Rating: 
Summary: One of the best new anime books out there
Review: A wonderful resource for all anime fans, from seasoned otaku to people just getting interested in this wonderful artform! Lots of great pix, fascinating "did you know" pieces of trivia, heartfelt rants, and plenty of hard-to-find information about the best new titles and where to get them. ***In particular, be sure to check out the amazing list of the 40+ recommended anime titles and books (both classic and esoteric) at the back of the book!! In short, ANIME ESSENTIALS: EVERY THING A FAN NEEDS TO KNOW is indeed an *essential* buy for all anime fans, and a worthy follow-up to the author's earlier book, The Anime Companion.
Rating:
Summary: Worth its weight
Review: First viewing this book I had my doubts, but reading through it proved it was worth it cost. This book is for just about anyone who is interested in becoming an otaku, or even someone who has been an otaku for some time. It gives references to an anime entitle "Otaku no Video" throughout. Also excellent hints for starting your own anime club in your area. Fallowed by a list of anime titles, web site, etc... It gives you infomation, and alows you to come up with some of your own ideas. If you are looking to become an otaku this book will put you well on the track.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitly a good start
Review: Good for beginners, but definitly not EVERYTHING a fan needs to know. Though it has great detail and a great section on conventions I (a beginner) still feel a little lost. It's a wonderful book all the same.
Rating:
Summary: A perfect beginner's guide!
Review: I already owned Poitras' The Anime Companion and regularly visit his Web site, so I knew Anime Essentials would be a great book. Anime Essentials has A LOT of great, useful information for those just beginning to learn about anime beyond the Sailor Moon and Pokémon crazes, covering many facets from history to distribution to making connections to merchandise. Also included are 41 recommended anime titles (films, series, and OAVs), as well as various anime resources. As an otaku, I still found plenty of new information in this book, as well as a fresh new perspective on several anime titles. Of the 41 recommended titles, I have seen all but five, which I suppose marks my "status" as an otaku. Poitras' insights into the famous Otaku no video were especially interesting, and can teach even diehard anime otaku more about this great series. This is a great book for parents, teachers, and anyone else who deals with children who regularly watch CardCaptors, Sailor Moon, Pokémon, and other anime what anime is really about, and this information will be especially useful as these children grow and move on to more "sophisticated" anime. (If only this book had been available when I first discovered anime.....)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book for Initiates AND Otaku!
Review: I already owned Poitras' The Anime Companion and regularly visit his Web site, so I knew Anime Essentials would be a great book. Anime Essentials has A LOT of great, useful information for those just beginning to learn about anime beyond the Sailor Moon and Pokémon crazes, covering many facets from history to distribution to making connections to merchandise. Also included are 41 recommended anime titles (films, series, and OAVs), as well as various anime resources. As an otaku, I still found plenty of new information in this book, as well as a fresh new perspective on several anime titles. Of the 41 recommended titles, I have seen all but five, which I suppose marks my "status" as an otaku. Poitras' insights into the famous Otaku no video were especially interesting, and can teach even diehard anime otaku more about this great series. This is a great book for parents, teachers, and anyone else who deals with children who regularly watch CardCaptors, Sailor Moon, Pokémon, and other anime what anime is really about, and this information will be especially useful as these children grow and move on to more "sophisticated" anime. (If only this book had been available when I first discovered anime.....)
Rating:
Summary: CHING-CHONG A THON!
Review: I love anime! Drawing Japanese pictures is awesome. I don't have many friends, so drawing pictures keeps me entertained. This book was great for me because it had lots of Japanese pictures in it. People call me a nerd for drawing Japanese pictures and listening to country music, but I don't care!
Rating: 
Summary: Factually Inaccurate, Possibly Deliberate
Review: I was a big fan of the author's "Anime Companion," so I was excited when this book came out. However, it fails to live up to its promise to assist newcomers, parents and so forth. While it does have some information that is useful to a new anime fan, I find that as something to help parents make an informed decision, the book fails.
