//////////////////////////////ANIME
STUFF\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
"Reviews and Information on Japanese Animation Software"
ISSUE 17 8/17/1992
This is the 17th in a series of files of comments and reviews of anime
(Japanese animation) items that we have bought. Please direct all comments
to us by E-mail or post us a message in the Forum. We also welcome any
reviews, artwork, or comments you would like to have included in the next
ANIME STUFF issue. Also please send us any comments about any incorrect
information contained here. A correction will be placed in the next ANIME
STUFF.
The ANIME STUFF Staff...
- Tom Mitchell : Editor, Writer, Graphics, CompuServe & GEnie Distributor
CompuServe Address : 75156,1067
GEnie Address : TOM-M
- Masaki Takai : Writer & BBS System Distributor
CompuServe Address : 75106,3257
- Rick Sternbach : Anime Modeler, Writer
CompuServe Address : 74616,526
- Barry Brown : INTERNET Distributor
INTERNET Address : >INTERNET:
[email protected]
- Albert Wong : Writer, Index Research
CompuServe Address: 72657,2103
Internet Address:
[email protected],
[email protected],
Prodigy Address: WJTM10B
Contributing Authors for this Issue:
- Chris Swett : Pioneering Anime Fan
CompuServe Address: 72736,433
Internet Address: 7514P@@NAVPGS.BITNET
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\OTAKU NO ORACLE/////////////////////////////
Whew! A lot of time has passed between issues. And I have seen more anime stuff
than I even have time to comment on. I also have a lot of random thoughts about
things. So, for this editorial comment, I'll just flip the mind's notepad and
comment on a few of things I have jotted down there...
> Special thanks should go to Roe Adams not only for granting the great
interview that appears in this issue's ANIME LIFE section, but also because he
helped me to secure two anime laserdiscs that I had a hell of a time obtaining:
THE SOUTHERN CROSS PERFECT COLLECTION laserdisc box set, and the new laserdisc
pressing of ANGEL'S EGG. I had only been trying to get Angel's Egg on LD since
1986. It was a VERY rare LD. Also, I had early reservations to get last year's
SOUTHERN CROSS box set of the TV series, but the company that I had it on order
with folded. It was a limited run, so I had no chance of getting it from any
place else. But Roe found both of these items for me. Indiana Adams managed to
find my "Anime Holy Grail" and my "Anime Lost Ark". Thanks Roe! I hope to review
these items in a future issue of Anime Stuff.
> Speaking of Roe Adams; I came up with a nickname for him. "Rotaku". It
fits somehow. If you see him, call him that. He seems to like it. (^_^)
> My favorite OAV of the past year? THE NAME OF THE WIND IS AMNESIA. First
feature length SF OAV in YEARS. Best since the golden age of the feature length
OAV (1984-87). Nobody seems to be watching it, though. Check it out. It's filled
with emotional drama and action. I plan on reviewing this for a future issue.
> I finished the wonderful Mospeada Wonder box. It's the Genesis Climber
Mospeada TV series on Laserdisc. I will also comment on this in a future issue.
I now have all the LD sets for the original TV shows that were edited together
for the American show ROBOTECH; Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada. I have
seen all of these shows in their original form, so I think that qualifies me to
comment on them in relation to how they were used in Robotech. (I also have all
of Robotech on tape.) Many of us first got attracted to anime through Robotech,
and I took the time to explore the origins of the original shows. Sometimes I
think I'm the only person in the U.S. since Carl Macek edited them together for
Robotech to do this. Nobody I know collected any of these sets. These were
really fun TV shows that also have a lot of historical value for us anime fans
in America. Why wasn't anyone interested in these? Oh well, if you want 'em,
you're out of luck with the exception of the Mospeada set which is still
currently available.
> Be sure and check out AnimEigo's first laserdisc release, Vampire Princes
Miyu. An excellent subtitled translation of a unique and classic horror OAV
series. Anime Stuff staff member Masaki Takai did most all of the translation
work for this, and it is superb.
> For everyone who's been thinking about collecting the original Kimagure
Orange Road manga, now is a good time to start. They have just been issued in
compiled hardcover editions. A bargain at about $12 each. There are 5 of them
out so far, taking you about halfway through the original 18 volumes of the
manga. A new one is released each month. Nikaku Animart is stocking these.
> My votes for best CD BGM release this year has to go to the MACROSS
COMPLEAT COLLECTION. (Reviewed in this issue.) Another good BGM release is the
soundtrack to Video Girl Ai, which also gets my vote for best special CD package
design. The artwork for this CD makes innovative use of a clear CD jewelbox along
with a wonderful full color CD label. Worst special package design goes to the
soundtrack CD for 3x3 Eyes. Wonderful soundtrack, but the packaging is terrible
in these environmentally enlightened times. The CD jewelbox is packaged in a
close-fitting full color cardboard box that duplicates the artwork printed on
the cover of the CD's jewelbox. Redundant, wasteful, and hard to store with the
rest of your CDs.
> Several of my favorite artist have artbooks out based on their fantasy
themed work. Inomata, Takada, & Mikimoto saw fantasy artbooks released this year
featuring artwork from their story illustration work for Dragon Magazine. The
only disappointing book of the three was Mikimoto's book ELVERS. The work in it
was ill-defined and too abstract at points...just plain poorly drawn and painted.
Also, the scenery and costumes in the paintings are very uninspired. One is able to
see all the influences from other work, including GUNDAM! Ugh. It's almost like
Hal imitates Yas. Takada and Inomata, the ladies in this trio, seem to have a
much better grasp of fantasy art and composition than Mikimoto does. (Keep in
mind that this is a Mikimoto fan saying this.)
> Hey! Look! Animag is back! Yaaaaay!
> Are we going to have to wait as long for Silent Mobius 2 on video as we
had to for Silent Mobius 1?
> Hey! Look! A Cream Lemon boxed LD set! What? It only has episode
highlights in it? BOOOOOOOOOOO!
> It's going on three years without any new Dirty Pair animation. (sniffle)
And speaking of Dirty Pair, I finally got around to checking out the American DP
comic adaptation. Hey, as a DP fan, I'm very impressed. They really have a
handle on what the Pair are all about, and the artwork is beautiful!
> I just saw the Ranma movie. A bit too frantic and obvious for me. Needs a
better story. I love the manga, but I've not seen the TV series yet.
> Polydor............................................AAAAAAAAGH!
> Check out the Genesis Survivor Giarth OAV. Boy this video was fun.
colorful and full of action. Sure, the story was pretty basic good vs. evil
stuff, but it was all executed so well that I hope we see more. Rockin' BGM by
AD POLICE BGM band Toto Gentica too!
> Special thanks to AnimEigo for offering us the fantastic Bubblegum Crash!
cell art that was used for this issue. AnimEigo also sells anime cels from
time-to-time as well. Ask about them.
Well, that's enough for now. You'll get another serving next issue. I hope
everyone enjoys this one!
- Tom Mitchell
Publisher
///////////QUICK NOTE - Rumic America Project & the Comic Market\\\\\\\\\\
Chris Swett is a unique person among even the most rabid anime fans. He was
probably the first ever foreigner to produce and sell his own comic "dojinshi"
for sale at Japan's huge Comic Market. The Comic Market is THE meeting place in
Japan for Japanese manga and comic fans, and is known for having a lot of unique
new talent shown off there among the authors of "dojinshi", the popular fan
published comics and books featured at the show. Dojinshi often feature stories
based on popular characters written and drawn by fans as either new stories or
parodies. Chris created "RANMA IN AMERICA" a publication that featured several
artists doing parodies of Chris' favorite anime show, Ranma 1/2.
And he's getting ready to do it again! And helping to pave the way for other
foreign visitors who might also want to attend the comic market in the process.
Below are a couple E-Mail messages that describe his even more ambitious plans
for the near future...
From: Chris Swett, 72736,433
To: Tom Mitchell, 76701,273
Date: Tue, Apr 14, 1992, 1:12 AM
Subject: Rumic America
Information on the doujinshi project "Rumic America"
Ranma in America was published on 29 December 1991 and was featured at
Winter Comic Market (Komike 41) in Tokyo, Japan. I attended Comic Market and
sold the books myself, with some much appreciated assistance from Robert
Woodhead, Roe Adams and Michael House of AnimEigo's Tokyo branch as well as my
partner, Yoshitaka Ishigami. The books were very popular and we sold 176 in a
little over five hours at a cover price of 500 yen.
Ranma in America was so successful that we are planning a second book, to
be called Rumic America. This second book will be published in December 1992 for
the next Winter Comic Market (Komike 43). I will be considering comic stories,
single illustrations and other art that incorporates elements of the universes
of Takahashi Rumiko. Contributors receive periodic progress updates, a
complimentary copy for each team member and the exposure of being published in
Japan, same as for Ranma in America. Submissions are due on or before 1
September 1992.
Art must be black and white line drawings and may use zip tones. Washes or
other greyscale techniques will not reproduce well in the printing process we
are using. I can accept original art up to 9" x 12" in dimension or high quality
photocopies of same. I can also provide Japanese art boards by special
arrangement. We work on a break-even basis, so I'm stingy with boards.
Submissions for Ranma in America ranged between 1 and 21 pages in length.
Works by Rumiko Takahashi:
Urusei Yatsura
Maison Ikkoku
Ranma 1/2
Firetripper
Laughing Target
One Pound Gospel
Supergal
Mermaid's Forest
For information, write to:
Chris Swett
470 Spencer St., #2
Monterey, CA 93940
or email CompuServe: 72736,433, America Online: "ChrisSwett", or
Internet: 7514P@@NAVPGS.BITNET
Plus Chris is planning to go the Comic Market again! And now you could go to!
Chris has taken the time to research the options for foreigners
attending the Japanese manga show. Here is the note he's provided on-line...
Announcement:
For those on the net who don't know, Comic Market is a semi-annual
doujinshi (fanzine) trade show held in Harumi (Tokyo) in August and December.
