The Anime Encyclopedia: A Century of Japanese Animation

I was hoping for an encyclopedia with lots of colored pics, but that’s not it. Very few pics, all black and white. Great book, though.

The first thought that runs through the mind of a potential otaku faced with the wealth of Anime films that are available is, frankly, "Where do I start." It doesn't take a great deal of time to sniff out the Evangelions and Princess Mononokes, but beyond the great successes are many lesser lights that all promise pleasure and entertainment if one only knew which they were. Of course, part of the challenge is that coming to understand anime and manga requires reaching some level of understanding of the Japanese culture that underlies them. However, the simple truth is that, lacking a guide, the effort is always in danger of becoming fruitless.'The Anime Encyclopedia' is the answer to need. While it really isn't encyclopedic, it provides summaries, data, and even some analysis of over 2,000 anime films. The authors confess that there are probably another 2,000 films that could have been included, and a complete failure to touch on interactive (game) animation. Nevertheless, 2,000 titles covering the period from 1917 to 2001 is a lot. While the writers are rarely excessively judgmental, there is enough information to identify both films of interest and films to be avoided. Occasionally, the reader finds a lengthy discussion, but most of the descriptions are 100 to 200 words. One will find dates, formats, key translations, creative staff, and length listed. Some indication of the appropriate audience where needed, and indication of whether English productions are available. In short, enough to navigate one's way to the winded path of an otaku's apprenticeship. The writers have a dry, witty style that makes this more than a simple catalog, but far less than a treatise. The book does exactly what it promises to do, competently and clearly. Lacking a command of Japanese, this is the best resource available for US viewers.

In general, I avoid anime books. They seem to fall into two camps: Those by people who know nothing, and those by people who think they know everything, but see no reason to tell you. Too many are timid slaves to fan opinion, happy to be big fishes in the little pond of the convention circuit. The authors of the Anime Encyclopedia have changed all that. They honour anime by treating it was just another part of the film and TV world, but do so with years of TV experience = she as the editor of my favourite anime magazine, he as the translator of many famous shows. The result is the best ever survey of the anime medium, dwarfing even Japanese books on the subject, and listing hundreds of new titles.It is wonderful to read a book about anime that generally delivers the goods = the Anime Encyclopedia is an education, not just in anime itself, but in its cross-overs with manga, TV , film and even kabuki. Best of all, in refusing to cut bad anime any slack, the authors have done a service to fandom as a whole. Too many people give up (or grow out) of the medium because they start off on the wrong foot, but with the Anime Encyclopedia everyone now has the chance to comprehend anime in its historical context. A fascinating introduction to an incredible medium, but liable to break some fans' hearts by telling a few unwelcome truths.

Clements and McCarthy are clearly fans of the Brooks and Marsh "Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and TV Shows", keeping closely to the style of the landmark US TV book in their groundbreaking anime study. Like Brooks and Marsh, they demonstrate unparalleled knowledge of both plot and insider information, as well as a comprehensive breakdown of entire story arcs. Unlike Brooks and Marsh, they foreground the achievements of writers, directors and designers in the creative process, revealing entire careers behind the scenes. Thanks to the Anime Encyclopedia, it is now easier to follow the career of an obscure anime writer like Masaki Tsuji, than it is to track, for example, the life of Steve Bochco in comparable American volumes. The Anime Encyclopedia sets a level of excellence that other resource guides will find hard to match, and it does it for a foreign language subject, a remarkable achievement. Though it focusses on TV shows, it also includes film and video releases, as well as innumerable references to source material -- for example, there are more *manga* discussed in this book than in Frederick L. Schodt's "Dreamland Japan".

It was only a few years ago that people couldnt even get Japanese animations name right. It was just "that Manga stuff" to most of us, though it had a history back to the time of World War One. Helen McCarthy's Anime Guide told us that the anime world was bigger than we knew, but its taken this giant Encyclopaedia to really prove it. Since it would take eighteen years or so to watch every anime, the half-million words or so in the Anime Encyclopaedia can barely scratch the surface of this incredible world. Even so, its absolutely PACKED with data, from directors and artists to bits of history and gossip. Theres so much info in here that after a few hours I kept getting carried away and reading the other entries around the stuff I was looking for. So I gave up and just read it from cover to cover. Now I KNOW ANIME. I still dont know kung fu though :). I dont want to complain coz this book easily should get five stars, but I still wish there was more. It could be twice the size if the authors wanted to make it that way. I hope they are writing an even bigger one :). Its funny too and shows a real love for anime: they care about Japanese animation for real, enough to be tough on it when it disappoints them. But when they tell you something is good, you know they mean it from the heart. The best book Ive read all year... and the biggest book I own except Lord of the Rings. Thats a scary thought. :)

This book fulfills the dreams of all anime fans... it is a true Encyclopedia, with just about every anime described and catalogued in loving detail. The index alone is worth it, and the sheer size of the thing (way over 500 pages) is impressive. (I just got my copy this weekend and have been combing thru it nonstop. And I'm still not finished.)The authors have real opinions and a funny, really literate style, too. You can tell they've actually seen the anime they're writing about, which is refreshing, especially after all the pseudo-academic anime books that have come out in the past year. In short, THIS IS IT! The Anime Encyclopedia totally replaces the old protoculture book (especially since it goes from the really old stuff--since 1917--to the present) and is a lot more complete.