Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World by Matt Alt. The Anime Machine by Thomas Lamarre.
The Japanese idol industry, pioneered by the behemoth (for male idols) and AKB48 (for female idols), has perfected a product more addictive than music: parasocial relationships . These performers are not sold on vocal prowess but on "growth," "accessibility," and "purity."
In 2002, a scholar named Douglas McGray coined the term "Gross National Cool." The Japanese government immediately weaponized it. The was launched to subsidize the export of anime, fashion, and food.
