The first part of a deep dive into the origins of gunpla and mecha modelling in the U.S., looking back to the 1980s when Japanese model kits invaded hobby store shelves and wargaming tables.
ZIMMERIT – Anime | Manga | Garage Kits | Doujin
May 22, 2023 • Subscribe
More like this
Japanese Robot Invasion! 1980s Anime Mecha Models Arrive in the US, Part II
The second half of our look at the early history of mecha model kits in the U.S.; including Battletech, R.O.B.O.T., and court battles!
The Origins of Mecha: The 1980s, Part 2: Beyond Macross
Anime Commentary continues their history of the mecha genre with look at icons that defined the 1980s scene beyond Gundam and Macross.
Finding Role Models in Anime
In my New Year’s resolution, I stumbled on an important idea. “Anime isn’t afraid of emotional intimacy – it celebrates it. Rather than aiming for mass appeal, anime…
Rising Sun over Hollywood: American Imaginings of the Japanese Setting in Cinema- Part 2 [the 1970s-1980s]
Disclaimer: The article is filled with spoilers for such movies as The Yakuza , Shogun , The Challenge , Tokyo Pop , Black Rain . You made...
What’s your favorite 1980s anime?
First show from the era you watched? Favorite trend from the 80s that isn’t common now? Niche title you wish more people knew about?
(Top Ten) Retro Mecha Openings: Me vs The Robot
Another AI versus Human Posts If you follow K at the movies and Jon Spencer Reviews, then you know what kind of post this is. Recently, Wordpress has…
PBS Explains the Anime Invasion
No post summary was provided.
These Anime are Trash and I Love Them | Get In The Robot
Look, anime is a guilty pleasure to begin with, but some any is just 100% pure high-grade trash. And that’s fine. We all need some trash in our…
Top 20 Most Legendary 'Reinforcements Arrive' Moments in Anime
Get 50% off your first order of CookUnity meals — go to https://cookunity.com/vinii50 and use my code VINII50 at checkout to try them out for yourself! Thanks to…
The Roles of “Characters” in Mecha Anime
Sometimes, you’ll see a wild claim about mecha anime, like “Gurren-Lagann was the first giant robot series to be about characters instead of the robots,” and it inevitably…
Anime I Enjoyed in 2024 – Part 1
I’m going to call this list the “I watched it after the fact” list. Originally the idea: what if I called it the Netflix list. Some shows appeared…
Anime I Watched In 2023: Part 1
I may not have been as active on social media or here on the blog. But I have been busy... I may have watched an anime or two!…
They Were 11, AJIN: Demi-Human, Durarara!!, Fortune Arterial: Akai Yakusoku, Land of the Lustrous
Anime I Enjoyed in 2024 – Part 2
Time for part 2. As mentioned in my previous post, this is the actual seasonal watch list of shows I liked. Shows that I held onto weekly and…
Top 20 Most Legendary 'Reinforcements Arrive' Moments in Anime 2
Here are the Best Moments When Reinforcements Arrive in Anime, Volume 2! If you like the video please like and share. This list is just my opinion, so…
The Anime That Didn’t Make Us #21 – Mecha Doc, Armoured Police Metal Jack
The show everyone is calling TATDMU returns with new co-host Gary Hedges! This week our trip down someone else’s memory lane takes us the 1984 car tuning anime…
Exploring the Mecha Genre in Anime and Manga
From towering battle machines to mind-bending psychological thrillers, Mecha anime and manga have shaped the sci-fi genre in ways you never imagined. Whether you're a hardcore Gundam fan…
The Smart Part is Us “Creators”
This is a show with a fairly standard concept, but brought forth in disturbing and dangerous realities. The idea is very simple: what if your artwork came to…
Comparing Japanese and US Anime Viewership: Spring 2024
We compared viewership data from major Japanese streaming services, download sites, and more to find out what anime fans in Japan and the US are really watching.
1980s anime original broadcasts with subtitled commercials!
Most of you probably know me primarily from my work in subtitling old Japanese television, but that’s just a subset of the video collecting hobby I’ve been pursuing…
The Anime Backlog - Robot Carnival
This is a perfect film.
Crying Freeman and the 1980s Home Video Revolution in Japan
Straight out of the age of anime on VHS comes a series emblematic of the excess of the Japan of the bubble age, when new tech met new…
Is it Better to Learn Japanese in the US or in Japan? #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
All the Best Anime is in Netflix Jail | Get In The Robot
If you don't want to be locked in Netflix Jail? Use ExpressVPN to get beyond those regions locking bars and watch new anime when it comes out…
Attack on Titan, BNA, Dorohedoro, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z
Anime for the goth in all of us!
Loli, Victorian, vampire, traditional, goth! Maybe it’s the chill in the air. Maybe it’s the shorter, darker days of autumn. Maybe it’s the spooky spell that Halloween casts…
High-Rise Invasion: Movie Night in the Eighties
When I started anime blogging, having always been a bystander to much of the online discourse, I swore two things to myself. 1. Don’t be pretentious. 2. Don’t…
The Robot Boy Strikes the US Army! Hold Fast the Sacred Wood Shoes!
