As the excitement around the manga and anime subcultures deepens more and more books on the topics are being published. Whether or not you need to learn more concerning the tradition to enrich your passion or write an academic work or article, the abundance of books available can prove constructive for you. However, since manga and anime come from the realm of popular culture not all books written about them are equally valuable or informative enough to be deemed constructive. As in all cases of fashionable media the risk of encountering a book filled with fluff and lacking in useful content material is high. Here are a few criteria that will show you how to spot one of the best academic books on anime and manga:
Check the Writer
Essentially the most reliable books are always these written by experts. Step one after picking a topic and being presented with a list of books is to check their authors’ history. Was the book written by a professor or lecturer? If not does she or he has a history of working within the manga or anime trade? The importance of the author’s background should not be taken lightly. Learning from, and later quoting, a knowledgeable person on any topic is always favorable. Keep away from books that were written by casual magazines, news groups or enthusiasts. These tend to be superficial and lack relevant citations to back their claims.
Avoid «Image Books»
If doable always flip by way of a book to see how the layout and written content appears. Some books on anime and manga are informative sufficient however are picture-heavy. Books that are filled to the bream with pictures at the expense of text will most likely not provide you with sufficient information and may prove counterproductive.
Buy Specialised Encyclopedias
The only exceptions to the rule above are encyclopedias. There are encyclopedias created specifically to cater to anime, manga and otaku fans. They typically analyse sure products/phenomena while additionally providing pictures. Encyclopedias often do not offer more than one or two pages on each subject but are great for discovering new subject and expending your research scope. They’re additionally often augmented with rare interviews and will always have citations. They’re your reference books and will level you to more in-depth books on the topic you wish to research. There are a surprising number of encyclopedias about Japan and Japanese culture but your greatest guess would be to start reading the basic (yet valuable) manga, anime and otaku encyclopedias.
Read within the Native Language
If you are proficient sufficient in the Japanese language and are writing an academic work you could opt to add just a few Japanese books to your research pile. Japanese consultants on manga and anime have written many books on the subject and can provide invaluable information on how these trends operate in their native country of Japan. When writing about manga and anime citations from Japanese books will drastically improve the credibility of your work and will give you priority over researchers who chose only to include books written by Western experts.
To conclude, to be able to spot the best academic books on manga and anime it is best to familiarize yourself with the names of the leading experts in the discipline, and always check if the book in case has sufficient textual content and a good amount of citations. Specialised Encyclopedias tend to supply less information however broaden your horizon, while available and accessible books in Japanese will be wonderful resources and provide you with an vital edge.