Given that Gilles Poitras’s Anime Essentials: Every Thing a Fan Needs to Know focuses primarily as an introductory piece to the world of Japanese animation, it still provides an adequate examination for those who are more accustomed to the world of anime. The book essentially provides explanations on every facet that constitutes anime as not only a legitimate art form, but also a sub-culture with numerous elements that contribute to its foundation and continual growth. The last part concerning the growth of anime is important in this case because one has to consider that aspect when constructing a book like this. The continual growth of anime is something that I see as hindrance of sorts pertaining to a book like Anime Essentials, wherein Poitras basically has to select a specific ending point for subjects discussed in his book. This presents a dilemma in the sense that there are newer aspects that have cropped up within anime fandom since the inception of this book—which it obviously doesn’t take account for. Does this present the book as being outdated? In a sense yes, but it certainly doesn’t diminish the information given prior.

Poitras’s delivers what is essentially an overwhelming task: to compress down and reiterate an entire sub-culture into a mere 125 pages. This is the main problem with the book; it’s entirely too short for the amount of subjects it addresses. As I mentioned above, many of the “essentials” addressed in the book should not be necessarily viewed as such. I would’ve appreciated more time and focus given to the some of the more prominent portions of the book, mainly the history of anime and its fandom roots. While plentiful in its contributions, some of the information could use a little updating to take into account for the recent titles and cultural discrepancies that have transpired between the release of the book and now.

It’s also interesting to note that Poitras goes as far as to include chapters on “How to be a fan” as well as “Anime controversies”, both dealing with rather specific cases and situations. While these two elements of the book are rather unique, I felt they were also unnecessary towards contributing to the overall focus of the book, specifically in the case of the chapter “How to be a fan”. This felt entirely out of place and really was more of an instructional how-to-do chapter more than anything else. While not faring any better, the “Anime controversies” chapter doesn’t even address one of the biggest controversies that exist with fandom today, fansubs. To leave this out shows the relative age of the written material and further promotes the need for an updated version.

Overall, Anime Essentials: Every Thing a Fan Needs to Know is still a great book for new and old fans alike. Poitras’s approach to handling the material is helpful and his explanations of rather obscure elements of anime fandom were enlightening and easy to understand. While overly focused on appeasing the new fans, an old fan like myself still found the wealth of information in the book an important asset. Perhaps with a future updated release we could safely Anime Essentials: Every Thing a Fan Needs to Know is truly one of the “essential” guides to the anime fandom. As for where it stands now, this book only provides a basic outlet to explore the rather complex realm known as anime.

Table of Contents

1. How Anime Is Released
2. Eras of Anime
3. Anime Genres
4. What Makes Anime Unique?
5. Anime Connections
6. How To Be A Fan
7. Anime Controversies
8. Anime Stuff
9. 41 Recommended Titles
10. Anime Resources

Napier’s book is an interesting read because it addresses anime as a legitimate art form that covers a broad range of topics that we (specifically Westerners), for the most part, are not familiar with seeing expressed within the medium of animation. While acknowledging and briefly covering the ground in which anime is based upon, she segments the remainder of her book into three topics, each dealing with ideals and themes she believes are encompassed within the specific anime series and films she highlights in the book, as well as Japanese animation overall. These three ideals are what she refers to as apocalypse, festival, and elegy, in which she makes her case and point throughout the book in how these concepts can be applied and utilized within the space of anime. She uses relatively well-known series and films to make her claims; Ghost in the Shell, Princess Mononoke, Ranma 1/2, and Akira to name a few, and her use of Japanese culture to identify themes that run through the series and films mentioned deliver some very constructive and critical analyses that clearly define Japanese animation as much more than your standard medium of animation.

While the issues explored in the book are extremely in depth, I can see that same reasoning being the book’s downfall for the common reader. Considering the attributes that are explored within the book and the heavy use of cultural connotations, the average reader should have at least a comprehensive understanding of college-level vocabulary and some historical background concerning Japan to fully understand the entirety of what Napier has to offer in the book. The technical word usage is something that I believe could turn off some individuals and definitely confuse many readers who don’t fully understand what a word means but continues to forge ahead in reading the book. There is also some exploration of sexual themes within certain series and films that might not be suitable for younger readers mainly because they simply wouldn’t understand the concepts of sexuality and the way in which Napier applies them, let alone having any knowledge whatsoever of what the series and films are in the first place.

