In the last Japanese history seminar of my first year of graduate school, we shifted gears from the economic and political legacy of the immediate post-war period to slightly more current topics – the ‘afterlives of area studies,’ the fate of post-colonialism in a world weary of po-co, and … Pokémon and Neon Genesis Evangelion. I was at once delighted and disappointed to see respected academics tackling questions of “popular culture” that we often shy away from, at least in the context of “history” books. After we broke for coffee and reconvened, we launched into our discussion of some of the essays included in Japan After Japan: Social and Culture Life from the Recessionary 1990s to the Present. “Any thoughts on ‘Pokémon Capitalism at the Millennium’?” my professor queried. Most eyes were on me, the ‘gamer/game writer.’ “Well, I thought it was an interesting essay,” I started. “And it’s nice to see gaming centre stage like this, but …”

There’s always a ‘but.’ The thing that struck me most about Anne Allison’s otherwise interesting essay was for me — a “gamer” and someone who writes about games — was that she clearly had little experience with games themselves. As it turned out, she was apparently inspired to look into the Pokémon phenomenon after her children started playing; beyond purchasing and observing, she herself had no experience with gaming. My criticisms weren’t aimed at her thinking or writing or research, per se – no, my quibble was with nit-picky details that didn’t quite ring true.