Customer Reviews

Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle, Updated Edition: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Whether it is still relatively new to us, or as Westerners we are close-minded to accept what the overwhelming world of Japanese popular culture has to offer--nevertheless there are not a lot of texts published (academic or otherwise) on the topic. While it is nice to see anime and manga recognized as valid art forms, personally, I don't find Susan Napier to be the one to write about these sorts of things. I was forced to read this book for a class on the visual pop culture of Japan, and although I am not entirely familiar with many of the series she mentions, I still know the difference between a good and bad argument in academic writing.

Although she means well and brings up relevant points (like the three types of series: elegiac, festival, and apocalyptic plotlines) and has the occasional interesting and original interpretation or idea (though scarce), the book soon becomes chapter after chapter of Freudian thought and it's not only tiresome, but it makes me question if she is doing this for shock value and sex appeal, or if she truly believes InuYasha's sword is a phallic symbol or the blood smeared on San's ("Princess Mononoke"'s) face is reflective of her menstrual cycle, which Napier uses to instantly suggest she is feminine and fertile, while immediately countering it with counts of San's masculine acts, constantly in this wishy-washy pattern that makes the book hard to comprehend. It was amusing the first time, but it just becomes ludicrous how often she thinks of characters and symbols sexually, instead of for what they are or other possible interpretations, and sees gender as a black-and-white issue, and has to bring it up for every series, regardless of its demographics. She stretches it a little too far when she analyzes the grotesquely pornographic anime "Legend of Overfiend" and suggests "the film's orgy sequences may hint at the financial orgies engaged in by Japan's newly rich at the height of the bubble economy" (273). I don't know about you, but I think most of the people who enjoy pornography aren't watching it for the profound political satire and social critiques.

If you enjoy reading bad arguments and wondering how many times you can see the word "vagina" in a chapter (13 times in chapter 4), and if you are also a fan of really dated anime and authors who twist their source material and use selective but completely irrelevant quotes to fit their arguments, then I would recommend this book. Otherwise, stay far away from it.
The saddest part is that this was an updated version, and as it has errors of its own, it makes me wonder how many errors were in the first edition (From Akira to Princess Mononoke), and if any of those errors were fixed. It also makes me wonder, and a little afraid, if Napier will update this book again with more relevant anime series or films (From Akira to...Ponyo?) and I can only hope for the best in the future of Japanese popular culture in the Western world.

The problem with long-time otaku is they are fans beyond the scope of any introductory book on this topic and thus dismiss that which doesn't meet their standards for reasons that those new to the topic will neither be aware of nor care about. This book is a fine effort for the purposes of the author's goal -- explaining the topic in overview and then with detail using selected works. Its imperfections are simply no worse than any other general book on anime and it does offer a reasonable academic discussion on a very large subject with many facets.

One-star reviews are rarely justified, and this is the case here. Expecting this book to be either encyclopedic or current is pointless. And the choices of films to analyze as examples is arbitrary at best. The complaints here about the author's choices are no more valid than those from fans who invariably write to entertainment magazines complaining about films and actors/directors being left out of best or top 25/50 lists. Such quibbling is best ignored given the wide range of tastes in anime, differences of opinion and limitations of space.

The emphasis on sex is hardly out of place given the unique, frequent and varied manner in which it appears in an art form (animation) that usually has little or no such content outside of anime. The author attempts to bring all of this into perspective, and the repetitive use of certain words is hardly a valid issue given the circumstances. Her extensive notes and quotes make it obvious this book isn't simply a fabricated matrix of interpretation by her. One might not agree, but to dismiss her work as wrong is itself quite incorrect.

All in all, this is a fine read for anyone curious about and interested in anime. Should it be the only book one reads on the topic? Probably not, but that doesn't mean there's not significant value in it. Ignore the negative reviews and enjoy this work for what it brings to the subject. If you want reviews of an extensive list of anime films and tv series, there are other books that do this -- with the caveat that reviews are personal opinion and not the last word or fact no matter how experienced the reviewer is.

As it is still relatively uncharted territory, good academia on anime is difficult for students to find. While this book is certainly a step in the right direction, it is not--in any way, shape, or form--where a discussion on the subject should end.