The analyses and commentaries found in the book was something I personally took notice of on certain occasions because of their rather fixated application in which Napier handles them. While not every analysis and commentary found in the book does this, I found at times that Napier was overanalyzing topics that I felt could have been easily addresses in a shorter space of words. This is not to say that what Napier has to say is redundant, it’s just that certain claims she makes are somewhat overextended at times and it seems that her own interpretative view preceded the actual content expressed in the show.

Overall, Anime From Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation is an extremely important book because of the issues it delves into and the manner in which it does so. Napier’s ability to bring up critical issues that support the legitimacy of Japanese animation as an art form are exceptionally realized within the context of the material she uses, albeit a little personal at times. With that being said, Napier still showcases a deep respect for the medium and her examination of the cultural, societal, and worldly influences upon the medium is evidence of this. I highly recommend this book for the reasons mentioned above, but I do acknowledge that it’s a book not suitable for everyone.

This book has since been updated with a 2005 revised edition entitled Anime From Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle, Updated Edition: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation. This updated version contains new chapters on Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and other recent releases, plus a new foreword from the author. This updated edition is the one featured in this review.

Table of Contents

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION * Foreword to the Updated Edition * Why Anime? * Anime and Global/Local Identity *

PART TWO: BODY, METAMORPHOSIS, IDENTITY * Akira and Ranma ½ : The Monstrous Adolescent * Controlling Bodies: The Body in Pornographic Anime * Ghosts and Machines: The Technological Body * Doll Parts: Technology and the Body in Ghost in the Shell * Stray: Gender Panics, Masculine Crises, and Fantasy *

PART THREE: MAGICAL GIRLS AND FANTASY WORLDS * The Enchantment of Estrangement: The Shojo in the World of Miyazaki Hayao * Now You See Her, Now You Don’t: The Disappeaing Shojo * Carnival and Conservatism in Romantic Comedy *

PART FOUR: REMAKING MASTER NARRATIVES: ANIME CONFRONTS HISTORY * No More Words: Barefoot Gen, Grave of Fireflies, and “Victim’s History” * Princess Mononoke : Fantasy, the Feminine, and the Myth of “Progress” * Waiting for the End of the World: Apocalyptic Identity * Elegies

Serving as of both an insightful and personal take on the infatuation of Japanese pop culture within the realm of Western consumers, author Roland Kelts’s book Japanamerica gives a broad overview of the what, how, and why of the American experience regarding the Japanese pop culture phenomenon. While not attempting to answer every question concerning the matter, Kelts selectively chooses various key areas in which to address and fundamentally builds upon factual truth amidst personal stories. From cosplaying to the Japanese domestic animation market, Japanamerica gives the reader a plethora of topics in which to delve into and think about.

While focusing on such an enormous subject as America’s relationship with Japanese pop culture, Kelts writes in a degree that allows a sense of accessibility for a reader who might not be familiar with the notion of Japanese entertainment outside the typical mainstream series and films that have been released within America. This is not to say the book is made solely for a beginner new to the world of Japanese entertainment and pop culture, but more so provides an easily understood timeline that chronicles the rise of these ideals and practices within Japan and the eventual spread throughout the Western world. The topics branch out from there, and book addresses many specific but interwoven topics that render the picture of Japanese entertainment as a phenomenon that contains a multitude of facets that derive from culturally diverse environments both domestically and abroad.

Another great aspect of the book is the intimate perspective in which Kelts handles the material. We are not left with a dry and uninspiring read based solely upon historical analysis; Kelts delivers various topics through first hand experiences, encounters, and interviews. Due to his substantial background and career, the man has connections, and he most definitely makes use of them throughout the course of the book. There is a wealth of interesting tidbits that he could only convey through the use of those experiences and encounters, and it’s all utilized to reinforce topics that are explored throughout the various chapters. And the topics are varied, covering much needed ground in many areas that one even Kelt himself openly admits he know only little about before constructing the book.

