Understanding Manga Content Websites
As the buzz around the manga and anime subcultures deepens increasingly more books on the subjects are increasingly being published. Whether you want to know more about the culture to enrich your hobby or write an academic work or article, the abundance of books available can prove constructive for you. Conversely, since manga and anime come from the realm of popular culture not all books written about them are equally valuable or informative sufficient to be deemed constructive. As in all of the 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 may help you spot the top academic books on anime and manga:
The most reliable books tend to be those authored 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 she or he has a history of doing work in the manga or anime industry? The significance of the author's background should not be taken lightly. Gaining knowledge from, and later quoting, a knowledgeable person on any subject is definitely preferable. Avoid books that have been authored by casual magazines, news groups or enthusiasts. These tend to be superficial and lack relevant citations to back their claims.
If possible always flip through a book to see 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 as well as can prove counterproductive.
The only exceptions to the rule above are encyclopedias. You can find encyclopedias created specifically to cater to anime, manga and otaku fans. They frequently analyse certain products/phenomena while also providing pictures. Encyclopedias usually don't 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're your reference books and will point you to more in-depth books on the topic you wish to research. You can find an unexpected range of encyclopedias about Japan and Japanese culture but your best bet would be to start reading the fundamental (yet valuable) manga, anime and otaku encyclopedias.
If you are proficient enough in the Japanese language and also are writing an academic work you could choose to add a couple of Japanese books to your investigation pile. Japanese experts on manga and anime have written many books on the topic and can also provide invaluable information on how these trends operate within their native country of Japan. When writing about manga and anime citations from Japanese books will significantly enhance the credibility of your work and can give you priority over researchers who chose only to include books written by Western experts.
To conclude, as a way to spot the top academic books on manga and anime you should familiarize yourself with the names of the leading experts in the field, and always check should the book in the event that has sufficient text and a good manga website, just click the up coming article, amount of citations. Specialized Encyclopedias often offer less information but broaden your horizon, while available and accessible books in Japanese may be wonderful resources and provide you an important edge.
