H Magazine November 1996
Following up from my upload last week of the January issue of H Magazine, this week we will be going through the November issue. I only have three issues of H Magazine at the moment but this one might just be my favorite due to its diversity of rich contents. On the front cover we have cool photo of model Junko Ahba wearing the Undercover A/W 1996 “Wire” fleece coat. I’ve already done a deep dive on these early Undercover collections so I won’t be covering this editorial in today’s post but definitely check out my previous write up if you are curious about this.
Right off the bat we have a series of cool advertisements featured including this one for “Enemy Zero”. I had never really heard about the game but after looking into it, its pretty interesting. Warp Studios, an interactive game developer created by Japanese musician Kenji Eno in 1996, “Enemy Zero” was the 6th release for the developer for the Sega Saturn console. This game and many other from Warp are highly acclaimed for their original soundtracks made by Eno himself. Most of the games were storyline based and relied heavily on concentration and memory rather that skill. “Enemy Zero” was a sci-fi horror themed game that many claim as one of the scariest games released on the Sega Saturn, I’ll include a link to the full gameplay for anyone interested in learning more.
In the pages right after, we have a cool vacation themed photograph by Nobuhiko Kitamura, the founder of Hysteric Glamour. I originally thought it was an advertisement for the brand but it is actually an ad for a photobook that features Kitamura’s photography works from Key West Florida. The image on the cover is the Santa Maria Motel. Published by Little More in 1996, the book also features works from Kyoji Takahashi, Yurie Nagashima, and Takashi Homma. Hopefully I’ll come across this book at some point so I can scan it and share it with you guys!
In all honesty when I saw this feature in the listing images for this magazine, I knew I needed to get it. Featuring two of my favorite designers and artists, Hiroshi Fujiwara visits Frank Kozik’s art studio. I have done a few posts on my site on both Kozik and Fujiwara, but many are unaware of their collaboration on graphics for A.F.F.A. The theme of anarchy has been referenced a lot by both of them so it only made sense to work with Kozik on some graphics. This article also features selected band posters done by Frank Kozik for bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Killdozer, Dinosaur Jr., Nirvana, and The Melvins as well as a conversation about his art that I have yet to translate. Seeing photos of the two of these legends together is so cool to see. It would be just a few years later that Kozik would release his first Smorkin’ Labbit in collaboration with Bounty Hunter.
Up next we have a cool burning man themed editorial featuring Japanese actress Ranran Suzuki. The styling and makeup in these images is filled with bright popping colors typical of looks seen at a rave or music festival. Suzuki also wears bright blue and orange wigs in some of the photos to match her makeup and outfit. Something about this shoot reminds me of that creepy kids show “Lazy Town” if I’m honest though, the final look with the neon camo shirt is my favorite I think.
Moving on, we have a cool editorial and article featuring artist Rita Ackermann photographed by none other than Richard Kern. Ackerman is a Hungarian-American abstract artist who has had works shown in galleries and museums around the world. In these portraits by Kern, Ackermann rocks a classic 90’s X-Girl drop shoulder shirt. A number of her paintings are displayed throughout the article which gives you a good sense of her art style. Ackermann was known to avoid interviews all together but the end of this article features a conversation between herself and Richard Kern.
Now I can go on and on with these magazines as there is so much content in them but I have to save some of the editorials for the paid subscribers so if ever you are interested in seeing the rest of the content from these magazines, please consider supporting!
Finally we have another great editorial that features another Japanese actress, Mai Hosho. Hosho’s first and debatably most important role was her performance in “Tokyo Blood” from 1993. The film, directed by Gakuryû Ishii, features four experimental short stories that highlight the theme of entrapment in Tokyo’s urban landscape. In this “True Eyes” editorial shot by Takashi Homma, Mai Hosho wears a number of stylish looks from Hysteric Glamour, my favorite item being the “alcoholic extra” longsleeve she wears in one of the looks.
Alright so thats going to sum it up for this weeks release, as mentioned before if you are interested in reading the magazines in full, consider becoming a paid supporter, this allows me to continue to purchase new content to share with you! There is so much more content in this issue including editorials with Pizzicato Five and Obscure Desire Of Bourgeoisie.
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