The Manga Bible

Helen McCarthy was first introduced to anime and manga in 1981. With very little awareness of Japanese pop culture in Britain at that time, it took her over a decade to find a publisher for her first book Anime! A Beginners Guide To Japanese Animation, one of the first books to be published in the UK on the subject. In 1991, Helen co-founded the UK’s first professional anime magazine, Anime UK. The magazine won an international reputation, was sold in Japan, and helped to create the market for her first book. She later edited Manga Mania magazine, and has written over 100 articles for European, American, Japanese and online publications.

Helen has written over a dozen books, including works on anime and manga superstars Hayao Miyazaki, Osamu Tezuka and Leiji Matsumoto. She is co-author of The Anime Encyclopedia, considered the pre-eminent research guide to the medium. Her work has been published in eight languages including Japanese, Chinese and Korean, and has won several international awards. A popular speaker at venues all over the world, Helen has curated and presented a number of film seasons alongside contributing to exhibitions including the British Museum’s 2019 blockbuster exhibition Manga! In 2024, Helen is presenting a series of talks on Studio Ghibli all over the UK and Ireland, as well as writing two more books.