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Presentation PA #78Director Yoshiyuki Tomino's Gundam World, Facing Death In Anime Shows, And The "Z" Ladies. In this issue, we are presenting to you one of Director Yoshiyuki TominoÕs classic anime shows, Zeta Gundam, part of his long saga about humanity trying to expand its boundaries in space. It is a story about the awakening of humanity, its advance into a higher stage, the "Newtype". It is a long struggle with unspeakable pain for the characters that Yoshiyuki Tomino has created. His theme is, it seems, "How can humans be awaken to create a better society and civilization?" Through his anime shows, Tomino has used struggles & wars as the background to show us how humans react in time of trial (and how can humans endure that trial?) as if the revolutions and wars are like the labor-pains in order to reach the goal of a better world. All characters in the Gundam series unintentionally get involved in the swirl of destiny, wars, etc., and are forced to fight. They get ripped to pieces physically and psychologically and watching them going through it is sometimes painful. They are tired of fighting and, yet, they still want to believe in the dawn of a new era and a better future. They go to sleep dreaming of this moment (like Amuro Rei In Char's Counterattack). One of the main characteristics of Director Tomino's shows is, as you have probably noticed, the fact that characters die (main and enemies alike!) because he has always said that he wants to show death in warfare. Things are gradually changing in storytelling since the events of 9/11/2001, but, still, one of North America's society's oddest custom is to save the main characters from death, for parents want to protect children from the sight of death. Thus, young people tend to avoid even the thought of death, even when they watch shows about warfare, pushing death out of their minds ("Only bad guys die") and engaging themselves into an illusion of immortality. But, whether characters are good or bad, in real life, death can occur at any time in a lifetime, such as accidents, fatal illnesses or warfare. Facing death at any time in life is a complex and painful experience and, I believe, this is why Director Tomino wants to show death among his characters, to tell and teach people about how precious our lives are and people must value life and respect it regardless. Is it better for young people to learn about death as a fact of life than to be taught that death is a topic to be avoided among anime shows (or any shows, for that matter)? Let us know how you feel about this subject because, personally, I am quite curious about this (comments@protoculture.qc.ca). We must never become a death-denying society, right? And we must value life. Another characteristic of Zeta Gundam is that there are many charming female characters. In general, men, throughout human history, are always seen as the destroyers, creators of warfare and territorial disputes in order to insure the future of THEIR country or culture. Females, on the other hand, give birth to children to create a foundation for a new era. In the original Gundam, teenage Lalah Sun tried to help the awakening of Amuro and Char and, in Zeta Gundam, many ladywarriors, such as Emma, Reccoa, Fa, Rosamia, Four, Sara and Haman, surround main character Camille. These ladies are all charming and play very important roles. And yes, we must pay attention to their fate -- In fact, all of them know a tragic fate! Is this because females are used by men's warfare? Can they seek for happiness? Zeta ladies seek for their meaning in life and in conflicts and, sometimes, sacrifice themselves. So, let's sit down and watch this long saga! I can guarantee that you will get hooked! Miyako Matsuda * * *With the cooler days of September, the summer comes to an end. It sure was a hot and busy summer. So busy that I feel I didn't see it pass. We worked hard on the magazine and also attended several conventions and festivals. Speaking of conventions, considering the fact that we are one of the rare magazines to cover extensively as many conventions as possible, I am rather disappointed with the little support we receive from them. I wish they would acknowledge a little more the work we are doing to help promote anime and anime conventions. In exchange, they could help us promote the magazine, spread the word about what we do. We can offer promo material to conventions who want to help, and create a permanent convention listing in the magazine and on the web page. Tell everyone that PA has no glossy, oversized color pages, but only useful information condensed in an affordable format! Each page is packed, not with color illustrations, but with a thousand words, telling anime & manga fans what they really need to know. Designed for those who want substance and to whom content matters over look, Protoculture Addicts is definitely your best guide to anime culture! Come on! Tell your friends! In this issue you will find spotlights on Zeta Gundam and The Twelve Kingdoms as well as our usual collection of "Anime Stories", introducing anime like Heat Guy J, Kiddy Grade, Macross Zero, Samurai Deeper Kyo, Spiral, and Wolf's Rain !! It also includes "Anime World" articles (interview with the voices of Evangelion: Amanda Winn-Lee, Allison Keith & Tiffany Grant, The Modern Japanese Music Database Part 22 on Morning Musume, convention & festival reports: more Montreal World Film Festival movie reviews (Inochi), Katsucon, Sakura Con, Anime North, JACCC Post-war Anime & Manga Exhibit, LA's First Annual Anime Fest, as well as an introduction to cel collecting and some anecdotes from Hikaru Midorikawa), the reviews of lots of recent anime & manga-related products (45 DVDs, 7 CDs, 23 manga, 1 book, 1 model kit, 3 live-action movies, etc.) and the latest news. Enjoy! As usual, we would like to hear your comments, read your letters and see your fan arts. Send them either to comments@protoculture.qc.ca or P.O. Box 1433, Station B, Montreal, Qc, H3B 3L2 Canada. Next Issue: a spotlight on Gundam Seed (to be released by Bandai in 2004) and tons of "Anime Stories" on Captain Harlock, Get Backers, Gun Parade March, Haibane Ranmei, Millenium Actress, Naruto, Ninja Scroll, Overman King Gainer, Tokyo Godfathers, and more!! Don't miss it! Check the Upcoming Issues section for details! Claude J. Pelletier |