Bay Area Anime Stores
David Alexander S. Dial
>Can anyone give a listing of anime sources in the Greater San Francisco
>/ Bay Area? This includes the surrounding communities that are within
>an hour of the city.
To: ani...@solaris.cc.vt.edu
Subject: Re: Bay Area Anime Stores
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime
In-Reply-To: <941115232...@netmail2.microsoft.com>
Organization: usr/local/lib/trn/Organization
Cc:
Bcc:
In article <941115232...@netmail2.microsoft.com> you write:
>Can anyone give a listing of anime sources in the Greater San Francisco
>/ Bay Area? This includes the surrounding communities that are within
>an hour of the city.
There are several anime stores in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. In
the city itself, there are of course Kinokuniya Bookstore, Mikado/Mikado
Laser Japan, and Japan Video in the Kintetsu Mall located in Japantown.
Kinokuniya has the widest selection of anime/manga-related books around.
Mikado (the Sanrio Store) offers a selection of anime toys/models, Super
Famicom Games, posters, and T-shirts. Mikado Laser Japan has an extensive
selection of laser discs and CDs. Japan Video rents out original Japanese
videos as well as the American-released subs and dubs.
Across the street is another video store - People Video and CD Rental.
Although their selection is not as vast as Japan Video, their rates are
much better. Japan Video's membership fees are $10 for 3 months (I think
- my membership ran out a long time ago, and I haven't been there in a
while, so their policy might have changed since I was last there), and
you need a credit card. People Video's membership is $1 for one year (you
still need a credit card). Also, JV is $3 per night, and PV is $3 for 3
nights. PV also rents out Japanese idol/pop singer CDs (alas, no anime
CDs the last time I checked).
In Chinatown, there is another anime store (I don't really know the name
or address - I only know it by appearance) that specializes in Dragonball Z,
Sailor Moon, and Ranma merchandise.
Laser Perception is also located in the city. They are supposed to be the
best for CDs and LDs. I haven't been there myself, so I wouldn't know.
In Emeryville, there is Kimono My House. If you're a serious collector
and money is not a problem, this is probably the store for you. They have
a LOT of anime goods from keychains to wall-scrolls. However, their
prices are extremely high in my opinion. My friend saw a card there for $4
that was only $.50 in Chinatown. They are located on 62nd street, about
5-7 blocks from Powell Street Plaza.
If traveling to San Jose is not a problem, Nikaku Animart is definitely
one of the stores you should check out. They have the best selection in
the area, IMHO. You can e-mail them at nik...@netcom.com.
However, I live in Vallejo, and we have a store that is unknown but VERY
good for anime stuff. Vallejo Baseball Cards & Comics has wall scrolls
for about $15, CDs for $25 ($20 if you order it yourself), small posters
for $3, and a fair selection of anime movies (commercial subs/dubs, and a
few in original Japanese). They also have a lot of anime toys and vinyls.
They specialize in Dragonball Z, but they have a fair selection of Sailor
Moon, Ranma, Yuu Yuu Hakusou, etc. They are located on Springs Rd.,
across from the B of A.
Kevin Bjorke
by Stephen Mah (revised 11-26-92)
This article may be distributed freely as long as it remains
unaltered (corrections to typographical errors excepted and
excerpts are OK 8-)) and proper credit is given to the author and
all contributors.
=================================================================
A note on prices- most, if not all, of the stores here seem to use
the $1 = Y100, with a few variations here and there. For the most
part, there are no places that really offer great deals like some of
the places in LA that sell CD's for ~$25, although some places might
be a little more expensive than others. Mikado used to have
better prices, but that's changed (see below); Tower video/LD
outlets probably have the best prices around now, but they lack
a selection (again, see below).
SAN FRANCISCO:
=============
Laser Perceptions
1739 Noriega Street
SF, CA 94122
(415) 753-2016
Fax: (415) 564-3821
Mon-Sat: 11AM-9PM
Sunday: 11AM-7PM
Comments: Laser Perceptions carries a large collection of anime
LD's and CD's in addition to domestic LD's. Their selection is
quite good, provided you can get there in time; they get shipments
in about twice a month (although some of you out there have heard
"It'll be coming in next week" probably a bit too often :-)).
