A brilliant encapsulation of the vast range of anime, from its history to the digital era. For anyone wondering what all the fuss is about this is the place to begin, and for those already turned on to the wonders of the form this will point you in new directions for both viewing and study.
David Desser, Professor Emeritus of Cinema Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
In this lively and readable book, Rayna Denison frames Japanese animation in relation to local and transnational genres from science fiction through to horror. This is, quite simply, the best scholarly introduction to anime that I have read.
Iain Robert Smith, Senior Lecturer in Film, University of Roehampton, UK
In the complicated world of anime studies, where definitions clash over anime's relation to culture, technology, and media, Rayna Denison clears up the field by focusing on the field itself, skillfully using concepts from genre studies to reveal how anime has been constructed in history through the discourse of fans, critics, and producers not only through genres such as science fiction and horror, but as a fascinating and flexible genre itself.
Aaron Gerow, Professor of Film and Media Studies and East Asian Languages and Literatures, Yale University, USA
This slender volume packs an interesting punch: it looks at the very concept of anime itself, outlining both its history within Japan and how it has been received and perceived in the USA and the UK. Written with admirable clarity, it examines some key examples in order to illustrate the complexity of the genres that get included under the umbrella term anime. Anime: A Critical Introduction has all the hallmarks of a teaching classic-one for all of us to add to our reading lists whether in Japanese Studies or Film and Cultural Studies.
Dolores Martinez, Emeritus Reader in Anthropology and Associate Member of the Centre for Media and Film Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK, and Research Associate, ISCA, Oxford University, USA