NEO - what do you think?

H

harkins

Adventurer
After reading in the ‘Meteoric Rise of Manga’ thread that NEO magazine gets 15’000 readers each month (which sound quite good) I was wondering what people on here think of it?

I’ve only read two editions but I really rather like it. Apart from anime and manga I’m also quite a fan of Kurosawa’s films, Samurai films in general and Chinese/HK Kung Fu movies (those badly dubbed ones with the same story in every film. You know, apprentice doesn’t work hard enough, bad guy kills the apprentice’s master, apprentice tries to get revenge but is defeated, then goes and trains really hard (and usually combines his masters’ style with that of the baddies’) and then gets his revenge).

Anyway, back to NEO. I like it for it’s general far eastern culture coverage and because sometimes it’s nice to be able to read about anime away from a PC.
 
I like it. I don't really care about Japanese live action movies, but I don't have an issue with them being in there.

I think it has a really nice design, and there's a nice happy vibe around the magazine. It covers plenty of mainstream stuff, which I like because it means if I want to try what I see, I can just go to the shop or order from Play. I used to like Animerica, but I had no way of getting most of the stuff I saw in there, and Newtype's price tag scares me.

Even better than it's now in stock regularly in my local WH Smiths...it used to be a NIGHTMARE to find around here.
 
only read it a few times, its a good mag but most of the reviews are for europe series of anime and as I import most of mine it means I've alread seen the series they are reviewing
 
Don't dislike it, but don't overly like it either. It tries to cover too many bases so there isn't enough in each episode to make me want to buy it. Get Newtype USA instead.
 
hopeful_monster said:
Don't dislike it, but don't overly like it either. It tries to cover too many bases so there isn't enough in each episode to make me want to buy it. Get Newtype USA instead.
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Of the American anime magazines, I'd recommend Anime Insider or Animerica over Newtype USA any day.

Newtype doesn't have any real bite or personality and is too expensive considering what little journalistic content you get (the DVD you get with it is 'meh' at best). Also it suck-ups to the companies too much and is afraid to say anything bad about a show. It's a pretty mag with nice pictures but that's about it.

*votes against :twisted:*
 
For what it is, being published for the fabled "casual" fans (does such a person exist? I don't think I've ever met a casual anime fan!), it does a good enough job. I was subscribed for the first 1.5 years and it was consistently a fairly light but entertaining read; mostly interesting for the exclusive tidbits of UK-related news and features.

When it comes to the anime features and reviews - specifically there was a near constant emphasis on Naruto for at least 3-4 months - the fact it's centered on the UK industry means that it is at least a few years behind "switched on" anime fandom, so if you're watching new shows like Nodame Cantabile, the magazine probably won't capture your imagination as much.
 
I buy Neo every month and not because I like it. In fact I don’t really like Neo. When I first bought the mag I had high hopes but with constant design changes and articles that frankly do not interest me in the slightest I have lost interest. There are too many ads, too much fluff [Like the 6 pages they gave the best of 4 months running] and not enough solid content.

This month they had a wee half page dedicated to Hiragana. Cool you think but of course Hiragana is completely useless unless you know Japanese words! It was a complete waste of room.

I am very tired of it, but I still buy it every single month. Why? Because I know if it goes down then it will be the last time someone tries an anime mag in the UK for a long time.

I hope it improves but I don’t see that happening without a real kick up the arse.
 
I used to buy it on occasion but I feel they cover too much and miss out on focusing on what would suit them better.

And they lie.
 
I like it and buy it almost every other month. I'm not really interested in the asian film or j-pop sections but the manga, anime, cosplay, etc.... sections I all like. I don't mind the constant changes - it keeps the magazine from getting samey and boring.
 
hopeful_monster said:
Don't dislike it, but don't overly like it either. It tries to cover too many bases so there isn't enough in each episode to make me want to buy it. Get Newtype USA instead.
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I totally agree! Neo is more for the casual anime fans.

Hardcore fans such as ourselves should not even associate with the same crowd that buy this trash of a magazine.

Instead for reference purposes i collect old Japanase issues of 'My Anime' from the 80's.
 
Visual_Sky said:
I totally agree! Neo is more for the casual anime fans.

Hardcore fans such as ourselves should not even associate with the same crowd that buy this trash of a magazine.
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I hope you're saying this as a joke... sarcasm doesn't travel very well on the net. If not that's a damn snobbish attitude you've got there.
 
Visual_Sky said:
Hardcore fans such as ourselves should not even associate with the same crowd that buy this trash of a magazine.
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That’s a bit strong. I’ve no idea whether I qualify as a hardcore or casual anime fan, or somewhere in between, but I’ve read a couple of issues and it’s harmless enough to flick through for only three quid. Please don’t everyone disassociate with me!
 
Ushio said:
I hope you're saying this as a joke... sarcasm doesn't travel very well on the net. If not that's a damn snobbish attitude you've got there.
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It''s a fact though, Neo is a terrible magazine, i should know since i foolishly subscribed to the first 6 issues in a some small effort to support the UK magazine industry. I was hoping for something similiar to Manga Max but i was sadly mislead.

There really is nothing useful to gather from reading it. All the up to date information i need is on the internet already. I guess if i want to read information thats 3 months old then i will indeed buy an issue but until the day comes i will continue to do things the right way.

The not associating with the Neo crowd was a semi sarchastic joke. But seriously us hardcore fans are a world apart from the casual reading neo subscriber.
 
Hey I know I can get up to date information on the internet but I like just flicking through it if I have a bit of time, its a fun magazine.

I would consider myself more than the casual fan due to the amount of anime and manga I buy and look up. Besides sometimes you see things you didnt know before in it.
 
Many of their feature articles, like the 'History of Anime' and 'History of Manga' serials could not be found on the net. Their in depth coverage was of a higher standard than the recycled editorial that you normally find.

Its a mixed bag of a magasine, they do review the odd import (especially manga) and they are actually spread a bit too thin.

Increasingly they do cover a lot more about what is exciting the anime/manga fans over in Japan. In fact the feature where they basically introduce a new manga serial every month is pretty good.

You have to make up your own mind about whether it is of value to you. I get it for the insightful editorial, of a much higher standard than whats around the web.
 
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