published Mar. 2009
ISBN 978-4-05-605088
This newer Patlabor artbook was purchased from Hobby Link Japan. It’s a very nice book with many great color illustrations of labors from the Patlabor anime. If you’re a Patlabor fan this book is worth the purchase. Read more…
Tags: Patlabor
published Oct. 2002
ISBN 4-89048-660-7
I have always been a fan of the compilation art books for mecha anime. Books like the Mecha Encyclopedia should be on every mecha fan’s shelf. The book of Anime Bikes is not one to miss. It tracks down every motorcycle and hover bike to appear in anime from the beginnings to 2001. I certainly didn’t know that the first motorcycle to appear in anime was 1969′s Judo Boy. It’s a shame that many excellent designs from video games, art books and manga didn’t make it into the book. Well, you can’t have everything. Read more…
Mecha fan Ollie Barder of the UK has written a new article about mecha video games titled Bushido and Beamsabers. It’s recommended reading.
Did you know that Spiderman fought the Iron Cross Army in Japan in 1978? Did you know he used a giant robot named Leopardon to do it? Marvel Comics is now displaying the first episode of Toei’s Spiderman from 1978 on their Web site. You can see it here (or look at the embedded video below).
Tags: Spiderman
It has always amazed me how Votoms never caught on in North America. Armored Trooper Votoms, a TV series (1983), and its spinoff OAV Armor Hunter Mellowlink (1988), should have captivated American science-fiction fans. Attempts were made. U.S. Manga Corps released the entire Votoms TV series to DVD. Granted, it was subtitled only and not available in English dub but I still don’t get how it didn’t catch on. I bought the DVD box set and was enthralled. It really is an excellent show. I had to use BitTorrent to get Armor Hunter Mellowlink as it has never been released to DVD in North America. Read more…
Tags: Votoms
I’ve finished watching the 26 episodes of Bounen no Xamdou that aired in 2008. According to Anime News Network it isn’t a television show because it first aired on the Internet, making it an ONA (original net animation). It can be a little difficult to find information about the show online as people can’t agree on the spelling of the show’s title. I’ve seen Bounen no Xamdou, Bounen no Zamned and Bounen no Zamn’d. Read more…
Mark Simmons has been well-known in anime fan circles for years as an expert on Gundam. He once maintained a large and in-depth Web site on the Gundam Universe but is now content to maintain Ultimate Mark. Along with Benjamin Wright he wrote Gundam: The Official Guide. He has assisted with the translation into English of several Gundam projects and created the mecha images that have been used for “franken gundams” by online Gundam fans.
Gears Online was able to have an interview with this prominent U.S. anime fan. Read on to learn more about Mark Simmons. Read more…
Tags: Mark Simmons
I recently finished watching Chouja Raideen (often spelled “Reideen”). This show aired on television in 1996 and ran for 38 episodes. The name translates as Raideen the Superior. We can thank Central Anime for making a subtitled version available to us.
Although it’s night-and-day different from the original Raideen show of 1975 it was enjoyable on its own merits. This isn’t a must-see show but I’d give it a thumbs up. 5 young men in Japan discover they’ve been chosen by the God Feathers to merge with the spirits of Raideen warriors of the past. This merging allows them to summon magical flying armor with wings and potent attacks. In their battle against the extra-dimensional Super Devils they discover another group of 5 Raideens and must learn to work together. The armor suits look cool and the action scenes kept me coming back for more.
Tags: Raideen
