The Essential Anime Guide: 50 Iconic Films, Standout Series, and Cult Masterpieces

by Patrick Macias, Samuel Sattin

Featuring 50 of the most influential and essential Japanese animated series and films—from Akira to Cowboy Bebop to Sailor Moon—this expert guide is the must-have book for anime fans young and old. The Essential Anime Guide is the guide every fan needs to the classic, must-see anime series and films that transformed both Japanese and Western pop culture. Organized by release date and with entries by experts in the anime field, this guide provides a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look into the history and impact of these classic anime. Both casual fans and serious otaku alike will discover a fun and surprisingly touching portrait of the true impact of anime on pop culture. Ranging from classic series to modern films, this official guide will explore iconic and  Feature  Akira (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997), Millennium Actress (2001), Metropolis (2001),Tekkonkinkreet (2006), Sword of the Stranger (2007), Summer Wars (2009), and Your Name (2016)   Astro Boy (1968), Lupin the 3rd (1967), Macross (1982), Ranma 1/2 (1989), Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995), Dragon Ball Z (1989), Sailor Moon (1992), Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997), Pokémon​ (1997), One Piece (1999), Fullmetal Alchemist (2003), K-On! (2007), Sword Art Online (2012), Yuri!! On Ice (2016), and My Hero Academia (2018) And many more!

Genres: Nonfiction, Anime

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 3, 2023

Reviews

[Murtaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Essential Anime Guide is a fantastic resource for both long-time anime lovers and newcomers alike. It offers fascinating insights into the development of some of the most influential series and films in anime history and highlights how these works have shaped pop culture in Japan and beyond.

As a fan of classics like Mobile Suit Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, Berserk, and Dragon Ball Z, I found the commentary especially engaging. The guide doesn't just focus on the well-known hits—it also introduced me to many series I hadn’t heard of before, and now I’m excited to explore them.

From iconic films by Studio Ghibli to groundbreaking series like Cowboy Bebop and Sailor Moon, the book does an excellent job of capturing the diversity and richness of the anime medium. It's well-organized, with each entry offering background context, production details, and cultural impact.

I highly recommend this book to anyone passionate about anime or curious about the genre’s influence across entertainment, storytelling, and visual art. It’s an enjoyable and informative read that deepens your appreciation for anime's legacy.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

While a lot of the anime listed here are well-known, and some of them are ground breaking, I think the word essential is definitely subjective. I think it also depends on which genres of anime you watch, whether you'll agree with the author's picks. Many of the entries are predictable. But that seems to be the point of any essential guide. It would be weird to read a book about anime with no mention of Akira, Ninja Scroll, Sailor Moon, Hayao Miyzaki, Mobile Suit Gundam, Macross, , Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion, or, the OG, Astro Boy.

I think my issue with this book likely just boils down to taste. The authors admit they can't include everything, so the rest of this critique might be considered unfair, and that's completely reasonable. I'm just sharing my thoughts on how I felt reading their book. Reading this, it felt like there was a lot of room for interesting and experimental sci-fi and mecha anime, as well as important shonen comics, like One Piece and Naruto, but not much space for sports anime, high fantasy (think something like Record of the Lodoss War or The Vision of Escaflowne-which at least gets a couple shoutouts), horror, dark romance, or shojo. So, there's no mention of shows like Boys Over Flowers, a manga and anime that was so popular (it's the best-selling shojo of all time) that it has inspired several live action versions from different Asian countries, such as Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, and, yes, Japan, over the years, one of which aired in 2021-2022 even though the original manga concluded in 2004 or Fruits Basket with its interesting twist on Chinese Zodiac and a "prince" character who doesn't get the girl. Both these shows tackle class and familial duty, while dissecting notions of family and what it means to treat other people properly. Moreover, almost all the shojo entries included here are written by women writing guest spots. I'm sure the authors did this to include some other voices and maybe to try to be respectful of the fact that anime is incredibly popular with women, but it comes across as also making it seem like they've never bothered to watch much shojo. That said, I was happy to see some queer recognition for Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sailor Moon, and Yuri!!! On Ice (the only true representation of sports anime that gets its own entry here, though there is a list that includes Kuroko's Basketball, Free and Haikyu!-all of which are about boy's teams despite the fact that there are anime about girl's sports that exist (I have a soft spot for the girl's baseball anime Princess Nine and if you ever want to watch something truly absurd, but also oddly angsty and sad, watch Battle Athletes Victory)).

