Anime Explosion! The What? Why? & Wow! of Japanese Animation (Paperback)

by Patrick Drazen (Author) "American fans of Japanese animation wouldn't have Pokemon, Akira, or Totoro to enjoy if it weren't for Walt Disney, cable television, and the VCR..." (more)
Key Phrases: idol singer, anime version, anime series, Sailor Moon, United States, World War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This book is useful not only as a reference to Anime, but also as a rewarding guide to some aspects of contemporary Japanese culture." Niagara University Library: Monthly Book Spotlight, June 2003 -- Review

Product Description

Suddenly anime is . . . exploding. But where did Japanese animation come from, and what does it all mean? Written for fans, culture watchers, and perplexed outsiders, this is an engaging tour of the anime megaverse, from older arts and manga traditions to the works of modern directors like Miyazaki and Otomo. Read about anime standbys like giant robots, samurai, furry beasts, high school heroines, and gay/girl/fanboy love—even war and reincarnation, plus all of anime’s major themes, styles, and conventions. At the end of the book are essays on 15 of fandom’s favorite anime, including Evangelion, Esca-flowne, Sailor Moon, and Patlabor.

Patrick Drazen holds a Master of Arts degree and lives in Chicago, Illinois, where he writes and lectures on Japanese pop culture.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Stone Bridge Press; illustrated edition edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880656728
• ISBN-13: 978-1880656723
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #374,441 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible, Informative, and Downright Fun., February 2, 2003

By	Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

What most newcomers to Japanese anime (neo-otaku) miss out on is the culture that lies behind the films. Since anime owes some of its roots to American comics and animation there is a lot of common ground, and it is possible to skate along for some time before the viewer begins to sense that there is a whole subtext going on with which they have no connection. This is the point where a loyal addict starts reading about anime in between watching DVD's of their favorite episodes.

Patrick Drazen's 'Anime Explosion' is the perfect book to begin a deep dive into anime. It begins with history and then follows key themes and genre. This discussion alone is well worth the price of admission because it reveals where American and Japanese viewpoints diverge. This helps the viewer to 'get' many things that used to leave one vaguely confused and dissatisfied. He also dispels a few urban legends about anime in the process. If you are like me, you got focused on the Christian imagery in Evangelion, but completely failed to realize that the real legendary context is from Japanese myths like Kojiki. It is all a bit like getting a viewpoint adjustment.

The second major part of the book discusses, particular films, directors, composers. Drazen does not make the mistake of trying to cover everything. He makes the right decision - that the reader will benefit more from Evangelion, Escaflowne, Ghibli and Shirow in some depth than from a lot of little tidbits that are more appropriately to attempts at encyclopedic coverage. These are like practice sessions that gradually hone the reader's ability to see the how and why of what is Japanese in anime. And this helps us vastly increase our ability to enjoy Japanese animation. Which has come a very long way from its origins.

I would consider this a must read book in this subject area. It helps greatly that Drazen has considerable writing skills and makes learning all this almost effortless. Even more than a little funny if you don't mind an occasional horrible pun. Highly recommended.

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Many Words, Few Insights, None Correct, December 30, 2003

By	Polycarp (Concord, CA) - See all my reviews

The book appears at first to be an in-depth review of the anime phenomenon and claims to offer insights into the Japanese understanding of the medium. Unfortunately, once one starts asking questions of his assumptions, the whole structure crumbles. This book operates under the fallacy that what you see in anime reflects the values of the Japanese people (just like "South Park" reflects American values, right?), so we get concepts like "yasashii" thrust at us, and claims like "harmony is the most important thing to the Japanese." He overlooks the concept that the Japanese are not a monolithic people and seems to indicate that all the Japanese think alike on an issue.
Actually, the author seems to base his theory that anime is great on the basis that it's not American and his praises of Japan frequently revolve around knocking American moral values (there are quite a few asides to the evils of "conservative America")
Similar to Susan J Napier's book on anime, this book takes the author's preconceived notions and forcs examples to fit them, even when they don't have the meaning he tries to make them convey.
This would be more tolerable if his writing style was not so imperious, giving the impression that these views were solid and immutable facts instead of opinions

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a great introduction, December 7, 2002

By	Jim Yahei (Oahu, Republic of Hawai'i) - See all my reviews

Many have tried to write an introduction to anime in the past, but Drazen's is the first to really give a good sense of the staggering breadth of the anime field. He covers a lot of ground and demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of the background *behind* anime. A little copy-eding would not have gone a miss though; one passage implies that Jubei Yagyu was one of the Seven Samurai! Still an excellent intro to anime though, and an ideal stepping stone for climbing on to Stone Bridge's lofty Anime Encyclopedia.