While Gundam is everywhere today, for most of the ’80s and ’90s it was up to Western anime fans to carry the torch of Gundam through fanzines, magazine articles, and newsgroups.
Category: Doujin
The Book of Otaku Insects: 1980s Fandom Trapped in the Web of Loathing
A tongue-in-cheek taxonomical breakdown of otaku fandom circa 1985 from the pages of Monthly OUT.
The Early Doujin of Kenichi Sonoda
Long before Gunsmith Cats or Gall Force, Kenichi Sonoda got his break thanks to doujin he published with a group named Comic Circle VTOL.
Gunpla Doujin: Universal Century 0087
What was a diehard Gundam modeler in 1986 to do if they weren’t satisfied by Bandai’s kits based on the all-new Zeta Gundam? This doujin by Studio Mk-0 offered detailed how-to guides for improving your gunpla
Pony Metal U-Gaim
A doujin parody from 1985. A canceled MSX2 game. Three minutes of animation by one of Sunrise’s best contract studios. The unusual story of a robot girl inspired by L-Gaim and Creamy Mami.
AWAKE – Opening Animation of Japan S.P.F.X. Convention III
A largely forgotten example of doujin anime, circa 1984.
Britain’s First Anime Fanzine: Robotech UK
Published sometime in 1986 by Tony Luke, Robotech UK, at first glance, seems like your run-of-the-mill Robotech fanzine from the 1980s.