Summer Comic Market this year is August 15th and 16th and Winter Comic Market
will be December 29th and 30th. Approximately 200,000 fans attend these
conventions and around 8,000 exhibitors are registered. Those aren't typos.
There really are 200,000 fans at these events that run from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
on two days!
The reason I am writing this message is because last year I was the first
American ever to attend this convention as a registered exhibitor (ie. I had a
dealer's table and sold doujinshi). As a result, the Comic Market staff have
suddenly become aware of American fandom and would like to invite other American
fans to participate in Comic Market. To this end I have been appointed to act as
a liaison and will try to answer questions about the convention, assist fan
groups in registering and generally provide any help I can. It's too late to
register for a table at Summer Comic Market this year and the registration
window for Winter Comic Market is 17-19 August 92. However, I have found the
Comic Market staff to be extremely helpful and understanding of the situation
with American fans and they will give as much consideration as they can.
The basic rules are thus:
ORIGINAL artwork is most strongly encouraged. Parodies of famous
characters are also ok, but if I remember correctly you're limited to 3000
copies. Direct copies, bootlegs, etc are unacceptable. Artwork must conform to
the Japanese legal guidelines for censorship of nudity and I think all
subscribers to this newsgroup know the details there (I'll spell them out on
request). You can sell books, magazines, stationery, rubber stamps, keychains,
original animation art (ie. cels), music (original), figurines, etc. Most
registrants sell compilation comics, as I did and will do again in December.
A Comic Market staff member will inspect any doujinshi you bring to sell
and will take one copy. They have become particularly strict on conformity to
censorship laws following the big crackdown on doujinshi about two years ago.
The wearing of costumes is discouraged, however if you want to fly all the
way to Japan just to engage in COSPLAY (Costume Play) with other fans, there is
a courtyard area where this is permitted. You have to carry your costume into
the convention center and change inside. Standard weapons policy applies and you
can't exit the convention center area without changing back to street clothes.
Using the restrooms for changing clothes is not permitted because restrooms are
at a premium when you have 200,000 people in one place. Dressing rooms are set
aside for this.
You have to get a person's permission prior to taking a picture of him/her.
A while back a tv news crew shot some tape of people in costumes and it aired.
Big problems for some individuals. Hence, ask before shooting pictures.
There is no admission fee to attend Comic Market if you just want to buy
stuff. The price you pay is waiting in line to get inside. If you thought the
line to get into Space Mountain at Disney World was long you ain't seen nothing!
It took two hours for the attendants of Winter Comic Market to walk through the
entrance gate last year. The gate is about 50 feet wide. The flip side is that
the police aren't going to let you camp out on the sidewalk all night, either.
So, all these people arrive by public transportation at nearly the same time
insofar as that is possible without matter-energy transport. Now, if you are a
registered exhibitor you get a pass for yourself and all your "circle". That
gets you in without having to stand in line! Dealers tables aren't very big but
they aren't very expensive either, being somewhere on the order of $20,
depending on the relative strengths of yen and dollar. Yes, you actually do have
to have something to sell and you have to man your table. That one has already
been tried. You can, however, swap off with your other circle-mates so you can
shop. The AnimEigo staff did me that favor last year.
Ok, if you want to attend Comic Market as a registered exhibitor or want to
go to see it and need help, I'll help you in any way I can. Exhibitors must
submit a catalog entry by 19 August. This consists of a tiny sketch about 2
inches tall by 1 1/2 inches wide and includes the name of the fan group, name of
the book (if applicable) and an address. It looks like a little yellow-pages ad
sketched out by hand. This sketch gets pasted in a box on the application form,
which my staff friends will fill out in Japanese for you. It will be used in the
assembling of a catalog of all the exhibitors represented. Attendees buy these
books in order to plan their six-hour buying spree. There is so little time left
for Winter Comic Market that I will give anyone interested an address in Japan
where they can send this directly.
I may be able to help with hotel reservations, advice on train tickets or
other info. Just ask. Ben Dunn, Robert DeJesus and I are all going this December
so you won't be alone.
--- Chris
/////////////////////////////GIF GRAPHICS NOTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Once again, this issue comes packed with GIF format computer graphics. These
graphics are all in the GIF 89a format, and can be viewed on all popular
computer platforms. Here is a list of the contents for this issue:
AS17G01.GIF - 522 x 681 x 256 colors
This is the digital "cover" for this 17th issue of Anime
Stuff. It features a digitized shot from an actual cel used
in the animated OAV series BUBBLEGUM CRASH! The characters
Leon and Daily are captured in a photograph carrying out
their investigations. Cel obtained from AnimEigo, character
designs by Kenichi Sonoda, with artwork by Artland Studio.
Cover design and layout by Tom Mitchell. The cover hints at
the fact that we were not too impressed with the Crash! series.
AS17G02.GIF - 718 x 711 x 256 colors
A digital cel painting of Priss from Bubblegum Crash! using
actual digitized cel production pencil art. The cell was
painted by Tom Mitchell to the actual color specifications used
in the show. So it is possible to see this same cel in the
Bubblegum Crash! series. The cel art was provided by AnimEigo,
and the artwork was done at Artland Studios. The sell was
painted on a Macintosh computer using UltraPaint and JAG. This
is also one of the few times you get to see Priss with a goofy
expression on her face. Yes, even cool Priss can look stupid
if she tries hard enough. (^_^)
AS17G03.GIF - 691 x 684 x 2 colors
The digitized pencil art used for the cell painting of Priss
in file AS1702.GIF. Artwork done by Artland Studios.
Character design by Kenichi Sonoda from the OAV series
Bubblegum Crash!
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
SPECIAL REVIEW SECTION - Some thoughts on one of the most anticipated OAV series
of the year...
THOUGHTS & OPINION ON BUBBLEGUM CRASH! OAV SERIES AND BGM
The Videos:
BUBBLEGUM CRASH! 1 - ILLEGAL ARMY (POLYDOR LASERDISC - POLH-2007)
BUBBLEGUM CRASH! 2 - GEO CLIMBERS (POLYDOR LASERDISC - POLH-2008)
BUBBLEGUM CRASH! 3 - MELT DOWN (POLYDOR LASERDISC - POLH-2009)
The Soundtrack Albums:
BUBBLEGUM CRASH! 1 - ILLEGAL ARMY (POLYDOR COMPACTDISC - POCH-2022)
BUBBLEGUM CRASH! 2 - GEO CLIMBERS (POLYDOR COMPACTDISC - POCH-2023)
BUBBLEGUM CRASH! 3 - MELT DOWN (POLYDOR COMPACTDISC - POCH-2024)
By Tom Mitchell
As you readers of Anime Stuff know, the Stuff Staff loves Bubblegum Crisis. It
has many elements that we love; tons of high-tech action, girls with guns, great
BGM, lots of nasty villains and stylish animation and character designs. Sure,
it also had it's share of problems. I think our biggest problem with the series
was that although BGC produced several excellent episodes, it hardly advanced
the story. Although it did manage to produce a superb spin-off prequel series in
the A.D. POLICE OAV series which has run 3 episodes so far.
The series was supposed to run 13 episodes, and so we were worried when it was
cut short at 8. The series was pretty popular, but we thought it had run out of
steam if they were not willing to sufficiently advance the story. We also had to
suffer through the loss and return of Priss' voice actress, Kinuko Ohmori as she
worked around contract problems with her recording company.
It was soon announced however that Polydor had bought the rights to the show and
it would be renamed Bubblegum Crash! The show would continue the story into
another year of the Knight Sabers story. Us drooling BGC fans waited with great
and cautious anticipation. It would be nice to see the show continued, but
Polydor has a bad reputation for purchasing the rights to and then wrecking
classic Artmic/AIC shows resently. But, the legendary Artland studio, the studio
that worked on Macross, would be helping out with the production. What would be
the outcome of all this for us fans?
Well, the show has come and gone. And to tell you the truth, the results were
not good. Pretty dang unsatisfying actually. This article is a log of what I
think were the major good and bad points of the show. I will be pretty harsh,
but remember, these are the ramblings of a dedicated fan.
BAD POINT: POLYDOR
We were really worried when Polidor got the rights to a new BGC series. In the
year preceding Bubblegum Crash, they had also bought the rights to two other
classic ARTMIC/AIC productions; Iczer-1 and Gal Force. Their series Iczer-3 was
a huge flop, and they are still to this day beating the Gal Force story into the
ground, even past the departure of character designer Kenichi Sonoda and most
serious fan interest.
BGC did not fare much better under Polydor's ownership, due to rushed scripts,
conservative direction, and toned down, "cartoon"-like violence.
BAD POINT: THE EPISODES GO DOWNHILL
Certainly, ILLEGAL ARMY, the first episode of the 3 part series was the best of
all. It was full of BGC-style action and humor. And it also had an interesting
plot about the Knight Sabers going up against a mercenary turned high-tech thief
under the sponsorship of an an unknown benefactor. Polydor had promised that the
new BGCrash series would carry over some of the elements and characters that had
been explored and introduced in the AD Police series. This episode certainly
delivers buy showing us that boomer robots are everywhere, even working in
restaurants as waitresses! Much to police detective Leon's consternation. Oh,
and an interesting point that needed to be explored more was the fact that the
Knight Sabers began to break up now that they had pretty much tamed the evil
Genom corporation. How could they ever do that though? Quincy, the evil CEO is
STILL OUT THERE, LADIES!!! Quincy is all but forgotten in this series.
GEO CLIMBERS is a terrible episode. Terrible. The best thing about it is that it
does manage to shed some light on Silia Stingray's past, and her fathers career.
A new character, ADAMA, a new generation boomer is introduced. A funny team bond
between Priss and ADAMA is made, but the goofy robot is trashed by the end.
The violence is cheap, and the direction is choppy. Normally, Priss and the
boomers can hit anything with a gun. In this episode they seem to have been
taking lessons at GI Joe's No-Bloodshed PsychoSafe Shooting Range. What was
the deal with the toned down violence level in the episode? The boomer villains
are just plain goofy here. Oh, another highlight; The Knight Sabers play golf.
