the Anime & Manga web page of the Griffin (part 3 of 6)

Part 3 of 6 To part 1 To part 2

On part 2 I talked (typed) about there various forms Anime & Manga is available in & the related items (I had to add this paragraph since I added those) x soundtracks & music collections
(Japanese versions of & one that are only available as the Japanese version) Anime type video games.
books
toys, cards, clothing, & other items, even foods, Anime &/or Manga magazines.
"But where do I get that stuff (without going to Japan) ? !" is something lots of you have said to me in a chat room or in person. Try Japanese book- &/or videostores, Jpns. gift shops, Anime specialty stores, certain comic shops, or the Anime vendors at conventions (science-fiction, tv. & movies, comic, or just Anime ones). (There are also ways to get stuff, on-line ; I have a link to a page with a listing of many later.) After I say that, the following are other things lots of people have said to me in a chat room, in person, or said to the readers in a newsgroup &/or mailing list : "I do not think there is or know of any Japanese book- &/or videostores, Jpns. gift shops, or any Anime specialty stores near me.", "There are no conventions or I do not know of any conventions near me." or "HELP ! !". Well here is the part of the page for that help. I also see alot of you seem to have found a place you are happy with but may want more resources. (If you can, go to Japan ! !)
"Bell" model clip Here are some sources that you can use on your own to find out & will make finding that Japanese bookstore, Jpns. video store, Jpns. gift shop, or Anime specialty store easier (& hopefully there is one or more near you) :
(Note : Many Anime specialty stores & bookstores have mail & telephone order service.)
(Note 2 : Some Japanese bookstores & Japanese video stores have English subtitled & dubbed Anime for rent or sale.)
For the Los Angeles & San Diego, CA areas
For the San Francisco, CA area
For all of the U.S. & Canada
& more ways for everybody
A listing of places / sources I know of.
Those of you that are within a 75 mile radius of Los Angeles, just e-mail me & I could tell you where a store is. (Depending on where you are, you may not have to go to Little Tokyo (near downtown L.A.) if there is a place closer to you.) Or call or write the following addresses / phone numbers and ask if you can get or where you can get a Telephone Guide Japanese Directory & Guide for Southern California (It has almost all the Japanese - American business in So. Cal.) I got mine from extras at a Japanese market. (The store owner, who is also a friend of mine, jokingly(?) said take all of them. Maybe he was serious.) They might be able to look up the information for you if you contact them.

Japan Publicity
19300 S. Hamilton Av. # 110
Gardena, CA 90248

Tel. 310 515 7100

or if you are in the San Francisco area

S.F. Japan Publicity
1721 Rogers Av. # Q
San Jose, CA 95112

Tel. 408 926 7406

or visit their web site at http://www.japanpub.com You might now be able to access the whole phonebook from there. When I tried it, it was just information pages, but hopefully by now they have it set up like an on-line phonebook.
There is also the Bridge U.S.A. Telephone book. The main thing Bridge U.S.A. does is publish a bi-weekly "info-tainment" magazine which you can get for free at some (Japanese) markets & bookstores (in So. Cal.), & now you can subscribe to it (free if you are in So. Cal). The phone book is free also if you find a market or bookstore that has them. They might be able to look up the information for you if you contact them.

Bridge U.S.A.
20300 S. Vermont Ave. Suite 200
Torrance, CA 90502

Tel. 310 532 5921 Fax 310 532 1184

For everybody else (including Golden State dwellers), there is the Yellow Pages Japan, a phonebook that has most(?) of the Japanese-American business in the U.S.A. & Canada. But it will cost you $35 to get the book, luckily they have a web site also. (Or again,) they might be able to look up the information for you if you contact them.

Yellow Pages Japan (head office)
420 Boyd St. Suite 502
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Tel. 213 680 9101 Fax 213 680 1459

Yellow Pages Japan (New York office)
445 5th Av. 30th Fl.
New York, NY 10016

Tel. 212 679 5372 Fax 212 683 5406

http://www.ypj.com There is information about the book here (http://www.ypj.com/ene-html) but the only listings are restaurants.

Convention anouncements can be found in newspapers, on the "web", or by asking at a comic book shop.

Another place for finding (& even buying) stuff, if you have access to America On Line, is the "Japanimation Station" section of AOL. An on-line shoping area called "Mangamania" has many T-shirts, (English) sub & dub versions of shows & movies, English versions of some Manga, & other items available. Also see the "Anime Cafe" sub-section which has more information & has an area to post & answer questions. Note : The links in this paragragh will only work if you are signed on using AOL.

If you have access to CompuServe, check out the Anime & Manga Forum (Go Anime). Many files are there, an area to post & answer questions, a vendors section, & there is a weekly conference / discussion (Sundays at 9 pm Eastern, 6 pm Pacific).

Further on, I list a few places that have mail, telephone, & on-line order service (& may even have a walk in store), plus a link to a page where I have listed all the sources for Manga, Anime, & related stuff that I know of. Well I decided to put that link here also : Click on this line for a myriad of places that sell Manga &/or Anime related items.

