Animation Periodicals - Otaku USA

Print media is dead. Newspapers are dead. Magazines are dead. 

Blah blah blah. 

Every time there is a new technological advancement, doom and gloomers will declare on high that the old means are dead. While it is true that eras of technology and communication can change over time and wane in popularity, it does not mean a technology is permanently over. True, we rarely use Morse code or telegrams in modern times, but telephones have evolved into personal essential devices and have been incorporated in voice over internet protocol. Discord is just another form of group calls, after all. 

Perhaps it’s better to think that as new eras of communication continue to evolve, it’s the expectation of prior forms of communication that changes. It used to be that magazines were the only way to get new and current information out to the masses about specific topics. Today, that’s not the role of a magazine, or even a newspaper. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a role for these communications to fill; ezines are thriving as quarterly publications are group funded on crowdfunding websites delivering information in under represented niches. 

But as for today, and the next few entries, I want to share my collection of magazines focused on animation, predominantly anime. A lot of these issues I had yet to go through as they had been purchased in the last few years. So join me as we travel through the grocery aisle of time to pick up an issue of some exciting periodicals!

Otaku USA

Still running today as a bi-monthly publication (subscribe here!), Otaku USA is one of the magazines that would sometimes show up at our local grocery store, Martin’s, but much more likely at the Barnes and Noble anchor store in the local mall (A rarity that I would visit as, in general, I am not the biggest fan of the mall. Too damn expensive and a place I worked in retail for a bit too long.) These issues were picked up second hand at a new Half Price Books that came to our neighboring precinct about two years ago. I bought the entire stack available for a steal at $1 an issue. The earliest issue is Volume 7, Issue 1 from August 2013. Even in the letter from the editor, Patrick Macias alludes that magazines were already being claimed as being dead in years prior to the issue’s publication.

One of the first things that struck out to me was the advertisements for digital streaming services. One of the first pages shows an online streaming service, daisuki.net, which dissolved in 2018. It was funded by six businesses, Toei Animation, Aniplex, Sunrise, TMS Entertainment, Nihon Ad Systems, and Dentsu. Competitor, and one would argue winner of the streaming wars, Crunchyroll is advertised a few pages later. Crunchyroll recently bought by the only competition remaining, FUNimation (and their parent company Sony) this past August 2020.  

One of the unique highlights of Otaku USA is the insert in the middle of each issue with a chapter from a current manga. The pages flipped upside down as to be read accurately from right to left, but with English translations. As a fan of large manga compilations that bring value for your dollar, this is probably the only way I would be exposed to new manga titles. To buy a new manga volume at $10 is just too steep of a price to take a chance on a new series, for me. Most of the manga I own are from series I already enjoy or purchased second hand. 

The highlight of the August 2013 issue is an interview with Mamoru Hosoda. The December 2016 issue has an interview with studio Trigger. This is where magazines stake their ground for significance; exclusive interviews with auteurs and significant movers and shakers in the industry. 

Another cool aspect of going through old issues is finding something you were looking for. I recently replaced my DVD collection of Giant Robo and wanted to discover if there were more to the franchise available and found out that a live-action version had been translated and reworked for American audiences in the late 60’s, Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot. Turns out Shout! Factory released the entire series on DVD. Going to have to keep my eye out for that. 

One final thought, I really love the printing and layout of this magazine. The colors are super vibrant and easy to read. The aforementioned manga insert is even printed on different and accurate paper. This is just a great series; I need to subscribe. 

Next time more magazines!