Post 134 Blog hiatus

 Dear readers, apologies for the hiatus of more than 13 months...

This UK Manga and Anime Fandom Blog that is charting my time from the mid to late 80's to the early 90's when the few catered a whole bunch more. Thus a network of Pen-Pals, newsletters, fanzines, and Fan clubs, and magazines came into being.

If you life long enough sooner or later bad things happen! After I had begun to meet people face to face, who knew of Anime, and Manga Comic books, or were just being introduced to these mediums and how they differ from Western Animation and Comic books, I was diagnosed with Cancer of the tongue in May of 1990, having survived weeks Radiotherapy treatment to then have some of my tongue cut out, I threw myself into Promoting Anime and Manga, and Japanese culture, and putting like minded people in touch with each other, all from the ground up, would come a Fan Club and its Club-zine (Anime Kyo UK; AKN Anime Kyo News), all the while keeping my love of the hobby.

Leap forward to 2013 when I started this blog, and then the year 2020 where again I was Diagnosed with Cancer, this time of the Larynx, treatment was started in January of 2021 With Chemotherapy, and Radiotherapy combined (all within the Changed World of COVID19's Global pandemic), this did not shrink the Cancer enough when the Hospital next was able to look at the treatment's effect, and now it is inoperable!

I am taking a drug therapy every six weeks for as long as it can hold the Cancer at bay, but it is still terminal.

The Time I have left, has been pulled to publish and upload what I, and friends can archive in print, and online, as a record of those early days.

A BIG THANK YOU

I would like to THANK; Andrew Osmond, and Gemma Cox for their support in bringing to life the Record of the UK's very first Anime Convention that took place in Sheffield (Yorkshire, England) on March of 1991 “ANIME DAY”, a one day convention.

[see issue 206 of NEO Magazine (February\March 2021)]

Our tribute to 30 years of Fan Celebrations.

I would like to THANK Martin Brown, for not only giving a home to my Anime on VHS tapes, but his labour and time in creating and maintaining a YouTube channel that is growing, and forever has my likeness from when I was in my early 20's promoting Anime in the UK.

[ Anime Nostalgia Archive UK ]

from July 2021 you can now see 

"Anime Kyo UK Introduction Video"

Now we approach March 2022, and once again there is a 30^th. Anniversary of “ANIME DAY 2”, the UK's first weekend Anime Convention.

And let's see what the future brings....

November 1990 Pt. 8 Manga round-up

 November 1990 Pt. 8 Manga round-up 

We still had a few on-going Manga comic-books and Anime based comic-books that could be still found “On the racks” in December of 1990, such as:-

#40 of 'Lone Wolf and Cub'  (End of 1-45)

from First comics,

#23 of Outlanders. (1-33)

from Dark Horse Comics.

#9 Cyber 7  BOOK TWO (1 -8, 1– 9)  

from Eclipse.

#26 AKIRA (1-38)

from Epic.

#1 of  GUNHED Gun Unit/Heavy Elimination Device (1-3)

#4 of  Crying Freeman: Part Two (1-9)

#10 of  COBRA  (1-12)

 from Viz Comics.

#5 of 2001 Nights  (1 – 10)

#2 of Lost Continent (1-6)

 from Viz Comics.

GRAPHIC-NOVELS STILL ON SALE IN THIS MONTH FROM THE YEAR PAST:

The Laughing Target (GN)

Shion – Blade of the Minstral  (GN) #1

What's Michael? (GN)

What's Michael? (GN)  BOOK #2

PINEAPPLE ARMY (GN) #1

The Legend of Kamui – the Island of Sugaru (GN)

LUM (Vol #1)  (GN)

Appleseed Book #1 (GN) Promethean Challenge

Appleseed Book #2 (GN) Prometheus Unbound

Dirty Pair – Biohazards (GN)

Hotel Harbour View (GN)

Crying Freeman – Portrait of a Killer Vol #1 (GN)

Crying Freeman – Portrait of a Killer Vol #2 (GN)

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Vol #2 (GN )

from Eclipse Comics, &  from Viz Comics.

November 1990 Pt. 7 Manga (new release)

 GUNHED (Gun Unit/Heavy Elimination Device).  Written and illustrated by Kia Asamiya, English translation published monthly by Viz Comics in their "Viz Select Comics" range, split into 3 issues running from November 1990 to March 1991  And Colourised.  

First published in  .?  by ? (see Japanese print).

 GUNHED 

(Gun Unit/Heavy Elimination Device).

Advertisement for Issue ONE, November 1990.

Advertisement for the TPB, October 1991.

GUNHED 

Issues 1 to 3.

 Issue ONE, November 1990.

Issue TWO, January 1991.

Issue THREE, March 1991.

GunHeD Live action movie 1989.

GUNHED (1989) by TOHO / ADV FILMS

[NOTE: Nippon Film Collection, uploaded the English Dub Movie to the "Internet Archive" a independent nonprofit organization.  https://archive.org/details/@toho_fan  (as of August 2022).]

GUNHED (JUNE 15TH. 1994).

GUNHED (JUNE 15TH. 1994).

GUNHED (JUNE 15TH. 1994).

[NOTE: Moving into the future, that would be June of 1994 "Manga Video" would release GunHed on VHS (Pal).]

(Back in the early 90's I was able to locate enough details for a London company to be able to import the Trade Paper Back\Graphic novel for myself, having taken a shine to the story and the film)

[NOTE: a PC Engine video game, took the name "GUNHED" for a vertical shooter (that has very good reviews), but has no relation to the story of the Film or the manga.  But has always been a good talking point when talking to gamers, when you tell them about the film, and how it is like a video game going UP levels.]

[NOTE: I  wrote a review about "GUNHED" THE MOVIE, for Helen MacCarthey's 'ANIME UK'  Newsletter issue 2, that was published in October of 1990, as well as a brief summary of the PC-Engine shoot-em-up video game of the same name,  (the fan newsletter had a circulation of about 25 subscribers\readers in the UK, at the time it was produced.]

[NOTE: As of August 2022 I now have reacquired the "GunHeD"  PC Engine video game, at a cost of £77.00 not bad for a Hu-Card game made in 1989. (Yen 5,800 when NEW)]

[NOTE: Scale model kits, have been produced over the years, and at this time of writing (November 2022 - their is a Pre-Order for ONE such 1/35 scale model kit.]

 

Estimated Delivery: MID 06/2023

PRE-ORDER

23 years after the release of the 1989 tokusatsu movie GUNHED, the transformable armoured mecha deployed by the allied powers in the robotic war against the autonomous AI Kyron-5, GUNHED, is finally joining Kotobukiya's plastic model lineup! 

This definitive version is made with modern model kit techniques, with supervision and materials by tokusatsu director Koichi Kawakita.

By swapping out parts, GUNHED can transform between Tank Mode and Standing Mode. In addition to being able to stand on its own in Standing Mode, it can also be displayed in Pid Mode to recreate the iconic scene from the movie. The unit number to recreate GUNHED 507 from the movie and other markings are included as decals. Fuel tanks and barrels of vintage whiskey can be attached to the legs just like in the movie, and users can also remove the 20mm chain gun to recreate the movie's climactic ending. Enjoy assembling this meticulously crafted GUNHED by adding it to your collection today!