Issue 44 of MyM, the official magazine of MCM Expo Group, is out now! Featuring an unseemly amount of anime (from ‘Sea Dragon’ Tatsunoko Production to new kid on the block Cannon Busters), the best in MCM London Comic Con’s cosplay and some Christmas gift ideas to delight the most demanding otaku…  

EDITOR’S LETTER
Every now and again we get access to such a brilliant selection of directors, creators, musicians, Kickstarter heroes, streams and DVD or Blu-rays that everything goes a little bit anime crazy here at MyM! That’s happened once again as we head into Christmas, no doubt helped by the increased release schedule for animated treats around this time of year.

So whether you want to hear from MCM London Comic Con’s anime guest of honour Shigeto Koyama (page 10), witness the birth of the ‘Sea Dragon’ in an in-depth look at Tatsunoko Production (page 18), count down the top 10 mecha shows (page 22), get advice on the new must-watch streams (page 24), see every new release rated (from page 26), help Cannon Busters become a fully-fledged reality (page 36), hear the stars of Scotland Loves Anime tells their tales (page 38) and revel in classic anime soundtracks from Tiger Lab Vinyl (page 82), then you’ve come to the right place!

Of course, we’ve still got plenty to offer if anime isn’t your bag. Our latest MCM Comic Con event saw 130,000 people head to London’s Docklands over the three days and we have all the entertainment highlights – did your outfit catch our photographers’ eyes? We also have the best in cosplay coverage (starting with our posters on page 41), a massive 12-page videogame review section (from page 49) and an exclusive chat with the cast of Philip K Dick TV adaptation The Man in the High Castle (page 78).

With all that bang for your buck, you might say Christmas has come early! But if you’re still looking for gifts for your otaku friends, may we offer a few suggestions? We count down the official DreamToys list of this year’s most popular buys on page eight (hint: Star Wars is featured there), offer some fashion advice to help fill those Christmas stockings (page 48) and rummage through this month’s best merchandise in My Goodies (page 62). As Katniss (see pages 68 and 73) would say as she hits the sales, may the odds be ever in your favour…
Matt Chapman, Editor

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ISSUE 44 FULL CONTENTS
RISE OF THE SEA DRAGON
From Speed Racer and Gatchaman to Ping Pong and Yatterman, Tatsunoko Production’s 53-year history is brimming with iconic series. Alex Jones tells the story of the venerable anime studio.

CANNON BUSTERS
TV animation director, producer and designer LeSean Thomas gave MyM an exclusive insight into Cannon Busters, the anime project he’s funding via Kickstarter.

MAEDA, MONTE CRISTO & ME!ME!ME!
Tom Arden sits down with Scotland Loves Anime guests Mahiro Maeda, acclaimed director of Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo; and Hibiki Yoshizaki, the man behind infamous music video ME!ME!ME!

COOL FOR KATNISS
As Mockingjay Part 2 opens in cinemas, New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author Brian J Robb looks at The Hunger Games’ effect on young adult fiction, movie blockbusters and TV.

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE
Writer Frank Spotnitz and actors Rupert Evans, Alexa Davalos and Luke Kleintank exclusively chat to MyM about the television adaptation of Philip K Dick’s Nazi nightmare.

THE TOP TEN: MECHA ANIME
Counting down the ten top giant robot shows that charge our lasers.

TIGER LAB VINYL
Jonathan Dobyns explains the joy of classic ’80s and ’90s anime soundtracks and why putting out a cassette release is no joke.

REGULARS
NEWS
Including details of a virtual reality world record you may have helped to break!

ANIME REVIEWS
Flowers of Evil, The Eccentric Family, Mobile Suit Gundam, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya and Naruto the Movie: Road to Ninja are among the titles under the stern gaze of our anime judges this issue, while Andy Hanley picks out the best new streaming shows from the autumn crop.

COSPLAY CORNER
Granny Gertrude brings us the winners of the EuroCosplay Championships, we take a closer look at the finalists’ epic costumes on our poster pages, and Katharine Byrne chats to Seifer-sama about making the PS2’s greatest long-eared hero.

FASHION WATCH
With the high street gearing up for the Christmas rush, Saoirse Clohessy heads off the beaten track in search of imaginatively artsy fashion pressies.

GAMES
Wasteland RPG series Fallout 4 heads to Boston for its triumphant return, plus we’ve got reviews of Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, the first two episodes of Minecraft: Story Mode and the final episodes of Tales from the Borderlands and Life is Strange, a review of Bedlam alongside an interview with writer Christopher Brookmyre, Rock Band 4 and Guitar Hero Live!, and many more.

MY GOODIES
Including an R2-D2 that could literally save your bacon and a “sexy” Japanese samurai figure (is there any other kind?).

COMICS & MANGA REVIEWS
Seaside chills, slice-of-life shorts and an epic underworld western are all on Andy Shaw’s reading list this month. Meanwhile, Ian Wolf’s manga picks see Astro Boy’s adventures get underway, Naruto hang up his orange jumpsuit and JoJo cross the Pond to punch out some pesky Nazis.

FILM & TV REVIEWS
Does The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 end with a bang or a whimper? We answer that question, while also casting our gaze over TV hits Better Call Saul and Agent Carter, as well as movies Black Mass, Steve Jobs and The Hallow.

PLANET JAPAN 
Katie Carter – AKA Capsule Bunny – visits the recently opened, Harajuku-themed Monster Cafe.