#animerica extra

[animehouse-moe]

Animerica Extra Volume 1 Issue 1: A Closer Look

Finally, finally finally I managed to get the first two volumes uploaded to the Internet Archive, which you can find here, and I really do recommend because of Tumblr image compression being kinda gross. Anyways, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the first issue of the magazine and what I really found interesting and cool!

First off is the advertisements that appear in the magazine. Considering the scope and popularity of the magazine, the "type" of companies that would advertise are somewhat different. I mean, AnimeVillage got the front cover ad. Not that they're a tiny company, but much like others in here, they're not a company that lasted incredibly long.

Still, what is incredibly interesting though is their website, which is still saved in the internet archive, though in a somewhat incomplete fashion, which you can find here. Anyways, getting to visit an old site like this is a lot of fun, mostly because of the personality that appears with it. Offensive and sharp color palettes, more than a few moving pieces, and a very blocky layout. Honestly, I think sites like this have a considerable amount more to offer in terms of heart and individuality than what modern web design has given us, but that's not the point. The point is that Animerica Extra provides people, specifically the community in this moment, with an experience from the past. I mean, AnimeVillage is from 1998, there's no way that the vast majority of anime or manga fans would even know about them as a company today.

Getting to the actual magazine itself though, there's just two things that I find interesting with the Table of Contents. Firstly, right at the bottom, just above the "Printed in Canada" statement, Viz offers a disclaimer (which you can't read here because of nasty Tumblr compression, so I'll transcribe it): "For the purposes of publication in English, the artwork in this publication is in reverse from the original Japanese Version".

Now, I don't have any OG manga volumes that were printed more like graphic novels, so I can't say for sure, but I find this disclaimer interesting. Either, a) this is a general disclaimer Viz gives about the difference between JP and English publication, or b) Viz is required to provide this disclaimer for the materials. Either way it's a very curious piece.

And then there's the "Vizit our World Wide Web Sites at www.viz.com...". Yes, Viz actually printed "Visit" as "Vizit" alongside "World Wide Web sites". Just such a blast from the past as to how the internet was viewed and interacted with.

And then there's the Yuu Watase feature from the first issue. I think it's something that doesn't immediately stick out to people in the modern day because hey, you just go to MAL or Manga-Updates and you can see everything that Watase's ever done like it's nothing.

But in the 80s that sort of accessibility was non-existent. I mean, like you'll see later on with the letters, people only found out about Animerica Extra through Animerica. It really highlights how valuable this sort of information was to the community during the era, because you simply just would not know anything about Yuu Watase without these pieces.

Similarly, you couldn't go and look up what a series was about on the internet, you only had word of mouth and direct interaction, so excerpts like these that give readers an idea of what is is they're about to read is incredibly important.

Just a quick aside here about advertisements. I know a lot of people will say, "but hey! There were TV ads during the 90s and 2000s that could be run for this stuff! Surely they could provide information and advertisement via that!", and I think the easiest answer is another question: can the modern day animanga industry manage that? Obviously not, no. The avenues that Viz could approach to advertise via were incredibly narrow, largely focused on anime specific storefronts or general comic stores, placing physical advertisement at the top of the pyramid, followed up by ads distributed via their tapes back in the day.

Anyways, back on track to the editorial for an interesting conversation! This one's very interesting to me for just one thing, really- the original sketch giveaway.

It happens today, rather frequently, but with caveats. It's not, "Hey we're running a giveaway so make sure to participate", it's "Hey we've got X mangaka appearing at a con so come for a chance to win their sketch!". The difference in the approach to the giveaway is entirely different. I don't know if I can really say that it's more accessible, but I think that it gives fans a greater opportunity to participate purely because it's cheaper, running on a far longer schedule (as the editorial mentions), and doesn't require in person attendance for the opportunity.

But to be fair, even those giveaways are only a recent thing as the animanga market's boomed. There was quite a long period of dead air in terms of this sort of activity, so I find it really interesting how the landscape has changed in how these now corporations approach these aspects of interaction with their communities.

