The Discovery of Anime and Manga

“In the book we see iconic Japanese anime characters such as Astroboy, Doraemon, Dragon Ball, My Neighbor Totoro, Sailor Moon, Pokemon, One Piece, One Punch Man and more. This makes the book not only fun for children, but also for adults, as they can flip through and remember beloved childhood characters. The story moves along with bright bold illustrations by Juan Calle. Each page is a love letter to manga, making this a delightful read for children and parents.” - Sampan

“Brimming with colorful, dynamic illustrations...The Discovery of Anime & Manga is an eye-opening tour.” - Midwest Book Review

"I will never forget watching My Neighbor Totoro with my daughter and the worlds that the film ushered in for me. I had never experienced moving images, sounds, pictures, music in quite that way before and the potentials and powers of animated film strongly impacted me as a scholar. It was then that I recognized that anime and manga had the kind of beauty that Susan Sontag described about as ‘a beauty with adjectives, arranged on a scale of ascending value and incorruptibility.’ In Amara and Chin’s The Discovery of Anime and Manga told through stunning illustrations by Calle, they offer a detailed, storied account of the evolution of anime and manga in Japan and eventually around the world. From whimsical drawings in the early twentieth century to kamishibai tales told in on street corners to the ubiquity of adults and children drawing anime and manga embodying otaku in their everyday lives. Everyone should read this history book to get a true understanding about the significance of not just anime and manga, but the power of multimodality on how we think and learn."

—Dr. Jennifer Rowsell, Professor of Literacies and Social Innovation, University of Bristol, School of Education