15 YEAR OLD NEWS FEED

June 15th, 2008 by Brack

I did a couple of these last year, and not having too much to write about at the moment, I’m going to bring them back.

What are these? Well it’s summaries of the news in the UK manga & anime magazine Manga Mania from 1993. I didn’t actually read them back then, only hoping on in the spring of 1995. These are my little brother’s copies that I took of his hands years later. This is from issue 3, cover date September 1993.

  • Manga Video releases: Judge, Ultimate Teacher, 3×3 Eyes Parts 2 & 3
  • Titan Books release Helen McCarthy’s Anime! - A Beginner’s Guide To Japanese Animation
  • John Courtenay-Grimwood has a rant about the BBFC rating 3×3 Eyes an 18 certificate.
  • In the US:
  • Viz announces Ranma OAVs.
  • Live action Macross (!) announced at Anime Expo. This clearly never materialised, anyone know what this was about?
  • Giant Robo Vol. 3 premiered at Anime Expo.
  • Pioneer sent “shockwaves” by announcing their plan to have subtitles on their Laser Disc releases of “No Need For Tenchi: Demon Emperor Ryou”, “Moldiver” and “Machine God Corps” I wish they’d left Tenchi Muyo with that translation as it’s title.
  • CPM/US Manga Corps releases: Urotukidoji: Legend Of The Overfiend, Area 88
  • AD Vision releases: Battle Angel Alita
  • LA Hero/US Renditions: Superdimensional Century Orguss Vol. 7 & 8, Ultraman Vol. 9, Macross II Vol. 3
  • Family Home Entertainment: Robotech in SP mode VHS with TWO (!) episodes a tape.
  • AnimEigo: Urusei Yatsura Vol. 9, AD Police File-I, Kimagure Orange Road Laser Disc Vol. 2
  • Dark Horse Comics: Caravan Kidd, Version 2.2
  • Eternity Comics: Robotech II: The Sentinels, Robotech: Return To Macross, Robotech: Invid War, Ninja High School
  • Now Comics: New Adventures of Speed Racer
  • Viz Comics: Battle Angel Alita, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma, Genocyber, Sanctuary, Pixy Junket, Crying Freeman, Sanctuary, Nausicaa
  • In Japan:
  • Crayon Shin-Chan’s first film is released
  • Sailor Moon is made into a stage musical
  • Eight Man After, Comet Machine School Saber, Kiss Me On The Apple Of My Eye, Big Wars, Cashan and Giant Robo Vol. 3 were released in August in Japan. For now Trish Ledoux’s focus (for it is she that is writing the US/Japan news) seems to be on writing about Japanese OAV releases rather than what was on television then. Which is fair enough, as that’s what was most likely to get a western release. I’m wondering when that coverage in the magazine changed, and if it will coincide with Evangelion’s broadcast.

Posted in Anime, Manga | Tags: , | No Comments »

All the news you can use (if you have access to a time machine)!

November 6th, 2007 by Brack

More news from the pages of UK anime/manga mag Manga Mania circa August 1993.

  • Manga Video were releasing RG Veda, The Legend of Arislan (sic), Crying Freeman and Doomed Megalopolis.
  • Western Connection (remember them?) were releasing The Sensualist
  • Dark Horse Comics were releasing Adam Warren’s Bubblegum Crisis “manga”. Not coincidentally Dark Horse International were the publishers of Manga Mania at this time.
  • Trish Ledoux was recommending the Japanese release of the complete LaserDisc boxset of Ranma 1/2 while simultaneously dissing the complete Minky Momo and Mospeda boxes.
  • She also announced Viz’s release of the Ranma OAVs, Bandai’s Japanese release of the second Dominion Tank Police OAV series and the english language release of Johji Manabe’s Outlanders by Dark Image Entertainment. Manabe was definitely a visible name in US manga releases in the nineties, but seems to have dropped off the radar today. Dark Image Entertainment isn’t a name I’m familiar with, according to ANN they were part of LA Hero/US Renditions, all of which are now defunct.
  • Out in Japan around this time were (all names from the magazine):
Crimson Wolf
Free Kick Toward Tomorrow 13
Ushio and Tora OAV Vol. 8
Erotic Beast High School Vol. 4
KO Century Three Beastketeers 2 Vol. 2
Ambassador Magma Vol. 1
Sleepless Oedo!
Tale of A Narrative Fantasy Ellcia Vol. 4
Machine God Corps Vol. 4

  • And in the US:
Harmageddon (US Manga Corps)
Super Deformed Double Feature (AnimEigo)
Photon Space Sailer Starlight Odin~! (US Manga Corps)
Ambassador Magma Vol. 2 (LA Hero/Dark Image Entertainment) - was this really getting released in the US before Japan???
The Guyver Vol. 5 (LA Hero/US Renditions)
Devilman Vol. 2 (LA Hero/Dark Image Entertainment)
MADOX-01/Riding Bean (AnimEigo)
Urusei Yatsura OAV Vol. 5 (AnimEigo)
Robot Carnival LD (???)

Not quite as interesting news this time, it’s sort of settled into just being a list of release dates. The Japanese releases are quite interesting to see, as is the distinctly different landscape in the US Market.

Posted in Anime | Tags: , | No Comments »

Fourteen Year Old Anime News

October 30th, 2007 by Brack

I was struggling to think of something to write tonight. The next CIOASIISAG entry will be somewhat longwinded (as it will be OHOTMU the RPG!) and so I want to do it around the weekend and my brain doesn’t want to do any UY family tree research at the moment.

Then I remembered I have every issue of the UK anime/manga magazine Manga Mania, and I thought it might be interesting to see what was going on in anime and manga when it started up, so here’s what was in news in the first issue of Manga Mania (July 1993):

  • Manga Video had Lensman and Urotsukidoji II coming out.
  • The conTanimTed convention was coming up in Birmingham, at the New Cobden Hotel.
  • The last volume of Anime Projects’ release of Bubblegum Crisis was coming out.
  • Tony Luke’s “Dominator” “manga” was coming out. (Manga Mania had some sort of love affair with Tony Luke…)
  • First Independant had just released “Warriors Of The Wind” in the UK.
  • There was a report on Anime Day File-3 held at the Rutland Hotel, Sheffield which had 260 people attend~!~!
  • Trish Ledoux recommending US and Japanese titles - namely “GUNN, RUSTY ANGEL” (Battle Angel Alita) OAV and the MAISON IKKOKU manga.
  • And a list of fanzines (and where to get them):
    • Tales Of The Cajun Sushi Bar
    • Animeheim
    • Legend Of The OVA Fiend
    • Marionette Nation
    • Animenia
    • Trash City
    • From The Sublime…

I wouldn’t get into anime and manga for about over 2 years after this came out. The copy I’m cribbing this from was my little brother’s. Of those fanzines Trash City and Tales Of… were certainly kicking around when I became a fan of anime, but Trash City was the only one I ever read/bought. And is still ongoing as a website.

Posted in Anime | Tags: , | No Comments »

Next Entries »