They usually sell out of all of the hot/new titles within several
days but it's probably not a good idea to put down a deposit (see
below). They have a few anime titles for rent, although they're
priced a bit steep (~$6/night). Eldon, the manager, doesn't
seem to know much about anime, other than the titles and can
sometimes be pushy. While LP is probably one of the wider known
anime LD/CD sources, I'd recommend trying other places like Mikado
or Nikaku first; for one thing, they seem a lot more sincere and
knowledgable about anime and offer a few pre-order discounts on
boxed LD sets I think.
Fans planning on doing mail order from LP should heed this
advice: only order stuff that's in stock. It seems that LP's number
one concern is getting your order in, whether or not they have the
item you want it stock; apparently, they often will not volunteer
information regarding whether or not they have it in or not.
Additionally, if you are ordering multiple items, they will not ship
until all of the items you ordered have come in. Many customers
have placed orders, only to be told when they call back to inquire
about it, "That item isn't currently in stock. We're expecting it
in next week". In my previous versions, I've mentioned that LP will
place priority on in-store customers (i.e. if they want an item that
was special ordered for a mail-order/telephone customer, LP will
sell it to them on the spot); apparently, a netter asked him about
this and his response is that they do no such thing (I can't prove
or disprove this, so you'll have to decide for yourselves if this is
true or not). As of late, Eldon appears to have been calling a few
customers up to try and improve LP's PR; seems there's a distinct
possibility that he may have net access (if you're reading this
Eldon, please note that I'm not trying to destroy your business or
anything; I'm just calling 'em as I see 'em :-)) and has heard some
of the things said about LP's service in the past. Hopefully, this
means he's actually working on better service and that should be
commended. Overall, to be fair, it would seem that as long as
LP has what you're looking for in stock, then mail order service has
said to be pretty good. As for their new location, it's _big_;
at least now there's room to breathe when the new shipments come in
^_^. Anime LD's are now near the front of the store. Rental anime
LD's are near the back with the other rental discs.
[a one-shot note: I noticed he's trying to clear out a few disc
titles for pretty good prices- he had a few copies of Patlabor
P-13/14 (or somewhere around there) for only $55. The box containing
all of these "close out" titles isn't prominently displayed- if
you're familiar with the store, it's on the rack beneath the bins
where the anime titles used to be. BTW, most of the titles are
brand new, not used.]
A quick note: if you're also looking for English translated manga
(Viz, Elicpse, Dark Horse, etc.) there's a comic store called
"Comics and 'da Kind" one block over to the left when facing LP. If
you're in the area for a limited time only, you might be able to do
your comics shopping here to save time.
------
Newtype Toys & Hobbies
1531 10th Avenue (@Kirkham)
SF, CA 94122
(415) 731-3077
Sat-Sun: 10:30-6:30PM
Mon-Fri: 6:30-9:30PM by appointment only
Comments: This place might be a little hard to find at first, since
it doesn't really have a storefront, other than a sign on the
street. The actual store is behind the owner's garage and it's
actually bigger than I thought it would be. This place is an anime
modeler's heaven as it's basically wall-to-wall models, both garage
and plastic. But aside from a quite large selection of models, he
also carries some animation cells, some subtitled videos, and a
small collection of books (which I'm told will grow). The owner,
whose name eludes me at the moment, is a really nice guy and he does
mail order. A catalog is availible for $2. Right now he's planning
on expanding his selection to lots of other items such as videos,
pencil cases, etc. (a la Nikaku). Prices are a little expensive,
but the service (in my experinces anyway) has always been good. I
am told that altho they cannot regularly carry a large selection of
other items such as discs and what not due to budgetary reasons, they
can special order almost anything for you. In previous postings
I've mentioned that Newtype wouldn't accept first time credit card
phone orders; well, I stand corrected- turns out they do accept 'em
but orders can only be shipped to the billing address of the credit
card (how they check this I don't know). Thanks to Marty Connell
<mar...@hpnjld.njd.hp.com> for this clarification.
-----
Tower Video Outlets
2 locations of note:
2280 Market St. (slightly larger anime selection, but lousy parking
and the area isn't exactly the kind of place you'd
want to hang around at night)
(415) 255-5920
3205 20th Ave (in the Stonestown Galleria on top of the "Good Guys")
(415) 681-1311
All Towers are open 9AM to midnight all year long if memory serves.
