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NEWS: A.D. Vision's PiQ Mag to Cover More than Anime, Manga


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Dramatis Personae



Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 88
PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 3:32 am Reply with quote
Sam-I-Am wrote:
Got mine today, and have been flipping through it. I think the interesting-to-disinteresting ratio isn't much different than it was for NewtypeUSA.

Main articles are about 50% anime, 50% mainstream sci-fi. Gone are things like the 'character art of XXX series' spreads, two paragraph 'reviews', the right-to-left format (things which I don't miss) and (predictably) the japanese columnists and the screener dvd ( things which I do miss). In is coverage of US comics, sci-fi live-action shows, and anime-inspired western animation, such as Avatar.

Physically, the new issue is smaller than NTUSA, just a standard sized height and width. Pages number 128, including the Shin-Chan comic at the end (the comic is right-to-left, not flopped). Gluebound, not stapled. Pages are a heavy gloss white paper, similar to a National Geographic (Great for photos, bad for Mother Nature).

The article about the state of the US anime market is the one I'm finding most engrossing at first glance... if they continue in this vein, I'll like the magazine a lot more than NewtypeUSA. Although I understand the stance, NTUSA's policy of 'all sunshine, all the time' never struck me as lending itself to penetrating insights into the industry. One of my favorite movie magazines was Premiere, which wasn't afraid to poke sticks into hornet's nests and stir vigorously. I like my industry magazines to call 'em as they see 'em.

I'd tried OtakuUSA for an issue or two (mostly for the dvd), but found the sophomoric writing style to be a bit too juvenile to take seriously. PiQ retains the more adult tone that NTUSA had, perhaps with more of a sense of whimsy than before.

Those who are predisposed to hate it probably will, those who read it with an open mind may find that it's not that much different than NTUSA was. It could be worse - after the publishers discontinued the respectable movie magazine Premiere, they sent me USWeekly, a Hollywood star trash tabloid. Compared to that bait-and-switch, I'll take PiQ quite happily.


Is there any coverage related to Manga as well, or simply Anime? I am willing to give this zine a shot only if it doesn't devote itself entirely to American "Comic Book Geek" culture.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
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Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:00 am Reply with quote
The article clearly says that 20% will be devoted to comics and Manga. Which, on a 50/50 principle, means that Manga would likely make up 10% of the overall magazine content. If there is 130 pages in the magazine (Sam-I-Am mentioned 128), then around 13 pages should be for Manga.

The question you must ask yourself is, "Is 13 pages enough for me to buy this publication?"
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Ryokosha



Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 107
Location: North Eastern United States
PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:28 am Reply with quote
I am sad that they have gotten rid of the free DVD, but what about the free manga preview?

Did you get it in a store or shipped to you?

I liked a lot of what you said is now gone, so whatever may come they get until my Newtype subscription ends to wow me... based on what you report the wow factor is still in the air.
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Dramatis Personae



Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 88
PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 10:40 am Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
The article clearly says that 20% will be devoted to comics and Manga. Which, on a 50/50 principle, means that Manga would likely make up 10% of the overall magazine content. If there is 130 pages in the magazine (Sam-I-Am mentioned 128), then around 13 pages should be for Manga.

The question you must ask yourself is, "Is 13 pages enough for me to buy this publication?"


I knew that, but I didn't care what the article said. I wanted the answers from someone who actually has the magazine. I want assurance that this magazine is worth the money or else I'll just settle for Shonen Jump and Anime Insider. Chances are I won't be buying it, but I wanted the perspective of someone who has it before swaying to either side of the fence.

Thanks for the input, and no, it maynot be enough. I haven't decided yet.
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Sam-I-Am



Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Posts: 121
Location: Midwest US
PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:55 pm Reply with quote
Just a quick, non-scientific survey of the magazine... I leafed through it, and sorted the pages into topics of content....

Advertising: 19
Editorial and Columns: 13
Anime: 25
Western Animation: 8
Western Comics: 6
Manga: 3 (1)
Manga Insert: 16
Live Action: 13
Games: 19
Misc: 5 (7)

Obviously, some pages had more than one topic on them - I either picked the one that took up the most space, or lumped them off into "Misc". Two of the 'Manga' pages were an interview with an artist, not much in the way of manga reviews in this issue. Page counts do not include outside or inside covers.

