Abstract

It can no longer be claimed that it is something exclusively for children. It is often said that Japanese films have captured the hearts of people around the world and have had a decisive influence on Western films such as Matrix, Black Swan, and Everything Everywhere All at Once. This updated edition of a famous title in Japan, a reference work in anime studies, was reviewed by the author himself, who is considered an authority on anime and who also served as a jury member at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

The book covers a wide range of features movies such as The Adventures of Horus, released in 1968, to Spirited Away, Ghost in the Shell, Mobile Suit Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Mind Game launched in 2004, as well as other 41 anime masterpieces that belongs today to the category of classics. Through the pages of the book the author deals not only with the works themselves, but also with the careers of the directors who have shaped Japanese animation, like Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Mamoru Oshii, Satoshi Kon, Hideaki Anno, Makoto Shinkai and Masaaki Yuasa.

The author also discusses specific issues such as the novelty that represents the Lupin statue in Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, for example, the role of vehicles in Ghost in the Shell, why the background landscape in Perfect Blue was drawn in such a realistic way, and many others. Thanks to an extensive and highly personal perspective and a deep understanding of the task of directing, drawing, and the characteristically methods of expression of Japanese anime, the book analyzes the peculiarities of each work, thereby helping to enrich the way readers view anime. Likewise, readers will be able to understand how Japanese animation has evolved from its beginnings, heavily influenced by Disney, to finding its own voice and to discover a new way of expression. Thanks to this, the reader would obtain an overview of the history of Japanese anime and its evolution over time.
It is therefore a must-read book for those who wish to better understand the amazing world of Japanese anime.

Author’s Information

Born in 1968. Anime critic. After working as a journalist and editor for a weekly magazine, he began writing anime-related articles in 2000. Currently he writes for magazines, brochures, websites, and so on. He is a programming advisor for the Animation section at the Tokyo International Film Festival. His major publications are The Expanded and Revised Edition of the Anime Critics' Declaration, Why We Watch Anime, Anime and War, and The Outline of Anime.