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The Erotic Anime Movie Guide
Anime, or Japanese animation, is a true cultural phenomenon, with a fervent and ever-increasing following in the West. Of its many varied categories and genres, none is as endlessly fascinating and controversial as its approach to sex and the erotic. It's an unpredictable and highly charged area that has never been fully explored. Until now. In this pioneering work, the authors consider all aspects of the genre, including its use of comedy and violence, the treatment of women (both as characters and viewers) and, of course, the issue of censorship. The book also includes a detailed A-Z listing of over 200 erotic anime titles. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR YOUNGER READERS.
- GenresNonfictionFilmAnime
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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About the author
Helen McCarthy
24 books17 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 12, 2019
Save for the chapter on shounen ai, this is an excellently researched examination of the influences on the creation and marketing of hentai anime. There's a lot to glean about the role of censorship in Japan, Britain, and the US on the art, marketing, and public perception of anime as a whole. The author doesn't shy away from picking apart how gender roles in Japan inform the medium's types of characters and viewing preferences.
I would give this 5 stars if it could be updated to include new research on shounen ai for chapter 4 and changes to digital content in chapter 10. The author concedes that chapter 4 is the least researched and it shows; some of the author's pronouncements are at odds with the shounen ai research that's been done in the last 5 years. As it is, I'd recommend this guide, but skip Chapter 4 on shounen ai because it's rubbish.
I would give this 5 stars if it could be updated to include new research on shounen ai for chapter 4 and changes to digital content in chapter 10. The author concedes that chapter 4 is the least researched and it shows; some of the author's pronouncements are at odds with the shounen ai research that's been done in the last 5 years. As it is, I'd recommend this guide, but skip Chapter 4 on shounen ai because it's rubbish.
July 16, 2021
Here's what was so interesting about this book: I had no idea that all of Japanese porn was based on plausible deniability. That CAN'T be a penis, Mr Censor, because it's a tentacle. That CAN'T be semen because there's no penis on screen. Basically, they had to come up with new and creative (and sometimes horrible) ways to get around the censors...so they made everything worse than if there had been no censors to begin with.
It's not just a guide to hentai and sexy anime. This book tells the whole history of Japanese animated "erotica," from the origins of the Magical Girls series (like Sailor Moon) to the Overfiend series and all of its excesses, through modern (by 1996 standards) anime. Just FYI, not all of the series and movies mentioned are porn or even close to it. Some, like the Magical Girls, just paved the way for some genres of actual erotica, no matter how distasteful that might be.
And the authors have no problem calling out the stuff that they find distasteful. There is an entire industry of animated porn involving severely underage girls and they call it what it is. But for the rest of it, they explain the ingenuity of it all and the hoops they had to jump through to get by the Draconian censors. It's not just "Japanese people are weird." There's so much more to it. Most of those laws have been lifted at this point, so they no longer have to be so sneaky...but old habits die hard.
This isn't just a book for pervs. It's really for anyone who has any interest in anime. It only gets four stars mainly because it's so outdated (1996 doesn't feel that long ago, but I guess it is) and a couple of the chapters go on a bit too long. The five archetypes of female characters are interesting, but also pretty self-explanatory. We didn't need 2-3 pages on each one. And there's a lot about the business side of things that doesn't age well. I have a feeling that Overfiend is no longer the second most bought title in existence. Maybe? But probably not. Akira is probably still #1, though.
Because the book was co-written by a woman (who I think was probably the main author), the book itself has aged pretty well. There's no bits that were embarrassing to read in today's MeToo climate, so that's good. I would like an update of it, though. it seems due.
It's not just a guide to hentai and sexy anime. This book tells the whole history of Japanese animated "erotica," from the origins of the Magical Girls series (like Sailor Moon) to the Overfiend series and all of its excesses, through modern (by 1996 standards) anime. Just FYI, not all of the series and movies mentioned are porn or even close to it. Some, like the Magical Girls, just paved the way for some genres of actual erotica, no matter how distasteful that might be.
And the authors have no problem calling out the stuff that they find distasteful. There is an entire industry of animated porn involving severely underage girls and they call it what it is. But for the rest of it, they explain the ingenuity of it all and the hoops they had to jump through to get by the Draconian censors. It's not just "Japanese people are weird." There's so much more to it. Most of those laws have been lifted at this point, so they no longer have to be so sneaky...but old habits die hard.
This isn't just a book for pervs. It's really for anyone who has any interest in anime. It only gets four stars mainly because it's so outdated (1996 doesn't feel that long ago, but I guess it is) and a couple of the chapters go on a bit too long. The five archetypes of female characters are interesting, but also pretty self-explanatory. We didn't need 2-3 pages on each one. And there's a lot about the business side of things that doesn't age well. I have a feeling that Overfiend is no longer the second most bought title in existence. Maybe? But probably not. Akira is probably still #1, though.
Because the book was co-written by a woman (who I think was probably the main author), the book itself has aged pretty well. There's no bits that were embarrassing to read in today's MeToo climate, so that's good. I would like an update of it, though. it seems due.
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March 9, 2022This book was discussed on Episode 62 of The Secret Stacks.
February 22, 2016
Exactly what the title implies, with lots of information and illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews