December 1990 Pt. 10 So lets look back at the year 1990.

So let's look back at the year 1990.

This of course is all from my own perspective as a fan of Japanese comic books (Manga), and Japanese Animation known as 'Anime', while living in England, and how a hobby and interest evolved from the mid 1980's, into the beginning of a fandom in 1990, and then beyond.

The change from being a passive fan, to a motivated and active fan in a newly started Fandom, who would write to the UK's Embassy of Japan, and springboard off from that into writing to Kodansha Publishing in 1990, asking if the Akira anime would be distributed in Britain. 

Where I and others strove to promote the recognition that Animation is a medium and art style that is aimed at many different age groups, and with as many different genres that are normally associated with live action motion pictures, or Television programs.

I would also keep my apperception of the Manga comic books, that were then translated into English, and imported from America to the United Kingdom, many of which had a single creator, and were illustrated in Black & White (and yes there were exceptions of partnerships between a Story\dialogue writer and an illustrator, and the colourisation of their artwork by the American publishers too).  

Many of these Manga would have some kind of animated production; TV episodes, cinematic films, and OAVs, would influence my Anime collection.

The grass roots movement of pen-pals and tape traders, that were in such small numbers, with meetings\showings in people's houses, where bed rooms and front rooms were taken over to provide the floor space, that would then see an emergence into the Video rooms of Science Fiction Conventions. I will add to this the time scale, and geographical spread. 

Many pages on this site cover my own acquisitions; consisting of English, American, and Canadian fanzines, and American and Japanese Anime magazines, and those translated Manga, and a few that I had imported from Japan too.

As I had just started to get monthly subscription of Japanese Anime magazines mailed to me via the Japanese Book shop (Books Nippon) near the back of Saint Paul's cathedral in London, we can make assumptions on what Anime was shown to be popular by their front covers, and we could take note of advertisements as another data source (I did not have the start of the year, and some issues have not survived post 2000). 

Japanese Anime magazine covers;

NEWTYPE (missing January & May issues).

ANIMEDIA (missing January, February, and May).

ANIME V (missing January, February, March, & June).

ANIMAGE ( I had just these 2 examples).

As a Fan what else did I spend my money on as part of my hobby?

Manga comic-books when I could find them in comic-book shops\stores either in Nottingham or Leicester, even with 3 shops in each city it was still hit 'n' miss to find and pick-up issues.

What Manga comic-books were published for the American and English speaking markets in 1990 ?  

Some of the longer running titles below would have started in 1987, or 1989, and thus have spilled over into the year 1990, and would make up a tiny percent of the imports from North American publishers to the United Kingdom.

'AKIRA #16, #17, #18. #19'

'AKIRA #20. #21, #22. #23

 'AKIRA #24, #25, #26,'

'AKIRA' #16 to #26 (1-38)  from Epic Comics.

AKIRA. Written and illustrated by Katsuhiro Otomo.

'Lone Wolf and Cub #31, #32, #33, #34, #35'

'Lone Wolf and Cub #36, #37, #38, #39, #40'

'Lone Wolf and Cub #41'

'Lone Wolf and Cub' #31 to #41 (End of 1-45) from First comics,

Lone Wolf and Cub. created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima

 Outlanders. #14 to #24  (1-33)  from Dark Horse Comics.

Outlanders. Written and illustrated by Johji Manabe.

Baoh #2 TO #8 (1 – 8)   from Viz Comics.

Baoh. Written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki.

Crying Freeman: Part One  #4 to #8 (1-8)   from Viz Comics.

Crying Freeman: Part Two  #1 to #5  (1-9)   from Viz Comics.

Crying Freeman. Written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami.

COBRA #1 to  #11 (1-12)  from Viz Comics.

COBRA. Written and illustrated by Buichi Terasawa.

Horobi: Book One #1 to 8 (1-8)   from Viz Comics.

Horobi: Book Two #1 (1-7)  from Viz Comics.

Horobi. Written and illustrated by Yoshihisa Tagami.

2001 Nights #1 to #6 (1 – 10)  from Viz Comics.

2001 Nights. Written and illustrated by Yukinobu Hoshino.

Gunhed #1 (1-3)   from Viz Comics.

