Remember The Feeling I was watching a tape of Akazukin ChaCha this weekend, and it really reminded me of why I joined the ranks of anime fans. I joined it for the fun--because the genre appealed to me and I could have a good time watching it. That lasted for a while. Then the urge came to actually do something with Japanese animation. I didn't have to wait long, because I became president of the local anime club--after being an anime fan for only a few short months. Since then, I have joined the ranks of those who work in some way to make anime a part of the lives of others--and something to be enjoyed. But something always happens--it stops being fun along the way. The joy once felt is replaced by a sense of urgency to get things done on time and meet deadlines. It becomes too much like work. But the people you meet can sometimes change your mind, and encourage you to continue. This is what happened to me a couple years back, and it's why I still do the things I do, including AMPlus, and I know many of the staff here feel the same way. So we devote our spare time to writing articles, editing reviews, and spending our free time working so that others can enjoy what we already enjoy. Kudos and Thanks And the hard work is paying off. AMPlus is being noticed, and not just by die-hard anime fans. We were selected as a "High Five Award" winner for the week of March 27th. This award is sponsored by Verso and is given for excellence in the field of WWW design. Thus, it would appear that we have been "noticed." Again, kudos to the design team for their hard work. We would also like to thank you, our readers, for making AMPlus as successful as it has been. The e-mail responses have been overwhelmingly positive. And as I wander the web, I seem to find links to AMPlus in an increasing number of places. It is very gratifying to know that the work we do is being so well-received. This issue contains something for everyone. First up is a feature story on the newest Gundam series, The 08th MS Team. Our cover feature this month is the latest Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli release, Mimi o Sumaseba. And rounding out this issue, aside from our regular reviews and columns, is a special report on Katsu-con 2. Charles McCarter Senior Editor

A M P l u s Publisher/Editor Elliotte Kim Executive Editor Kimberly Cambridge Senior Editor Charles McCarter Copy Editors Roderick Lee Peter Cahill Design Editor Keith Rhee Staff Writers Kimberly Cambridge Kenneth Cho Peter Evans Geir Friestad Eri Izawa Roderick Lee Charles McCarter Theo Moon Keith Rhee Phillip Yee HTML & Graphics Geir Friestad Keith Rhee Contributing Writers Ryan P. Gavigan Ralph Jenkins John W. Jones Maria Munoz Site Administrator Matthew N. Dodd FOR INFORMATION AND ADVERTISING CONTACT: Elliotte Kim AMPlus: The Online Anime & Manga Magazine Copyright ©1995, Elliotte Kim Design. All rights reserved.