"Si! El Robot es muy loco!"

RIP Carl Macek 1951-2010

If you don't know who Carl Macek is, you can check out the wiki on your own. Here, in the meantime, is the official press release.

If you were a kid back in the early eighties and liked "Japanimation" then you have Mr. Macek to thank. If you like Anime at all it would not have been possible without the success of shows like ROBOTECH, no matter what your opinion of the program itself is. Sure, Macross is better, but under the circumstances the man was quite successful in developing a continuity across three distinctly different shows, resulting in a sweeping story the likes of which had not been scene during after school programming since Starblazers.

I got to meet Carl at a ROBOTECH convention in '85. It was one of those Creation Cons, the same people who promoted the traveling Star Trek conventions of that era, so it was a decent sized affair with guests and a killer dealers room. Some time between ogling model kits and anime books I went to see Mr. Macek give a presentation which included footage of the upcoming (not really) ROBOTECH movie. He spoke and took questions, and was generally a busy, but decent enough fellow with the public. If it wasn't for that guy so many people wouldn't get to enjoy their hobby of hording neat knick-knacks based on beloved (and localized) Japanese characters they sit in front of a screen watching for hours without end.

I imagine in real life Macek pulled a dick move or two, which would explain the amount of contempt so much of the fan community has for him. Anyone who's been into J-pop for a few decades is aware of the level of animosity directed towards the man, yet so much of it has always been fan boy posturing. It's okay if you get how the original Macross is a masterpiece of entertainment. It's not okay to bash Macek because he tweaked it enough to create an entirely new market for anime in the western hemisphere. I'm pretty sure he didn't personally screw over so many of twenty-somethings who love to slag him on the internet bulletin boards. I'll never know what this guy did wrong, but I know what he did right.

Lots of fascinating stuff in the press release that I didn't know about the man. The video is great, too. No matter what kind of person he was in private, he was the guy that made an entire, currently desperate, industry possible. Thank you Carl Macek for the thrilling adventures.

New Dirty Pair manga in Japan

The Lovely Angels, Kei and Yuri are back, appearing in the pages of Monthy Comic Ryu. Let the chaos, destruction, and cheesecake ensue!



As an early supporter of anime, I can't describe what a relief it is to see these two icons return. By now the animated adventures of The Dirty Pair are widely known but disregarded by the contemporary anime fan, seeming clunky and dated. The reality however is that these two characters pushed the media's limits early on, with swashbuckling sci-fi tales laced with violence and sexuality. As an 80's preteen absorbed with ROBOTECH and Voltron, The Dirty Pair served as a proper white rabbit leading to years of discovery via VHS tape trading networks like the CFO.



Apart from a Joji Manabe Doujinshi I once flipped through, the Pair never quite looked this sleazy, which is understandable given the current state of the anime industry. Frankly, I can't understand what took so long for this series to happen. Kei,in particular, looks to have received the biggest makeover. It might not be "wolf hair", but at least it's not Dirty Pair Flash.

I predict that this incarnation will be successful enough for the inevitable anime adaptation, and then this and every previous generation of anime fan will know the madcap glory of The Dirty Pair!

The Imai Files

I think this one actually came in on the 12th Day of Christmas, too! Of course, I'm just getting to it now....

Roger Harkavy and his anonymous friend will go down in Otaku history as two of the coolest archivists on earth for bringing the rest of us this small treasure trove of pre-production and concept sketches from the clssic anime series "Mospeada" and "Super Dimension Calvary Southern Cross." By now, one wouldn't be a well informed fan of anime if one didn't recognize these titles as the basis for the second and third installments of the classic localization "ROBOTECH"



These files were once the property of toy/ model maker Imai, and are the product of the design firm ARTMIC, two names synonymous with 80's anime. Apparently, Harkavy and Mr.? couldn't find a publisher willing to take on the project, so they simply created a detailed pdf file complete with notes and translation, and sent it off into the internet void for us to enjoy free of charge. The resulting Imai Files is a 108 page look back at two of the most influential chapters in anime's early bid for an American audience, that also manages to somehow capture that moment in time during the shift from "Super Robots" to "Real Robots." Bravo!



In another sense, the arrival of this electronic file (instead of a book) speaks volumes on the state of the anime industry. That no one would pick this up as a property probably has more to do with Imai and ARTMIC being long gone and legally obtuse organizations, rather than any lack of interest on the part of fans. I wonder if they approached Harmony Gold with this idea. If the rights to these illustrations are anything like what's going on with "Macross" then this production is more than we could expect. This would have sold as a book, and in fact there is a new book covering "Mospeada" just published within the last year, however, maybe it's not selling well enough. It also can't help that "SDCSC" really only has a fan base as "ROBOTECH: The Masters," but then again, that doomed program is only reflected in ten or so pages, compared to the hundred+ sketches of Ride Armor and Legioss. Frankly, the nature of this material is of highly specific interest, and getting a licensed publication in the rights hands in the current anime climate would've been a tall order. After all, robots don't sell as well these days. Maybe if it were a bunch of sketches of Rook, Mylene, and Annie...








