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.
Tag: fandom
Stream•Base: Riding the Gunpla Boom in the Early Days of Gundam Model Mania
The gunpla boom of the early ’80s saw an explosion of interest in mecha modeling and provided unprecedented opportunities for a group of model enthusiasts that dubbed themselves “Stream•Base.”
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.
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.
Neon Never Fades: Thirty Years of Bubblegum Crisis
The “cyberpunk classic” turns thirty this month. Here’s our take on why it has endured.
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.
Flashback 1996: Anime America
Twenty years ago today the fourth and final year of Anime America — a short-lived California anime convention that attempted to compete with Anime Expo — kicked off.