In 1985, Akira Toriyama partnered with a fledgling model kit company to produce an injection molded plastic kit based on an original design.
Category: Translations
Gunpla Boom Ephemera: Kunio Okawara’s Gouf Lady
With the gunpla boom riding high and Bandai rolling out its new Mobile Suit Variations series, original Gundam mechanical designer Kunio Okawara tried his hand at sculpting an original garage kit.
The Sony HiTBiT F1 Game Robot: When Gall Force Sold Computers
Sony’s marketing campaigns for their MSX computers involved everyone from Syd Mead to Seiko Matsuda, but their most memorable bit of advertising may have been a print ad featuring a scratch-built powered suit to advertise their HiTBiT HB-F1 MSX2 machine.
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.
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.
Gainax’s Never-Completed Uru in Blue and an Interview with Hiroyuki Yamaga
During a particularly rough period for Gainax in the early ’90s, Hiroyuki Yamaga sat down to discuss his plans for a sequel to Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise. Nearly 30 years later it remains unfinished.
Hideaki Anno’s Macross Movie Production Comic
As an up-and-coming young animator, Hideaki Anno worked on big animated films like Nausicaä and Macross: Do You Remember Love? For a brief time in 1984, he had a short comic feature that ran in Comic Box Jr. detailing his production experiences.
Two Factory: A Translated Interview with Kow Yokoyama and Makoto Kobayashi
In 1988, Kow Yokoyama and Makoto Kobayashi stood atop the artist and model making scene. Their illustrations and model work appeared in anime, magazines, video games, and a collaborative artbook called Two Factory.
Kabukicho Wars: The Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 Plan & Design Document
Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 was one of the unsung heroes of the OVA boom. Presented here for the first time is an early design document outlining the OVA’s plot and designs, in both Japanese and English.
The Mobile Suit Machinations of Kazuhisa Kondo, A Translated Interview
Originally published nearly three decades ago in the manual of a PC-98 strategy game, this interview with Kazuhisa Kondo sheds light on his unique approach to portraying mobile suits in his comics.