Hyperspace gate exit in post-Earth Exodus solar system, 2071. When asked about the gates and how hyperspace works, Shinichiro Watanabe once described it like old movie film, where regular space is the visible frame and hyperspace is the gaps between the frames.

"Hey Spike! It's ready!" "I'm just about finished. What's cookin'?" "Special: Bell Peppers 'n' Beef." The broke but still flyin' special.

Tucked away in a Polish anime CD from 1997: Windows 3.x/95 Solitaire infused with the Power of the Moon! Also known as Moonsol and Solitaire: Sailor Moon Edition.

Get ready for the theatrical anime blockbuster of the year! I watched Escaflowne The Movie earlier in the year for the first time in many years and really enjoyed it. It's got a really cool, visceral, Panzer Dragoon-esque world and aesthetic that I def dig now. 📖: Animerica, April 2002

What do you get if you mix together far-future sci-fi, Alexander Dumas, European impressionism, *deep breath* fashion designs by Anna Sui, and Ukiyo-e art? You get Gonzo's 2004 series, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. Only by seeing this show in motion is true justice done to it.

Wherever they're planning to go for their next adventure, you can be sure there'll be explosions and fire! 📺: Slayers TRY, 1997

Knight Sabers assemble! A Bubblegum Crisis game didn't take too long to appear after the release of the OVA, doing so for the PC-88: Bubblegum Crisis: Crime Wave.

Jack into CYBERSPACE for the latest anime and manga in Argentina in 1994. ⚡ 📖: RAN 'zine, September 1994 issue.

Have yourself an Animerica Christmas... 🎶

From the world of Gaea to your Windows 95/98 desktop in '98. Windows 95/98 desktop themes were just one expression of multimedia fandom and personalisation.

A Computer for the Universal Century? From the time (to quote Hot Fuzz) that everybody and their mums were making their own microcomputers. Bandai Electronics' Z80-based home micro aimed to inject a touch of Gundam into the market and appeal to fans, though without much success.

From a 1995 calendar that was in an archive of files for one of the PC-98 Record of Lodoss War games: an adorable illustration of chibi mischief and adventure.

Pulled from the cover disc of a 2001 issue of Argentinian anime/manga magazine Otaku Última Generación: a crunchy 320x240 video of Silent Möbius OP goodness.

"From the Creator of GUNDAM." It's kinda surreal, seeing a legit ad for Garzey's Wing in Animerica's February 2000's issue, given its history of convention film room and worst anime list fodder. Available for $24.99 in dubbed and dubbed form.

Feel the Silence... Otaku Generation. From the NeoTokyo2099 BBS archives: a scan of a flier from 1996 for a Fresno based anime club. On the agenda? The second SILENT MÖBIUS movie as the headline feature. Be on time!

What was it like to be a ground-pounder during the One Year War? To watch the mighty metal giants stride into battle - and know you might have to face one? Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (Sunrise, 1996-1999) gave us a more slice-of-life drama perspective of soldiering in UC 0079.

Available now (at least when this was originally published!) in subbed and dubbed form: Geobreeders. It sounds like it might be a Pokémon or Digimon clone, but it's neither. Ran in manga from 1993 to 2009. 📖: Animerica, April 2000.

A world of anime on CD-ROM. Enciclopedia del Anime Volumen 2 - Ciencia Ficcion, released in Spain in 1999 in book and multimedia CD form, came jam-packed with comprehensive info on a whole glob of sci-fi anime and video clips, one of the things I always looked forward with these kinds of things.

Scenes from what I feel is the most powerful Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex episode. An exploration of bodily autonomy, anger, and pain. All complimented for an extra emotional punch by Scott Matthew's Beauty is Within Us. A hooker of an episode. 📺: Episode 2: Testation.

She's so cold and human It's something humans do She stays so golden solo She's so number nine She's incredible math Just incredible math 🎶

Anime inspirations: Streets of Fire (1984) Fusing 50s rock-and-roll aesthetics with 80s cybernoir dystopia, SoF was an influential cult hit in Japan. One of the most direct influences can be seen in Bubblegum Crisis, with Priss' performance an homage to SoF's Ellen Aim and the Attackers.

Subscribe now to Newtype USA in 2004 or the Menchi gets it. Poor Menchi, their life was forever in peril.

When he's not observing fiendish scheming of conquest from tall grass or staring into destiny in the setting sun, Metalder is not above delivering boxes of puppies. If you're familiar with VR Troopers, then you've seen bits of this. 📺: Chōjinki Metarudā/Super Android Metalder, 1987

La Visión de Escaflowne! Issue four of DOKAN magazine is my favourite for a reason: Escaflowne coverage! Here in July '98, we get some pretty comprehensive information on its development, the mythological, historical, and fictional inspirations, and the premise.

Now on VHS, LASERDISC, and newcomer DVD: the late Satoshi Kon's 1997 critique of idol culture and commentary upon parasocial relationships between idol and fan and losing one's identity: PERFECT BLUE. 📖: Newtype Magazine, 1998

When the dungeon boss pops up to say hello earlier than you expected. 📺: Record of Lodoss War OVA, 1990.

