Rough Guide to Anime
SIMON RICHMOND
Travel Writer & Photographer
“Every minute of every day some 600 Japanese animated videos are downloaded off the internet – the equivalent of 6 million copies each week. Responding to this global demand in 2007 the Japanese government anointed Doraemon, an anime character, as one of the nation's cultural ambassadors. To a contemporary audience of children, teens and adults anime's common images – doe-eyed, spikey haired teens, giant laser-blasting robots, nifty-footed ninjas and cuddly little monsters – have become as redolent of Japan as geisha and samurai.”
Introduction to the Rough Guide to Anime
My first experience of anime was watching Marine Boy on children's teatime telly in the UK. I later fell under the spell of Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbour Totoro while living in Tokyo in the early 1990s and working as a editor on a national newspaper. That experience led to my co-authoring the award winning Rough Guide to Japan and Rough Guide to Tokyo. In travels around the world I've witnessed anime's popularity at conventions in the US and UK, the pop culture of Southeast Asia and in the passion of fans in Australia and Russia.
The Rough Guide to Anime brings you up to speed with the colourful, dynamic and hip world of Japanese animation. Discover artists such as Osamu Tezuka and marvel at the work of Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, who brought the magical stories of Princess Mononoke and My Neighbour Totoro to the big screen.
From a behind the scenes peek at the production process to the lowdown on conventions and cosplay, this new guide offers a comprehensive overview of one of the most exciting mediums of entertainment in today’s popular culture.
Find out about the resurgence of the ‘short anime’, flying high after the 2009 Oscar win by Kunio Kato for his La Maison en Petits Cubes, or the controversy surrounding fansubs. From the evolution of mecha to the latest Miyazaki offering out this summer, you’ll be an otaku in no time.
The book includes:
•The stories behind anime legends like Hello Kitty, Astro Boy and Char Aznable.
•The canon of 50 must-see anime from Akira to Whisper of the Heart.
•A glossary and an exploration of anime’s main themes and styles.
MY TOP TEN ANIME
1. Akira (1988) Dynamic action sequences drive forward this nihilistic sci-fi fantasy about biker gangs, terrorists, government plots and a telekinetic teenager mutating in Tokyo, 2019.
2. Astro Boy (1963) Osamu Tezuka's robot boy with a soul may have become a cute international icon, but the anime series reveals his complex, sometimes tragic history.
3. Ghost in the Shell (1995) A sophisticated sci-fi thriller that's director Mamoru Ôshii's finest work, together with its sequel Innocence and the fascinating TV series it spawned.
4. Jin Roh (1999) Red Riding Hood remixed in this atmospheric drama set in an imaginary Japan of the 1950s that has an ill-fated romance as a central theme.
5. Only Yesterday (1991) Beautifully realized, Isao Takahata-directed movie about a woman, on a life-changing vacation in the countryside, recalling the childhood episodes that shaped her personality.
6. My Neighbour Totoro (1988) Hayao Miyazaki's charming kid's story, set in a pastoral Japan of the 1950s introduces one of Japanese animation's greatest characters – the giant grinning fur ball of the title.
7. Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) Ambitious, densely plotted and ultimately perplexing, the ultimate otaku anime examines the psychological implications of being the teenage pilot of a supreme weapon of destruction.
8. Mind Game (2004) Take a mind-boggling trip into this dazzlingly beautiful, surreal and highly original cocktail involving an aspiring manga artist, yakuza and a giant whale.
9. The Wings of Honneamise (1987) A richly imagined slice of sci-fi about the fantasy land of Honneamise, curiously like our own world, but not, and its Royal Space Force's efforts to launch a man into orbit.
10. Tokyo Godfathers (2003) Satoshi Kon's heartwarming Christmas fairy tale of redemption for three tramps and the baby they discover in the trash is pure anime magic.