Comments: Tower has added an import section to their LD
bins which include a few anime titles. Although the selection leaves
something to be desired (mostly popular titles like "Akira",
"Gunbuster", "Lensman", etc.) what is of interest here are the rock
bottom prices. "Akira" is going for about $49 (about $20 cheaper
than any import place that I know of) and "Gunbuster" OAV's, usually
about $98, were going for about $60. The latest word though (thanks
to Mike Harlock again) is that they do not do special orders; this
plus the fact that I haven't seen any new titles in close to a year
(or any back ordered titles) makes Tower now not a very serious
contender for anime LD's (i.e. forget about Tower unless you've got
some time to kill).
BTW, Tower Video outlets also sell most, if not all, of the
subtitled anime being put out now (i.e. US Renditions, US Manga
Corps, Animeigo, etc.).
-----
SF^2: According to chiu%ucsee.Ber...@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU
this place has closed up (doesn't surprise me). Here's what I've
been told:
"Revision: SF^2 has cease retail operation as of late May, 1992. Rumor has it
that they're moving toward an all mail-order operation, but I have no
concrete information/evidence to confirm the rumor."
-----
Laser City (formerly Wong's)
1433 Bush
SF, CA
(415) 474-9664
Comments: Just anime LD's here, folks. Not a large selection, but
they do get boxed sets in occasionally (they once had a Gundam set
that had all 4 movies). Prices are comparable to LP's, but I've
noticed that when they have a store-wide sale, they even mark down
the anime titles (10-15%). The discs are in a bin behind the "new
releases" shelf that you see when you walk in. I think they also
might have a few anime titles for rent. [Update: it seems they're
cutting back on the anime titles here, so it's probably not worth
your while unless you happen to be walking by]
-----
Comics & Comix
Various locations in the Bay Area
Comments: Not a whole lot in the way of anime here, aside from the
usual Viz/Studio Proteus comics, but they carry some posters and
some anime related magazines (Newtype, Model Graphix, Animage,
Animag, etc.). Occasionally, they'll get some manga or film
comics/books of the more popular things like Akira, Miyazaki films,
etc.
-----
Disc-is-it
1377 9th Avenue (@ Judah)
SF,CA 94122
Tel: (415) 731-DISC
Fax: (415) 731-4537
Comments: As the store's name implies, this is an LD place.
Although their anime selection isn't that big, what is of interest
here are the Chinese imported anime LD's. Although most of them are
dubbed in Chinese (usually on the 2nd audio track), a few have
English as well (the only one I can remember is the "Urotsuki-Doji"
movie). They have maybe one or two japanese imported LD's as well.
If you don't have a membership, foreign discs cost $6/night to rent;
memberships are flat figures for a certain # of rentals but probably
aren't worth it if you only come here once in a while.
SAN FRANCISCO JAPAN TOWN
------------------------
There's a small cluster of stores here that sells anime related
materials. The Center itself is located along Geary Street (cross
street varying with the stores) and the parking isn't that great.
Underground parking is availible, but it's a little too pricey for
my tastes. What I usually do is drive on over to the Safeway on the
other side of Geary and park in their parking lot for free and just
walk on over to J-town using the overhead pedestrian bridge. In
addition to the stores mentioned below, there are also several "mom
'n pop" video stores sprinkled around the area that I've never
really tried out.
Just a warning to commuting shoppers- the stores here often close up
for japanese holidays (Kinokuniya shuts down for a few days around
New Year's Day) so if in doubt, call 'em up before making a 4 hour
drive :-). There are basically two buildings to J-town that
you'd be interested in: the Kinokuniya Building and the Kintetsu
Building. I'll start with the Kinokuniya building...
[Note: If you take the overhead pedestrian bridge, it will take you
directly to the Kintetsu Building. Since my list starts with the
Kinokuniya Building, I figured it might be a little confusing. If
you want to go to the Kinokuniya Building first, once you get off
the overhead pedestrian bridge, just cross the street over to the
Kinokuniya Building- you can't miss it.]
Kinokuniya Bookstore
1581 Webster Street
SF, CA 94115
(415) 567-7625
Comments: As far as I know, they have the best selection of manga in
SF, although many of the popular titles may not always be in stock.
