opinios

I'd like to think that I am not normally one to be swayed by mass media as much as the rest of the pack.

This might be naive, but I generally do have a cynical view of most forms of advertising that I am surrounded by. I look at billboards critically, analyse magazines down to the formulaic sex-appeal photos that draw people in, and commend clever packaging. I'd like to think that I am able to appreciate good design without being sucked in to buy the product on offer.

But bookstores! Bookstores take me away.

I was given some vouchers redeemable at any book store as payment for that ridiculous "morals education" seminar thing last week, and spent hours today in Junkudo (the massive 9-level complex in Ikebukuro) today, just marvelling at everything on offer.

One of the problems of being someone who is interested in so many diverse things is that I am tempted to buy books about each and every one of them. I picked up how-to manuals for Photoshop and Macromedia Flash (they were even in English!) then put them down to be inspired by some graphic design annuals, then nosied through the pages of various contemporary Japanese fiction writers. I marvelled at some black and white photography masterpieces, then tossed and turned over whether I should splurge on a couple more bass guitar books or this must-have study book for learners of Japanese.

Unfortunately when it comes down to it, I can get excited by pretty much anything. Some people find this refreshing and others find it frustrating (usually myself). But there's no question about it: a well-written book, something that is tangible, with crisp new pages and a beautiful coloured cover can take one to another world far more than the rearranging of pixels on a screen.

What was that I was trying to say in my anti-consumerism cartoon? Gulp.