Part three of the Zero Zero Magazine scanlation, pages 36-48
This translation effort has been, on and mostly off, 18 years in the making due to time constraints, external factors, and my old ADHD tendency to bite off more than can ever be reasonably chewed. It has been largely complete for the past couple of years as a scanlation other than the parts not focused on Microman, which I had hoped after one point to also typeset once the translation was complete. If anyone would like to typeset the translated appendix pages once they go up, they are most welcome to do so.
Over the years, I have approached this translation different ways. Initially, I had to transcribe the Japanese text by hand as Optical Character Recognition just wasn't able to do it well enough. Once I had the text, it was easier to look up kanji definitions and parse sentences with online dictionaries and translation aggregation tools to break them down to a level my own modest Japanese comprehension could interpret. This got a bit easier once I found much of the better content was transcribed on a Japanese site, but with some alterations and rearrangement for putting into the context of a story timeline. This allowed me to get most of the Microman-relevant portions compiled more easily with some editing. These original translations were shared with the accompanying raw scans on the MicroFans FB page several years ago, covering the full history of MicroEarth, and afterwards I set towards finishing the rest of these portions and typesetting them. I used a mix of an older version of Photoshop CS and CleanupPictures AI for the latter, which helped speed up the process a bit.
Originally I wasn't sure what to do about the daunting second half of the magazine as it was largely dense material and usually not really relevant outside of historical reference. I was encouraged though that text extraction was much easier by then with Google Lens, other than a few bits too hard for it to make out. I wasn't as confident about translating the technical language of the factory tours, so at first I enlisted in the aid of Claude AI, which did a good job at first, but would arbitrarily skip parts without any indication of doing so, so in the end I found it too untrustworthy and abandoned it for a variation of my original approach, and checked every line carefully from scratch.
Since then, though, I just haven't had the time and enthusiasm to typeset roughly 40 pages that have little to do with my interests, and this has languished far, far too long in my archives, so it's going up as-is. Originally I had considered leaving it untranslated, so at least this appendix format will be a step better as the translations will be included as separate text that folows each scan.
Part one:
💬 0 🔁 1 ❤️ 7 · Post by @micromanclub · 10 images ·
The first 17 pages of Zero Zero Magazine. This amazing book was masterfully created
Part two:
💬 3 🔁 4 ❤️ 11 · Post by @micromanclub · 10 images · Part two of the Zero Zero Magazine scanlation, pages 18-35
Part one here:
💬 0 🔁 1
Part four:
💬 0 🔁 0 ❤️ 1 · This is the world of Microman! · Part Four of the Zero Zero Magazine translation, (pages 49-53, 76-78 and catalog)
Part Th
Original scans by Jack Szwergold, scanlation by Microman Club. All typeset text is human-translated. Some AI image editing tools (not generative AI) used for image editing for text replacement, removal of page creases, and other artifacts.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Part two of the Zero Zero Magazine scanlation, pages 18-35:
Part one here:
💬 0 🔁 1 ❤️ 6 ·
The first 17 pages of Zero Zero Magazine. This amazing book was masterfully created by Design Mate under the direction o
This is the second half of the history of MicroEarth civilization and its fall, and the start of "Microman Story", a summary of Microman's revival on 1970s Earth that covers and at times revises material published in the previous catalogs detailing events up to the middle of 1977.
It's a bit unsettling how the fanciful utopia society described is governed with the help of a centralized AI and how explicitly AI is shown being used by even authors, artists, tailors and so on. These magical technologies described seemed at the time so...21st century?
And now... well, draw your own conclusions.
Part three (more to follow soon...):
💬 0 🔁 0 ❤️ 0 · Post by @micromanclub · 10 images · Part three of the Zero Zero Magazine scanlation, pages 36-48
Part one:
💬 0 🔁 1 ❤️ 7
Original scans by Jack Szwergold, scanlation by Microman Club. All typeset text is human-translated. Some AI image editing tools (not generative AI) used for image editing for text replacement, removal of page creases, and other artifacts.
The first 17 pages of Zero Zero Magazine. This amazing book was masterfully created by Design Mate under the direction of Yuuichi Higuchi and produced by Takara and came with a choice of Command 3 or Lady Command figure, and represents the apex in many ways of the original run. The book is divided into several parts, with this first section (and easily the best portion) being a lavish deep dive into the Kryptonesque history of MicroEarth at the height of its civilization...
Part two:
💬 0 🔁 3 ❤️ 9 · Post by @micromanclub · 10 images · Part two of the Zero Zero Magazine scanlation, pages 18-35
Part one here:
💬 0 🔁 1
Part three:
💬 0 🔁 0 ❤️ 0 · Post by @micromanclub · 10 images · Part three of the Zero Zero Magazine scanlation, pages 36-48
Part one:
💬 0 🔁 1 ❤️ 7
Part four:
💬 0 🔁 0 ❤️ 1 · This is the world of Microman! · Part Four of the Zero Zero Magazine translation, (pages 49-53, 76-78 and catalog)
Part Th
Original scans by Jack Szwergold, scanlation by Microman Club. All typeset text is human-translated. Some AI image editing tools (not generative AI) used for image editing for text replacement, removal of page creases, and other artifacts.
Part Four of the Zero Zero Magazine translation, (pages 49-53, 76-78 and catalog)
Part Three here.
Pages 54-75 are not Microman-focused and will thus be covered as a multi-part appendix series of translated original scans soon following this post for completeness and historical context and reference.
The following comic is "encoded" in "Microtext"--a very simple cypher for the Japanese alphabet. When I did the typesetting a couple years ago, I decided it would be good to maintain the "encoded" look, and debated how to handle it. Swapping out an English cypher, perhaps the sanskrit font used in the Marvel Micronauts comics seemed one possible route, but in the end I simply reversed the English text and inserted it as captions. As I was originally planning to release the entire book in one go as a full typeset scanlation, I felt it was a sufficient solution at the time, and figured I could always go back and change it later if it didn't seem the right choice in the end.