Another adventure, another day of Deedlit being, well, Deedlit. 📺: Record of Lodoss War OVA, 1990.

The Accursed Isle... Lodoss. The Mega CD is home to a Record of Lodoss War game (originally released for the PC Engine CD), one which sports a pixel art recreation of the iconic intro and accompanying rendition of Adesso E Fortuna. Comparison shots with our DVD release of the OVA.

Name that mecha - that's right, it's Geist! A familiar logo to North American anime fans of the 90s and 00s, with a design revision in 1998 and adoption of a CGI mecha model. Seen here with the original form of its accompanying 'spokesmecha'.

Anime! Manga! Anime! Manga! Spotlight on Polish anime fandom: Kawaii, published by the Krakow-based club of the same name. The computer demoscene had also been key in sparking interest, including anime and manga features in computer magazines such as Secret Service.

A poster that fills me only with echoes of crushing disappointment to gaze upon it. I remember picking up Virus Buster Serge on DVD cheap at a time when they were rarely so, getting it home, and then yeah, not having a good time with it at all. 😭

"The power will be unleashed on DVD March 18th 2002." Ooh, the hype! From the UK's CUBE Magazine: an ad for Akira on DVD from Electronic Boutique and GAME. This black sleeve DVD set was pretty ubiquitous among anime collections, and I often see it on the anime (World Cinema) shelves of CEX.

Every time we hurry past each other, we hit and tear ourselves on impact... and we feel the pain of each other's wings 🎶 Gundam Seed Invoke-ed a T.M Revolution in 2002, with Sunrise creating a series that enjoyed more mainstream attention both in and outside Japan.

A slice of Gundam in the Laser Disc era, often an episode at a time, though you did see two-four per disc, especially for overseas releases. Very cool presentation with an illustrations and information booklet for my favourite Gundam OVA: Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team.

Old fansubs and crunchy Year 2000 320x240 video for the Gravitation OP pulled off one of the Minami CD-ROMs. 🎶

See you later! It's always so cute how the DOKAN multimedia anime/manga CD-ROM mascot will bid you farewell as you finish exploring one of the CDs.

90's anime OVA energy aplenty in this intro snippet from Taito's Psychic Force (1996), released in arcades and then onto PS1. Apologies for the goofs in the first posting of this, fuzzy thoughts day and was pouring through stuff about Dynasty Wars and Warriors too. 😅

"In a world gone mad, Rock 'n' Roll lives!" AMVs via videotape! Hurricane Live 2032 (and its follow-up, Live 2033), released in 1988 in Japan and in the early to mid 90s elsewhere, clips together segments from Bubblegum Crisis to rockin' music and vocals from Kinuko Omori and the Knight Sabers.

Fan art in the Newtype forum! Fan art sections in old anime mags are such a sweet way of getting a sense of who and what was popular when. Here in May 2004, DN Angel, Chobits, Full Metal Panic, FLCL, Fruits Basket and a few other popular faves can be found getting fan artist love.

From NewType USA, May 2004: one of the darlings of the Boys Love craze and one of the first BL series yaoi fans outside of Japan would have watched/read (including me!): Gravitation.

A Gundam with Outrun vibes: War in the Pocket's NT-1 dominates this June 1989 cover of Newtype. One of the most striking Gundam covers I've yet seen in Newtype issues.

Taking the Big Shot in '93 - A cool Patlabor cover to kick off a new year of NEWTYPE.

Battle stations! Planet Latis is under threat! Lord British reaches out to Planet Gradius and three ace pilots for aid. Salamander, Studio Pierrot's 1988 three episode OVA, adapts the first three games of the Gradius series, adding character and political drama and featuring music from the games.

Orguss 02 (1993) has a fine line in dieselpunk mech pilots and cool shots from the front.

When Final Fantasy meets Anime. Well, at least by the way of its most famous illustrator: Yoshitaka Amano! More than a hint of Elric of Melniboné in the character design for the titular protag - and in the surreal nature of his world. Fitting stuff for Amano's dreamy art style.

"To be continued..." Spanish and Catalonian early 2000s anime and manga store ad cuteness, where they have the latest releases every month - and a cute catgirl mascot. 📖: Minami issue 32

"We put our lives on the line. But even so, we choose to fly. Such is the fate of those who have felt the wind." The preview 'Issue zero' of Animerica, with Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again prominent on the cover. A version of the same artwork also featured on VHS releases.

To fans of classic JRPGs, I can't recommend watching at least the first episode of Gonzo's 2008 'The Tower of Druaga: Aegis of Uruk' series enough. The first episode is a love letter to the classic arcade game and RPG tropes in general, and is so wonderfully done.

One of the characterful launchers for the multimedia CDROMs included with DOKAN magazine. This is the first issue from 1998. I've spent a good portion of this year digging into them over my main account, and have come to truly appreciate them as a historical artifact of Spanish and Lat Am fandom.

J.C. Staff's 2005 adaptation of Ryo Mizuno's 'Starship Operators'. Reality television meets sci-fi naval combat as a crew of cadets fly the flag for a government in exile, their actions and personal drama broadcast by their sponsors eager for a dramatic story: the Galaxy Network.