With the increasing popularity of anime and manga, a large number of new books on these topics are being written and published every day. Regardless of whether your interest in these topics is purely a hobby or you are conducting research for an essay or article, having several different books at your disposal can be extremely beneficial. Unfortunately, not all books meet the same standards. Some are written solely for entertainment purposes rather than to inform or educate. Because of this, you may come across books that have too much padding to be useful research tools. The following suggestions should help you learn how to identify the best academic books on these topics.
Research The author
As with all other types of books, the quality of the content comes down to the expertise of the author. By learning more about the author, you can determine if the contents of the book will be of any use to you without even having to read it. A good place to start is by looking at what makes the author an expert. Have you worked a lot in the field of manga or anime in the past? Do they give lectures or teach classes on the topics? This background information should help you identify whether the topic of the book will be strong enough to base your research on. Similarly, it will also help you avoid pieces of fluff that were written by hobbyists or other casual enthusiasts.
Look for books that have more text than pictures
While anime and manga are heavily image-based, a book that only contains images isn’t going to be very helpful in terms of research. Instead, you should look for books that are completely text-based or are a good mix of text and images. These books tend to have more valuable and usable content than those that are filled solely with pictures.
However, you can ignore the above rule if you are searching for encyclopedias. Certain specialized encyclopedias are aimed at fans of anime and manga. These guides often provide an in-depth analysis along with beautiful images. Although these books don’t usually go into great detail on a particular topic, they do help to give a broad overview of interesting subtopics within the broader genres. You can always look at the citations for any references that interest you to find out where to learn more about those particular topics. this will allow you to continue your research if you wish. Just be sure to look up encyclopedias that specifically target manga, otaku, and anime.
Read Japanese books on the subject
Depending on how good you are at reading and understanding Japanese, you may find it beneficial to look at anime and manga books written in Japanese. Because these books are usually written by people who are extremely familiar with anime and manga trends in Japan, it’s a great way to gain a deeper insight into the culture. Not only that, but adding these Japanese books to your references can make your work seem much more credible and better researched than simply using Western books.
In closing, if you’re looking for well-written anime and manga books to use for academic research, it’s important to choose books that are not only written by respected authors, but also use generous citations from other sources. Whether you opt for anime and manga-based encyclopedias for an overview of the subject, or for books that take a deeper look at these topics, as long as you choose your research material wisely, you should be able to write a compelling essay.