Rating: 
Summary: Don't bother
Review: This is a terrible book. I had high hopes for it, but unfortunatly, it's not good. The auhors' writing styles are impossible to enjoy, and much of the information in this guide is wrong. Clements ad McCarthy bash some of the better anime shows is this guide, and their own worthless opinions dominate the book throughout. A waste of time and money.
Rating: 
Summary: The Ultimate Anime Guide
Review: This is the biggest and best book written about anime in any language -- two British authors have outdone the Americans *and* the Japanese. It makes me proud to be English. Incredibly detailed and really funny, too. The authors have a tough-love policy on anime, and don't let creators get away with bad workmanship. I really appreciate the in-depth outlines of old shows in particular. I'm never going to sit through an old movie like Grey, but at least I now know how it ends. It's also incredible value for money -- less than a top-end DVD, but literally months of reading pleasure. This is the only anime book you'll ever need.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing Comes Close
Review: This is the book I've been waiting for. It's more than just an encyclopaedia of Japanese animation, because it links Japanese animation to films, books and comics, demonstrating how anime is such a central and vital part of the entertainment world in the Far East. It's great fun to browse, and has bilingual indices so looking stuff up by Japanese or English title is completely foolproof. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in anime, animation or Japan, and with over 2000 entries, it will take you literally years to get through all it has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: the ultimate anime guide
Review: This is the only one of my college text books that I hung onto last year when it was all over. Why? Because i love it so much. It has something contentious or fascinating to say about most of the anime in the world, and it draws the most incredible links; the authors really know their film, TV and popular culture references, which is a refreshing change from certain other authorities, who have either watched no anime at all, or nothing *but* anime. Either way Clements and McCarthy beat them all. Before this book, anime was a wasteland.
Rating: 
Summary: Subjective, elitist ...but a heroic undertaking
Review: Understand this. I think that this book is a good idea and a noble undertaking. The execution leaves much to be desired. The authors take their opinions too far, relentlessly bashing shows that happen to have a large fan-base as if to prove their "experience" with anime. Look guys, you have to realize that these shows are popular for a reason. They have their share of detractors (and what doesn't?) but they also have legions of fans. More often then not, people who try Ranma, for example, like it. All that you are doing is scaring people away from things that they more than likely would enjoy. It doesn't stop there. There are errors in the "objective" information such as wrong production years. What's the point of giving us your opinions if you can't get the facts right? An "Anime Encyclopedia" should not be a review book. It should include the facts of production and a brief summary. If you must interject your opinions, don't simply pump out vitriol. Give balanced, supported reasons for them, and above all, ACKNOWLEDGE DISSENTING VIEWS AS BEING VALID. Don't generalize about public opinion (see Tenchi review for this) and finally, don't put spoilers in your summaries.That said, I have to commend the authors for tackling a project of this magnitude. The scope of the time period and the exhaustive catalog of titles are the reasons why this book gets three stars. If you can ignore the elitist diatribes, it is a fairly valuable resource. Here's to a revised and edited version minus the digressions into personal bias.
Rating:
Summary: Jonathan Clements, Will You Marry Me?
Review: When I bought the Encyclopedia last month, I wasn't sure about all the hype about it being the most comprehensive anime book ever, etc. But after combing through it obsessively for the past few weeks, I have to confess that my initial hesitations were completely unfounded, and I am in love. This is an incredibly complete, honest, detailed guide to anime... it lives up to the name of 'Encyclopedia.' Anyone who truly loves anime needs this book--as a reference to familiar shows, as a way of exploring new anime, as a way of testing your anime trivia knowledge. Yes, it's true--some anime fans WILL whine that their favorite show gets slammed (but it's usually deserved) and it's true that the authors aren't afraid of taking a stand and having an opinion. But the best part (I think) is the very witty, funny, cutting writing style. You might think that hundreds of pages of entries about anime shows would result in a dry, boring, repetitive writing style unless you're a total otaku--BUT NO, it's really amusing and fun to read! Both authors obviously know how to write well--no, make that elegantly, beautifully, sexily, in a very British style--and I've just fallen in love with them, thanks to this incredible milestone of a book! As Ms. McCarthy is a woman, she'll understand that I don't extend this proposal to her... but JONATHAN CLEMENTS, WILL YOU MARRY ME? Thank you for writing this wonderful book!
