This is the second list of some of the more interesting anime items that I
have found at both BOOKS NIPPAN and WYVERN WEB GRAPHICS. This listing
also contains some of my thoughts and opinions about the items.
I feel this might be handy for some of you newcomers to anime like myself
who are thinking of getting some of these items. If you folks find this
listing interesting and handy, please send me some feed back, and I will
do monthly updates since I am always looking for new and interesting anime
stuff. Come to think of it, if you folks have any products that you have
bought that you would like to comment on, please E-mail them to me and I
will include them with the next list.
There are no prices listed here since this is not a catalog. Also, even
though I have found these items at Books Nippan and Wyvern Web
Graphics,
there are also several good Japanese book and record stores in
most major
cities that may also stock some of these items listed here.
By the way, here are the addresses of two of the best sources for
Japanamation stuff in the US:
WYVERN WEB GRAPHICS
P.O. BOX 560805
ORLANDO, FLORIDA 32856
BOOKS NIPPAN ANIMATION FAN CLUB
1123 DOMINGUEZ STREET, UNIT K,
CARSON, CALIFORNIA 90746
Please send any questions or comments to my E-mail address 75156,1067 or
post me a message here in the forum.
Before I go on, here is some corrections for the last listing submitted to
me by Takayuki Karahashi (one of the people who have been VERY helpful in
helping me explore anime here on the Forum)...
EasyPlex
Date: 03-Jan-87 23:45 EST
From: Takayuki Karahashi [75165,656]
Subj: Stuff
Well, I was the first one to download your "Stuff" file. The Baycon book says
the name of the composer of Nausicaa's music is Mamoru Hisaishi, but it's a
mistake. His name is Jo (or Joe?) Hisaishi. . .Shin Kazama is tricked into
joining the foreign legion in Aslan, a fictional country in the Middle East. .
HAruhiko Mikimoto--remember, the guy who signs his artwork "HAL". . .just
trying to be picky.
===============
COMPACT DISCS:
(These titles are also available in LP form, although they may not contain
as many songs as available on the CD versions.)
SYMPHONIC SUITE MACROSS
Well I have mixed feelings about this title, but not the music...the
music is great! A word of warning to collectors who are looking to expand
their collection of music from the Macross TV show and Movie: The title of
this disc is VERY misleading. None of the compositions on this disc
appeared in either the TV show or the movie...even though the music is by
the same composer. I know many fans that have made the mistake of thinking
that this contains music from the show.
This disc is actually a MUSICAL INTERPRETATION of the characters and
situations presented in the Macross shows as seen by the
composer...er...to put it another way...this is sorta a musical sketch
book of the composers interpretation of...er...well let's just say that
the composer is trying to describe the Macross story and characters
through just his music...no pictures and dialogue. Personally I hate the
whole concept of Music Interpretation albums.
The music on the other hand is beautiful soft orchestral and jazz
music...very moody and very soothing. A great addition to your collection
if you enjoyed the works of the composer of the music of Macross. The
recording was also handled very well, though I can't tell if it was
recorded and/or mixed digitaly.
For the "Macross only" fan, there is nothing here to recommend.
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK MUSIC : MEGAZONE 23 PART 1 AND 2
I highly recommend these two albums...they contain some of the best
action-based Rock and Roll soundtrack music that is among the best that I
have ever heard. Most of todays better Rock and Roll based instrumental
soundtrack music has a clean and stark high tech edge to it (take the
Miami Vice soundtrack music for example) because of the minimal number of
instruments and synthesizers used to create it. Well, the Megazone
soundtracks take the opposite approach...tons of instruments (even full
orchestra on some tracks) backing up some of the best electric guitar and
synthesizer soundtrack music ever! High tech sound with a lush feel to it.
The albums also feature the excellent pop songs sung by the character
Eve. Great pop/rock vocals! I just can't keep these albums out of my CD
player! What's even harder is trying to decide which albums from which of
the two parts I'm going to play next for the 100th time...
BOOKS:
MACROSS POCKET ENCYCLOPEDIAs
Ok, so you're looking for a good book on Macross...you don't care to
blow $90 on the MACROSS MOVIE DELUXE book...and the limited edition
reprint of MACROSS PERFECT MEMORY has just sold out...what do you do?
Well, the next best thing is to buy one or both of the MACROSS POCKET
ENCYCLOPEDIAs! Don't be fooled by the small 6" X 4" size of these books,
they are over 300 pages long and are like mini-MACROSS PERFECT MEMORY
books in themselves.