Also, here's a link to the archived version of the website in the advertisement on this page.

And this magazine really just keeps giving more and more crazy information. This News Notes panel really surprised me. Yes, it's got a lot of plain information like upcoming or finishing anime, but most interesting is the information that the left column provides.

They talk about the mangaka of Steam Detectives appearing at San Diego Comic Con, and not only that, but bringing some early footage of the anime. I mean, that sort of thing has only just begun happening again in the last few years.

It's crazy to see how advanced and engaged Viz was back in the day with the industry overseas. Not that they aren't today, but that the curtain's been pulled across so we no longer get stuff like this in English.

Speaking of things like that, because of the disappearance of things like this, we don't get to see interaction between individuals and the companies. The letters section in this first volume is so interesting because of the era it comes from. The accessibility of information is immediately addressed with the first letter that talks about them finding out about Animerica Extra via the mainline Animerica. Then there's the very talented letter sending that sewed a decorative pillow for their friend. But I think my personal favorite is the nonsensical letter penned by Jonkani.

These magazines are just a gold mine of history and culture pertaining to the North American animanga industry and community, that I really think is important to be able to experience and understand as it contextualizes where this slice of entertainment lies in the modern day.

And this just the first issue of the first volume, there's still 73 more to go that provide all sorts of wonderful and curious information and interactions. Incredibly happy to be able to provide this to the community, but also very hopeful that being vocal with this will both make people more aware of a history that is "ours", and inspire those that have pieces of history like this to archive them.

[toichinagae]

ANIMERICA EXTRA - December 2003 Issue YASHA Feature!

There were many other YASHA features during the short runtime of the ANIMERICA EXTRA Magazine Viz Media had published, and I hope to post them when I am able! This post will be updated later with links to the original sources I had gotten these images from once I have properly archived them. For now— here is a transcription below the image!

YASHA

A look at Japan's most popular manga…

YASHA is arguably Akimi Yoshida's most popular series after BANANA FISH. Although it possesses all the complexity, intrigue, and good looks of its predecessor, YASHA's setting, context and lead character are completely different. While both leads have tragic pasts, Sei is no punk from urban America's backstreets—he's a privileged wunderkind working at a fancy biotech company in affluent suburbia.

A blond boy getting an MRl is treated kindly by the doctor. The boy is Sei, and his mother tells him not to leave the hospital alone or talk to strangers while she consults with the doctor. "We're poor." Sei scoffs, "No one would kidnap me." For as long as he can remember, Sei and his mom traveled to this Tokyo hospital for an exam every six months.

Back in Okinawa, Sei's best friend is Toichi Nagae. Unfortunately for the boys, Toichi's brother has been accepted into a Tokyo college, and the family will be moving there soon. Maybe it won't so bad—Sei can visit his uncle there, and the boys can finally go to Disneyland together!

Before the Nagaes leave, they attend their town's summer festival. The fun is cut short when the boys return to Sei's home to find his mother being held captive by men in suits and sunglasses. Sei allows the men to take him if they'll let Toichi go. In a desperate attempt to free her son, Sei's mother grabs a thug's gun and aims at the man in charge. She's shot down in front of Sei's eyes. The fleeing Toichi finds his brother and drags him back to Sei's house, but by then, It's a desserted mess. Only they observe the huge helicopter leaving the island; only they know Sei has been kidnapped.

Six years later. Sei has survived grad school without getting tainted by its posturing and politics. There's an opening for a virus specialist in Japan, and Sei's mentor at Neo Genesis suggests, despite the danger of going back, perhaps Sei should return to Japan while he has the chance.

In the meantime. Toichi has become a fairly normal high-school senior living with his brother who always works late at his lab. Naturally, It's the same lab as the one where Sei's going to work! Soon Sei and Toichi are reunited, but the situation in far from normal. First there's Sei's pair of bodyguards. Then thugs hired by Neo Genesis' rival attack the clinic Sei's uncle manages. Sei's cool look and attitude are also different, and his uncanny senses as a child have been honed to ultra-human capacities. Plus, people keep mistaking Sei for a guy named Rin and a woman named Shizuka!

