“Weiss’s original and timely contribution offers a diachronic and cross-cultural comparative study of the filmic narratives about World War II in China and Japan. This translingual and cross-cultural comparative framework is exceptional and much needed, pushing the disciplinary boundaries and changing the Euro-centric status quo of World War II memory studies and nationalism studies.”
— Faye Xiao, associate professor and chairperson of East Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Kansas
“This awesome book shows how Chinese and Japanese films about the Second World War both reflect and shape memories of that conflict. Moreover, by analyzing movies about the war and the ensuing ‘competing masculinities,’ Amanda Weiss skillfully discloses their impact on subsequent conceptions of race, gender, and identity. Highly recommended.”
— Kam Louie, University of Hong Kong
“Amanda Weiss, who views film as a significant mode of popular memory traveling beyond national border, discovers a loop of mutual interaction in the representation of Chinese and Japanese war films deeply intertwined with the nationalism of both countries. Her skill in capturing the intersection of cross-border memories in visual images such as the Tokyo Trials, warrior, rape, and reconciliation is remarkable. This is a transcendent achievement that could only be accomplished by Weiss, who fully understands both Japanese and Chinese languages and deeply understands the movements of consciousness among the people of these countries during her long stay in Japan and China.”
— Shunya Yoshimi, University of Tokyo