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Anime: from Akira to Princess Mononoke, Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation
by
Susan J. Napier
3.73 · Rating details · 636 ratings · 42 reviews
With the popularity of Pokemon still far from waning, Japanese animation, known as anime to its fans, has a firm hold on American pop culture. However, anime is much more than children's cartoons. It runs the gamut from historical epics to sci-fi sexual thrillers. Often dismissed as fanciful entertainment, anime is actually quite adept at portraying important social and cultural issues like alienation, gender inequality, and teenage angst. This book investigates the ways that anime presents these issues in an in-depth and sophisticated manner, uncovering the identity conflicts, fears over rapid technological advancement, and other key themes present in much of Japanese animation. (less)
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Paperback, 311 pages
Published May 2nd 2003 by Palgrave MacMillan
Original Title
Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation
Average rating3.73 ·
Rating details
· 636 ratings · 42 reviews
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Jun 24, 2010Monika rated it it was ok · review of another edition
I give it one star because it's a book about anime. I gave it another star because it attempts to "complicate' the reader's understanding of hentai. Noble effort, my friend!
That being said, it was like someone JUST finished a Critical Theory class in the Literature/Women's Studies/Pop Culture Studies track at a small private college in the Northeast and then wrote a book about anime. Every essay is so mired in critic-quoting and SO completely devoid of the glee I was expecting from a book about such an awesome topic. It's almost as if the author bought into the thinking that you can't write intelligently AND engagingly about a non-academic subject. Who cares? Your lit professor isn't reading this, I am!
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Jan 18, 2020Хаусеки rated it did not like it · review of another edition
I came to this book with entirely wrong expectations and should perhaps have researched the methodology first. I was expecting an in-depth behind-the-scenes first-hand report of the genesis and genealogy of anime. Look, I know that actually finding, and interviewing, decades later, the makers of such obscure works as Urotsukidoji - Legend of the Overfiend Book 1, or speaking to someone as famous as Rumiko Takahashi takes effort and a budget, either beyond my own means. But I would have wished for a scholarly work to actually fill this gap, instead of a cultural theory cop-out, supplemented here and there with glosses of interviews given to magazines. Again, this was my lack of awareness of the methodology involved. There are some interesting parallels pointed out here (such as both Ranma ½ (Ranma ½, vol. 1) and Akira (Akira, Vol. 1) having the theme of transformation, which is somewhat obvious) and comparisons drawn that I have not noticed before, but not enough to warrant any better rating.
The vocabulary of cultural theory is unnerving, less so because it's particularly arcane and academic, but rather because it misapplies terms ("text" for "artifact") and is essentially designed allow authors to gloss over explicating the actual relation between things by words like "as" and "linked" and "suggests". At the risk of using it to criticize itself, one of the few things Derrida has said that make sense to me is that if something is said to be "clearly" or "obviously" concludable from something, this often serves to obscure that the conclusion is not clear or obvious at all, and at the risk of using its own language against itself, the book seems to do what Blair Johnston said in his talk at the Library of Congress about Rachmaninov Sergei's "Symphonic Dances": it "dances with ghosts, in a way": there are expositions of counterfactuals, substitutions without loci, discordances between nothings. The frequent "suggestions", at least, are not unusual in being of nothings, even though the hypothetical things they supposedly point to are often absurd and the conclusions are specious: for example, the point is made that in the first part of Ranma ½, vol. 1, only male characters are transforming, which supposedly means that the masculinity is depicted as normal, whereas the female is depicted as just one of several abnormal forms, along with pandas and piglets. Now, why the focus on the "first part", that is, before the introduction of Shampoo, is needed for the conclusion is clear. But I do not think that it is in any way warranted unless one aims for drawing this particular conclusion. Conversely, had females dominanted the ranks of transformers, I am fully expectant, the author would have had pulled the converse move of claiming that women, by virtue of the depiction of some sort of proximity to the non-human or their instability, were depicted as abnormal, and males as normal. This is how these subjects work, after all - you cannot win.
I'm not here to tell anyone what to like or not to like in a book. But if you, like me, are expecting some factual, researched information on the genesis of paradigmatic anime, or think "cultural theory" is for the most part omphalosceptic nonsense, with some glitters of hypothesizing for sociology, anthropology and ethnology to apply itself to before it goes into print, you will not have a good time with this book. Otherwise, you might. (less)
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Sep 21, 2017Natalie (CuriousReader) rated it it was ok · review of another edition
An academic (textual analysis) look at the development and trends of anime up to the early 2000s.
