Criticism: Yoshiyuki Tomino & Sunrise Studio II's Acknowledgement of Fanworks, Doujinshi & Yaoi

(The original cover of vol. 1 of Coffee Time (珈琲時刻) a collaborative Mobile Suit Gundam BL/yaoi anthology by the mangaka Ren Kishida, Shio Sato, Ryutoshi and Rio Yagizawa. An early work released in 1981, this book was acknowledged by staff at Sunrise's Studio II. Personal collection.)

There's no mistake about it - perhaps people simply don't know where to begin in discussing these sort of histories, but the misnomer that Gundam's early queer fan pairings were somehow of no major importance to those behind the franchise is an absolute falsehood. In the broader scope of genre specific queer works, for instance, Char and Garma's proliferation rose and fell from a span of nearly 6 years in its early life, a span that was often not allotted to even the most important of mecha works at the time.

From 1979 to 1985, Char and Garma's presence in standalone and joint-books (collaborative works between three or more artists or circles at a time) grew only to falter by the 1990s, only to rise again with the advent of Mobile Suit Gundam: The ORIGIN being serialized and its subsequent OVA releases. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, who's no stranger to queer subtext, shoujo or BL in any capacity, fruitfully depicted the sensitivities of Char and Garma's relationship though both innuendos and oftentimes sheer portrayals of Garma's self image via his queer identity. 

There is, however, yet another layer to this notion. One must remember and acknowledge, quite frankly, that major key players, be it from the animation director himself to in-betweeners at Sunrise's then newly minted Studio II, received all manners of fanmail, fanart and doujins at their door. 

In fact, its no real surprise that this conversation is happening and going on as is, primarily from Western fans and detractors of queer media. Gundam as a franchise hit American shores in a larger scope thanks to the localization of Gundam Wing, a series that still enjoys a mass proliferation of queer ship-based content to this very day. Following Wing's successful debut on Toonami and its burgeoning scope in the Western internet market among American otaku, the original Mobile Suit Gundam would famously follow. Dubbed by the oft legend deemed Ocean Group, fans were pandered to with not only the poignant performances of Michael Kopsa and Braid Swaile, but also localized and otherwise rebranded model kits, action figures and video games alike. What then became of the medium in the eyes of heteronormativity? 

Quite frankly, fans of all scopes, gay or straight, tend to want something to cling to. Some cling harder, desperately even, to who's interpretation of fictional characters are defacto. There is a myriad of means in which cultural relativism gets dashed aside in the West when viewing the original source materials, however, one really should ask why. In the breadth of depictions of Garma Zabi's curious relationship with Char Aznable to later queer depictions in the Gundam franchise, many are often quick to dash the moniker of "tourist" or other homophobic rhetoric in a guise to protect, gatekeep and self soothe. If it can be ignored, obfuscated or deemed as "woke" in the 21st century, then historical relevance of these motifs can somehow be reduced to a heterocentric comfort zone. The question is, however, very plain - why? 

Many times over, Yoshiyuki Tomino's quote on female fans supporting Gundam as a franchise early on in its rather troubled broadcast has been taken grossly out of context. Be it as a gotcha against queer fans or even as a blanket ideology to discuss his assertations about this phenomenon, Tomino's quote is in direct relationship to the fan clubs, doujin artists and yaoi illustrators who showed up after recordings to scour for cels, autographs as well as for the opportunity to get a word in with a voice actor or actress for their publications. 

Fanzines, especially in the realm before the world wide web, were the voice of the fan to other fans. I've often discussed this at length in a variety of means, however, it goes without saying that, aside from toy sales that didn't strengthen until after 0079's broadcast, Gundam's hype and longevity from 1979 to 1980 depended in major part to the young people who heralded these productions and interests - many of whom were young high school and college age women. 

(Covers of the original release of Gundam Complete Record, volumes 1 - 5.)

("GunComi Report"

"Back on February 26 and March 1, the “Mobile Suit Gundam Comic Market” was held. I’d like to give you a report on that here, following up from the notice in the previous issue of Saicom (SciComi) News.

First of all, why was our MGFC (Mobile Gundam Fan Club) suddenly appearing in Fukuoka’s Comic Market? Well, at an anime self-screening party and New Years gathering for the Kurume Animation Circle P.T., we were chatting about Castle of Cagliostro in a Fukuoka bar, and someone said:

“Since Gundam’s movie will be released this year, why not hold a Gundam Comic Market before it premieres?”

