St. Louis Post-Dispatch July 15, 1993, THURSDAY, FIVE STAR Edition SECTION: ST. CHARLES; Pg. 2 LENGTH: 900 words HEADLINE: WAVE OF JAPANESE ANIMATED MOVIES WINS RAVES AMONG U.S. ENTHUSIASTS SOURCE: Esther Talbot Fenning St. Charles Post Special Correspondent BODY: New Japanese technology for U.S. movie buffs is called anime - better known asJapanese animation. Unedited, dubbed or subtitled versions of the varied animated movies are becoming increasingly popular with U.S. movie enthusiasts. Anime (pronounced annie may) is the rage in Japanese television and movie theaters, says Chuck Lovelace, president of the Animation Society of St. Charles. "Animated films are consistently rated higher with Japanese audiences than live-action films mainly because they deal with such a variety of themes, unlike our own, which are usually funny," Lovelace said. There are more than 40 animated prime-time television shows in Japan, he says. Subject matter includes science fiction, fantasy, action, adventure, comedy, horror and sports. "We just get the Simpsons in television prime time," Lovelace said. "Japanese animation films are much more serious and action-oriented and are often centered around current events and history." In a review of anime movie making, Greg Barr of Laserviews Magazine says that the emergence of anime owes much to the inability of early Japanese moviemakers to compete with the United States' multimillion-dollar special-effect live-action features. "Anime has become a powerful export in its own right and is transmitting unique elements of Japanese culture throughout the world," wrote Barr in a recent issue of the magazine. Barr explains that anime captivates audiences in many cultures and that the genre illustrates what can be accomplished when fantastic story elements, intriguing character development and stunning visual styles are perfectly blended by excellent artists. Back in the '60s, Japanese animation artists used Disney movies as their models. "Japanese animation is now as good if not better than Disney," Lovelace said. "Their artwork is exquisite, and they have more animated frames per second in their television productions than we do." Lovelace said large companies such as SONY had animation studios that released shows called Original Video Animations (OVA) strictly for videotape. "The Japanese also use laser discs because the laser-disc-video market in Japan is as prevalent as the videotape market," said Lovelace, who described the 12-inch laser discs as large CDs that play movies. The Animation Society of St. Charles was formed by Lovelace as an offshoot of the St. Charles Film Society. Lovelace is in charge of both organizations, which are sponsored by the St. Peters Cultural Arts Center. Approximately 30 registered members of the club from teen-agers to middle-aged business people meet once a week at the St. Peters Arts Center on Mexico Road and Venture Drive in St. Peters. At each meeting Lovelace tells members about new anime releases. He informs them as to what is popular in Japan and what is available for rental and purchase here. Many members of the Animation Society are cartoon artists and avid comic-book fans who read Japanese comic books called Manga. A number of anime productions are based on the thick black-and-white digest-sized comics. Lovelace said, "They're not very expensive, and in Japan all age groups enjoy themselves - not just the kids." Lovelace, 22, a draftsman for the St. Charles Parks and Recreation Department, became interested in Japanese animation as a youngster when he watched Voltron and Robo Tech on television. "Japanese animation films didn't do well in the '80s because they were aired at a time when the teen-age audience was in school," he said. "Not as many people had VCRs so taping was not an option." Lovelace said that a Japanese animated television series from the '60s had been revived and would be syndicated locally in September. "It's called the New Adventures of Speed Racer," he said. "It's real popular with our young members." Animation movies are also popular with Japanese moviegoers. Recently an animated movie was the biggest moneymaker in Japan, says Lovelace. "It beat the American movie 'Hook,' " he said. "It hasn't been released over here yet." A 1989 movie, "Akira," has made it to the United States. The Animation Society viewed the 124-minute dubbed movie at its June meeting. "Many of our club members really liked it even though it was hard to understand and has lots of hidden meanings," Lovelace said. "Marvel Comics has released the translated work in America as a series of graphic novels." Several volumes of Manga artwork by the movie's creator, Katsuhiro Otomo, are flashed on the screen after the movie. "You can use the laser control to zoom in on certain cells of the comics," Lovelace said. Any success story usually finds its way to the U.S. screen, and "Akira" is no exception. "They're going to make a live-action movie of it," Lovelace said. "The movie is at Blockbuster now, but they're talking about pulling it until after the live-action version is released." Lovelace says anime hobbyists are more prevalent on the West Coast, where two Japanese animation conventions were held this summer. "There is more and more interest here, though," he said. "We have people coming to our meetings from St. Paul, Mo., and O' Fallon, Ill., and there are various American companies that are bringing animation to our market from Japan. I believe Blockbuster now has an entire section of anime." Lovelace says that anyone interested in the Animation Society may call 928-1962. GRAPHIC: PHOTO; Photo by L.T. Spence/St. Charles Post - Michele Felix and Chuck Lovelace of the Animation Society of St. Charles with posters of the Japanese animation movies that the society shows.