Video review/discussion: https://youtu.be/jUm_DqcEPXI (less)
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Jul 14, 2007L L rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: non-fiction
This book offers critical analysis of various mainstream anime films and books, such as Spirited Away, Ramna ½, Akira, Ghost in the Shell. It focuses mainly on the mode of different animes (carnival, elegiac, and apocalyptic) and analyzes them in light of identity theory and contemporary Japanese society. It’s enjoyable to skim through and to reflect upon, but like much criticism out there, this book is full of “interesting insight”, but leaves the big questions unanswered. There is no response to the question “so what’s the point of all this?” beyond cocktail and coffeeshop conversation. (less)
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Apr 03, 2008Sara rated it really liked it
An interesting book that touches on some of the most well-known anime titles. This is probably not the best read for those who have not seen the titles discussed. Think of this book as a series off critical essays analyzing the importance of various themes across the works. That being said, I am familiar with a fair number of the titles & really enjoyed reading. I'm especially fascinated with the exploration of contemporary Japanese identity. (less)
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Dec 07, 2010Erendira rated it really liked it
This is a great read for any anime lover. The woman who wrote it teaches Japanese language and culture so she provides historical and cultural context to a few chosen movies. And she talks about themes that apply to anime in general as well as talk about its influence on Western culture. I've seen most of the movies she talked about which made the book a better reading. But I also learned about others I am now curious to see! (less)
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Sep 08, 2020Ilaria Vigorito rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: essays, manga
This book isn't a comprehensive history of Japanese animaton and it shows. Since the introduction, Susan Napier makes it clear she wants to apply the tools of literary critique to anime and she tries to dissects them following these premises.
She starts from the distinction of anime in three different macro-categories or "modes": the apocalyptic, the elegiac and the festival. Then she mainly focuses on animation films and anime series aired between the second part of the Eightes and the first years of the Zeroes.
It was an intriguing reading and an interesting experiment, only partly successful. I appreciated the social and cultural perspective Napier used to analyze a range of stories that went from "Akira" to pornography (i.e. "Wicked City" or "Legend of the Overfiend") -though sometimes I think she underestimated the artistic legacy of some movies (see: "Grave of the Fireflies"), while giving too much credit to what appeared to be mere low-quality entertainment (see: the hentai movies).
What is probably the real limit of this book - more than choosing only a perspective, the one of a literary critic who tries to address the faults in Japanese patriarchy and how much it can permeate the writing of a series and the characterisation of its protagonists - it's the fact that Susan Napier chose to ignore how anime are created and how much the anime industry is able to condition the making of an anime.
Nevertheless, this was still an enlightening reading, a good academic experiment and a valid starting point for people who want to know more about anime and don't limit themselves to a simple "chronicle of events". (less)
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Oct 14, 2020kim lyra rated it it was ok · review of another edition
lost count of how many times napier refers to sequences as "arresting" but generally writes in an engaging manner. some of the analysis is very kids' first approach and i'm unsure how much of it convinces me, especially the penultimate chapter on apocalypticism (one paragraph describes how legend of the overfiend's sporadic sexual orgies represent the "financial orgies" of the post-bubble economy) - and i too often find psychoanalytic reasons and hypersexual analysis uncomfortably tenuous and off the mark. that being said, there are a lot of concepts here that if not interesting in how napier applies them, are interesting in the implications drawn from her insistence to apply them in the first place; as a foundational text on anime scholarship, you could do worse. some observations from this:
- metamorphosis [in animation] as a legitimization of spatial liminality.
- ranma 1/2 and the instability of gender performativity in the festive mode vs. pornographic discontinuity.
- the grotesque (uncanny) as displaced heterogeneity/the abject and postmodern identity.
- idealism in mecha anime (especially in apoalypticism).
- the displacement of shojo.
- power of externalization in romantic comedy.
- othering through elegy and its spatialized expressions.
especially interesting how napier analyses modes and tone to arrive at conclusions of interacting social cultures within japanese society and western impositions (although this aspect lacks expansion and self-criticism). (less)
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Nov 01, 2020Amy ☁️ rated it liked it
Very dense, very thorough, very academic, requires a background in critical theory to understand the meat of the analyses. Quite eye-opening! Covers a wide range of anime across the decades. References films from the western canon too.
