A titular misnomer, Helen McCarthy and Jonathan Clements' The Anime Encyclopedia isn't necessarily an encyclopedia but rather a comprehensive collection of short, well-researched reviews, purportedly of every anime title since 1917. The word "encyclopedia," especially a specialized one such as this, infers the objective coverage of myriad topics within a subject in need of clarification - in this case, the subject of anime. And so when word first spread of McCarthy and Clements' work on an anime encyclopedia, visions of it being a multi-volume, cross-referenced tome of knowledge that treated "anime" as its own world, governed by its own rules, and populated by a colorful cadre of characters - who though they may not have appeared in the same show together, are most certainly members of that marginalized medium of the modern mundo, Japanese animation - tantalized the palates of anime fans and journalists alike. And considering that it was both late coming out and hyped for years prior to its publication, expectations only expanded. Ah, to look up "protoculture" and have the complexity of the Macross conceit lay before you in a tome of knowledge. Perchance to muse on missing chapters in the life of one Yusaku Godai and have his popping the question to Kyoko Otonashi nestled into the pages of the great book.
However, what eventually squeezed through the Stone Bridge press is a substantial work, made all the more gripping by McCarthy and Clements' scholarly prowess and a characteristic wry wit that appeals to the learned otaku as much as the novice straight in from the consumer ranks of Dragonball Z. Modeled on McCarthy's 1996 release The Anime Movie Guide, The Anime Encyclopedia summarizes over 2000 anime titles, provides pithy but provocative editorials on each one and lists main credits and any alternative titles. Most impressive, and perhaps the most exhaustive task in creating this work, are two indices invaluable to navigating the book. One is an extensive list of all of the anime titles covered and all the titles for shows even referenced in the text - a listing for The Rocky Horror Picture Show refers to page 142 where the authors site the cult classic as an inspiration for the name of one of the characters in the anime Giant Robo. But probably even more useful, the second index is called "Names and Studios," and lists nearly every artist, character, company, mogul (and a wealth of other proper nouns) mentioned by McCarthy and Clements. There's an entry for Victor Hugo, which refers to page 218 on which rests coverage of a 1979 animated Les Misérables. It is this index that graduates the book from a mere guide to an encyclopedia.
Though the tone of the work slips into informality at times, especially when McCarthy's voice rings loudly in opposition to titles that indulge blatantly disgusting sexism, the prose is strong, the research impressive, and the opinions … well, usually right.