However, another translator excerpted the comic from Zero Zero Magazine for a BlueSky post a few months back and typeset their translation as a regular scanlation.
I'm a little concerned that a significant difference in translations may lead to questions about interpretation, so for transparency I am providing a full transcription of my translation with the original Japanese text decoding.
I will observe that the other translator repeatedly decoded the word enban / えんばん (円盤--a disc or saucer, often meaning "UFO" such as the 1975 die-cast ミクロ円盤 aka "MicroUFO" ) as "engine", perhaps a typo in their transcription they made before translation. In any case, I chose "saucers" over UFOs, because while they aren't precisely traditional flying saucers, they *are* identified objects and fit the mold of classic invader ships that get lumped together as "enban" in traditional Japanese SF.
In any case the dialogue is quite simple to make it easy for kids to use the cypher, so no kanji dictionary software was needed at the time I did my translation, unlike the huge amount of non-Microman related technical content in the appendices to follow, which got dry very quickly, especially in the editing pass after AI translation proved insufficient...
Page 49
Bogey spotted on the far side of the moon! (つきのうらになにかがいるぞ)
Okay! Let's go investigate in Transfer Fortress! (よし！移動基地てていさつしよう)
Starting engines! (エンジンスタート)
Page 50
SFX (goooo)
Ah! Maybe there! (あっ！あれは)
SFX (kiiiiin)
It might be the saucer of the scoundrels! (案掠者の円盤かもしれない)
SFX (pikaaaa)
Look out! We’re going up! (あぶない！きゅうじょうしょうだ（急上昇だ))
Page 51
Fire Photon Beams! (光子ビームはっしゃ！)
SFX (vooooom)
Yes! Got them in one shot! (よし！いっぱつでしとめたぞ)
SFX (zubaaaaan)
SFX (kiiiiiin)
Oh no, there's more! (あっ、なかまがいたのか)
Blast, it's a rat nest! (ちくしょう、これじゃふくろのねずみだ)
SFX (kiiiiin)
Crap! There's too many of them! (くそ！かずがおおすぎる)
SFX (gaaaaaaah)
SFX (zuzuzuuuun)
Oh, it's the Surveyor! (あっ、サーベイヤーだ)
SFX (gogoooo)
Page 52
There must be a saucer in there, let's find it! (きっと円盤のぼかんがいるはずだそれをさがそう！)
SFX (goooo)
There's one on the far side of the moon! (月のウラがわになかがいるぞ)
Oh, there it is! (あっ、あれだ)
That's it! Don't move! (よし！ゆだんするな！)
SFX (shubaaa)
SFX (zuzuuuun)
SFX (gaaaaaa)
SFX (gwaaaaan)
Crap! We’re dead meat now! (くそ！やられたやるかたいあたりだ)
All right, now's our chance! (よし、いまがチャンスだ)
Page 53
Now, Double Strike! (ダブル攻撃だ！)
SFX (vooooom)
SFX (vooooom)
SFX (zu-zu-zuuuuun)
SFX (gooooo)
Catalog pages
This is the world of Microman!
Microman - ¥450 each
M101 George, M102 Jack, M103 Jesse, M104 John
M111 Bobson, M112 Barnes, M113 Bobby, M114 Blacky
M121 Mason, M122 Micheal, M123 Miller, M124 Max
Super Microman ¥750 each
M211 Ken, M212 Kelly, M213 Kim
M221 Robin, M222 Robert, M223 Rocky
Microman Command ¥480 each
M151 East, M152 Eric, M153 Elder, M154 Evans
M161 Sheriff, M162 Sander, M163 Smith, M164 Sammy
(Unlabeled Command 3) NEW
(Unlabeled Lady Command) NEW
Spy Magicians ¥480 each
M131 Dick, M132 Dan, M133 Danny, M134 David
M141 Henry, M142 Hudson, M143 Holmes M144 Howard
Robotman ¥2500
Mecharoid V ¥1200
RobotMachine Z ¥3500 (approx.) - NEW (battery powered)
Cosmo Porsche ¥1200 - NEW (friction powered)
Cosmo Countach ¥1200 - NEW (friction powered)
Surveyor Fortress ¥3500 (approx.) - NEW (battery powered)
Surveyor 1 ¥2400 - NEW (battery powered)
Surveyor 2 ¥2400 - NEW (battery powered)
Command Cars (figure included) ¥850
Racing Buggy, Tyrell Machine, Twin Racer (mislabeled), Earth Jetter (mislabeled)
Titan Command Base ¥1800 (approx.) - currently under development
Transfer Fortress ¥4000
Conning Station ¥1500
RoadStation Base ¥3800
Conning Tower Base M115 ¥2600 - battery powered (erroneous placement)
Acroyear
¥400 each
A301 Red Star, A302 Silver Star, A303 Blue Star
¥550 each
A311 Mad Pink, A312 Mad Green, A313 Mad Blue
¥650 each
A321 Devils, A322 Satandar, A323 Demon
Acroyear Navy ¥300 each
Eiroyear, Kaniroyear, Takoroyear
Uniquer Corps
Akube ¥650 each
A601 Taro, A602 Jiro, A603 Saburo
¥300 each
Tokeider, Lighton, Camelar
Study Uniquer Corps
Warube ¥650 each
A611 Bunta, A612 Kanta, A613 Kenta
¥850 each
Gosenchin, Tapeun, Akube B, Dokojar
Mecha Acroyear ¥1600
AcroJet ¥700
AcroCannon ¥700
Armroid TA ¥450
Armroid SH ¥450
Giant Acroyear ¥2200
-Four mecha combine to complete Giant Acroyear!
Original scans by Jack Szwergold, scanlation by Microman Club. All typeset text is human-translated. Some AI image editing tools (not generative AI) used for image editing for text replacement, removal of page creases, and other artifacts.
