Anime: A Critical Introduction

by Rayna Denison

A Critical Introduction maps the genres that have thrived within Japanese animation culture, and shows how a wide range of commentators have made sense of anime through discussions of its generic landscape. From the battling robots that define the mecha genre through to Studio Ghibli's dominant genre-brand of plucky shojo (young girl) characters, this book charts the rise of anime as a globally significant category of animation. It further thinks through the differences between anime's local and global from the less-considered niches like nichijo-kei (everyday style anime) through to the global popularity of science fiction anime, this book tackles the tensions between the markets and audiences for anime texts.

Anime is consequently understood in this book as a complex cultural not simply a “genre,” but as an always shifting and changing set of texts. Its inherent changeability makes anime an ideal contender for global dissemination, as it can be easily re-edited, translated and then newly understood as it moves through the world's animation markets. As such, A Critical Introduction explores anime through a range of debates that have emerged around its key film texts, through discussions of animation and violence, through debates about the cyborg and through the differences between local and global understandings of anime products. A Critical Introduction uses these debates to frame a different kind of understanding of anime, one rooted in contexts, rather than just texts. In this way, A Critical Introduction works to create a space in which we can rethink the meanings of anime as it travels around the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Anime

200 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2015

Reviews

[Willy Peckerbottom · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good God where do I even begin with this? How was this green-lit to be published? there is actually nothing of substance in this book. put down the reefer and come back to reality, because it seems like someone who barely passed a lit class wrote a review about a borderline creepy obsession they've had since they were a kid. I thought there would be an extensive chapter on hentai, but nah. No sauce, and no pictures. this book left me drier than a girl being hit on by a weeb. I actually tried to sit down and waste my valuable time trying to decipher the message meant to be conveyed in this book. If you want to know more about anime, then turn on the tv, or put your browser on private. If you bought this for your class I hope you saved the receipt

[Chad Lognshlong · Rating 1 out of 5]

This has to be one of the worst things I have ever read. I honestly dread having to pick up this book and would rather read a complete history of concrete because it least that might somehow be useful. If you like dry things this is for you this is somehow drier than the Sahara desert and seemingly more useless. good luck trying to understand this you have better luck breaking the enigma code.

[Captain cool Fireball]

After having read Dr. Dennison‘s book, I can safely say that I as a fellow academic did not enjoy the book for several constructive reasons first and foremost, the set structure, especially in the early chapters leaves little to be desired as the author frequently states that she will explore topics which my masters Supervisor taught me was a poor approach to writing as when you are writing a work you should not still be exploring the topic you should be arguing successfully and substantiating your car arguments with thoughtful citations and firmly certain what you’re going to do rather than saying things may when trying to put for an argument it’s important to you, sir your expertise while drawing your audience in with well reasoned and coaching paragraphs the first chapter loses the thrust of the thesis, and from the outside you were left with a segmented word salad creating disjointed musings throughout this doesn’t do anything but regurgitate the arguments of others and not even insulations that makes sense. There are an overflow of citations. The entire first chapter should be rewritten. She is a great person. This is not reflected obviously in this written work her journal articles are crisp and well reasoned. This is dreadful.

[Gijs Grob · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title of this book is misleading, for it's absolutely unfit as an introduction to Anime. This book is a scientific survey into Anime as a medium, and if you're unfamiliar with this type of cinema, it's close to unreadable. Of anime as an art form we learn nothing. For example, when Denison describes the Ghibli studio, she analyzes it as a brand, not its art.

Denison's book is a literature study only. As such it's extremely dry, and reads like a media studies thesis. Moreover, its chapters are unrelated to each other and feel randomly chosen. Denison seems obsessed with genre definition, to a fault. Even worse, Denison falls into the trap of postulating a lot, but proving little, an annoying habit within many art studies, just like over-interpretation of films, which Denison does in Chapter two.

Luckily, there are a few interesting bits of information, like hentai being a Western genre definition (p. 61-63), or the existence of 'Tezuka's curse' (p. 78-80). Most interesting are chapter four, in which Denison briefly tells how Japanese animation became anime, and chapter six, in which she analyzes the relationship between companies and fans in anime distribution.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I bought this books ~4 years ago when I first started dating my partner. He really enjoys watching anime, and while I know enjoy watching a few shows with him, I was interested in learning about the genre from a more literary perspective. Specifically, what are the different tropes, how do they differ from Western (particularly American and British) media?

How is the perspective on demons, the Seven Deadly Sins, the sephiroth, where did it comes from and how has it been shaped from a Japanese perspective? Why are there certain visual styles like “chibi”, where did they originate and what significance do they have?

This wasn’t a bad book, but it didn’t answer the questions I was hoping it would. Instead it focused on defining “genre” but, for me, without enough detail on specific nuances, tropes, motifs, and other characteristics. More of an exploration of What is anime and how do we define the genre as a whole across different mediums and cultures?

If anyone knows of a good read that might answer my questions, let me know!

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rayna Denison's Anime: A Critical Introduction does a solid job unpacking how anime isn’t just one genre, but a dynamic ecosystem of styles, audiences, and cultural tensions. The way she contrasts local sub-genres like nichijou-kei with global juggernauts like sci-fi anime really helps contextualize anime as a constantly evolving media form rather than a fixed style.

If you're someone who loves anime not just as entertainment, but also as a cultural and creative platform, this book is worth a read.

Also, for anyone looking to explore more anime beyond the mainstream—apps, APKs, and tools—I’ve been curating content at
👉 https://theanimeslayerapk.com
Lots of anime fans will find good stuff there, especially if you're into watching on mobile. 📱🎌

[Seth Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

i got less out of this than I might have

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an amazing book, it might just be exactly the book that will unify all peoples and end all conflicts of the human condition. I do not know as the font defeated me. I can't read it.

At some point I might buy an electronic version of this series though to be honest I do not have an issue with the font used for any of Oxford Press's Very Short Introductions.