Rating:
Summary: Not all it's cracked up to be
Review: When I first got this book, I thought I'd stumbled upon a wealth of information. As an amateur anime reviewer, I had wanted a more comprehensive guide to anime than the books that had been previously released, and I was convinced this should be it. "Should" be. For a first-time anime fan, this seems like the way to go. But for the experienced fan who has seen even a tenth of the anime listed here, the luster fades rather quickly. Unfortunately, the Anime Encyclopedia is plagued with factual errors, occasional Anglocentric comments, and an often acerbic tone hardly befitting the word "encyclopedia". Review guide, perhaps. But impassive reference material? Hardly. Often, the authors come up with completely new (and erroneous) title translations such as "Chancer Princess" and "Heart Mark" for anime not released in the West, whereas some shows within the time period stated (Risky Safety) are omitted outright, or hidden under discussion of nominally related titles (Gensoumaden Saiyuuki). Japanese names are misspelled or mistranslated with abandon, whether it be anime titles or creators, like Yoshizumi Wataru, here transliterated incorrectly as Yoshizumi Ayumi, and not even listed as the creator of her major anime work! The worst part is that, as in Helen McCarthy's previous works, the authors here attempt to review and cast judgment on titles they obviously have not seen, which is reprehensible for anyone who claims to be a serious reviewer of any genre of art. The informal (and obviously British) tone of the book meshes poorly with the fact that this was released for a primarily American audience, with the authors poking fun at American distributors where there ought not to be any poking of fun at all. While a lot of the basic information in fact is, in fact, solid, and this is currently the most comprehensive work on anime published in English to date, the Anime Encyclopedia certainly is not perfect, and could use a lot more revision ... and a lot less speculation.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice information, deeply flawed descriptions
Review: When I heard that Helen McCarthy was working on an ``Anime Encyclopedia'' I was very excited. Her book on Hayao Miyazaki was excellent. When I finally got to see the finished product, I was very disappointed. I flipped through it looking at a few recent anime series (Crest of the Stars, Noir, NieA_7, even Serial Experiments Lain) with which I am familiar. Almost without exception, I found the descriptions to be appallingly inaccurate and mis-leading, such that I don't feel I could trust this book as much help in guiding a search for new series or new anime. That said, one very nice feature of this book is the inclusion of detailed staff information for series, which allows one to find other anime by the makers of series one likes. This feature alone makes this a useful book. My advice is: ignore the descriptions, and use the staff lists to explore the work of writers and directors that you like in greater depth.
Rating:
Summary: The Anime Encyclopedia
Review: When I started watching anime a few years ago, I had absolutely no idea there was so much! "The Anime Encyclopedia" is a MUST-HAVE for all anime fans of all ages. Not only does this valuable resource list every anime production that has been released in North America (and more than likely, Europe as well) but also many, many titles that never made it out of Japan. Whether you're a casual viewer or an obsessed model-building, cel-collecting otaku - this book is perfect to answer your anime questions and enlighten you on other shows. Best anime investment I've ever made!
Rating:
Summary: Useful but greatly lacking
Review: While it may be the best and more thoroughly thought-out book about anime so far, it is not quite as relevant as one first hopes. I bought it to have a reference guide, and for this it has proven useful. It is a great tool for finding various animes by a specific directors, or, on the flip side, finding out who produced which shows. However, this is almost the extent of its usefulness. If one is searching for a comprehensive guide to themes in anime (say the theme of reaching maturity or of encountering alien life or of the woes of war), one will be completely disappointed. The only way to search for anime is by title or producer. If one seeks factual information about anime, like which Mangas or comic strips the animes are based on, one will be disappointed. Even basic terms, plot tools, cliches, genres, and so on are completely overlooked. Japanese culture and language are apparently never consulted by the authors. All that matters to the writers is what the title of the anime was, usually the basic plot, and who made it (and in some instances influences). And that is greatly disappointing for something called an "Encyclopedia." Also, if you seek any form of information on a spin-off or a sequel series to any anime, you are at a loss-- the only references to such follow-ups (often more important or popular than the antecedent), if at all existent, are to be found only within the entries to the original released series. As if that wasn't enough, one must also sustain insult while the author shows disdain and disregard for certain animes which may happen to be some of the most popular and loved (Evangelion comes to mind). Of course, it is a first edition. And it is already very dated, with much important anime being too recent for any real inclusion (for example, the world-shaking Spirited Away is mentioned as an upcoming Hayao Miyazaki film). Therefore, if one seeks a comprehensive guide to what anime has been out there for a while, it is a crucial and necessary book to own, but not if one seeks to understand a particular anime better, or if one has questions about anime in general. "The Anime Reference Guide" is a title better suited for this book. Definitively buy it if such a book is what you seek, but do not expect an encyclopedia.
|