Overall, Japanamerica is a great read for those uninitiated into the world of Japanese entertainment and is a fantastic companion piece for those who are already mature regarding the subject. The all encompassing realm of Japanese pop culture is a huge one, and Kelts presents a book that is not only accessible to the common reader, but clearly establishes a channel in which many cultural issues are explored as well within the context of Japan, its history, and even its potential future. I would recommend this book towards readers who are not quite familiar with the origins of Japanese entertainment and culture as well as the influence it has had throughout the world, and even suggest informed readers take a leap into give it a read due to the incredible insight Kelts offers stemming from his conducted interviews and personal experiences. A book that successfully presents a fair read on the general scope in which Japanese entertainment has invaded the Western world, and more specifically, America.

Table of Contents

1. May the G-Force Be with You

2. Atom Boys

3. The Business of Anime

4. Toy Story

5. Japan’s IP Problem

6. Strange Transformations

7. Cosplay and Otakudom:The Draw of DIY

8. Future Shocks

9. Anime Appeals

The Japanese schoolgirl. The mere word brings forth a multitude of imagery, ideas, fetishes, and most certainly stereotypes. Viewed within anime and drama series, advertisement, music, film, video games, and yes, even the political realm, the Japanese schoolgirl has been a symbol to not only Japan, but the world as well. It’s this transformative representation of Japanese soft power that has garnered it considerable weight within the international scene and has certainly brought about speculation concerning the phenomenon. What authors Brian Ashcraft and Shoko Ueda have done with Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential is delivered perhaps the most comprehensive compilation of the Japanese schoolgirl to date, bringing forth a myriad of informative insight in order to demystify the schoolgirl as is.

Chronicling the rise of the Japanese schoolgirl through eight elaborate chapters, Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential explores the various facets that contribute to Japanese culture and their relationship with that of the schoolgirl. Exploring the socio-anthropological structure of Japan and their understanding of the schoolgirl, the book takes an extensive look from the very foundation of the school uniform within Japan in the 1800’s, all the way to it reaching worldwide recognition throughout a diverse range of mediums. This delicate exploration offers a look into the world of Japanese schoolgirls and the many unknown facts concerning them and their role within Japanese society. Reading the book, one will discover numerous details regarding the starting point of many popular trends and ideologies surrounding the schoolgirl, which is certain to surprise many readers. From sexuality to feminism, the boundaries of what entails the schoolgirl are largely explored within the book, and we are offered a more complete understanding of a very controversial subject.

Another one of the book’s strengths is that it works as an informative guide towards the historical lineage surrounding the Japanese schoolgirl. A lot of this information isn’t exactly well known outside the capacity of Japan, and unless one has done extensive research into the matter, this information will be extremely enlightening as well as surprising. The book offers a historical treatment of the material in a fashion that is entirely accessible to those individuals with little to no knowledge of Japan. One doesn’t have to be adamant in understanding Japanese history to develop an understanding of what is showcased within the book—which certainly relieves itself from being yet another dry look into an otherwise fascinating subject. This is pop culture we’re talking about here, and like the ever-changing landscape that encompasses it, the book positions itself to be a fun romp throughout its various subjects.

And whether we like to admit it or not, we humans are highly susceptible to stereotypes. In order for us to understand the unknown characteristics of an individual, nation, or culture, we ascribe certain elements of familiarity towards them to help us better rationalize our thoughts. But breaking these stereotypes are extremely important for us to find a more appropriate understanding of these complexities we find so mysterious. With this in mind, breaking down the various stereotypes that are attributed to Japanese schoolgirls are helpful for many purposes, and the book details the numerous reasons that constitute such stereotypes in the first place. Whether through marketing ventures, social deviancy, and even governmental purposes, the book looks at how the world constantly reshapes the perceived image of what the Japanese schoolgirl is meant to convey. I believe this conceptual approach delivers a very implicit response to how the outsider—in this case, anyone not familiar with Japanese culture—views the Japanese schoolgirl and the book expands upon this notion to deconstruct the stereotypical outlook.

