As popular as anime has become in the United States, it is still not mainstream entertainment. So many parents are at a loss to understand this thing that their kids have an interest in, and sometimes an obsession with. In this vein, I often get questions from other parents about what anime their kids might enjoy. While I certainly have an opinion on what I like in anime and the shows my own kids enjoy, it isn’t always easy to translate that into recommendations for another family.

So, with some gentle prodding from my wife, I’m writing a parent’s guide to anime, manga, and cosplay. I’m not looking to make specific recommendations of which anime series kids should be watching, so much as giving some background and general guidelines. There are a number of such guides on web sites across the net, but many of these focus only on anime. And I think an eBook might be a more effective way of reaching a target audience more comfortable searching for books than searching the web.  My hope is to produce a concise guide that will allay much of the fear that American parents have when it comes to anime, manga, and cosplay.

It is true that Japanese anime is created in a culture that necessarily has a different worldview than American culture. But Japanese parents love their children just as much as American ones do. And they wrestle with the same challenges raising their children. My hope is to show that not only is there nothing to fear in anime, but maybe American parents should get into it too!