It turns out Rin is Sei's previously unknown twin brother, and their meeting is a strange one. Initially emotionless, Rin suddenly turns on the charm, acting like a long-lost sibling happy to see his big brother. From the start, Toichi doesn't trust Rin, making it difficult to talk to Sei about him. That Rin's last name is the same as that of the man who kidnapped Sei all those years ago further complicates the situation.

"Yasha" means "female demon." Along the way to discovering the title's connection to the story, there's plenty of action, emotion and intrigue. Sei's tangled personal life meshes together with a scheme by powerful men to develop a deadly virus, all plot elements combine to create a highly engaging series. If you like complex stories with plenty of appealing guys, try YASHA, Sei makes being smart cool.

[empty-movement]

HALLOWEEN COURTESY OF CHIHO SAITO DRAWING REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA FOR ANIMERICA EXTRA, SCANNED FROM HER NEE LA ROSE ARTBOOK

[lunaticobscurity]

i think what really needs to happen is the return of translated physical anthology magazines. animerica extra, pulp, raijin comics, shonen jump, and so on.

then you can pair up lesser known series and series with premises that might not be easy sells with big name series and more people'll read the weird stuff because it's right there in the same mag as the popular stuff they bought the mag for.

i think the lack of these magazines really does hurt english language manga fandom for this and many other reasons. as it currently stands, if you're an english language reader, you're either buying only the series you're interested in as volumes, or paying for something like the shonen jump app and probably still only reading a few series on there, because even in the same app, they're still totally seperated from each other.

with how much manga is published in Japan, i don't think the translation publishing industry without fan translations to serve as a vetting process. there are 40+ volume manga that ran for decades that you've never heard of because they never got translated. the well is unfathomably deep. but if something gets a fan translation and becomes popular that way, it can be a sure bet to license

these companies put out interest surveys and they definitely check these websites for what's popular. the industry wouldn't function without fan translations

[slightlybiased]

NEE LA ROSE - Chiho Saito (x)

[doronjosama]

Up now on my eBay! Various translated manga comics from 1994-2001! Animerica Extra from Viz Media, Astrider Hugo from Radio Comix, and Dodekain from Antarctic Press! Also up for grabs: my superheroine comic collection (70’s-80’s stuff), random Radio Comix books and various indie comics! My house is super small, and I am still selling off thirty years’ worth of collectibles to raise money for ongoing back taxes & upcoming convention expenses, so every little bit helps. Thanks for looking & sharing!

[lunaticobscurity]

english language manga anthology print magazines

manga mania

manga heroes

super manga blast

manga vizion

animerica extra

pulp

chibi-pop manga

smile*

mixxzine

tokyopop

yen plus

doujinshi**

that’s all i know of, all of which are uk or north america-based. i know there was a singapore company called chuang yi that printed manga in english, though i don’t know if they put out any magazines, or if they only did collected volumes.

*this was a general magazine aimed at young girls, that also had some manga in it. i think it later dropped all the non-manga stuff, though?

**this was a weird title put out by antarctic press for a short time in the early 90s that printed translated comics and art from various japanese doujinshi. each issue was themed around fanworks of a different series: nadia, transformers, etc. copyright troubles are what killed it, though AP did also put out a one-shot magazine called justice, which had translated articles from doujin created by japanese fans of american superhero comics. justice is a very interesting item, i recommend tracking down a copy.

[shinjiroraragaki]

Spirited Away Scan From Animerica Extra Magazine Volume 6 Number 1

[uozlulu]

I think I did a lot of BF fanfic back in the day because I was 18 - 20 and the main characters were about my age and resonated with me especially since I was starting on my journey to figuring out I'm not straight. So now that I'm 33 it's more like a nostagia train hit me and is dragging me down the tracks. I've been using restraint though because I feel like maybe I'll produce better work if the anime helps jog my memory because I was a dumbass when we moved from Indiana to Georgia and gave away the volumes I owned because I forgot I also had chapters in my Animerica Extra magazines that I kept.

