Japanimania Americana: About the Author

Letter from the Author

Dear Friends,

After five, going on six successful years of Japanimania Americana, I'm ready to let the site surf off into cyberspace and drift where it will. Professional and family obligations, as well as other personal Web projects (and a shift in my own scholarly interests!), have pushed the poor site to the backseat for the last few years despite my best intentions to update the essays and site layout.

Please keep in mind that the information on this site was gathered in 1998. At the time that I created this site, there was little available to the typical fangirl on the Web by way of a simple explanation of how anime evolved, how it affects its audience, what people think about it in the United States or elsewhere outside of Japan, or just general information about the medium itself (most of what could be easily found in English were shrines to particular characters or series). One of my goals for this series of essays, then, was to establish a site for information about anime in general, one that was concise and accessible to the general consumer.

Over the last six years, there have been significant changes in the distribution and reception of anime worldwide, and a huge leap of interest within the research community. For more contemporary essays and information, I suggest visiting the Anime/Manga Web Essay Archive by Mikhail Koulikov. Avid researchers should consider joining the Anime and Manga Research Circle (includes mailing list), where you can talk with others of various backgrounds and experience who share your interest in the scholoarly research of anime.

I appreciate the opportunity that I've had to share this information with you and with others around the world, and I thank everyone for the wonderful guestbook comments. I hope that you'll continue to find value in this site and others that promote the fruitful interdisciplinary study of Japanese animation.

Sincerely,
Sheri Le