Microman Factory Tours, Part One - Mazda (pages 54-57)
Page 54
Microman Manufacturing Plant Tour
Toyo Kogyo's Hiroshima Plant is a coastal plant facing the Seto Inland Sea, covering an area of 1,545,000 square meters and stretching 5.5 km from north to west.
The assembly of automobiles is done on three lines: an engine assembly line, a body assembly line, and a suspension assembly line, which merge to form the final assembly line. Each completed car undergoes a thorough inspection and a final driving test.
The longest line is 15.3 km long, from stamping to bodywork, painting, and assembly.
The plant is an automated plant with centralized computerized control linking the headquarters and the plant. The latest computers are used to efficiently manage the complex production and quality control of many vehicle models.
The plant has a combined production capacity of more than 60,000 passenger cars and trucks per month. From here, vehicles are exported to almost 100 countries around the world, including the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Inset image captions:
Panoramic view of Toyo Kogyo's Hiroshima Plant
Fully automated welding line with industrial robots
Transfer machine
Press line
Diagram text:
The Automotive Production Process
Casting and forging -- Machining -- Engine assembly
Casting and forging -- Machining -- Sub-assembly assembly
Page 55
Mazda
Cooperation ■TOYO KOGYO CO.
A single car uses a total of 30,000 parts of approximately 6,000 different types.
Body components are pressed by huge machines, and unmanned pouring systems are used for casting. Machining is done by transfer machines. Welding is fully automated using industrial robots. However, even the best computers are no match for the human eye and sense of touch, and experienced inspectors accurately check for distortions of a few hundredths of a millimeter, as well as invisible paint irregularities and scratches.
The development of a new car model involves a meticulous analysis of information and sketching of ideas. Once the style, performance, interior space, and other data are entered into the computer, design drawings are automatically generated. The completed prototype is then subjected to rigorous testing from every possible angle, including performance, safety, and durability, in order to create a safe car that is easy for everyone to use and has no quirks.
Inset image captions:
Automobile at the end of final inspection
Impact simulator analyzing safety data
High-speed durability test
Completed car
Page 56
Let's Learn About the Mechanisms of the Rotary Engine
The Mechanisms of the Rotary Engine -
Typical car engines are reciprocating engines; where a piston moves up and down inside a cylinder and converts that motion into rotational movement. In contrast, the rotary engine, also called a rotary piston engine, has a rotor that rotates inside an oval-shaped housing, directly providing the power to drive the vehicle.
Furthermore, the rotary engine has no intake/exhaust valves or connecting rods, and the working chambers formed by the rotor's three sides are always in effective operation, so there is no wasted space. In other words, with fewer parts, it is a more straightforward design, allowing it to be lightweight and compact compared to a reciprocating engine.
[Diagram captions:
Air filter
Charcoal canister
Hot air duct
Thermostat cover
Secondary diaphragm valve
Deceleration valve
Cooling fan
Oil element
Air pump
Carburetor
Coarse disc synchronizer
Air control valve
Baffle plate
Inlet manifold
Thermal reactor (emission control device)
Rotor
Drive-side housing
Flywheel
Drain plug]
[Second diagram text:
Intake
Compression
Combustion
Exhaust]
[Inset image captions:
Rotary engine
Cross-section of a rotary engine]
In the rotary engine, as the triangular rotor rotates, the volume of the combustion chamber changes, so the rotation itself performs the actions of intake, compression, combustion and exhaust. During a single rotation, the three working chambers each go through these four separate processes.
Page 57
Mazda
Cooperation: Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd.
[Inset image captions:
Reciprocating engine mechanisms
Air filter
Cylinder head cover
Rocker arm
Hot air duct
Carburetor
Air pump
Rocker arm
Anti-afterburn valve
Cylinder head
Inlet manifold
Thermal reactor (emission control device)
Reactor cover
Exhaust manifold
Alternator
Oil element
Exhaust cover
Cylinder block
Exhaust pipe
Flywheel
Cross-section of a reciprocating engine]
In a reciprocating engine, intake, compression, combustion and exhaust take place in the combustion chamber at the top of the cylinder as the piston moves up and down, requiring the intake and exhaust valves in the combustion chamber to repeatedly open and close. Compared to the rotary engine: 1) There is less power loss from the piston stopping and starting during upward and downward motion. 2) Vibration is reduced due to the rotational motion. 3) The construction is simple.
The most common automobile engine has pistons moving up and down inside cylindrical cylinders, known as a reciprocating engine. The majority of ordinary cars are powered by these reciprocating engines.
[Inset diagram text:
Reciprocating engine
Intake
Compression
Combustion
Exhaust]
With features like efficient waste-free rotational motion and a simple construction, the rotary engine demonstrates superior performance in automobiles powered by it.
[Inset diagram text:
■ Features of automobiles with rotary engines
More compact and lighter engine allows for smaller vehicle
The vehicle runs more quietly
There are less vibrations throughout the vehicle
Excellent acceleration performance
–These are the four main features of cars with rotary engines.]
Original scans by Jack Szwergold, translation by Microman Club, with initial rough passes on some appendix pages assisted by Claude AI. All final text is, however, human interpretation and translation from the original Japanese text.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Microman Shopping Guide - various small sponsors (pages 74-75)
Disclaimer: all materials in this document have been translated as historical and cultural documentation, and may contain outdated science, factual inaccuracies, popular new age pseudoscience of the era, cultural and ethnic biases that come with it, and views that generally do not reflect those of this Microman Club fan journal.
If you have made it this far through the whole book, congratulations, this is in fact the final installment (some possible minor formatting edits and such later notwithstanding)! Thank you very much for perusing this project, one I have dreamed myself of seeing since I first encountered this remarkable work in the late 1990s.
I'm sorry it has taken decades to get here, but it's a huge relief to finally have the *entire* document translated and public at long last. I have worried for a long time that something would happen and all this would be lost. Even as I put these last appendices up, I still found myself making corrections and filling in some gaps like the catalog text (which is pretty interesting as a pricing guide).