That’s how it started. From there, Chairman Oda of the Kyushu branch gave a phone call and said, “Hey, let’s join in too!” So, it was decided that we would participate in the second Comic Market.

Day 1 (2/26)

After school ended (ah, so many people came straight from school in their uniforms!), students rushed to the venue, and by the time I arrived with a group, the place was already packed. Some came in sailor uniforms, some with friends. The crowd was buzzing: “Where is the MGFC booth?”

When we found it, inside the venue, our staff (including Oda-san) were already busy setting up. They were shouting along with the crowd, “Alright, let’s sell, sell, sell!”

Inside, MGFC’s table was overflowing with doujinshi. And wow, people really came to buy. Even with “Please, buy it!” shouted from the staff, fans were cheerfully responding: “Yes, yes, we’ll buy it, this is fun!” The booth was lively, voices ringing everywhere.

One person even joked, “If you buy four issues of Mobile Fighter (Vol. 1–4), we’ll throw in a Gundam cel sketch search service!” which got a laugh.

Meanwhile, I (the reporter) went to interview Yasuhiko (Yoshikazu Yasuhiko), but when I came back, I noticed that the MGFC table was already covered in empty boxes — sold out so fast."

Via MOBILE FIGHTER II Vol. 1 Issue 8 (1981) published post 0079's broadcast by Junichi Ishikawa (石川淳一) (not to be confused with the movie director) and Genichi Yano (矢野元一).)

Such records exist in the tomes of the text Gundam Complete Record vol. 5. When released in its completeness post the original broadcast of 0079, Gundam Complete Record was one of the few defacto texts as a series that compiled staff interviews, setting documents as well and production records that had then not been so readily available to the public. 

Tomino, often drawn to for interviews with texts such as Animec and Animage, 's world for Gundam as a franchise could be both nebulous and undecided in the depths of the series' deeper lore. What Tomino, among other staffers at Sunrise's Studio II seemed to be drawn closer to was then the original the fan community that rallied for the series and switched its demographics totally. 

When Mobile Suit Gundam first aired in 1979, it wasn’t the immediate hit we think of today. Ratings were poor, and the show was even shortened from its original planned length. However, one of the unexpected early fanbases came from young women — many of whom were drawn to the characters, the interpersonal drama, and the rivalries (particularly Amuro vs. Char). This was unusual, because Gundam had been conceived and marketed as a boys’ toy-driven show in the super robot tradition.

Tomino himself was reportedly surprised, though at times has been deemed as dismissive by Western researchers, of this female following during the broadcast run of 0079. However, Tomino's historical bluntness expressed itself through interviews that he gave to fan publications versus general press. I've often cited Tomino's appreciation of Gunsight, a doujinshi imprint with inner workings by Haruhiko Mikimoto among other well respected animation greats, though Tomino's interviews with female based doujinshi groups blurred lines and made clear establishment between himself and their community.  

As aptly put in an interview translated by my good friend Tayuta, "The very first fans of the original Gundam were young women. Definitely not the PlaModel enthusiasts. With both Gundam and Raideen, of the first fans to be active, 90 percent were girls. Among a gathering of 1000 fans, about 100 were boys. Around with the first cour (of the anime) ended, young women began to gather to the after recording studio. It took until much later for male fans to make an uproar, around the time the series got canceled. I thought: ‘You’re late to the party”!"

(More Gundam doujinshi and FC zines that were officially recognized, patronized and read by official Sunrise and Studio II staff. Among them are several yaoi and BL works, including BIRD and Survival. BIRD, vol. 1 in this case, was headed by the BL/yaoi circle Albatross from 1979 to roughly 1982, many members being involved with Mari Hibiki's circle NORMAL until 1983. Survival was headed by the circle Gundam & Anime FC Atmosphere, a group of high school age fans that were primarily women. WHITE BASE and ZAKU II were headed by young women who were often given unmitigated studio access for interviews, fanart and more, much with a yaoi slant, implied or otherwise. Via Gundam Complete Record vol. 5) 

(Zaku or Zaku II recieved an interesting amount of readership during its time, and the FC seemed to have lasted well into the mid 1980s, beginning in mid 1979 to 1981, though future volumes were noted in the newsletters and were subsequently published into 1983. The group appears to have been from the Nara Prefecture and comprised of over 180 members from the Ikomadaiminami neighborhood of Ikomu. Members would gather for activities at the Oomiwa shrine as noted in several bylines and were primarily women.