(And to think they used to hang out at the paint-ball wargame range.)
MELT-DOWN is a complete contrast on the voilence level to the previous episode.
Priss should never be able to walk again by the end of show! My favorite
Bubblegum Crisis villain, Largo, is re-introduced as the catalyst behind the
revolting boomer labor. He is setting into action his plan to free the boomer
race. Tokyo is going to be theirs after he floods the city with lethal
radiation so humans can't live there. Unfortunately, he spends the entire show
floating in a vat of liquid, and is never really let loose. Although he does
have some really nice Knight Saber smashing boomers to do his physical work for
him. I tell you, I was so frustrated with the series at this point that I took a
certain perverse glee in seeing the Knight Sabers getting their hard-suited
butts kicked. It was the best part of the show. Again, we learn a lot about
Silia, but it was so rushed and slapped together, that none of these revelations
were very exiting. The happy ending was a bit much...at least put Priss in a
wheelchair or SOMETHING!
GOOD POINT: A NEW VOICE ACTRESS
Well, Ryoko Tachikawa turned out to be a good choice as the new voice actor for
rock singer/Knight Saber Priss. Her rock singing was Priss-like enough to be
convincing and entertaining in it's own right. We were really disappointed with
her voice acting in the ILLEGAL ARMY episode. It was rather wooden and
unemotional. But I think she got much better with the second and third
episodes. If we can't have Kinuko Ohmori back, I'll settle for Ms. Tachikawa.
Hey, it could have been far worse!
BAD POINT: PRODUCTION QUALITY
Overall, the animation quality and level of detail was lower in these episodes.
Particularly were the character designs were concerned. Artland brought a sparce
angular look to Kenichi Sonoda's designs that just did not do them justice.
Although action sequences were good, and new stock footage was rather lavish at
some points, the over-all quality was below par for BGC. Sound quality and
engineering was very good though.
GOOD POINT: AWESOME COMPUTER GRAPHICS & TITLE SEQUENCE
Bubblegum Crisis had a new opening song and graphics sequence with every
episode. Bubblegum Crash features a new standard title sequence that's very well
animated. But everyone's jaw drops to the floor in awe when they see the opening
computer animation of downtown MegaTokyo. This was FANTASTIC. And it didn't help
that it made the animation following it look bad.
BAD POINTS: DIRECTION & STORY
The direction of the series was rushed. It tried to reveal too much ground that
BGC was unwilling to cover with the Silia Stingray character. The story suffered
trying to cram all this in. It all could have worked if the approach to it all
was less linear and conservative. Bringing Largo back was not a bad idea either,
but he should have not been hidden throughout the series. He's too good of a
foil to waste.
BAD POINT: TONI TAKEZAKI IS WASTED
It was emphasized that more of Toni Takazaki's prequel BGC AD POLICE world would
be integrated into the series. All we really got was the emphasis that the
boomer robots had been further integrated as labor into society. More of AD
Police's brooding characters and themes could have been used. And the series
still does not answer what happens to Leon's first partner, Geena Malso from AD
Police. (A minor point for BGC fans, I know.)
GOOD POINT: GREAT BGM!
Well, at least we got some great BGM CDs out of the deal! I really enjoyed the
music for this show. It had a different sound with the emphasis on brooding
electronic percussion and keyboards, but for me the sound did fit the feel of
the BGC world. The songs were rather good too, and we were mercifully spared the
sugar-pop filler of the later Bubblegum Crisis albums. My favorite BGCrash! CD
is the first one with all of it's digitally percussive action tunes and rock
theme songs, and the other two albums build on this. The CD for the second episode
is very playful, while the third episode has a large dramatic sound to it. I
highly recommend the BGM. It's as good as the best BGC BGM, but with a very
different interpretation of the sound.
BAD POINT: THE FUTURE IS TAINTED
What will become of BGC now? I guess everything is in Polydor's fumbling hands.
I think reaction was so bad to the series by fans that BGC's future is in doubt.
Personally, I hope we don't see more, unless it's in the form of a good feature
film or a story that would explore the origins of the Knight Sabers more and
perhaps tie it's early history in with that of AD Police. What I really want to
see is more of AD Police! This series and it's influential artist Toni Takezaki
seems to have a much better idea of what BGC is all about than BGC's current
owners.
What does a loyal BGC fan have to say in closing about Bubblegum Crash? This
show is only for the truly addicted. This is not a show you'd want to show to
anyone other than yourself just to satisfy your own curiosity as a BGC fan.
- Tom Mitchell
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON THE BUBBLEGUM CRASH SOUNDTRACK CD'S
by Albert Wong
The majority of the BGM tracks on the BubbleGum Crash 1 CD consist of some
rather slow, dreary synthesized tunes. We have "MegaTokyo 2034", the BGM
used during the introduction piece from the videos. The opening theme is a
very lively rock song, sung by Ryoko Tachikawa. Her singing voice a smoother
than that of Kinuko Ohmori, but Ryoko lacks the presence or the volume that
Kinuko had. There are times when the background singers almost sing louder than
Ryoko does. The track "Sylia" is a nice quiet symphonic piece. "Fates" has a
very sullen piano accompaniment. The image song "Catch Me" is a rather sugary
pop song also by Ryoko. Nothing too exceptional here. The tracks "Knight Wing",
"Battle Force", and "Rivals" are more fast paced action tunes. Each with their
own style. Seemingly out of place, "Twilight" is a cool jazz piece. With some
nice guitar and piano work. Ending the CD is another rock/pop song titled "Cool
Eyes".
The Geo Climbers opens with a hard driving rock song "Fly Away" by Ryoko
Tachikawa. One of her better songs. "Adama: The 2nd Generation" is next.
The track starts off as a quiet synthesizer piece. Halfway through the
track, the tempo explodes into a funky, toe-tappin' pop tune. A really weird
combination of musical styles. The third track "Iron Lizard", is a another
synthesizer piece. Some interesting industrial sounds in this track. One of the
best tracks on the CD. Immediately following, "Cyber Downtown" is another funky
pop tune. Very similar to the latter parts of "Adama: The 2nd Generation".
"Silent Memories" is a nice keyboard solo. The background track lends an
airy/wispy sound. Another industrial piece, "Genocider" is a very suspenseful
BGM track. It builds in intensity, but unfortunately ends abruptly. From
"Genociders" to "Geo Climbers". A fast paced pop action tune. Track eight,
titled "Underground Island" is another lively pop tune. An interesting
background track and unlike some of the previous BGM track, this tunes is light
and fun. Another good BGM piece. "Dark Master" is next with it's dark and
foreboding sound. "Emotional Flight" is an very uplifting BGM track. Lastly,
the ending vocal is a good soft rock ballad.
The first track of the Melt Down CD is an image song by Ryoko Tachikawa. A
lively pseudo-rock song. Nice, but nothing exceptional. Next in line, is
"Brumm Bar". Starts off as a rather slow, dark BGM track but quickly turns
into a more lively lighter sound. Track three "Organic Street", is another
suspenseful synthesizer track. Though, it gets rather repetitive after
awhile. "Runaway Machine" is a pretty good fast-paced action oriented tune.
"Gigantic Shadows" starts off with some nice mellow, flowing synthesizer
work. The background track picks up a more aggressive pace later in the
track. Not as heavy some of the previous BGMs. Another image song "Precious
Night", a nice rock ballad by none other than Ryoko Tachikawa. Her singing has
improved a lot from the first BubbleGum Crash CD. "Mind Space" has a very quiet,
very ethereal sound to it. An interesting heartbeat like background track.
Track eight, aptly titled "Final Battle", is a lively action oriented BGM track.
"Departure" is a nice airy synthesizer track. The last track is title "Over the
Pressure". It's a refreshing foot-tapping pop tune. It's also a Knight Saber
song with all four voice actresses singing a refrain from the song.
- Albert Wong
////////////////////////////////ANIME LIFE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
INTERVIEW WITH ROE ADAMS OF ANIMEIGO
By Tom Mitchell
For this latest installment of Anime Life, we feature another anime fan who's
life has been influenced by anime. But this person is very different from all
other Japanese animation fans in America because he is one of the few people who
have actually decided to start his own business based on it! Roe Adams already
has a successful career as a computer game designer, but now he has started
another venture, AnimEigo, which is now one of the leading subtitling companies
translating Japanese animation videos for the American market. And it's probably
the only company of the handful that exist in the industry to have built a
carefully pristine record of quality when it comes to handling their product
among fans.
This interview with Roe was conducted via CompuServe E-Mail over several weeks
as Roe's busy schedule would permit. It was hard to stop the interview because
during the weeks that we conducted it, AnimEigo kept making new announcements
about some major video licensing deals. This included the groundbreaking
licensing deal to translate Urusei Yatsura, Japan's most popular and prolific
animated TV/Movie/Original Anime Video series. Certainly the most prized and
difficult to obtain title for anyone in the anime translation business.
I hope you enjoy Roe's story and his insights into our hobby and his business.
It is the story of a truly rare anime fan who has done what some of us have only
dreamed about...made his hobby his life!
>>><<<
TM: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your career?
RA: Where to start???
High points:
I am a computer game designer (Wizardry IV, Bard's Tale I (initial
scenario),Ultima IV <co-designer>), author (3 books), and computer journalist
(over 250 reviews and articles in the past 11 years). My specialities are
computer game design (I am a theorist who is mostly concerned about advancing
the craft of computer game design thorough each of my designs), game psychology
(WHY people play Role-Playing games), game mastering (was a tournament D&D GM in
the late 70's), Japanese RPG computer games (currently the leading U.S. expert),
and Virtual Reality (been heavily involved in the field since 1985). I just
moved myself and my family over to Japan this spring and expect to be staying
here
two to five years.
I have been collecting Japanese anime since 1974 and have over 400 films and
OAVs in my collection. Talked Robert into founding AnimEigo in 1988 as a way to
promote QUALITY Japanese anime in the U.S. via English subtitles (my idea rather
than dubbing).
