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Jonathan Clements

The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation since 1917 Paperback – September 1, 2001

by Jonathan Clements (Author), Helen McCarthy (Author)

4.3 89 ratings

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There is a newer edition of this item:

The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation

The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation
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Only 10 left in stock (more on the way).

Here is the long-awaited, biggest guide ever, the absolute must-have for every fan, collector, library, and video-store browser. Included are over 2,000 Japanese animation films-from today's Pokémon, Tenchi Muyo, and Sailor Moon to the classic Tetsuwan Atomu (Astro Boy) and little-known artistic gems like the anime life of Mozart-with key personnel, running time, studio, alternative titles, cross references, critical comment, and sex/violence warnings. Illustrated and fully indexed.

Jonathan Clements has translated over 70 anime and manga and was editor of Manga Max from 1998-2000. Helen McCarthy is former editor of Anime UK and Manga Mania and author of The Anime Movie Guide, Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation, and, with Jonathan Clements, The Erotic Anime Movie Guide.

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Print length

592 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Stone Bridge Press
Publication date

September 1, 2001
Dimensions

7.01 x 1.26 x 8.98 inches
ISBN-10

1880656647
ISBN-13

978-1880656648
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this important book, Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy present an enormous amount of information about 2,000 series and features, detailing their plots and relationships to other anime properties. In these areas, the book is definitive, and readers can only wish a comparable volume existed for American animation. The authors are less sure about non-Japanese influences (Cowboy Bebop owes more to noir detective films than to Route 66), and they focus more on storylines and the business of anime than on visuals. They don't discuss the influence of American Saturday morning TV on early anime designs (Speed Racer, the component series of Robotech) or the art nouveau styling in Revolutionary Girl Utena. The editorial evaluations are much harsher than McCarthy's The Anime Movie Guide: some of the most popular anime series in America--Tenchi, Evangelion, Ranma 1/2--receive sharp criticism. The result is a book that anime fans will either love or love to argue with. --Charles Solomon

From Library Journal

From the first examples in 1917 to today's feature-length animated masterpieces like Princess Mononoke, Japanese animation (or anime) has drawn a devoted international fan base. For quite some time, these enthusiasts have needed an all-encompassing, detail-oriented reference work. Fortunately, Clements and McCarthy, who coedited The Erotic Anime Movie Guide and have an outstanding history in anime indexing, translation, and criticism, are just the folks to carry it off. Choosing the best examples from a field that was about twice the final number of entries, the authors review and detail more than 2000 anime films and TV series. Each entry includes a short synopsis, commentary, details about key creative personnel, and evaluation of the work's significance. Over 100 illustrations representing major releases are sprinkled throughout. Other notable features include a selective bibliography, a name/studio index, and a title index that makes it easy to go right to the vital information about a particular example. The end product is a huge, exhaustive, timely, and authoritative compendium of information that will be appreciated by anime experts and neophytes alike. Recommended for all libraries and essential for film and media collections. David M. Lisa, Wayne P.L., NJ

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A long overdue reference work for fans and students of Japanese animation... a valuable addition to any anime enthusiast's library." -- Carl Macek, animation producer

"Get The Anime Encyclopedia, because you don't have time to watch bad anime." -- Anime Tourist, November 2001

"Impressive, exhaustive, labyrinthine, and obsessive--THE ANIME ENCYCLOPEDIA is an astonishing piece of work." -- Neil Gaiman, English script of Princess Mononoke, Sandman, American Gods

"It's a classic, taking anime scholarship proudly into the new millennium. Now, where's the expanded CD-ROM?" -- Animation World Network, December 2001

"Landmark reference works are few in the media field, but The Anime Encyclopedia definitely belongs on that short list." -- Video Librarian Magazine, Fall 2001

"Promises to do for anime what Halliwell did for films." -- Mark Schilling, Screen International

"There is a vast alternate universe called anime, waiting to be explored. It's entertaining, uplifting, educational, confusing, overwhelming, and a little bit scary. You need a good guidebook. This is it." Frederik L. Schodt -- Review

"There is a vast alternate universe called anime, waiting to be explored... You need a good guidebook. This is it." -- Frederik Schodt, author of Manga! Manga! and Dreamland Japan

"[A] huge, exhaustive, timely, and authoritative compendium of information that will be appreciated by anime experts and neophytes alike." -- Library Journal, January 2002

[D]estined to become primary source material for any anime fan, collector, moviegoer, or scholar." -- PopMatters.com, November 2001

From the Publisher

Got updates, corrections, or comments? The authors and Stone Bridge Press welcome any & all feedback from readers of THE ANIME ENCYCLOPEDIA. Please write to us at animeinfo@stonebridge.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

