the Second World War. I loved the gentle tailor and the kind-hearted soldier and the tragedy innate to this tale.
While there were stories I really enjoyed, on the whole Phantasm Japan left me a little underwhelmed. With the exception of the first two stories I discussed, I generally enjoyed the anthology’s stories, with the four other stories discussed above being the stand-outs. Again, I may just not be the intended audience for these tales. If you enjoy stories that are different from the mean or want to explore stories not set in or written by the common (medieval) Western world then Phantasm Japan is certainly a work you should seek out.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
Unfortunately, the two stories that worked least for me, were also two of the longest stories in the bunch. In fact, one of them Dempow Torishima's Sisyphean is the longest one clocking in at a whopping 71 pages. Sisyphean was a story that was just too weird for me to parse. There are probably people out there who will love it to bits exactly because of its weirdness, but for me it was just hard to get through all the descriptions and trying to picture them in my mind and I think it got in the way of my appreciating the underlying story, which was interesting; interesting enough for me to wrestle through all of the 71 pages. The other story that didn’t work for me at all was Quentin S. Crisp’s The Last Packet of Tea, so much so that I couldn’t even finish it, in fact I didn’t even get past the first five pages. And I tried to read it three times. What bounced me out of the story every time was its prose. The writing just felt very heavy-handed and overly florid. It rarely happens that I just can’t finish a story, but this was one such occasion. The story may be brilliant, but I couldn’t get past the writing.
Of course there were also some stories that I really loved. I think my favourite of the bunch was Project Itoh’s From the Nothing, With Love. A brilliant SFnal take on the James Bond lore, I loved how the story played with the different concepts of awareness and the true meaning of the soul. The twist at the end was magnificent and I really enjoyed this story. Another one I really loved was Miyuki Miyabe’s Chiyoko. Featuring a huge pink rabbit suit, several generations of toys and some beautiful notions on the importance of child’s play and beloved toys, I absolutely adored this one and its ending. Jacqueline Koyanagi’s Kamigakari is a haunting story about the end of the world by the sun going supernova, told in a fascinating two-person second person narration. And lastly there was Gary A. Braunbeck’s Shikata Ga Nai: A Bag Lady’s Tale. A ghost story with a memory quilt at its heart, it also dealt with the sad truth of the Japanese internment camps in the US during the Second World War. I loved the gentle tailor and the kind-hearted soldier and the tragedy innate to this tale.
While there were stories I really enjoyed, on the whole Phantasm Japan left me a little underwhelmed. With the exception of the first two stories I discussed, I generally enjoyed the anthology’s stories, with the four other stories discussed above being the stand-outs. Again, I may just not be the intended audience for these tales. If you enjoy stories that are different from the mean or want to explore stories not set in or written by the common (medieval) Western world then Phantasm Japan is certainly a work you should seek out.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
September 1, 2016
3 1/2 stars. Probably the best of the 3 Haiksoru anthologies I've read so far.
Like all the other Haiksoru anthologies I've read, this is a pretty mixed bag with some very weak, amateurish work bracketed by a few outstanding stories. The variable quality can get tiresome, but Dempow Torishima's 'Sisyphean' is probably the weirdest thing I've read in ages (maybe since encountering Michel Bernanos The Other Side of the Mountain in the VanderMeer's The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories collection) and worth the price of the book itself, if you like the genuinely, bizarrely strange.
Like all the other Haiksoru anthologies I've read, this is a pretty mixed bag with some very weak, amateurish work bracketed by a few outstanding stories. The variable quality can get tiresome, but Dempow Torishima's 'Sisyphean' is probably the weirdest thing I've read in ages (maybe since encountering Michel Bernanos The Other Side of the Mountain in the VanderMeer's The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories collection) and worth the price of the book itself, if you like the genuinely, bizarrely strange.
November 20, 2016
This is a collection of fantasy stories, about half written by Japanese authors and translated, and about half written in English that just happen to involve some aspect of Japanese culture or mythology.
This is the same deal as The Future is Japanese: Science Fiction Futures and Brand New Fantasies from and about Japan., but at least this time, I'm not expecting more from it, so it's not as disappointing. I still wish it was mostly a collection of stories in translation, but I had to make my peace with it. And, besides, this is a fantasy collection, so my expectations are lowered anyway. Not that there's anything wrong with fantasy (it's certainly far better than a book that's completely mundane), it's just that I personally don't respond as well to it as science fiction. And while there's frustratingly almost always outright fantasy stories in what are supposedly science fiction collections (at least, when there isn't a defined theme around it being hard SF), rarely in my experience is the reverse true.
Luckily, this is one of the rare cases, as there are several that at least dance on the line between the two genres, if not crossing entirely.
For that reason, I think I may even like it more than TFIJ. But like all short story collections, it's a mixed bag. Some I liked, some I didn't care for at all. And maybe more often than not, the ones I didn't care for were slogs or felt utterly pointless rather than simply being not my thing. But I was pleasantly surprised by how many I genuinely liked.