Chapters I enjoyed:
3. Akira and Ranma 1/2: The Monstrous Adolescent
Very interesting takes on representations of the unstable/amorphous adolescent body
5. Ghosts and Machines: The Technological Body
The last part talks about NGE through a psychoanalytic and mythic framework to comment on how this anime subverts mecha conventions
6. Doll Parts: Technology and the Body in Ghost in the Shell
Paralleled comparison of GitS with similar films like Blade Runner
8. The Enchantment of Estrangement: The Shojo in the World of Miyazaki Hayao
The first half talks about Totoro as a “classic fantasy of compensation” and Kiki’s Delivery Service as straddling the line between the fantastical and the realistically economical.
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Jun 21, 2017Jimmy rated it really liked it
I bought this the summer after it first released. I hate academia, and the entirety of what it does to subjects in general. That being said, this is still one of the only books that tries to analyze anime. Being one of few doesn't automatically get it a pass though. Fortunately, she (the author) does look at this from the perspective of someone who hasn't gone into the realm of blind fandom. It asks more questions than it answers, but still manages to provide information surrounding each topic. I find it a valuable text to learn from, but not something to override your existing personal interest in the medium. I also own the updated "- to Howl's Moving Castle" version. This is a good book, just not a fun book. (less)
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Jan 25, 2021Jessica O rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Caveat: I haven't actually read the whole book, but I've read enough of it to write the kind of review I typically type up about books like this. I used this book as a text in a freshmen writing class I taught. The class used "cartoons as a reflection of society" as its focus, and for that purpose (a month on Japanese animation) this book was perfect. It's more accessible than other similar books I've read, but still challenging enough for college freshmen. I don't always agree with Napier's points, and sometimes she makes the error of assuming authorial intent, but that gave my students something to work with. (less)
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Oct 13, 2022Cleo Cuizon rated it really liked it
Really interesting analysis of the anime industry and thematic concepts prevalent in films/series mentioned in the book. I have loved anime since my teenage years, and the book provided new recommendations to watch based on the thought-provoking analysis. Would recommend it to those interested in anime and would love to read into deeper discussions regarding certain shows and their symbolism.
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Jul 31, 2019Deborah Gay rated it it was amazing
Amazing book, for scholars and general audience. It’s so interesting and never looked down on any anime. It gives the cultural tendencies and background seen in anime in the last 30 years, and is a precious book.
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Oct 01, 2019Lianmarie Colon rated it really liked it
It was an interesting read, but I read this now in 2019 and you can tell it's definitely a dated book. Also, the parts on your typical "anime" person are a bit cringy in my opinion, but overall I enjoyed this book. (less)
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Jun 04, 2022Ietrio rated it did not like it · review of another edition
Shelves: junk, kindle-fire
...and those who are too incompetent to actually do the thing teach it.
And while the people who worked on Akira have to work for a living, Napier gets to live well off the taxes collected on those who create. The sweet stench of abuse.
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Aug 01, 2017Cellobows rated it really liked it
Only read the Mononoke chapter, but want to revist to read the whole thing
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Aug 31, 2018Cassey rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: visual-studies
Accessible and oh so easy reading. Has me wanting to get into media studies now -_-
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Dec 29, 2019Michael Heitmanek rated it it was amazing
This book is full of spoilers so you should see the Anima before reading if you can.
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Mar 02, 2021Hilary rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Shelves: informational
Now dated.
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Jan 24, 2022Andrea Reyes added it
very good plot
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Oct 03, 2022Pandora Lapin marked it as to-read · review of another edition
A hard copy of a book like this is always going to need updating, but definitely one of the better -written books on anime out there
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Sep 17, 2008Aaron rated it it was amazing
Shelves: social-science, manga-comic, sets-the-standard, social-studies, sociology, anthropology
While I had a passing interest in anime in the past, this book more than anything broadened my exposure and my interest in anime. First, anime is not a genre but a medium. And like any other medium, art can be organized into any number of genres.
