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Title: Conversing on a subject while lacking knowledge
Review: This book was written by a professor of Japanese culture and literature. She herself admits that she was not familiar to anime and manga before being introduced to it by a student. This shows, as the author makes many comparisons between series that are not compatible in order to draw out conclusions that seem forced. When I read of "Akira" being compared to "Ranma 1/2" and see that the supposed underlying theme is the alienation of Japanese youth, something about the text seems to smell. When she begins making slapstick comedy series out to be psychological commentaries on the concept of "carnival," I find myself becoming sceptical about how much she understands the medium of anime. My overall perception of this book is not that she explains anime to the reader, but that she uses specific elements in anime to prove the preconceived points she wishes to get across. This is not the worst book about anime, but it is pretty close to it.
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