Whatever your position on "scanslations" may be, with the advent of "The Imai Files" it becomes a more legitimate practice. Now, when money hungry U.S. Licensees finally back off completely and the anime/manga industry reverts back to it's original, Japan-centric mission statement (i.e. becomes interesting again,) Western fans will have a sturdy model by which to continue the decimation and enjoyment of the form. The future of the hobby has just begun thanks to a healthy dose of the past.


*****
Update 2/23 Thanks to Roger for chiming in and clarifying my wild speculations. See his comment for tremendous insight into this great project. Thanks again Roger!

S.D. MACROSS

This is the heart of old school anime.

Microman to Diaclone

Here are some awesome commercials from 70's Japan. They're great marketing for even better toys, and lots of fun. This is a series of spots that illustrate how Microman/ Micronauts evolved into Diaclone/ Transformers in their country of origin. This is basically one product line that was marketed to appear as a new product after a sales slump. These toys will be familiar stateside as "Micronauts" and "Transformers"

Dig the metal background music.



Do you recognize this world wide favorite?



Check out the kids in this one...



What the hell is that kid saying?!

This one must have aired late at night. Please keep in mind Microman's original mission of getting kids interested in science when you watch this. It will help you understand why I nominate this next commercial for "Most Bad Ass Toy Commercial In the History of The World For All Time"



Here Microman starts to incorporate vinyl figures and a new theme song. It's a few years along for these toys and now Time Traveler is on his the way out.



As the 70's come to a close...



Here we see the beginnings of Diaclone, the final nail in the Microman's coffin.







Anime!



Actors!



and yet another world wide favorite...



Diaclone is a hit!



There are more of these, but you get the idea. I love how Takara segues one toy concept into the other as Microman's vehicle accessories gradually take on a life of there own as Diaclone. I don't think toy companies operate like that in the states. You just know that there were kids in Japan totally unaware of how this transpired. They probably just ignored Microman until all of sudden there was Diaclone. Despite briefly slumping sales, the fact that both these concepts were huge international successes is remarkable. Sadly, Diaclone devolved into Transformers, where it lingers in mediocrity to this day. I guess when you consider the mountain of products produced during the 70's it's not so bad. Westerners will never really know the extent of what was manufactured as Microman and Diaclone, but we can have fun trying.

Megazone 23 Perfect Collection (ADV 2007)

Finally. I missed the initial region 1 DVD release of Megazone 23 and could not turn it up until now, and I didn't want to just rent it, such is the admiration I have for this title. After twenty years, it's a relief to be able to see this again.



In the mid 80's, anime was proliferating the US through a network of fan clubs starting with the CFO and working it's way down to various regional groups, including our own Anime Keiken in Pittsburgh. Anime at this time meant taking what offerings you could get from Saban or DIC, or enjoying a crummy third or fourth generation dub in it's original Japanese without the aide of subs. Such was my introduction to "Megazone 23", a dark (for the time) sci-fi with a massive human element that suffered only slightly for the lack of translation. It continues to serve as an early example of seriously compressed storytelling that succeeds with the aid of a (for the time) mind-blowing twist and excellent design aesthetic developed by ARTMIC and Hiruhiko Mikimoto. It also featured a gory execution and a sex scene, two "Firsts" for a mainstream production such as this, and also rather mind-blowing (for the time.) Finally, it reserves it's place in anime history for being the blockbuster anime to secure the future of the OAV, then a fledgling concept. Seeing this as a kid in Western PA only further convinced me that anime was here to stay. Seeing it again with subtitles convinces me that I was right. Part II is great, mainly because it provides resolution and breaks the mold as far as character design goes. Part III was a mistake, but it's out there. Oh well. I lent my fan dubbed VHS to my friend Dave back in 1989, and never saw him or my movie again. I could never have guessed at the immense popularity anime would garner in the following decades, and as annoying as it can be, in this case it's more of a lucky break.

Props to ADV for continuing to exploit this property. It's truly one of the great films of the "Real Robot" era, and needs to be available like a lot of other deserving titles (Crusher Joe, Giant Gorg) It's nice to see a company maintain respect for the groundbreaking works in a time when anime seems to focus entirely on "Fan Service," Gundam, and collectible card games. US otaku, however, will not likely respond as I have, and so this release will probably not release the floodgates as I would like. True, classic titles continue to trickle in as the market continues to broaden, but it's clear by the packaging of the Megazone 23 Perfect Collection that ADV will be taking their time about it. If I wasn't sure about the story already, after reading the summary on the case I might be expecting the prequel to "Ghost in the Shell," and the artwork approved for the cover adds further confusion by featuring characters only from the sequels in a stylized layout that's hard to read. I realize that there are complicated rights issues when a US company is handling anime, but, like, who the hell are they trying to sell this to? Special features-wise, there are enough design sketches to make this worthwhile for the older fan who never picked up the Roman Album, otherwise, I was really hoping for the scratched footage of Shogo raiding the airport ( filmed as the original ending, or maybe for "Robotech: The Movie") Not much other information, unless the English speaking cast offers insights in their commentary, which seems unlikely (People watching dubbed anime have no idea what they're missing!)

Priced at $30, it's a little steep for me to be sending casual fans out of their way for, especially when they really want more "Full Metal Alchemist" so I'll just say if you're like me, gathering up all the great anime from the 80's, this should be on your list.