About this Blog (Post 80)

Working as a part-time Anime Fandom historian, transferring written questionnaires (and trying group interesting data together), scanning Magazines, and manga comic-books, and those few surviving pen-pal letters from the late 80's and early 90's. All to be re-read and correlated chronology, and to see what statements of that time can be used as testimonials, to give a seance of what new and existing time it was, when cartoon were not just kids shows, and Black & White comic-books had a new cinematic feel to them for an older reader.

What tasks I set myself, can of course lead me away from uploading on a regular basis, as I'd hoped to give a month-by-month view of what it was like back in the day.

At times when you get immersed in the past when reading these old letters, and after 25 years or more have gone bye, the temptation to explore the internet to re-connect with old pen-pals does take you to the side once and a while, what stopped me in my tracks was the discovery that a Anime pen-pal had died 18 years ago (1999) on the Isle of Wight at the young age 27, I only had a few letters spanning two years (1990 & 1991) that had survived in my collection, but the overwhelming feelings of loss, of a fellow pioneer, and the time that had already passed bye this was October 2016. I was already struggling with the self-promoting idea of my own part in the spread of Japanese pop culture in the UK entitled Birth of a Fan Club   and an aversion to writing had sunk in.

By December of 2016 my attentions had moved to the information that my job after 11 years was to be made redundant, and later that month my son was admitted to hospital with the discovery of a very serous heart condition. Six months on and I have re-discovered the joy of collecting the past, a few Manga comic-books at a time, scanning, dating and cataloging in the hope of uploading to a future Blog post, or other medium for content.

Now diving back into the past.....

Area88 and Mai the Psychic Girl

Area 88 ran for 42 Biweekly issues (2 per month) from May of 1987 to February 1989.

Mai the Psychic Girl ran for 28 issues Biweekly (2 per month) from May of 1987 to June 1988.

GREY and BAOH

Grey ran for 9 monthly issues from August 1988 to April 1989.

Baoh ran for 8 monthly issues from December 1989 to July 1990.

JUSTY and Appleseed 

Justy ran for 9 Biweekly (2 per month) issues from December 1988 to April 1989.

Appleseed ran to 20 issues from December 1988 to November 1991, 4 books each had 5 parts.

With American imports to the UK those smaller complete runs of 8 to 9 issues could be easily missed, or even later forgotten about.

Manga in the 80's Pt. 3

“Area 88”, Is so much more than “Top Gun”, so don't dismiss it as a War comic-book, or just a Jet fighter action comic-book, you will find the Story and Art are done by Kaoru Shintani (who's Japanese serialization started back in 1978) was first republished in May 1987 by Eclipse International\Viz Comics as a Biweekly (of the possible 172 Issues it was cancelled at 42).

What you do find is comic-book storytelling from the passion of one man, as you follow Shin Kazama a Jet fighter pilot in a mercenary force, willing to risk his life for the money! 
The money to buy himself out, having been conned in to being a Merc. by his friend from aviation school (shin was top of his class, and going out with daughter of an Airline magnate) who was jealous!

You soon find out that Shin's 3 year contract has a price to buy-out of at $1.5 million, the trouble is will he live that long to fly all those Missions, will the constant repairs to aircraft diminish his hopes (hopes of going home, and seeing the girl he loves), or will the endless battles turn him in to a heartless killer as he becomes the ace pilot of the mercenary force, and only the thrill of life is combat?! 
Avionic action, comedic moments, tragedy, and romance, have found a good home hear.

[1987 was when comic-book companies started to take the risk of translating manga form Japan, and republishing it in a familiar format for the West.]

[Shin has greatness shoved upon him, as an unforeseen and reluctant Hero, this is a reoccurring theme in Japanese storytelling.]

[AREA88 is well known in Japan, with 2 Anime series (1985 & 2005) and a theatrical film.] 

[UPDATE: Collection of issues 1 to 42 now complete, as of August 2022.]

AREA88