Author: Gilles Poitras
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publication date: 2000
ISBN: 978-1880656532
Pages: 125
Publisher: Stone Bridge Press
Written by: Miguel Douglas
Published: 12.29.09

Anime is Japanese animation…an avant-garde artistic medium and a pop culture phenomenon, with hundreds of millions of fans and just as many opinions on what it’s all about. If you’re new to Japanese animation, you’re beginning to understand that it’s a lot more than Sailor Moon and Pokemon: there’s drama and comedy, gender-bending and culture-tweaking, complex characters and giant robots—sometimes all in the same movie! Anime’s not just entertainment: it’s a whole culture, with clubs, codes, conventions, and collectibles. Even if you’re a seasoned fan, you will probably have questions about navigating this enjoyably infuriating terrain. How did it all start? What’s the deal with fanzines? Where can I find the stuff I want right now? What’s the difference between Fushigi Yugi and Mysterious Play, anyway?

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 Does this present the book as being outdated?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

Author: Susan J. Napier
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publication date: 2005
ISBN: 978-1403970527
Pages: 355
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Written by Miguel Douglas
Published: 08.25.09

A professor of Japanese Literature and Culture at the University of Texas at Austin, Susan J. Napier is heralded as one of the top Japanese animation scholars in America. Her 2001 book entitled Anime From Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation contains a collection of analytical essays and commentaries on the different elements that are explored within the context of anime.

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

Author: Roland Kelts
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publication date: 2007
ISBN: 978-1403984760
Pages: 232
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Written by Miguel Douglas
Published: 10.19.09

Ronald Kelts is a fiction and nonfiction writer, an editor of the literary journal A Public Space, and a lecturer at the University of Tokyo. His 2007 book Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. explores the conceptual history regarding the use of Japanese pop culture and its influence within the Western world.

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

Author: Various Authors
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publication date: 2007
ISBN: 978-0816649730
Pages: 288
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
Written by Miguel Douglas
Published: 10.24.09

Consisting of a collection of essays based around Japanese science fiction, Robot Ghost and Wired Dreams: Japanese Science Fiction from Origins to Anime explores the influential and visual impact that Japanese science fiction has had throughout the world and also investigates some fundamental relations and differences between both traditional prose science fiction and science fiction animation.

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