They have both the regular manga compilations as well as the
"telephone book" sized manga weeklies/monthlies. As far as anime
materials go, they have a pretty good selection that varies from
time to time; they regularly get in Animage, Animedia,
Model Graphix, and B-Club magazines as well as a bunch of anime
books/mooks. Most of the books are from mecha-related shows
(Patlabor, Gundam, etc.) but they also occasionally get in from time
to time some Miyazaki stuff (including "The Art of..." books). They
also carry most, if not all, of the English-translated manga titles;
these are located roughly in the forward-right hand corner near the
children's books (for those interested, here is where you'll find
the elusive "Great Adventures of the Dirty Pair" english novels, if
they have them in stock) The "pure" anime/manga is located in the
store's forward-left hand corner.
In addition to books, they have a small selection of CD's
(about 10 at a time maybe) and video tapes in the glass case to
the right of the entrance. Fianlly, they get in anime calenders
whenever the new year comes around. They can special order stuff
for you, but just be sure you give them very specific information;
it takes quite a bit of time for them to actually get a special
order in (up to 1/2 a year) so it can get frustrating at times when
they get you the wrong thing.
[Note: I've been noticing that they don't quite get in as many
magazines as they used to; they've stopped carrying Newtype for
sure]
------
JBC Video
Comments: This is located just one level down from the bookstore.
I've never rented stuff from here before, but they have a collection
of anime tapes for rent. All of the labels for the tapes are
computer generated and in Japanese, so if they weren't recorded off
of TV in Japan, they're most likely dupes. They have some TV stuff
but it looked mostly like kiddie shows. Still, they have other
stuff like City Hunter, Future War, and Akira. Might help if you
know japanese if you decide to go here.
And that's about it for the Kinokuniya Building. When you're done
here, take the bridge located next to the bookstore over to the
Kintetsu Building. Right after you get off the bridge, turn right
and there you'll find the...
Taiyo-Do Record Shop
1737 Post Street
Kintetsu Building 11-A
SF, CA
(415) 885-2818
Comments: This place has a small colection of CD's in the glass case
at the front counter. Mostly just popular titles like Macross,
Akira, Miyazaki stuff, KOR, Maison Ikoku, etc. but they can special
order stuff for you as well. Prices are roughly the same as
everywhere else (maybe a _little_ cheaper). I am informed that they
do not accept checks for payment and that the people there are not
very knowledgable about the CD's they sell, so try and go in knowing
about what you want (i.e. don't rely on the clerks there for
information).
Thanks to Chih-Ping Kuo <k...@seattleu.edu> for the added
information.
-----
A couple doors down is the...
Mitsubishi Showroom/Mikado; now called "Mikado-Laser Japan"
Mikado-Laser Japan
1737 Post Street, Kintetsu Building Suites 8,9,10
SF, CA 94115-3617
(415) 922-9450 (same as the Gift Store's)
Fax: (415) 922-1682
Comments: This place is sectioned into 2 rooms. The room that you
see when you first enter has Mitsubishi projection TV's, VCR's, etc.
The second room has a bunch of LD's prominently displayed on a rack.
There are also some behind the counter, so be sure to ask if you
don't see the title you want. Their selection, by now, seems
comparable to LP's and they can also special order stuff for you
much more quickly; popular stuff takes about 2-3 weeks and no
deposit is required if it's something that they think they'd be able
to sell. Prices are no longer cheaper than LP; they've started
using the 3% japanese sales tax price because of "the fluctuating
dollar" as I've been told. However, I think there still might be
pre-order discounts on boxed sets; I'm not sure though. They are
also now starting to carry some CD's (even some titles that are not
readily availible elsewhere I am told).
They are now capable of mail order, payable by check or
money order (not credit card for some reason); the following are
the rates:
USA: Shipping and Handling (ground): $5/disc + $2 each add'l disc
(2nd Day Air): $10/disc + $3 ea/adt'l
(1st Day Air): $25/disc + $3.50 e.a.d.
CANADA: S & H (ground): $10/disc + $4 e.a.d
(air service): $40/disc + $6 e.a.d
This seems pretty expensive, although I'm not sure how it compares
to most other mail order places. CA residents must add applicable
sales tax (8.5%) and the flyer I got mentions that "All sales are
final". Unfortunately, the shipping charge fore a single CD is the
same as that for a single LD 8-P.