Current:
1) Designing a huge (possibly TWO disk) CD-ROM RPG game here in Japan (staff of
28!)
2) Developing an international MODEM RPG game for a mere 10,000 players on-line
SIMULTANEOUSLY.
3) Doing an American version of a new Japanese Super Famicom game
4) Writing a book in Japan on "The Theory of Computer Game Design"
5) Co-authoring another book (hardcore Science Fictiom book on VR)
6) Writing 6-7 monthly columns for COMPTIQ, the big Japanese computer gaming
magazine
7) Editing two AnimEigo proucts a month with numerous contract negotiations
weekly. Most projects take 8-12 meetings beofore "jelling".
Oh yes and traveling back and forth to Japan NINE roundtrips this past year
talking at conferences on both game design and VR.
TM: Wow! I could think of a lot of things to ask you next, but I'd better stick
to the subject! (^_^) I was first attracted to anime because it's a blend of
many media that I'm interested in; animation, graphics, music, video, design,
drama, etc. Is it this blend of media that first attracted you to anime? What
pulled you into the hobby?
RA: I have always loved animation. What got me FIRST interested in Japanese
anime was Starblazers. In 1979 the complete TV series, all 3 or 4 years (don't
remember which now) were shown on Boston TV on channel 56 IN ENGLISH, no less. I
taped the entire series right off the air. What hooked me was the terrific
action, good animation, outrageous battle scenes, neat music, and an interesting
story. Rare to find all that in one product!
When I looked around to see what else there was, I naturally ran right into a
big wall. No one had heard anything about Japanese animation. Then at a Boskon
convention in Boston, I saw a screening of Lum and I was captivated.
TM: So, did you find your first big lead into the anime hobby at the Boskon
convention? Who were the first group of folks to teach you more about the hobby?
RA: Well, for about 5 years, I only got snatches of anime at various Worldcons
or regional sf conventions except for Rob Fenelon (later of Minstrel Press and
an old friend). He was the first Otaku I met. He introduced me to Captain
Harlock and Galaxy Express 999.
The one person to whom I am truely endebted is Masaki Takai. I met him after I
moved from Boston to Ithaca, NY to finish my design work of Wizardry IV. One day
I saw a flyer for the Cornell Japanimation (a new word to me at the time)
Society and decided to attend. It turned out that the meeting was held in the
President of the group's apartment (which he shared with 3 other people!). So
that night about 15 people crowded into Misaki's place huddled around a small TV
set while Misaki did very impressive simultaneous translations of the anime.
This went on for around 5 hours, a fantastic array of anime I never knew
existed. I was truely blown away.
TM: The first anime that I ever saw was the Macross movie, and soon after
Nausicaa, Arion, & Area 88. I got started with some classics, I guess. Do you
remember what some of the first anime you guys watched that night at Masaki's
place? It must have been an interesting line-up!
RA: AH, does that really stick in my mind! He showed an episode of Dirty Pair,
Orange Road, Maison Ikkiou, and finaly Laputa! None of these I had ever seen, I
was hooked for life. I left with stars in my eyes. The next week I brought my
son (who was eight at the time) and Misaki showed more DP, more OR, and then
Vampire Hunter D. WOW!!! It was the first horror anime I had ever seen, and it
was fantastic!
TM: It sounds like you had a very typical introduction to anime. Lots of folks
go to view this stuff and get bowled over by it. But you are hardly the typical
anime fan. 99.9 percent of the fans hardly get beyond tape swapping. Very few
fans give anything back to the hobby or the folks who create anime. And yet you
have taken it so far as to start one of the first anime businesses in the
country! What made you want to form your own Japanese animation video subtitling
company?
RA: Nothing typical about Masaki! <g> AnimEigo began over my experience at
Worldcon in Boston in 1989. One of my best friends in Japan, Mr. Yutaka Tama,
who is famous in Japan in several fields, brought a large group of influental
Japanese to Worldcon. Among them was Mr. Takanashi who was the producer and
creative drive behind the Gunbuster series. Yutaka had sent me episodes 1 & 2
which I very much enjoyed, so I was delighted to meet Mr. Takanashi. When I
learned that he had brought a copy of the unreleased final episode three, I
arranged through my contacts with the Worldcon committee to get him a screening
and a chance to talk to the anime fans. The screening and interview were a
fantastic success, BUT Mr. Takanashi and the other 19 Japanese science-fiction
authors/artists/fans including some other anime industry people stayed around to
watch other screenings of Japanese anime. What they saw was 5th and 6th
generation copies of varous anime, some with incredibly poor subtitles, others
with bad dubbing, and one that was an incomprehensible (to them) parody.
They were shocked- this trash (typical con fare those days) was what Americans
watched when they watched Japanese anime???
I was VERY embarassed by all this, and spent the rest of Worldcon trying to
appologize and explain.
Afterwards I gave a lot of thought to the state of anime appreciation in the
U.S. and came to several conclusions:
1) Anime pricing (at that time $125-150 per tape) was truely outrageous. No
wonder fans bought and traded dubbed copies.
2) Fan translations were of haphazard quality and really hindered appreciaton of
the films.
3) National distribtuion of anime was practically nonexistent. Often even I had
to go through many layers of the fan network over a long period of time to
secure a title, and then usually had to pay a huge price to get it! Why should
this be necessary?
4) The titles that fans were seeing as current were in fact usually 5-10 years
old. Getting to see Akira right after it was released blew me away with its
"advances" in anime compared to other films I had seen.
I spent many a long hour discussing these issues with Masaki and other anime
people I knew around the country. Although everyone agreed that these 4 issues
were lamentable and were in drastic need of correcting, no one could figure out
a way of solving any of the problems.
I came to realize that there was no exisitng fan/corporate vehicle that could be
upgraded to handle these issues, and that if I REALLY wanted to do
something, I would have to do it myself. But, although I had many anime
contacts in Japan, I had no real financial resources to begin such an
undertaking.
So, I went to my old friend, Robert Woodhead, who was a many times millionare
from his Wizardry royalties, and asked him if he would be interested in forming
a company with me. He would put up the money and I would put up my contacts and
indepth knowledge of Japanese anime. He asked me "what is anime?", so I began
taking him over to Masaki's and started showing him the wonders of Japanese
animation. Robert is an avid science fiction reader, so he was totally swept up
by Akira also. In fact it was after seeing Akira on his giant screen TV with
full blown stereo sound, that Robert first agreed to help me form AnimEigo.
TM: I see. And of course at that point you needed a title to translate. What
were some of your first choices, and how did you go about contacting the proper
folks to license them?
RA: Our first choices for subtitling were of course highly optimistic. Let's
see, I wanted to do:Akira, Totoro, Laputa, Vampire Hunter D, Dirty Pair and all
of Lum! Well, the first thing we discovered was that none of THOSE people wanted
to talk with us!!! That was quite a surprise, as we naively thought they were
dying to get their films distributed in the U.S.
By this time though, all three of my RPG games had been translated into
Japanese and were big hits in Japan. Through all the publicity surrounding their
releases, I had met alot of people and Robert had met others from years of
attending Wizardry fairs in Japan. So we began to contact large numbers of
people to find someone to provide us an introduction into the Anime community.
This started the snowball rolling.
TM: And it would seem that Dirty Pair is still up for grabs, as far as I know!
Can you give us an example of the process, and the cost of securing the rights
to a show?
RA: That is a tough question as it goes right to the heart of why we are able to
sign titles better than other compnaies and HOW we have been able to open up the
Japanese companies to even consider doing such deals. Much of it depends upon
insights that I have gained from years of dealing with Japanese companies. If
AnimEigo has anything like corporate secrets, that area is it. <g> Sorry.
TM: Ok, ok. I'll save that last question for 60 Minutes. I do have a question
about your latest product, Kimagure Orange Road. I know a lot of us KOR fans
have been kidding you on CompuServe for a while about AnimEigo subtitling the
show. And then you drop the bombshell on us that you've actually gone out and
got the rights to the thing! Had this been a title you've been interested in
doing for a long time? And do you guys have the rights to all the animated KOR?
(Pilot Film, TV series, OAV series, and the Movie?)
RA: Kimagure Orange Road has been a long time favorite of mine ever since Masaki
introduced me the its wondrous charms. I have all the shows and OAVs and the
movie in my collection. For a long time I have been pushing for AnimEigo to go
after this property, but kept being told it was not an "action" series, so "who
would care about it?" After a long time of dragging out Anime fan polls that
showed that Madoka was the NUMBER ONE female anime character among the fans,
Robert started to watch some of the series and (amazingly enough) found it was
REALLY GOOD. <g>
At this time we have an option on the TV series, but are going to wait for a
while to see if it is commercially feasible to do in the current U.S. market.
Maybe after the market grows a bit, we will be able to start bring over many tv
series like this. So right now we will be releasing only the OAVs and the movie.
TM: It's really funny how popular KOR is with fans, but you sure wouldn't know
it from observing screenings at anime clubs. I was also quite surprised at its
popularity. Speaking of KOR's popularity; Another very popular aspect of Orange
Road is the soundtrack music. BGM collecting is a popular pastime among anime
fans in general. Has Animeigo toyed with the idea of selling the soundtrack
music to your videos? I know you're already dipping your toes in the BGM waters
with the release of the Bubblegum Crisis music videos. Fans seem to be demanding
the music from BGC after they are exposed to it.
RA: I'll take a deep bow for that one! I have fought a long uphill battle to get
music highlighted in AnimEigo products. First I got the lyrics subtitled on the
animes, then I got liner notes included in our boxes, and after a huge tussle
got us to license the BGC music videos. Only Michael House (our chief
translator) and I seem to appreciate the music aspect of anime. I KNOW how
important music is to anime, because I am one of those fans who is attacted to
Japanese anime because of the twin lure of anime quality and terrific music.
However, we are staying a video company, so we wouldn't be releasing the music
CDs.
BTW, MY favorite anime soundtrack is AKIRA, followed by Hurricane from
BGC 1.