There's a comment on one page that they're promising at least 128 pages per issue. My issue arrived in my mailbox.

That's the way the bell curve settles out for this issue - do please remember that this premiere issue is but a single point on the graph, and one really shouldn't jump to any conclusions about which way the line will slope until a few more issues come out. They may be sorting through some permissions issues as they cross things over to the new title, instead of missing things being gone for good.

(edit - when I was flipping through it doing the count, I thought that two pages were an interview with a mangaka... instead, the subject was a graphic designer, so only 1 page for manga in this issue)
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Kabuto Tokugawa



Joined: 09 Mar 2008
Posts: 63
PostPosted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:55 pm Reply with quote
I received my copy of PiQ yesterday...
I am among those that are not satisfied with the new format. Evil or Very Mad
...and that's putting it nicely.
The change in title and the size of the mag is not what bothers me, it's the "frisky dingo," Rolling Eyes "Battlestar Galactica," "Marvel Comics," and other non-anime taking up nearly 20% of the magazine.
There are already plenty of magazines dedicated to non-anime Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror (Starlog, Wizard, and Fangoria all come to mind) we don't need another one.
NTUSA did cover this kind of thing, but very little. It was easy to skip over it and forget about it. Very Happy
I bought NTUSA for the articles about anime I'd know nothing about without it. I don't need PiQ to tell me what's going to be on the Sci-Fi channel or CN's adult swim, they do a fine job of smothering their audience with commercials about the drivel their peddling.
And what's with the Shin Chan manga. Of all the anime titles out there why that one?
They could at least pick something that has a wider appeal and is more intellectual (low, tasteless humor is not everybody's thing).
Heck I bought Animerica for a time just to get the Matsumoto Leiji's Space Pirate Captain Harlock/Galaxy Express 999 manga that came in it.
Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.
For those of you who, like me, are a NewType addict, you can still get the Japanese version here in the US.
Subscriptions can be had from;

www.jbox.com

but the cost is...whew...$206.00/year US. Shocked
Protoculture addicts (the Race or the Invid Flower? Very Happy I've always wondered about that.), OtakuUSA, Anime-Insider, and of course ANN will be the sources of my anime news now that NTUSA is gone.

KT
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Kyrie



Joined: 10 Mar 2008
Posts: 4
Location: Inthe library, chasing Alchemists, Carrollton
PostPosted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 3:15 am Reply with quote
either I've been away too long or just working hard or just not keeping up with my magazine. i just found about NewType and PiQ. Gonna reserved my judgement and wait until the issue come out and see what happen. sadden to see NewType go but Proculture Addicts, Otaku and Anime Insider is one of the few that I like (not as much as ) NewType though.
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Ryokosha



Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 107
Location: North Eastern United States
PostPosted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:31 am Reply with quote
I think they dropped the ball on this one if all I am reading is true. I said it before, if ADV wants to hook people they have to wow them, floor them, with this first issue, and so far it seems like few of us are overly impressed with the product...

No more freebies it seems, no more stories about what is airing in Japan (which I too loved as it gave something to look forward to seeing in R1), perhaps it is wise to give it a few issues, but so far it seems as if ADV missed the reason a lot of us bought Newtype USA.
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Aromatic Grass



Joined: 31 Dec 2003
Posts: 2424
Location: Raleigh, NC
PostPosted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:20 am Reply with quote
Ryokosha wrote:
I think they dropped the ball on this one if all I am reading is true. I said it before, if ADV wants to hook people they have to wow them, floor them, with this first issue, and so far it seems like few of us are overly impressed with the product...

PiQ does NOT belong to ADV. That is probably the main reason for the switch.

I'm one of those that were "wowed" by the mag even if this is only the first issue. Of course they will improve through reactions and suggestions.
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daedelus



Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 743
Location: Texas City, TX (ajd: 6/11/05)
PostPosted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:28 pm Reply with quote
Aromatic Grass wrote:
Of course they will improve through reactions and suggestions.


Agreed.