The problem is, the author can't bring himself to talk about the darker aspects of anime frankly. Hence when he offers some warnings about popular series and gets to "Tenchi Muyo" (aka "No Need for Tenchi"), he issues a warning to parents: "Some Characters end up fighting to save others." The problem is, the issue most parents would have with the uncut series in question is the flagrant nudity, which goes completely unmentioned. Also, he cites McCarthy and Clement's "Erotic Anime Movie Guide" with its limited listing of movies as a proof that Japan doesn't have much anime porn. However, he fails to admit that Clements and Mccarthy quite clearly state that the section was not meant to be exhaustive. This makes the book come off sounding deceptive. Therefore one becomes troubled when he says that when parents see something like Violence or nudity in an anime, they shouldn't just turn it off, but rather discuss it with their children. Imagine applying that advice to a kid caught watching "Robocop" or "Debbie Does Dallas."
Rating:
Summary: Factually Inaccurate, Possibly Deliberate
Review: I was a big fan of the author's "Anime Companion," so I was excited when this book came out. However, it fails to live up to its promise to assist newcomers, parents and so forth. While it does have some information that is useful to a new anime fan, I find that as something to help parents make an informed decision, the book fails.
The problem is, the author can't bring himself to talk about the darker aspects of anime frankly. Hence when he offers some warnings about popular series and gets to "Tenchi Muyo" (aka "No Need for Tenchi"), he issues a warning to parents: "Some Characters end up fighting to save others." The problem is, the issue most parents would have with the uncut series in question is the flagrant nudity, which goes completely unmentioned. Also, he cites McCarthy and Clement's "Erotic Anime Movie Guide" with its limited listing of movies as a proof that Japan doesn't have much anime porn. However, he fails to admit that Clements and Mccarthy quite clearly state that the section was not meant to be exhaustive. This makes the book come off sounding deceptive. Therefore one becomes troubled when he says that when parents see something like Violence or nudity in an anime, they shouldn't just turn it off, but rather discuss it with their children. Imagine applying that advice to a kid caught watching "Robocop" or "Debbie Does Dallas."
Rating:
Summary: Factually Inaccurate, Possibly Deliberate
Review: I was a big fan of the author's "Anime Companion," so I was excited when this book came out. However, it fails to live up to its promise to assist newcomers, parents and so forth. While it does have some information that is useful to a new anime fan, I find that as something to help parents make an informed decision, the book fails.
The problem is, the author can't bring himself to talk about the darker aspects of anime frankly. Hence when he offers some warnings about popular series and gets to "Tenchi Muyo" (aka "No Need for Tenchi"), he issues a warning to parents: "Some Characters end up fighting to save others." The problem is, the issue most parents would have with the uncut series in question is the flagrant nudity, which goes completely unmentioned. Also, he cites McCarthy and Clement's "Erotic Anime Movie Guide" with its limited listing of movies as a proof that Japan doesn't have much anime porn. However, he fails to admit that Clements and Mccarthy quite clearly state that the section was not meant to be exhaustive. This makes the book come off sounding deceptive. Therefore one becomes troubled when he says that when parents see something like Violence or nudity in an anime, they shouldn't just turn it off, but rather discuss it with their children. Imagine applying that advice to a kid caught watching "Robocop" or "Debbie Does Dallas."
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing new for me, but valuable for some
Review: I was sincerely looking forward to this book, as any new addition to the body of literature on anime is a good one. However, the first thing I noticed is how small the book is; it barely squeaks over 125 pages. At the same time, the font used for the main text seems excessively large. What this means is that there was far less actual reading material in this book than I had originally hoped for? And the content? I didn't find much new in this book, which was another disappointment; I was hoping to discover some great insider information and maybe a few fan secrets. Admittedly, this book isn't written for fans like me. Rather, this is a fairly painless entry into the world of Japanese animation, and with that in mind it serves its purpose very well. Still, it should have been titled "A Basic Primer" rather than "Every Thing a Fan Needs to Know."
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