NEO was founded by editor Stu Taylor and designer Claire Trent, and originally had the working title of Sushi-Ya.

NEO was influenced by magazines such as Newtype and Pulp, the latter of which featured editorials on film, books, music, and columns on Japanese culture as well as serialised comics.

[8] NEO primarily featured editorials on anime and East Asian cinema, while also featuring interviews with creators, Asian music such as J-pop and K-pop, UK release schedules, reviews, tourism in Japan, OEL manga extracts and an anime and manga cosplay photo gallery.

Eligible titles must have been released in the UK in the past 12 months, and the winners were announced at MCM London Comic Con.

[9] NEO's staff included editor Gemma Cox and contributions from Jonathan Clements, Emily Lovell, Andrew Osmond, David West, Mark Guthrie, and Tom Smith.