Here's the deal with discounts on pre-ordered sets, as
quoted from the newsletter that I got from them:
"* Pre-payment should be received before our deadline date to
qualify for the "Spcial Offer" price. (No Refunds - No
Cancellations)
* If payment is received on time, disc(s) will be guaranteed to you
by the _official release date_.
* When disc(s) arrives, remaining balance can be paid for by COD
(Cash Only)"
Although I said that these discounts apply only to sets, I suppose
it could be implied that discount rates could also apply to specific
individual titles; all of the titles subject to "Special Offer"
prices are listed in their Newsletter. I didn't notice any
signs in the store listing the special offers so be sure to ask
beforehand if you're pre-ordering a boxed set. The discount rate
appears to be about 10% or so.
And finally, here's their new release policy:
"* All discs limited to stock on hand, all first come first serve
basis"
* No reserving of discs is allowed unless paid for in advance "
Although their prices are no longer any better than LP's (with
the exception of pre-ordered box sets possibly) I'd still
recommend them over LP just because their service is better
and they appear to know more about anime in general. The person I
usually talk with, David, seems to really know his stuff about
release dates and info regarding both anime as well as japanese
import discs.
------
Yet another couple of doors down is...
Mikado Gift Shop
1737 Post Street, Kintetsu Building Suite 9
SF, CA 94115-3698
(415) 922-9450
Comments: This place used to have a really good selection of anime
models but now it's mostly SD Gundam and Zoids kits. They get a few
good models in occasionally (like the HG Gundam series, Macross, and
Gundam in general) as well as anime action figures (St. Seiya),
die-cast toys, T-shirts, and buttons. They used to have subtitled
copies of BGC 1 and the Macross movie. They used to have a good
selection of posters, which included some of the older shows like
Mospeada and Ideon, but they don't seem to get much in nowadays. As
far as magazines go, they have Animag, B-Club and Newtype as well as
a selection of Streamline T-shirts. Their main focus in merchandise
nowadays is Nintendo stuff and Sanrio items. I think they also have
Famicon cartridges.
-----
Another 3 doors down is...
Japan Video
1737 Post St.
SF, CA 94115
(415) 563-5220
Comments: Probably where most anime fans in SF go to to rent anime
and one of the few places that can order tapes for you. They have a
large selection of anime titles as well as live action movies
(GunHed, Golgo 13, Maison Ikoku, Godzilla vs. Biollante). In the
glass counter, they also have a small selection of tapes (mostly US
Renditions/Animeigo and dubbed stuff; but they do get some original
Japanese titles in from time to time) for sale. They now have an LD
rack but still lack a selection. As far as selection goes, they
have a pretty good one and are pretty much up to date (although it
seems kind of like they don't get in as much new stuff as they used
to). I've been renting from them for about 6 years now and the
service is nice, but I've never tried ordering tapes or LD's from
them. Rental rates vary between $2.75 to $3.75 per tape
per day (with membership). There's a limit to the number of tapes
you can check out, but it's beyond what most anime fans can take
anyway :-). I believe there is a mail order catalog availible upon
request. Membership is $10 for 3 months and $25 for a year. They
used to have a life-long membership (which is what I have) but they
don't seem to offer it anymore. They have recently moved 2 doors
across to expand a bit; it seems like they'd be able to stock quite
a few more LD's now (there's a large rack labeled for them now).
EMERYVILLE
===========
1) Kimono My House
1424 62nd Street (@ Hollis)
Emeryville, CA (zipcode?)
(415?) 654-4627
Comments: I haven't shopped here before, so I'm afraid I can't
comment on the service. However, I'm told that they sell a variety
of items including videotapes, models, posters, pencil boards,
books, etc. Their service is also said to be quite nice.
(Thanks to whoever gave me this info- sorry, I lost your name and
address! :-()
Mike Harlock is responsible for the following Mountain View and
Cupertino entries- thanks again Mike! All comments/questions
regarding the entries should be be directed to him.
MOUNTAIN VIEW
=============
Video Regency
357 Castro
Mountain View, Ca.
(415) 968 5587
This is a Japanese video store located in the back of a building
in downtown Mountain View. They rent all kinds of anime, plus a few
subtitled and dubbed items.
Also, the Tower in Mountain View (the huuge one) sells subbed and dubbed
anime LD's and tapes. Not too many, but a little more than the other
towers. My friend is the laserdisc buyer for them.
