Drawing from their experience in TV anime, 3D photo stories, and other media, ARTMIC created rich OVAs that, more often than not, shared familiar thematic elements along with a consistently recognizable visual style.
Category: Anime
In Pursuit of the Powered Suit: The Class of ‘83
Parallel to the development of giant robot anime in the 1970s, Studio Nue’s revolutionary renderings of Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers powered suit changed the game, and in turn lead to smaller, more “realistic” powered suits appearing in the pages of manga weeklies and hobby magazines.
A Festival of our Own: The Urusei Yatsura/Project A-Ko Connection
Project A-Ko’s origins in the adult anime series Cream Lemon are well documented, less so the influence and shared staff between the iconic OVA and the legendary TV show, Urusei Yatsura.
Macross, Too: Shoji Kawamori’s Return to Macross
After years of swearing off sequels, Shoji Kawamori returned to Macross with not one, but two new Macross projects in simultaneous production.
Another Shelved Gainax Project: Olympia
During the studio’s lean years after Nadia, Gainax briefly developed a new animated sci-fi project. While little information on it has been shared publicly, there’s evidence to suggest Olympia’s troubled production left a lasting impact on the studio.
Patlabor 2 and The Graf Zeppelin
A super brief look at a bit of history that may have influenced Mamoru Oshii’s Patlabor 2.
Before Megazone 23: The Early Mecha & Character Designs of Omega City 23
A brief look at some of the early design work created by ARTMIC artists for Omega City 23 while it was still planned as a television series.
Kickin’ it With The Tominoko Tribe
Gundam fans dancing in the streets in Tokyo circa 1980. Who were the Tominoko Tribe?
Bandai, The Post-Gundam Wave, and the Year 1985
With the gunpla boom in decline and TV robot anime losing its luster, in 1985 Bandai began to look for new ways to embrace older fans and early otaku.
AnimeCon ’91: A Japanese Convention Report
One of the earliest U.S. anime conventions, AnimeCon ’91 was held thirty years ago in San Jose, California. This a Japanese convention report of the event from Gainax’s in-house magazine, G-Press.