"Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential", is a must for anyone curious about the girls that populate Japan's pop culture. For years schoolgirls have shown up in internationally popular anime such as "Sailor Moon", "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", and "Blood: The Last Vampire". Films such as "Battle Royale" inspired Quentin Tarantino to include a fighting schoolgirl in Kill Bill, and recently Rinko Kikuchi received an Oscar nomination for her role as a schoolgirl the film Babel. There are schoolgirl characters in videogames such as "Street Fighter". And the "Japanese Schoolgirl Watch" column in "WIRED" magazine has long kept an eye on the trends emerging among these stylish teens. These days the Japanese schoolgirl has all but replaced the geisha-girl to become Japan's new female icon. But how and why has the Japanese schoolgirl become such an arbitrator of cool? Brian Ashcraft, the acclaimed author of "Arcade Mania!", and his sidekick Shoko Ueda, take the reader beyond the realm of everyday schoolgirls to discover the secrets behind this iconic creature. By talking to Japanese women including former and current J-pop idols, well known actresses, models, writers, and artists-along with film directors, historians and marketeers - the authors discover the history behind Japan's obsession with schoolgirls. Whether you want to know where the iconic sailor-style uniform came from, or how the Japanese schoolgirl became a brand that can be used to sell anything from kimchi to insurance, the answers are inside "Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential". You can find out why Japanese schoolgirls have become such a symbol of girl power, and why they are so very very cool!