GUNHED Written and illustrated by Kia Asamiya

Lost Continent #1 to #3 (1-6)  from Eclipse Comics.

Lost Continent. Written and illustrated by Akihiro Yamada.

Appleseed Book 3  #4 to #5 (1-5)  from Eclipse Comics.

Appleseed. Written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow.

Dominion #2 to #6 (1– 6)  from Eclipse Comics.

Dominion Written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. 

Black Magic #1 to #4 (1–4)  from Eclipse Comics.

Black Magic. Written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow.

Cyber 7 BOOK TWO #4 to #10 (1-17)  from Eclipse Comics.

Cyber 7. Written and illustrated by Shuho Itahashi. 

GOLGO 13 – Hopper the Border #2  (1 – 2)

GOLGO 13

NOT fully Manga, but....

Dirty Pair  A Plague of Angels #5 (1-5)  from Eclipse Comics

Dirty Pair.

Written by Toren Smith & Adam Warren and illustrated by Adam Warren

(based on characters and situations created by Haruka Takachiho)

Lensman #1 to #5  (1-5)  from Eternity Comics

(based on characters and situations from the Animated movie LENSMAN: Secret of the Lens)

Lensman Galactic Patrol #1 to #5 (1-5)  from Eternity Comics

'A Lensman Side Story, published in July of 1990 (monthly).

 (inspired by the characters and situations from the Animated movie LENSMAN: Secret of the Lens, and animated television series Lensman.)

Trade paperbacks and stand-alone Graphic Novels;

The Laughing Target (GN)

Laughing Target. Written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi.

Shion – Blade of the Minstral  (GN) VIZ 

SHION: Blade of the Minstrel. Written and illustrated by Yu Kinutani

Hotel Harbour View (GN) 

Hotel Harbour View. Story by Natsuo Sekikawa, Illustrated by Jiroh Taniguchi.

PINEAPPLE ARMY (GN) 

Written by Kazuya Kudo and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa

What's Michael? (GN) BOOK #1

What's Michael? (GN)  BOOK #2

What's Michael?. Written and illustrated by Makoto Kobayashi.

The Legend of Kamui – the Island of Sugaru (GN) Book #1

The Island Of Sugaru. Written and illustrated by Sanpei Shirato.

LUM (Vol #1)  (GN) Book 1 #1

Written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi

Appleseed Book #1 (GN) Promethean Challenge

Appleseed Book #2 (GN) Prometheus Unbound

Appleseed. Written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow.

[NOTE: that the TPBs published by Eclipse Comics, are the FRIST Printings,

and have the Name and Title clearly on the Front Cover of each Volume .

Unlike the later publishing's by Dark Horse.]

Dirty Pair – Biohazards (GN) book #1

Dirty Pair.

Written by Toren Smith & Adam Warren and illustrated by Adam Warren

(based on characters and situations created by Haruka Takachiho)

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

     

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

Written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami

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

Written and illustrated by Hayao Miyazaki.

VIZ Publications (October 1990) 

Click to enlarge.

Japanese Manga, that may have intrigued, and  inspired those that had picked up issues of one of the many Japanese Mangazines, (that you could import direct from Japan if you knew how) that have a comic-strip, publishing in parts as in syndication, would later have an English translation of the Manga, and the possibility of an Anime, film or series; 

What springs to mind is the more prolific Anime Magazine that I still own that is NEWTYPE (The Motion Picture Magazine), and its

Syndication of;

 'The Five Star Stories' by  Mamoru Nagano;  Dark Angel by Kia Asamiya; 'Marionette Generation' by Haruhiko Mikimoto,

and 'Yotoden' by Takeshi Narumi & Kenichi Ohnuki. 

The one Syndication that I know of, for 'Anime V' New Video Magazine, is 'Exper Zenon' by Yuji MORIYAMA. 

When looking at Animedia's 1990 Syndicated manga I am unable to Identify its tittle and author.

?

Animage's most recognised syndication of a manga being serialised over the span of 12 years (in JAPAN 1982 through to 1994), with its English translation being published from 1988 through to 1996.