They also make a lot of effort to limit it to one entry per artist, which I understand, since otherwise the book could simply be a third Miyazaki movies. However, that means you have situations where you have an entry for Ranma 1/2, but not one for Inuyasha, even though the latter might likely have been more popular and influential than the former (I'm personally fine with this decision since I happen to like Ranma 1/2 more). As the author's note, this also means they can't include Spirited Away because they've selected Princess Mononoke.

I think I was also disappointed by the lack of inclusion for some anime that I just find visually stunning and that I think are important. Much is made, understandably, about Sword Art Online. This is followed by a list of essential isekai anime. I get that the point here is the author's want to highlight "different world" anime that is mostly related to MMORPGs (though not every entry on their list fits this), but I found it really disappointing that Yuu Watase's Fushigi Yuugi, for example, which came before Sword Art Online and is visually incredible (as is the manga) didn't even rate a mention in the book at all even though it's about as "different world" and narratively complex as you can get. I'm also similarly disappointed that none of Watase's shows or her manga are even mentioned here (Ceres is absolutely bonkers if you've never seen it), but that's a personal thing, and doesn't affect the overall rating.

I also miss simple slice-of-life love stories, some of which are lovely and silly and fun. I'm not talking your heart-wrenching tearjerkers like Clannad, but just simple stories that are mostly character-based where not a whole lot happens besides two people fall in love and maybe make some new friends. I feel like slice-of-life is mentioned a lot, but many of these shows aren't what I would classify as that. K-On! comes the closest, but I miss the essential quality of something like say Kare Kano, which, to be fair, only ran for one season, and is a show that most people have never seen, but is a show that really encapsulates nuanced (and often weird/wacky) high school romance and what it's like to be a teenager. Rumiko Takashashi gets mentioned a lot-rightly by the way-but it's always for her wackier, magical or far out elements series like , Urusei Yatsura, or Inuyasha rather than say Maison Ikkoku, a story that revolves around a rather hapless guy trying to get into college who lives in a boarding house full of oddballs and falls in love with his beautiful widowed landlady. That said, I was happy to see some love for Nana since I love Ai Yazawa and Ouran High School Host Club.

Some of the omissions and lack of acknowledgement are baffling to me. For example, there is no mention of Grave of the Fireflies. I get that it's sad and nowhere near as uplifting as In This Corner of the World, but it didn't even get mentioned in the entry on that film, which I found kind of shocking since I think of it as kind of essential viewing. To each there own though, I suppose.

I agree with a lot of the discussion here, but I just felt like certain things were missing or not properly addressed. Once again, this is purely opinion.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really informative, though there is a few things they could have added, not in terms of Anime but in terms of how some were influenced by other anime they talked about, for example Sailor Moon clearly took some ideas from Cutie Honey. Still a really good book though.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Description: Summary: Are you a serious otaku or simply a casual fan of Japanese animation? Either way, this is the guide every fan needs to the classic, must-see anime series and films that transformed both Japanese and Western pop culture. Organized by release date and with entries by experts in the field of Japanese animation, this book provides a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look at the history and impact of these unforgettable anime. Classic series and modern films are both included

Genre: Criticism, interpretation, etc
Subject:
Animated films
Animated films Japan History and criticism
Animated television programs
Animated television programs Japan History and criticism
Anime (Motion pictures) History and criticism
Anime (Television programs) History and criticism
Criticism, interpretation, etc
Film criticism
Informational works
Japan
PERFORMING ARTS / Animation
PERFORMING ARTS / Film / Genres / Animated
PERFORMING ARTS / Film / Reference

Contents:
Contents:
Astro Boy
Speed Racer
Lupin the Third: Part I
Space Battleship Yamato
Mobile Suit Gundam
Super Dimension Fortress Macross
Vampire Hunter D
Fist of the North Star
Akira
Ranma 1/2
Dragon Ball Z
Sailor Moon
Ninja Scroll
Memories
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Ghost in the Shell
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Pokémon
Princess Mononoke
Cardcaptor Sakura
Cowboy Bebop
Serial Experiments Lain
One Piece
FLCL
Metropolis
Millenium Actress
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Nana
Death Note
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Ouran High School Host Club
Tekkonkinkreet
Naruto Shippuden
Sword of the Stranger
Gurren Lagann
Summer Wars
Redline
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
K-on!
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Attack on Titan
Sword Art Online
In this Corner of the World
Mob Psycho 100
My Hero Academia
Yuri!!! On Ice
Your name
Land of the Lustrous
Devilman Crybaby
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba