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Title: The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 by Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy ISBN: 1880656647 Publisher: Stone Bridge Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.84
Rating: 3
Summary: Not all it's cracked up to be
Comment: When I first got this book, I thought I'd stumbled upon a wealth of information. As an amateur anime reviewer, I had wanted a more comprehensive guide to anime than the books that had been previously released, and I was convinced this should be it.
"Should" be.
For a first-time anime fan, this seems like the way to go. But for the experienced fan who has seen even a tenth of the anime listed here, the luster fades rather quickly.
Unfortunately, the Anime Encyclopedia is plagued with factual errors, occasional Anglocentric comments, and an often acerbic tone hardly befitting the word "encyclopedia". Review guide, perhaps. But impassive reference material? Hardly.
Often, the authors come up with completely new (and erroneous) title translations such as "Chancer Princess" and "Heart Mark" for anime not released in the West, whereas some shows within the time period stated (Risky Safety) are omitted outright, or hidden under discussion of nominally related titles (Gensoumaden Saiyuuki). Japanese names are misspelled or mistranslated with abandon, whether it be anime titles or creators, like Yoshizumi Wataru, here transliterated incorrectly as Yoshizumi Ayumi, and not even listed as the creator of her major anime work!
The worst part is that, as in Helen McCarthy's previous works, the authors here attempt to review and cast judgment on titles they obviously have not seen, which is reprehensible for anyone who claims to be a serious reviewer of any genre of art. The informal (and obviously British) tone of the book meshes poorly with the fact that this was released for a primarily American audience, with the authors poking fun at American distributors where there ought not to be any poking of fun at all.
While a lot of the basic information in fact is, in fact, solid, and this is currently the most comprehensive work on anime published in English to date, the Anime Encyclopedia certainly is not perfect, and could use a lot more revision ... and a lot less speculation.
Rating: 5
Summary: Mind Boggling
Comment: 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.
Rating: 5
Summary: the best
Comment: If ever proof was needed about the high dedication of anime fans, it's the Anime Encyclopedia, which wipes the floor with works on other aspects of Japan. It makes you wonder, if a maligned medium like anime can produce such a detailed and fascinating work of reference, why can't the world's Japanese live-action movie lovers produce a tome of equivalent standing? The Anime Encyclopedia has over 500 pages covering 85 years of anime history, from 1917 to 2000. The book also has mentions of several 2001 anime, but these are based on press releases of the period, and are understandably less comprehensive (better this than simply leaving out the last decade, like that Protoculture Addicts book did).
The attention to detail is incredible, and the authors have done their homework in several languages. It's amazing enough that they have examined so much in the original Japanese, yet more so when they refer to materials in French, German and Chinese. Did you know that Conan the Boy Detective has already been broadcast in the US, but only in Spanish? That Ranma was approved by the Chinese Communist party? That Fly Peek came before Free Willy? It's astonishing to see the breadth of the anime medium itself - who would have thought that there were anime versions of Anne of Green Gables, Manxmouse and Cinderella? And an anime Les Miserables, available in Quebec? It is also an eye opener to see how many "American" dubs were actually recorded in the UK. The British contribution towards a supposedly American translation industry is much higher than I previously imagined.
If you know nothing about anime, the Anime Encyclopedia will turn you into an overnight expert. If you already think of yourself as an expert, you're in for a shock when you find out just how much you don't know, even about subjects you thought you had down pat. The index alone has opened up an entire new area in anime criticism by fixing animators' entire careers for the first time. As someone else said, the Anime Encyclopedia is cheaper than a high-end DVD, and worth every cent.
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Title: Anime Essentials: Every Thing a Fan Needs to Know by Gilles Poitras ISBN: 1880656531 Publisher: Stone Bridge Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Anime Companion: What's Japanese in Japanese Animation by Gilles Poitras ISBN: 1880656329 Publisher: Stone Bridge Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Anime Explosion! The What? Why? & Wow! of Japanese Animation by Patrick Drazen ISBN: 1880656728 Publisher: Stone Bridge Press Pub. Date: October, 2002 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Anime: From Akira to Princess Mononoke: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation by Susan Jolliffe Napier ISBN: 0312238630 Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Pub. Date: May, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Dreamland Japan : Writings on Modern Manga by Frederik L. Schodt ISBN: 188065623X Publisher: Stone Bridge Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1996 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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