Manga in the 80's Pt. 2

“what did I get and read?” was of course sorted out (picked & chosen) by individuals from the comic-book the companies themselves or as in the case of Toren Smith who formed a company solely to translate the cream of the crop of Japanese Manga, and in doing so showed the variety of art styles and that of the Japanese story telling.

[I'm sure you all know how fast the amount of Japanese manga was (and still is) printed in Japan.]

With the ubiquitous access to the World Wide Web millions of manga comic-books are at people's fingertips translated or not, how are the late 90's and 2000's generations of fans and beyond find what is good rather than mediocre Fan-service with the art style made popular by CLAMP studios that is so prominent today?

With the post war (second World War) generations of manga artists and storytellers retiring or no longer with us, and with many translated works are still out of print, I hope you will still accompany me in rediscovering the time-capsule when all was new and exciting! 

So from the violent feudal world of “Lone Wolf and Cub” to “Pineapple Army”, not like the most popular genres for a Western audience whose diet of Super Hero vigilantes are more common.

"Pineapple Army" introduces us to “Operation One – Goshi: The Preceptor” published on the 6th, of December 1988 by Viz Comics as a Biweekly mini-series spanning 10 issues Ending April 1989.   English Cover art by Darren Ching, and Translation by James D. Hudnall & Satoru Fujii. 

 One Volume released in 1990 (out of a possible 10).  

Written by Kazuya Kudo as a side-work alongside the very popular manga “Yawara” and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa, (Naoki Urasawa, who also illustrated “Mai, the Psychic girl”) was originally Published and serialized by Shogakukan from 1986 to 1988.

A police detective is run down and kill by an unknown assailant leaving 4 daughters to fend for themselves in New York City and a crime boss threatening to kill them! Jed Goshi takes the job not of a bodyguard but of an instructor, to get the girls combat ready! He's ex-military, a man who trains others to defend themselves on the condition that he never gets involved, but he can not stay detached and uninvolved for very long. You might say equalizes the odds of his threatened clients!!


[That's December 1988 to April 1989 for the USA & UK],

 
[As I have so few of these comic-books, I can not at this time express an opinion on the work as a whole.] 

[UPDATE: Collection of issues 1 to 10 is now complete]

1-5

6-10

It is not the 'The A-Team', nor is it Edward Woodward's 'The Equalizer '

"To our reader"

"Operation One"

Is the future post 2020, now ready for a re-boot, and re-issue?

Urban action in ONE Volume.

[UPDATE: Collection of issues 1 to 10 now complete.]

At last I have all 10 issues. 

Cover by, 

Genealogy of Manga;

"Pineapple Army", Written by Kazuya Kudo 

(who also Wrote “Mai, the Psychic girl”)  Manga-in-80s-pt-17 Mai the Psychic girl.

"Pineapple Army" was illustrated by Naoki Urasawa, 

  ( as a side-work alongside the very popular Japanese printing of the manga “Yawara!”  and that would spring an Anime entitled  "Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl!". that he had written and illustrated  by himself,)

Naoki Urasawa (Wiki Link)

[NOTE: it is a joy to hunt down these old Manga-comic-books, and for the most part can by quite cheap too for the less well known and not in print ones.]

Pineapple Army's, additional information taken from the comic book single issues.

English version:-

Published by; Viz Communications Inc.

Viz Comics Mini-series BIWEEKY $1.75 USA  $2.50 CAN (EVERY TWO WEEKS)

Translation; James D, Hudnall & Satoru Fujii

Cover Illustrations; Darren Ching

First published in Japan, in 1988

English publication 6th. December 1988 to April 1989

English TPB publication, was One Volume of 290 pages ($16.95 USA  $24.25 CAN) 1990?

QUOTE: promoting the TPB, from the Translator:  "Pineapple Army Is something I can believe in.  The character of Jed Goshi is a real person, full of complexity and purpose.

  There are people in these stories, not angst-ridden cape-wearers who spout monologues as they bash a villain's head in" - JAMES HUDNALL

Time to express an opinion (post 2020);