Introduction

Summary

The Introduction delineates the types of manga and anime addressed in this Companion and how they are approached, before outlining the individual contributions in the order of their appearance, as well as their interrelations. It begins with the terms used for “manga” and “anime” in Japanese whose scope is narrowed to the globally recognizable types in order to accommodate their correlation within this book. Historical, aesthetic, demographic, subcultural, and industrial commonalities of the two media forms are mentioned. This is followed by a brief explanation of the book’s prevailing new-formalist approach, which manifests in its structure: nine sections on specific aspects that are addressed from the perspectives of manga studies and anime studies respectively. Finally, the decision to do without a particular history chapter, and having historical commentary be interspersed throughout the volume instead, is clarified.