The Akihabara district (Akiba) in Tokyo, once known as the spot for discount electronics stores, has become a veritable theme park of Japanese pop culture. With shops of all kinds, gaming centers, clubs, bars, and restaurants packed into an area of just 700 square meters, the Akiba can be a daunting place to navigate. This guidebook presents the wonderfully eccentric appeal of the district in an easy-to-understand and entertaining format.

A companion artbook to Akira, Akira Club is a collection of Otomo's visions, including over one hundred title-page illustrations created for the original serialization but not included with the published collections of Akira. The book also features alternate art, preliminary drawings, production sketches, and a variety of Akira posters, advertisements, and products, all accompanied by commentary by the artist himself.

All students of Japanese, whether they have studied physics or not, know the word "particle," and they realize that particles, like English prepositions, require a special effort to master. All About Particles covers 69 particles; the most common ones along with the less frequent. These particles have over 200 usages - sufficient to keep most students hard at work for a good many years.

See the world of Bleach in a blast of color! This art book showcases creator Tite Kubo's vibrant illustrations, including art from volumes 1-19 of the manga series, plus an annotated art guide and extra character information.

This readable, wide-ranging analysis brings you quickly up to speed on the ever-changing relationship between Japan and the United States. Drawing on history, cultural commentary, and opinion, the author portrays two nations in conflict yet increasingly connected.

Here are extended reviews of one hundred top Japanese animation films, TV series, and made-for-video series, from 1958 to the latest Cartoon Network hits. Each entry includes data, personnel, summary, style, critical comments, and viewer-discretion guides. From Akira to Yu Yu Hakusho, fans will learn tons of new information about old favorites, or will discover films they absolutely - zettai!! - have to see.

This long-awaited "companion" volume boasts over 500 all-new glossary-style entries to help you decipher anime's distinctive content, images, and cultural motifs! Ranging from Aikido to Zero fighters (with Japanese Mountain Vegetables in between), Gilles Poitras covers all the minute details of anime in fascinating detail, including illustrations, anime images, film citations, and numerous references to the related art of manga.

The first book to unlock the door to total anime consciousness! Over 500 encyclopedic entries with commentary and film references -- let the Anime Companion be your guide!

Bigger and better! This revised edition of the Anime Encyclopedia contains in-depth entries on anime both famous and obscure and an index/film finder. It is 40% larger than its predecessor with all-new entries on hundreds of anime released after 2001, updates on older entries, and over 50,000 words on anime creators (like Tezuka and Otomo) and genres ("Early Anime," "Science Fiction and Robots," etc.).

The prequel to the wildly successful Anime Companion, a new guide for every kind of fan is now available! What makes Japanese animation Japanese? Who's got the anime goods? What's it all mean anyway? Answering just about every question a fan has, Anime Essentials is an easy-to-read and fun-to-look-at overview of the pop culture phenomenon sweeping America.

Suddenly anime is exploding! But where did Japanese animation come from, and what does it all mean? Written for fans, culture watchers, and perplexed outsiders, this is an engaging tour of the anime universe, from its roots in traditional Japanese culture and art, its major themes (war and reincarnation, yaoi/yuri/fanboy love, giant robots, samurai) and contemporary expressions. Click for more!

This text examines the artistic development of anime, from its origins as a subset of the Japanese film industry to its modern-day status as one of the most popular forms of animation worldwide. The main body of the text comprises nine chapters, each of which is devoted to a detailed analysis of a chosen production and explores the technical and thematic developments pioneered in works such as Ninja Scroll, Perfect Blue, and Howl's Moving Castle.