January1991 Pt. 3 Hokubei Anime-Kai

 Japanese Animation 

NEWS & REVIEW

The Official Newsletter of the Hokubei Anime-Kai 

(North American Anime Circle)

ISSUE 1 VOLUME 1             JANUARY 1991

A lot more details to follow....

December 1990 Pt4. Protoculture Addicts Fan Magazine

 Protoculture Addicts No. 10.  DECEMBER 1990 (Interview with Tom Mason & Chris Ulm. FAN ARTICLES SPECIAL, News & Reviews, Fan Art, RPG).

Protoculture Addicts – The Official Robotech TM. Fan Magazine Published quarterly by, Ianus Publications, based in Montreal, Québec province, Canada - ISSN 0835-9563  $2.95 CAN $2.50 US.

The 36 pages where taken up with a varied contents, such as;

Editorial, By Alain Dubreull , INTERVIEW WITH Tom Mason & Chris Ulm, 

FAN ARTICLE SPECIAL, NEWS & REVIEWS, FAN ART, RPG.

INVID.

PAGE 2 CONTENTS

PAGE 3 EDITORIAL

PAGE 4-5 THE VOICE OF FREEDOM FIGHTERS

PAGE 6 THE VOICE OF FREEDOM FIGHTERS,

PAGE 7 THE SHAPING OF PROTOCULTURE. 

PAGE 8-9 UH! chronicle of the odd & Bizarre...

PAGE 10 - 11 INTERVIEW WITH Tom Mason & Chris Ulm.

PAGE 12 - 13 INTERVIEW WITH Tom Mason by Jenny O'Donnell.

PAGE 14 - 17 SHORT STORY  Opening Act By Joshua Follick. 

PAGE 18 - 19 FAN ART. 

PAGE 20        FAN ARTICLES   Leonard's & ADM. Hayes' point of view. 

                        by Edward McKeown.

PAGE 21-22  WHAT IS PROTOCULTURE?

PAGE 23- 25  VERITECH LOG  Alcohol Effects Table 

                        by Mark Kintigh & Andy Hummell

PAGE 26-27   ENERGY POINTS

PAGE 28        THE SHADOW CYCLONE

PAGE 29        VERITECH ACES

PAGE 30-35   NEWS & REVIEWS

PAGE 36 BACK COVER ( )

PAGE 3 EDITORIAL

PAGE 4-5 THE VOICE OF FREEDOM FIGHTERS

PAGE 6 THE VOICE OF FREEDOM FIGHTERS,

PAGE 7 THE SHAPING OF PROTOCULTURE.

PAGE 10 - 11 INTERVIEW WITH Tom Mason & Chris Ulm.

PAGE 12 - 13 INTERVIEW WITH Tom Mason by Jenny O'Donnell.

PAGE 18 - 19 FAN ART. 

PAGE 30-31   NEWS & REVIEWS

PAGE 32-33   NEWS & REVIEWS

PAGE 34-35   NEWS & REVIEWS

PAGE 36 BACK COVER ( ).

November 1990 Pt. 4 Protoculture Addicts 9.

Protoculture Addicts No.9

The Official Robotech Fan magazine (published quarterly by IANVS PUBLICATIONS)

Protoculture Addicts – The Official Robotech (TM). Fan Magazine (36 pages) Published quarterly by, Ianus Publications, based in Montreal, Québec province, Canada - ISSN 0835-9563 $2.95 CAN $2.50 US

This is only a snapshot of this little fanzine\magazine, that had been waking up Robotech Fans to Anime.

[NOTE: please try and track down your own copy of Protoculture Addicts to fill in the gaps of enjoyment and education.]

Front cover;

INTERVIEW with Streamline Pictures,

SHORT STORIES SPECIAL,

NEWS & REVIEWS,

FAN ART.

It's the Contents page;

EDITORIAL, by JC & AD... Page 3,

THE VOICE OF THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS (LETTERS)... Page 4,

FLOWER OF LIFE;

The Shaping of Protoculture, by Alain Dubreil... Page 6,

Uh?! (9), by Jean Carrieres & Alain Dubreil... Page 7,

Lyrics (5)... Page 9

FANIMANGA (ANIME & MANGA)

Interview with Streamline Pictures Staff;

Carl Macek, by Alain Dubreil... Page 10

Jerry Beck, by Walter Amos... Page 11

News & Reviews, by YM & CJP;

PA News... Page 30

Robotech News... Page 30

Miscellaneous... Page 31

Animation... Page 32

Manga... Page 32

SHORT STORIES

Higher Missions, by Kenneth C. Colman... Page 15

Casualties, by Christian Smith... Page 17

For Bravery Under Fire..., by Jeremy Trabue... Page 21

FAN ART... Page 34

Cover

Contents page 

(so you can see what was read and talked about).

