This book focuses on Tezuka Osamu to reposition Japanese anime and manga within the context of modern history and discusses the shift from immortal characters to characters who are mortal, injured/wounded, and have sexuality.
“Battles” are the most popular subject matter for animation, but are challenging when it comes to theory. One of the reasons is that “battles” erupt within the messiness of many factors including personal desires, the premise of a group’s establishment, and the trends of the times. I selected the books on this list to offer approaches for dealing with that messiness. The publications are listed in chronological order based on the release year for the animation work being discussed.
What exactly is the special appeal of the visual form/medium of animation, and what are the mechanisms that create such attraction? These references contain many hints to help you find answers to those questions.
This work has little to say about animation per se, but the argument proposed about “bodies that get hurt” is essential for thinking about “battles” in animation.