As for what's coming next? Well, there's a lot to choose from, but my main focus will likely be split between the other vintage "Microman Bible" text of Microman Book, the 2005 Microman Theology manga, and the "Lost Adventures" (as I call it) Bouken Oh manga, of which I have, with the help of others, collected well over half of the roughly five dozen or so chapters, a significant leap from the handful I had when I first posted about it here.
I also have a number of other interesting esoterica I hope to explore. I am hoping to accelerate the frequency of updates as I will be prioritizing translation over scanlation and typesetting, which just currently is not manageable or sustainable as a side project. As such, all materials published here will be open for anyone to clean and typeset, preferably with attribution and similarly shareable. But as a side project, there's no set schedule, and it's entirely possible this could even be the last post, too, though I certainly hope not!
Anyway, enough of my yapping...enjoy!
Page 66
Microman SF Intelligence Agency
It is said that among the 500 billion planets in the Milky Way galaxy, 1 billion have life, and among those, several million have intelligent life. Therefore, it cannot be denied that there is a possibility of highly evolved beings from beyond the galaxy visiting Earth in UFOs.
■ 6 Major UFO Characteristics
The basic shapes are circular, spherical, and cylindrical, with all saucer shapes divided into these 3 types.
They can hover motionless and fly tilted forward.
In daytime they appear metallic silver or gray, at night they emit mysterious lights.
Silent flight except when taking off.
Make sudden turns, sudden stops, zig-zag at ultra-high speeds with anti-gravity maneuvers.
Emit powerful electromagnetic waves, impacting surrounding lifeforms and objects.
[Inset diagram captions:
● Inside an Adamski-type saucer
Upper view lens
Magnetic pillar
Saucer body
Power coils
Control seat
Charts and graphs
3 condenser coils
Maintenance room door
External flange
Entrance door
Spherical landing gear (also a condenser)
Underside view lens
Floor view lens]
[Inset diagram captions:
● Inside a cigar-type saucer
Pilot cabin
Ship hatch
Storage deck
Airlock
Boarding platform
Rest area
Central control room
Airlock
Saucer travel rail
Ship hatch]
[Inset image captions:
While UFOs come in various forms, these are 11 representative patterns based on reliable eyewitness accounts!
Hemispherical type
Oval type
Rugby ball type
Conical type
Saturn type
Cross type
Cigar type
Perfectly spherical type
Blood cell type
Triangular type
Domed type]
Page 67
[Diagram text:
The Life of the Sun
The sun was born about 5 billion years ago
This is the sun currently
In 5 billion years the sun will swallow the earth
Finally it will become a star smaller than Earth]
■ The Earth Will Be Swallowed by the Sun
5 billion years have passed since the birth of the sun. Currently it is in a stable period, but there is no doubt that in a few billion years the sun will expand to hundreds of times its size, swallowing the Earth, Mercury and Venus.
Inside the sun, hydrogen is fused into helium through nuclear reactions. As a result, helium accumulates more and more in the interior. When this ignites, carbon, oxygen, neon and other elements increase, destabilizing the sun and causing it to expand. It is estimated that the Earth will be swallowed in about 5 billion years. The expanded sun, hundreds of times its original size, will gradually shrink and finally become a cold dead celestial body the size of the Earth.
[Image inset captions:
Prominence (solar flare)
● The Orbit of Halley's Comet
(Mars is unlabeled but shown on the opposite side of the Sun)
Sun
Earth
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
(The kanji character after each of the years just designates the numbers as years and can be simply removed i.e. 1986年 just becomes 1986)
● Comet brightness and tail]
[Diagram text:
Hydrogen force
Coma
Gas tail
Dust tail]
■ Halley's Comet Will Collide with Earth!?
Every approximate 76 years Halley's Comet comes flying in from beyond Neptune toward the sun. Its core is like a lump of ice. As it approaches the giant sun, this melts and becomes a huge hydrogen gas head. Some of this and tiny dust particles transform into a massive tail blown by the solar wind. Halley's comet head is about 65,000 km in diameter, with a tail length of 100 million km.
When comets pass near large planets like Saturn and Jupiter, their orbits can change. Past comets like Schaumasse and Perrine–Mrkos have also gone off course. Given this, no one can definitively state that Halley's Comet will absolutely never collide with Earth. Even without a direct hit, its effects could alter solar activity and trigger an ice age on Earth.
Page 68
Microman SF Intelligence Agency
[Inset picture captions:
○ The Mu Empire was in the middle of the Pacific
Mu Empire
MU]
1 Mysterious symbols
Spiral symbols have been discovered across the world. A triple spiral was found in Ireland, and spirals were surprisingly unearthed on a mountain in New Caledonia. These spirals represent eternal life and spirit, and according to the islanders of New Caledonia, they are the legacy of the Moo Empire.
[Image caption:
New Caledonia spiral / Fukiishi Tumulus spiral, Fukushima Prefecture]
■ Did The Mu Continent Really Exist!?
The massive Mu Empire, said to have existed on the Pacific Ocean 10,000 years ago. It had colonies across Asia, Europe, Egypt and the Americas, and its civilization is thought to have been the model for the world's four great ancient civilizations. There are many similarities across ancient civilizations regardless of era or location. These may be the cultural heritage of the Moo Empire.
[Inset picture captions:
Ecuadorian Jomon pottery / Japanese Jomon pottery]
2 The 7-headed serpent deity
Hindu lore of Ceylon and India have a 7-headed serpent god. This was the symbol of the Mu Empire which ruled over the 7 seas. Japan's 8-forked serpent is probably a variant. It is the emblem of rulers boasting power.
3 Jomon pottery
In Ecuador, pottery and figurines perfectly resembling Japanese Jomon ware have been unearthed in large quantities. If the Mu Empire existed in the middle of Pacific, it would neatly explain this cultural similarity on both sides.