CUPERTINO
=========
A Wrinkle in Time
19970 Homestead Road
Cupertino, Ca. 95014
(408) 255-9406
Comments:
This is a great new Anime and Comic shop in Cupertino, right off 280.
The store is THE premire place that rents subtitled and dubbed Anime.
They also sell more of the same. They also rent a few laserdiscs, and
their selection is expanding. They currently have a large stock of
both types of AnimeCon '91 t-shirts for sale. They also carry anime
related comics. The owner, Dave Meddinus, is very friendly and
straight-forward. (He is also the Chairman of a local sci-fi
convention, Silicon, happening at the end of November. Ask him
about it.)
Directions: From San Jose, take 280 North to Saratoga/Sunnyvale
exit, turn right, and turn right again at the next light, homestead.
At the next light is a small shopping center to the right. The
store is located in there.
SAN JOSE
========
Nikaku Animart
615 N. 6th
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 971-2822
Tues-Sat: 10-6PM
Sun-Mon: 10-5PM
Comments: Most of you probably already know about this place, but
for those who are new to the anime scene, this place has the best
variety of anime stuff around. They have anime LD's, CD's, posters,
manga, puzzles, shopping bags, books/mooks, pencils, calenders,
cels, models, garage kits, magazines, and audio tapes. Their LD
selction is modest- about 50 titles or so. Their CD list is
extensive, as is their selction of anime books. I'd say they have
the best selection of anime posters and books in the Bay Area.
Service both in the store and thru mail order is outstanding. For
mail order, there's a $10 minimum purchase and a $2 handling charge
on orders less than $50; there's also a minimum of 2 posters if
that's what you're ordering. Orders placed before 3PM pacific are
shipped out on the same day; all orders are shipped by UPS air or
ground. The people there are extremely nice folks (one time they
gave me promo posters for the Gundam 0080 Sound Sketch I and the
Venus Wars LD free of charge :-)) and pretty knowledgable. Highly
recommended. Maybe the only thing that kind of bugs me is that you
can't look at the display copies- you have to ask someone to get
another one from behind the counter if you want to see if something's
worth buying; but alas- it's a minor quibble :-)
There is also a video store nearby that sells a few LD's and rents
anime videos called:
Japan Culture Video
161 East Jackson Street
San Jose Japantown, Ca. 95112
(408) 293-3350
Comments: After coming down from Nikaku's stairway, turn right
until you reach the corner and turn right again and continue
for about 2 blocks or so. It's on 4th and Jackson (Nikaku is
at 6th); it's next to the Mikado gift shop.
They have a pretty good selection of OAV's as well as some TV stuff
like the original Gundam series, Patlabor, and Doraemon. Thanks
to Mike Harlock (har...@netcom.com) for the cross street- he
also had this to say about Japan Culture Video:
"Yea, here's some info: Don't go there. They charge too much.
Ok selection, though. They charge $5 a night for rentals, plus a
yearly membership fee. just MHO.... :)"
-----
Laser Land
1035 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road
San Jose, CA
(South of Interstate 280; nearest Cross-street: Bolinger Rd.)
(408) 253-3733
Hours: Closed Monday
Tues. thru Sat: 10:30 - 8:30
Sunday: 11 - 6PM
Comments from Matthew Seitz:
"Another Anime LaserDisc store is LaserLand in San Jose on Saratoga-
Sunnyvale Rd. They have about a dozen of the most popular titles
in stock and will special order others. They have just placed
Kiki's Delivery Service into their rental library and are waiting
to see what response is like. The owner and some of the workers
are Anime-aware."
(Thanks to Matthew Seitz [se...@netcom.com] for this entry)
-----
YAOHAN SHOPPING CENTER
----------------------
This is a japanese supermarket which also has a couple of places
worth noting:
Kinokuniya Bookstore
675 Saratoga Ave
San Jose, CA 95129
(415) 252-1300
Comments: Not quite as large as the SF branch, but they still have
a large selection of manga here. Not a whole lot in the way of
anime though. This place used to actually _be_ in the supermarket,
but has now moved next door, expanding the space a bit. Manga is at
the very back of the store and I think CD's are just to your right
as you walk in.