That said, I really want to go somewhere with the concept Angela on AO3 put forth in a fic recently about the darkness within Ash especially since it's a thought I was thinking about before I kind of had to give up writing fic all together due to university and health problems, but I think I'll let it cook a little longer. It might end up becoming fanart instead at this rate.

It's interesting to me though how I was able to just launch myself back into things and latch back onto my faves so easily even though it's been so long since I last reread the manga.

[angofwords]

This page was what first got me reading Banana Fish. It was in Animerica Extra, which I was borrowing from a friend so I could read Video Girl Ai. I'd ignored BF for a couple issues, but the Eiji's pain grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go. The next day I ordered volume one (one of the perks of working in a bookstore was being able to order for the store and read on breaks - that way I could try all the manga for free!) and was hooked right away.

[animehouse-moe]

Animerica Extra Volume Two Issue One

Ended up writing a bunch out on Twitter, so just going to cheat a little and say go check out the thread on Twitter haha. This is the first of the "real good" issues of Animerica Extra, as it has a (what I believe to be) exclusive interview with the mangaka Kia Asamiya, which unearths a lot of interesting information. Definitely worth checking out.

Though, if you just want to read the issue without my commentary on it, then feel free to check out the issue on the Internet Archive.

[toichinagae]

Okay, So— Yikes! Turns out after reaching out to Viz Media (and talking with a really sweet employee!) Viz Media doesn't hold any physical or digital archives of past magazines. All in all it's not the worst thing, as there are still secondhand copies out there...but it will be a longer process and take a lot of digging. Lots of hope though! On the up side, I did get ahold of some issues for ANIMERICA EXTRA. Specifically one of the February releases that had another YASHA feature! I am excited to make a future post about it, even if the contents are super brief!

[shidgephobe]

what on earth is this banana fish stuff it looks good but i literally cant find it anywhere

Banana Fish is a comic by Akimi Yoshida that was serialised 1985-1994 in Japan, and was first released in North America through serialisation in Viz’s now-defunct Animerica Extra magazine in 1999; the anime just premiered July 5th and it’s the first anime ever for this comic. (I waited so long ;-; ! Almost twenty years!)

The anime is released on Fuji TV in Japan and Amazon Prime Video internationally, but you can find it on gogoanime for free; that’s where I watch it because a) I don’t have Amazon Prime Video and b) even if I did, there’s no guarantee that Canadian APV would have it, since we frequently get shafted by streaming services.

I hope that helped, anon! :)

[animenostalgia]

Revolutionary Girl Utena art by Chiho Saito for Animerica Extra Magazine

[horse-girl-anthy]

Saito: The image of what is female seems to be evolving from Princess Knight, to Rose of Versailles, and on through Utena. During Rose of Versailles, the main character would not only wear men's clothes, she also had a male mindset. And in the setting, it was considered a problem if a woman tried to advance herself in society. This was the world of Rose of Versailles. But now with Utena, the main character wears a male uniform--but it isn't really a male uniform, is it? It's just the clothes that Utena likes. She's not bound by the same male/female conventions that previous characters may have been bound by. I don't think that society has changed all that much, but in modern manga, a person is all allowed to follow her own path. Animerica Extra: No, it isn't a man's uniform. The male characters wear nothing like it... Ikuhara: During the Rose of Versailles, by wearing the uniform, (Oscar) has her own body line--her own femininity. But now, times have changed. Even though it's not yet a world where all women are free, this costume might allow her the chance to be a "woman." We're trying to envision a world where a woman can decide what she does with her own body. Utena decided to show off her own beautiful legs. She's comfortable with her own beauty. That's the type of world we were trying to portray. Saito: We tried to make a costume that showed how beautiful a woman can be. Animerica Extra: So how much do you think society has advanced? Saito: It's not necessarily true that women are gaining a stronger place in society. It's possible that they don't have a stronger position at all. But at the very least, it seems that now is a time when a woman can decide how to show the world her own feminine beauty and be proud of it.

[slightlybiased]

NEE LA ROSE - Chiho Saito (x)