The Bright Side Of Latest Manga Releases
As the buzz around the manga and anime subcultures deepens more and more books on the subjects are going to be published. Whether you want to get more information about the culture to enrich your hobby or write an academic work or article, the abundance of books available can prove constructive for you. On the contrary, since manga and anime come from the arena of popular culture not all books written about them are equally valuable or informative sufficient to be deemed constructive. As in all cases of popular media the risk of encountering a book full of fluff and lacking in useful content is high. Here are a few criteria that will help you spot the very best academic books on anime and manga:
The most reliable books are always those written by experts. The first step after picking a subject and being presented with a list of books is to check their authors' history. Was the book written by a professor or lecturer? If not does he or she has a history of working in the manga or anime industry? The importance of the author's background should not be taken lightly. Learning from, and later quoting, a knowledgeable person on any subject is definitely preferable. Avoid books that were written by casual magazines, news groups or enthusiasts. These have a tendency to be superficial and lack relevant citations to back their claims.
If possible always flip by way of a book to determine how the layout and written content appears. Some books on anime and manga are informative enough but are picture-heavy. Books which are filled to the bream with pictures at the cost of text will most likely not give you enough information and will prove counter-productive.
The only exceptions to the rule above are encyclopedias. There are encyclopedias created specifically to cater to anime, manga and otaku fans. They often analyse certain products/phenomena while also providing pictures. Encyclopedias usually do not offer more than 1 or 2 pages on each subject but are great for discovering new subject and expending your investigation scope. They're also often augmented with rare interviews and will always have citations. They can be your reference books and will point you to more in-depth books on the subject you wish to research. There are a surprising range of encyclopedias about Japan and Japanese culture but your very best bet would be to start reading the basic (yet valuable) manga, anime and otaku encyclopedias.
In the event you are proficient enough in the Japanese language and are writing an academic work you may choose to add a couple of Japanese books to your research pile. Japanese experts on manga and anime have written many books on the subject and also can provide invaluable information on how these trends operate within their native country of Japan. When writing about find manga and anime citations from Japanese books will considerably enhance the credibility of your work and will give you priority over researchers who chose only to include books authored by Western experts.
To conclude, to be able to spot the top academic books on manga and anime you should get familiar with the names of the leading experts in the field, and always check in the event the book in the event that has sufficient text and a good amount of citations. Specialized Encyclopedias usually offer less information but broaden your horizon, while available and accessible books in Japanese can be wonderful resources and give you a significant edge.
