The Complete Anime Guide: Japanese Animation Film Directory & Resource Guide [Paperback]

Trish Ledoux (Author), Doug Ranney (Author), Fred Patten (Author, Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1997

It's clear that Japanese animation, or anime, has established a lasting beachhead in American mass culture. "The Complete Anime Guide" serves as a chronicle, a directory, a resource and a guide book to this most exciting of all Japanese imports.

The video directory lists all of the thousands of anime titles available in the USA as of early 1997, including critical summaries of every film or series, summaries of individual series episodes, production credits, content advisories, and both Japanese and American release information.

The chapter on genres provides critical guidance and background for the reader, offering a deeper discussion of the films and their creators.

The TV series chapter traces the long history of Japanese-animated shows broadcast on American TV- from the 1963 debut of Astro Boy to more recent shows such as Eagle Riders and Dragon Ball. Each entry includes a complete summary and discussion of the series, with production credits, background, and illustrations.

Generously illustrated, "The Complete Anime Guide" doubles as an entertaining introduction for newcomers to this exciting artform, and is by far the most exhaustive and authoritative reference work for those already well-versed in the world of anime.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...we now finally have a good road map to the world of Japanese animation. -- Frederik L. Schodt, 1997

I can't imagine a more thorough chronicle of Japanese animation... -- Leonard Maltin, 1997

About the Author

Trish Ledoux is editor of Animerica Anime and Manga Monthly- the country's leading magazine of Japanese animation and comics. Fluent in Japanese, she is also known for her work as a translator, screenwriter, consultant and voice-actor on enough anime videos to fill a rental store.

Product Details

• Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: Tiger Mountain Pr; 2 edition (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964954257
• ISBN-13: 978-0964954250
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,611,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent source to find anime titles, October 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Anime Guide: Japanese Animation Film Directory & Resource Guide (Paperback)

The Complete Anime Guide is a very well made book which composes one of the best intro's I have read. The book goes in great depth from the very first re-writing the history of anime, which is very helpful for people starting off, or people who would like to learn more about the history of anime. Although it could now use an update, it has a very large number of anime titles which are currently available in the United States. The only two things I disgress about the book are a better made index, consisting of the anime titles alone, much like The Anime Movie Guide written by Helen Mcarthy. Another thing I dislike was the use of only American titles. I wanted to see many of Hayoa Miyazaki when it only included one. It is fairly brief in reviews, although it goes into depth mentioning each OVA which is very nice. It also gives slight background on a few words of japanese. I prefer to use this book to find out about a title briefly or to gather history from anime backgrounds.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A review of the 2nd edition of 'The Complete Anime Guide', April 19, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Umina, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Anime Guide: Japanese Animation Film Directory & Resource Guide (Paperback)

As the title suggests `The Complete Anime Guide' is a `Japanese Animation Film Directory and Resource Guide,' or more specifically a comprehensive guide to Japanese Animation is currently available in America on domestic release videos. The Guide, co-written by Trish Ledoux, editor of the `Animerica' film guide magazine, far surpasses the 1st edition which was much criticised as being a glorified catalogue rather than a resource guide. Now in its second incarnation the Guide provides detailed information on each of the available Anime titles ranging from production data, release dates, to episode summaries and subjective comments. The Guide even provides a unique classification of Anime titles in the form of symbols to represent content for violence, nudity, comedy, profanity, etc..., on suitability of titles for specific audiences. In addition the Guide also has a comprehensive list of Anime publishing houses, distributors in America and even a list Anime Magazines. It even goes as far as to include URLS for Anime resources on the World Wide Web. The most interesting aspect of the Guide is the section written by Noboru Ishiguro, a mover in the field of anime, on his observations on the history of Animation in Japan and in America. The 2nd edition Guide is a must have for all anime fans, at least until the 3rd edition is released.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's Animerica in book form!, April 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Anime Guide: Japanese Animation Film Directory & Resource Guide (Paperback)

I read the first edition, which came out around 6 months to a year before the second edition. It combines a history of anime (with a slant towards American releases), a genre guide, the reviews from past issues of Animerica of titles released in the US, and a section on anime fandom. A fairly good reference for the beginning anime fan but not very in-depth. The "complete" part of the title is somewhat of a misnomer.