Your Motives Are Impossibly Obvious

Well, ok. Today is the official launch date of OTAKU USA magazine. Even though people were able to find copies as early as a week ago, I always had it in my head that the show wouldn’t really start until June 5th. Now that it's actually here, there seems no better way to celebrate this alchemical journey of spirit into matter than to pose the question, “Can You Feel It?”

Comments

[Emily]

That was some kind of video you just posted there...but yeah, the feeling is good ;D

[Zer0]

The local comics shops or newsstands don't seem to be stocking Otaku USA :(

[Patrick Macias]

Riot!

[Brian]

The folks doing distro for Otaku USA seem to be doing a good job around here. It was prominently displayed at my local Borders (both in the magazine section and in the manga section), and I even found a few copies at the grocery store down the street from my house.

[Daryl Surat]

Although it's still under construction, it looks like http://otakuusamagazine.com/ has got its non-placeholder layout up and running! Plus, once it's finalized, there should be actual excerpts from the magazine. This is a really, really good step. They've also got forums up, and so far nearly everyone posting are listeners of AWO.

Also, unless it's in error, a year's subscription is $30, which is 50% off the cover price.

[Steve Harrison]

That's probably correct, the subscription price.

You lowball your sub price to help your circulation numbers. The was you set ad rates and get advertisers is being able to show how many copies actually sell, and that's usually broken down by subscription and newsstand sales. Newsstand numbers fluctuate due to returns but your subs are a stable base. I think it's also calculated that a subscriber will have up to 3 additional people read that copy, and those eyeballs are gold to advertisers.

I'm bi-polar on this. Buying at your bookstore means you send the message that you like this sort of thing and they need to continue to support it, but buying a subscription helps the long term health of the magazine by getting more companies wanting to buy ads to get your eyeballs.

[Esteban]

I found a copy of OTAKUusa at the base exchange here on Ellsworth Air Force base last week. It was a fun book and the Transformers Movie article was pretty good, but I had a couple of issues with the OTA.K.E.R.S column (and I don't mean nitpicky stuff like the 20th anniversary of the animated Transformers movie was actually last year, not this year as is stated in the beginning of the column). What I'm talking about is clearing up the misconception that the Japanese created the Transformers. When you say, "The Japanese originally created the Transformers but there isn't any attempt to bring anyone with mecha design experience over to Hollywood" you're totally missing the point. Takara may have created the toy robots themselves, but the Transformers franchise-the idea of sentient robots without pilots that came from Cybertron-the ideas that made them popular-were entirely American.

The strength of the franchise is not based on mecha design alone and the native land of whoever designed the movie robots is irrelevant. The Transformers at heart is a story about shape changing sentient alien robots. That's what makes it popular, not the toy designs. Otherwise Takara's first attempts at marketing thier Car Robots and Diaclone molds in America under the Kronoform and Diakron lines would have taken off way before Hasbro/Sunbow invented the Transformers mythos. The Diakron Hilux, Vanette and Coutach LP500S were the same molds Hasbro marketed as Trailbreaker, Ironhide and Sunstreaker. Takara didn't have the marketing sense enough to give the robots personalities-an American idea. This is why people think Transformers are American, because what makes the toys 'Transformers' is the mythos developed by Americans. Without American intervention, Diaclone and Microman would just be one of the hundreds of other forgotten piloted mecha toylines and Takara wouldn't be where it is today.

[Laura Panneton]

I have just purchased an issue of Otaku USA, and i must say that you have done a very good job on it. I personaly think that you made a good choice on having Daryl Surat and Co. from anime world order do some reviews for you. they have a well rounded knowledge in anime and arnt afraid to show their oppinio. Once again i congradulate you on creating a good magazine, and cant wait for the next copy.

[Cruiser Brother]

Wow. Doesn't anyone get it? It's the The Jackson's, and they ROCK!!!! I can feel it... I can feel it..... I CAN FEEL IT!!!!!