Anime: A History

by Jonathan Clements

Overview

Japanese animation is at the nexus of an international multimedia industry worth over $23.6 billion a year, linked to everything from manga to computer games, Pokémon and plushies. In this comprehensive guide, Jonathan Clements chronicles the production and reception history of the entire medium, from a handful of hobbyists in the 1910s to the Oscar-winning Spirited Away and beyond.

Exploring the cultural and technological developments of the past century, Clements addresses how anime's history has been written by Japanese scholars, and covers previously neglected topics such as wartime instructional animation and work-for-hire for American clients. Founded on the testimonies of industry professionals, and drawing on a myriad of Japanese-language documents, memoirs and books, Anime: A History illuminates the anime business from the inside – investigating its innovators, its unsung heroes and its controversies.

This new edition has been updated and revised throughout, with full colour illustrations and three new chapters on anime's fortunes among Chinese audiences and subcontractors, 21st century trends in 'otaku economics', and the huge transformations brought about by the rise of global streaming technology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781839025129
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/21/2023
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	456
Sales rank:	97,566
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.60(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jonathan Clements is a contributing editor to the fourth edition of the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (2021). He is the author of Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade (2009) and co-author of the Anime Encyclopedia: A Century of Japanese Animation (2015). He was a visiting professor at Xi'an Jiaotong University, China from 2013–19.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction: What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Anime?
1. Kid Deko's New Picture Book: Early Cartoons in Japan 1912-21
2. The Film Factories: Animation Technique and Technology 1921-37
3. The Shadow Staff: Japanese Animation at War 1931-48
4. The Seeds of Anime: Japanese Animation Industries 1946-62
5. Dreams of Export: Toei Doga and MOM Production 1953-67
6. Warrior Business: Tezuka's Anime Revolution in Context 1961-67
7. The Brown Screen: Trended Change in Japanese Animation 1966-83
8. The Third Medium: The Transformation of Ownership and Access 1977-96
9. The Pokemon Shock: Anime Goes Global 1984-97, 1997-2006
10. The Digital Engine: New Technologies in Animation 1983-2012
11. THE GREAT FIREWALL Anime in China, 1989-2019 (new)
12. HOLY LANDS Otaku economics, 2005-2019 (new)
13. NETFLIX NATION The transformation of distribution and exhibition, 2015-2021 (new)
Afterword (new)
Bibliography (updated)
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Clements writes in his introduction, 'There is... no full-length history of Japanese animation available in English—an omission that this book seeks to remedy, articulating 'anime' as a succession of conceptual systems that form and change throughout the latter half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first...' And he does exactly what he promises, going into great detail about the history of anime, and also bringing up questions about the meaning and definition of anime that can even cause major otaku to scratch their heads. This book is definitely a must for fans who want a scholarly look into the history of their favorite medium.' - Otaku USA Magazine

'[A] scholarly yet engaging history...it adopts a much more rigourous, fact-based approach to previous studies, drawn from primary sources such as industry almanacs, studio histories and autobiographical accounts from key practitioners, in order to chart the evolution of Japan's animation industry as a whole.' - Sight & Sound

'This study is authoritative and detailed, and will be essential reading for anime fans and scholars alike.' - P.D. Smith, The Guardian

'Anime: A History provides a comprehensive background of the medium, from the early years of the 20th Century to the contemporary landscape of 3D digital animation, online streaming and fansubs...we highly recommend.' - MyMyMy

'Historian Jonathan Clements traces the evolution of anime by exploring the history of its production and reception over the past 100 years, identifying periods in which cultural and technological developments ushered in new ways of thinking about the basic concept of 'moving pictures.'' - The Japan Times'...a fascinating read.' - The New York Times

'Anime: A History questions the stories we think we know of anime's rises and falls, its heroes and breakthroughs.' - Manga UK 'One of the most important and comprehensive books on anime ever written for the western market.' - Neo Magazine

'Anime: A History is a magisterial effort and will undoubtedly prove invaluable for scholars, particularly in the social sciences, who are interested in the political economy of anime production. Indeed, while Clements may profess to be skeptical of history as a narrative project, his book may well shape the discourse on the subject for years, if not decades, to come.' - LSE Review of Books

Editorial Reviews

This study is authoritative and detailed, and will be essential reading for anime fans and scholars alike.” —PD Smith, The Guardian

“Historian Jonathan Clements traces the evolution of anime by exploring the history of its production and reception over the past 100 years, identifying periods in which cultural and technological developments ushered in new ways of thinking about the basic concept of 'moving pictures.'” —The Japan Times

“…a fascinating read.” —The New York Times

“Anime: A History questions the stories we think we know of anime's rises and falls, its heroes and breakthroughs.” —Manga UK

“One of the most important and comprehensive books on anime ever written for the western market.” —Neo Magazine

“Scrupulously researched and critically clear sighted, Clements' authoritative book provides much needed historical clarity in an area where enthusiastic (but less scrupulous) English language internet commentators have often muddied the critical waters.” —Adam Whybray, University of Suffolk, UK

From the Publisher