THE MAKING OF ANIME AND MANGA

What goes into anime and manga production? This book traces the history and sheds light on the present day.

As part of a four-book series, this volume recounts the production side of both types of Japanese storytelling media, beginning with a short section on the origin of film and moving on to animation technologies with a specific focus on Japan. Next, readers learn about the typical career paths of mangaka (manga authors and illustrators), the major publishing houses, and the production cycle of anime, including how it’s adapted for international audiences. Bolte covers the common artistic styles, which include features like big eyes and range from cutesy (chibi and kawaii) to more realistic. Finally, the author closes by looking at other related formats—feature films, light novels (which are originally released in serialized form), and video games. The sidebars and photo captions highlight pertinent case studies and explore topics such as overworked artists, how the racial identity of characters is interpreted by some non-Japanese audiences, and the career of Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy. Written in an approachable style, the book includes seminal examples that serve as reading and viewing suggestions for new fans or greatest-hits montages for those in the know. Both types of readers will glean some insider knowledge in this work that’s aimed at Western audiences and assumes some previous knowledge of anime and manga.

A strong informational resource.