Presentation PA #76

Anime Fans In The Military; Thank You For Your Service And Please Come Home Safely! On March 20th, 2003, the war in Iraq began after six months of debating at the United Nations. As we watched this war on live television (through CNN, BBC or any other networks) and witnessed the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein and his regime, I felt that reality IS crazier than fiction, even if we are so used to seeing violence in anime shows.

Normally, I write the presentation page to introduce new anime shows or talk about our feature articles. But, this time, I write to convey a few words of support to the men and women in the military who have been doing a very difficult (even deadly!) job, far away from home and their loved ones. Our best wishes go especially to our PA subscribers. Recently, we have begun to receive "change of address" notices from our subscribers in the military. They have been sent to the Middle East and yes, your copies will be sent to you, wherever you are (in Kuwait, or even, on the USS Kitty Hawk!). No one wanted war, but we are on an important (and dramatic) page of history, so let us set aside all our different political views and support these brave people in the military. Some of you may have been peace activists, while others may have been staunch supporters of the war and George W. Bush's policies. This war has brought enormous emotions from all sides of the globe and all governments acted separately to defend their own interests. Sadly, the UN was totally split, but that is human nature. Now that the combats have calmed down, the troubles to reconstruct Iraq have just begun.

Times are tough. And let's face the facts here. The biggest employer of American youths (age group 18-25) is the United States Military, which can offer not only employment, but also job training, College funds, the GI Bill, etc., for their future. And anime fans are no exception! Those who have well-off parents and can enjoy the luxury of being students without working might not understand what those young people in the military are going through. A good example is the former POW, Private Jessica Lynch, who wanted to have a better life, rather than staying in a small country town in West Virginia. My heart was totally broken each time I read the names of the war casualties during the Pentagon briefings.

"Remember September 11th, 2001" It has been more than a year and a half since the heart of the USA was attacked by the Al Qaeda terrorist group, who have declared a Jihad against the West. President George W. Bush as well declared war against the terrorists (just like the WWII slogan "Remember Pearl Harbor!"). That day, the "9-11-2001" changed the heart of Americans forever and united them, I believe. And the long struggle continues.

I am a middle-aged Japanese person and I know how things were, to live under the horrible military dictatorship of before and during WWII. I am sure young US anime fans could never imagine what an horrible country Japan was then! My own relatives lived in Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc., during the Japanese colonial era of before the war and I grew up with all kinds of stories and anecdotes they told me about when they became evacuees. They told me how difficult their lives were in those days, particularly during the 15 years of war (1930-1945) when Japan invaded all over Asia and colonized many territories. Under the dictatorship in Japan, anyone who spoke out was arrested, tortured and executed, just like the people in Iraq were under Saddam's regime.

Because of our freedom of expression, we now live in a world where we can enjoy anime, manga, movies and books of our choice. People died for this, may it be in WWI, WWII, the Cold War, etc. Never forget this and cherish it with the respect it deserves. Freedom is not only the right to be able to do anything you want (in a reasonable manner, of course), it is also a responsibility! Let's hope that we, all the people in the world, will, someday, be able to live in a safer, peaceful society. If you know anyone in the military, please write them, send them E-mails, etc., etc. and give them your support and wish for their safe return. My heart goes out to all those who died during the conflict. May they rest in peace.

Miyako Matsuda

As usual, we would like to hear your comments. In fact, we are planning to restart the Letters Column in a future issue of the magazine so we are inviting you to write us letters! What do you think about PA? What would you like to see in PA? What do you think about the world? The state of the anime industry (both in Japan and in North America)? What's your favourite anime? Why? Etc. Don't hesitate to send us name suggestions for the new Letters Column. And you can also send us your fan arts. Most interesting letters, name suggestions and fan arts will receive free goodies! Send your letters either to comments@protoculture.qc.ca or P.O. Box 1433, Station B, Montreal, Qc, H3B 3L2 Canada.

In this issue you will find spotlights on Rahxephon and Dragonar as well as another great harvest of "Anime Stories", introducing anime like Abeno Bridge Magic Shopping Mall (the latest comedy from Gainax), Hakujaden (the very first Japanese animated movie), Kikaider TV & OVA series, Patlabor WXIII, Read Or Die, the Turn A Gundam Movies and Voices Of A Distant Star !! It will also include the usual "Anime World" articles (interview with voice actor Brad Swail, The Modern Japanese Music Database Part 20: Hikaru Utada, Anecdotes from Atsuchi Takeuchi, The Year 2002 In Review, convention & festival reports: Anime Weekend Atlanta, Anime Next, Anime USA, etc.), the reviews of lots of recent anime & manga-related products (48 anime DVDs, 26 manga, 1 book, 4 model kits, 5 live-action movies, etc.) and the latest news. Enjoy!

Next Issue: spotlights on the Ghost In The Shell TV Series Stand Alone Complex and Zetsuai (a popular shoujo OVA from 1996) as well as "Anime Stories" on Alien 9, Aquarian Age, Kaze no Yojimbo, King Of Bandit Jing, Siamese Cats, Witch Hunter Robin and more!! DonŐt miss it! Check the Upcoming Issues section for details!

Claude J. Pelletier
editor@protoculture-mag.com