Anime is from Japan, so it's full of all sorts of cultural details that are downright perplexing ...unless you're Japanese or unless you've got The Anime Companion. Find out why characters wear belly bands and what nosebleeds really mean. Learn about the Edo Jidai and those games they play at New Year's. Gilles Poitras has taken his popular anime website and created a new print version that's filled with curious details and fresh insights drawn from dozens of the most popular anime. And for students of Japanese, The Anime Companion is a great way to learn about Japan while indulging in your favorite pastime. Combining personal passion with an intelligent sense of perspective, this enjoyable book is just right for dipping into, full of amusing and informative snippets which fans will love and even non-fans can enjoy.-Helen McCarthy, author of The Complete Anime Guide I've worked on over 20,000 pages of manga over the last ten years, and I still learned quite a bit from this fascinating book. For anyone with more than the most casual interest in anime and manga, The Anime Companion should be on their coffee table right next to the remote control. -Toren Smith, Studio Proteus Entire generations of English speakers now receive their first exposure to Japanese culture through anime. But many cultural references can be puzzling. Gilles Poitras's book is like a Rosetta Stone for confused anime fans. Before slipping that next anime video into your VCR, make sure this book's handy!-Frederik L. Schodt, author of Manga! Manga! and Dreamland Japan Categories covered: Building/Structure/Landmark Clothing Culture Entertainment/Game Food And Drink General Geographical Feature/Location History/Society Home Nature People Religion/Mythology/Belief Sports/Activity Weaponry/War Sample Entry: AIDORU (IDOL SINGER) Pop singers. Idol singers are not unique to Japan; every modern country has its clean-cut prefabricated stars known for their short careers. In Japan highly competitive management companies maneuver to get their latest singers in the spotlight for as long as they can before the nex