'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind' by Hayao Miyazaki (delays, were to do with commitments relating to animation projects).

When looking at Animage's 1990 Syndicated manga, at the time I was unable to Identify its tittle or author.

?

Some popular serialised manga from these publications did see English translations published in the West, and Fans would recognise the animation ahead of time if they kept up with their subscription to these imported magazines!

[NOTE: that I could not read a word of Japanese, did not put me off buying and subscribing to these monthly Magazines, as they became my regular source of information, on Japanese trends and releases.]

And few good magazines!

Staying with the Manga in English; Mangajin magazines, a rare East meets West venture, with what felt like having a mantra of "who says you cannot use comic books to educate on Langue and Culture?"  Proved that the maturity of readers, and those with an interest in Japanese culture, would create enough of a base to be able to publish this Magazine.

Mangajin was published 10 times a year.

[NOTE: First (Pilot) Issue Volume 1 #1 Printed June 1990, with the start of print run in August of 1990. Last issue published Volume 7 #70 November\December 1997.]

[NOTE: Even today (July 2022) finding copies of this rare magazine has been quite difficult, so I only have a sporadic number of issues from my collection, and issuses NEW to me, that you the reader will need to follow up if you are interested.]

Now picking up Issues of what was at First an Official Fanzine for the cartoon (Americanised Anime) 'ROBOTECH' called 'Protoculture Addicts' that evolved to encompass a wider range of topics that would include all things Anime and Manga related.

Protoculture Addicts 7

Protoculture Addicts 8

Protoculture Addicts 9 

Protoculture Addicts 10

In Paralell to this fledgling emergence of the interest of Anime and Manga in the UK, there was a growing awareness of Japanese gaming consoles and their video games. A manifestation of this undergrown culture was a home grown zine called "Console Ma'zine",  It was the brainchild of its editor Onn Lee (based in Nottingham) .  

The magazine would develop to be more professional and have design and name changes, under the name of "Electronic Brain".

If I recall correctly I picked up a copy of Issues 12, at a niche shop in Nottingham, when I also picked up my First Japanese gaming console, the PC-Engine, and a video game based on the Anime "City Hunter" no less!

Games that were inspired by Anime and Manga, could feed both the "GAMER" 'n' the Anime Fan, as you were able to write in to the magazine, looking for Pen-Pals, or swapping games and tapes, posting the odd "Classified ad." too.

September's 1990 issue 16 of the "console Ma'zine" had this article on page 16;

JAPANESE LINK/REVIEWS

Special Report: Japanese Link CITY HUNTER

by Carlo Bernhardi

[NOTE: To this day (July 2022) I still play and collect 8-bit video games for NEC's PC-Engine consoles, and adding to the 30 plus Anime games that I have (more than 50 titles have a manga or Anime connection), as well as Games that are very Japanese in nature!]

[For many, retro gaming brings the focus to make stars of Consoles such as; The Sega' Mega Drive', the Nintendo  'Super Famicon', SNKs 'NEO-GEO', and NEC's PC-Engine. But for myself it was the games, that give me such joy!]

[NOTE: Sadly I do not have any data on the number of copies that were sold or had Mail-order subscriptions, but a few readers would become Pen-Friends, and members of my Anime Club "Anime KYO UK" in the early 90's.]

Staying in the UK, and Fan publication, one hub and nexus would be Helen McCarthy's 'Anime UK' newsletter, that was formed after a small gathering at the Easter Science Fiction back in April 1990.  It was a way to keep in touch, and swap information on the emerging hobby of those interested in Japanese Anime, and Manga, and its culture, and the push as a movement to persuade people that cartoons were not just for kids, but for all ages, and that there was maybe a growing amount of customers out there who would pay to watch Anime....!

This hub had started to collect about 27 recipients, and with December's issue there would be another 10 people across the UK 1990, those fans numbered 37  that would go on to receive the Newsletter by mail.  