The book's strong points mainly lie in its broadest, most generalized ideas. Most notable, I believe, is Napier's argument that the majority of anime deals with one or more of three major themes: the apocalyptic, the elegiac, and/or the carnival. In general, the rest of the book focuses on these three modes and the way that they are portrayed, using specific titles as examples. However, I felt that, to some degree, she lost her thread somewhere along the way; instead of discussing the apocalyptic, elegiac, and carnival aspects, the chapters became a mash-up of arguments on why everything you see is a reference to sex or sexuality. I read this book for a class on visual Japanese culture, and more than once my classmates and I could not help but grumble over her arguably gratuitous, page-long descriptions of how, apparently, everything we see on screen is either a phallic symbol or a vagina in disguise. While Napier is, of course, free to interpret shows as she wishes, some of her claims just smack as silly to those who have watched the series in question. For example, while I found her chapter on the subject interesting, as a fan of "Ranma ½," I must confess that I have never interpreted Ranma, his father, and Ryoga's transformations (and subsequent reactions to those transformations) as a code for "female[s ...] being inferior to either pig or panda" (55). I have heard it said that Naiper's works are popular because she focuses on the "sexy;" this is true, and it grows very tiring, very quickly.

Still, disagreeing with certain arguments made by the author is not the reason I would dissuade people from using this book. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, so long as those opinions are based on some degree of fact. Disturbingly, however, Napier has a tendency to twist the plots and characters of shows to fit her arguments, rather than the other way around. Though I have not personally watched the series, others in my class who are fans of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and "Cowboy Bebop" were quick to discredit statements she made about characters and plot (or lack thereof, as it were). The inconsistencies (as well as blatant untruths) my peers and I were able to pick out of the book made it difficult to trust any claims she made, particularly when said claims were based on series that we hadn't personally seen. This is a tendency which, quite frankly, `does not a good reference book make.' By the same token, there were times when I found myself wondering how long it had been since Napier had last watched the anime she was discussing--or even if she'd watched it at all. On page 209, for instance, she features two pictures from the "Ranma ½" anime, and both are mislabeled. (The first picture misrepresents the scene in question; the second is a screecap of Ranma and his mother, not Ranma and Akane.)

To some degree, minor faults and dissatisfactions with the book--feeling as if it was very narrow in scope, growing frustrated with the distinct lack of more recent series-- can be attributed to the fact that anime, as a genre and medium of entertainment, is incredibly diverse and ever-changing, making it difficult to stay current. However, this does not forgive Napier for the glaring factual errors she made, both accidentally and (debatably) on purpose-- especially when this is supposed to be an updated version of a previous release.

While the overarching ideas have potential, I would not recommend "Anime: From Akira to Howl's Moving Caslte" to anyone to use in class or for study, unless they already have enough background knowledge on the subject to separate the fact from the fiction. Even then, tread with caution--you're likely to get very annoyed, very fast.

The author discusses the different anime genres (Mecha, fairy tales, fantasy, Sci fi, shojo, history, pornography etc). She examines the common themes like metamorphosis, merging of humans and machines, gender panics, masculine crisis, identity, disappearing shojos and the role of young heroins (shojos) across different animes. She attempts to explain how these themes fit into Japanese society, identity and culture both traditional and new. She uses examples from many different animes to illustrate her arguments. Animes used in the discussion includes Evangelion, Ghost in a Shell, Akira, Twin Dolls, Inuyasha, Wolve's Rain, Rouroni Kenshin, Ranma ½, Utena, Grave of the Fireflies and Miyazaki's work just to name a few. If you watch these animes, you might want to read this book to better understand Japanese anime in general. One whole chapter is devoted to pornographic anime. Since I am not allowed to watch these anime due to religious restrictions, I found her writing very informative. Dr Napier gave good explanations of the themes and genres in the context of Japanese culture and issues that challenge modern day Japanese society. I would recommend this book to anime lovers, students and researchers who have an interest in Japanese culture and literature.

One star has been taken out because:

1. Japanese anime is a lot more than what was covered in this book.

2. I greatly admire Rumiko Takahashi, the author of Inuyasha for her definition of the word "demon". Through Inuyasha, the author demonstrated the very abstract post modern notion that a word (eg demon) has a fixed meaning in our minds only because humans/man defined it as such, our understanding of a word can be re-defined. I did not like Dr Napier's short and superficial analysis of Inuyasha although I agreed with her views.

3. I think at times, the author was so carried away summarizing the animes that the point she is trying to make becomes unclear.

4. My favourite animes in order of preference: Inuyasha, 12 Kingdoms, Samurai 7, Last Exile, Escaflowne, Evangelion, Gundam, etc most of which are not selected for discussion in the book.

If you are die hard Miyazaki fan, you should love this book because a lot of focus is put on Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Nausicaa etc.

Due to the omission of Ono Fuyumi's 12 Kingdoms, I wanted to give this book a 2 star rating. However, I'm grateful that Dr Napier wrote a very well researched book on Japanese anime, giving us an insight into different themes and how these fit into Japanese society and culture.