[Inset picture captions:
8-forked serpent
Serpent deity (Narayana)
Serpent sculpture at an Indian temple]
4 The significance of the sacred number "4"?
In ancient civilizations, the number 4 was sacred and its influence remains in various forms. This ideology cherishing "4" is thought to originate from the Mu continent's system of representing the earth and creation god with a 4.
5 Boathouses
Ancient Easter Islanders built thatched roofs on boat-shaped stone foundations. This may have been out of nostalgia for the boats their Mu Empire ancestors arrived on.
6 Mysteries of advanced civilization
Australian aborigines use the boomerang, also seen in Africa. How did such an advanced hunting tool come to be invented by primitive peoples? It may have been a Mu toy.
7 Rongorongo
On Easter Island are mysterious glyphs called Rongorongo. Their shapes closely resemble those of Indus script and Chinese logographs. It is thought these writing systems all developed from a script used in the Mu Empire. There is no one left on Easter Island who can decipher the Rongorongo containing Mu's mysteries.
[Image captions:
Remains of Easter Island boathouses
Boomerang returns if it misses target
Rongorongo glyphs]
Page 69
■ Hollow Earth Theory
This theory states the interior of the Earth is a vast hollow cavity with entrances at the North and South Poles, illuminated by an inner "ground sun" necessary for plant and animal growth, where a highly advanced civilization exists.
With energy far exceeding that on Earth's surface, these inner earth dwellers construct flying saucers. Satellite photography from ESSA-7 showed what appeared to be a gaping hole in the North Pole, seemingly confirming the hollow earth theory.
[Inset image captions:
Interior per hollow earth theory
North pole entrance
Inner ground sun
Mountains, seas and rivers line the interior
South pole entrance]
■ Ancient Moon-Centered Civilization
There is a mysterious correlation between the ancient civilization birthplaces of Mesopotamia, India, Egypt and China - the four points form a straight line relative to the lunar ecliptic. Does this prove the four great ancient civilizations were under lunar governance?
In the primitive pyramid era without modern machinery, the moon's power conducting human physiology may have been necessary to complete massive stone structures. While the pyramids are thought to have been solar worship sites, behind the scenes they may have been constructed utilizing the moon's energy.
[Map captions:
Entrance to underground kingdom
Underground passage of Black Mountains, UK
Underground cemetery in northwest France
Agharta (underground entrance below Potala Palace), Tibet
Moon Pit, Czech Republic
Underground paved road, Kentucky
Large underground tunnel, Martinique
Underground city of Portland
Countless undocumented caverns in Japan
Cueva de los Tayos, Ecuador
Ancient underground city, Pueblo, Mexico
Mayan underground tunnel
Mysterious holes in Egyptian pyramids
Giant underground city discovered, Inca Empire
Subterranean lakes, South Australia
Roncador Mountains, Brazil
■ Did Underground Kingdoms Really Exist!?
Legends of underground kingdoms exist everywhere in the world. In Tibetan Buddhism, a subterranean paradise called Agartha exists under Tibet, populated by many people. In Europe, the "Moon Pit" in eastern Czechia is said to be an entrance to the underground kingdom. More than 100 bottomless underground lakes actually exist in southern Australia, and a massive cavern thought to be an entrance to the underground kingdom has been discovered in Ecuador. There are countless examples - Mayan tunnels, white cities of the Amazon, Ainu legends...
Some theories state all ancient civilizations were connected underground. In any case, there are certainly many undiscovered caverns on Earth.
[Inset map captions:
North Pole
Ancient China
Mesopotamian civilization
Great Pyramid of Giza
Inca hanging cities
Indian civilization
Lunar ecliptic
Easter Island
Equator
South Pole]
[Inset diagram captions:
Original supercontinent
Splits into two
Fragmenting further]
■ Continental Drift Theory
The Earth's surface consists of solid crust and tectonic plates comprising the upper mantle below it. These plates emerge from undersea mountain ranges (mid-ocean ridges) and move several centimeters annually, carrying the continents atop them along. The two continents on either side of the Atlantic match not just in shape, but geological structure as well.
Page 70
Panel 1:
Bloccar 3 (Three)
3 solid players who SCRUM to reach the stars!
がっちり3人 スクラム組んでスターめざしてがんばろう!
By Bin Hamagata
はまがたびん浜形 敏
A superhero on his way to becoming a star, but yet to grasp it, the mechanical genius Bisque!
スターめざしてまっしぐらスーパーヒーローこの手につかむまでメカの天才ピースケ!
Microman’s Acroyear has got nothing, just wait and see: I'm the world's No. 1 ridiculously powerful Monta!
ミクロマンアクロイヤーなんのその今に見ていろ俺だって世界No.1のバカ力モンタ!
Poker Genius
His driving technique is unbeatable and he's a good-natured, single-minded guy to boot, General Carkichi!
ポーカーの天才
ドライビングテクニックは天下無敵おまけにおひとよして単装砲われらが大将カーキチ!!
Panel 2
Okay, let’s go!! よしいくぞ!!
Jibber-jabber やんかやんか
Jabber やんか
Panel 3
Staaaare
ジローーッ
Panel 4
Duhhhhhhh...
しらーっ
Panel 5
Grr… Grr…Grr…
ムカー ムカムカ
Page 71
You jerks-!
この〜っ
Rawr–!
(Glance glance)
Er, let's aim for the stars!
ス、スター めざして
Yeah! Let's merge!
よし 合体だ!!! がっ たい
Go!
(Screeech!!)
GO
Ke-rash!!
(Guhh…)
Dammit, I thought those Ojachines would be behind this!
'(Oops, I messed up this line, it should read "Ojamachines" –Bin)'
Nyah-hee hee hee, gonna help myself to this here tire!!
ニャヒヒヒ このタイヤは いただいて いくぜ!!