The magazine will evolve. Constructive criticism is what the staff will be looking for. I guess my copy will be arriving any day now. Since I had just renewed my subscription in December, I've got almost 2 years worth coming my way. It'll be interesting to see how PiQ will look like in 2 years.(If enough people give it a chance, that is)
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Dramatis Personae



Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 88
PostPosted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:58 pm Reply with quote
Kabuto Tokugawa wrote:
I received my copy of PiQ yesterday...
I am among those that are not satisfied with the new format. Evil or Very Mad
...and that's putting it nicely.
The change in title and the size of the mag is not what bothers me, it's the "frisky dingo," Rolling Eyes "Battlestar Galactica," "Marvel Comics," and other non-anime taking up nearly 20% of the magazine.
There are already plenty of magazines dedicated to non-anime Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror (Starlog, Wizard, and Fangoria all come to mind) we don't need another one.
NTUSA did cover this kind of thing, but very little. It was easy to skip over it and forget about it. Very Happy
I bought NTUSA for the articles about anime I'd know nothing about without it. I don't need PiQ to tell me what's going to be on the Sci-Fi channel or CN's adult swim, they do a fine job of smothering their audience with commercials about the drivel their


I kind of agree relunctantly, but about thier anime coverage. Are they trying to make any strides towards getting Non-anime fans into the genre? Are they giving reviews and showing non-fans that thier is a whole world of variety out there?
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Aromatic Grass



Joined: 31 Dec 2003
Posts: 2424
Location: Raleigh, NC
PostPosted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:50 pm Reply with quote
daedelus wrote:
It'll be interesting to see how PiQ will look like in 2 years.

If you have old issues of NTUSA (even the preview issue) and compare them to the last few you'll notice a serious improvement in almost all areas! (It's the same with others, even ANN has improved.) So it's kind of exciting for me to see what will happen and how PiQ will evolve. Anime smile
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Kabuto Tokugawa



Joined: 09 Mar 2008
Posts: 63
PostPosted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:38 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
I kind of agree relunctantly, but about thier anime coverage. Are they trying to make any strides towards getting Non-anime fans into the genre? Are they giving reviews and showing non-fans that thier is a whole world of variety out there?


In all fairness to PiQ the new magazine is more like an American version of Animage (of which I have numerous issues and compared them with the April/Premier issue of PiQ). So it's not a terrible mag or even a medicore fanzine, it has potential. However, I didn't pay to buy PiQ I paid to buy NewType USA, so I'm a bit put off by the staff not simply issuing refunds or at the very least emailing its subscribers to ask if they want the new magazine.

I'll admit that ADV should have given their staff more warning that they were going to pull the plug on NTUSA.
I know the new mag is not owned by ADV but we all should have been given the option of our subscription payments being refunded rather than being given an "honorary" subscription to PiQ. I had purchased a 2 year NTUSA subscription. Fortunately 1 year was already used up but I still have 1 year left. I have requested a refund but I've not yet gotten a reply. I assume I will. I just hope it's soon.

Has anyone else requested a refund yet? If so, have you been contacted by the former NTUSA staff or gotten your money back?
Just curious.

KT
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daedelus



Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 743
Location: Texas City, TX (ajd: 6/11/05)
PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:21 am Reply with quote
Aromatic Grass wrote:
If you have old issues of NTUSA (even the preview issue) and compare them to the last few you'll notice a serious improvement in almost all areas! (It's the same with others, even ANN has improved.) So it's kind of exciting for me to see what will happen and how PiQ will evolve. Anime smile


I wanted to elaborate on that aspect as well, but I had to go to work. When I got home, my issue of PiQ was waiting for me.

My very first impression I got before even opening it was that it is well made. The paper quality and binding is of a higher caliber than I expected. I leafed through, occasionally stopping to read an article or two. I'll give it a more in-depth read over the next couple of weeks.

It's a work in progress, but I like what I see so far. I did notice in at least three places where the editors asked us, the readers, for feedback. They're hungry for it Cool
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CCSYueh



Joined: 03 Jul 2004
Posts: 2707
Location: San Diego, CA
PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:50 am Reply with quote
Kabuto Tokugawa wrote:

Subscriptions can be had from;

www.jbox.com

but the cost is...whew...$206.00/year US. Shocked
KT


If one is in a city with a bookstore that sells to the Asian commmunity, one might be able to score it cheaper. I paid around $107 for a yr subscription thru Saneido & I noticed when I was at Kinokunia, they also have a subscription service. At Sanseido, the zines come into the store & one picks them up rather than the zines going to one's home so it saves the postage, I suppose.
The expensive ones are the JRock ones my daughter gets-$150-$170 for Cure & others.
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