The OQ Weekly (15 April 2021) - The 'Do You Remember Love?' Edition
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What’s up, OTAQUESTers!
Do You Remember Love? I don’t, but I work for a publication run by the geekiest people alive, and some of them are… well… Let’s say that they might have watched 90s anime like Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon as they aired. Let’s call them knowledgeable. Cultured. Old? Who said old…? (bouahahahahahha)
Well, those same people opened a few boxes of cheap champagne when they heard the news that Macross and Robotech now love each other. It’s a big deal, they say. I agreed, mostly because of the champagne. More on this in your weekly news digest below.
Now, if you already love retro, there is a great place to stream many series from the anime past: Retro Crush! You can find mecha anime like Voltus V, Shin Getter Robo, Psycho Armor Govarian, and the complete collection of Project A-ko!
If you want to talk about retro anime series and how I love browsing around Retro Crush, don’t forget to join our Discord! We talk about more than just anime, manga, and games, too.
I am Ura, your blast-from-the-past guide in this amazing journey into Japanese pop, geek, and sub culture.
Thank you for joining us.
1
Do you remember love?
BIGWEST Co., Ltd. (Bigwest) and Harmony Gold have finally come to a legal settlement, paving the way for the worldwide expansion of Macross.
For years, the iconic mecha franchise has been tied up in messy legal issues worldwide with different companies vying for ownership. Harmony Gold was the one that licensed the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime series from Tatsunoko, while Bigwest held the rights to the overall franchise: this ‘extensive’ agreement, however, closes decades of disagreements between the two companies.
As a result, the way is wide open for the worldwide expansion of the Macross franchise - especially considering how proactive Harmony Gold have been in making Robotech available on streaming platforms. Chris Cimi listed the five series we’re most excited to see released officially in the west: Do You Remember Love?, Macross Frontier, Macross 7, among others. Check out the article for the full list!
The final word goes to Eddie Lehecka: ‘Regardless of how responsible they [Harmony Gold] may be for the lack of new Macross content over the years, as a fan, I’m just happy to see all of the pieces coming together for the eventual release of everything internationally.’
2
Shine on, you crazy Titan.
Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan manga series came to an end last week, sparking a fair bit of discussion and leading to record sales for Bessatsu Shonen Magazine.
Jacob Parker-Dalton has a spoiler-filled piece on the series’ ending up now: I won’t quote much from it for fear of spoilers, but he describes it as ‘not terrible, but easily the most predictable.’ Moreover, several high-profile authors came out with special illustrations to celebrate the series’ incredible 12 years of publication: these include Reiji Miyajima (Rent-A-Girlfriend) and Sui Ishida (Tokyo Ghoul).
Predictably, the demand for the latest issue of Bessatsu Shonen Magazine containing Attack on Titan’s final chapter was quite high, but even higher than Kodansha expected: an ‘urgent reprint’ was ordered on 13 April after many stores reported selling out within days of release. It’s a monthly magazine, too, so that initial stock was supposed to last for the whole of April!
However the conclusion to Attack on Titan went down with fans, that doesn’t devalue its legacy as a whole. There truly is no other series that so perfectly and completely defined the 2010s, taking over Japan and, indeed, the entire world. Thank you, Isayama-sensei.
3
Robots in space, in live action.
Legendary and Sunrise’s live-action Mobile Suit Gundam film project is finally off the ground, with Netflix set to distribute and Jordan Vogt-Roberts to direct.
It was already reported back in 2019 that famed comic book author Brian K. Vaughan was writing the script, and Eddie explained why that was worth getting excited about: ‘He’s written for a ton of seriously legendary properties across all major US publishers, and his creator-owned books are some of the highest regarded in the industry.’
What’s more, Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has a ton of love for the franchise. Undoubtedly, it’s in good hands.
In other Gundam news, a special event is taking over Canal City Hakata in Fukuoka, Kyushu. Described as a ‘mixture of anime convention, art exhibit, and local festival’ by James Fujita, the Gundam Docks will feature giant Gundam models, realistic photo spots, and live performances of music from the franchise. The audience can even decide which side wins in an interactive battle at the very end!
4
Not just for e-boys.
Could TikTok be the home of the next big Japanese film director? That’s something Toho are interested to see as they launch the TikTok Toho Film Festival 2021.
TikTok is often derided as a service for e-boys and attention seekers alike, but it is actually a powerful tool for engendering creativity and self-expression. As Alicia Haddick puts it: ‘Along with the collaborative nature of the service that allows anyone to build upon the works of others, TikTok has fostered a creative space for anyone to create comedy or story-driven content that can find viral success on the service.’
Stemming from this, famed directors Takashi Miike and Tomokazu Yamada have lent their star power to the very first TikTok Toho Film Festival, asking users to send in story-driven content as short as 15 seconds or as long as 10 minutes - provided that the multiple parts are clearly labelled to indicate the order they’re supposed to be watched in.
The most liked and shared video will earn the creator 200,000 yen, with the grand prize winner receiving 300,000 yen and support from Toho up to 4,500,000 yen to create a new short film roughly five minutes in length.
‘Can a TikTok creator really grow into a film director? There’s no reason why not. The tools and formats are different, as are audience expectations for a short video versus a full-length feature, but the central core of trying to engage and entertain an audience remains the same.’ (Alicia)
5
Inside the world of Imaishi.
