Joannah Stewart, editor All Otaku Magazine

What is All Otaku Magazine?

Devoted online anime and gaming press power house, or self-made soapbox for enthusiastic otaku?

All Otaku mascot

When I think about it we are a little of both. All Otaku Magazine is dedicated to publishing all the hottest otaku and geek-related stories from around the world in one bi-monthly magazine. While many of the big magazines out there publish straight from press release pages on over-used sites, we at All Otaku prefer a more organic approach to our articles. We spend hours scouring the cyber jungle looking for articles that would entice otaku. From anime, manga and general Japanese culture to gaming, comics and tech; and when we are feeling really daring we even throw in a movie review or two just to keep the pot stirring. When we are not writing or attending South African otaku events we are updating our Facebook and Twitter feeds to keep you informed.

All Otaku History

When the first South African anime magazine, Otaku Magazine, died a horrible death in 2009 many Otaku believed it was the end of anime as we knew it in this country. Two years down the line one of those same otaku sat in front of her PC and recalled the days when she wished that she could write for a magazine like Otaku. This sparked an idea that seemed both wondrous and incredibly absurd at the same time.

Having the right tools and copious amounts of time at her disposal, she began to put her plan into action. At first it was a joke, something insincere to add to her graphics portfolio to prove her skills, but when the magazine went live in October of 2011 the response was so prodigious that she had to release another. With the release of the second issue she gathered a small team of writers to join her in an effort to revive the anime interest in South Africa. Little did they know that the interest was there, all they had to do was look. By the time they released this the third issue the magazine had over four hundred loyal readers, but when the writers and editor got too busy with life they had to set the project aside to sort things out in the real world.

In the meantime the anime and gaming industry continued booming without them, it grew in strides as new events and companies started springing up, A.I. Fest became a monthly event, Blak Bunni and Plushie Heaven became known brands in the anime community and Sin Bin began holding fashion events. Once again Joannah’s life grew unobtrusive and she relocated to Pretoria, she often got fan-crazed requests to bring the magazine back, and after a supportive yet demanding talk with some friends at a gathering she decided it was time. On 15 January 2013 All Otaku released its 4th issue and the response was so overwhelming that she quickly gathered up a new crew of insane writers, willing to write for no more than praise and a t-shirt that says I love Madagascar.

The 5th issue of All Otaku Magazine is now available

What are our plans for the future?

Since our return in 2013 All Otaku Magazine has big hopes for our little magazine in the future. Our first step is the press room at rAge 2013. From there we aim to become the no. 1 anime and gaming magazine in South Africa while helping organisations like A.I. Fest and Blak Bunni grow.

If this magazine can inspire just one person to become a big name in the gaming or anime industry we will have done our job.

Editor’s note: Please feel free to contact us if you want to promote your geeky project.

Terrence Wood:

Cosplay is one of the funkiest forms of nerddom that is currently making a splash here in South Africa. It essentially involves dressing up (and acting) like your favourite characters out of fictional works.

Morgue-chan as Cooro from +anima (animé and manga) as photographed by Chanel from Chanel Rossouw Photography

There are no limits to what can be cosplayed and there is nothing that cannot be done. All that is really needed is a will to do it. It became common, as most outlandish fashions do, in the early 1990s in Japan.

The word “cosplay” also has Japanese origins and from this most people would assume that that is where it started.This common misconception is because of the animé theme that generally goes with most of the costumes that people wear. However, it was at the 1st World Science Fiction Convention in 1939 in Caravan Hall in New York where a costume worn by Forrest J. Ackerman inspired fan-costuming worldwide. He wore a futuristic costume made by Myrtle R. Douglas.

The Japanese got hold of this, coined the term that everyone is familiar with today, and made it into a pop-culture phenomenon.

Today there are many cosplay events taking place around the world and many photographers even use cosplayers to expand their portfolios. The internet has allowed many cosplayers to interact and to share many of the hints and tricks that go into making the perfect outfit, which is not as simple as it may seem.

Tarryn Wood from A.I. Fest as American McGee’s Alice as photographed by Matthew Rademan

Ever since my wife got into the scene we have endlessly trawled the local Chinese markets trying to find the perfect boots for Assassin’s Creed or those two rings that Roxas from Kingdom Hearts wears. It is going to be incredibly interesting when she decides to become the Hulk! It is also going to be interesting to see what will turn up at A.I. Fest’s next cosplay event.