From axolotl@socs.uts.edu.au (Iain Sinclair) Tue Aug 25 08:15:28 1992 Path: igor.rutgers.edu!rutgers!usc!rpi!batcomputer!munnari.oz.au!metro!utsmips!amdahl!irsincla From: axolotl@socs.uts.edu.au (Iain Sinclair) Newsgroups: rec.arts.manga,rec.arts.anime Subject: Sydney Anime/Manga Shopping Guide Message-ID: <1992Aug25.022332.1328@ccsd.uts.EDU.AU> Date: 25 Aug 92 12:15:28 GMT Sender: news@ccsd.uts.EDU.AU (News) Reply-To: axolotl@socs.uts.edu.au Organization: University of Technology, Sydney Lines: 209 Originator: irsincla@uts.EDU.AU Nntp-Posting-Host: amdahl.ccsd.uts.edu.au This is posted with Distribution: world, as I've received overseas requests for such a guide. Some of you might also be interested in the manga prices/selections here. == Sydney Anime/Manga Shopping Guide 24th August 1992 Australia uses PAL, not NTSC. (Like Hongkong, the UK, etc.) Offically, to buy laserdiscs they have to be PAL and local. There are NTSC laserdiscs, but are offically for rental only. There is some grey marketing in NTSC laserdiscs, ie. will order for you off the US suppliers. All prices are in Australian dollars. Rough guide: AU$1 = Y100 = US$.75 Currently: AU$1 = Y89 = US$.71 Sydney is a city of 3.5 million people, with a large Cantonese-speaking community (and an almost negligible Japanese community). Shops are not guaranteed to be open on Sundays, to be open after 5pm, or to accept anything other than cash. ============================================================================== Tokyo Mart 27 Northbridge Plaza Northbridge Comments: A large Japanese grocery. Plenty of food, but some videos for hire. Examples: Godzilla, lots of soaps taped off Japanese TV, Gundam, Dragonball, and other fairly popular stuff. Fashion Land Northbridge Plaza Northbridge Comments: Pretty much the same as Tokyo Mart, catering more to the kids/bored housewife market. ^_^ More TV stuff, plenty of Miyazaki, SD Gundam, lots of kids' anime. Some of the kids' anime is rare and obscure. The following are mostly located in the central business district, and more or less within walking distance of each other. (Haymarket is the Chinatown area, in the south.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maxim's Video Corner Thomas and Quay Streets, Haymarket Comments: An enormous selection of anime. Some of it is poor or unwatchable quality. Most are dubbed into Cantonese, but some are subtitled in Chinese. Their selection of anime TV shows, OAVs, and films is probably the biggest in Australia. They have a fair bit of H stuff (Urotsukidoji, Guy, Cream Lemon), sometimes heavily edited. Working out what's what from the Chinese titles can be fun. Maxim's Laservision Centre Sussex Centre, Sussex Street, Haymarket Comments: Rental only (ok maybe you can buy some, but no new stuff, secondhand only). Small to medium selection of anime (they had Beast City when I was there). Most stuff looked pretty battered. I haven't dealt with them just looked around. [MJE] Law's Laser City Corner Thomas and Quay Streets, Haymarket Comments: Standard Hong Kong laser disc centre, ie 80% HK cinema trash, the other 20% a mix-mash of Japanese movies (don't ask for Japanese movies... ie they're all Adult) or Japanese movies/anime with Cantonese dubs. Anime titles are influenced by the shop owners fascination into H stuff. [EL] When I was there earlier this year it was rental only. Some stuff was for sale but that's PAL discs only. Small selection of anime. A friend visited recently and said they are now claiming to sell all laserdiscs. I haven't re-visited them yet to confirm this. [MJE] Top 10 Records 37 Ultimo Road, Ultimo Comments: These guys will order CDs for you, cheaper than anywhere else (provided you have the title, CD number and manufacturer). Po Hong Books and Stationery Two stores in Sussex Street 410 Sussex Street, Haymarket Comments: Entrance is newsagent type setup. Upstairs has the bootleg stuff. A fairly good range of bootleg manga, originating from Taiwan or Hongkong (ie. it's in Chinese). Many titles are presented in 'fortnightly' format, ie. two episodes in a small 30-50 page book. The 'fortnightlies' are cheap ($1.50) and usually are ahead of the original tankoubon, but behind the original manga magazines. Buying several 'fortnightlies' that look interesting is a cheap way to explore new manga. NB: the staff here aren't particularly helpful, to say the least. 419 Sussex Street, Haymarket Comments: Stationary mainly... Video and CDs downstairs. All videos are in Cantonese/PAL format. I've seen Project A-Ko, Orange Road and some unknown robot type stuff. They also have a couple of dozen anime CDs and sometimes cassette tapes as well. Their J-pop selection is quite good.