Editorial 

Anime and ROBOTECH clubs.

Part of the Interview with Carl Macek. (of Streamline Pictures).

Part of the Interview with Jerry Beck (of Streamline Pictures).

NEWS

NEWS

FAN ART by;

Alex W. Fong/Phil Moy, C. R. Hover, Jason Minor, Neil Young.

REL RAY published the ROBOTECH novels.

[NOTE: the years have not been kind to the paper, darkening to a brown colour.]

July 1990 Pt. 12 Letters Page

With so many old friends found in the 'Letters Page' of a comic books or Fanzines; that Pen-Pal network, that started me off back in late 1989 and early 1990, is now a time capsule, and having kept many letters, I am now adding snippets of thoughts of yesteryear when I can.

Fan Club addresses, contacts and pen-pals.

  

Alan from Roehampton (Pen-pals list in Robotech II Sentinals #13 “Robotegami”) – wrote about “G-Force, and Ulysses, Voltron, and seeing Robotech on Cable TV (Superchannel), Techno Police Movies is on “Sky Movies” - “Have you seen the Japanese Season on Channel Four?”, “At least we can see some of the stuff!”

and buying a Panasonic (NV L28B) VCR (video Tape recorder) that had NTSC Playback, to watch Anime.

[NOTE: see link to cant-play-anime and the cost of VCRs with NTSC playback was as much as a month's wage, and in today's money £450 is equivalent in purchasing power to £1,003.49 in 2018.]

Martin from Portsmouth (Pen-pals list in Robotech II Sentinals #13 “Robotegami”) – wrote about

“I've just bought a Panasonic NV-J35B (even though the picture quality doesn't match my Akai VS-53EK, and it sounds like it runs on clock-work!)” - “I thought Laputa was a beautiful film, very emotional and exceeding well animated. It made a pleasant change from the run-of-the-mill kill the bad guys, with fancy Mecha we see.”

Richard from Swindon (EDC member - pen-pal), wrote about “Anime Hasshin, who I have just heard from after a seven week wait. I received 'The Rose' No. 21, and noticed [an Anime fan] at RAF Lakenheath over hear, have you contacted him yet?”, “I also had a letter from Lorraine Savage requesting a small piece on UK Anime activities”, and I am writing a short piece for Helen McCarthy's Anime Newsletter”. “I've given up on 'The lovely Angels Fanatic Cult', who I haven't heard from at all.” - “I would be interested in seeing some of the games console items related to Anime, I know there have been games based on 'Urusei Yatsura', 'SPT layzner (Blue comet)', and 'Macross', with the 'Sega Megadrive' being officially launched in September [the Grey import games will not work\fit with the UK Megadrive] “this means that most of the Anime titles will not work” - The official price is £190.00 inc 1 game, with other games costing £30 -£40. “At least those games don't cost the £220 per games of the Neo Geo!”

[NOTE:   In other words, £190 in 1990 is equivalent in purchasing power to £423.69 in 2018, and £30 to £40 in 1990 is equivalent in purchasing power to £66.90 to £89.20 in 2018. with a whopping £220 in 1990 is equivalent in purchasing power to £490.59 in 2018]

Jim From Edmonton (EDC member – pen-pal – UK's Star Trek fandom USS Endeavour, with its Special Interest Group Arcadia ) wrote - “Talking about 'Black Magic', I've just finished creating a fiendish scenario for R. Talsorian's CYBERPUNK role-playing game, based on the Anime... I think players are in for a hard time, heh, heh, heh. The comic version of 'Black magic M66' should be on sale soon too.” and “You lucky scumbag, you. It's not fair, all you guys with NTSC videos getting all the really nifty anime...”

