A look back at the film sequel to a giant robot parody TV show that defies expectations.
Category: Anime
Goldorak Go! Early Anime Fandom in Côte D’Ivoire
People often think of the countries in Africa as not having much in the way of anything, a stereotype that doesn’t reflect a much more complicated truth. This article isn’t about that. It’s about Go Nagai’s UFO Robot Grendizer and how much he meant to people growing up in the Francophone Côte D’Ivoire.
Skies, Planes, and Macross Plus: A Shoji Kawamori Interview
The first volume of Macross Plus was released on August 25, 1994. To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of one of the most iconic OVAs of the 1990s, we’re publishing a translated interview with series creator and chief director Shoji Kawamori that was originally found in the This is Animation Select Macross Plus Movie Edition book.
Fly Me to M-78: The Evangelion-Ultraman Connection
When discussing Evangelion, Western fandom ignores the fact that its esteemed auteur, Hideaki Anno, is a total goddamn dork for tokusatsu. Specifically, Ultraman.
Space Fold: The Inverted Knees and Mechanical Designs of Macross
The more innovative aspects of Macross’ mechanical designs weren’t spontaneous creations but the iterative results of years of design work by Studio Nue’s Shoji Kawamori and Kazutaka Miyatake.
Omega City 23 and the Origins of Megazone 23
Originally conceptualized at the height of the real robot boom as a 26-episode TV series called Omega City 23, Megazone 23 went through numerous changes and iterations before it became a cutting edge OVA. For the first time, the original pitch document of Omega Zone 23 is available to read in Japanese and English.
AD Police Is the Closest Thing to a “Good” Bubblegum Crisis Spin-off
Fans have spent years lamenting the lack of a decent sequel to Bubblegum Crisis. The AD Police Files OVA series is often touted as the best of the sequels and reboots out there, but it’s the manga that inspired the OVA that’s really worth checking out.
Shinji Aramaki’s Student Film Moon Struck Artemis
While part of the Okayama University Manga Club in 1981, Shinji Aramaki (MADOX-01, Appleseed) and other students created what an anonymous Wikipedia editor praised as “a masterpiece of the anime club era.”
Kikeroga: Char’s Phantom Machine
Tom digs up the history of a long-forgotten mobile suit with an incredible pedigree; designed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, appearing in the original pitch for Mobile Suit Gundam, and piloted by Char Aznable.
Makoto Kobayashi’s Dragon’s Heaven
Thirty years after its release Dragon’s Heaven still stands out from the crowd of early OVA titles.