Newtype (magazine)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cover of Newtype USA Magazine (November 2003 issue)

Newtype is a popular monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga (and to a lesser extent, tokusatsu, Japanese science fiction and video games). It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985 with its April issue, and has since seen regular release on the 10th of every month in its home country. An English version has since been published, called Newtype USA; a version of Newtype is also published in Korea. Spin-off publications of Newtype also exist in Japan, such as Newtype Hero/Newtype the Live (which are dedicated to tokusatsu) and NewWORDS (which is geared toward a more mature adult market), as well as numerous limited-run versions (such as Clamp Newtype).

1 Content
2 International Versions
3 External links

[edit] Content

[edit] Columns

Newtype runs several columns per month, typically written by creators within the anime and manga industries. Past and current contributors include Satsuki Igarashi (of Clamp) and Mahiro Maeda. Newtype USA includes columns from more history-minded staff at ADV (such as Jonathan Clements).

[edit] Manga

Newtype usually contains a center insert with regularly serialized manga (often to be later published in tankobon form by Kadokawa). The magazine is perhaps best known in Japan for serializing Mamoru Nagano's The Five Star Stories.

Manga that have been serialized in Newtype USA may vary (and have varied) due to licensing reasons. In the past, they have included Full Metal Panic!, Angel/Dust, Chrono Crusade, Lagoon Engine Einsatz, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days, the Aoi House 4-koma, and Angel/Dust Neo, only several of which actually appeared in the Japanese Newtype.

Currently the ongoing manga which is serializing in Newtype Japan right now is Kobato, a manga created by Clamp.

[edit] Fiction

Light novels have also been serialized within the Japanese version of the magazine in the past: these have included "For the Barrel" (an abstract adaptation of the Mobile Suit Gundam novel); a novelization of Overman King Gainer (accompanied by illustrations from the show's character designer, Kinu Nishimura); and the Yoshiyuki Tomino story "Gaia Gear", set in the far future of Gundam 's Universal Century timeline.

[edit] Television schedule

A large insert within the magazine usually contains a television schedule for anime and tokusatsu programs set to run on various Japanese networks throughout the coming month, accompanied by synopses for each aired episode and network ratings for each show from the previous month. (Newtype USA does not list airtimes and airdates in their version of the schedule, anymore.)

[edit] Art-related material

Newtype contains a tip column for working with computer graphics in manga-style illustration, written by a different guest illustrator (or group of illustrators, in some cases) each month. The column generally centers around working with Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter.

In the Japanese version (and in the early months of the American version), the last page of Newtype is usually reserved for one of a series of art pieces or illustrations (accompanied by comment or short column) from a known anime illustrator. Perhaps the best known of these is the "GUNDAM FIX" illustration series by Hajime Katoki, which placed mecha from the Gundam franchise within real-world photographic contexts. Other illustrators who have contributed to this back page in the past include Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (who ran a series of illustrations devoted to Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin) and Hisashi Hirai (who ran a series devoted to his designs for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, titled "Gundam SEED RGB").

[edit] International Versions

Newtype USA includes both translated Japanese content and original U.S. material. Content includes anime, manga, music, game, toy and model reviews, director interviews, artist profiles, and regular columns by industry experts, tastemakers and deep-cover insiders. Newtype USA also includes bonus content, such as posters, postcards, a centerfold spread, serialized manga, and a DVD insert. Newtype USA is published by A.D. Vision, parent company of the anime distributor ADV Films and manga publisher ADV Manga, but the magazine still features content and promotional material from properties distributed by competing publishers. The first Newtype USA issue was published in November, 2002.

Newtype Korea is published by Daiwon C&A Holdings, parent company of the anime distributor Anione TV and manga publisher Daiwon C&A Holdings. The first Newtype Korea issue was published in 1998.

Both the original Japanese and English editions use the "right-to-left" format. The Korean edition is reversed.