"Napier Draws a rather complete picture of Japanese animation as a legitimate art form, and uses anime as a key to the culture that created it" Entertainment Weekly.

I recently read this book as a textbook for a college course on Japanese visual culture, and I must honestly say that it was not as informative as I had hoped. I am quite surprised that Napier is one of the very few "experts" on anime, as I am sure that there are many fans out there who could have written a more thorough and well-written book.

While there were some shortcomings, I'll address what I thought were the strengths of this book first. Napier does a very good job covering the broader topics and themes, and then relating them to contemporary issues of what was going on in Japanese society at the time, such as the declining birth rate, changing gender roles in society, the economic bubble and its aftermath, and so on. I must say, though, that she is quite thorough on the apocalyptic themes and themes relating to the atomic bomb and its aftermath. The chapters focusing on these themes were the most interesting to read, and she makes very good points on all fronts.

However, I think the shortcomings were a little too blatant. While Napier does a good job covering many themes, I think she might be a little too thorough when it comes to sexual themes and undertones. Even in chapters not called for it, she can't seem to resist making a sexual reference or mention phallic imagery, and it does get quite tiring after a while. Most absurdly, she does approach this from the other way around--she attempts to dissect a pornographic anime (Legend of Overfiend) in relation to societal issues and such, however I doubt that those watching this series, and those who created it had/have such things in mind. It would have been much easier on the readers had she put them all in a separate chapter, as it seemed as though each chapter was its own theme plus sexual imagery.

I felt as though the choice in anime represented, while okay, was not broad enough. Listening to peers in discussions on the book, it also seemed like she would only watch a select few parts of longer series. I think that had Napier really wanted to show her expertise and prowess in the field, she should have put more effort into exploring more anime to fit her arguments better, instead of picking a select few and twisting them to fit her arguments. I do understand that the number of anime is vast and would possibly take up too much time to watch them all, but if she was really an expert in the field, then I would expect that she would at least have some friends to recommend her ones that are fitting.

Another thing that irked me was how she would summarize all the shows mentioned, and how that made up most of the chapters. It was also tiring to chug through an entire summary of a movie or show and then have the ending spoiled. I understand that this is necessary to properly analyze a work, but I would have appreciated some sort of warning in the foreword or something, before learning that Akira turns into a giant penis and gives birth at the very end.

Susan Napier's book Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle, Updated Edition: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation is a noble attempt at bringing an academic lens to a topic that is so often marginalized. Napier's thematic approach to anime and manga holds promise, but it is her flagrant disregard for accuracy that ultimately makes it impossible to seriously consider this work as truly informative.

Napier structures her book around themes that she contends are central to the medium of anime and manga, specifically: the apocalypse, Japanese victim mentality, and the challenge of gender identity. In doing so, Napier succeeds in identifying common themes in anime and manga that, through analysis, can reveal a deeper meaning of many of the works discussed in the book.

Particularly convincing is Napier's focus of apocalyptic settings combined with Japan's national mentality of victimization. The author makes a moving case for the freedom that a post-apocalyptic setting allows creators to comment on social issues that take place in modern day Japan. It would be hard to deny that the image of Neo-Tokyo with its mass of urban metropolis contrasting with a large atomic crater is one of the most engrossing parts of Akira. Equally, it is only against the bleak backdrop of utter destruction that Grave of the Fireflies could tell such a moving story about two children attempting to live during the firebombing of Japan during World War II. Thematically, understanding not only the value of apocalyptic settings for storytelling, but the history and mentality that help Japanese animators imagine such settings gives readers a deeper appreciation of anime as a reflection of culture.

This book deals with gender and sexuality in a less successful, if equally interesting, manner. Gender, and often the manipulation or changing of gender, is undeniably a common theme across many works of anime and manga. Indeed Napier at times chooses fine examples such as Ranma ½ to demonstrate these comments on gender. Unfortunately, Napier has a tendency to over-analyze every anime she puts her eye on by boiling everything down to supporting her own definition or masculinity or femininity. Indeed this is one chapter in particular where one begins to wonder if anything in anime possessing an even modest protrusion can be interpreted as anything BUT phallic. It is the author's tendency to apply pseudo-Freudian analysis to any and all objects in anime and manga that makes her otherwise interesting chapters on gender laborious to read.

It is unfortunate then that Napier's work in many ways falls apart when it is applied to particular anime or manga. With alarming regularity, Napier butchers the characters, plots, and even names of anime in her pursuit of her narrative. Often readers with a background in anime are left puzzled at how fundamentally incorrect the author's assertions are with regards to concrete details. These annoyances are not merely differences in interpretation, but factual discrepancies. While it is understandable that any work of this length and scope will have minor mistakes, it is the regularity and self-assuredness that worries. To speak in absolutes and say that ALL villains in Cowboy Bebop are men, something that fans of the show will know to be obviously false, suggests a deeper issue than mere mistakes in memory.

