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Several of the past issues of the magazine are now sold out: most of the issues in the comic book format (before #16), issues #24 to 26, 29 to 31, 33, 34, 36 and now 37. Why those issues went out before the others? Sometimes because of a smaller print quantity, but most of the time because of a very popular feature (like SAILOR MOON, RANMA, NUKU NUKU, STREET FIGHTER or DRAGONBALL). Those feature articles are still quite in demand. However, reprinting an old issue is not very practical because we must print at least several thousands to keep the cost low and we cannot be sure that we would sell that many reprints. Printing just a few hundreds to answer the demand would means selling them at outrageous prices. We would not do that, of course. A regular issue also contains perishable features like news, out of date or incomplete information (reviews or synopses on the first part of a series -- our opinion could change after seeing the entire series). Worse, they are dated and people usually dislike older magazines ("January 1994! Yuk! An old issue!") like if it was written "Best If Read Before..." on it. So, reprinting those unavailable issues was not an option.
One day, the idea came up to reprint together, in a series of special issues, the articles most in demand among the sold out magazines. It was the ideal solution: it would bring together the finest of our material, would bear a new look and a recent date. It was suppose to be called simply a "Special Issue" or "eXtra Issue" (hence the "x" in PAX #1), but the readers who were writing or e-mailing to have more information about it began to called it the "Best Of PA" and we kept the name.
Of course, it is not really the "best of PA", because for us the "best of PA" will always be the next one (at this very moment, it is PA #43, offering an incredible ESCAFLOWNE coverage -- until PA #44 shows up). However, we have put all the necessary efforts to make it a VERY SPECIAL issue for everyone. For the readers who discovered the magazine just recently, it is a rare chance to have access to those articles that are not available to them anymore. For our old and faithful readers, who might not be interested in reading again the same articles, we have refreshed them with new layout, new illustrations, updated information and we have add several entirely news articles, including news & reviews (the new material make up about half of the issue). Everybody should be satisfied and, since it has a varied contents, it is an excellent issue to introduce someone to Japanese animation.
This is only the first issues in a series of specials. We will try (Hey! No promises) to publish two special issues each year: one "best Of PA" and one thematic issue (like a series of "Mecha Files" issues).
This first special issue offers again articles on PORCO ROSSO (from issue #26), STREET FIGHTER II (from #34), MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (from #31), "How to Access New Sources of Anime" (from #26), "Introducing Anime to Critics" (from #31), "Japanese Language Seminar #1: Katakana" (from #30), and some "Anime Stories": DIRTY PAIR FLASH (#30), I CAN HEAR THE SEA (#29), IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR (#25), KEY THE METAL IDOL (#33), MACROSS 7 (#33) and WEATHERING CONTINENT (#26). All of them updated and refreshed. PORCO and TOTORO are still in actuality since they will be released by Disney, and STREET FIGHTER is a good introduction for the TV series to be released by Manga Entertainment in the beginning of 1997.
The new material mostly offers news, reviews (CDs, anime), letters from fans, and "Anime World" articles in the "Anecdotes" series by Miyako Graham (Megumi Hayashibara (voice actress for RANMA, VIDEO GIRL AI, etc.), Yashuhiro Imagawa (GIANT ROBO), Go Nagai (NEW CUTEY HONEY), and Allen Hastings).
Enjoy it (and don't forget to answer our little poll -- you might win some GHOST IN THE SHELL goodies from Manga Entertainment)!
Claude J. Pelletier