(Ojamachines)
"Smirk" Oh by the way, that tire has a gimmick to it…
ニカッ ところがどっこい あのタイヤは 仕かけがあるんだ
What the, something's lighting up!!
ん、なにか光って いるぞ!!
A, a…b-b-bom–
ばば・ばく
Kerpowie!
Page 72
Phew, guess I'll down some ComboTransform juice!
Unngh… gulp!
Ta-daaa..!
Note: when the three Ojamachines combine, they form the superhero "Dozinger Bat"!!
ひょう がつたい この合体 へんか 变化 ドリンク をのんで
3体のオジャマシーン
・が、してこの
スーパーヒーロー
<<ドジンガー・バット>>
になるのだ!!
Now taste this electrified bomb!!
ばくだん でもくらえっ!!
Ker-toss!
Smack!!
Byuuunnn!
Sproing!
Gyahhh!
Spark spark bzzt bzzt!
Dammit, okay let's try a pitfall trap then!
くそっ、こんどは 落とし穴を つくってやれ!!
And this time, let's add a timed bomb, nyah-hee hee hee!
(Smirk)
ついでに
このじげん ばくだんで ニャヒヒヒ
(Heave-ho~)
(Snore~)
How's this, you acursed Blockers?
挙にみてろよ ボロッカーめ
Nyah hee hee
Owie!
(Giant bomb)
Huh, what's that shadow…?
ん、この かげは?
Page 73
Vroooom!!
Geh!
Hnnngh, survived that somehow.
フギャーなんとか 助かったぞ たす
…but I guess I'm not out of the woods yet…
あんまり、 よくも なかったみたい
Tick tick tick…
Dozinger Bat's Brain (translation note: a pachinko machine with the "tulips" labeled as emotional states)
ドジンガーバットの頭脳
Anxiety
あんしんそ
Zip!
Despair
Plop!
Kabooom!
Hnnnnngguhh!
Yay, that was easy!
The goal, the goal!
Yaaay, yaaa..huh?!
Looks like I made it here after all, hngh.
(assorted crowds roaring in background)
わーい ゆうしょうだい
ゴールだ ゴールだ
ワーイ
にゃんか、ひじょう によかったみたい フンギャー
Page 74
Microman
Shopping Guide
① Mysterious color-changing pen! <Chameleon＞
After drawing with one of the six colors of pens, trace over the drawing with the color-changer pen to change the ink color from each pen. There is also a pen for restoring the original color. 600 yen
The King's Idea, Shinjuku Station Building
② Copy anything as it really is. <Copier>
Place the object you want to write on in front of you, look through the peephole, and just trace it. You can make lifelike drawings. 700 yen
The King's Idea, Shinjuku Station Building
③ Magnets of various shapes! <Magnet Set>
These magnets are made of ferrite permanent magnets. You can hang them on a string or incorporate them into toys. 600 yen
The King's Idea, Shinjuku Station Building
④British five-member band, the Bay City Rollers! <T-shirts, Posters, Accessories>
If you're a real rock fan, you already know them: T-shirts and accessories with cool illustrations of the band.
Scarf 1000 yen Rosetta 500 yen T-shirt 1000 yen Poster 980 yen Badge & Pendant 180 yen
Record Shop Om
⑤ A strong ally that can hold everything! <Stationary Bag>
Convenient for storing things that might fall apart, such as paints and calligraphy tools. Made from rainproof vinyl. 800 yen
K Planning Co.
⑥ Remove dust from mechanical devices! <Dust Off>
The jet air gun powerfully blows away dust from your camera, radio, clock, and other mechanical devices. 1440 yen
Ginichi Camera
⑦ Put your favorite photo on the wall or desk! <Lucpon 2-piece Set>
A cassette-type photo frame that can be used to display photos of supercars and pretty girls. You can also hang it on the wall. 600 yen
Ginichi Co., Ltd.
⑧ You can drink it during sports! <Gatorade>
Gatorade allows you to drink water during sports without getting a stomachache. It is also used on the Giants' bench. 250 yen
Minami Sports Ginza Core Store
⑨ Floating and running! <Air Car>
The principle is exactly the same as a real air car, and it runs while floating on the surface of the ground or just above the surface of the water. Low-friction movement caused by air pressure is the secret. 3500 yen
Koyo Co., Ltd.
⑩ Recover the rocket after launch! <Sky Rocket Parachute>
The rubber-launched Sky Rocket rises high into the air, and when it reaches its highest point, a parachute is launched by a special magnet device. 1900 yen
Koyo Co., Ltd.
⑪ Did you collect the glowing extract of fireflies? <Cyalume Light Stick>
When the glass tube inside the pipe is snapped, the mixed liquid emits a bright light. This is chemical luminescence, so neither electricity nor fire is involved, and of course, no heat is produced. 800 yen
Koyo Co., Ltd.
⑫ 30 days of continuous rotation! <Magnetic Top>
It is a mysterious top that keeps spinning on a 7 cm diameter platform for 30 days without change. 3700 yen
Koyo Co., Ltd.
⑬ A device to survive the energy crisis! <Mecha Light>
When the lever is squeezed, the internal flywheel rotates, causing electricity to light it up.
Koyo Co., Ltd.
It does not use electricity or batteries at all. Manual flashlight. 1850 yen
Page 75
⑭ Where's that sound coming from? The sound's from your wrist ! <Wristwatch Radio>
This radio looks like a watch. 7 functions, powered by a single AA battery. The radio can be adjusted with a dial that looks like the crown of the watch. Perfect for an active person. 3500 yen
Ginza Cute
⑮ You can’t ride this bicycle? <Running Bicycle>
From the frame to the saddle, this mini-bicycle looks just like the real thing. The bicycle is balanced by hanging it above the ground. Made in Italy. 2900 yen
Ginza Cute
⑯ Do you know about this foreign tobacco? Wait, it's a radio!? <Tobacco radio>
Would your teacher scold you for having this? But it really is a radio. The outside is a cigarette box and the inside is a radio. 2500 yen
Ginza Cute
⑰ Do the feet of the disks tell you the day of the week? <Magnet - Perpetual Calendar>
The days of the week and dates of the month are shown on iron pieces protruding from the two discs. This is a fancy calendar that is pulled by the central magnet and tells the date and day of the week. 2800 yen
Ginza Cute
⑱ Martian souvenirs? <Squishy pen>
This ballpoint pen is 39 cm long when extended straight and can be turned into any shape you want. It makes writing fun. 200 yen.
Ginza Ito-Ya
⑲ Catch the sounds of the world! <Victor Radio FR6600＞
A new product from "Victor of Sound”. It is a 6-band radio that can accurately receive FM and MW as well as shortwave terrestrial bands, and is a highly accurate receiver for BCL enthusiasts. 32800 yen
Victor Company of Japan, Limited
⑳ Perfect for soccer fans! <Japan Soccer League Nameplate> <Miniature Shoes>
Name plates with soccer team logos and some stylish miniature shoes. Attach them to various things like your backpack.
Mini-Shoes large 250 yen, Mini-Shoes small 200 yen, Nameplate 500 yen
Minami Sports Kanda Store
㉑ Let's walk 10,000 steps a day! <Pedometer>
It is a meter that shows the number of steps you have taken.
Are you walking 10,000 steps daily? 2500yen
Minami Sports Kanda Store
㉒ Perfect for Sports! <Training Shoes>
Light and comfortable sports shoes. Ideal for commuting to school or playing sports.
Onitsuka Limber Up 4800 yen
Adidas Adria 2200 yen
㉓ Excellent ease of movement! <Training Wear >
Minami Sports Kanda Store
Ideal for sports training, allowing the body to move freely and providing excellent comfort.
Top and bottom 7700 yen
Minami Sports Kanda Store
㉔ It can hold everything! <Sports Bag>
Convenient bag for commuting to school, hiking, etc. The bag is a bit large, so it can hold a variety of things! 1980 yen
Minami Sports Kanda Store
Original scans by Jack Szwergold, translation by Microman Club, with initial rough passes on some appendix pages assisted by Claude AI. All final text is, however, human interpretation and translation from the original Japanese text.
This is Victor Company of Japan's Hinode Plant in Yokohama. About 2,000 cassette recorders and black and white televisions are produced here per day.
Cassette recorder production starts with the manufacturing of the radio, TV and amplifier circuit boards. Wiring is printed onto the boards, then 70-130 resistors, bus wires and other components are inserted and soldered. The insertion machines contain computers which automatically insert the 70-130 small parts. If done manually, this would be extremely tedious work. The TV boards are processed accurately at a rate of 20 boards per hour, while the radio boards are done at 40 boards per hour.
[Inset image captions:
Panoramic view of Victor Company's Hinode Plant
Computerized insertion machine
Insertion machine]
Next, parts like resistors and transistors that cannot be machine-inserted are added by hand. On average, a person can insert 18 points (parts per board) in just 2.5 seconds per point.
The backsides are then wave soldered by passing through solder around 250°C. If the solder temperature is too low, poor connections result, but too high damages the parts.
The boards pass through a high-speed automatic trimmer, cutting within 3mm on the backside. After passing through the solder once more, corrections are made and checking is done. This completes the heart of the mechanisms - the circuit boards.
Page 59
Victor Company of Japan
Cooperation: Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.
[Diagram captions:
Cassette recorder production process
Radio, TV and amplifier boards are assembled
Powered on (first activation) and adjusted
Accessories and decorative parts installed
Testing and adjustment
Radio, TV and amplifier boards are placed into sets
Finished product]
[Inset image captions:
Boards powered on and adjusted
Parts attached to boards
Parts fed by lifts
Parts being attached
Assembled cassette recorder
Completed products]
Here the boards are powered on and adjusted for the first time. SIF adjustment tunes the audio, video and other signals using test pattern waveforms.
After this, the TV, radio and amplifier are assembled together in a single unit, attachments such as speakers, dials and CRTs are installed. After the cassette door and dials are attached, a running test is performed where the units run for 2.5-3 hours on a conveyor belt while powered on.
Many adjustments and strict verification checks for the TV, radio, cassette and other functions are performed before the products are completed. The finished products are then boxed up and shipped out.
Page 60
Let's learn about the mechanisms of cassette radios and BCL Radios
[Diagram text:
Cassette Radio Mechanisms
The Radio Cassette 66 lets you listen to the radio, watch TV, and record on a cassette player, all in one unit. It's a convenient mechanism designed for four bands: FM, AM, TV-VHF, and TV-UHF.
① Built-in microphone
② UHF TV channel dial
③ VHF TV channel dial
④ TV band switch
⑤ Meter
⑥ Record button
⑦ Radio channel dial
⑧ Rewind button
⑨ Fast forward button
⑩ Play button
⑪ Radio band switch switch
⑫ Stop/Eject button
⑬ Volume dial
⑭ Pause button
⑮ Sound quality dial
⑯ Mixing balance dial
⑰ TV/radio/tape switch
⑱ Tape counter]
[Inset image captions:
TV circuit board
3 inch Cathode Ray Tube]
Radio: with 2 bands, FM and AM. A 12cm cone speaker and IC-OTL circuit audio amplifier reproduces sound quality faithfully. A built-in ceramic filter accurately catches even the weakest radio waves.
Television: a 3-inch CRT television that receives two radio wave ranges, VHF and UHF. Tuning (matching the radio waves) allows stable reception even in areas where it is difficult to receive radio waves, such as mountains. A mechanism called a video 3-stage quick-response intermediate frequency amplifier automatic gain control circuit makes the screen clear and flicker-free.
Cassette: A mechanism that can simultaneously record TV and radio, as well as normal audio recording. It has amazing mechanisms such as a cue & review button, a pause button, and an auto-stop button. It also has an ALC (automatic level control) circuit that automatically adjusts the recording volume and sound quality.
