Rating: 
Summary: Nice book on anime...
Review: 163 pages of pictures and entries on animation and Japanese culture. Quizzes and information on food, sex, gender, art, religion, humor, historical figures and events, bloody noses and even architecture. Gilles Poitras uses humor and knowledge on anime to write a book for anybody who wants to learn about some of the things that happen that non-Japanese might miss. Lot of the information is based on such mainstream cartoons as Ranma 1/2 and Tenchi Muyo!, but there is also a small list of books in the back that were also used WHICH allows the reader to find more books on the issues he or she may wish to focus on. Remember, the book also deals with the fact that the Japanese seem to be interested in age difference between males and females in relationships, women with guns and, yes, big breasts. IT is not that the author is not being serious, but in fact VERY serious and open minded. If one is going to explore anime one has to explore ALL parts of it and not just one side.In fact, I would also suggest 'The Erotic Anime Movie Guide' by Helen McCarthy and Jonathan Clements.
Rating:
Summary: Nice book on anime...
Review: 163 pages of pictures and entries on animation and Japanese culture. Quizzes and information on food, sex, gender, art, religion, humor, historical figures and events, bloody noses and even architecture. Gilles Poitras uses humor and knowledge on anime to write a book for anybody who wants to learn about some of the things that happen that non-Japanese might miss. Lot of the information is based on such mainstream cartoons as Ranma 1/2 and Tenchi Muyo!, but there is also a small list of books in the back that were also used WHICH allows the reader to find more books on the issues he or she may wish to focus on. Remember, the book also deals with the fact that the Japanese seem to be interested in age difference between males and females in relationships, women with guns and, yes, big breasts. IT is not that the author is not being serious, but in fact VERY serious and open minded. If one is going to explore anime one has to explore ALL parts of it and not just one side. In fact, I would also suggest 'The Erotic Anime Movie Guide' by Helen McCarthy and Jonathan Clements.
Rating:
Summary: A good piece of work
Review: An excellent book, even if the anime refrences used are getting a bit dated now that more is avalible to us in the west. A good overview for those os us interested in Japanese culture as related to anime, but not interested in picking up a large number of books.
Rating: 
Summary: Un buen diccionario
Review: El libro de Gilles Poitras es una gran enciclopedia de los elementos culturales japoneses presentes en el anime. Indudablemente, es un libro de referencia para entender los mensajes implícitos presentes en las imágenes de la animación. Por ejemplo, un templo budista es un santuario para ritos funerarios. En tanto, los japoneses, que son politeístas, profesan el budismo para rendir culto funerario y el sintoísmo para su religiosidad de efemérides. En este libro tenemos varios elementos culturales japoneses ordenado por orden alfabético los cuales nos proporcionan un primera mirada al mundo del anime. No obstante, para investigaciones más académicas como una monografía o tesis; recomiendo los textos de Schodt o Kinsella.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST for any anime fan!!
Review: For anyone who has ever wondered about the little cultural details of anime, your prayers have been answered. Everything from the Ainu to the zori is clearly explained with illustrations, text and examples taken from anime and manga. The Anime Companion is a well-written book that should be on the shelf of any otaku!
Rating:
Summary: A Background to Anime's Symbology
Review: For those of us who loved anime but didn't know a whole lot about individual symbols or customs of the Japanese culture, this book certainly helps. It mentions countless culture references along with scene-stealing pictures, strange facts, and priceless references to notable anime. If your curious about the symbols and funny quirks of anime, then this is a must-have guide for you.
Rating: 
Summary: "What's Japanese in Japanese Animation?" uh, huh...garsh
Review: I can't help but feel that the author is either yet another typical self-proclaimed otaku or that they _had_ a good idea but their publisher suggested they dumb it down a little to broaden the audience. The intro "This Ain't No Speed Racer!" is ... oh god I really don't know where to begin. The rest of the book is just an alphabetized collection of abridged info on things found in only a handful of anime. I think a better title for this book would have been "Everything I Know I Learned From Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura". The anime images are screenshots so they're not very clear. And of course, the book would not be complete without the author's little Rant Sections that fill the empty spaces. If your reason for getting this book is to learn more about Japan through anime or vice versa, then I suggest the books "Japan Edge" which is very well-written and has sections on anime and manga, or "Dreamland Japan" which is on manga, but still very culturally insightful for anime fans.
Rating:
Summary: A good purchase, with a few minor flaws
Review: I have spent many hours flipping through this book, just reading entries at random--not really the reason it was written, I suppose, but it's probably the most fun thing to do with it. The fact that it was alphabetized using Japanese words can make it hard to look up things that you don't know exactly what are, but that's no reason to not like it. However, I, like others, have found that the author uses Ms. Rumiko Takahashi's work a little too often; she's a great writer/artist, but there are others out there that deserve mention as well. All in all though, a fine book that's definetly worth a purchase by any otaku.
Rating:
Summary: embarrassing
Review: I personally found this book to be very degrading to women and Japan. Besides being full of Inaccurate(!) information, the author comes across as very biased and an embarrassment to male otaku. A few examples, his rant sidebars: "Babes With Big Bazookas. I'm not talking about breasts here; women with destructive armaments is the topic." And on the next page, in a different sidebar: "Babes with Big Bazookas--Dirty Pair (I'm talking armaments here)" And two pages before that one the heading is: "Asian Women Don't Have T--s That Big!" Where he talks about how big his asian ex-girlfriend's breasts were. He also makes the mistake of contrasting Dirty Pair with "kimono-clad submissive women". If this guy really knows anything about Japanese culture, then he should know that the Kimono has nothing to do with submissiveness. And by saying so, he's only creating stereotypes and insulting the people and culture he's writing about. If you're serious about anime, I suggest putting your money towards more videos or merchandise and spare yourself from owning a book like this. Besides, you can still find out all you want to know from lots of great online resources out there.
Rating:
Summary: A good purchase, with a few minor flaws
Review: The only things keeping me from giving this book a five star rating are: 1: The organization would have been better in English, with the proper Japanese word listed thereafter. 2: A wider variety of sources, while Rumiko is an excellent artist and story-teller, she's not the only one out there. 3: Instead of alphabetical, it would be easier to access particulars based on category, then alphabetized. Overall, a very useful sourcebook for anime fans, or those who are interested in Japanese culture. Contains a number of day to day type of things, such as how Japanese toilets are not the same as Western ones.
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