Napier does an excellent job at analyzing the major categories of anime primarily in terms of Japanese culture rather than in terms of animation; that is, she focuses more on the cultural factors that influence the form of anime in a manner similar to any other form of art (say, painting) rather than comparing it with its American counterpart (Disney or Warner Bros.). If for nothing else, by making Japanese culture the implicit focus the book is much more interesting and relevant to a broader audience; compare this to Samurai from Outer Space, which takes a much less academic tone and implicitly treats anime as just another foreign novelty. (less)
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Feb 21, 2022Casey Browne rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: media-studies
An academic (textual analysis) look at the development and trends of anime up to the early 2000s. This book analyses various mainstream anime films and books, such as Spirited Away, Ramna ½, Akira, Ghost in the Shell. It focuses mainly on the mode of different animes (carnival, elegiac, and apocalyptic) and analyzes them in light of identity theory and contemporary Japanese society. It's enjoyable to skim through and reflect upon, but like much criticism out there, this book is full of "interesting insight" but leaves the big questions unanswered.
A fascinating book that touches on some of the most well-known anime titles. This is probably not the best read for those who have not seen the titles discussed. Think of this book as a series of critical essays analyzing the importance of various themes across the works. That being said, I am familiar with a fair number of the titles & enjoyed reading them. I'm especially fascinated with the exploration of contemporary Japanese identity. (less)
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May 15, 2007Jared Colley rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: culturalstudies, filmstudies
One of the few decent books on Anime that I've managed to find. There's alot of crap out there on the subject (mostly coffee table books and such). This is serious scholarship, and it's also fun to read (for the most part).
Napier does a good job of engaging history and critical theory - thus demonstrating that Anime is far from "low-brow" pop culture. There is much to gain from engaging this interesting subject matter as Napier demonstrates.
If anyone has any suggestions on other good literature ...more
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Jun 04, 2015Ben rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This is a beautiful work of art fit for only the finest and royal eyes. In other words, it's for anime geeks. I read it for the sole reason of it having the word anime on the cover. This is probably the only book which not only talks about anime, but teaches you new words. One paragraph (on page 22?), had so many words I didn't understand. I understand them now. Learning! Anyway, if you're interested in anime you should read it. Two of my favorite anime were mentioned, and after I read those sections, I had more shows to watch. Let me just let you know, not is all a sit seems.
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Feb 06, 2012Kiley rated it it was amazing
Such an informative book! And even though it's not exactly up to date with the latest shows out there, the author gives good analyses of the different and various genres that anime provides. After reading this, I feel like I can have a better grasp on what the themes and meanings may be for such controversial shows like Akira or Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is a worthy read for those who want to really study the deeper meanings some anime give. (less)
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Sep 06, 2014Benjamin rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Interesting critical analysis of Japanese anime from the 1980s through 2005. Because of space limitations, the author had to be highly selective of which films/series she examines. The reader is not required to have extensive knowledge of anime, but it certainly couldn't hurt. Keep in mind that the book explores certain major themes of anime but is not meant to be exhaustive. (less)
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Dec 27, 2007Jesselyn rated it liked it
Shelves: non-fiction
A good read, though I don't think a good overview of anime in general. I think this is a good read of intellectual essays if you already know the basics about anime. Fairly good history, but I found the coverage of what was popular hit and miss. (less)
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Jul 30, 2008J-Lynn Van Pelt rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: teacher-resources, non-fiction
This is a strong resource for teachers and librarians to get to know Anime series. It discusses the most popular series and the plots. Also, there is info on the art and how to read Anime. A good starting point.
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May 03, 2016Nicole Woolaston rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I really enjoyed reading this. I gained some insight on anime titles I was already familiar with, as well as titles I had never heard of before. I especially enjoyed the analysis of "Ranma 1/2". It was interesting to learn about how anime represents so many elements of Japanese culture. (less)
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Amazon Top reviews from the United States
E. Bauman
4.0 out of 5 stars Better than reviews indicate
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2011
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The problem with long-time otaku is they are fans beyond the scope of any introductory book on this topic and thus dismiss that which doesn't meet their standards for reasons that those new to the topic will neither be aware of nor care about. This book is a fine effort for the purposes of the author's goal -- explaining the topic in overview and then with detail using selected works. Its imperfections are simply no worse than any other general book on anime and it does offer a reasonable academic discussion on a very large subject with many facets.
