Presentation PA #68

September 11th, 2001, The Day That Changed Us All. On Sept. 11, 2001, in a beautiful morning blue sky over New York City, the whole world witnessed an incredible tragedy, something that can hardly be put into words. Horrible suffering, planes crashing into buildings, explosions, the death of so many people who just happened to be at the World Trade Center, at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Those horrible images will burn into our minds forever. I'm sure most readers of this magazine never thought this would ever happen in New York City, especially young people who haven't experienced anything so tragic (well, Hurricanes, Earthquakes, etc., destroy and kill people, but they're all caused by nature...) in their short lifetime. Bombs? War? In New York City? Personnaly, when I first saw those horrible images on CNN, I stood frozen, as not one, but TWO planes flew into the WTC buildings. This is not a accident -- It's WAR, declared by very angry and evil people, I felt, and did not want to believe that THIS was really happening. You know, we watch anime shows with war all the time, such as Gundam, Macross, etc., and all those images are usually fiction (although we're moved to tears by some of those shows) or wars take place in the 3rd world, in far away lands such as Africa and the Middle-East. But New York City?

On September 11th, I experienced more confusion and anger than in any other time in my entire life. We all go through personal crisis from time to time, but never to the point that it concerns national defense! This is truly a nightmare, created by the hands of angry terrorists full of hate, and it's just darn ugly and horrible. I was emotionaly numb with disbelief that this could really be happening, not in movies or anime shows, watching CNN all day, like the repeat of an horror movie, as the WTC collapsed like a house of cards. After the horrible news, we all learned about the existence of a madman called Osama Bin Laden, a man full of hatred for America. He will eventually be ranked with Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin or, in more recent years, Timothy McVeigh or Shoko Asahara of the Aum religious cult, as one of the world's craziest evildoers in history! What a twisted and evil mind he has, along with his followers and Afghanistan's Taliban regime! What makes them so sick mentally?! Waging an holy war in the name of Islam?! Isn't that just an excuse to kill people?! Why do these crazy terrorists just say "Kill Americans!!!"? America is a country of immigrants from all over the world and when someone goes through legal paperwork, they can become American citizens. In other words, these terrorists are waging war against the whole world! At the World Trade Center buildings, about 5,000 people of all nationalities became victims (British, Japanese, Canadian, German, even people of Islamic faith!).

All over the world, people are not only touched, but affected by this tragedy (not only politically or economically, but personally), knowing someone that knows someone who was there, at the WTC. Even here, at Protoculture, one of our friends (and dentist) had an highschool friend (36 years old, with a wife and two kids, from Chambly, Quebec) who died at the World Trade Center. He said, "I never thought this would affect my own life". That damned Bin Laden has litterally rallied the entire world against him, making us unite to fight against terrorism. My tears kept flowing when I saw Captain Mike Dugan, on CNN, putting the Star Spangled Banner (Tattered, but still intact!!) on the ruin at ground zero... Surely reminded me of those statues from WWII on Iwo Jima Island (History repeats itself?).

Now, I really don't know how this event will affect the entertainment industry -- even anime shows (shows with terrorists might be put on the shelves...) -- as we now all have to live in a horrible reality at this time of human history. And I feel, more than ever, that we must bring LOVE, not HATE, as the message from these shows. For those who passed away on September 11th, May They Rest In Peace, as we must go on with our lives!...

Miyako Matsuda

Many words could be said on this great tragedy that shook the world and has awaken many Americans to the harsh reality of our world. Many reflections could be made in the search of the reasons, but the answers would probably bring discomfort to many. When my daily dose of reality, provided by CNN, BBC or TF1, leaves me dazed and depressed, I find some comfort in my work and in the alternate worlds of anime. Don't succumb to fear, don't let it kill your spirit, let the reality pass through you, over you. The world might change, but you will remain. Don't hesitate to find some comfort in your mind, and here are some suggested escape routes...

This issue is offering the second part of our coverage (14 pages!) on the classic TV series Gatchaman (aka Battle Of The Planets) as well as articles on Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within, Metropolis and Millenium Actress. It also features several convention & festival reports (Project A-Kon, Anime Expo, the FantAsia Film Festival and the Montreal World Film Festival) along with the usual "Anime World" articles (The Modern Japanese Music Database Part 12), the review of lots of recent anime & manga-related products (videos, DVDs, manga, model kits, etc.) and the latest news. But above all, this issue offers tons of overviews on new anime titles to introduce you to Japanese animation of all style (yaoi, boxing, car racing, drama, comedy, children, etc.): Descendants Of Darkness (Yami no Matsu-Ei), Gravitation, Hajime no Ippo, Initial D, Karakuri Kiden Hiou Senki, Magic Camp Guru Guru, and Marco. Enjoy!

Next Issue: spotlights on Yu-Gi-Oh / Duel Monster, Love Hina, more reports on the summer conventions & festivals, lots of news & reviews, as well as overviews on Comic Party, Earth Girl Arjuna, Miami Guns, Noir, Ojomajo Doremi Sharp, Salaryman Kintaro, Sci-Fi Harry, etc. Coming in December. Don't miss it!

Claude J. Pelletier