The Anime Companion: What's Japanese in Japanese Animation

by Gilles Poitras

Anime is from Japan, so it's full of all sorts of cultural details that are downright perplexing . . . unless you're Japanese or unless you've got The Anime Companion . Find out why characters wear belly bands and what nosebleeds really mean. Learn about the Edo Jidai and those games they play at New Year's. Gilles Poitras has taken his popular anime website and created a new print version that's filled with curious details and fresh insights drawn from dozens of the most popular anime. And for students of Japanese, The Anime Companion is a great way to learn about Japan while indulging in your favorite pastime.

"Combining personal passion with an intelligent sense of perspective, this enjoyable book is just right for dipping into, full of amusing and informative snippets which fans will love and even non-fans can enjoy."—Helen McCarthy, author of The Complete Anime Guide

"I've worked on over 20,000 pages of manga over the last ten years, and I still learned quite a bit from this fascinating book. For anyone with more than the most casual interest in anime and manga, The Anime Companion should be on their coffee table right next to the remote control."—Toren Smith, Studio Proteus

"Entire generations of English speakers now receive their first exposure to Japanese culture through anime. But many cultural references can be puzzling. Gilles Poitras's book is like a Rosetta Stone for confused anime fans. Before slipping that next anime video into your VCR, make sure this book's handy!"—Frederik L. Schodt, author of Manga! Manga! and Dreamland Japan

Categories
Building/Structure/Landmark
Clothing
Culture
Entertainment/Game
Food And Drink
General
Geographical Feature/Location
History/Society
Home
Nature
People
Religion/Mythology/Belief
Sports/Activity
Weaponry/War

Sample AIDORU (IDOL SINGER)
Pop singers. Idol singers are not unique to Japan; every modern country has its clean-cut prefabricated stars known for their short careers. In Japan highly competitive management companies maneuver to get their latest singers in the spotlight for as long as they can before the nex

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Manga, Japan, Anime

176 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[Liz Liess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great beginner guide to all things Japanese in your favorite Manga and Anime.

[CharlotteReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting reference with cultural information to aid the readers.

[Michael Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids were adolescents back in the ‘80s, when Japanese animation began to be seen on American TV, and for a long time -- even though I’d been interested in modern Japanese literature since college -- I unconsciously equated “anime” with Speed Racer. Then I learned better and became a semi-fan, enough to rent several of the best-reviewed series from Blockbuster. But I had never sat down to learn the milieu of the art form until I came across this author’s two books on the subject. He covers a very wide range of Japanese cultural “stuff,” from names of historical periods and the different types of bells you find in temples, to major writers whose work has been adapted in anime and the reason for the big-eye-pink-hair thing. You’ll no longer wonder why guys in Japan get nosebleeds from looking at girls, what the sound of cicadas in the background is intended to imply, and why you shouldn’t be upset that some anime meant for kids includes mild nudity. For that matter, he goes into the sexual psychology of various other Japanese folkways, too, with no embarrassment or leering, which supplies the cultural context you really need if you’re going to understand this stuff. Actually, this book would be useful not only to would-be otaku but to any westerner puzzled by various aspects of Japanese society. There’s a new, thicker edition coming out soon and I’m definitely going to have to acquire it.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful little guide if you have ever wondered what characters in the manga you are reading were eating or why characters in the anime you've watched behaved in a way you didn't understand. This book demystifies common cultural points that you may come across in Japanese media that might leave you feeling a little baffled. my only complaint is that its not quite comprehensive enough for the serious reader, but then to my knowledge, its the only book of its kind.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sort of a small encyclopedia on anime. A good bit of information, all alphabetical. The only disadvantage is you would need to know the Japanese terms for things you see in the anime programs in order to be able to look them up.

[Martin Witchard]

I've just started dipping into this book. Not so much about anime series but, Japanese culture, with links to anime series / episodes where it is referenced. Logically organised, it's a neat side reference.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A primer for Westerners to understand things like 'what are geta' and 'what is natto and why would anyone eat it?'.

[Wysterria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was to be used for definitions and I totally just used wikipedia. Waste of money.