Jonathan Michael Clements (born 9 July 1971) is a British author and scriptwriter. His non-fiction works include biographies of

Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

Koxinga Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...

and

Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of " king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers, he ruled as the First Empero ...

, as well as monthly opinion columns for '' Neo'' magazine. He is also the co-author of encyclopedias of

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

and

Japanese television drama , also called , are television programs that are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, jidaigeki, thrill ...

Background

Clements speaks both

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, and many of his works relate to

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

. He wrote his

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

at the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built ...

on manga and

exports, predicting the rise of several trends in the international industry including back-to-front printing, direct American investment in anime, and the proliferation of attempts to substitute non-Japanese products. Subsequently, he translated over 70 anime and manga works for British distributors, and worked as a voice director and actor. He wrote his PhD at the University of Wales on the industrial history of Japanese animation, later published by the British Film Institute as ''Anime: A History''. He served two years at

Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and c ...

in London as the editor of ''Manga Max'' magazine, an experience he would later fictionalise as the

Judge Dredd Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running ...

adventure ''Trapped on Titan''. In 2000, he received the Japan Festival Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Understanding of Japanese Culture, specifically for his work on ''Manga Max''.

Broadcast work

Shortly after leaving the editorship of ''Manga Max'' magazine, he became a presenter on the

Sci-Fi Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. ...

's Japan-themed magazine show ''Saiko Exciting''. He has been a consultant and talking head on numerous TV shows, including ''New Secrets of the Terracotta Warriors'' (

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

), ''Koxinga: Sailing into History'' ( National Geographic), ''China's Jade Empire'' (Channel 4), and ''Chinese Chariot Revealed'' (

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

). In 2016, he became the presenter of three seasons of ''

Route Awakening Route Awakening (Mandarin: 《寰行中国》 Huanxing Zhongguo) is a National Geographic television documentary series presented by Harry Yuan and Jonathan Clements. It comprises 30 half-hour films across five seasons, with each season concentra ...

'' ( National Geographic Asia), a series investigating the origins of several key Chinese cultural icons. In 2019, he appeared on ''

Christmas University Challenge ''Christmas University Challenge'' is a British quiz programme which has aired on BBC Two since 2011. It is a spin-off from University Challenge that airs daily over the Christmas period, and features teams of noteworthy alumni from British u ...

'' as a member of the Leeds team, alongside Henry Gee and

Timothy Allen Timothy Allen (born 1971) is an English photographer and filmmaker best known for his work with indigenous people and isolated communities around the world. Early life Timothy Allen was born in Tonbridge, Kent, England, the second son of two ...

, captained by

Richard Coles Richard Keith Robert Coles (born 26 March 1962) is an English writer, radio presenter and Church of England clergyman who was the vicar of Finedon in Northamptonshire from 2011 to 2022. He first came to prominence as the multi-instrumentalis ...

Script work

Although Clements has written a couple of novels, much of his fiction work is CD audio drama or radio under the auspices of Big Finish Productions, including the ''

Strontium Dog ''Strontium Dog'' was a long-running British comics series starring Johnny Alpha, a mutant bounty hunter who lives in Earth's future. The series was created in 1978 by writer John Wagner (under the pseudonym T. B. Grover) and artist Carlos Ezquer ...

'' series, starring

Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...

, and the Doctor Who spin-off ''

Sympathy for the Devil "Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones and the opening track from the band's 1968 album ''Beggars Banquet''. The song is a product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership. It is consi ...

'', starring

David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to: Sports * Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor * David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier * David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer Oth ...

and

David Tennant David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...

. * ''Down to Earth'' (London: Big Finish, 2002; web, BBCi, 2005) (

) * ''Trapped on Titan'' (London: Big Finish, 2002) (

) * ''Unbound: Sympathy for the Devil'' (London: Big Finish, 2003) ( Doctor Who) * ''Fire From Heaven'' (London: Big Finish, 2003 web, BBCi, 2005) (Strontium Dog) * ''99 Code Red'' (London: Big Finish, 2003) (Judge Dredd) * ''Pre-Emptive Revenge'' (London: Big Finish, 2004) (Judge Dredd) * ''Solo'' (London: Big Finish, 2005) (Judge Dredd) * ''Snake Head'' (London: Big Finish, 2005) (Doctor Who: UNIT) * ''Red Devils'' (London: Noise Monster, 2005) (

Space 1889 ''Space: 1889'' is a tabletop role-playing game of Victorian era, Victorian-era space-faring, created by Frank Chadwick and originally published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) from 1989 to 1990. It was the first roleplaying game to feature s ...