Page 61
Victor
Cooperation: ■ Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.
[Diagram text:
■ Radio mechanisms
① Treble adjustment knob
② Bass adjustment knob
③ Power switch
④ Volume adjustment knob
⑤ Light switch
⑥ Headphone jack
⑦ Meter changeover switch
⑧ Calibration switch
⑨ Audio filter switch
⑩ AFC/degradation changeover switch
⑪ BFO switch
⑫ Spread dial
⑬ BFO pitch control
⑭ RF gain control
⑮ Band changeover switch
⑯ Station selection knob
⑰ Rod antenna
⑱ Meter ]
[Image inset captions:
■High-performance main dial
■Triple variable capacitor
■Cone speaker]
The key to a BCL radio is how precisely it can be tuned. This device makes it easy to tune the AFC/MW, SW, RF, GAIN, and CAL. RF is for adjusting the distorted radio waves coming from far away.
The audio filter is a mechanism that cuts MW and SW noise. The BFO circuit receives shortwave signals used in SSB communications such as amateur radio and marine weather communications, and Morse code.
Victor's FR-6600 has a six-band design of FM, MW, SW, and SW, allowing it to receive FM and MW broadcasts as well as SW (shortwave) broadcasts.
More precisely, SW covers the entire shortwave band from 1.6 to 30 MHz, so it is divided into four bands: SW1 (1.6-4.0 MHz), SW2 (4.5-10 MHz), SW3 (11.7-20 MHz), and SW4 (21-30 MHz), and can receive not only worldwide shortwave broadcasts from the 120m to 11m bands, but also amateur radio and ship communications.
The distinctive feature of this particular mechanism is its advanced pursuit of radio wave reception, which is reflected in the tuning mechanism (tuning: matching radio waves).
Page 62
Microman Manufacturing Plant Tour
At Nippon Kogaku's Oimachi factory, 10,000 to 15,000 cameras are produced per month. The camera production process is roughly divided into two parts: lenses and bodies. Lenses start with making the glass. Materials are melted at high heat to produce glass, which is then melted again after adding ingredients to make glass suitable for lenses. The glass is cut into cubes of suitable size for lenses and polished into the shape of a lens. The finished product is inspected and the surface is treated (coated). The coating is applied to a large number of lenses at once using a vapor deposition device.
[Image inset captions:
●All employees at Nippon Kogaku's Oimachi factory
○Increased production of raw glass materials]
[Diagram text:
How a Camera is Made
(Glass type) (Crucible)
Raw material grinding
Casting
Selective mixing
Drying
Melting
Casting
Cutting
Inspection
Polishing
Cutting and pressing
Inspection
Sintering
Optical glass
(Glass parts)
(Metal parts)
Roughing
Machining
Polishing
Parts finishing
Double
Exterior
Chemical processing
Assembly
Products ]
Page 63
Nikon
Cooperation: Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.
[Image inset captions:
Assembling a camera
Coating
Cutting the corners of the glass
Inspecting a camera
Inspecting a transit
Finished high-end camera and lens]
Coatings are used to adjust the color tone through the lens and make up for defects in the glass. The resulting product is called optical glass, and there are many types of it.
On the other hand, lenses with various focal lengths are made by assembling pre-designed metal parts, plating them, and then assembling the optical glass in front of them. At this time, camera lenses (a combination of several lenses) are characterized by the fact that each lens has its own aperture blade, and the F-number (brightness) of the finished product must match the scale. In addition, a process called back-out is carried out, where the focal length and the projected image are checked for distortion, etc., with strict testing.
The body is made from components machined from materials such as brass that do not rust and are less susceptible to changes in temperature, and assembled on an assembly line. The key point here is that the distance between the mount surface where the lens is attached and the rail through which the film passes must match the apparent distance to the viewfinder through the mirror. It is also important that the shutter speed is set as specified.
Page 64
Let's Learn About Camera Mechanisms
The Nikon FM's characteristics are its lightweight, compact body design and durability. Its body alone measures 142mm x 89.5mm x 60.5mm and weighs just 590g, quite small for a 35mm SLR. The shutter is a vertically traveling metal focal plane shutter with mechanical operation, with shutter speeds selectable from 1/1000sec down to 12 steps. The metering circuit uses advanced electronics like monolithic ICs and thin-film resistors for stable exposure.
[Diagram text:
■ Camera mechanisms
Shutter button
Shutter release button
Film counter
Mirror
Rewind crank
Motor drive
Self-timer lever
Accessory shoe
Viewfinder eyepiece
Shutter speed dial
Multiple exposure dial
Film advance lever
Film guide rails
Pressure plate
Film gate
Film roller
Shutter curtains
Meter coupling lever
Viewfinder display element
Meter coupling guide]
Page 65
The motor drive enables continuous shooting at up to 3.5 frames per second. So it can do high-speed continuous shooting and frame-by-frame advance.
The key to lens performance is how well it can focus light to the ideal point. Nikkor lenses achieve high performance across various areas because they are produced through thorough checking.
[Image inset captions:
■ Inside the camera
■ Inside the lens]
The Nikon FM has a built-in TTL center-weighted metering system. Light from the focusing screen is captured by the light receiving element, mainly measuring brightness at the center of the frame. It indicates exposure with LEDs in 5 levels, enabling accurate photos. With various mechanisms like this, it is a compact camera with many excellent features.
[Image inset captions:
■ Various accessories
With the motor drive and accessories like speed lights and ring lights, the Nikon FM is a compact camera that can be equipped with various add-ons.
Gun trigger
Ring light
Double cable release
Auto ring
Speedlight
Bellows attachment
Speed light]
Original scans by Jack Szwergold, translation by Microman Club, with initial rough passes on some appendix pages assisted by Claude AI. All final text is, however, human interpretation and translation from the original Japanese text.