One-star reviews are rarely justified, and this is the case here. Expecting this book to be either encyclopedic or current is pointless. And the choices of films to analyze as examples is arbitrary at best. The complaints here about the author's choices are no more valid than those from fans who invariably write to entertainment magazines complaining about films and actors/directors being left out of best or top 25/50 lists. Such quibbling is best ignored given the wide range of tastes in anime, differences of opinion and limitations of space.
The emphasis on sex is hardly out of place given the unique, frequent and varied manner in which it appears in an art form (animation) that usually has little or no such content outside of anime. The author attempts to bring all of this into perspective, and the repetitive use of certain words is hardly a valid issue given the circumstances. Her extensive notes and quotes make it obvious this book isn't simply a fabricated matrix of interpretation by her. One might not agree, but to dismiss her work as wrong is itself quite incorrect.
All in all, this is a fine read for anyone curious about and interested in anime. Should it be the only book one reads on the topic? Probably not, but that doesn't mean there's not significant value in it. Ignore the negative reviews and enjoy this work for what it brings to the subject. If you want reviews of an extensive list of anime films and tv series, there are other books that do this -- with the caveat that reviews are personal opinion and not the last word or fact no matter how experienced the reviewer is.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Not smut
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2021
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No matter what these Ohioan legislators think this is a well thought out academic treatise on anime in today's society and not a smut filled screed. Any person that has an inkling of what anime, and also manga, is will understand that hentai and ecchi are subgenre of the overall culture and not the driving forces behind it.
It is best to read this with an open mind and to remember this was written as an education tool in the insights of today's Japanese cultural leanings.
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P
2.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately Disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2012
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My review will consist of two parts: a review of the actual content first, followed by a review of the physical product.
I chose to buy and read Anime From Akira to Howl's Moving Castle out of a desire to learn more and think critically about something I'm very passionate about, which is obviously anime. I, unlike many of the other reviewers, did not have to read this book for a college course. Despite this difference, I too share many of their concerns. Although I am ecstatic that whole critical books are being dedicated to anime, this particular one falls short of what it could and should be. I have not seen every anime discussed within the work and, due to reading it independently and lacking friends seriously interested in anime, have not discussed it with peers, so I have to take the other reviewers' word(s) that it misconstrues many facts to fit an argument. I noticed that this was true with some of the anime I am familiar with, such as Cowboy Bebop, and therefore am willing to accept that it is also true for a number of the other anime discussed in the book. That the author would get many basic facts about the anime examined wrong is unfortunate and brings into question her authority on the subject, however, I do not feel that it was done with a academically-corrosive intent. I believe it is evidence more of a lack of accurate analysis for certain anime and information regarding them than a lack of academic integrity, as suggested by some of the other reviewers. This is, of course, only my feeling regarding that matter and is based solely on intuition, not investigation. In any case, it is disappointing that one of the "definitive" critical texts on anime is plagued by arguments supported by faulty evidence.
In addition to incorrect information, I felt that some of the chapters were too garbled and unclear about their topic. After finishing numerous chapters, I was left with a confused feeling of "what was the point of that?", which I believe is due to a lack of a clear, centralizing topic in some of the chapters (although, it may be due to a intellectual failing on my part). While it is understandable and even expected that the anime analyzed in a given chapter would contain differing viewpoints and commentary regarding the chapter's subject (given that the anime were made by different people, and different people have differing beliefs), I felt that her analysis was also contradictory in certain instances, contributing to my occasional confusion. There was a lack of various examinations crystallizing around a central idea in these chapters, which leads to (and is very likely due to) another of my complaints: the discussion tended to focus more on what the anime were saying in regard to various topics rather than how they were saying it. This is more of a personal complaint, as I am sure others will prefer that the majority of conversation be about what the messages are, but I wish that more of the book would have been dedicated to analyzing how anime utilizes its medium to convey the messages, emotions, etc., which can make it so incredibly deep. Of course, what anime are saying and why they are saying it is a crucial part of critically understanding anime, but more discussion on how would have been valued.
There is also a huge focus on the sexual in the author's analysis. Some sort of sex-related discussion is found in virtually every examination. While this is to be expected in some anime, and can lead to very interesting insights in other, not necessarily "sexual" anime, many times it seems out of place and too far fetched. I am not sure if it was included to give the book "shock value" [to gain attention/attraction], but it seems detrimental to the book's overall quality in any case.