After observing the sheer number of mistakes Napier makes when discussing popular anime and manga, and the way she used such mistakes to prove her point, I suspect that there may be a question of academic integrity at risk. After reading her work and discussing it with peers, I have noticed that there are an alarming number of cases where Napier does not simply seem to innocently mistake details of a particular anime, but instead twists facts in order to serve her own overall narrative. Personally, I find this to be a much graver offense than mere mistakes of memory. It is all the more puzzling when compared to instances where the author finds anime and manga that legitimately support her assertions.

Despite the value of the themes discussed within, Napier's disregard for factual accuracy, combined with a possible lack of academic integrity, leaves this work with very little to offer those who want to approach the medium of anime and manga academically.

"Anime: From Akira to Howl's Moving Castle" was one of my required readings for a 300 level college class, and I am horrified to say that. It is difficult to find academic works on anime, and I was expecting something much more professional from the "leading expert" in this field. While Susan Napier brings up some interesting themes, she is quick to discard them for crowd-pleasing shock-and-awe tactics or simple mundane summaries of the anime in question.

Napier brings up a few decent points, such as anime being able to "convey the unconveyable" through a suspension of disbelief due to the animated nature of the medium (222), but more often than not she drops these points in favor of making ridiculous arguments such as implying that the character of Amakusa in "Rurouni Kenshin" is an allusion to the leader of the Aum Shinrikyo cult (who gassed the Tokyo subway in a 1995 terrorist attack) simply because both the character and the cult leader are blind (134).

I have not seen all of the anime Napier discusses, not being a huge fan of late 80's and early 90's anime myself, but I have seen enough of what she talks about to realize that sometimes there's more inaccuracies than truth in her "analyses" of certain anime. Let's take a look at a series that most anime fans are familiar with- "Neon Genesis Evangellion". Napier's analysis of this iconic series ranges from factual inaccuracies, such as saying that the character Asuka Langley comes into the show in episode three (actually episode eight) (268), to referring to the Angels as "mechanical" enemies when in episode five it is clearly stated that they match human genes "99.8%" (97), to an unabashedly pseudo-Freudian construction of the Angels as "father figures whom Shinji must annihilate" (99). This leaves my jaw on the floor- how can an "expert" get basic plot points from the first five episodes of a wildly popular series wrong?

Even more disturbing is her tendency to manipulate the plots of certain anime to fit her arguments. I saw this most clearly in her section on the Miyazaki blockbuster, "Princess Mononoke". San (aka Princess Mononoke) is not actually the main character/"heroine" of the film, but Napier glazes over the real protagonist Ashitaka because she is too busy telling us about all the strong, independent female characters in the film. The only problem is that San doesn't fit into that category- she spends most of the movie throwing girlish tantrums or being saved by Ashitaka. Also, Napier can't resist another shock-and-awe moment as she relates the blood on San's face (from sucking blood out of her mother's wound) to "menstrual blood and also an aggressive sexuality", later going on to say that the "fur around San's neck... may also suggest genitalia" (239).

This brings me to my last point in my argument against Napier- her extreme overuse of sexual imagery in everything she talks about. The example that was the most disturbing to my classmates and me was her attempt to convince the reader that a single episode from the explicitly pornographic series "Legend of the Overfiend" is a subtle critique on Japan's bubble economy in the 1980's, the direct quote is, "Indeed, the film's orgy sequences may hint at the financial orgies engaged in by Japan's newly rich at the height of the bubble economy." (273). Honestly, I could flip to any random page in this book and lift a sexual quote off of it- sex is overused to the point of ridiculousness in a vain attempt to attract more readers. I am not a prude, I realize that pornography/pornographic elements exist and have a place in anime, but dumbing every single series down to this point to let sex sell your book is neither flattering nor respectful to the anime she discusses, or to the creative forces behind them.

My advice is to stay away from this book if you wish to learn about the academic side of anime. Napier is not academic enough for serious students or anime fans and she gets too much wrong for a cursory study or for pop cultural interests. Her conclusions are tenuous at best, outright wrong at worst, and frequently don't even conclude at all. The overuse of sex makes it hard to take the book seriously in an academic sense as well as being boring to read over and over again. You'd be better off watching the anime yourself and drawing your own conclusions.

A wonderfully deep book that finely examines anime across all genres to explore the anime itself and what influenced it.