What's the standard opening question in nearly every single interview you've ever read with anyone on this side of the Pacific on the subject of anime? Yeah, me…
Robot anime for people who don’t like Robot anime
Robots are a huge part of anime, in fact there are even anime series that have robots as their main and sole focus. And if you have friends…
VTuber Adoptable Models
VTuber models are expensive, especially if you have them commissioned by famous artists. You can be a bargain shopper and go for the VTuber adoptable models option. That…
Japanese Film Festival 2019 (+ Kore-eda’s The Truth) | Reflections: Part I
Continuing on with the format I established with the SFF earlier this year, I will be sharing some thoughts I had watching a new roster of Japanese cinema,…
Analog Housou Viewing Log – Good Japanese Films I Watched in 2025 (Part 2)
Hello again! It’s time to dive into part 2 of my look at the good Japanese films I watched in 2025 [1]Specifically, films I saw for the first…
Analog Housou Viewing Log – Good Japanese Films I Watched in 2025 (Part 1)
It’s a new year! Which means it’s the perfect time to look back at some great films I watched during the previous year. Yes, I am continuing my…
Anime Series Like High Rise Invasion
One day while sitting in class, 16-year-old Yuri Honjo sees a tower taller than anything she has ever seen in the distance. Suddenly, she finds herself transported to…
Future Diary, Gantz, Gleipnir, High School of the Dead, Terra Formars
Suletta Mercury, Part I: Stuck in the OT
Suletta Mercury is stuck in the Old Testament. I’m not talking about the eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth revenge plot stuff, though the mecha dueling…
Anime for the Goth in All of Us, Again!
I recently had a brilliant and completely original, totally unique, definitely never written about this before, idea for a blog post! I was going to write about the…
Finding models of healthy masculinity in BL manga
In retrospect, I recognize those first fanfics as something that let me safely imagine myself as a boy in a relationship with another boy. That desire to find…
After Drunken Home Invasion, Japanese Actor Loses Beer Commercial Contract
Actor Yoshizawa Ryo is out of a contract with Asahi Beer after drunkenly wandering into an apartment that wasn't his.
"Japanese in Anime Isn't Regular Japanese" #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
The Book of Otaku Insects: 1980s Fandom Trapped in the Web of Loathing
A tongue-in-cheek taxonomical breakdown of otaku fandom circa 1985 from the pages of Monthly OUT.
The Book of Otaku Insects: 1980s Fandom Trapped in the Web of Loathing
A tongue-in-cheek taxonomical breakdown of otaku fandom circa 1985 from the pages of Monthly OUT.
Kaguya-sama is the Best Worst Romance Anime | Get in the Robot
Kaguya-sama: Love is War is the best rom-com anime we’ve seen in a minute. Join Curt and Dorrie as they spill all of their feelings about the best…
Attack on Titan, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, My Hero Academia
Why Is There So Much Anime Streetwear? | Get In The Robot
Fashion is an ever-evolving way to express yourself. Anime fans know we’ve come a long way from the days of buying the only Naruto shirt at Hot Topic,…
Attack on Titan, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, My Hero Academia, Naruto
Beastars: Furry Anime is Here to Stay | Get In The Robot
Aggretsuko, Nekopara, Beastars, BNA, is it just me or are we in a furry boom? Now’s a great time to be a fan of all things anthropomorphic, but…
Attack on Titan, BNA, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, My Hero Academia
If Anime Villains Invaded My Hero Academia | Get In The Robot
We had a lot of fun bringing exchange students to My Hero Academia last time, and this time we’re just totally ruining Principal Nezu’s life. We’re bringing all…
My Hero Academia, Naruto, One Piece, Soul Eater, Attack on Titan
Good Anime That Makes You Feel Something | Get In The Robot
Curt’s put together a list of Anime That Makes You Feel Something to get your cold, dead heart beating again. If you want a good cry, we’ve got…
Dragon Ball Z, Kakegurui, My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, Dragon Ball
Fan models, April 2024
Click on the modeler’s name to visit their Twitter page Yuki Mori garage kit figure, Ancient & Modern Model Workshop deguichi_one Amachi Papa BMT (found on Yahoo Japan)…
"Am I Flirting in Japanese Accidentally?" #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
16 Anime I Watched in Japanese that Have an English Dub
While there are lots of great dubbed anime out there, those anime are the anime I watched subbed. Some had English dubs that came out after I finish…
This Week in Anime - Mecha Anime You May Have Missed
It's always Gundam this and Macross that, but what about those ready to enter a new mecha-verse? There's more to giant robots than decades-spanning franchises. Nick and Chris…
Visual Kei&Anime – GLAY Part I
Welcome one and all, to my most consistent feature on this blog, and my pride and joy – Visual Kei&Anime. As you can tell, we have another legendary…
Visual Kei&Anime – SID Part I
For the first, but not the last time in this section, we have a two part discography dive! Whoo! We’re jumping forward in the stream of VKei, but…
Black Butler, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic