Protoculture Addicts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Protoculture Addicts is a North American anime and manga magazine. It is published by the company Protoculture Inc.
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[edit] The magazine
Protoculture Addicts is the oldest anime and manga magazine in North America. Its name derives from the popularity of the Robotech anime series, and its namesake, Protoculture. It started as a Robotech fanzine, became the official (licensed) Robotech fanzine, and then expanded to cover anime in general. Many of the series that it reviews and presents details thereof are months in advance of legal release in the West. What this means is that the periodical reveals many spoilers.
The first test release, Issue #0, was published in the fall of 1987. Issue #1 officially launched the fanzine in the spring of 1988. It later became a standard commercial magazine.
Although it is a North American publication, it also covers many things about the state of anime and manga in France and the French-speaking world. Manga and anime are readily available in Europe, and the magazine was started in Montreal, Quebec, a francophone region of Canada with a mixture of French and English speakers.
In 2005, with Issue #82, Protoculture Addicts became Anime News Network's Protoculture Addicts, a sister publication to popular anime news and information website Anime News Network.
In May 2006, the first full color issue (#88) of Protoculture Addicts was released with the addition of a manga insert and several changes based on the readers feedback. Issue #89 was published later in end November and now returns to its bimonthly schedule.
[edit] The company
Protoculture Inc, the publisher, used to be called IANVS Publications. It began as a group that made the fanzine Protoculture Addicts (which went commercial, and also started the company). At one point IANVS published a magazine called Mecha Press, which was focused on mecha, mecha toys and kits, and other things mecha. It also published the infamous Anime Shower Special (or Anime Shower) a special comic that featured shower scenes from anime and manga.
Protoculture Addicts is now the primary raison d'etre for the company.
Protoculture Inc. has also released the English adaptation of Anime - A Guide to Japanese Animation (1958-1988), an Italian book that chronicles every anime released between 1958 and 1988.