From a Westerner point of view, one will find this to be extremely helpful. Cultural barriers are often times hard to surpass, but by the book dedicating an extensive amount of time towards elements that we can all relate to in some capacity—fashion, technology, love—the door towards a more comprehensive understanding of the subject remains steadily at the forefront. While this certainly doesn’t revolve around the entirety of Japanese society, it does offer a chance for us to more appropriately grasp one facet of it that is highly visible internationally. This in itself offers a crucial step away from the sole notion of the Japanese schoolgirl being the epitome of cute—which would be foolish to deny—but rather exploring the diversity they offer within the culture at large. Given the abundance of information showcased here, the simplicity of explanation is certainly a positive for the uninformed.

This is why Japanese Schoolgirls Confidential is highly valuable as a written discourse on one of Japan’s most valuable exports. Authors Brian Ashcraft and Shoko Ueda do a fantastic job at deconstructing the Japanese schoolgirl and in the process elevating the discourse on the subject. There really hasn’t been an entire book dedicated to such a topic released within the West before this, so it’s certainly a welcomed addition. Those wanting to learn more about the Japanese schoolgirl and why’s she so cool should look no further. Perhaps this is what’s needed because while the cultural barriers still remain, we can still learn from one another, and with some of the most simplistic of concepts—in this case the sailor uniform—we can bridge the divide between entire nations. Now that is cool.

Table of contents

1. Sailor girls (Uniforms)

2. Idol worship (Music)

3. Girls on film (Movies)

4. Material girls (Shopping)

5. Cover girls (Kogals, magazines & books)

6. Artists’ muse (Art)

7. Play girls (Games)

8. Comic genius (Manga & anime)

As someone who enjoys reading Japanese literature, I’m always delighted to discover publications that chronicle the works of Japanese authors relatively unknown outside of Japan. In many instances I have found that while the West may have some familiarity with traditional Japanese literature, there is very little focus given to the contemporary let alone experimental Japanese literary works. Beside the occasional popularization of a manga series or singular novel, the exposure of contemporary Japanese literature has been kept at a rather minimum level, seemingly crowded out by the abundance of American or British literary works and authors published within the West. Considering that I live within one such Western country as America, this is to be expected, so it’s always wonderful to see a collection of essays, short stories, poems and interviews from Japanese authors collected and published for a Western audience—which is where Monkey Business: New Voices truly establishes it mark as a very critical and important anthological work.

Working as a collective gathering of literary writings surrounding significant and emerging Japanese authors alike, Monkey Business: New Voices conveys within its pages a sense of exotica that burgeons on both the creative and bizarre—with the latter working as a positive force here. This foreign flair certainly is well warranted, mainly because it offers insight to the reader of the type of literature that currently exists within Japan today. This ranges from the rather illusive and cryptic issues concerning the societal and literal landscape of Japan in Hideo Furukawa’s opening piece Monsters, to the memories of yesteryear in Hiromi Kawakami’s People From My Neighborhood, to even the hilarity of foregone dreams in Koji Uno’s Closet LLB, this inaugural volume explores a wide variety of subject material that is quite expressive of the each individual authors observations on a multitude of topics.

What’s also intriguing in this volume is the variety of literary mediums that are used by the authors. From the use of poetry as seen in Masayo Koike’s When Monkeys Sing to a collection of short stories in Barry Yourgrau’s Song, The Old Way, and Bougainvillea, the volume provides a cross section of written pieces that should appease those particularly fond of reading different forms of literary writing. There is a considerable freshness as one reads through the volume, with each written segment offering up something uniquely interesting. With this in mind, some segments within Monkey Business: New Voices may not be of interest to every individual reader. As such the case with most accumulative anthologies, certain readers may not find that much interest in specific written pieces found throughout the volume, perhaps due to reading or subject preference or simply because they don’t like the medium in which the piece is conveyed. Those accustomed to other anthologies centered on a primary topic or theme may also find the scope of the volume rather extensive, mainly because while the pieces are considerably Japanese, they subscribe to a large variation of topics. Nevertheless, each piece elicits an excellent testament to the imaginative forces behind the authors explored within the volume.