Paul from South Shields (MekTek subscriber and EastCon '90 attendee) back in June wrote about “'Japanime North East' – we are now an official club (!) that's our proper name at the top of the page (club letterheads are very useful), I managed to secure us a quit TV viewing lounge at the local Community Centre, and they are soon going to buy us a Video to use (Multi format of course), we'll be having viewing sessions every Sunday evening. It costs £3.50 to become a member for a year, and nightly subs are 40p (standard community association). “

“I do hope that you can bring people in your area together and form a successful Anime Club, there are lot of people around Britain who have talked before about forming clubs, but as usual nothing happens.” - “We should be getting more good Anime soon and we will all 'chip in' to get it converted to Pal so that everyone can enjoy it, after all 10 members each give £2 to get a tape converted, we think its the best way. - (it cost £34 for 3 hours).”

[NOTE: £34 in 1990 is equivalent in purchasing power to £75.82 in 2018.]

[NOTE: With America and Japan running the NTSC television format, and the UK having its PAL system finding compatible VCR (video Tape recorder), and a television that was smart enough to show the signal was a big deal back in the 90's, very hard to find, and the cost was well over a month's wage!]

[NOTE: Mr G. Cowie explains the technicalities, back in the day...]

[NOTE: Anime showings were done in people's bedrooms, and front rooms, and community centres, as part of the grass roots of a fledgling Fandom.] 

July 1990 Pt.9 Manga Round-up overview

We still had a few on-going Manga comic-books and Anime based comic-books that still could be found “On the racks” in your local independent Comic-Book shop or store, in July of 1990.  

Such as:-

#22 of 'AKIRA' (1-38)

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

from First comics,

#19of Outlanders. (1-33)

from Dark Horse Comics.

#1 of 2001 Nights (1-10)

#6 of COBRA (1-12)

#8 of 'Baoh', (End of 1-8)

#5 of HOROBI: Part One (1-6)

from Viz Comics.

GRAPHIC-NOVELS ON SALE IN THIS MONTH:

The Legend of Kamui – the Island of Sugaru #1

from Viz Comics.

GRAPHIC-NOVELS STILL ON SALE IN THIS MONTH:

What's Michael?

Appleseed Book #1

Dirty Pair – Biohazards

from Eclipse Comics

LUM Vol #1

The Legend of Kamui – the Island of Sugaru 1 of 2.

from Viz Comics.

[Note: You still had Issues of Lensman (now Galactic Patrol #1 July 1990 (1-5) , 'Leiji Matsumoto's Captain Harlock', 'Robotech II – The Sentinels Book One'  (1-16), Robotech II The Sentinels The Malcontent Uprisings (1-12)  from Eternity Comics. on the shelves as the printing and overseas delivery were not always every month.]

[Note: Was there any more issues of Shuriken Cold Steel after  issues 1 to 6 by Reggie Byers & Neil Vokes (Kyoko Shidara ?) that finished in February of 1990 from Eternity Comics?]

June 1990 Pt.5 Anime Pen-Pals & Video Game Consoles & Cancer

By June of 1990 the UK Anime Pen-Pal network was growing, most people only knew of 3 to 5 people that they had contacted and this included local friends too, at this time I was corresponding with about 15 or more Anime\Manga fans, all very time consuming for a Dyslexic, even with the support of my Mother using a manual typewriter for typing-up my badly spelt and grammatically incorrect scribbling in English, as well as my health.

From late in 1989 the American Fan club the E.D.C had a list of members and correspondence, and inquiring persons of 8 UK fans and 3 overseas (outside of the USA & Canada), *

You could also find UK Fans via the American Anime & manga Fan Club Anime Hasshin.

The odd UK Pen-Pal that knew about Anime could be found in imported American Robotech comic-books, but when writing a letter to a comic-book publisher overseas it could take up to 2 months before your details appeared in the Pen-Pal section of its comic-book, and another month (if you were lucky) to receive any letters back!

Those Fans that either went to EastCon '90 (UK's Science fiction Convention) or had shown an interest would receive the “Anime contact list” (that was attached to the First News-sheet for Anime Fans in the UK (the proto Anime UK Newsletter) put together by Helen McCarthy, and Steve Kyte this had contact details of 31 UK fans & 7 overseas fans, and was a Hub and a Nexus to many finding the new World of Anime.

