For all serious anime fans...

[Charles RB]

... get the book <B>Anime - from AKIRA to PRINCESS MONONOKE - Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation,</B> by Susan Napier.
It studies anime in depth, works out what it says about Japanese culture, why certain themes are so popular and why it's caught on so well in the West.<P>It looks at nearly ALL the major themes in anime: BODY AND IDENTITY (mecha, identity crisis, metamorphosis, porn (you can't write an anime book w/out mentioning the hentai! ); MAGICAL GIRLS AND FANTASY WORLDS (yep, that IS the name of a chapter...); and HISTORICAL.
It does an in-depth look at some of the best, most popular and defining animes. You get to see the huge hits like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Princess Mononoke, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Legend of the Overfiend (or 4 Hours Of Naughty Tentacles ), plus lesser known ones like Grave of the Firefies, My Neighbour Toroto, Urusei Yatsura, Guyver and Only Yesterday.
And, interestingly, Gundam, Sailor Moon and Tenchi Muyo are only mentioned as footnotes. Dragonball Z isn't mentioned AT ALL, which says a LOT about its impact in anime. <P>Anyone else got this book? And if you are a serious anime fan w/out it, BUY IT OR I JAM <B>EVA 01</B> UP YER NETHER REGIONS!