Animag
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| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Animag |
| Publisher: | Pacific Rim Publishing Company |
| Editor(s): | Matthew Anacleto (first chief editor); Trish Ledoux (second chief), Dana Kurtin |
| Type: | |
| Date(s): | October 1987-1993 |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Fandom: | Animanga |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | Several issues on Archive.org |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Animag was one of the earliest professional anime and manga zines published in the US.
As of issue 9, Animag also had a bimonthly newsletter called Ronin Network, which accepted correspondents from anime fanclubs around the world.[1] There was an Animag BBS called Valley of the Wind listed in the same issue.
Mission Statement
"Fight for who? Fight for what? Not even justice, I only want truth."As I write this editorial, those words from Fangs of the Sun Dougram are clear in my mind. When we polled the staff of this new magazine, the majority chose the truth as the #1 thing they wanted in a publication of this kind. Truth in the form of more detailed plot synopses, character backgrounds, etc. With two regular translators on staff and others helping out from time to time, we'll try to bring you the most accurate info every issue. However, if we do make a mistake don't rant and rave, just send us a letter!
A Note on the State of Anime Fandom: the current state of Harmony Gold (and the cancellation of all Robotech projects for the forseeable future) prompts me to observe our fandom, and its progression-regression. The proliferation of mail order outlets and shops that carry anime is heartning to see, as is the reorganization of the national fan group (C/FO), but this progress must be further supported. Talk to your retail owners, write or call your local TV station: Macron 1 english Goshogun and Srungle is doing well and Star Rider (english Bismark) may yet find a home.
This change must be accompanied by a change in collector's attitudes. Tapes are not gold or silver; the more information exchanged, the stronger our networks. Sources of anime items need not be protected like uranium mines, if the clientele increases, there will be more for everybody. Eventually, our fandom will take its place alongside SF & Comics.ASSOCIATE EDITOR Derek Quintanar and the ANIMAG staff, issue 1[2]
Fan clubs are one of the best ways to effectively organize fan response to shows. One fan organization recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, but unfortunately in its history it has done practically nothing to promote Japanese Animation in America. There have been no letter writing campaigns, no organized conventions, no effective fan influence on the industry. Fan clubs for Star Trek, Dr. Who, and Star Wars have been much more organized and vocal than Japanese Animation groups. These groups have organized conventions, produced magazines, and in the case of Star Trek managed to gain a third season for the show. The factor stopping animation fandom from reaching the levels of other SF & comic fandom is organization. People out there must begin communicating to the outside world in an organized and professional manner if they wish to be heard and respected. There are currently several Japanese series seeking an American market: MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM, VOTOMS, and GALVION, to name a few. If you would like to make sure these shows reach an American audience in their original forms, get out there and make noise. Become a squeaky wheel, and maybe you'll be oiled first.ASSOCIATE EDITOR Michael D. Ebert, issue 2[3]
Coverage
Most issues provided a few overviews and character guides for popular anime franchises like Gundam, Votoms or Speed Racer, along with advertisements. Issue 11, printed in 1989, gave a short explanation of Japanese doujin culture, explaining that
Dojinshi miniconventions can be every bit as popularand lucrative as more conventional comic book affairs here in America. Kenichi Sonoda (Bubblegum Crisis, Gall Force) was scouted at just such a fan gathering when a representative from Artmic, one of Japan’s hottest animation design houses, picked up a copy of his VTOL (vertical) t(ake) o(ff and) l(anding)] manga. Selected stories from VTOL have since been reprinted by Movic under the title Private’s Life.According to Sonoda, dojinshi can gross tens of thousands of dollars annually, and take up entire floors of comic shops such as “Manga no Mori” (Manga Forest) located in Tokyo's Shinjuku district. More often than not, themes are sexually explicit.
