Anime: A Critical Introduction

Denison offers this discussion of the meta-genre of anime, drawing out controversies and subtleties in its definition beyond the simple answer of “Japanese animation,” and exploring the complex nature of its dual relationship with its Japanese culture of origin and its international but especially American culture of popularity. The first several chapters lay out discursive frameworks of genre and explore how narrative categories and new technologies have collided to reshape these genre understandings. The second section turns attention toward different media platforms and their influence on fan culture, industry, and the sometimes collaborative, sometimes antagonistic relationship between these two “owner” communities of anime. Finally, the book examines Studio Ghibli, anime conventions, and other central points of definition to underpin an ethnographic analysis of anime and its ongoing process of genrefication. Annotation ©2016 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)