There are four major interviews held with Yoshiyuki Tomino and several voice actors, such as Shuichi Ikeda (Char Aznable's Seiyuu), Keiko Toda (Shuichi's then wife, Matilda Ajan's Seiyuu), Toshio Furukawa (voice of Kai Shiden), Keiko Han (voice of Lalah Sune) and Kaneto Shiozawa (M'Quve et al's Seiyuu). Personal collection, courtesy of M.)

("We interviewed General Director Yoshiyuki Tomino, Shuichi Ikeda (voice of Char Aznable), Toshio Furukawa (voice of Kai Shiden), Keiko Han (voice of Lalah Sune), and Makoto Iijima (voice of Matilda Ajan).

Questions for Yoshiyuki Tomino:

Since Kycilia is Dozle’s elder sister, and Garma is called the youngest son, is there another brother in between?

— He is dead. Within the “history” that predates the story.

Will Gundam continue for another year?

— Unfortunately not. It will end at 43 episodes, running full from January to the end.

Which Gundam character do you personally like the most?

— I don’t have one in particular. All the characters I created are ones I like.

What do you think of Char as a person?

— I don’t know yet. He is still being created and developed beyond. Because the story has only just begun, I can’t really judge him right now.

As expected, will the ending take the form of a tragic conclusion, since it is the end of a war story?

— That’s right. It will likely be close to that, but I can’t say for sure.

Amuro is supposed to be 15 years old — is he in high school or middle school?

— He’s in high school, 10th grade (first year of high school).

In Gundam, charming female characters appear one after another. Do you consciously assign them into types, like “the ○○ type”?

— No, I don’t categorize them that way. Their personalities are determined by the flow of the story and by dramatic necessity.

Since when have you had the idea for Gundam? And what was the trigger that made you decide to make it?

— About a year and a half ago. But it wasn’t born from any special “inspiration.” It simply came about from work considerations and various circumstances.

In the end, what do you think Gundam is trying to say?

— Please watch until the very end and judge for yourself. The creator cannot say such things prematurely.")

(More Gundam doujinshi and FC zines that were officially recognized, patronized and read by official Sunrise and Studio II staff. Among them are several yaoi and BL works, including AMA - Tokyo Animenia Army, Nikky Chekke and Superstar. Nikky Chekke would be one of the few works published from 1979 to 1980 that would have a focus on Charmuro. AMA would be the first, on historical record, Gundam Charma work that was explicitly pornographic and adult oriented that made its way to Comiket. Via Gundam Complete Record vol. 5) 

One of the earliest distinctly pornographic yaoi works recognized, read and documented by staff at Studio II within vol. 5 of Gundam Complete Record would be AMA, also known as Tokyo Animenia Army. The Animenia Army's roots hail as far back as 1977, though under different names and monikers, however, it would be thanks to the mangaka Rio Yagizawa and organizer Masaru Noguchi that a queer work would come into fruition. AMA only received three volumes with a special 'recap' volume - its not for certain why the circle didn't last or produce more works, though it wasn't uncommon for a group to disband after achieving their goals or due to a lack of finances. 

These particulars are somewhat lost to time until these works can be properly recovered, however, we have others to thank for the discussion of these works in conversation with Comiket subculture, otakudom and more.

Per my colleague Taruby's translations, Shimizu Osamu (清水おさむ) mentioned in his Venn Diagram a camp of young women who he says made "lolicon" doujinshi (a term widely used before the notion of otaku for Comiket works that were ero), the group "Tokyo Animenia Army". These works, unlike the softcore offerings on the sales floor from young women interested in mecha, were notably pornographic. 

(Shimizu Osamu (清水おさむ)'s mention of the Animenia Army in his Venn Diagram about the scope and consideration of what he considered to be 'lolicon' doujinshi. Courtesy of Taruby.)

(Headed by Masaru Noguchi, AMA - Tokyo Animenia Army would only have three volumes and was primarily illustrated and fronted by the prolific mangaka Rio Yagizawa, Ai Naniwa and possibly even Shio Sato (Simone Yotsuya), although the latter is not confirmed in totality. AMA would make a name for itself as a 'perverted' Gundam work, but one that was read, praised and lauded by Comiket goers and thus, by its documentation, Gundam's original staff.)

("Afterwards, until the spring 'Comiket 14' of 1980, there were only two major lolicon zines, Cybele and the supplementary issue of 'Alice', Lolita (ロリータ) (April 1979 first issue, July second issue), along with the 'Mobile Suit Gundam' porno-parody 'AMA' (Tokyo Animenia Army)." Shizumu Osamu's recollection of AMA is infallible and a 1st hand account. AMA's last issue, shown on the right, depicts Garma and Char getting married akin to Woody Malden and Matilda Ajan's would-be wedding, imagined by Amuro during the Jaburo arc. Courtesy of Taruby.)

