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.
Category: Translations
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.
Kow Yokoyama’s Sci-Fi Plastic Model Classroom
From the pages of SF Magazine circa 1985, a short interview with legendary illustrator and model maker Kow Yokoyama (Maschinen Krieger, Venus Wars).
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.
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.
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.”
Kazuhisa Kondo’s Gundam: The Revival of Zeon
Yet another feature on proverbial Zimmerit favorite Kazuhisa Kondo. Translations and art from the introduction of his manga “prequel” to Char’s Counterattack, The Revival of Zeon.
Interview with Bubblegum Crisis Creator Toshimichi Suzuki
From the pages of the Bubblegum Crisis Completed File No. 5, a brief interview with series creator Toshimichi Suzuki on the hard economics of OVAs and jidaigeki influences.
Daicon IV Production Report
Written by Toshio Okada and Yasuhiro Takeda in 1983, this translated article reveals the haphazard, amateur production of the anime short that made history.
Interview with Kenji Kawai: Patlabor 2 & Burt Bacharach
In 1993, Japanese cinema magazine Kinema Junpo sat down with composer Kenji Kawai to talk about his work on Patlabor, collaborating with Mamoru Oshii, and his love of Burt Bacharach.