Manga Mania Issue 19 (February 1995)
What better way to celebrate Valentines Day than to look at a 15 year old manga/anime magazine?
Articles on The Legend of the 4 Kings (oddly enough a gateway anime in the UK due to it’s televised broadcast later on), Green Legend Ran (something I totally ignored back then, wouldn’t mind checking out now), Ushio & Tora and a review of the year just gone. The editorials now have become utterly worthless, just talking about the issue’s theme, but there’s still Trish Ledoux’s column. Here she’s talking bishonen, nothing ground breaking now, but it was news you could use back in 1995.
There’s also a column, Manga Watch, not sure if it’s new this issue, or so small I missed it before. Anyway, this issue has a few words on British artists working in Japan at the time. Obviously, the ubiquitous Tony Luke is featured, but so are Manga Mania’s own Woodrow Phoenix, who was working on Inseparable for Morning at the time, Carl Flint on Giant Baby and Chris Webster on Mr Pillow.
UK NEWS
- From Western Connection: Lupin III – The Fuma Conspiracy, Salamander 1, Devil Hunter Yoko 1
- From Kiseki FIlms: MD Geist, Adventure Duo 2, Macross: Do You Remember Love, Return of the Overfiend 4
- From Anime Projects: Bubblegum Crisis 1 (dub), Urusei Yatsura 5
- From Manga Video: Legend of the Four Kings Eps 1 & 2, Wings of Honneamise, The Guyver 11, AD Police File 3, Genocyber 3
- From Pioneer Video: Green Legend Ran 1, Tenchi Muyo 3, Moldiver 3
US NEWS
- Ianus Publishing released the Project A-Ko Roleplaying Game. I have this, but have never played it. Nor have I managed to sell it on eBay.
- No US video releases mentioned this time round.
- Just the one notable new US manga release – They Were 11
JAPAN NEWS
- Magic Knight Rayearth TV and Saturn game.
- Darkside Blues in the theatres.
- Red Baron on the TV.
More fun in the letters pages!
I’m not trying to pick on Paul “Otaking” Johnson, but these teenage fan letters he kept sending are full of value. If you are familiar with him it’s probably either through his rant about fansubs or his Doctor Who “anime”, but he has more strings to his bow than that. He also likes to complain about the lack of shading in anime and how everything new doesn’t compare to Madhouse OAVs of the 90s.
Well, this issue’s letter from the future self styled “Otaking” sheds some light on that viewpoint:
His first anime purchase was Cyber City Oedo, a show he turned into a manifesto! Though, considering the first anime I purchased was Urusei Yatsura, I probably shouldn’t be throwing too many stones from my glass house. There’s one more letter from him to come and it’s a real doozy, but that’s not until issue 26.
Legend of the Four Kings was awesome. Thankfully someone had the common sense to get a (low quality) version online. The dub is fantastic. By which I mean it’s absolutely horrible.