Side story manga: Blue Songs
by Kouji Akimoto
In a previous installment, I curated and translated an apocryphal Votoms manga titled Excellent A.T. by artist/writer Kouji Akimoto. It was originally published in Volume 2 of an anthology from Bandai titled Cyber Comix. As it happens, he returned in the very next issue (Volume 3, August 1988) with a second Votoms side story. It was just as apocryphal as the first, imagining a scenario disconnected from the anime but no less intriguing.
It subsequently appeared in Volume 2 of Black History, a doujinshi published by Akimoto in December 2012. The entire manga and bonus pages from that doujinshi are presented here. Owing to the rendering style, it can be tricky to figure out precisely what’s happening from panel to panel, especially without color to distinguish one A.T. from another, but watch the design details closely and it should all work itself out.
This is the second installment. The picture on the cover has nothing to do with Votoms, but I hope you’ll see it with warm eyes. Please bear in mind that this content is more than 20 years old. It was a bit haphazard at the time, and I remember how hard it was to get a manuscript published.
Afterword
The previous book, Black History Vol. 1, was unexpectedly well received, so I’ve released the second volume. I was happy to receive kind words from those who bought the book, such as, ” I remember reading it, I miss it” and “I love mecha things, so I’m looking forward to more.” I was going to do something new, but in September I injured my right hand in a bike accident. (It took me three days to draw one picture with my left hand supporting my right.) I’m planning a comeback around February of next year, so I hope to announce a new mecha manga at that time. Thank you very much for picking up this small book.
– Kouji Akimoto