Koyo, Hasebe and Maureen Donovan. Welcome to Kinema Club. Ohio State University. 15 January 2000. <http://pears.lib.ohiostate.edu/Markus/Welcome.html>.

This web site, in the words of its curators, is "devoted to the study of Japanese moving image media". It functions as a searchable database for Japanese film criticism from the 1950s to the present. Over 1500 resources have been indexed, and are navigable simply by using either the search option or by browsing the numerous categories of topics under which the entries are organized. While Koyo Hasebe and Maureen Donovan are ostensibly the authors of this web site sponsored mainly by Ohio State University, they welcome contributions from others. Of course, in a larger sense, they are not truly the authors, but instead organizers of the relevant writings in this field. The resources on this site are of an academic nature, and are intended for use in the scholarly research of the Japanese film industry. In some respects, this site is intended only for very serious or high-level research, indicated by the presence of directions to various bookstores in Tokyo which the less involved will almost assuredly find to be inaccessible.

The best feature of this site is the ease with which one may retrieve information. The methods of searching are all quite effective and can be adapted to either specific queries or simple browsing. However, the site also contains two significant weaknesses. First, bibliographic information presented in the search results is often incomplete, making the acquisition of these sources much more challenging. Second, the lack of actual information on the page can be somewhat frustrating. While the site may be ideal for the handful of high-level scholars who may use it, it has little to offer the more casual or less informed viewer. The inclusion of text detailing some of the major periods in Japanese cinema would make the site more relevant for the latter group.

-Dave Morrissey