Kei and Yuri, Sunrise's famous Dirty Pair duo, are often paired with each other in prurient situations, as are characters from the ever-popular Urusei Yatsura. Etchi (lecherous) manga aren't just limited to female encounters, however; women who like their erotica with lots of ink can cherish copies of the St. Seiya boys indulging in some male bonding, and people who just can’t make up their minds can delight in dojinshi spotlighting Rumiko Takahashi's willy-nilly transsexual martial artist, Ranma 1/2.'The Graphic Appeal of Dojin', Issue 9 (1989)
Reviews
There is also new "professional" magazine out. ANIMAG has published its first issue. It is magazine-sized with 32 black and white pages and a slick, color cover. It is available through Bud Plants and Books Nippan, or it can be ordered directly.... ANIMAG is not without its problems (for esample, the first issue has an article on Gundam with material taken word-for-word from articles written by Jane McGuire yet fails to give her any credit --- there is little excuse for this in any professional publication!), but it is the best of the publications currently available. Give it a try!
In June of 1988, Stukey would issue a club-wide call to boycott Animag based on the alleged plagiarism of Jane McGuire-Black's work:
The C/FO was informed in late May by former C/FO member (and former staff writer for the C/FO MAGAZINE), Jane McGuire-Black, that the apology to her printed on page 52 of the third issue of ANIMAG is not acceptable.[...]
In her letter Jane says, "As to 'Animag' [...] I point-blank warned Matt Anacleto against doing any such thing again after he 'accidentally' plagiarized the same material for the 'Baycon 87' book."
The C/FO boycott ended in September of the same year, after new management at Animag gave a satisfactory apology to McGuire in issue #4.[4]
I probably put Animag as an equal second (with Manga Max) in terms of my all-time favourite anime magazines (Anime UK/FX is my favourite English language magazine of all time). Though it certainly didn’t have the slickness in terms of design like many magazines which followed it, Animag was certainly a lot more substantial than most of them. The articles were brilliant and I still refer back to the magazine for info occasionally. I’d really recommend hunting down copies of the magazine if you’re into anime nostolgia and old 1980’s mecha shows. Copies of almost every issue are quite plentiful and cheap on eBay.The Melancholic Middle Aged Anime Fan: "Dead Anime Magazines in English: “Animag”" (originally published 2014)
Right off the bat, let me say that Animag is hands down the SLICKEST of the three Anime magazines ... .In terms of production values, that is. Full color cover, Baxter paper stock, crystal clear printing, economic page layouts, etc, etc. In these areas, the other two 'zines don't even come close. Also, Animag is not a pompous or longwinded publication (Anime-Zine should take note!). In the first issue editorial, Associate Editor Derek Quintanar touches on the all-too-familiar bellyaching that goes on in Anime Fandom over the issue of accuracy of translations. He says, " ... if we do make a mistake don't rant and rave, just send us a letter!" Way to go, Quintanar! I liked that attitude a lot, but I know Anime Fandom too well ... They're gonna rant and rave anyway. Oh, well. The other good thing about Animag is that it squeezes the most information it can in each feature. Extensive and comprehensive are the two words that most accurately apply to this magazine. Unfortunately, the word "accessible" does not apply to Animag. Lots of articles are written about Anime like Zeta Gundam and lczer One, which Joe Fanboy is never gonna see, so why should he CARE? Like Anime-Zine, Animag is exclusively catering to the hardcore audience. If you're going to alienate the new fans who aren't as knowledgeable on the subject as the hardcore fans who've been in Anime Fandom from the beginning, then why bother putting out a Professional publication? They might just as well stick with putting out a Fanzine (Which would certainly be more cost efficient). The Editors of Animag hope that Japanimation Fandom will take its place alongside SF and Comics Fandom. I hate to be the one to tell them (Actually, I don't), but people aren't going to stand up and take notice, let alone acknowledge, if they don't have the slightest idea of what you're talking about!"Again, More Sushi to Go" - 'Samuel H. Honda' [pseud.], Final Stop Andromeda Feb-Mar 1988