Manga: The Complete Guide
Encyclopedia
Manga: The Complete Guide is a 2007 encyclopedia
written by Jason Thompson
and published by Del Rey
which provides basic details and short reviews of over 1000 Japanese manga
titles that have been translated and released in English in North America. Though Thompson is listed as the author on the cover, some titles' entries were initially written by other reviewers, which Thompson later edited.
in 2000 when he first began wanting to craft a manga encyclopedia. At the time, there was little interest in publishing it, so Thompson remained at Viz. Thompson became the first editor-in-chief of the company's newly launched Shonen Jump
manga anthology. The magazine was highly successful, but Thompson wanted to work on his own projects and stepped down after six issues when Viz declined his request to switch to part-time work. In 2005, Del Rey
approached Thompson about his idea for a manga encyclopedia, reviving the project. It took two years to compile the book, and Thompson resigned from Viz to do so. The main difference between Thompson's original concept and the published version is that he originally intended the work to be organized by artist rather than title, and wanted to place more emphasis on manga's relationship to the more popular anime
medium.
While Thompson is listed as the book's author, a group of twenty-four other writers helped craft some of the entries, brought in when Thompson "started to stress from all the workload". Thompson then read and corrected the entries if he felt they were inaccurate. The other writers included Patrick Macias
, Patricia Duffield, Julie Davis, Derek Guder, Carl Gustav Horn, Hannah Santiago, Leia Weathington, Shaenon Garrity, and Mark Simmons, a Gundam
expert.
and "adult" manga each have their own section at the back of the book. In addition to covering individual titles, Manga: The Complete Guide includes information on the basics of the Japanese language
and a glossary containing information on numerous anime and manga related terms, concepts of manga culture like magical girl
and dōjinshi
, and Japanese pastimes seen in many of the translated manga.
noted that there are only "a few minor instances of incomplete information" in the volume, and found it "highly useful for reference, readers' advisory, and collection development" of libraries.
Anime News Network
described it as "highly addicting" and said it provided something for readers at all levels of knowledge of manga. While Comic Book Bin described it as an indispensable reference for writing about manga, Ain't It Cool News
noted that it had "less personality" than Helen McCarthy
and Jonathan Clements
' The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917
. Manga: The Complete Guide was nominated for an Eisner Award
in 2008, under the category "Best Comics-Related Book", but lost to Douglas Wolk
's Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean.
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
written by Jason Thompson
Jason Thompson (writer)
Jason Thompson is a manga critic, journalist, writer and comics artist.-Life and career:...
and published by Del Rey
Del Rey Books
Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn since 1998, by Bertelsmann AG. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. It specializes in science fiction and fantasy...
which provides basic details and short reviews of over 1000 Japanese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
titles that have been translated and released in English in North America. Though Thompson is listed as the author on the cover, some titles' entries were initially written by other reviewers, which Thompson later edited.
Development
Jason Thompson was a manga editor for Viz MediaVIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
in 2000 when he first began wanting to craft a manga encyclopedia. At the time, there was little interest in publishing it, so Thompson remained at Viz. Thompson became the first editor-in-chief of the company's newly launched Shonen Jump
Shonen Jump (magazine)
Shonen Jump, officially stylized SHONEN JUMP and abbreviated SJ, is a shōnen manga anthology published in North America by Viz Media. It debuted in November 2002 with the first issue having a January 2003 cover date...
manga anthology. The magazine was highly successful, but Thompson wanted to work on his own projects and stepped down after six issues when Viz declined his request to switch to part-time work. In 2005, Del Rey
Del Rey Manga
was the manga-publishing imprint of Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, which in turn is part of Random House, the publishing division of Bertelsmann. It was formed as part of a cross-publishing relationship with Japanese publisher Kodansha. Some of the Del Rey titles, such as Tsubasa...
approached Thompson about his idea for a manga encyclopedia, reviving the project. It took two years to compile the book, and Thompson resigned from Viz to do so. The main difference between Thompson's original concept and the published version is that he originally intended the work to be organized by artist rather than title, and wanted to place more emphasis on manga's relationship to the more popular anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
medium.
While Thompson is listed as the book's author, a group of twenty-four other writers helped craft some of the entries, brought in when Thompson "started to stress from all the workload". Thompson then read and corrected the entries if he felt they were inaccurate. The other writers included Patrick Macias
Patrick Macias
Patrick Macias is an author and co-author of several titles on pop culture fandom, specifically relating to Japanese culture and otaku culture in America...
, Patricia Duffield, Julie Davis, Derek Guder, Carl Gustav Horn, Hannah Santiago, Leia Weathington, Shaenon Garrity, and Mark Simmons, a Gundam
Gundam
The is a metaseries of anime created by Sunrise studios that features giant robots called "Mobile Suits" ; usually the protagonist's MS will carry the name Gundam....
expert.
Synopsis
Each title has at least a one paragraph description that includes the demographic (shōjo, shōnen, seinen or josei), a rating out of four stars, and an age advisory, including a description of any objectionable content. YaoiYaoi
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
and "adult" manga each have their own section at the back of the book. In addition to covering individual titles, Manga: The Complete Guide includes information on the basics of the Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and a glossary containing information on numerous anime and manga related terms, concepts of manga culture like magical girl
Magical girl
belong to a sub-genre of Japanese fantasy anime and manga. Magical girl stories feature young girls with superhuman abilities, forced to fight evil and to protect the Earth. They often possess a secret identity, although the name can just refer to young girls who follow a plotline involving magic...
and dōjinshi
Dojinshi
is the Japanese term for self-published works, usually magazines, manga or novels. Dōjinshi are often the work of amateurs, though some professional artists participate as a way to publish material outside the regular industry. The term dōjinshi is derived from and . Dōjinshi are part of a wider...
, and Japanese pastimes seen in many of the translated manga.
Reception
Mania.com criticized the paperback packaging as being "flimsy" and felt it over-rated strange manga and was impatient with longer series, but that it compensated for these shortcomings by its "sheer usefulness". The Library JournalLibrary Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
noted that there are only "a few minor instances of incomplete information" in the volume, and found it "highly useful for reference, readers' advisory, and collection development" of libraries.
Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
described it as "highly addicting" and said it provided something for readers at all levels of knowledge of manga. While Comic Book Bin described it as an indispensable reference for writing about manga, Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News is a website founded and run by Harry Knowles, dedicated to news, rumors and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films and television projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic-book and action genres...
noted that it had "less personality" than Helen McCarthy
Helen McCarthy
Helen McCarthy is the British author of such anime reference books as 500 Manga Heroes and Villains, Anime!, The Anime Movie Guide and Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation. She is the co-author of The Erotic Anime Movie Guide and the exhaustive The Anime Encyclopedia with Jonathan Clements...
and Jonathan Clements
Jonathan Clements
Jonathan Clements is a British author and scriptwriter. His non-fiction works include biographies of Confucius, Koxinga and Qin Shihuangdi , as well as monthly opinion columns for Neo magazine...
' The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917
The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917
The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 is a 2001 encyclopedia written by Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy. It was published in 2001 by Stone Bridge Press in the United States, and a "revised and expanded" edition was released in 2007. In the United Kingdom, it was...
. Manga: The Complete Guide was nominated for an Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
in 2008, under the category "Best Comics-Related Book", but lost to Douglas Wolk
Douglas Wolk
Douglas Wolk is a Portland, Oregon-based author and critic. He has written about comics and popular music for publications including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, The Nation, The New Republic, Salon.com, Pitchfork Media, and The Believer...
's Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean.