Shipped overseas and repackaged in the ’70s and ’80s, the Japanese concept of “giant robots” has become a global phenomenon, the stuff of Hollywood films, video games, TV shows, and more. But back then, as much now, the art of big robots has bore witness to a range of global contributions, influences, and shared inspiration.
The second half of our look at the early history of mecha model kits in the U.S.; including Battletech, R.O.B.O.T., and court battles!
The first part of a deep dive into the origins of gunpla and mecha modelling in the U.S., looking back to the 1980s when Japanese model kits invaded hobby store shelves and wargaming tables.
Before Macross sequels hit video shelves and airwaves, Shoji Kawamori’s Stampede Valkyrie was one of a handful of rarely seen and now mostly forgotten designs created for Macross side-projects.
Hidden within AnimEigo’s beloved Super Dimension Fortress Macross DVD Boxset lies a candid conversation with series director Noboru Ishiguro. However, the stories shared by (and of) the late director leave a greater impression than just the simple tale of a hidden commentary.
After years of swearing off sequels, Shoji Kawamori returned to Macross with not one, but two new Macross projects in simultaneous production.
The convention that changed anime kicked off on August 22, 1981.
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.
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.
The more innovative aspects of Macross’ mechanical designs weren’t spontaneous creations but the iterative results of years of design work by Studio Nue’s Shoji Kawamori and Kazutaka Miyatake.