One of the most impressive pieces within the volume—and most certainly my favorite—is the interview entitled Pursuing “Growth” which finds author Hideo Furukawa leading a wonderful interview with famous Japanese novelist Haruki Murukami. As a fan of Murakami’s work, this extensive interview truly delves into the creative aspirations and desires behind many of his novels and written work. Chronicling the major moments within his personal life and occupation as a novelist, Murakami gives incredible insight into his motivation in becoming a writer, his literary techniques and his evolution as a novelist with the creation and release of each novel by him. The dialogue shared between Furukawa and Murakami is also incredibly informative as the two share their own strengths and weaknesses with one another as they explore their past, present and future presence within the world of literature. From a personal standpoint, it’s always interesting to read about the creative sparks that drive some of your most liked novels, and in the case of Haruki Murukami, reading about the processes that went into works such as Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and Underground are enlightening to say the least. This is certainly the focal point of the volume and it’s sure to please Murukami fans.

All in all, Monkey Business: New Voices remains a strangely fascinating look into the innovative writing that is currently come out of Japan. As a collection of literary material that is strikingly original in its execution, this inaugural volume provides an overview of a wide selection of material in which we, as the reader, can indulge in. Driving the curiosity of the reader with its challenging and unusual material, what Monkey Business: New Voices offers is expressive and visionary literary pieces that convey a sense of the external and foreign. Those looking to read alternative literature concerning Japanese culture and society should view this inaugural volume as an exploration into some of the more experimental aspects that culminate into what we perceive—from a Western context at least—of Japanese literature, with Monkey Business: New Voices being a great starting point for readers seeking something quite different from the norm.

Table of contents

Monsters: a short story by Hideo Furukawa
translated by Michael Emmerich

People from My Neighborhood: a collection of vignettes by Hiromi Kawakami
translated by Ted Goossen

The Sleep Division: a poem by Mina Ishikawa
translated by Ted Goossen

Sandy’s Lament: a short story by Atsushi Nakajima
translated by M. Cody Poulton

Song, The Old Way, and Bougainvillea: stories by Barry Yourgrau

The Tale of the House of Physics: a short story by Yoko Ogawa
translated by Ted Goossen

Pursuing “Growth”: an interview with Haruki Murakami by Hideo Furukawa
translated by Ted Goossen

Interviews with the Heroes, or Is Baseball Just for Fun?: a poem by Inuo Taguchi
translated by Ted Goossen

A Country Doctor: a manga by the Brother and Sister Nishioka, based on the story by Franz Kafka
translated by J. A. Underwood

Closet LLB: a short story by Koji Uno
translated by Jay Rubin

When Monkeys Sing: a poem by Masayo Koike
translated by Ted Goossen

Monkey Tanka: a poem by Shion Mizuhara
translated by Ted Goossen

Monkey Haiku: a poem by Minoru Ozawa
translated by Ted Goossen

The Forbidden Diary: an excerpt from a fictional diary by Sachiko Kishimoto
translated by Ted Goossen

Perhaps one of the most distinguishable aspects of traditional Japanese culture, the concept of the ninja has certainly evolved into one of the most iconic symbols of Japanese popular culture known throughout the world. With the creation of countless literature, films, and animated features deriving from exploring the mystique of the ninja, the nature in which we perceive its concept has been highly interpretative throughout the Western world, including even Japan at times. While these interpretations have often been utilized for the sake of advocating entertainment, it has also provided an unlikely entryway in which to better analyze a segment of Japanese history, taking into account both the factual and mythological elements that contribute to developing such an understanding. Authors Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt, the husband and wife team who penned the 2008 book Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide, delve into this fascinating world of the ninja, providing an engrossing look into its true history of espionage, assassination, and wisdom.

While the concept of the ninja has offered a multitude of interpretations both within Japan and abroad, it has solidified its cultural longevity mainly because of its distinctiveness. While we’ve all probably had our own interpretation of what a ninja should entail, Ninja Attack! considerably deconstructs the entirety of the ninja legacy in order that it may reaffirm its proper place within the context of historical fact. It’s this ample deconstruction where the book succeeds highly; with the mythology surrounding the topic often preceding that of the history itself—especially within the area of entertainment—the book parallels that of truth and fiction in an attempt to showcase the uniqueness of its true history over such misrepresentation. This authentic insight into historical fact offers an enlightening look into what truly constitutes being a ninja, a world that is much more vast than what stereotypical interpretations usually provide. Breaking free from such intellectual restrictions, the book offers research into a subject that has often times been constrained to fit within an established stereotype, never truly offering an astute look into the extensive realm of the ninja.