[THAT IS, BY THE END OF THE YEAR 1990 THAT THEIR WERE 37 ANIME FANS IN THE UK, AS PART OF THE "ANIME UK" READERSHIP, IN THE FIRST 7 MONTHS OR SO.  Alongside Anime Kyo UK's membership of myself and 21  members (19 in England and 2 in Scotland), giving the FANDOM in 1990 58 connected people]

[NOTE: the year is 1990, and it was seven months along for our fledgling Anime and Manga Fans, that would start to contact each other by writing letters, and posting via the now quant 'snail-mail'.  Going as far as to write to and at times join Anime Fan Clubs in the USA, with the benefit of finding other fans in the UK.   Weeks and months would go by, in striking up an introduction, and conversation]

Anime Fan Clubs in the USA

The Rose, the Newsletter of 'Anime Hasshin' fan club, run by Lorraine Savage.

Issues 19 to 24, Bi-monthly from January to November of 1990.

The first meeting of Anime fans at a Science Fiction Convention in the UK

Easter Con '90 

Both EastCon '90 and Elynore (a media SF convention), had Anime video programmes showcasing Anime, organised by Helen McCarthy, and the late Jay Felton (sadly I have not as yet found details of what was shown at the Elynore convention).

 AKIRA: The Movie in the U.S.A. 

(more than a year before its UK release!)

With Marvel's off-shoot label 'Epic' colourising Otomo 's work, what else did they provide?

There were the up and coming release dates for AKIRA: The Movie (in the U.S.A.)

Just 6 cities starting in December of 1989, and ramping up to 40 or more venues in 1990  when Streamline Pictures was the distributor (this was the first run).

“Epic is proud to announce the limited release of the English-language version of AKIRA in six cities over the 1989 holiday season.”

Confirmed showings of AKIRA are as follows:

San Francisco, CA

Rocxie Theater

AKIRA will open approximately

December 26 and play for two weeks

Berkeley, CA

U.C. Theater

January 12—15

Washington, DD.C.

Blograph Theater

Film will open approximately

December 26 and play for two weeks

Portland, OR

Cinema 21

December 29—January 4.

Seattle, WA

Neptune Theater

Between the end of December and mid-January.

Santa Cruz, CA

Sasch Mill Cinema

Between February 15 and 21, 1990

“AKIRA will probably play Boston and Los Angeles sometime in January, and Chicago in the spring.

New Yorkers can expect to see AKIRA in the summer of 1990.”

“Although there are no plans to release the film on videocassette or broadcast  television for the next year, disappointed fans who cannot find their hometown on the previous list needn't worry –

AKIRA Will open in at least 40 other cities in 1990.  We'll keep readers updated.

NEXT READERS' UPDATES;

“Confirmed showings of AKIRA during the month of April are as follows:

Sal Lake City, UT

Cinema in Your Face

March 30—April 5

Chicago, IL

Music Box Theater

March 30—April 5

Hinsdale, IL

Hinsdale Theater 

April 6—April 12

Pittsburgh, PA

Fulton Theater

April 6—April 15

Honolulu, HI

The Academy Theater

April 20—21

Cleveland, OH

The Cleveland Cinemateque

April 26—29 

“AKIRA will play in San Luis Obispo, CA during the month of May, and will play New York City during the summer.”

Streamline Pictures,

P.O. BOX 691418,

WEST HOLLYWOOD,

CA 90069

On October 20th. 1990 was Katsuhiro Otomo's first ever book singing at NEW YORK's 'Forbidden Planet' that took place, this coincided with NEW YORK's premiere of AKIRA the animated movie.

[NOTE: comic book stores also had a tie-in (promotion with Streamline Pictures) free movie posters give-away, if you could show a movie ticket – taken from the March\April issue 1990.]

“Confirmed showings of AKIRA during the month of April are as follows:

Sal Lake City, UT

Cinema in Your Face

March 30—April 5

Chicago, IL

Music Box Theater

March 30—April 5

Hinsdale, IL

Hinsdale Theater 

April 6—April 12

Pittsburgh, PA

Fulton Theater

April 6—April 15

Honolulu, HI

The Academy Theater

April 20—21

Cleveland, OH

The Cleveland Cinemateque

April 26—29 

“AKIRA will play in San Luis Obispo, CA during the month of May, and will play New York City during the summer.”