TM: Here's a question I've meant to ask you for a while. As your videos get more
popular and gain more exposure, one day you're going to have a run-in with this
nation's artistic and fundamentalist censorship movements over the contents of
these videos. One day, the kid of some Bible-thumper is going to bring a video
of BGC, Madox, or Riding Bean home, and the news media will latch onto this.
Have you folks thought of how you are going to deal with such problems? I
remember one such news spot a couple years ago that focused on the violence in
manga, and they had some guy on there saying that he had just seen an animated
film that featured the rape of a young white girl buy a big black man. Guess
what film he "saw"? Project
A-Ko. Things like this will happen, you know. As a fan, it is my biggest fear
about anime getting more popular.
RA: <sigh> The issue of censorship is a constant battle I fight here. I realize
that our dream of spreading an appreciation of Japanese anime among the general
population is very fragile. If some headline hungry politican, perhaps one of
the new breed of Japan Bashers, decides to pillor us, it would not be too hard.
And this depite the fact that at the very worst our films would be rated PG-13.
AnimEigo has turned down films like Fist of the North Star or Wandering Kid
because of excessive violence or gross sexual content. (Personally I enjoyed
Fist but find Kid disgusting.) Besides seeking films to license that are
important to U.S. fans, we have tried to walk that fine line between neat fun
and material inflamatory to certain sectors of America. We would never consider
editing an anime as we have always strived to convey the highest purity of
Japanese anime, so we strive to carefully select anime.
TM: Tell us a little about your upcoming first Laserdisc release, the OAV series
Vampire Princess Miyu. I thought it was very commendable of AnimEigo to release
the four episodes on a single CLV disc at a price that's an extreme bargain for
fans. I know that that cost of a small laserdisc release was prohibitive, and
that you were polling fans to get an idea of how many you could expect to sell.
Are you taking a chance with this release to test the waters, or was there
really that much positive feedback from fans?
RA: Well, yes, we are actually taking a chance here. Robert really wants to see
us branch out into LDs, so we are testing the waters with Miyu. If it does even
reasonably well, maybe we will put KOR on LD. LDs are so much cheaper to produce
and market. Did you know that in Japan new anime on video tape run 12,500 yen
while the same program on LD is only 7,500 yen!
TM: Yes, cheaper to produce and market in Japan. That's what's fueled the
interest by serious anime collectors to get into Laserdiscs. But what about here
in the U.S.? Have you folks found LD's to be far more expensive than tape to
produce?
RA: That is somewhat of a difficult question. It really is a matter of the
economics of scale. IF we could produce large quantities of LDs then LDs are
cheaper. However, since the LD market for subtitled anime is unexplored as of
yet, we can only afford to make small runs which are quite a bit expensive on a
per copy basis. Also there are practically no video rental stores that rent LDs,
so that segment of the market is lost to us regarding LDs. If we get enough
collectors to purchase our LD version so that we at least break even, then we
will continue to offer titles on both media.
TM: I hope the Vampire Princess Miyu LD experiment goes well for AnimEigo.
Certainly, having anime on LD at affordable prices will be quite a boon to anime
fandom here in the U.S. I personally think it will pay off for you. Anime on
laserdisc is only the next logical extension of the quality presentation
philosophy that AnimEigo has offered fans so far.
I have one last question for you to conclude this interview, and then I will
open the page to you for any comments you'd like to make to our readers. My
personal discovery and enjoyment of anime has brought many enriching and
sometimes profound discoveries to my life. It has brought me enhanced
appreciation of art and music, made me take my own talents seriously, taught me
a new language, and made me many interesting and diverse acquaintances among
people whom I would not have met otherwise. All wrapped in wonderful
entertainment. You've brought more to anime than the average fan by forming
AnimEigo, which I'm sure is a huge personal investment in time, trouble, and
money. What has anime brought to you?
RA: uhhhh...what HE (pointing to you) said!
That was beautifully and compactly stated Tom, Bravo! It would be exceedingly
difficult to elaborate on those fine words.
The only other thing I feel about anime is it serving as a cultural bridge
between Japan and America. In these highly charged politcal times, that means a
lot! That was the prime reason (not the money, Robert hardly needs to acquire
more!) for he and I founding AnimEigo. Such a beautiful artform with incredible
humor and interesting storylines, all being largely ignored and unappreciated in
the U.S. We hope to change that and with the help and support of anime fans
everywhere, we will succeed in lighting up Japanese anime to a wide audience.
TM: You certainly seem serious about this with the news of the acquisition of
the rights to Urusei Yatsura. Only the most popular, and shrewdly marketed anime
in Japanese history. I understand that Kitty is not the easiest company in the
industry to deal with, and they are very protective of their crown jewel, Urusei
Yatsura. Did AnimEigo have to work very long to crack this nut? Or did Kitty see
what you've been doing, liked what they saw, and opened the door to you?
RA: Both acutally. Ever since we formed the company, we have tried to licence
UY. Like everone else, we bounced politely but firmly. Kitty would not even
consider UY at any price. Perhaps that was just as well as AnimEigo couldn't
afford any huge price! I don't know if your aware, but the only reason that no
one has gotten the Dirty Pair licence yet is that Sunrise is asking a VERY firm
ONE MILLION DOLLARS for the licence!
Robert had talked with Kitty numerous times about doing business, but to no
avail. Finally I went to see Kitty with Robert and after they again said no to
our busines offer, I discussed in great detail AnimEigo's dream for expanding
the appreciation of anime in the U.S. over the next five years. They became very
thoughtful and said they would think about it. A couple of weeks went by and we
got a call from Kitty saying that they would like to share in our dream and
would we please send them a contract!
Doing UY will be our greatest challenge to date. For not only are we releasing
the movies and OAVs, but we are also going to try and release all 196 tv
episodes! The TV shows are going to marketed as four 1/2 hour episodes on a
tape. We will produce the first 4 TV tapes and see what kind of response we get
for them. Hopefully, it will be enough to warrant full series release. We will
premier this series at the 50th anniversary Worldcon in Orlando the beginning of
September. It setting up to be a big anime event with panels and neat guest
speakers.
TM: Wow! Thank you for telling us about the price for Dirty Pair. Gee, for that
much, you could almost genetically engineer your own Mugi! Perhaps AnimEigo's
record in the marketplace so far will help to convince them to think of
something a little more realistic for the price. You can rest assured that I
won't bug you about Dirty Pair for a while.
In capturing UY, it would seem that your persistence and presentation with Kitty
paid off. I have often heard it said from people doing business in Japan that
Japanese are often very cautious, and not to take rejection as a set answer.
Your offer is being considered, and that a "no" from a company may just be a
"maybe" and their way of taking some time out to think. This certainly seemed
the case for AnimEigo.
Now that you have captured probably THE most important title, and one that will
probably keep you folks busy for a while, are you still going to aggressively
pursue rights to shows, or concentrate on selling what you have now?
RA: Yes, we are continuing to discuss new projects with the studios an d
animation houses. We just recently signed one of my personal favorites Otaku no
Video 1982 &1985. We wouldn't sell many copies, but they are probaly the
greatest FAN anime ever done, and I wanted the U.S. fans to share in these
delightful films. they will certainly become the mainstay of every convention
screening program!
We are also close on obtaining the rights to 4 or 5 other titles. Sorry, as
usual can't say what they are yet. When they are signed, I'll let Anime Stuff
know first.
This has been a really fun intereview. Thanks Tom for making it so enjoyable.
<END>
//////////////////////////////////VIDEO\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD - MUSIC VERSION (ON LASERDISC FROM TOHO VIDEO, TTL-2125,
STEREO DIGITAL SOUND, 34 MINUTES, 6,613 YEN)
Well, as if you didn't know from past issues of Anime Stuff, I'm a big Kimagure
Orange Road fan. I enjoy the TV show a lot, and usually most of my complaints
with the show have had to do with the marketing and presentation of the show on
video. Yes, this is another one of those reviews. There is a lot wrong with the
Kimagure Orange Road Music Version music video album. Perhaps its only saving
grace is wonderful KOR music.
As a fan, I've got lot's of beefs with this one. Let's see...First of all, when
was the last time you ever saw a music video album on Laserdisc that didn't have
any chapter stops for the songs? That's right, the album has 12 of Kimagure
Orange Road's best songs, but you can forget trying to find any of them quickly.
There's not a single chapter stop on the disc! This disc has all the
interactivity of a videotape! Shame on TOHO Video for being so lazy.
Particularly since they had been doing such a fine job with all the other KOR
releases they've done.
The video production on the disc is CHEAP! It has a slapped together feel, and
uses unimaginative video effects. I've seen fan groups do more with much less.
The subject matter is also strangely tilted. While the video attempts to
emphasize the love triangle between the characters Kyosuke, Madoka, and Hikaru,
it barely even features Hikaru at all and focuses most of the time on Madoka!
Hmmph!
Despite all of the problems I had with the direction and production of this
music video disc, I still managed to enjoy it. Why? Because the music is GREAT.
KOR is well known for its excellent soundtrack music, and this video brings
together the best songs from the TV show. I'd recommend this disc to anyone who
wants a good selection of songs from the show, but it's too bad the video
portion of this music video was so neglected.
- Tom Mitchell
BI-SHOT SOFT ORIGINAL CATALOG SPECIAL (ON LASERDISC FROM DATAM/POLYSTAR,
PSLX-1002, 72 MINUTES, 6,000 YEN)
If you like computer graphics, video games, anime & manga art, and Cream
Lemon-style soft porn anime, have I got a laserdisc for you! The Bi-Shot Soft
Original Catalog is just that; a catalog of Japanese soft porn computer games
that feature wonderful anime-style computer graphics.
Possibly one of the more unusual laserdisc finds. If you've ever read an issue
of Lemon People, you've probably wondered what the computer games they review in
the soft-port manga magazine are like. Well, this laserdisc will answer your
questions. The disc features 72 minutes of extensive animation and screenshots
from literally dozens of Japanese soft-porn computer games! The range of games
is pretty much limited to TONS of RPGs set in dungeons and High Schools, and few
strip mah-jong and card games thrown in. There are even a few interesting titles
that anime fans will recognize; a couple games are licensed from Wondering Kid
and Top-O-Narae GUNBUSTER!