Unfortunately there are alot of items that you can only get in Japan for whatever reasons. For now, the only way to get that stuff is to go to Japan, have someone else going there get them for you, have relatives, friends, or pen-pals there that can get it & send it to you, or know someone that has a "Japanese connection" & knows who can get & could have items sent to them (for example, an importer, an owner of Muyo & Ryoko at a totori. a Japanese store (in the U.S.), or certain Anime vendors at an convention). (I say again "If you can, go to Japan ! ! " You also get chances to see an original (Anime) broadcast (also see the country, conduct business, or whatever else).)

Here are some Japanese magazines that deal with Anime that I think most of you will enjoy. You do not have to be able to read Japanese to enjoy them (but it helps to know what is being said about those beautiful pictures). More about them in general & an advantage of getting them in the last paragraph of this section.
The first one is ANIMEDIA (ÆAÆjÆÆÆaÆBÆA). It has articles on (currently running & sometimes old) Anime tv. series, their associated movies, other Anime movies, O.A.V.s or O.V.A.s, Anime related products, & interviews with production staff. It also features Anime Eye (now that is a pun), a by reader for reader section where stories, opinions, & drawings from readers are featured. Plus there are various information sections that have everything from an Anime tv. schedule to the latest on electronic games. Also it almost always includes a poster, stickers, & a booklet. Web site : http://www.e-animedia.net.
   ANIMAGE (ÆAÆjÆÆÆ[ÆWÆ…ÆiÆAÆjÆ}ÆQÆj) is another & is similar to Animedia, plus it features a top characters section.
NEWTYPE is also like the first 2 but also features articles on regular movies including American movies that have opened in Japan, plus a few American tv. shows that are on in Japan. It also has a Manga series running in it. Web site : http://www.web-newtype.com. In July 2000, Newtype posted an English version of their web site (http://www.newtype-net.com). They might start publishing an English version of the magazine (well, as of July 2002, they did/have), but I will still (& maybe only) get the original Japanese one. I am not sure when it started but there is now a NEWTYPE.com magazine that comes out every other month.
ANIME V is another good magazine. Note : as of the Oct. 1998 issue, Anime V is now titled LOOKER. Another note : the May 1999 issue of this magazine was the last one. But look around, the past issues are out there & many of them have "cool" pictures & posters, plus informative & interesting articles.
A X is yet another one. I think the first issue of it came out in April 1998 & it is like the first 3 I talked about. No, this AX does not mean Anime Expo & it is not a product of the organization that does Anime Expo. It also has a Manga series running in it. Starting with the ? ? 2000/2001? issue (I will find out which it was, later) the magazine got alittle thinner & started coming with a DVD that has various features & interviews on it. To watch the DVDs, you need a region 2 DVD player, a Japanese or modified American PlayStation 2, or a code free, multi regional, region free, or non regional DVD player, which I talk (type) about on part 4 of this page.
B - magazine, now called Dengeki Animation Magazine (“dŒÆ ÆAÆjÆÆÆ[ÆVÆÆÆ“ Æ}ÆKÆWÆ“) (which means "Lightning Animation Magazine"), is another "cool" one. It also has at least one Manga series running in it.
Model of MIHARU from Tokomeki Memorial If you like to make character figures, models, or dolls or want information about it, check out HOBBY JAPAN magazine (web site : http://www.hobbyj.co.jp) or REPUBLIC magazine.
Another one is P.C. ENGINE FAN. It deals with Anime & Manga related computer & video games, P.C. Anime drawing & animation programs (& may give leads for Macintosh programs), & personal electronic game systems based on Anime or Manga. It also has a reader's land section much like the one in Animedia.
DRAGON magazine is good but it is more about Manga.
MEGAMI magazine is one that is mainly about the characters & is published by the same company that does Animedia. Web site : http://www.e-animedia.net.
   All of these feature numerous advertisements from stores (in Japan) that sell the Anime videos (tape, LD, or DVD), C.D.s, computer programs, models, & books, among other advertisements, including ones for events, expos, & shows. They also have posters in them (except for Dragon & the figure & model ones).
There are other Anime related magazines but Animedia is my favorite ; it was the first one I subscribed to. I now (also) have subscriptions to Newtype, Animage, Anime V / Looker, A X, B - magazine / Dengeki, & Dragon. If anyone knows about any others or has a different favorite, e-mail me & tell me about it. I am also aware of MANGA magazine, B-Club magazine (is about Bandai related Anime), & the English publication ANIMERICA (I only have 3 Animericas (out of the many dozen(s) of Japanese Anime & Manga magazines I have)). One reason I like Animedia is that it has the lowest cost of the (Japanese) ones I know about yet it is very good (plus it comes with the most extra stuff like stickers, posters, cards, &/or booklets). The others are almost double the price of Animedia at times (but usually less than double) yet are not double the price better in my opinion.
   Depending on where you go (outside of Japan) to get these magazines &/or who you order them through, they are about a week behind from when then hit stores & newsstands in Japan. Almost always you will know about or be aware new Anime & Anime news long before most other Anime fans (outside of Japan). (How do you think the staff of Animerica gets alot of their information ?) Many times I had other fans say they never heard of something when I talk about or show them the article on something, then weeks or months later they say to me,"Hey I remember you talking about that weeks / months ago." when something becomes a hit or when another version or part of that Anime comes out. You also find out about Anime that may never become even the smallest hit & that very few know of.

On to part 4. To part 1 To part 2

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