Despite these complaints, the work is not completely bad. Indeed, there are some great and truly interesting sections, which provoke thought and, ultimately, a deeper understanding of the potential power and beauty of anime. The wide range of works discussed in the book has also piqued my interest in new shows, which I probably would not have watched otherwise. Although this is a benefit of reading the book, discovering new anime to experience, of course, does not require one to purchase and read this book. Also, it has introduced me to other critical works on anime, though this falls into the previously described condition of not being dependent on buying this book. The book is at its best in the introduction and opening chapters and the conclusion, where it makes rather broad statements about anime and its possibilities, which are accurate and well-thought out (not to mention heart-warming for anime fans desiring to see their love given its proper respect and credit). In general, it seems the main ideas contained within the book are not wrong or weak. In fact, they are quite the opposite. However, the book fails to powerfully and clearly connect many of these ideas to real examples from anime, leading to confusing and, perhaps, incorrect analysis. This said, I still enjoyed the conversation of the various anime. Although one (or, at least, I) would think that reading something wrong and flawed about something one is passionate about would be angering (and it definitely can be), the simple fact that the conversation was about anime made the chapters, however confusing, interesting to read.
Overall, I recommend this book only to provoke deeper thought about anime and as an interesting discussion. I do not recommend it for one looking for an introduction to the world of anime as it is misleading, but for those already here and desiring to look deeper at anime, this book can serve that purpose in the sense that reading it can open one to new ways of considering the deeper meaning hidden in anime. Then again, other, better works can accomplish this same task. I would give Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle a 2.5/5 if I could, as it does have some redeeming factors, but I am rounding the score down to 2 instead of up to 3 because the flaws ultimately outweigh the positives, and, since this is supposed to be a critical text, the fact that it is interesting and, at parts, enjoyable to read cannot make up for its analytical and academic faults.
As for the actual physical product, it is high quality. The pages are strong enough, the text large, and the margins provide ample space for annotations. The cover, though paperback, is sturdy enough. It is a well-made product except for one small fault: the series of pictures contained in the middle of the book, while printed on nice paper, are rather blurry. This is not a huge problem by any means, but many of the pictures (even of more recent anime) look unclear.
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Ikarus S.
4.0 out of 5 stars Like anime? Want to know more?
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2015
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A great book dealing with more subtle agendas behind Japanese animations and the way it evolved into today's industry. This book is an analytical review in the author's eyes, depicting patterns and forms logical bridges behind certain anime's content and how it possibly could have come to that. Each chapter deals with a different genre of anime such as obsession of young girls, the "world is ending" theme, and giant robots. The chapters are written clearly and in a factual manner. One could assume this book is utilized for an Art or Film college class as textbook. However, if you like anime and care more about it than the "pretty picture" it's worth a read.
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Charlie Skyler
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect transaction
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2018
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All good
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Teresa
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy buen libro
Reviewed in Mexico on September 21, 2020
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Muy buen libro, da mucha información del anime, a quien le gusta le recomiendo leerlo
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EM Solomon
5.0 out of 5 stars My Bible for Critical Study on Anime
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2015
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My bible when writing my dissertation at University. Bought a copy because of sentimental value from my times in the library.
Susan Napier writes incredibly poignant and meaningful analysis of anime in the film world. Her studies on Miyazaki films were the foundation of my dissertation.
Many thanks from me and many others who will benefit from your fine work. I cannot recommend this enough.
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Yingqiao Hu
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Material for Anime
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 8, 2013
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Good quality and arrived soon after ordering
It is better than some other books by Napier and goes to some deep discussion and analysis
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Andrew Yang
5.0 out of 5 stars Weeaboos are not welcome here
Reviewed in Canada on January 5, 2014
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I never would have guessed that anime can be actually taken seriously by the academic intellectuals! I mean, don't get me wrong, but weeaboos (so-called anime fanatics) have a bad tendency to ruin the reputation of anime. But this book? No weeaboos can handle the mind-blowing analysis made by Susan J. Napier!
It's refreshing considering how I utterly despise college textbooks being dry as a desert. I'm so lucky that my professor created a class where we learn how anime can offer deeper depths of social commentary and reflecting on contemporary issues that influences modern Japanese and North American audience. So if you guys think that anime is just for kids and/or perverts, think again!
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