In this regard, the book serves as historical literature concerning a subject that hasn’t been this thoroughly overviewed outside Japan. Deriving from comprehensive research on the subject of the ninja, the book interweaves factual-based tales of many prominent ninja figures within Japan with individuals that were influential within their lives. For the most part, many of these elements of ninja history have never been discussed to such length with a Western audience in mind, which makes for a very engaging reading experience for those not too familiar with the subject. In this capacity, the book also offers up many explanations on ninja-related items, practices, and geographical locations that provide considerable background to allow a better understanding of the ninja as a whole. We are given an abundance of information to help us revaluate any initial impressions we might have had concerning the ninja and its purpose, offering up vivid accounts of participants within such a profession. Rather than being overburdened with presenting countless facts that might dissuade the reader from finishing, the book has fun with its material by expressing it through a variety of ways, both creatively and artistically. Perhaps its most striking contribution towards exploring the ninja is the book’s artistic illustrations by artist Yutaka Kondo. These elaborate illustrative pieces add an aesthetic quality to the book, in which we get to view key ninja figures within history given their reputation and traits, all culminating in a suggested visual appearance.

Considering the important nature of the book as a piece of historical literature, its examination of the mythology of the ninja is also something that should be addressed. Like any subject within history, the exaggerated nature of presenting information regarding an individual can often completely overshadow one’s discovery of their true qualities as a human being. While the book acknowledges the mythological traits associated with many of its researched figures, its narrative structure intertwines both truth and lore, resulting in a surprisingly interesting examination of history. While the elements of mythology are still present throughout the reading, the book also heavily incorporates historical fact in order to establish these individuals as human in some capacity, in which we can learn about their faults and failures. While most historians tend to leverage certain individuals they have a liking for, authors Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt are considerate towards elaborating upon the factualness associated with these historic individuals, never seemingly warranting for fiction over fact just to make them seem more impressive as figures in history. Along these lines, the book advocates that these historic individuals are far more remarkable without all the surrounding mythos, and while they certainly contribute to building their reputation, their humanity is what makes them more relatable.

This ultimately culminates in Ninja Attack! being an enjoyable book concerning one of Japan’s most legendary and iconic professions. Considering its application within historical literature, the book refrains from becoming a dry take on history with its usage of applied humor, fantastic illustrations, and informative anecdotes. Perhaps even more indication of its success as a examination of the ninja, the book remains an informative piece concerned with providing the reader with a more comprehensive understanding of a popular segment within Japanese culture and history. Easily accessible to an individual containing even the minutest knowledge on the subject, the book gives way to exploring a subject that is as easily entertaining to read through, as it is to learn from. This book will probably answer every question you have concerning the ninja, which in itself is quite an impressive feat, and once again showcases Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt’s attentiveness toward bringing Japan’s extensive historical–and popular–culture to the rest of the world with considerable ease and accessibility.

Table of contents

1. The Illustrated Ninja, part I

2. Ninja’s Ninja

3. The Illustrated Ninja, part II

4. Ninja Gone Bad

5. The Illustrated Ninja, part III

6. Ninja Magic

7. The Illustrated Ninja, part IV

8. Ninja Rivals

9. The Illustrated Ninja, part V

10. Ninja Users

11. The Illustrated Ninja, part VI

12. The Ninja Destroyer

13. The Illustrated Ninja, part VII

Given that many books based on a collection of essays are tough to distinguish concerning their applications on the subject, Robot Ghost and Wired Dreams successfully divides its read into two sections detailing the rise, influence, and reasoning behind the association of science fiction amongst Japanese works; the first half of the book dealing with the area of prose science fiction, and the second half of the book dealing with science fiction and its use within animation. While one might want to skip the first half and immediately look forward towards digesting the second half dealing with Anime, it’s important to realize the written form of Japanese science fiction literature as a first and necessary step to understanding the true origins of it future incarnations. The chronological ordering of the essays were helpful in that aspect and the book is constructed and edited in a way that allows for a transitional timeline to become visible and understood as one reads through it.

