This is the news from the 9th issue of Manga Mania, cover date March 1994.
UK NEWS:
- Pioneer LDC announced their intent to release Tenchi Muyo in the UK. This was a big deal. Pioneer were the only other company whose releases approached the professional sheen that Manga’s had. And they were the company that were what anime fan who bemoaned the “tits and tentacles” stereotype of anime were waiting for. Unfortunately in the long run there weren’t enough of those fans to make it worth their while to continue existing, but they would have a good run. I may come back to this later as their eventual demise has some echoes in both the end of Geneon’s US existence as a video label and the current struggles of ADV.
- Kiseki announced a deal they had done with LA Hero in the states. I’m not sure what this deal actually amounted to in the long run.
- Manga pushed Guyver back again to April. Golgo 13 and Fire Tripper finally showed up on the shelves of Andy’s Records, Our Price and other popular record shops of the nineties.
- Crusader named a release date for Catgirl Nuku-Nuku, the only title they would ever release.
- Kiseki’s first Urotsukidoji release was delayed. This will be a recurring theme.
- And they reviewed the Jonathan Ross hosted “Manga” documentary that had aired on BBC2. I have a Jonathan Ross hosted nineties anime doc somewhere on tape, it may be this one or it might be a later one.
US NEWS:
- Troma Inc. were handling cinema distribution for My Neighbour Totoro. I’ll let that fact settle in for a moment.
- US Manga Corps had Hades Project Zeorymer, Demon City Shinjuku (aka Monster City) and U-Jin Brand coming out.
- Streamline released a subtitled Akira.
- CPM had more Eighth Man.
- US Renditions had more Guyver.
- Viz had more Ranma TV.
- AnimEigo had more Urusei Yatsura TV.
- And Fremantle Home Entertainment had Speed Racer the Movie. No, not that one, that one.
JAPAN NEWS:
- The first Ginrei OAV was coming out to fill in the ever lengthening time between Giant Robo releases
- OAVs etc out:
- Wataru
- Crying Freeman
- Dirty Pair Flash
- Orguss
- Ranma 1/2 OAV 3
- Casshan
- Protect My Earth
- Dominion
- Comet Machine Gakusaver