About the Author

Jonathan Clements is the former editor of Manga Max magazine, and the translator of dozens of anime, including Samurai Gold, Slow Step and Plastic Little. He has been awarded the Japan Festival Award for outstanding contributions to the understanding of Japanese culture.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stone Bridge Press (September 1, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 592 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1880656647
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1880656648
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.01 x 1.26 x 8.98 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,858,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #292 in Movie Encyclopedias
- #3,141 in Art Encyclopedias
- #3,610 in Movie Direction & Production

Customer Reviews:
4.3 89 ratings

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Jonathan Clements
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Dr Jonathan Clements is the author of many books on East Asian history, including biographies of emperors and empresses, statesmen and warriors, foreign visitors and outcast rebels. His works have been translated into over a dozen languages, including French, Spanish, Korean and Dutch. His history of the Silk Road, and his biographies of the First Emperor of China, Empress Wu and Wellington Koo have all been published in Chinese.
He has been a consultant and talking head on TV programs including Emperor's Ghost Army (PBS/Nova), Koxinga: Sailing into History (National Geographic), Raiders of the Jade Empire (Smithsonian), and Ancient Black Ops: The 47 Ronin (American Heroes). In 2016, he became the presenter of Route Awakening (National Geographic), a series investigating the origins of several key Chinese cultural icons.
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Helen McCarthy
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Helen McCarthy (1951- ) has been researching and writing about Japanese popular culture since 1981. After a decade hearing that there was "no interest in that sort of thing" she founded a magazine, Anime UK, to disprove the claim. Her first book was published just over a year later, and she's been writing about anime, manga and Japan ever since. Her work has been translated into Chinese, French, Italian and Korean.
In 2010 she won a Harvey Award - the Oscars of the comics world - for her tenth book, 'The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga'. The book was also nominated for an Eisner Award. Helen's other awards include a Japan Foundation Award for furthering understanding of Japanese culture in the United Kingdom, and a Society of Authors/Sasakawa Foundation award.
She designs needlework, which led to the creation of "Manga Cross-Stitch", a book for those who want to use the energy of Japanese popular culture in their own embroidery. Combining a basic cross stitch course and a potted history of manga with a toolkit for designers and a wealth of fresh, enjoyable, easy-to-stitch charts, it has been welcomed by a host of stitchers.
She also writes poetry and tweets haiku and random nonsense daily. In her spare time, she studies and re-creates historic clothing and costume. She lives in London with an artist and a universe of toys.
See more on the author's page

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4.3 out of 5

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Esteban Hernandez

Useful but greatly lacking

Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2003

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While it may be the best and more thoroughly thought-out book about anime so far, it is not quite as relevant as one first hopes. I bought it to have a reference guide, and for this it has proven useful. It is a great tool for finding various animes by a specific directors, or, on the flip side, finding out who produced which shows. However, this is almost the extent of its usefulness.
If one is searching for a comprehensive guide to themes in anime (say the theme of reaching maturity or of encountering alien life or of the woes of war), one will be completely disappointed. The only way to search for anime is by title or producer. If one seeks factual information about anime, like which Mangas or comic strips the animes are based on, one will be disappointed. Even basic terms, plot tools, cliches, genres, and so on are completely overlooked. Japanese culture and language are apparently never consulted by the authors. All that matters to the writers is what the title of the anime was, usually the basic plot, and who made it (and in some instances influences). And that is greatly disappointing for something called an "Encyclopedia." Also, if you seek any form of information on a spin-off or a sequel series to any anime, you are at a loss-- the only references to such follow-ups (often more important or popular than the antecedent), if at all existent, are to be found only within the entries to the original released series. As if that wasn't enough, one must also sustain insult while the author shows disdain and disregard for certain animes which may happen to be some of the most popular and loved (Evangelion comes to mind).
Of course, it is a first edition. And it is already very dated, with much important anime being too recent for any real inclusion (for example, the world-shaking Spirited Away is mentioned as an upcoming Hayao Miyazaki film). Therefore, if one seeks a comprehensive guide to what anime has been out there for a while, it is a crucial and necessary book to own, but not if one seeks to understand a particular anime better, or if one has questions about anime in general. "The Anime Reference Guide" is a title better suited for this book. Definitively buy it if such a book is what you seek, but do not expect an encyclopedia.