For computer game fans, this is pretty fascinating stuff. This video is a neat
glimpse into the state of personal computer graphics and games in Japan. For
anime/manga art fans, the graphics and animation used on the computers are
really neat! Stunning colors, plus funny and innovative use of limited computer
animation. You can see were a lot of animation artists and students have been
moonlighting.
If you're really into Japanese visual media, I highly recommend exploring this
laserdisc. Although the games shown on this video catalog are mainly in a
pornographic genre, it is quite a cultural artifact. You certainly wouldn't see
computer games like this in the United States. But then, you don't see any
animation like Japanese anime in the United States either, so I guess it only
follows that computer games in Japan should show the same freedom of graphic
design and subject matter.
- Tom Mitchell
SILENT MOBIUS - THE MOTION PICTURE (ON LASERDISC FROM PIONEER LDC, PILA-1087, 57
MIN, COLOR, STEREO/DIGITAL, Y7,004)
At long last, the motion picture version of the popular Silent Mobius manga has
been released. And it was certainly worth the wait. The film is colorful, full
of action, and properly animated for it's subject matter and length. Personally,
I always felt that the Silent Mobius manga would make a better movie than a
manga anyway, and I certainly was pleased with the results.
What's this movie about? Well, Silent Mobius is set in Tokyo in the year 2036.
If you could put Blade Runner, Gal Force, and Super Natural Beast City into a
blender, what you'd pour out would be Silent Mobius. The manga was a shameless
Blade Runner rip-of...er...homage with two extra elements thrown in:
Girls-with-Guns, and weird, really pissed off demons. The story is basically
about a group of specialized women in an exclusive branch of the Tokyo police
force. The women in this department posses paraphysical or parapsychological
abilities. The group has been assembled to battle the Luciferhawk, an ancient
group of demons once banished to their own dimension by ancient wizards. The
women are just a modern urban incarnation of this battle as the demons are
trying once again to enter our world. Now it's a battle of technology vs. magic
with enchanted swords and black-hole firing sidearms.
All of this was OK in the manga, but its visual qualities really cried out for
colorful anime action treatment as apposed to the manga's static black and white
pages. Well, Silent Mobius has received the treatment in this film that it
needed, and fans of the manga and new comers to the Silent Mobius world are in
for a good time. Not only is it Silent Mobius animated, but the story is also a
prequel to the events in the manga! The story of the film deals with the
recruitment of Katsumi Liqueur. She doesn't know that she's the member of an
ancient family of Japanese wizards, and she was to be told this when her parents
thought she was ready. The process is sped up a few years when, while going to
visit her mother in the hospital, she walks right into a secret Attacked
Mystification Police Department operation. The demons recognize her lineage, and
the police have plans to recruit her. And the story continues from there.
I highly recommend the film. The flashback prequel story is standard but given a
unique treatment. And the whole thing just looks and sounds cool! I'm looking
forward to seeing what this Summer's Silent Mobius 2 film is like. I just hope
we don't have to wait a whole year to see it.
- Tom Mitchell
//////////////////////////////////AUDIO\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
CITY HUNTER -ORIGINAL ANIMATION SOUNDTRACK (ON COMPACT DISC FROM EPIC/SONY
RECORDS, 32-8H-119, 3,200 YEN)
This disc is the first volume of soundtrack music from the long-running anime TV
private detective drama/comedy series City Hunter. It features the musical
highlights from the first half of the show's first season. And like the show
itself, the CD is a lively mix of several things, silly & snazzy Jazz
instrumentals, romantic pop vocals, and driving rock songs.
The variety is not the only thing that fuels this excellent disc. Superb
instrumentals, and good lyrics also fill the album. It is wonderfully recorded
and engineered. And just plain fun to listen to on top of that! I've had trouble
getting this one out of my disc player. The instrumentals feature careful,
lively, and sometimes funny contemporary jazz melodies that tell the story of
the action seen by the shows detective hero, while the songs, mostly in English,
feature smartly composed lyrics that range from witty to romantic. And then, mid
point on the disc, we get a driving rock visit from popular Japanese rock group
TM Network singing their hit theme from the show, GET WILD.
This is the perfect soundtrack album. It features music that captures the spirit
and atmosphere of the show it represents, and yet is of such high quality that
it can stand on its own as a very enjoyable album. I highly recommend this fun
disc!
- Tom Mitchell
KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD - CD COLLECTION SPECIAL BGM (VICTOR, VDR-171, 3,008 YEN)
This Kimagure Orange Road CD has been a bit of a mystery for U.S. fans. But with
the release last year of the KOR Jump Special (KOR pilot) episode, we now know
that most of the music on this disc is from that special. Until then, many of us
had just thought that this was an image music album based on the manga. For that
reason, I almost passed on getting this disc. I'm now very glad I didn't. It's
one of the best KOR CD's.
We were only partially right in thinking of this disc as an image music album.
It is actually a combination of two 1986 albums; A KOR image album, and an album
of music used for the Kimagure Orange Road pilot episode. Hence, the name
"special collection". Just like the pilot episode, this album is a glimpse into
what KOR might have been in terms of the sound of its music. It is a different
musical interpretation of the Kimagure Orange Road atmosphere, and it is very
good.
The CD consists of 20 tracks featuring both original songs and BGM. A wide
variety of sounds are featured on the disc, ranging from snappy pop and jazz, to
wonderfully moody acoustic and synthesized pieces. All of the music is superbly
recorded and scored. This is a very lively and engrossing BGM collection. Where
it is different than the music that ended up being used for the 1987 TV series
is that it is more open, bouncy, less moody. The pop songs are more cheerful
sounding, and the instrumentals feature a simpler use of acoustic instruments
such as piano and guitars, and a greater atmospheric use of digital instruments.
Even digital sampling is used in some pieces; keep your ears open for the
wonderful use of the sound of a seagull used as a metronome in one track. The
music is both inventive and witty.
I highly recommend this album. It is hard to find, but if you are a KOR fan, it
is well worth the search or the trouble to special order it. This one album
offers a musical glimpse of everything that is Kimagure Orange Road. (Also note
that the CD's graphics also feature some wonderful Akemi Takada KOR artwork that
I have not seen published anywhere else.)
- Tom Mitchell
MACROSS - THE COMPLETE (BGM COLLECTION ON COMPACT DISC, VICTOR VICL-40031-33,
7,500 YEN)
Sure, you've seen this fat little box of CDs on the shelf. And you're a Macross
fan. But it's $75, and you say to yourself that you have most of this stuff
anyway. Should you, or shouldn't you? If you're a true Macross fan, of course
you'll go for it and purchase the Macross - The Complete BGM set. And you'll be
glad you did.
MACROSS - THE COMPLETE is a boxed CD set that features ALL the music recorded
for the Macross TV series, and the Macross Movie. Ok, so you've heard all this
before in the Macross Vocal Collection and the Macross BGM Collection albums
that have been standards for Macross collectors for years. Well, this collection
makes those two look dated and whimpy by also throwing in music from the
Flashback 2012 OAV, long versions of all the songs, karaoke (no vocal) versions
of songs, TONS of never before released music (only some of which was featured
on the very rare Macross Maniac Library LP), and music used in Macross that was
also featured on the Miss DJ album. Whew! Nearly four hours of music!
In addition, this is not only a complete collection of BGM, it is also a newly
remastered one. The BGM COLLECTION and SONG COLLECTION CDs were nice in their
day, but when they were made, they were mastered in the days when the CD was
new, and mastered from master tapes that were used for the LPs. The sound from
them was rather soft, somewhat rounded and blunt, but sonically dull. This new
collection gets its sound from state-of-the-art CD mastering from new analog to
digital masters. The sound has incredible punch, and a new high and low-end
depth that reveals wonderful new detail! The older CD's can't even touch this
collection for sound quality.
However, there is even more that's special about this collection. The collection
is also wrapped in a wonderful cardboard slipcase that houses the white gatefold
CD jewelbox. Both feature covers sporting magnificent new Haruhiko Mikimoto art
featuring the cast of the show. Inside the slip cover and the CD jewelbox are
two books. The larger book is a memorial collection of photos and drawings from
Macross with a focus on character Lynn Minmay and her songs. The second book
inside the CD jewelbox features extensive notes on all the BGM and photos and
interviews with major Macross staff/cast members. The discs themselves are each
a different color and feature custom label art for the set.
This magnificent boxed CD set is certainly one of the most significant
collectors items released for anime BGM fans.Truly a must have item
commemorating one of the most important anime soundtracks. Don't hesitate to get
it when you see it on the shelf!
- Tom Mitchell
////////////////////////////BOOKS AND MAGAZINES\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM - ILLUSTRATION WORLD (BOOK, PUBLISHED BY SUNRISE,
ISBN4-943966-93-4)
This hardcover, 143 paged book contains original artworks from the entire
Mobile Suit Gundam series of movies, original videos and the television
shows. A nice high-quality glossy paper is used extensively throughout the
book and should last for a long time. The following paragraphs will attempt
to hilight some of the artworks.
First of all, the artworks are arranged by chronological order. That is to
say, all the Mobile Suit Gundam art comes first, then the Zeta Gundam art
and so on. Most of the character artworks are done by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
(who usually signs his works 'Yas'). The illustrations of the various
mobile suits that appeared in the TV show are done by Kunio Okawara.
Surprisingly, there are a few artworks done by Haruhiko Mikimoto (who
usually signs his works 'HAL'). HAL is usually known for his works in the
Macross TV series and as the character designer for Eve in the Megazone 23
OAV series. It's interesting to see the Gundam characters drawn in
Mikimoto's distinctive style. There are a few brand new images. One was the
used for the LD covers of the recent re-release of the three Mobile Suit
Gundam movies.
