Hello, Please! Very Helpful Super Kawaii Characters from Japan

Saw Matt on NHK World via cable television as he was briefly advertising this book. The biggest issue I run into trying to explain how different and interesting Japan is to western society is, nobody believes the stories I tell them. This is one of many tools in my arsenal to provide evidence to support the stories and experiences I had abroad.Matt, if you're reading this, hello and thank you so much! Hope to see you more on NHK World!

I had seen quite a few characters from Japan but never knew just how far they went. This book gives an excellent overview of a lot that are not even seen by folks in Japan

Like many people I've become enamored with Japan. I have found my love of kawaii... anything... to be very strong and not easily sated. This book of advertisements and popular characters is really neat. It makes me smile. I like it.

Great!

Meh book...I was hoping for lots of character art, unfortunately not the case.

Very cute collection of mascots. Fun book to browse.

Okay, I admit this isn't the most eloquent review, but I'm giving this book a shout-out because it is so amusing, adorable, funny. The authors classify these cartoony characters into five sections with an intro for each and an overall introduction prefacing it all. The intros were somewhat informative, not terribly deep in explanation but deep enough. I liked the variety and quantity of images they included and how their captions were set in a solid-color version of the character they are describing on that page. Great gift idea for anyone who likes Japanese pop art and cute, bubbly cartoons in general.

The immediate and obvious appeal of this book is seeing so many of these mascot characters "in the wild," but more importantly, the book provides context, explaining how Japanese aesthetics and traditions have affected the widespread adoption of these characters throughout the years. I really recommend this to anyone who is interested in Japanese culture and/or cartooning.

Great book, lot of fun images, both informative and amusing.