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I’ve been extraordinarily lucky in my various exploits, capers, thrills and spills as an anime fan. I found my top two favorites early on and made them a part of my life in ways few others did.
Those two favorites are Space Battleship Yamato and Armored Trooper Votoms.
In both cases, luck and perseverance brought amazing opportunities to me, over and above the joy of absorbing the stuff. I got hired to draw both as actual, for-real comic books (one of my covers is shown at right). I got to participate in bringing both to American audiences on DVD, which involved packaging and support media. I’ve delivered convention panels on both and talked them up on many a podcast.
But only one of these reached the level of a full-up website. I was deputized to run a Yamato site for Voyager Entertainment all the way back in 2002. I took it over and renamed it Cosmo DNA in 2012, and I still update it every month. (Visit it here.) If this had not come to pass, it’s almost certain that I would have dedicated that energy to a Votoms site instead. Since that opportunity was never given to me, I’m now giving it to myself.
This right here is a website-within-a-website: the Votoms Hub, where the tools and resources I developed for Cosmo DNA will be used to dive deeeeep into my other favorite. Glad to have you along for the ride. Keep watching as new content is added!
Posted April 1, 2022:
Ryosuke Takahashi interview, 1997
This interview, published in Armored Trooper Votoms Digital Memorials (1998), caught up with the creator of the series in the wake of Shining Heresy and looked back on everything that brought us to that point.
Votoms Bibliography, Part 2
In Part 1, I covered books specifically devoted to the anime series, its spinoffs, and merchandising. This time I’ll dig into three separate categories: manga, novels, and “related books” for my fellow psycho-fans.
Complete Media Index
Since its beginning as a TV anime series, the world of Votoms has expanded across a wide array of media including books, comics, games, and more anime. This comprehensive index rounds everything up in one place (and there’s more than you think).
Kunio Okawara Art Gallery
Mr. Okawara was the undisputed king of mecha design in the early 80s, and Votoms was arguably his most iconic creation, withstanding the test of time ever since. This collection of 39 paintings covers decades of work for promotion and products.
Posted March 1, 2022:
All About Votoms
So what is it about this show? What lucky charm allowed it to escape the obscurity that settled in over so many of its contemporaries? What am I even talking about? Here’s an introduction to the series and a making-of article with quotes from all the primary staff members to explain how the magic spells were cast.
The Votoms Viewer’s Guide, 1985-91
This passion project is – and I say this with all possible modesty – one of the most impactful ‘zines to come out of anime fandom in the USA. When I started it, I had no idea how far it would travel or what the results would be. I just wanted to tell everyone about an awesome show. The rewards that came back to me were literally beyond my imagination.
Votoms Bibliography, Part 1
Part 1 of the Votoms bibliography covers what I’ll call “primary books,” which focus on the anime and various products. Manga, game books, novels, and other categories will fill up later parts. As far as I know, nothing is missing from my collection. But I would love to be wrong about that.
Norio Shioyama Art Gallery
A collection of over 50 pieces, both illustrated and painted, by the original character designer for the series. He was called upon over and over to return to this world and render his characters again for video releases and multiple spinoff projects, giving us the chance to watch his style evolve over multiple decades.