I love anime! Drawing Japanese pictures is awesome. I don’t have many friends, so drawing pictures keeps me entertained. This book was great for me because it had lots of Japanese pictures in it. People call me a nerd for drawing Japanese pictures and listening to country music, but I don’t care!
Rating: 5 / 5

This book is a huge help for begging otaku or anybody who would like to find out more about the wonderful world of anime!

BEST ANIME COMPANION BOOK EVER

Will Kressin
anime video store owner for 10 years
Rating: 5 / 5

This guide to Japanese animation covers all aspects of animation; from the pop culture which surrounds it and the history of its rise outside of Japan to anime genres, actors, distributors and products. Collectors and fans of anime will find Anime Essentials fascinating and informative.
Rating: 5 / 5

A wonderful resource for all anime fans, from seasoned otaku to people just getting interested in this wonderful artform! Lots of great pix, fascinating “did you know” pieces of trivia, heartfelt rants, and plenty of hard-to-find information about the best new titles and where to get them. ***In particular, be sure to check out the amazing list of the 40+ recommended anime titles and books (both classic and esoteric) at the back of the book!! In short, ANIME ESSENTIALS: EVERY THING A FAN NEEDS TO KNOW is indeed an *essential* buy for all anime fans, and a worthy follow-up to the author’s earlier book, The Anime Companion.
Rating: 5 / 5

I was a big fan of the author’s “Anime Companion,” so I was excited when this book came out. However, it fails to live up to its promise to assist newcomers, parents and so forth. While it does have some information that is useful to a new anime fan, I find that as something to help parents make an informed decision, the book fails.
The problem is, the author can’t bring himself to talk about the darker aspects of anime frankly. Hence when he offers some warnings about popular series and gets to “Tenchi Muyo” (aka “No Need for Tenchi”), he issues a warning to parents: “Some Characters end up fighting to save others.” The problem is, the issue most parents would have with the uncut series in question is the flagrant nudity, which goes completely unmentioned. Also, he cites McCarthy and Clement’s “Erotic Anime Movie Guide” with its limited listing of movies as a proof that Japan doesn’t have much anime porn. However, he fails to admit that Clements and Mccarthy quite clearly state that the section was not meant to be exhaustive. This makes the book come off sounding deceptive. Therefore one becomes troubled when he says that when parents see something like Violence or nudity in an anime, they shouldn’t just turn it off, but rather discuss it with their children. Imagine applying that advice to a kid caught watching “Robocop” or “Debbie Does Dallas.”
Rating: 1 / 5