The next section is devoted to the artworks of the Zeta Gundam television
series. Some nice images from Yas, Mikimoto and Hiroyuki Kitazuma. There is the
nude of Four Marasume, from the poster that appeared in Newtype
Magazine, display prominently on two pages. ^_^ Four in a summer dress with
shopping bag, in the park. Camille Vidan and Fa sitting on a park bench.
Amuro Rey and Bellotica getting cozy. All of these were done by Hiroyuki
Kitazuma in watercolor. It's hard to picture these characters being the
center of the war between the Anti-Earth-United-Goverment (AEUG) and the
corrupt Earth Federation. The last artwork in this section is a rather
hilarious picture with 'super-deformed' characters. Bright Noah catching
some rays, Yazan scarfing down some ramen. Great stuff. ^_^
The first picture in the Double Zeta section, is an airbrush mecha drawing
of the Double Zeta Gundam and Core Fighter by K. Kondo. Interestingly, the
picture is dated 3-9-90, way after Double Zeta Gundam was off the air. Most
of the other artworks are from the ZZ Gundam posters.
The next chapter is a small collection of the promotional art from the
Gundam movie: Char's Counterattack. There is a nice shot of the Nu Gundam
complete with the Fin Funnels. This art appeared as a poster in Newtype
magazine. Also included are the art used for the LD covers of the original
and re-pressed laserdiscs. The original pressing of the laserdisc had a
picture of Amuro Ray floating above the Nu Gundam with Hathaway Noah in a
robot pod. The new laserdisc pressing has a picture of Amuro Ray in a space
helmet with Char Aznable and the asteroid Axcis plummeting toward the Earth.
Into the Gundam 0080 art collection. As expected most of the character
artworks are done by Haruhiko Mikimoto. Haruhiko Mikomoto was the character
designer for the video series. A nice collection of HAL's watercolor art. Also
included are the images from the two BGM CDs.
Nearing the end of the book (and my ramblings) is the collection of art from the
latest Gundam movie, Gundam Formula 91. A K. Kondo airbrush of the Gundam F91
dogfighting with the Crossbone Vanguard. A headshot of the F91 done in oil. The
art from the BGM CD is also included.
There is even a section on the latest Gundam OAV series, Gundam 0083:
Stardust Memories. Most of the images are from the LD cover illustrations.
Anavel Gato standing proudly on 'his' Gundam, Nina Purpleton leaning on the
foot of the Gundam.
The last section, titled 'Mobile Suit Gundam: The World' is a collection of
miscellaneous artworks from no particular TV series, OAV or movie. The first
image is a two page airbrush of all the Gundams by K. Kondo. The slightly
'super-deformed' artworks from the SD Gundam BGM CDs and the Gundam CD singles
are also present.
In closing, as the cliche' goes "A picture is worth a thousand words", what
you have just read is my attempt to describe the wonderful art in this book
with mere words. If you can only buy just one Gundam artbook, this is the
book of choice.
- Albert Wong
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS : THE STORY OF THE KNIGHT SABERS 2032-2033 BOOK (PUBLISHED BY
BANDAI - B-CLUB, ISBN4-89189-169-6, 2,800 YEN)
The book starts off with a series of color sections on the first four
BGC OAVs. There are original artworks by artists Hideki Kakinuma,
Shinji Armaki, Ley Yumeno and others.
The next chapter is an interview session with the voice actresses
behind the Knight Sabers. Kinuko Oomori, Akiko Hiramatsu, Michie
Tomizawa, and Ryoko Sakakibara. There is also a MegaTokyo city map
with locations such as the USSD building, AD Police Headquarters, Hot
Legs nightclub highlighted. I wonder where these locations are in
modern day Tokyo?
The next section is the character design sheets from the series.
Black and white sketches of the Knight Sabers and Genom officers,
along with sketches of the different Genom Towers. The designs for
the Knight Saber's improved hardsuits are conspicuously missing
though. Also included are the different buma designs, from you
generic buma to the Mason bumas from BGC 6. For the mecha fans, the
AD Police equipment and the Knight Sabers Motoslaves sketches are
also included.
The BubbleGum Crisis Memories section has an interesting collection
of black and white sketches from Ken-ichi Sonoda and other artists.
There is also a color foldout poster by Tony Takezaki. The poster
shows Priss getting her butt armor shot off by a buma as the entire AD
Police look on in awe. ^_^
Next up, a section with cover art from the various BGC video, CDs. A
section with garage kit models of the Knight Sabers, Vision and
Motoslave from BGC 1 & 4. Some of these are marked 'Not For Sale'.
The Variety pages shows the other BGC merchandise, such as notebooks,
manga, computer game. There are even full scale Knight Sabers
helmets and a full-scale Priss' and Nene hardsuit. Too bad these are
also marked 'Not for sale'.
In the Correlation pages, you can see who hates who, and who likes
who in the BGC universe. It would seem that Makie has a thing for
Nene. ^_^
The book continues with a film comic of BGC 5-8. With more original
artworks by Shinji Armaki, Masami Oobari, Satoshi Urushibara, and
Ken-ichi Sonoda.
More black and white sketches of the supporting cast of the BGC
series. Brian J. Gibson, and Raven from BGC 4. The Griffon sports
car and Priss' dragbike "The Highway Star", also from BGC 4. Silvie,
From BGC 5, along with the D-D mecha.
There is also an interesting section of pre-production sketches of
the Knight Sabers. At one time, Priss looked alot like Kei from the
Dirty Pair series. Storyboards from BGC 7 & 8.
There is also an expansive index of all the items used in the BGC
video series. So, you can find out what item appeared in what
episode.
This book is one of the most complete references for the BubbleGum
Crisis video series. The book itself comes out to around 158 pages
with mostly coated paper for most of the black and white pages, and
glossy paper for the color film comics and foldout poster.
- Albert Wong
B-CLUB SPECIAL: BUBBLEGUM CRASH! (Published by Bandai, ISBN4-89189-214-5 C0276,
1800 Yen)
This book is a companion volume to Bandai's earlier BUBBLEGUM CRISIS book. Even
though this 80 page art book is slender and based on the somewhat disappointing
"Bubblegum Crash!" OAV series, it is an excellent reference that is stuffed full
of new artwork by major BGC artists, and features lots of other interesting data
for diehard BGC fans.
The book is slim, but every portion of it is jam packed with splashy artwork,
articles, and story synopsis' of the new Bubblegum Crash OAV series. For fans
though, the important features are a treasure trove of original artwork,
including 3 stunning paintings by AD Police artist Tony Takezaki. Theres also an
original short story with some excellent original art, some silly manga, again
by Takezaki. (Who has a wonderful talent for spoofing BGC.) And all the new
hardware designs from the show are also featured.
Supplementary sections include extensive interviews with the creators of
Crisis/Crash! and the voice actors, plus a fascinating section explaining how
the stunning MegaTokyo computer graphics opening for the show were created. The
book even hints at a continuation of the story. (With a big question mark, of
course.)
Even if you didn't like what was done with BGC in Bubblegum Crash!, I highly
recommend this artbook to any fans of the show. There's too much new,
interesting, and original stuff in here to pass it up!
- Tom Mitchell
GUN SMITH CATS - VOLUME 1 (Manga by Kenichi Sonoda, published by Afternoon KC,
ISBN4-06-314039-3, 500 YEN)
With his new manga, Kenichi Sonoda, king of the Girls-with-Guns anime genre, has
finally done it; he's created the perfect distillation of the Girls-with-Guns
theme by creating a manga story that is about nothing but girls with guns.
This story is a sequel of sorts to Sonoda's Riding Bean, and is set in the same
story universe; a modern day Chicago where slick vintage late-'60s muscle cars
roam the streets. Although the author gives no indication of this story being a
sequel or prequel to Riding Bean, that story's lead character, Bean Bandit,
makes a quick appearance, and the story centers on Bean's former/future partner
Rally Vincent. (For some whimsical reason sporting brunette hair, and dark skin,
rather than the blond and light complexion she had in the Riding Bean anime.)
Rally is a 19 year old gun expert working as the owner of a gunshop and shooting
range called Gun Smith Cat. Not only does she know everything about fire arms,
but she's crack shot with skills that would make Golgo 13 and James Bond run for
cover. But she doesn't just sit in the shop all day, as she's also a part time
bounty hunter who's skills are greatly appreciated by the Chicago police. Her
partner is a 17 year old girl named May Hopkins. Where Rally has a fixation with
guns and vintage muscle cars, May matches it with an enthusiasm and expertise
with guns and sex! May also has one other feature: she's very short (4'10"),
thus earning her the nickname MiniMay. (A pun for us Macross fans?) Gee, what
ever happened to the days when girls loved horses and Barbie?
That's basically what the manga is about. Girls & Guns. This is sure to be a hit
anime, and I have no doubt that it should be animated. It's got everything that
appeals to the base instincts in us guys, plus it features Sonoda's glorious
sense for action scenes. It is wonderfully drawn, although I must say Sonoda
seems to have quite an eye for cars and guns these days. They look even sexier
than the girls.
You know, one thing I like about Japanese manga is that you always learn a LOT
about something the author is interested in. And in great detail. Sonoda loves
things American. To see Chicago through his eyes is a delight. It's a
romantically gritty view of the town. Particularly since the author has never
been there yet. As always, Sodnoda loves girls. And draws them with a style and
eye for girl-stuff that makes him a unique artist of the anime female aesthetic.
And he's always loved guns, as seen in his other Girl-N-Guns efforts as Gal
Force and Bubblegum Crisis. This time you learn a lot about modern side-arms.
And, as in Riding Bean, gas-guzzling, gut rumbling, barely street legal muscle
cars.
This manga is a great time! If you're craving a no-holds-barred violent but
light hearted, action-filled good time with no socially redeeming value, and a
strange view of our largest midwestern city, you'll find it in Kenichi Sonoda's
Gun Smith Cats. Gas the Ford, and pass the ammunition!
- Tom Mitchell
ANIME SHOWER SPECIAL #2 (PUBLISHED BY IANUS PUBLICATIONS, ISSN 1183-6873, $3.25)
From Ianus publications, publishers of Protoculture Addicts, comes the second
issue of of the Anime Shower Special. The Anime Shower Special is a black and
white collection of scenes from anime and several manga featuring various
characters taking showers and doing other bathroom related tasks.