Each book is crammed with stills, character and mecha designs, and
interesting facts from the show. In fact I have noticed some interesting
things that only appear in these books...and not in PERFECT MEMORY...such
as a neat little translation table for learning the Zentradii written
language (yes, now you can learn what all the Zentradii writing in
Macross says)! The books are also pretty valuable for you Macross model
collectors out there, since the books show pictures of kits available from
several different companies. If you are a Macross fan, these little books
are a must-have...especially if you can't get copies of the DELUXE BOOK or
PERFECT MEMORY.
AM JUJU POCKET BOOKS : ORGUSS CONNECTION
If you are a Haruhiko Mikimoto fan like me, or an Orguss fan this
book would be a very valuable addition to your collection since, as BOOKS
NIPPAN says in their catalog, this is the only book available on the TV
show ORGUSS (Well, actually, it's one of two...but more on the other book
later). This book is about the same size as the MACROSS POCKET
ENCYCLOPEDIAs, and feature TONS of still pictures from the early episodes
of ORGUSS. Stills of each of the main characters are featured. The only
disappointing thing about the book is that there are no studies of the
mecha designs from the show, and none of Mikimoto's neat sketch studies
of his character designs. Otherwise the books quality and still photo
selections are excellent.
HARUHIKO MIKIMOTO ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS - MACROSS, ORGUSS AND ORIGINAL
This large and colorful book if full of never before seen character
studies by Haruhiko Mikimoto. The book concentraits on "HAL"s female
character designs from the TV shows MACROSS and ORGUSS, plus some original
sketches and pen and ink works done for commissioned projects such as album
covers and magazines. There are even some interesting studies of his
girlfriend.
The book mainly focuses on what is my favorite aspect of Mikimoto's
talents - his work with pastels and water colors. The book is a treat for
the eyes...it features his drawings in full color and some of the drawings
cover a full page or more! If you, like me, are learning how to draw in
water color or pastels, this book is an excellent reference work for
studying Mikimoto's techniques. If you are a fan of MACROSS or ORGUSS the
book contains some of his best portraits of his female characters (again,
this is the only other book that I have seen on ORGUSS). Some of my
favorite illustrations from the book? Well, I love the paintings of Misa
Hayase in kimono, and that fantastic 2 page (centerfold?) of Minmay in a
bikini.
KISMET - THE FAIRY OF THE JEWEL
This is a book of Japanese poetry with fantastic water color and
pastel illustrations by Haruhiko Mikimoto (HAL). When I get learn more
Japanese maybe I will be able to comment on the stories and poetry
contained in the book...but for now I can enjoy the pictures.
This is a new large hard-cover format book. There is not much here
for Macross fans, but if you love to see a great anime artist at his best
working in a new medium, this book is a delight!
Like the ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION book, HAL once again shows off his
skills with pencil, water color and pastels...the illustrations are of all
original character designs...well...except for the picture of Ronald and
Nancy Reagan. I can't wait to be able to read the original stories and
poems connected with these illustrations!
MAIL ORDER ANIME SHOPPING-WHO IS THE BEST?
Well, I have found that the two best places for mail ordering anime
stuff has got to be BOOKS NIPPAN and WYVERN WEB GRAPHICS...Listed below
are some of the advantages and dissadvantages of each...
BOOKS NIPPAN: By far the best place to buy anime books, anime magazine
issues and subscriptions, and videos. The publish neat regular catalogs
of new items in stock and pack the items they ship as if it had to
travel through a war...thing always have arrived in perfect condition.
It is highly recommended that you join their now famous ANIME FAN CLUB,
since members get info on new items quicker and 20% discounts on most
items. Very helpful with the bad Dollar-Yen situation right now. The cost
of the club membership will probably pay for itself in with your first
order with the discounts that you will receive.
They will also special order items from Japan, but will not do
research for finding items you want; you must provide the manufacturer and
item number yourself, unless it is an item they have featured in their
catalogs.
WYVERN WEB GRAPHICS: Their video prices are much higher than BOOKS NIPPAN,
but they do have a big advantage in that they will do any item searches
and research for you. So if an item exists, they will find it. They found
a SOUTHERN CROSS 2 CD set for me that I didn't even know existed! I could
hug all the folks at WW for that one! They also have the best selection of
anime posters and compact discs that I have seen for mail order. Oh, and
they just became the official US mail order store for ANIMATE...one of
Japan's largest anime store chains. Their selection of items should really
bloom now!
Until next time...
PLEASE ADDRESS ANY ADDITIONS, COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS TO TOM MITCHELL,
75156,1067.
