Editor: Kimberly Guerre
Writers: Mark Clark, David Del Rio, Brady Hartel, Corey Henson, Andrew Kent, Peter Vonder Haar, and Mike Yantosca
Translations: Shoko Oono, Ikuko Overbeck, and Jack Wiedrick
Published by Kadokawa Shoten
Plot:
The popular Japanese magazine NewType is brought to the United States in an English-language format. The "Moving Pictures Magazine" is jam-packed with articles, pictures, and posters, covering all aspects of Japanese--and American--animation. Feature articles include coverage of RahXephon, the new mecha series from designer Yutaka Izabuchi; Argento Soma, a retelling of Frankenstein--albeit with aliens, giant robots, and vengeful young men; the Cowboy Bebop movie Knockin' on Heaven's Door, and a variety of other titles. Interviews include voice actor Jun Kaname (Mask Rider Agito), voice actor Neil Kaplan (Transformers: Robots in Disguise) and comic book artist Pat Lee (Darkminds, Transformers). The preview issue also includes the first chapter of the manga Full Metal Panic! by Syouji Gatoh and Retsu Tateo, a "How to Art" section, anime and model kit reviews…and much more.
Comment:
Well, give me a new winter jacket, because hell has frozen over. Actually, the process started a couple of years back with Gundam officially released in the US, but this…this completes it.
NewType USA. I gotta admit, I love this. After years of having to look at (and read piecemeal) the Japanese editions of NewType, it's a blast to read it in English. This was one hell of a great thing to get at Otakon 2002 (and at the 2002 San Diego Comic Con). The layout of the magazine is very close to it's Japanese counterpart (and even "reads" from right to left), and is just as packed with glossy layouts and graphics. Then again, that was what I liked about NewType--even if you couldn't read it, you could look at the pictures and get a general idea of what was going on. Of course, there are differences besides the language. There is more coverage of American animation and pop culture--comics, music, video games.
This is the first time, at least that I can think of, that a major Japanese magazine has released a format tailored to the English-language market. Usually, it's the other way around.
This is a beefy magazine, and it doesn't waste any space. It even has a DVD catalog from AD Vision, one of America's premier anime companies--a nice touch. The Full Metal Panic! manga was actually quite good--it's an action-packed tale of secret agent going undercover at a boarding school…and running afoul of a beautiful female student with a short fuse. Of course, that doesn't mean that this magazine is perfect. There are a few places with misspellings--whether it's due to lazy writing or bad translations is up for debate--and the right-to-left layout will confuse quite a few. Plus, the magazine's price tag upon its release (the preview issue was free) will be $9.95 (US), which is a steep price for many. However, keep this in mind: many places, with the exception of Japanese bookstores, often charge $15.00 and up for the Japanese editions of NewType. Give me a $9.95 issue any day. Plus, with all the extras and coverage, this magazine is worth the cost (although even I wish that the price would go down, but…).
Even so, NewType USA is a major milestone in the long road anime has taken to reach its current high level of popularity in the United States. If this preview issue is any indication, things are looking really good for this bold experiment when it hits the stands later this year. Here's to hoping that it works, and that NewType USA will be with us for a long time to come.
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