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Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation

Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation
By Susan J. Napier

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Product Description

With the popularity of Pokémon 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 such as 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.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #554429 in Books
  • Published on: 2001-04-21
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 311 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Although packaged as a book for general readers, Anime: From Akira to Princess Mononoke is a dreary academic study that showcases the clichés of "higher" criticism but tells the reader little about the art form. The potentially interesting points that Susan Napier raises (e.g., Are characters with blond, pink, or purple hair really perceived as Japanese?) are ignominiously buried in arcane jargon. And she too often discusses other authors' theories instead of anime itself. In a section on Ranma 1/2, she refers to various books, but in a footnote she cites only a single published interview with series creator Rumiko Takahashi. If Napier regards the Ranma series as significant, why didn't she interview the artist?

The text is riddled with errors, which suggests that the author hasn't watched the films carefully. For example, she cites a "brilliant" essay referring to the loss of all electrical power in Japan (a symbol of "modernization under the patriarchal system") in episode 3 of Neon Genesis Evangelion. No blackout occurs in this episode. In episode 6, however, all the electricity in Japan is requisitioned to power a superweapon. From Akira to Princess Mononoke is the sort of book churned out by professors to satisfy publish-or-perish rules. --Charles Solomon

Review

“This is a riveting and inspiring book, one that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading and from which I have learned a great deal. As a source of concrete information about Japanese animation it is invaluable.” —Sharon Kinsella, Cambridge University.

“...a thoughtful and carefully researched account...” —The New York Times

“Napier draws a rather complete picture of Japanese animation as a legitimate art form, and uses anime as a key to the culture that creates it...” —Entertainment Weekly

“This worthy addition to the burgeoning literature on Japanese popular culture will stand the test of time.” —Choice

About the Author

Susan J. Napier teaches at the University of Texas, Austin. Her previous books include The Subversion of Modernity and Escape from the Wasteland. She lives in Austin, Texas.