The standouts, for me, were:
"Scissors or Claws, and Holes" by Yusaku Kitano (a weird tale of microscopic organisms that try to colonize and can let you see the future, but you must be very careful how you act).
"Girl, I Love You" by Nadia Bulkin (set in a world where curses have begun to work, and following the friend of a girl who paid the ultimate sacrifice to stop a bully)
"From the Nothing, With Love" by Project Itoh (a weird tale of an immortal but very familiar spy).
"Those Who Hunt Monster Hunters" by Tim Pratt (a bit unsubtle but still enjoyable tale of someone seeking revenge on a self-styled monster hunter).
"The Street of Fruiting Bodys" by Sayuri Ueda (about a fungal plague that, possibly, causes those it kills to become ghosts)
I still think I'd give it only 3 stars, like the other anthology, but it's a much higher 3 stars.
This is the same deal as The Future is Japanese: Science Fiction Futures and Brand New Fantasies from and about Japan., but at least this time, I'm not expecting more from it, so it's not as disappointing. I still wish it was mostly a collection of stories in translation, but I had to make my peace with it. And, besides, this is a fantasy collection, so my expectations are lowered anyway. Not that there's anything wrong with fantasy (it's certainly far better than a book that's completely mundane), it's just that I personally don't respond as well to it as science fiction. And while there's frustratingly almost always outright fantasy stories in what are supposedly science fiction collections (at least, when there isn't a defined theme around it being hard SF), rarely in my experience is the reverse true.
Luckily, this is one of the rare cases, as there are several that at least dance on the line between the two genres, if not crossing entirely.
For that reason, I think I may even like it more than TFIJ. But like all short story collections, it's a mixed bag. Some I liked, some I didn't care for at all. And maybe more often than not, the ones I didn't care for were slogs or felt utterly pointless rather than simply being not my thing. But I was pleasantly surprised by how many I genuinely liked.
The standouts, for me, were:
"Scissors or Claws, and Holes" by Yusaku Kitano (a weird tale of microscopic organisms that try to colonize and can let you see the future, but you must be very careful how you act).
"Girl, I Love You" by Nadia Bulkin (set in a world where curses have begun to work, and following the friend of a girl who paid the ultimate sacrifice to stop a bully)
"From the Nothing, With Love" by Project Itoh (a weird tale of an immortal but very familiar spy).
"Those Who Hunt Monster Hunters" by Tim Pratt (a bit unsubtle but still enjoyable tale of someone seeking revenge on a self-styled monster hunter).
"The Street of Fruiting Bodys" by Sayuri Ueda (about a fungal plague that, possibly, causes those it kills to become ghosts)
I still think I'd give it only 3 stars, like the other anthology, but it's a much higher 3 stars.
March 19, 2015
Antología muy irregular, con un inicio accidentado pero que se recupera gracias a algunos relatos espectaculares y por los cuales vale la pena adentrarse en la antología.
June 20, 2015
It was a good mix of stories. I enjoyed them.
November 1, 2020
I came for Zachary Mason. unfortunately his micro fiction is scattered through this book and collectively only amounts to about 12 pages in 5 Japanese variants of his ancient myth retellings. He really has mastered the conversion of ancient myth to modern prose.
Beyond Mason I wasn't taken by many of the stories. Two notable exceptions. The first was The Street of Fruiting Body by Sayuri Ueda. A fungal pandemic story which like much fiction written about pandemics has become more poignant in the past year. I wonder if Ueda author had read about the Candida auris fungus before writing this story. Don't look it up if you want to be able to sleep tonight.
Most outstanding however was Sisyphean by Dempow Torishima. A post-apocalyptic tale of the most grotesque form. In some capitalistic end game many humans have become some sort of meat sleeve for a hard drive style conscious similar to the stack in Altered Carbon. The protagonist works for an enormous, ampeba like alien life-form in a horrific organ factory, where they make organs for other alien life forms. At the end of each day he returns, bone tired to an amniotic sleep sac, think Matrix. He dreams of retirement/freedom but it seems apparent that he'll never escape. It's truly a gross story but as an extended metaphor for the meaningless work we put ourselves through it's apt.
An honourable mention also to From the Nothing, With Love by Project Itoh for the most meta spy story ever.
Beyond Mason I wasn't taken by many of the stories. Two notable exceptions. The first was The Street of Fruiting Body by Sayuri Ueda. A fungal pandemic story which like much fiction written about pandemics has become more poignant in the past year. I wonder if Ueda author had read about the Candida auris fungus before writing this story. Don't look it up if you want to be able to sleep tonight.
Most outstanding however was Sisyphean by Dempow Torishima. A post-apocalyptic tale of the most grotesque form. In some capitalistic end game many humans have become some sort of meat sleeve for a hard drive style conscious similar to the stack in Altered Carbon. The protagonist works for an enormous, ampeba like alien life-form in a horrific organ factory, where they make organs for other alien life forms. At the end of each day he returns, bone tired to an amniotic sleep sac, think Matrix. He dreams of retirement/freedom but it seems apparent that he'll never escape. It's truly a gross story but as an extended metaphor for the meaningless work we put ourselves through it's apt.