Streamline Pictures,

P.O. BOX 691418,

WEST HOLLYWOOD,

CA 90069

[MORE:  American AKIRA movie news would continue to be supported in print with 'Epic comic books, in 1991 with cinematic and VHS releases of the English dub.]

Staying on topic of AKIRA;

I would receive a reply from my letter to the big publishing house that is Kodansha Ltd. On  May 7th. of 1990  from Ken Tsunoda

Bring a manga to the North American readers;

"In 1989, veteran colorist Steve Oliff was personally selected by Katsuhiro Otomo to color his seminal manga, AKIRA.  

Documentary uploaded on 9 Feb 2016

STEVE OLIFF: Coloring AKIRA with KATSUHIRO OTOMO

This video (LINK ABOVE) documents their working relationship, including Otomo's trip to Point Arena, CA to collaborate with Steve on developing the color scheme.

May 20th. 1990 sees another reply to the letters I was sending out overseas.

This time it was from America, and 'Studio Proteus' whose founder Toren Smith selected Japanese comic books to be translated into English, His talent spotting could then be used by American comic book publishers, such as “Dark Horse”, and “Eclipse”!

[NOTE: looking into 1990 and the hint that “We haven't yet done any anime translations, but we may be involved in one before the end of the year.  Of special interest to you is that the investor for this project is located in England, and intends to release the anime in the U.K. Both as video and in theatres.” - This just adds more questions?]

More on Letter writing;

Gathering information, you can read the English names of Japanese Companies, but how do you contact them...

 It is 1990 after all and there are NO search-engine for a World Wide Web!   Each city in England had a main 'Post Office', that had a number of telephone directories, one of them should be for the London capital and thus you could find the name and address of  foreign Embassies listed there.

Sending off my letter of enquiry to the Japanese Embassy on February 1st 1990, I got a quick reply on the 7th of  February (if not that my name and gender had some errors upon their return).

JAPAN INFORMATION AND CULTURAL CENTRE

(Embassy of Japan)

101/104, Piccadilly,

London,

W1V 9FN

“We regret to say that we were manage to find only three address of the companies you inquiered.

The addresses are as followed:" (sic)

TOKUMA SHOTEN

4-10-1 Shinbahsi

Minato-ku

Tokyo 105

Japan

Tel: 03 433-6231

KODANSHA LTD.

2-12-21

Ptone

Bunkyo-ku

Tokyo 112

Japan 

Tel: 03 945-1111

BANDAI

2-5-4 Komagtae

Taito-ku

Tokyo 111

Japan 

Tel: 03 842-5151

[NOTE: I have even copied the errors that were in the original letter, to give you all a flavour of the level of staffing from that time!]

[NOTE: I would share these companies' addresses to other Fans... ]

Contacting  Carl Macek in 1990

for their Streamline Pictures' Video of the "Akira : production report".

running time 52 Minutes.

[NOTE: Clips of the animation from AKIRA, were dubbed in English, taken from Streamline Pictures' North American Theatrical release.]

Corresponding in writing!

Another hub and soon to be a nexus, from those few that met up at East'Con 90, to the replies of those wishing to be pen-pals, that were found in comic books, and overseas Fan clubs, and my own 'start-up' Anime fan club "ANIME KYO UK", looking back at the weeks and months going by, and the what now is so painfully slow in terms on the speed in which the number of Anime fans would grow, must be hard for a post 2000 generation to emphasise with.  How massaging, Social media, and YouTube reaches so many so fast.

The parallel of this time and year have seen that my then diagnosis of Cancer of the tongue in 1990, and my diagnosis of terminal throat Cancer in 2021 have galvanised my resolve to make a record of this time, and put in place access to my collection of paper and VHS tapes... 

NOW HOSTED ON YOUTUBE;

ARCHIVE RESOURCES FROM THE COLLECTION OF: Carlo Ruben Miguel Bernhardi

CHANNEL RUN BY: Martin Brown

Anime Nostalgia Archive UK "In celebration of the pioneers"

[NOTE: Screen shot as of August 2022.]

recap