The Old School Otaku Lounge

Moonsaber wrote: ↑Fri Jan 18, 2019 8:57 pmDate limit?

Well, I am primary looking for people who were there in the scene back in the 70s and early 80s.

Ah, yeah I am mostly talking late 80's and early 90's. Woodhead was one of the first people to bring us licensed anime in the USA, and Kodacha Anime was probably the most reputable fansub folks I knew of.

The scene back that early was pretty small.

Moonsaber wrote: ↑Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:14 am Donno if this is off topic but Robert Woodhead of AnimEigo was and still is one of the biggest fanboys ever.. enough that he founded his own company to import anime, and did a damn great job of what he brings in, and still does.

Was Woodhead involved in anime fandom before founding AnimEigo, though? I know that basically the seed money for AnimEigo came from his share of the popular BBS game he wrote, Wizardry, and that the game was pretty popular in Japan but I've never picked up that he was well known in 'the scene' before AnimEigo.

Drew_Sutton wrote: ↑Sat Jan 26, 2019 6:51 am Was Woodhead involved in anime fandom before founding AnimEigo, though? I know that basically the seed money for AnimEigo came from his share of the popular BBS game he wrote, Wizardry, and that the game was pretty popular in Japan but I've never picked up that he was well known in 'the scene' before AnimEigo.

Beats me, yeah he was a gaming programmer prior to AnimEigo. I am sure if you emailed him or hit him up on his Twitter feed you could find out. I somehow doubt he suddenly decided to get into anime in 1988 and founded a company to import it, likely it was a lifelong passion.

Back in the day, you pursued fandom at regular sci-fi cons and such. Woodhead travelled to Japan.

I think I might be able clear up some stuff on Woodhead past. I did an old podcast years ago where we got to interview him, and to him he worked on Wizardry and was already known for that before tackling into anime. He did anime as a fun project with subtitling Vampire Princess Miyu before they ever had the rights to it just to see how it would work, and was asked "hey can we make money off doing subtitles on anime?" which made him laugh thinking it was a joke. Well jokes on him looking forward 30 years later, which I don't think he's at all upset about.

Part 1: https://ia801406.us.archive.org/20/item ... opart1.mp3

Part 2: https://ia800308.us.archive.org/21/item ... opart2.mp3

Ah, that is cool!

I knew he is fairly accessible. So he was into fandom by at least 1986 I would guess?

He did gaming before anime since he did work on Wizardry so that's what Robert was into at the time. He still does gaming being a chair head for EvEOnline (or I believe he's still part of that committee).

DKop wrote: ↑Sat Jan 26, 2019 8:17 am I think I might be able clear up some stuff on Woodhead past. I did an old podcast years ago where we got to interview him, and to him he worked on Wizardry and was already known for that before tackling into anime. He did anime as a fun project with subtitling Vampire Princess Miyu before they ever had the rights to it just to see how it would work, and was asked "hey can we make money off doing subtitles on anime?" which made him laugh thinking it was a joke. Well jokes on him looking forward 30 years later, which I don't think he's at all upset about.

Part 1: https://ia801406.us.archive.org/20/item ... opart1.mp3

Part 2: https://ia800308.us.archive.org/21/item ... opart2.mp3

So Woodhead subtitled Miyu before AniEigo and while he was with the Cornell Animation Club, or did he do that after the company was formed but before they released Madox?

Also, I am researching about Jan Scott Frazier. Has she done anything about anime after she moved back to America?

Fireminer wrote: ↑Wed Jan 30, 2019 6:32 am

So Woodhead subtitled Miyu before AniEigo and while he was with the Cornell Animation Club, or did he do that after the company was formed but before they released Madox?

Also, I am researching about Jan Scott Frazier. Has she done anything about anime after she moved back to America?

I'd have to assume he subbed Miyu while at the Cornell Animation Club, but do not hold me to that. It was after his work on Wizardry.

JSF years ago did a giant life story page on her own site talking about how she got into anime, her time in Japan, the heartbreak of divorcing his ex wife and finding she died from a disease later, contemplating suicide, living in Taiwan working for a studio that did in between animations for companies, and coming back to America up till that point in her life. It was the most interesting biography on a person i've ever read, and sadly sometime after I read that JSF took that down. I don't know if there was an archive of that page that exist online or not, or if someone took all she wrote and put it on a document somewhere. Really great read that I think took me 2 or 3 nights to read.

Wow that sounds like a very interesting read regarding JSF. I'd also understand if she later felt it was too personal a story that she'd rather not publicize.