Looking at this collection as critically examining subjects far beyond superficial affixation, the areas explored in the book are various as they are academically measured. The actual scope of Japanese science fiction is extremely expansive and considering this, the book takes a more generalist approach during its second half. This is not to say the second half of the book is downgraded because of it, it’s just that most of the authors during this portion of the book tend to bring about the same films and series to establish their arguments. While these arguments are varied in their deliverance, more focus on other titles would have been appreciated.

And considering the academic nature of the book, the articulation of the subjects explored is not for the reading impaired. One will most likely not understand a majority of what is presented in the book because of this, so the suggestion that this would be an easy read for the average science fiction and/or Anime fan would be sorely under appreciating the value of the information provided. As with all essays, they are subjective and at worse too opinionated at points, but the information and analytical discussion found here more than makes up for it.

Overall, Robot Ghost and Wired Dreams was an interesting book considering the content in which it addresses. The focus on the various areas of Japanese science fiction, including its origins, make for a very good collection of essays to explore and critique. Like I brought up earlier, Japanese science fiction is an extremely expansive subject to address all in one book, and some subjects could’ve been added to round out the reading, but for what it presents in its current form, Robot Ghost and Wired Dreams is one of the most enlightening, engaging, and thought provoking books on the subject currently available.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
by Christopher Bolton, Istvan Csicsery-Ronay, Jr., and Takayuki Tatsumi

PART I–PROSE SCIENCE FICTION
Chapter 1. Horror and Machines in Prewar Japan: The Mechanical Uncanny in Yumeno Kyûsaku’s Dogura magura
by Miri Nakamura

Chapter 2. Has the Empire Sunk Yet?–The Pacific in Japanese Science Fiction
by Thomas Schnellbächer

Chapter 3. Alien Spaces and Alien Bodies in Japanese Women’s Science Fiction
by Kotani Mari (Translated by Miri Nakamura)

Chapter 4. SF as Hamlet: Science Fiction and Philosophy
by Azuma Hiroki (Translated by Miri Nakamura)

Chapter 5. Tsutsui Yasutaka and the Multimedia Performance of Authorship
by William O. Gardner

PART II–SCIENCE FICTION ANIMATION

Chapter 6. When the Machines Stop: Fantasy, Reality and Terminal Identity in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Serial Experiments Lain
by Susan J. Napier

Chapter 7. The Mecha’s Blind Spot: Patlabor 2 and the Phenomenology of Anime
by Christopher Bolton

Chapter 8. Words of Alienation, Words of Flight: Loanwords in Science Fiction Anime
by Naoki Chiba and Hiroko Chiba

Chapter 9. Sex and the Single Cyborg: Japanese Popular Culture Experiments in Subjectivity
by Sharalyn Orbaugh

Chapter 10. Invasion of the Women Snatchers: The Problem of A-Life and the Uncanny in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
by Livia Monnet

Chapter 11. Otaku Sexuality
by Saitô Tamaki (with an introduction by Kotani Mari)

Afterword. A Very Soft Time Machine: From Translation to Transfiguration
by Takayuki Tatsumi

When an author(s) takes it upon himself or herself to combine a foreign medium such as Japanese animation with that of a universal study such as science to produce a book, the results are often times as jarring as they are informative to the readership. Many Western authors tend to delegate a certain viewpoint to a specific anime series or film that may have never derived from the original creators intent—at worse with the authors being completely ignorant to the fact that their interpretation doesn’t reflect at all the intentions and origins of the original Japanese creators. With The Science of Anime, we see authors Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg attempting to correlate the complexities found within the field of science with that of Japanese animation, offering up some plausible scientific explanations to many of the elements found within some of the more popular anime series and films within North America.

