written: 11-01-1996
Anime Watch is a column about Anime (Japanese Animation) written by Jay Scott Raymond (A.K.A. Jay The Obscure). The puerile sensibilities of those who have not yet dedicated their lives to Anime are beneath my notice and will be trampled here with alacrity.
This section is about changes to this newsletter itself. Starting with
this edition, I have decided to start adding something resembling
structure to Anime Watch. The big innovation this time is (gasp!)
section headings! There will be regular sections that are here every
time, barring restructuring adjustments. Any changes to these sections
will be announced in the Anime Watch News section. There will be
"as necessary" sections. These sections will appear only when
appropriate, but have predetermined titles and purposes that won't change
without an announcement in the Anime Watch News section.
The Regular Sections are:
| Section | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Obligatory Blurb | Introduction to the column. |
| Anime Buzz | News in the world of Anime. |
| Recommendations | Anime titles I think are great and that you should watch. |
| In Closing | The wrap up of this issue. |
The "As Necessary" Sections are:
| Section | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Anime Watch News | Announce changes to the Anime Watch column itself. |
The rumor floating around the net is that Streamline Pictures is getting out of the Anime game. I have e-mailed them for conformation, but they have yet to reply. If they reply before I'm ready to post Anime Watch #12 then I'll make an addendum to this article.
AIC has officially announced that there will be a Bubblegum Crisis TV series. It is due out October of next year and there is to be a movie sometime next year as well. They also announced two new Tenchi Muyo! Movies and a second TV series. Also, There will be a new OVA series called Daiundoukai: Battle Athletess. Unofficially, they say there might be a Daiundoukai TV series and an Oh My Goddess movie somewhere down the road. AIC's web site has some preliminary info and drawings for the second El-Hazard OVA series that are worth checking out as well.
AD Vision has come up with a sneaky way to tantalize their more observant fans about their upcoming titles. This info isn't posted anywhere on their news or upcoming releases pages. If you watch the little "lightboard" Java applet under their logo, however, it lists the following upcoming titles:
Books Nippan has finally updated its website to include video tapes and art books as well as CDs. The Laserdisc, Manga and Merchandise sections remain unimplemented at this time. They seem to be getting back into the Anime video game after a long hiatus. Whether they will use their old US Renditions imprint or just bill themselves as Books Nippan, I don't know.
Manga Video is having a number of its titles put on laserdisc by Pioneer, including:
These dates are tentative.
This next bit is old news, but I want to make sure all the Go Nagai fans out there are aware of it. The version of Violence Jack coming out from Manga Video is an edited version. You don't have to settle for that to have a professionally translated version though. You can get it uncut, either subtitled or dubbed, through The Right Stuf. They are the exclusive North American distributor of this uncut version from Critical Mass Video.
Here are a couple of recent titles worth picking up:
Well, that's all for this edition of Anime Watch. I hope you all like the changes being made and, as always, I welcome comments.
Anime and Giant Battle Robots Forever!
-Jay The Obscure