This is one of those books that you will love or hate. And chances are, you're likely to dislike it if you are familiar with Japanese culture. Having said that, it certain warrants mentioning this for folks who share this author's feelings.

The book is a short one, describing a short exploratory mission taken by author Peter Carey and his son. As it happens, Carey's young son becomes a manga/anime fan and somehow father and son start bonding as the son becomes more set in his new interests. The book, Wrong About Japan, is Carey's attempts to understand what his son is into. To this effect, these two actual trek over to Japan and explore the world of manga and anime. The writer describes the cultural aspects using his own culture as a point of reference. And thus, whilst Japan is not the quirky culture he had envisioned earlier, he doesn't exactly embrace his new found knowledge wholeheartedly.

Like I said earlier, if you are into anime/manga, you might not agree with his point of view. A lot of folks complained that Carey was slightly dismissal of all that he discovered, instead opting to hold onto his old views about Japan. Nonetheless, this book can still be a good starting for parents who want to be part of their otaku kids' hobbies. It might be interesting to read the narrative of others who, having grown up with different artistic influences, are a bit puzzled by the anime/manga craze that took hold of the younger generation.