Video Eye
Comments: Since I live in SF, it's a tad inconvenient for me to rent
from this video place, but going on what I've seen on the shelf as
well as talk on the net, they have stuff like Ranma, Chibi Maruko-chan,
Fushigi no Umi no Nadia, City Hunter, Aoi Blink, Macross, and Yawara!.
If you're going to use a check, be sure to make it out to Yaohan,
though.
(Thanks to Mark-Newton John and others for letting me use their info
on this place)
-------
And one more comment about SF and SJ- if you look around in some of
the japanese food markets, you'll probably be able to find some
anime related food products here and there.
Once again, if anyone's got any corrections, comments, or additions,
I'd like to hear them!
>From to...@shakala.com Thu Apr 22 11:46:00 1993
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime
Subject: New toy store in San Jose, CA
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 93 00:29:15 PDT
Pony Toy-Go Round is now open at San Jose Yaohan Super Market. The
address is 675 Saratoga Ave. and Moorpark is the nearest cross road. The
store is open everyday from 9 AM to 8 PM except on New Years Day. I
checked the store out and it is pretty nice. The store is well stocked
with various Japanese toys and models. The store also carried Japanese
version of Super Famicon as well as assorted game software like Ranma
1/2.
I talked with Mr. Aki Hisamatsu and he is very interested in knowing what
kind of anime goods Bay Area anime fans are interested in. Even if the
store does not carry what we all want if enough of us tell the store we
just might be able to get it. In any case, I want to tell you all a new
addition to Yaohan Super Market.
Oh, yes, the phone number to the store is (408) 253-9929.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Kim - to...@shakala.com
Shakala BBS (ClanZen Radio Network) Sunnyvale, CA +1-408-734-2289
>From mi...@taligent.com Tue Apr 13 18:13:23 1993
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 93 18:08:58 -0700
To: sm...@sdcc13.ucsd.edu
Subject: addition for BA anime shopper's guide
For your BA anime shopper's guide:
West Coast Video
1391 Woodside Road
Redwood City, CA 94061
(415) 368-WEST
West Coast Video has started to have a decent selection of subtitled and
dubbed anime videos for rent. Currently (April 93) they have about 75
tapes, and it looks like they are trying to build a collection. (Every
time I've gone in there the last few months they've had new ones in.) The
collection is not up to the standards of the better video stores in the SF
or San Jose area (yet?), and, more annoying, they sometimes don't get all
the parts of a series. (For example, they only have part 1 of Vampire
Princess Miyu, and only the first tape of the Urusei Yatsura TV series.)
However, their selection is much better than anything else I've seen in The
Penninsula. I don't think they have any LD's or anime for sale.
Micah Doyle
mi...@taligent.com
--
---- Kevin Bjorke ---- Animation Scientist ---- Hi Tech Toons ----
------- Nana - korobi ya - oki --------
Ming Yau So
...
>Mike Harlock is responsible for the following Mountain View and
>Cupertino entries- thanks again Mike! All comments/questions
>regarding the entries should be be directed to him.
>
>MOUNTAIN VIEW
>=============
>
> Video Regency
> 357 Castro
> Mountain View, Ca.
> (415) 968 5587
>
>This is a Japanese video store located in the back of a building
>in downtown Mountain View. They rent all kinds of anime, plus a few
>subtitled and dubbed items.
I think Video Regency has been defuncted for almost 2 years now, well, at
leaset it's not at the above address any longer.
--
==============================================================================
Ming Yau So Internet: min...@netcom.com
AOL: Ming So
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Peter Evans
> An Anime Shopper's Guide to the SF Bay Area
> by Stephen Mah (revised 11-26-92)
>This article may be distributed freely as long as it remains
>unaltered (corrections to typographical errors excepted and
>excerpts are OK 8-)) and proper credit is given to the author and
>all contributors.
[lots of munching]
>SAN FRANCISCO:
>=============
> Laser Perceptions
> 1739 Noriega Street
> SF, CA 94122
> (415) 753-2016
> Fax: (415) 564-3821
> Mon-Sat: 11AM-9PM
> Sunday: 11AM-7PM
>true or not). As of late, Eldon appears to have been calling a few
>customers up to try and improve LP's PR; seems there's a distinct
>possibility that he may have net access (if you're reading this
>Eldon, please note that I'm not trying to destroy your business or
>anything; I'm just calling 'em as I see 'em :-)) and has heard some
>of the things said about LP's service in the past. Hopefully, this
>means he's actually working on better service and that should be
>commended. Overall, to be fair, it would seem that as long as
I, on the otherhand, am quite happy to make nasty comments
about Laser Perceptions.