26 people found this helpful

themysticanimal

the seventh wonder of the anime world

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2004

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if the first wonder of the anime world is astro boy

osamu tezuka the second

akira the third

hayao miyazaki the fourth

ninja scroll the fifth

ghost in the shell the sixth

then this book is the seventh.

full of useful and really appreciated information about the diverse and colorful world of anime. you'll get mostly everything you want to know about your favourite anime. from writer to director to animator to studios to the english and japanese titles and date of production.plus the enjoyable and amazing information of the cross-references. every few pages you turn in this book you discover an anime you saw ,heard about or looking for.which makes reading this book a long and very enjoyable read.

written by jonathan clements. a former editor of manga max magazine and contributing editor to the online edition of newtype.

and helen mccarthy .a founding editor of anime uk/fx magzine and subsequently editor of manga mania. she is also the author of anime! a beginners guide.which was the first english language book on the medium.

both authors won the japan festival award for outstanding contribution to the understanding of japanese culture.

the writers deserve more credit than the half page about the authors ,in the last page of this book.

this book is a cherished property no anime fan can resist owning.

5 people found this helpful

An amazing accomplishment

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2002

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Long ago, before the surface of the Earth cooled, I wanted to write a book like this...but gave it up as being an impossibility, which of course it is.
Fortunately for us all, Clements and McCarthy were not so easily daunted. It is an astounding achievement by two of the world's most knowledgeable anime experts, and, if you have even the slightest interest in anime, belongs right on the shelf next to your DVDs, laserdisks, and videotapes.
If I have any criticism to give, it's that movies that were not of personal interest to the authors are sometimes given short shrift. Example--Crusher Joe and Dagger of Kamui, both of which were groundbreaking films at the time (and still have the capacity to delight--CJ for its amazing action sequences and DoK for the stunning color and design work), are given rather flat entries. But this is personal opinion--the bottom line is that the book is very nearly all-inclusive, and if it contains any errors of significance, I have so far been unable to spot them.
Bravo!

5 people found this helpful

Nice, but very porn-heavy

Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2012

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The present book is a very exhaustive and detailed encyclopedia on anime works and their creators. It is very dated, though, and needs a bit of updating. Oh, and it needs to tone down on the hentai and other pornography; it's a bit too much for an academic text to be so loaded with titles like Bible Black and Kekko Kamen (Naked Mask). Trust me, it plays havoc with your concentration.

One person found this helpful

Only as good as the latest edition

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2007

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There haven't been any major format changes or content revisions since the prior edition. More content has simply been added, which is fine, I suppose.

It's a fun encyclopedia for browsing and perhaps stumbling across an anime you'd never heard of before. However, due to the haphazard and inconsistent amount of detail provided on each entry I wouldn't really recommend this as a serious research tool.

2 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2021

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Not bad but seems used.

Japanese animation = ANIME

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2011

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Japanese animation is called "ANIME".

This book introduce Japanese animation since 1917.

Before the ANIME, in Japan, there are the UKIYOE.
The Ukiyoe is not moving, but it is the basic concept of the Manga and the Anime.

You can realize that Japanese sophisticate manner is good for ANIME.

2 people found this helpful

If It's Anime It is in Here

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2017

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The anime history, voicers, seiyuu, plots, synopses, creators, producers, directors, artists- all are in this marvelous tome! Ya can't go wrong with this book, man!

Top reviews from other countries

Cliente Amazon

You will find kinda expressions like boring or puerile very often

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2018

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You will find kinda expressions like boring or puerile very often, i think it is a states-centered minded review about anime, a big bla bla bla in some cases. For example Some animes as Miss Machiko (edit: Shame on Miss Machiko, page 580) and Hi Atari Ryoko (Mitsuru Adachi work) (edit: It is in 629 page as Sunny Boardinghouse?), are not easy to find.
I can imagine it lacks dozens of anime works, Also I notice it is a impossible task if not collaborate Europe and Japan itself to achieve a good encyclopaedia, it would necessary several books not an only one. A good effort, at least.

Sakura Yamato

Not worth it if you have access to the internet

Reviewed in Canada on August 31, 2012

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Like other reviewers have stated, this was a good catalog of anime names and a bit of description, but that's about it. And if you have access to the internet, all that is available now for free. It's a pretty thick and heavy book, and not really worth it, unless you're a die hard fan or just don't have access to the internet.

Mr. J. R. N. Cochrane

pure brilliance

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 27, 2003

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Never in my time have i experienced a more cost effective book, this encyclopedia documents over 2000 anime from as far back as 1917. This book is 500+ pages long and each anime has a review, cast (director, animator etc.) it also contains a rating to warn the viewer if there is sensitive material, V = violence N =nudity L = language.
This book also acts as quite a hands door stop and coffe table.

9 people found this helpful

ILoveAnime!

Review

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2010

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WOW, literally wow. the minute i receved this book, it was extremely hard to put down. every type of anime covered. plus also good descriptions of the shows. if is definitely worth every penny

2 people found this helpful

Ralph Caton

Great stuff. well worth the purchase.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2016

Verified Purchase

Like many reference works, this is a book that one dips into again and again for fresh insight into a title one has seen or is watching.

Fascinating, the Halliwell of anime perhaps?

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