The Old School Otaku Lounge

Hello, All:

My name is xsquid, and Todd recommended me to this place.
I live in dusty Nevada now, but I come from Philadelphia.

I'm old enough to have watched (and remembered) 1960s anime: Astro Boy, 8th Man, Marine Boy, Gigantor and Prince Planet are all old friends. I put all that aside until the late '70s, though. In '77, I discovered Princess Knight playing in the city I was living in at the time, and Battle of the Planets was just getting started, and both renewed my interest. But it was Star Blazers that really did it; I'd never seen anything like it before. It led to my discovery of Fred Patten's Cartoon/Fantasy Organization, and my joining one of the branches in 1981.

At an earlier CF/O meeting in New York City, I saw my first “real” anime; Captain Harlock, and Galaxy Express 999, and it was love at first sight. About that same time, I saw my first anime toys, also in New York—one was from Captain Future, the other from Dangard A. I still have 'em.
I was in the military at the time, and I pushed to get myself stationed to Japan. Eventually, I succeeded, and spent five years there. By sheer good fortune, it was the years 1982~86. We all know what now-classic stuff was being produced at that time.

Since then, I've been involved in anime in a modest way. Lately I've been trying to preserve the collection of anime-related toys and models I bought while based there; I should like to be able to put them on exhibition someday, hopefully while I'm still alive. I always used to tell my wife that someday Japanese people would be paying to see my collection, because before the late '80s, they seemed to consider their own toys as disposable. I consider them works of engineering. Would it be too obvious to say that my anime passion is mecha in all its forms?

Well, I won't say any more now. Everyone here has their own stories to tell, and I would be pleased to contribute to the pool.

Welcome Milton,

And your CDs are on the way.

Hey hey Xsquid!! You are one of very very few people to have seen the English-language PRINCESS KNIGHT on American TV. I only know of one other eyewitness. More people have seen space aliens, I think. Welcome to the board!

Wow, cool! Sho where were you stationed in Japan? Yokosuka? Misawa?

I'm interested in knowing more about your toy and model collection. '80s Japanese toys were so great.

I'm glad to see a new person join. It's slowed down a bit here, especially with the sudden disappearance of BikeLover. I hope he's alright.

Hi, greg.

My first Japan station was Okinawa. I remember the date exactly, because the very next day after I arrived, I left—and spent three weeks in Korea. I was at White Beach, if that means anything to you.
I was just ending my 'oooh, shiny!” phase of anime toys, but Okinawa was a treasure trove. I found several toys there that had been long out of production even then, and I'm certain they'd been on those shelves just waiting for me to come and get them. Two of those were the Comet (Captain Future) and the GatchaSpartan—the latter is a real engineering jewel.

My second station was Misawa, a place I didn't even know existed until I got my orders for there. I'd understood it was an air base, so it was also a mystery why Navy people were there, but I found that out later. Misawa had some of the nicest people I've ever met, from my roommate to the local merchants. Delicious apples, good seafood, affordable Sapporo Beer, and only an hour's flying time from Tokyo...what's not to like?
Well, that part of Japan was (and still is) considered the 'back of beyond'. My anime viewing suffered. Macross, Orguss, and The Southern Cross broadcast as normal, but Mospeada and Votoms never played up there, and Urusei Yatsura episodes were three months behind Tokyo. Three months!! There were also a number of shows I saw there that I am determined to find subbed copies of, even now.
I bought a fair number of soundtracks and lots of model kits there. I rarely went to Aomori City, though. Hachinohe had all I really wanted.

My third station was Yokosuka, where I'd been trying to get all along. At last I was within striking range of fabled Shinjuku, and sometimes I didn't even have to go that far. I investigated an Animec shop in Yokohama, and in there I had a Kodak moment: a boy, who couldn't have been more than ten, looked at me in astonishment, and at my Gundam t-shirt. He was wearing a Mickey Mouse t-shirt.
After the relative quietude of Misawa, Yokosuka was very different, being so close to Tokyo and all, but being a city boy, it was easy for me to readjust.
What didn't I buy there? Whatever I couldn't afford! That was also about the time I became seriously interested in garage kits, and learned how to build them by trial-and-error and studying photos in Hobby Japan, since there were no English instructions back then. I know that most of them will never be built, simply because I fear screwing them up, and because I know they can never be replaced.

I don't remember all I have; they're just boxes and boxes, but I did put a 'bill of lading' on each one so it's not necessary to open the box to know what's inside. My all-time favorite anime show is Macross, so I bought every Macross-related toy I could lay hands on. All my toys and kits are in storage now, and quite inaccessible, but shortly I hope to get them out of there. When I do, I'll start taking pictures (which I've always wanted to do anyway) and publish them here. There's no point in having them if I can't show 'em off, right?
Hope that helps.

xsquid wrote: Two of those were the Comet (Captain Future) and the GatchaSpartan

SWEET.

Welcome indeed.

I'm honored that you would join us here. Please be my guest and make yourself right at home.


Welcome!
Daniel

xsquid wrote:All my toys and kits are in storage now, and quite inaccessible, but shortly I hope to get them out of there. When I do, I'll start taking pictures (which I've always wanted to do anyway) and publish them here. There's no point in having them if I can't show 'em off, right?
Hope that helps.

I just made a post that ties in to this. I hope you guys will check it out and let me know what you think. http://forum.animepast.net/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=161

Now you just have to get over to Hawaii and beat back the giant cockroach hordes to get your stuff out of storage.

Aging otaku get-together in Hawaii?

Obviously you never got acquainted with Hawaii's Gecko Defense Force. Two members took up residence in my kitchen, and I never saw a live roach again after that.