I'm in Two New Anime Books This Fall!
One of my big career regrets is that the two sides of my writing work rarely mix. I write anime news and features for websites and magazines, and I write short fiction (and sometimes non-fiction) for books. Rarely do the two worlds get to collide (the notable exception being my short story in Obverse Books' The Curse of Fanfic anthology), but this fall it will be happening twice in close succession.
Also, these things have been in the cooker for a fair bit of time, so I'm excited to finally be out with it.
The Essential Anime Guide is a collection of essays on 50 formative anime works across the decades. Headed up by Patrick Macias and Samuel Sattin, the book is illustrated by the colossally talented DenQ. Patrick and Sam write plenty of essays of their own, supplemented by more by other contributors... myself included.
I penned essays on two hits from KyoAni, and two shows I happen to love: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and K-On! This was a lot of fun, as the essays delve into how these shows changed the landscape of anime. For the former, I was relatively aware of its impact: I lived through Haruhiism and I have the cosplay to prove it. For the latter, I did a lot of research, and learned a lot about the ever-growing intersection of anime and pop music in Japan.
The book drops October 3, and you can pre-order it now from your favorite fine bookseller.
The second book, A Kid's Guide to Anime & Manga, once again has Patrick and Sam in the lead... this time with the equally talented Utomaru handling illustrations. I love the concept of this book, as helping kids delve into this awesome world is a personal joy. And something you will get asked about a lot if you're a fan whose friends have kids. Knowing these two, the recommendations and approach will be stellar.
Additionally, the book features interviews with fans who have carved out a professional niche for themselves: artists, translators, podcasters, and me! It was a lot of fun to get interviewed and dive into some old memories of being a Unico-obsessed grade-schooler. The other people interviewed are people I know and respect, or people I admire from afar, so I can't wait to read everyone else's stories! I also think it's a great lesson that more kids need: that with the right drive and passion, you can actually contribute to the thing you love.
A Kid's Guide to Anime & Manga comes out November 21, and you can pre-order it here.
Both of these books have been a long time in coming, and it's so exciting to see the covers in all their brightly-colored glory. If you grab a copy of one or both, be sure to let me know!
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