Since its inception as an art form, anime has engaged assiduously with themes, symbols and narrative strategies drawn from the realm of magic. In recent years, the medium has increasingly turned to magic specifically as a metaphor for the exploration of a wide range of cultural, philosophical and psychological concerns. This book first examines a range of Eastern and Western approaches to magic in anime, addressing magical thinking as an overarching concept which unites the titles under scrutiny despite their generic and tonal diversity. It then explores the collusion of anime and magic with...

Exploring a selection of anime adaptations of famous works of both Eastern and Western provenance, this book is concerned with appreciating their significance and appeal as autonomous textual formations. The book evaluates three core facets of anime adaptation--how anime adaptations contribute to their original sources in stylistic, aesthetic, and psychological terms; how specific features of the anime medium impact alchemically on the original sources to bring into being imaginative works of autonomous nature; and which qualities render an adaptation in anime form a distinctly separate,...

Angela Carter, a prolific author who worked in numerous genres, remains one of the most important British writers of the last century. She was particularly renowned for her interrogation of cultural mythologies, which shape our lives but which we often leave unexamined. This text explores a selection of Carter's novels and short stories, supplemented with her perspectives on politics, society, aesthetics, and her attempts to redefine established popular genres such as the fairy tale. This critical work is a strong addition to the study of this important, but often overlooked, writer.

Since its debut manga RG Veda, CLAMP has steadily asserted itself as one of the most widely renowned teams of manga artists, leaving a durable imprint in every established genre while also devising some novel formulas along the way. Endowed not only with stylistic distinctiveness but also the caliber of a comprehensive cultural structure, CLAMP's output is distinguished by unique worldbuilding flair and visual vitality. Exploring a selection of CLAMP manga as well as anime it inspired, this volume examines CLAMP's broader philosophical underpinnings, its dedication to the invention of...

Ranging from Chretien de Troyes to Shakespeare, this study proposes that the chivalric romance is characterized by a centerless structure, self-conscious fictionality and a propensity for irony. The form is tied to historical reality, yet represents the archetype of imaginative literature, declaring its fictional status without claiming to embody fixed truths. Through use of irony, the chivalric romance precludes conclusive interpretations, inviting readers to inhabit multifold fantasy worlds while uncompromisingly showing that an ideal world is only a fiction. Thus the reader is...

Once a favorite of mainly art house audiences, Hayao Miyazaki's films have enjoyed increasing exposure in the West since his Spirited Away won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003. The award signaled a turning point for Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, bringing his films prominence in the media and driving their distribution in multiple formats. This book explores the closing decade of Miyazaki's career (2004-2013), providing a close study of six feature films to which he contributed, including three he directed ( Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo and The Wind Rises ). Seven short films created for...

Hayao Miyazaki has gained worldwide recognition as a leading figure in the history of animation, alongside Walt Disney, Milt Kahl, Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Yuri Norstein and John Lasseter. In both his films and his writings, Miyazaki invites us to reflect on the unexamined beliefs that govern our lives. His eclectic body of work addresses compelling philosophical and political questions and demands critical attention. This study examines his views on contemporary culture and economics from a broad spectrum of perspectives, from Zen and classical philosophy and Romanticism, to existentialism,...