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.
More Than A Coincidence: Notes on Xardion and Gunbuster
Stephen revisits Xardion to talk a bit about its similarities with an earlier Gainax project, Aim for the Top! Gunbuster.
Go Nagai’s Horror Zone
During the video boom of the late ’80s, manga legend Go Nagai was involved in a series of live-action horror compilations and and films.
Before Hideaki Anno: A Production History of the Original Shin Kamen Rider
Long before the creator of Evangelion had the chance to reimagine one of his favorite superhero shows, Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue debuted on home video with an adult, edgy spin to celebrate Kamen Rider’s 20th anniversary.
Catch the Dougram Diorama Caravan
In the midst of the gunpla boom, Takara slapped some Dougram decals on a van and toured Japanese hobby shops to promote their model kits and encourage kids to create their own mecha model dioramas.
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.
Daicon III’s 40th Anniversary
The convention that changed anime kicked off on August 22, 1981.
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.
Monthly Halloween: How American Horror was Translated for Shoujo Manga
At a glance it may seem like the intermingling of Japanese and American horror movie motifs with manga-literate millennial artists is a relatively new phenomenon. And yet, as is often the case, this is not the first time these flavors have mingled.
Resin Royalty: Kotobukiya’s Original Kit Catalog of 1991
A quick look through a 30-year-old catalog from garage kit manufacturer Kotobukiya.