0) Go to any other shop first. If you are stupid/desperate
enough to order from LASER DECEPTIONS then:
1) DO NOT USE A CREDIT CARD when you visit.
2) DO NOT USE A CREDIT CARD for mail order.
I would like to than Elden Chan (it _was_ your writing on
those credit slips) for kindly running through 2 transactions
of several hundred dollars for Urotsukidoji Boxes on my
credit card in January 94.
It was so thoughtful that I will happily slander your name
until the end of time. I really enjoy getting phonecalls from
my bank manager at 2am in the morning asking me why I am suddenly
overdrawn. I also enjoy picking up the tab for the multitude of
phonecalls made to the bank and credit-card company to explain
that it wasn't me, it was that fraudulent little jerk in SF
forging my signature.
Peter
----*
LASER DECEPTIONS suck!
That's enough vitriol, we return you to our regular NOISE program.
--
o.u | Guess who's machine just died. New email home is "hanako"
U \ | My opinions are my own, my company is not capable of opinions.
Beh! | Even if it was, they would be stupid. Besides, kono kaisha-o
| yametai! Atarashi shigoto ga hoshii! [half-male, half-email]
Gilles Poitras
Also check Best Magnetic on Sacramento between Grant & Stockton.
One of the best selections of T-shirts, Backpacks, & cards in the area.
Lots of Ranma, SM, DBZ.
Lots of other little things.
Joseph Hernandez
<ani...@solaris.cc.vt.edu> wrote:
> An Anime Shopper's Guide to the SF Bay Area
> by Stephen Mah (revised 11-26-92)
>
>This article may be distributed freely as long as it remains
>unaltered (corrections to typographical errors excepted and
>excerpts are OK 8-)) and proper credit is given to the author and
>all contributors.
>better prices, but that's changed (see below); Tower video/LD
>outlets probably have the best prices around now, but they lack
>a selection (again, see below).
Tower Video prices are almost on a direct yen-to-US$ ratio. Domestically
speaking, Tower Records/Video in Emeryville tries to carry everything
available on laser and video.
>Tower Video Outlets
>2 locations of note:
>2280 Market St. (slightly larger anime selection, but lousy parking
>(415) 255-5920
>3205 20th Ave (in the Stonestown Galleria on top of the "Good Guys")
>(415) 681-1311
>about $98, were going for about $60. The latest word though (thanks
>to Mike Harlock again) is that they do not do special orders; this
>plus the fact that I haven't seen any new titles in close to a year
>(or any back ordered titles) makes Tower now not a very serious
>contender for anime LD's (i.e. forget about Tower unless you've got
>some time to kill).
I am the video/laser buyer for the Tower Records/Video store in Emeryville,
California. The Anime section has been my pet project for almost a year
now. The section began with a couple of video titles and no laser titles.
Nowadays, we carry about 50 domestically available titles on laser, about
100 on video (both subbed and dubbed). Import-wise, we have about 25 laser
titles in stock. We just sold out of Mac Plus #1 going for $70 each.
Speaking of imports, my store WILL DO import special orders with NO money
down. Our next shipment coming in two weeks includes: Wings of Honneamise,
Akira, Macross the Movie, Macross Flashback, Macross Plus, Ranma movies,
Gundam, and a few more. Also, I mark down everything we get to sale price
status.
One more thing, our store carries import CD soundtracks. About 150 titles
in all. Soon to come...CALENDARS!!! Here is the address, located in the
Powell Street Plaza off Interstate 80:
Tower Records/Video #120
5703 Christie Avenue
Emeryville, California 94704
(510) 652-7184 Fax: (510) 652-8445
Thanks,
Joe Hernandez
--
Joseph Hernandez | Cal-Animage Alpha Chapter: Member Fall 1994
jtc...@ocf.berkeley.edu | Tower Records/Video-Emeryville CA Video/Laser Buyer
jtc...@csua.berkeley.edu |----------------------------------------------------
ab...@lafn.org | Preceding views don't necessarily represent Tower's