Good Smile Company and Studio Trigger have teamed up to hold an exhibition celebrating the work of animator, director, and all around legend Hiroyuki Imaishi.
Set to open 29 May through 27 June, the exhibition will take over the EJ Anime Museum, which is part of the Kadokawa Musashino Museum building located in Tokorozawa, Saitama prefecture. Not only will it include storyboards, design sketches, and image boards, they will also have ‘valuable undisclosed materials,’ such as Imaishi’s notes from his student days.
Stemming from this, the exhibition aims to uncover the driving force behind his creative activity and what makes him tick. To use James’ words: ‘there is going to be a more deep, serious side to this exhibition. Of course, a lot of people will probably be wowed by the art and images of the exhibit, and that’s OK too.’
After all, such series as Gurren Lagann, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, and Kill La Kill are all about the spectacle!
6
25 years of zawa, zawa...
Nobuyuki Fukumoto’s Kaiji series is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and publisher Kodansha has a whole slew of events planned to mark the occasion.
First of all, the first three parts of the long-running series will be available to read for free via the Young Magazine website - in Japanese, of course. Secondly, a live event is planned for 24-25 April at Mixalive Tokyo: this will include an exhibition celebrating iconic lines and scenes from the series, as well as a talk show between the original creator and some celebrity guests.
Last but not least, there is a ‘general election’ going on right now that pits the two characters of Itou Kaiji and Yukio Tonegawa against each other. While Tonegawa was originally conceived of as a foe to the titular protagonist, he was popular enough to get his own spinoff in 2015: there’s even different prizes on offer depending on who wins, encapsulating perfectly the two characters’ counterposed philosophies.
Here’s to 25 more years of high stakes gambles!
7
Here’s looking at you, kid.
In an iconic movie filled with iconic lines, a new Japanese dub of the classic Casablanca is being provided by the cast of the original Mobile Suit Gundam.
Taking up the roles of Laszlo, Ilya, and Rick Blaine will be Keiko Han (Lalah Sune), Toro Furuya (Amuro Ray), and Shuichi Ikeda (Char Aznable) respectively: their performances can already be glimpsed in a new trailer, underscored by the famous theme ‘As Time Goes By.’
This project is apparently part of a longer set of dubs for other cinematic classics such as The Third Man and Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca, but this dub of Casablanca appears to be the most ambitious yet. Enlisting such voice acting legends undoubtedly lends some star power to the project, proving that ‘anime and film are two visual mediums that aren’t too different from each other.’ (Jeremy Tauber)
At the very least, it’ll be interesting to see some of American cinema’s most iconic lines spoken by some of anime’s most iconic voices!
8
Switching it up.
A new, blue-colored Nintendo Switch Lite is on the way to celebrate the upcoming re-release of Miitopia. And no, it doesn’t fix Joy-Con drift.
This marks the first time since last March that a new color has been added, with this being the fifth different color option on offer. As stated, it’s to celebrate the re-release of the Wii U title Miitopia on the handheld-only console, presumably because the boxart is mainly blue. Fans of the iconic Italian music group Eiffel 65 will undoubtedly be pleased…
There’s many reasons to pick up the Nintendo Switch Lite over the regular version: mainly because it’s smaller and fits better in a backpack or jacket pocket. Yet, those suffering from the enduring problem of Joy-Con drift might see this as a better option: it costs less to replace, after all!
The blue Switch Lite will launch this May.
9
No more tricks for witches.
Surprisingly enough, the Weekly Shonen Magazine series Tricks Dedicated to Witches came to an end last week. The reason was quite simple.
On Twitter, series author Shizumu Watanabe plainly stated that ‘I was simply out of my depth.’ He expressed regret at the fact that he left so many things undrawn and so many things unsaid: in particular, a new witch character that would have made the protagonist’s heart ‘skip a beat.’ The world of weekly serialization is a tough one, after all, destroying even the toughest of creators.
Still, Watanabe hopes to return to the series one day, preferring to see this as the end of ‘part one’ rather than a definite conclusion. Consequently, it may return in some form in the future, perhaps as a monthly feature.
For now, we mourn that loss of what Jacob describes as a truly unique series about tricks and, well, witches.
10
Second form, cutest plushie.
One of the best things about Hideaki Anno’s 2016 masterpiece Shin Godzilla is the fact that the iconic monster evolves through various distinct forms. The second one is now a plushie.
If you’ve seen the movie, then you’ll probably remember this version of the monster wriggling through the streets of Tokyo before transforming into the kaiju we all know and love. Evolution and revolution are the themes of Anno’s loving reinvention, and this is reflected in both the subtext of the story and Godzilla’s various designs.
The best thing about this plushie is not just that it exists, but that it has a hole through the middle that allows you to affix it to whatever tool you desire before giving it a cuddle. Mop? Yep. Brush? Yep. Performative jousting spear? Definitely.
‘This is not any mere toy. This is a marvelous invention, a creation beyond anything that mankind has ever manufactured before. It is a marvel, and it is desperately needed in my life.’ (Alicia)
Video Corner
Zombie Land Saga is coming back, and nobody’s quite sure what that means. The show is about zombies who become idols, but beyond that, anything can happen, whether it be heartfelt or ridiculous. The show was never expected to be successful, and in fact, of all the people Cygames spoke to, MAPPA’s president was the only one who thought it sounded like a good idea.
See you next week!
Ura and the OTAQUEST team.
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