On Saturday 23^th. (June) I went to Nottingham, and found a shop that Imported Japanese video game consoles, called 'Supervision Electronics' run by a Mr. Wong, on Mansfield Road, and the two consoles that stood out where the Japanese new SEGA 'Megadrive' that cost £165 to £220, and the compacted Japanese 'PC Engine' that cost £160 (the equivalent of £365 in today's money). These imported Japanese electronics were known as Gray-imports. **

It was I believe that in this shop it was when I first pick up a copy of 'Console ma'zine', produced and edited by Onn Lee. Another NEW frontier running parallel to the underground fan base of Anime and Manga, was of 8-Bit and 16-bit gaming consoles from Japan, for 2 or more players, that's right you got yours friends to come to your house to play games, and in the days when you had NO saves, only Lives, and Credits! There were a few games that came from Manga\Anime that were not all text heavy RPG's one caught my eye it was a 'City Hunter' game for the PC Engine console.

City Hunter

Sometime before the end of June My weekly radiotherapy treatment for Cancer was stopped, as it was not effective enough, and so I was quickly booked in to Hospital from the 8th. to the 13th.of July, for surgery to remove the Cancer from my tongue, I was just 23 years old, and the dogma the the NHS Doctors & Surgeons for talking to their patients was very different in 1990 from today.

My new found interests kept me going at this time (and starting a Local Anime Club), as well as the support from my family and friends, and the Anime pen-pals letters of encouragement.

That was My June of 1990 I remember.....!

*[NOTE: 7 of the 8 UK fans listed in American Anime fan Clubs would find their way on to Helen McCarthy's list of UK Fans.]

**[NOTE:A grey import is equipment that has been supplied by a manufacturer in a different part of the world, that ends up being sold on to you in the UK. The key point is that the manufacturer has sold it into a different (not UK or EU) geographic market, and someone else is then importing it into the UK. Different power supplies and fittings\plugs, will be an issue, as well as No manufacturer warranty, but you do get the new technology months or years ahead of the normal UK market, and sometimes the equipment\technology was never exported outside of the original manufacturer's country (Japanese 'PC Engine' games console\s).]

[NOTE: After 27 years (1990 -2017) have gone bye, hoarding letters and Zines does help fill in the gaps in my memory.]

About this Blog (post 76)

Much of my free time has been spent in the last few months taking photos and scanning Pen-Pal letters, Fanzines and manga (sometimes stretching from '90 to '92 or even taking the Chronology further in to the future from the past) to record what is left of my collection of mainly 80's and 90's Anime and manga memorabilia, as well as adding to them for cataloguing. I still hope that by tackling the past on a month by month basis an over-all picture will emerge from my observations and recollections, and from the written word.

Blog updates as follows

A small piece of information regarding Convention Video room listings has come to light.

Update to Con Video room 

More information on Robotech in the England has been pieced together.

Update to ROBOTECH 

Finding the lost manga of BAOH

 Update on Manga of Baoh

 

The May of 1990 onwards was when I was having treatment for Cancer of the tongue, both Radiotherapy and later surgery and is to this day difficult to write about, and think about that time of my life.

My continued scanning of private Anime Pen-Pal letters (many of whom I have lost touch with over these past 20 to 25 years - writting as of August 2016), to help track how events unfolded in the infancy of the UK's Anime & Manga Fandom has again taken up my time in more ways than one. As I am transported back in time rereading them, I am once again immerse the excitement, hope, and discovery of like-minded people exploring what Japanese animation had to offer, making it all so fresh in my mind 26 years later!

Spending snippets of time when I can, to use the World Wide Web and the Internet to try and reconnect with old friends, I had not prepared myself for the possibility of them no longer being alive. This has taken me aback, and emotional and personal feelings have come forth and slowed my progress in typing this record of the early days of the Fandom as I reflect this.

 You may also see this link from time to time, these pages will be under construction, but accessible !

Birth of a Fan Club  

April 1990 Pt.5 Protoculture Addicts 7.

  One of the most iconic front covers of the 90's

Issue 7 of 'Protoculture Addicts' which at that time was the official Fanzine for Robotech, (produced and printed in Canada in the Spring of 1990 - April 1990).

The 36 pages where taken up with a varied contents, and in this issue there was very heart felt Editorial, showing solidarity with those remembering the14 victims of violence on the 6^th. Of December 1989 at Ecole Polytechnic (part of the University of Montreal - Canada).

With such regular features as “The voice of the Freedom Fighters” (the Fan letters page) proving that the fanzine did indeed publish letter the criticised the publication, “The shaping of Protoculture” (feed-back to readers including :- addresses for Pen Pals, retail stores that do mail-order, and other Fan clubs), even song lyrics taken from three Robotech stories.