(Details of AMA's first publication, the front cover illustrated by Mai Imari on November 21st of 1979 towards the end of 0079's original broadcast. Imari would be active in the circle NORMAL in its early inception with yaoi works for Gaiking. This particular volume would make it to Comiket 13 in December of that year.)

(A side work by AMA of assorted parody comics, many of which were pornographic. The front cover, illustrated by a Nojira Sho, who was actually the mangaka Shou Noguchi, an illustrator who would later come to be prolific with the members only circle P.L.O, or Perfective Latent Organization, among others. This work was sold at Comiket and came with a gift as noted on the front cover, though what this gift may have been is mysterious. Published sometime in early 1980 at best.)

I've often discussed this phenomenon when looking at a particular volume of the PePoPePo imprint, one that, while massively obscure in the 21st century, was only discovered by accident after a run-in with M and his finds at an estate sale of sorts. A highly unusual amateur fanzine edited by Ippei Takao (高尾一平) made between mid to late 1979, the actual circle and major authorship in this particular volume isn't stated, but I have acquired other volumes of these anthologies to find the depth of its origins. While they still remain fuzzy, this work is particularly interesting in that it lead to a rather broad inside joke at Studio II. 

The book is printed on, even at the time, an outdated Mimeograph method where all of the transfers are done on thin, greyish paper. With that said, this book was heavily damaged and discolored, making editing difficult. I used some new techniques, but this is the best I can do with the quality. Each page is more or less dark grey with indigo ink printing otherwise before editing for visibility.

(The front cover of vol. 17 of PePoPePo, which would later come to be simply called PePoPePo Comic. A highly unusual amateur fanzine edited by Ippei Takao (高尾一平) made between mid to late 1979, this particular volume contains several fan comics and 'relay comics' made between several members at a time. Quite notably, this particular issue contains the obscure, if not first release, of Animal Warrior Gundam (動物戦士ガンダム), published and illustrated by the Ubara Summer Camp Participation Manga, B Group (鵜原夏合宿参加レー漫画 B班). This fan comic, which introduces kemonomimi versions of the titular 0079 cast, includes scenes of Charmuro from high school age students at the time.)

(Early depictions of Charmuro as a yaoi pairing depicted during the earliest points in 0079's broadcast. The original illustrator of this section is not named, though was, by our modern standards, a minor. Charmuro, while not laboriously documented or attached to in 1979 to 1985, received its fair share of queer contributions. The original manuscript, like others in vol. 17 of PePoPePo, are printed via mimeograph and bound with duct tape.)

Archivist and cel collector Felolin some months ago had put up for auction some proof of Animal Warrior Gundam reaching Sunrise's Studio II. On the layouts for ep. 27 of Mobile Suit Gundam, which aired October 6 of 79', Bright's cat likeness from the manga is drawn. Clearly, staff members read this doujinshi, as Animal Warrior Gundam had debuted during the summer of 1979. 

(Bright Noa as depicted in ep. 27 of Mobile Suit Gundam, "A Spy on Board". While a general pencil layout commonly done as the douga / genga of the original cel, animators on board scribbled gestures found on Bright within Animal Warrior Gundam. General AD was done by Kazuo Yamazaki, though it is undocumented as to who else may have worked on in betweens or additional parts.)

(Bright as depicted in the summer of 1979.)

("Character change from #27 (episode 27) in the Animal Warrior Gundam". An official setting document created by staffers on episode 27 of Mobile Suit Gundam, albeit the original character designer has not been identified behind the polished settei. This document was sold in sets released by Animec during 1980 to about 1983.)

("Bright, I was worried because you came home late." Mirai expresses to Bright at the end of the hijinks of Animal Warrior Gundam, artist unknown.)

Despite any false ambivalence towards female fans and doujinshi circles, Yoshiyuki Tomino and Stufio II staffers clearly acknowledged the young women and men alike who embraced Mobile Suit Gundam in its initial inception. They gathered at recording studios, formed fan clubs, produced fanzines and doujinshi, and kept the discourse alive long after the television run was cut short. 

While model kits and merchandising now widely define Gundam’s commercial success, it was the passion of these early female fans and their insistence on fostering fandom based meaning in the characters, the relationships, and the human drama that helped transform Gundam from a commercially failed TV show into a cultural movement. Their contributions laid the foundation for the expansive, multi-generational fandom that Gundam enjoys today.