Otaku USA: First Impressions

Good. Really good – probably the first time I seriously got into a magazine in the last decade or more. It also, however, marked the first time I’ve ever had to pay ten bucks for a magazine. So. Here's a bit of a preview for those who have yet to check it out:



First, some of the better pieces of I've read thus far:

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF TRANSFORMERS - A two-page timeline of the Transformers franchise dating back all the way to 1980 and the days of Micro-Change and Diaclone figures.

FEEL THE COSMO OF GUNPLA!! - Inspiring words on surfing and Gundam models from a curious fellow who calls himself Masked BAKUC.

BANDAI HOBBY CENTER BREAK-IN - A rare, behind-the-scenes look at "the 'Area 51' of the Japanese toy industry."

WONDER FESTIVAL REPORT - Intense coverage from the trenches of what seemed to be a loud, chaotic, sweaty, and highly unpleasant toy convention.

THE LEGEND OF CAPTAIN MAXX - A not-totally-coherent-or-sane interview that somehow left me wanting a Captain Maxx figure of my very own.

JAPANESE TOY STORE DISPLAYS AND CHILDRENS' RIDES - One man's latest otaku acquisitions. Includes a seven-foot Mirrorman figure, as well as pieces of hero-themed amusement park rides (see below).



As for the magazine's weaker points:

GAME REVIEWS - Game-related features would probably work better (perhaps stuff not unlike this or this, or even this), but either way, coverage of games like MotorStorm and GRAW 2 seems a bit tame compared to some of the more out-there topics tackled elsewhere in the magazine.

DVD WITH TRAILERS AND DUBBED ANIME - The anime definitely needs a Japanese language option, but aside from that it'd just be awesome to have some exclusive video content (con footage, people's junk collections, etc.) that compliments some of the articles from the magazine.

Still – these are ultimately minor grievances. The magazine is bizarre and glorious, and if it met my warped standards of “good” any more than it already does, it probably wouldn’t have made it this far to begin with.

Also, while the newsstand price of $9.99 an issue is indeed a bit steep, $4.99 an issue—which is what it breaks down to if you subscribe—isn't bad at all.