The main articles that are displayed on the front cover were very interesting, a 4 page Interview with Toren Smith (of Studio Proteus) by Alain Dubreuil, an introduction to Katsuhiro Otomo's film AKIRA by Emro Townsend also 4 pages, some beautifully detailed art from the Anime “Megazone 23 - part 3. we also find some optional rules for the 'Robotech' Role Plating Game of 'Southern Cross' too.

The “News & Reviews” page focussed on available translated Manga, Anime magazines, Fanzines, and fan clubs too).

I can do justice of how important 'Protoculture Addicts' was in informing fans and creating a sense of comradery in the era prier to the Internet's World Wide Web.

An interview by Fred Patten, with Claude J. Pelletier (Editor in Chief) in October 2004. (The article was published in Comics Buyer's Guide #1601.) can be found at...HistoricalNotes

Well worth a read.

 Back cover, Add for "Gubuster" & Dangaio" dated January 1990.

To get your own copy either electronic or printed of the Protoculture Addicts magazine please go to 

protoculture Addicts Catalog.

Robotech Pt. 2

Robotech comic-books and novels gave us (in the UK); a grasp of the plots of this Science Fiction series called Robotech, that was like nothing else we had come across to this side of the pond.

Comico's 'Robotech - The Macross saga' (Issues 1 - 36).

 'Robotech - Masters' (Issues 1 - 24).

ROBOTECH SPECIAL MAY-1988

(Dana's Story - An ending...And a beginning..of the amazing odyssey of ROBOTECH.)

'Robotech - The New Generation' (Issues 1 - 25).

The flood of these helped maximized the impact, with the simultaneous release of Comico's 'Robotech - The Macross saga' (Issues 1 - 36), 'Robotech - Masters' (Issues 1 - 24), and 'Robotech - The New Generation' (Issues 1 - 25), and add to this the Robotech Novels by “Jack McKinney” from Del Rey Books coming out every month for the first year, to a total of 21 novels, as well as Matchbox Toys. 

The American company 'Harmony Gold' was getting very well known!

[Note: Del Rey Books' Publishers note states that “While the above biogrophy is accurate, it is actually a composite bio of two authors who agreed to merge minds and identities to become Jack McKinney, and reflects the influence of various friends and advisors for the Robotech series.”]

To my knowledge only 3 separate VHS (Pal) video tapes were ever released in the UK in the 1980's showing episodes from the 'Robotech' series; “Codename Robotech” (a promotional compilation of episodes – some looped), Robotech episodes 1 & 2 (this Little Gem, had the wrong graphic on its front cover!), and 'Robotech II the Sentinels' (an all new storyline from Carl Macek & Harmony Gold Animated in Japan, cancelled after only 3 episodes – then edited into a movie). 

 

[Side note: the Robotech Art 1 (1986); has 25 pages devoted to Robotech's roots in Japanese Anime from the 1950's to the mid 1980's, a 2 page introduction on “Harmony Gold” (the American production company) as well another 2 pages listing the staff and their job tiles who work for “Harmony Gold”, and the a comprehensive list of name changes from the Japanese Anime to the American Robotech TV show ( I was able to provide these name changes to Helen McCarthy for an early article she would write on Robotech) – And you will be surprised to know about the days before and after the “Carl F. Macek Gallery” (1982) which sold pencil art & original cels & film posters of animation from around the World.]

There were also detailed Robotech Role-Playing game books and promotional gazettes published by Palladium books that had started to be imported by the late 80's given Mecha fans.

Palladium books also distributed Robotech episodes on VHS (NTSC) tapes in the US & Canada.

The Canadian Official Robotech Fanzine 'Protoculture Addicts' was the first of the irregular publications to hit our shores in the UK, that centred on this much beloved TV show and also hinted at a much wider world of animation that did not dumb-down to its young audience, referred to as Japanimation.

[Note: I have tried to convey the impact to the UK in the 1980's, so I've not lingered on details, and leave it up to you the reader to search for more information.]

In the 1980's without Macross there would be no Robotech, and without Robotech and its Fandoms in Canada and in the USA peeking our curiosity for giant robots and providing us with the springboard to look in to its Japanese origins and other Anime, the UK Anime Fandom would have surely stalled!

Robotech should no longer be thought of as “frankenstein's monster” but a doorway to Anime from a simpler time that reached so many!