An honourable mention also to From the Nothing, With Love by Project Itoh for the most meta spy story ever.
February 8, 2019
I guess the good and bad thing about anthologies is that not every story is your cup of tea.
Let's start with what I liked! Those Who Hunt Monster Hunters was a good story, as was From the Nothing, With Love (which was such a brilliant take on the spy who loved all of us *hint*). I also enjoyed Scissors or Claws and Holes, which was suitably and subtly creepy, especially how it's written. Another creepy (therefore good) story was Girl, I Love You, as was The Street of Fruiting Bodies. Creepy bordering on making me cringe was Thirty-Eight Observations on the Nature of the Self. A touching short included Shikata Ga Nai: The Bag Lady's Tale - touches on the World War and internment camps. There were a few misses - I technically did not finish the book because I just could not finish the second-last story, Sisyphean. I started, and realised I couldn't torture myself. I'm sure some people will like it, but I couldn't deal with the genuine grossness I was feeling as I read the first few pages.
Let's start with what I liked! Those Who Hunt Monster Hunters was a good story, as was From the Nothing, With Love (which was such a brilliant take on the spy who loved all of us *hint*). I also enjoyed Scissors or Claws and Holes, which was suitably and subtly creepy, especially how it's written. Another creepy (therefore good) story was Girl, I Love You, as was The Street of Fruiting Bodies. Creepy bordering on making me cringe was Thirty-Eight Observations on the Nature of the Self. A touching short included Shikata Ga Nai: The Bag Lady's Tale - touches on the World War and internment camps. There were a few misses - I technically did not finish the book because I just could not finish the second-last story, Sisyphean. I started, and realised I couldn't torture myself. I'm sure some people will like it, but I couldn't deal with the genuine grossness I was feeling as I read the first few pages.
July 24, 2022
I could only read half these stories. Not a great anthology, there's no common thread except they either come from Japan or mention the country/people tangentially. I was hoping for something better, but a lot of the stories were either rambling or boring.
March 17, 2024
some of these were quite interesting and moving. some of them irritated me - felt like the authors wrote something just for the sake of writing something horrid or bizarre, with nothing of any depth or interest to say.
December 1, 2024
An interesting collection while the term phantasm invokes images of ghost and gothic tales, yes they are to be found but many of these stories are more kin to avant garde fiction from authors such William Burroughs or J.G Ballard or Lovecraftian fiction.
November 9, 2017
Some interesting stories, but ultimately ruined by Sisyphean, which was just bloody nonsense.
March 4, 2018
The shortest stories in the bunch were the best.
October 25, 2018
ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL
April 2, 2020
As with any collection, it has it's ups and downs. But overall quite my cup of tea
May 3, 2020
There are stories in the book that I love and there are some that too hard for me to finish, maybe because I just did not understand their peculiarity. Still interesting though.
June 17, 2016
Well, I didn't quite finish this. I was in the middle of Sisyphean and realized that the only point of reading more would be to tell myself that I finished it. And if that's the only thing keeping you going you should probably stop. So I did. This was such a mixed collection. On one hand there were some great stories, like Scissors or Claws, and Holes and The Street of Fruiting Bodies, but so much else was terrible. Stories that fell out of place, were so full of abstractions I didn't understand, lacked either weird Japan or plot development, many times both. It felt like a collection from and by authors who had a cool idea and couldn't execute it well. From the Japanese lit I've read it's full of encounters with spirits, surreal happenings, and conclusions I don't understand or appreciate. So, whether it be that stupid weeaboo story or that pretty good but out of place James Bond story, get it together collection. 5/10? Maybe 4.
January 30, 2015
I enjoyed this collection, however it was a bit more hit and miss for my personal tastes than the previous one in the same series. Some stories I really enjoyed and then others didn't resonate with me.
The highlights were:
'Scissors or Claws, and Holes' by Yusaku Kitano
'Girl, I Love You' by Nadia Bulkin
'From the Nothing, With Love' by Project Itoh
'Those Who Hunt Monster Hunters' by Tim Pratt
'The Street of Fruiting Bodies' by Sayuri Ueda
'Chiyoko' by Miyuki Miyabe
The highlights were:
'Scissors or Claws, and Holes' by Yusaku Kitano
'Girl, I Love You' by Nadia Bulkin
'From the Nothing, With Love' by Project Itoh
'Those Who Hunt Monster Hunters' by Tim Pratt
'The Street of Fruiting Bodies' by Sayuri Ueda
'Chiyoko' by Miyuki Miyabe
August 27, 2016
An unusual collection of stories ranging from traditional story through to science fiction to weird tales. I found something to admire in nearly all of them, although the longest story - Sisyphean - required too much mental work and just went over my head in the end. Stand outs for me were Girl, I love you, He dreads the cold, From the nothing with love, and the Street of Fruiting Bodies.
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April 8, 2016Fiction H1499 2014
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