Various issues of Animage through the years
Animage (アニメージュ, Animēju) is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine that began serialization in July 1978.The magazine was founded by Hideo Ogata, the producer of Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, and good friend of Hayao Miyazaki. It was the first magazine in Japan aimed at the general public, and not professionals, which quickly invited interest amongst casual anime fans.
The magazine is dedicated to fan contributions and commentary on various anime, as well as interviews with anime staff and other supplementary material. Issues are published monthly, and span around several different anime. Oftentimes, the issues contain posters, pin-ups, doujins and playing cards, amongst other merchandise. While it is a fandom magazine, Hayao Miyazaki's manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind began publication in Animage before being adapted into a movie. The magazine would also begin publishing several more original works.
Believe it or not, the magazine even mentioned Disney in some issues, due to some Japanese studios working on Disney's animated movies at the time.
Along with Animedia and Newtype, Animage is one of the top three anime magazines in Japan and one of the top
10 best-selling anime magazines there.
Even though the magazine is in Japanese, it has a small fandom in the West (through fan-translations).
Here's their site. They also have a Twitter account.
They share some their older staff with OUT.
Highlights
After Ogata's death, Animage would have many different editors. They are as follows: Animage editors
- Hideo Oagata (1978-1986)
- Toshi Suzuki (1986-1989)
- Takao Sasaki (1989)
- Mikio Takeda (1990-1992)
- Susumu Arakawa (1992-1995)
- Takashi Watanabe (1995–1998)
- Toshiya Matsushita (1998–2002, 2005–2014)
- Shūichi Ōno (2002–2005)
- Hisae Kawai (2014-present)
Anime Grand Prix Winners
- 1979-80: Mobile Suit Gundam
- 1980: Space Runaway Ideon
- 1981: Galaxy Express 999
- 1982: God Mars
- 1983: Crusher Joe
- 1984: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
- 1985: Dirty Pair
- 1986: Castle in the Sky
- 1987: Saint Seiya
- 1988: My Neighbour Totoro
- 1989: Kiki's Delivery Service
- 1990: Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
- 2010: Inazuma Eleven
- 2011: Inazuma Eleven Go
- 2012: Inazuma Eleven Go Chronostone
- 2013: Attack on Titan
- 2014: Free!
- 2015: Osomatsu-san
- 2016: Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
- 2017: Idolish
- 2018: Case Closed Zero The Enforcer
- 2019: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
- 2020: Healin' Good♡Pretty Cure
- 2021: Jujutsu Kaisen
- 2022: Demon Slayer To The Swordsmith Village
Original works
- 1982: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
- 1990: Ocean Waves
- 2009: Despera Light Novel
Tropes related to Animage
- The '80s: That's when it started publishing.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: It's probably a colouring error, but in the November 1984 issue Sarah Crewe is depicted with brown hair when it should be blue.
- Adaptational Villainy: Some parody manga like to ask the question "What if the heroes were villains and the villains were heroes?". One My Neighbour Totoro parody also featured the titular character as a Kaiju.
- Affectionate Parody: The magazine loved to run parody manga, with Mobile Suit Gundam and Magical Princess Minky Momo getting regular ones in their 80's issues.
- Adaptational Personality Change: Expect characters to be wimpier and angrier in the parody manga, for the sake of comedic effect.
- All There in the Manual: Animage is the "manual" in this case, having regular interviews with creators that divulge details and behind the scenes information about their works. See the Related page for specifics.
- Ascended Extra: Animage vol.100 has a special article called "No Casuals Allowed. Hardcore Fans Love Side Characters!". It's dedicated to the various
Ensemble Darkhorses that fans adored. - Crossover: Some parody images/manga feature the characters in a Shared Universe, especially if the anime was airing around the same time.
- Cute Monster Boy: Animage's tribute to Tadao Nagahama depicts Prince Heinel as a violent warmonger Alien Prince, like he is in canon...except he's small, chibi-fied and looks Moe as hell.
- In the same issue, Katherine is portrayed as a cute chibi cheering him on while wearing a gorgeous, excessively detailed white Fairytale Wedding Dress.
- Jangal is of the Gonk variety, being a red-skinned horned alien. He's depicted in the same Moe style as Heinel and Katherine, and Megumi standing next to him with flowers implies some sort of friendship between them.
- Gag Penis: The Daimos parody manga has the Super Robot show off his new weapon, a ballistic missile. Which is conveniently placed between his legs. Raiza and Balbas look horrified to see it.
- Gratuitous English: Each cover features the English title next to the Japanese one.
- Various headings, captions, body text and notes here and there are written in English.
- The April 1985 featured fan letters from the US and Canada, and were published un-translated.
- Gratuitous French: The Tadao Nagahama tribute features Kenichi and Heinel amongst planets Earth and...Voisinnote . It's a Mythology Gag to the where Planet Boazania derives it's name from.
- Hypocritical Humour: The August 1986 issue has a guide on how to be a Magical Girl...by taking cues from common traits in evil witches.
- Engrish: "Hai! How are you?" (April 1985 issue).
- Fanservice: The magazine is notorious for having women in the Boobs-and-Butt Pose. One issue has Sayla Mass be stark naked.
- Female Gaze: The anime has Fanservice targeted as women as well as men. Don't believe it?
- Lighter and Softer: The parody manga is always more light-hearted and comedic than the source material.
- Magical Girl AU: One issue had a guide on "how to be a magical girl". The end result was a Moe girl in a frilly dress holding a wand shaped like a circle above a cross (♀).
- Occidental Otaku: The magazine can be described as "written for weebs, by weebs".
- Race Lift: In the April 1985 fanart section, one artist submitted a picture of Kyoshiro from Daimos, though his skin is much lighter.
- Rushmore Refacement: The July 1984 cover has Yoshiyuki Tomino and Yoshikazu Yasuhiko engraved on a mountain, with a Gundam between them.
- Scenery Porn: The Nausicaa manga features beautifully drawn watercolour backgrounds, with the clouds, sky and terrain in full focus.
- Ship Tease: The January 1983 cover is of Lum and Ataru getting married - and Lum's hair is all dolled up for the occassion.
- Slice of Life: The theme of many parody manga. Take characters from an action-filled/angsty setting, put them in ordinary situations, and watch how they cope. Hilarity ensues.
- Super Robot: Not only are Super Robot series prominently featured in the magazine, but at least four of Animage's Anime Grand Prix winners are Mecha anime, with two of them being Gundam series. Post-2010s, Shōnen anime has been dominating the Grand Prix awards.
