Tokyo, in the early aughts, was a weird place. Lonely single men wanted to marry action figures instead of women. High school girls worked at maid cafes and were paid to act like Manga characters. Nightclubs filled with kids in anime cosplay who danced to remixed versions of cartoon theme songs.People's private obsessions, once confined to bedrooms and computer screens, were transforming entire city blocks.Long before global media, Pharrell Williams, and mi...

Japanese schoolgirl fashions and subcultures have sprung up, burned out, mutated, and evolved into a pop culture phenomenon gone global—from Gwen Stefani's "Harajuku Girls" to Gothic Lolita-fueled manga and the deadly schoolgirl in Kill Bill, it's no wonder that international fashion designers look to the streets of Tokyo for fresh inspiration. This playful and thoroughly researched handbook examines the key styles and subcultures past and present: sailor-suited gangsters...

An accessible, inclusive guide aimed at helping young fans celebrate their okatu spirit by sharing the history of anime and manga while giving young readers advice on how to explore and interact with this fandom.Whether they're watching anime on Netflix and Crunchyroll or bringing home stacks of manga from the library or bookstore, there is no denying that young fans need a guidebook to help them navigate this geeky space. Written by anime and manga fans, writers, ...

Featuring 50 of the most influential and essential Japanese animated series and films—from Akira to Cowboy Bebop to Sailor Moon—this expert guideis the must-have book for anime fans young and old.The Essential Anime Guide is the guide every fan needs to the classic, must-see anime series and films that transformed both Japanese and Western pop culture. Organized by release date and with entries by experts in the...