There are two problems with this publication. The first problem is the editorial
that kicks off the book. Apparently the first issue of this publication caused a
lot of controversy among readers over its exploitation of females. The editors
of the book promise to come up with a few more males in this issue, and then
ramble endlessly about the how these pictures are not exploitation, but art! The
body beautiful and all that. It's pretty silly, since all the art was intended
to be titillating in the first place, and that the majority of women in the
pictures are meant to stimulate males, the majority of readers. I wish the
editors would just confess and say that, hey, we're all males and we really
don't mind seeing beautiful women naked. Rather than rambling on about the
female aesthetic.
The second problem with the publication is the print quality. The reproductions
of the art work just are not very good most of the time. This is obviously a
limitation of the inexpensive publishing system that was used to past together
this book.
For these two reasons alone, I really wouldn't recommend this book. But this
publication does have one saving grace; some really great original artwork buy
such anime influenced fan artists like Ben Dunn, Jason Waltrip, Adam Warren, Tim
Eldred, and Robert DeJesus. All of them are HOT! And better print quality would
really show their talents off. For future issues, I say less cut and paste from
anime and manga that we've all seen, and more of the wonderful fan art!
- Tom Mitchell
PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS - ISSUE 16 JAN/FEB (MAGAZINE PUBLISHED BY IANUS
PUBLICATIONS, $3.50, 35 PAGES)
With the excellent issue 16, Canada's first major anime publication takes a big
leap in maturity as it grows away from its Robotech roots. This issue features
several new changes, including a new larger size and an improvement in overall
graphic design.
The magazine has been trying hard at dropping it's Robotech only image and
becoming a good general interest anime magazine. And with this issue, they have
finally succeeded, although the magazine still maintains it's fan roots thanks
to generous portions of fan letters and art submissions.
As Protoculture Addicts has been growing, so has the quality of information in
it as its editors get better plugged into the anime scene. This issue is
outstanding, particularly thanks to two excellent main features; a continuation
of an in-depth and enlightening interview with Ninja High-School creator Ben
Dunn, and a wonderfully detailed overview and synopsis of the OAV series Record
of Lodoss War.
Add this magazine to the list of English language anime magazines to check out.
It has finally grown into something for serious anime fans to look at. The
magazine should also be congratulated on the fact that although it's not the
oldest English anime magazine around, it is the certainly the one published most
often!
- Tom Mitchell
CRYING FREEMAN VOL. 4, ISSUE 4 (ENGLISH MANGA TRANSLATION PUBLISHED BY VIZ,
$2.75)
What's the deal with this issue of Crying Freeman? They changed the format of
the manga translation once again! This time though, the change brings both good
and bad news. The good news is that the manga is once again presented in its
original black and white form. Many readers complained, as I did in my last
review on the comic, that the coloring was nice, but it was too dark and it
obscured the great pen and ink artwork which was never designed for color in the
first place. Now Freeman is visible in all of its original detail.
But there's bad news; this conversion back to the black & white format must have
been done not because of the response of the readers, but rather as a cost
cutting move. Witness the cover of the issue. Gone is the nice heavy-stock
paper, high quality square-bound cover! Now the thing is just a stapled issue,
and the page count has dropped compared to the original B&W issues. Sure, this
saves on the cost of the issue, but it also gives us less to read, and the
issues no longer Match the rest of the series. Perhaps VIZ figured they would
drop the nice format of the single issues, since they are making compiled books
of Crying Freeman anyway?
Oh, and one more gripe; what's the deal with adding the mustache to the Larry
Buck character? Sure the artists modeled him after actor Ernest Borgnine, but
was this done to cover his distinctive features for some legal reason? Well,
whatever the reason, they forgot the mustache in one panel. (snicker)
About the story itself, the action is as wild and goofy as ever as Freeman and
is "sister" take on the ex-Green Barrettes of the Kidnappers Organization.
They're setting up some fun situations here, and seeing them resolved in the
usual gratuitous Freeman style should be a lot of fun.
Just as long as VIZ doesn't decide to print future issues on toilet paper, or
something.
- Tom Mitchell
/////////////////////////////ANIME NEWS FLASH\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
For Immediate Release August 15, 1992
ANIMEIGO ANNOUNCES THE LASERDISC RELEASE OF THE
JAPANESE CYBERPUNK SF CLASSIC "BUBBLEGUM CRISIS"
AnimEigo, Inc., the leading releasor of subtitled Japanese Animation
("Anime") in the United States, today announced that it will be releasing
its hit animated SF series, "Bubblegum Crisis," on LaserDisc.
According to Janice Hindle, U.S. General Manager of AnimEigo, "The
success of our first LaserDisc, "Vampire Princess Miyu," not to mention
the huge number of requests by fans for a Crisis LaserDisc set, has
convinced us that a substantial and growing market for subtitled Japanese
animation on LaserDisc exists, and we expect to release more and more of
our titles in the format."
All 8 episodes, along with the two Bubblegum Crisis Music-Video albums,
will be released on 4 CLV LaserDiscs. The first disc, containing the
first three Bubblegum Crisis episodes, will be released November 15th,
1992, and subsequent discs will be released monthly. The discs have a
suggested retail price of $64.95 each In addition, the entire series of four
discs can be ordered on an advance subscription basis for $220.00.(S&H INC)
Furthermore, if you have already purchased one or more Bubblegum Crisis
episodes on VHS tape, you can "upgrade" to LaserDisc by mailing in the
packaging wraps from the episodes you already own along with your order
for the subscription. For each wrap you send, you'll get $10 off the
subscription price, which means you can have all of Bubblegum Crisis on
LaserDisc for as little as $140. Each wrap submitted must be from a
different Crisis episode; the back of the wrap will be stamped with a
mark indicating it has been used, and mailed back to you after your order
has been recorded.
In order to make the most of the higher video quality available on
LaserDisc, the series will be resubtitled onto D2 digital videotape,
using AnimEigo's latest subtitling and syncronization technology, as well
as the improved song translations that were done for the Music Videos.
AnimEigo, founded in 1988, is one of the pioneers of the Japanese
Animation market in the U.S. Located in Wilmington, N.C. and Tokyo,
Japan, AnimEigo has released more subtitled Japanese Animation than any
other company. AnimEigo has 8 programs or series, totalling almost 100
titles, under license, with 19 titles currently in release.
Already in release are "MADOX-01," a parody of the "giant robot" genre,
"Riding Bean," a fast-paced action adventure set in modern day Chicago,
all 8 episodes of "Bubblegum Crisis," all 3 episodes of "Bubblegum
Crash," the sequel series to Bubblegum Crisis, both volumes of "Vampire
Princess Miyu," an elegantly chilling horror series (on both tape and
LaserDisc), the first two volumes of "Kimagure Orange Road," a psychic
love-comedy, and the first Bubblegum Crisis Music-Video. Coming in the
remainder of 1992 are three remaining "Kimagure Orange Road" volumes, the
second Bubblegum Crisis Music-Video, "Urusei Yatsura," Japan's most
outrageous animated comedy, and the Bubblegum Crisis LaserDiscs.
For more information about AnimEigo products, or to order, call Janice
Hindle or Peter Haswell at (919) 251-1850.
//////////////////////////////MAIL ORDER INFO\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
The following is a list of businesses where the ANIME STUFF staff members
shop for our anime stuff. They are highly recommended sources for anime
and provide excellent service. All of them provide mail order so you
can write to them for catalogs.
SIGHT & SOUND NIKAKU ANIMART LASER PERCEPTIONS
1275 MAIN STREET 615 North 6th. St. 1739 Noriega Street
WALTHAM, MA 02154 SAN JOSE, CA 95112 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122
PHONE: 1-617-894-8633 PHONE: 1-408-971-2822 PHONE: 1-415-753-2016
WOK TALK/SIGHT & SOUND and LASER PERCEPTIONS specialize in domestic and
imported laser video discs. Nikaku sells magazines, books,
compact discs, laser discs and other anime goods. Tell 'em ANIME STUFF
sent ya!
IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI BBS SYSTEM INFO IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO
Here is a list of some of the more notable BBS's around the country that
are dedicated mainly to anime chatter.
> VALLEY OF THE WIND BBS, the official ANIMAG BBS
Phone 1-415-341-5986 (CALIFORNIA, 300/1200/2400 BAUD)
> ANIME LANE BBS
Phone 1-818-762-3694 (CALIFORNIA, 300/1200 BAUD, Starlinkable through
Van Nuys Node)
/////////////////////////////////END NOTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
"I'm talking for free. I can't stop myself, it's a new religion."
- Duran Duran, "New Religion"
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Date of original publication: 8/17/1992
ANIME STUFF Copyright (C) 1992 Tom Mitchell, MIDORI COMMUNICATIONS, & Studio
Midori.
All rights reserved.
This publication originally appears on CompuServe Information Service's
Comic Book & Animation Forum.
USENET distribution is limited to Jude George.
USENET Address :
[email protected]
INTERNET distribution is limited to Barry Brown.
INTERNET Address : >INTERNET:
[email protected]
Original Copyrights to the material reviewed, articles written and
graphics presented are reserved by their respective owners. The contents
of Anime Stuff may be reproduced in any form of media so long as the names
of the authors are preserved, articles remain intact, and ANIME STUFF is
mentioned as the source. The contents of this publication may not be
reproduced in publications for sale without the permission of the
copyright holders listed above.
Articles & computer artwork in Anime Stuff may be re-published in
newsletters so long as a copy of the publication in which the articles
appear are sent to:
MIDORI COMMUNICATIONS
c/o Tom Mitchell
474 Chowning Circle
Dayton, Ohio 45429
U.S.A.
"GIF" and "GRAPHICS INTERCHANGE FORMAT"
are COPYRIGHTED (C) 1987-1992 CompuServe Information Service
an H&R BLOCK company.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
