November 30, 2024

TIGER TANAKA PART 1

New release: James Bond fans might be surprised to learn that a new continuation novel of sorts has just been released in Japan! As some Spy Vibers may know, I lived in Japan in the 1980s and early 1990s and have always had a passion for collecting vintage Japanese editions of series books, including Fleming's Bond. I will include some of the collection in my upcoming Spy Vibe book, and I'm also thinking about approaching some publishers about doing a book or article about Japanese editions. Back to the breaking news. On November 25th a new paperback was released by Kadokawa called Tiger Tanaka (part 1) by Keisuke Matsuoka. From the press release: "Japan's first full-fledged 007 sequel! A sequel to Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice, this work resolves the mysteries and contradictions of the original. It also has the aspect of a modern history mystery set in Japan. James Bond, who has disappeared in Fukuoka, is pursued by Tiger Tanaka, the head of the public security, and his daughter Toran. This must-read epic thriller that has captured the attention of the whole world is here, depicting the entire mysterious six months of Bond's life in a suspenseful manner!" Well, how about that? Pretty cool! I wonder if there are any plans to do a translation (probably not)? Initial reviews are as expected: the original Fleming novels are far superior. Still, it makes me happy to see more Bond-related stories being written. And perhaps even deeper for me, I'm really happy to see Japan's relationship with 007 fostered this way. On a similar note, I wish I could have visited the museum that was set up for Raymond Benson's The Man with the Red Tattoo novel before it closed. If you are a collector like me, you can track down Tiger Tanaka (part 1) pretty easily as a new book at major shops like Kinokuniya. But wait... there's more! Tiger Tanaka Continued will be released on December 24th. From the part 2 press release: "The sequel to The Man with the Golden Gun, this is the first Japanese 007 sequel novel and the finale of the series, James Bond's final adventure! Dr. No may still be alive -- the year is 1964, just before the first Tokyo Olympics. There have been a series of military aircraft crashes across the country. Tiger Tanaka, the head of the Public Security Bureau, asks MI6 in the UK to send Bond. This must-read international intelligent novel, incorporating many historical facts and the world situation of the time, is finally complete!" I've reached out to the publisher and to Ian Fleming Publications to see if the project was licensed. Perhaps the character is out of copyright in Japan? Curious to learn more. I will post something once I get more info. The great artist Tony Stella made some amazing book covers for his own archive, which we won't see in print, sadly. You can see them on his Instagram. Thanks for hanging out with me in the Spy Vibe lair! -Jason 

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