May 1990 Pt.6 Nippon Shuppan Hanbai USA INC

Having just found paperwork (sorry hard copies) from Nippon Shuppan Hanbai USA INC .(Books Nippan) buried among reams of correspondence in a few tightly packed surviving boxes, finding more fragments from May 1990 for you the reader to ponder over.

It was about this time I joined the B.N.A.F.C. (Books Nippan Animation Fan Club) that gave you discounts on what the company was selling [much like Manga video did in the UK later in the 90's].

My Membership of Books Nippan Animation Fan Club Paid $12 (invoice 04.18/1990) - Membership Card 05/90 to 06/91.

I had seen their advertisement in April's issue of 'Protoculture Addicts' fanzine of their subtitled Japanese Animation on VHS 'GUNBUSTER Vol. 1' and ' DANGAIOH' a first for Anime to the direct-to-home American market, to be released January 1990 by U.S. Renditions. 

 

[NOTE: According the internet (post 2000) GUNBUSTER Vol. 1 was released in March 1990. But I can not confirm this.]

U.S. Renditions was the Special Projects Division of Books Nippan, the American branch of Nippon Shuppan Hanbai, the only UK connection being the shop in London 'Books Nippon' that I knew of at the time.

 The B.N.A.F.C. Had a leap in membership from about 1000 to 4000 members in just a short space of time, that triggered a re-organisation of their mail-ordering department to harmonise to meet the new demand for goods. 

Looking at BOOKS NIPPAN's Newsletter #8 - (copyright Shinji Aramaki IDOL/ARTMIC 1985) Previous newsletters were originally to come out Yearly. Can you imagine waiting 12 months or more for News and feedback from a distributor of Anime, that's breaking into a new market!?

[NOTE: U.S. Renditions Update “Work continues on the new English subtitled videos for 1991. The original U.S. Renditions production team along with new translators Toshfumi Yoshida and Trish Ledoux (Editors of ANIMAG Magazine) are currently (late 1990\early 1991) projecting an April 1991 release for 'GUNBUSTER Vol. 2', and APPLESEED, GUNBUSTER Vol. 2 which contains episodes 3 & 4 will also have the “Science Classroom II” which was cut out of 'GUNBUSTER Vol. 1' due to length of time considerations.]

  [NOTE: Sometime during June or July will be the Release of 'GUNBUSTER Vol. 3 and Black Magic M-66. ( There are currently other projects being discussed for FALL 1991 release.).]