) * ''Immortal Beloved'' (London: Big Finish, 2007; radio, BBC7, 2008) (Doctor Who) * ''Brave New Town'' (London: Big Finish, 2008; radio, BBC7, 2009) (Doctor Who) * ''The Destroyer of Delights'' (London: Big Finish, 2009) (Doctor Who) * ''The Tiger's Tail'' (London: Big Finish, 2009) (

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

) * ''The Deer Hunters'' (London: Big Finish, 2009) (Robin Hood) * ''Secret of the Sword'' (London: Big Finish, 2009) ( Highlander) * ''Survival of the Fittest'' (London: Big Finish, 2010; radio, BBC Radio 4 Extra, 2012) (Doctor Who) * ''The Devil's Playground'' (London: Big Finish, 2010) (Judge Dredd) * ''Year Zero'' (London: Big Finish, 2010) (

Bernice Summerfield Bernice Surprise Summerfield (later Professor Bernice Summerfield or just Benny) is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length '' Doctor Wh ...

) * ''Death Note: die hörspielreihe'' (Cologne: Lübbe Audio, 2018-19) ( Death Note, 12-part series released in German and French) Other work includes the script for the comic ''Tastes Like Chicken'' in the ''Judge Dredd Megazine'', as well as assorted short stories both there and in Doctor Who anthologies. His most famous work, ''Schoolgirl Milky Crisis'', was the name for a fictional TV series that Clements often used in his ''

Newtype USA is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime (and to a lesser extent, tokusatsu, manga, Japanese science fiction, seiyuu, and video games). It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985, with i ...

'' columns in order to avoid breaking various non-disclosure agreements regarding real titles that he had worked on as a writer, director or translator. The name was later used as the title to a collection of Clements's articles and speeches.

Books

Clements's many non-fiction publications, on subjects ranging from the history of the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

to the life of Chairman

Mao Tse-tung Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (P ...

, serve as research for his fiction. His books have been translated into a dozen languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and Korean. His major works include: * ''The Moon in the Pines'' (2000, reprinted in paperback as ''Zen Haiku'', 2007) * '' The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917'' (1st ed. 2001, 2nd ed. 2006, 3rd ed. 2015, with

Helen McCarthy Helen McCarthy (born 27 February 1951) is the British author of such anime reference books as ''500 Manga Heroes and Villains'', ''Anime!'', ''The Anime Movie Guide'' and '' Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation''. She is the co-author o ...

) * ''The

Dorama , also called , are television programs that are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, jidaigeki, thr ...

Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953'' (2003, with Motoko Tamamuro) * ''The Pirate King: Coxinga and the Fall of the Ming Dynasty'' (2004, publ. in paperback as ''Coxinga'', 2005) * ''

: A Biography'' (2004, expanded 2nd ed. 2017) * ''A Brief History of the Vikings'' (2005) * '' The First Emperor of China'' (2006, 2nd ed. 2015) * '' Wu'' (2007, 2nd ed. 2014) * ''

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

: The Biography of a City'' (2008, 2nd ed. as ''An Armchair Traveller's History of Beijing'', 2016; 3rd ed. as ''A Short History of Beijing'', 2022) * '' Mannerheim: President, Soldier, Spy'' (2009) * ''A Brief History of the

Samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

'' (2010) * '' Admiral Togo: Nelson of the East'' (2010) * ''A Brief History of

Khubilai Khan Kublai ; Mongolian script: ; (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder of the Yuan dynasty of China and the fifth khagan-emperor of th ...

'' (2010) * ''Sun Tzu's Art of War: A New Translation'' (2012) * ''An Armchair Traveller's History of the Silk Road'' (2013) * ''Anime: A History'' (2013) * ''An Armchair Traveller's History of Finland'' (2014) * ''Christ's Samurai: The True Story of the Shimabara Rebellion'' (2016) * ''A Brief History of the Martial Arts'' (2016) * ''A Brief History of Japan Samurai, Shōgun and Zen: The Extraordinary Story of the Land of the Rising Sun'' (2017) * ''The Emperor's Feast: A History of China in Twelve Meals'' (2021) * ''Japan at War in the Pacific: The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire in Asia (1868–1945)'' (2022) In 2011, he became a contributing editor to ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continu ...

'' 3rd edition, with special responsibility for Chinese and Japanese entries.

References

External links

Schoolgirl Milky Crisis blog
��Jonathan Clements' blog of essays and news
Muramasa Industries
��The official web site of Jonathan Clements via the Internet Archive * *
Entry
in ''

''
Keynote address: "Wrong About Anime"
at Anifest 2012, Czech Republic {{DEFAULTSORT:Clements, Jonathan 1971 births Alumni of the University of Leeds Alumni of the University of Stirling Anime and manga critics English biographers English book editors English non-fiction writers English radio writers English science fiction writers Living people English male novelists English male non-fiction writers Alumni of the University of Wales British Japanologists British sinologists British historians Male biographers