Research guides: Film Genres: Anime

Find Anime Resources at UofT & Online

Search with Subject Headings in the Library Catalogue

Go to UTL LibrarySearch Advanced Search
Enter any of the Subject Heading found below exactly as it appears in the Search Box
Choose Subject from the Search Filters drop-down menu on the left
Press Enter or click on the Magnifying Glass icon

For additional information on subject headings in LibrarySearch, visit How can I use subject headings to improve my searching?

Subject Headings

Anime
Animated Films Japan
Animated Films Japan History And Criticism
Miyazaki Hayao 1941 Criticism And Interpretation
Miyazaki Hayao 1941
Manga
Japan Comic Books Strips Etc
Animated Films
Animated Television
Animation

Streaming Media
Computer & Video Games
Criticism And Interpretation
Popular Culture
Science Fiction films
Artificial intelligence Philosophy
Science In Motion Pictures
Technology In Motion Pictures
Robots In Motion Pictures
Cyborgs In Motion Pictures
Dystopian Films

for books about Individual directors (Search as above; use last name, first name):

e.g., Hayao Miyazaki, etc.

for books about Individual films (Search as above; use last name, first name):

e.g., princess mononoke, "Spirited Away" etc.

for Animation film studios (headings vary; search as above):

e.g., “Studio Ghibli”

Browse the physical shelves with call numbers:

Browse the following call number ranges in Robarts Library (for English resources) and in East Asian Library (for the original Japanese version):

PN6790.J33 and PN6790.J34 (Manga books)
NC1709 (Comic books in Japan)
NC1766.J3 (Anime books)
PN1997.5 (Anime DVDs)

Search the online catalogue using keywords

Use the search on UTL's homepage

Search an anime or manga creator's name or work title. Search online for Miyazaki Hayao
Use "manga OR comics" and limit to Online. Search online
Use "anime OR animated films" and limit format to Video/Film. Search online
Use "manga" or "anime" and limit to the language=English

Browse the catalogue

PN6790.J33 and PN6790.J34 (Manga books)
UTL offers a breath of Video/Film resources. Use filter for optimal result. Browse online

Using streaming services available at UofT

Streaming Video with UofT

Bibliographies - Anime

Oxford Bibliographies Online

Oxford Bibliographies Online (OBO): These links will take you to annotated bibliographies that highlight key resources (books, book chapters, essays, articles, reviews) on the topic. Look up the resources using the UofT LIbraries system or contact Cinema Studies Librarian, Kate Johnson if you need help in accessing the materials.

Web-based Bibliographies

Annual Bibliography of Anime and Manga Studies (web)
This website publishes comprehensive listings of academic publications (books, book chapters, and journal articles) on Japanese animation, comics, and related topics that were published in English in a given year.
IMPORTANT: if a resources is not linked to UofT Libraries and paywall is encountered, search for title via UofT LibrarySearch

Visit Toronto libraries with Japan-focused collections

Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library - Collections & research supports
Explore the physical and digital collections and connect with research expertise available through U of Toronto's East Asian Library (8th Floor of Robarts Library) including: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, East Asian, and Asian Canadian Studies.
Japan Foundation Library, Toronto
Toronto Public LIbrary - Anime Collections
Toronto Public Library has print, DVD, and digital collections of Anime (explore using the filters on the left side of the linked page). All UofT Students can apply to get a TPL card since they are enrolled at a Toronto Educational Institution. Learn more about getting a library card https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library

Other Research Guides - Anime

National Cinemas Guide - Japan
Research guide: East Asian Cinema
UofT LibrarySearch Tips Guide
Use this guide to help you navigate the new system. Learn how to:
>> use the basic or advance search tool,
>> narrow your results with search filters, read your results
>> save searches, use citation tools
Global Asia Studies Resources @ UTSC
UofT Scarborough Campus - curated research guide

Scholarly Journals - Anime and more

Want to narrow the scope of your research? Try searching one particular scholarly journal. The journal files are typically hosted in a larger database or within the publication's online archive.

Not sure how to build an effective search? Explore UofT Library Research Skills Modules for tips.

Anime and animation

The Journal of Anime and Manga Studies
(2020 - ) Peer reviewed
Mechademia: An Annual Forum for Anime, Manga and Fan Arts
(2006 - ) Peer reviewed
Animation: an interdisciplinary journal
(2006 +), Peer Reviewed.
"The journal addresses all animation made using all known (and yet to be developed) techniques - from 16th century optical devices to contemporary digital media - revealing its implications on other forms of time-based media expression past, present and future."
Animation Studies
(2006 - ) Peer reviewed
Animation Journal
(1992 - )

Comics Studies

The Comics Grid: Journal of Comics Scholarship
(2011 - ) Peer reviewed
"The Comics Grid is a collaborative, peer-edited online academic journal dedicated to comics scholarship. Its purpose is to make original contributions to the field of comics scholarship and to advance the appreciation of comic art within academia and the general cultural mediascape. This journal seeks to function as an online laboratory where different critical approaches to comics are publicly and collectively put to test. Though our scope wants to be as diverse as possible, our initial aim is to focus on the analysis of specific comics page layouts and panels."
International journal of comic art.
(1999 - )
Journal of graphic novels & comics.
(2010 - ) peer reviewed

Japan / East Asian / Cultural Studies

Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema
(2009)+ Be sure to check the date of the links in the catalogue.
This is a peer-reviewed journal devoted to the cinemas of Japan and Korea and the interactions and relations between them.
Asian Studies Review
(1990 - ) Peer reviewed
Japan Forum
(1989 - ) Peer reviewed
Japanese Studies
The Journal of Japanese Studies
(1974 - )
New voices in Japanese Studies
(2015 - ) Peer reviewed
"An interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal showcasing the work of emerging scholars from Australia and New Zealand with research interests in Japan."
Journal of popular culture
Peer-reviewed
Transformative works and cultures
(2008 - ) Peer reviewed

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Science Fiction Film and Television
(2008+) Peer-reviewed. biannual, peer-reviewed journal published by Liverpool University Press. With an international board of advisory editors, it encourages dialog among the scholarly and intellectual communities of film studies, sf studies and television studies.
Science Fiction Studies
(1973 - ) a scholarly journal that publishes articles and book reviews on science fiction (sf), broadly defined
Journal of the fantastic in the arts
(Online Access: 1998-Current) JFA, published since 1988, is an interdisciplinary journal devoted to the study of the fantastic in Literature, Art, Drama, Film, and Popular Media.

Research Guides

Film Genres

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