[MJE] Windfair Company 389 Sussex Street, Haymarket Comments: A typical Chinatown newsagent, which on any given day is likely to stock Shonen Jump, Family Comic (a popular bootleg magazine containing some big titles), Young Weekly (a typical bootleg with many titles, in compact digest-like format), Streetfighter II comics, miscellaneous bootlegs, and the like. Windfair will also occasionally have magazines like Young Captain and Hobby Japan. OCS Bookshop (Contact IS for address) Hours: Mon-Sat= 9-5 Sun= 10-4 Comments: A well-stocked Japanese bookshop, with plenty of manga. The manga magazines rack at the front of the store typically has SJ, SM, SS, YJ, YM, YS, Big Comics Spirits, Morning, Afternoon (sells out fast), Comic Burger, Comic Action, Newtype, Animedia, Anime V, Comic Feel, Be Love, Lady's Comic You, Ribbon, and Asuka. Occasionally the rack will have Jump 30, BJ, Big Comics, Big Comic Original, Big Comic Superior, and assorted H stuff (Pink Time, Erotopia, etc). The selection of tankoubon is fairly respectable. Off the top of my head, there are complete sets of Doraemon, UY wide, City Hunter, Hokuto no Ken, Nozomi Witches, and plenty more. They'll typically have 1-4 recent tankoubon from the most popular titles in the manga magazines they stock. 95% of tankoubon now have plastic on them due to idiotic gaijin either trying to order H stuff, or complaining about H stuff. All magazines and tankoubon arrive within 1-2 weeks of being released in Japan. OCS will order stuff if you can write the kanji of the author, publisher, and title on a form. Prices are steep: $8.80 for a Y390 tankoubon, $6.30 for YJ, $12.50 for (440Y) Afternoon. They also have plenty of novels and books on language and culture. Service here is good, but you have to know Japanese. OCS do not mail order. [IS] Mangajin is *more* expensive here than in the comic places. [MJE] Miscellaneous bookshops, also in the city. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Land Beyond Beyond 583 George Street, City Comments: Specializes in underground comics, schlock cinema, and the like. Stocks the usual range of manga-comic adaptations, and has some curiosities like Tetsuwan Atom anime comics, the full range of Gamera movies, and one or two unknown manga from the mid-70s. Comic Kingdom 71 Liverpool Street, City 24 Darcy Street, Paramatta + Comics & Cards 135 Bathurst Street, City Comments: These are all run by the same people. As they import from the US most stuff is expensive. They have a small selection of manga, normally Gundam! They have most of the translated US stuff (Liverpool Street has the best selection of back issues). They also import NTSC tapes. A selection of Startrek, Robotech and at present Dominion and some AnimEigo stuff... Some model kits are available. I haven't been out to Paramatta... [MJE] Other city comic shops include Galaxy Bookshop and Kings', all of which will have similar stuff, plus some albums and art books (Yamato, Honneamise, etc), overpriced Animedias and other possible items of interest. Esoteric Sciences Bookshop Surry Hills Comments: An occult bookshop with no anime or manga stuff, but a valuable resource for manga addicts who require good references for religion, martial arts, mythology, history, and other unusual areas. Angus & Robertson Pitt Street Mall, City Hours: 9-6, open Sunday Comments: No anime or manga here either, but one of the best Japanese language sections in the city. The selection isn't quite as comprehensive as Abbey's, but it's cheaper and has more relevant items. Sheriff's Mini-Cars 127 Church Street, Parramatta (02) 893 9056 \ take a train! 85 Henry Street, Penrith (047) 215 925 / also just opened in Canberra Comments: I was told about this by Samuel Liu and a friend in Canberra. They have a selection of Japanese kits of various types. The owner goes on a shopping trip to Japan twice a year. Last visit he went to Wondercon and picked a container worth of stuff due late September early October. He usualy has a dealer table at Wondercon which means he gets to see and order things before the fans do! Some of this stuff you wouldn't see in the USA either! Some very limited edition stuff comes in this way. Things I have seen in here are: BGC Hardsuits, various Ranma, Lum, Patlabor (including SD labors!), Iczer-x, Appleseed (I've got a 1/6 Deunan), Crusher Joe, Silent Mobius, Five Star Stories, Space Cobra, Lupin III, Orion... [MJE] ============================================================================== Contributors: Iain Sinclair (axolotl@socs.uts.edu.au) Michael Edwards (michaele@nsg.com.au): contact for LD info Edmund Louie (nishio@uts.edu.au): contact for H anime/manga info -- Iain Sinclair axolotl@socs.uts.edu.au $@0N0G(J $@?<9HNn(J