Those looking for The Science of Anime to be a book that easily combines Japanese animation and science might be disappointed to discover that it relies primarily on the aspect of science to explain many of the elements we take for granted when viewing shows or films such as Mobile Suit Gundam, Ghost in the Shell or Neon Genesis Evangelion. These background elements that play a relatively small part in a series or film are elaborated upon within the book, taking a look as such aspects as evolution, mathematics and artificial intelligence—components within the realm of anime that are certainly there but never fully explained within the course of a series or film. But as hinted upon earlier, The Science of Anime seemingly only uses anime as a starting point in which to look at the grander aspects of science—which may prove disappointing for readers looking for a substantial combination of science and anime to quench their curiosity.

As such, the book definitely leans towards reading like a scientific textbook more so than an anime-related one. If you’re the type of reader who has no problem reading about the complex mathematics that go behind finding the appropriate langrangian points suitable for the space colonies found in Mobile Suit Gundam or a looking at how the theory of chaotic internal inflation plays a significant role in the creation of the multiverses found in El Hazard and Fushigi Yuugi, then The Science of Anime works out as an effective scientific guide towards expanding the premise of some of your favorite series or films. The inevitable downside to this is that if you don’t have a general interest in science, the book will be an extremely dry and perhaps frustrating read. One of the potential problems with the book is that the language used will probably go over the heads of many readers who aren’t exactly familiar with such academic writing. Lucky for me, a lot of the material in the book stemmed from areas that I’ve studied in the past, but I can see such writing going over the heads of many of the readership. This is not to say that those readers who are interested in science will only like The Science of Anime—far from it—but those expecting to find authors Gresh and Weinberg delegating considerable time towards exploring the series or films more as is will have trouble seeing where many of the scientific theorizations come into play. What’s even more odd is that Gresh and Weinberg don’t really express that much interest in anime series and films outside the more popular titles, which appears to showcase their rather limited view of what anime truly can offer.

Working more as an addendum to the creative processes behind many of the series and films explored within the book, The Science of Anime can be viewed primarily as a channel to further complement one’s appreciation for the medium of anime. If one really wanted to learn about the dynamics that go into evolutionary patterns in Akira for example, the book works out as a quite effectively. But does one absolutely need to know these proposed elements offered by Gresh and Weinberg to appreciate Akira or any other title elaborate upon within the book? Of course, but then a more important question arises: why should we care as readers about what these authors have to say given this? Well, for one, they are at least attempting to broaden the scope of our understanding of anime, even if it is restricted to a rather small number of popular titles. Secondly, while the original creators may not have intended the viewership to expatiate such scientific claims and theories towards their creations, in this case it does provide some new territory that is actually based in scientific theorization—versus philosophical interpretation for example—that at the very least provides some solid foundation in which to explore. Then again, as such the case with many of these books that rely mostly on information centered on the time of its conception—and with the ever-evolving aspect of science—many of the topics found within The Science of Anime have had significant scientific advances that are not addressed in the book for obvious reasons of simply not being available at the time.

Besides these faults, The Science of Anime is still a relatively informative book that doesn’t attempt to downplay the proposed science that goes into anime. While considerably light in looking at the actual anime titles regardless of the science found within them, it would’ve been great to see more time dedicated towards correlating the two in some capacity. From where it stands, the book doesn’t really relate the two aspects of Japanese animation and science entirely too well, with the field of science heavily outweighing the other. If this was the direction that Gresh and Weinberg were heading for when creating the book, it leaves much to be desired when considering that fans of Japanese animation would be the ones most likely to give the book a read, not individuals interested solely in science. Reading more like a collegiate science book than anything, The Science of Anime offers a complete look into the generalities that go into the sciences found in anime, but such an approach may appear dry to those readers wanting to learn more about how science is related to anime. While the fabric of anime may certainly contain elements of science, The Science of Anime attempts to successfully merge the two—with some rather intriguing but uninspired results.

Table of contents

Introduction

Chapter One: The Origins of Anime

Chapter Two: Mecha

Chapter Three: Artificial Intelligence

Chapter Four: Colonies in Space

Chapter Five: Policing An Anime Future

Chapter Six: Anime Evolves

Chapter Seven: Parallel Universes

Chapter Eight: The Future of Virtual Reality

Chapter Nine: Plausible But Illogical