Ms. Answerman

Finding Answerland

No introduction this week, just questions waiting to be answered!

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Hiya!
I've looked everywhere, and asked everyone, but no-one seems to know if Full Moon Wo Sagashite (Searching for the Full Moon) manga has been, or when it will be, published in english. I'm really interested, but I can only seem to find German copies!
If you could spare a moment of your time I'd be so grateful!
Thankyou,
MIya Motozaki

No one seems to know because the license for the Full Moon wo Sagashite manga has not been announced. Gaining licensing rights requires a lot of talk between two or more companies, legal work to handle, and contracts to sign. If anyone is in the process of gaining the rights to this or any other series, they cannot announce it until everything's been finalized. As for the future of the manga in the US, it's uncertain. Sometimes the rights to a series can be difficult to obtain, automatically taking them out of the running. If it simply hasn't been pursued, then there's still a chance for this series to be licensed in the future.

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I just started watching Hellsing (it lives up to the hype, by the way) and I finished watching volume 2. One of the lead characters is a human who is the leader of the Hellsing organization. This person is called Sir Integra, Ms Integra and also by the full name Integra Wingate Hellsing. The english voice actor, as far as I know, is female. But what's with the sir? Is there some kind of story behind why women are called sir? The character does come off as very male (not as "gifted" as the other lead female character) and her role is one that is typically filled by a man.

Is there more to this, or are women just called ser if they're in the same position as Integra Hellsing is?
- Y V

Her full name is Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing, which means that she's been knighted by the Queen of England for extraordinary service to her country. Generally women take on the title “Dame” when they're knighted, yet to my knowledge there is no rule that says a woman cannot take on the title of “Sir” (this may be wrong though since I haven't studied England's culture).

They never actually explain why she opted to take on the masculine title, dress, and attitude. Most people believe that she does this because she's in a role generally filled by a man and is constantly surrounded by other men in power. If this were the case, though, why leave her hair long? In the manga, people who have never met her give her second looks because she's obviously female. If she behaves like a male to be treated like one, why doesn't she go all the way to look completely like a male?

Personally I believe it's because she isn't trying to look like a male, just be masculine enough to scare away any potential suitors. Since her father died (and then later her uncle), she is the only remaining heir. Any suitor would have to go through her to propose, but would probably find her too troublesome or manly to marry, thus freeing up all her time to dedicate towards running the Hellsing Organization.

As for the title “Sir”, in the manga Alucard calls her “Sir Hellsing” when she's still a child. It's also possible that he had some influence in her decision to be masculine, though any further reading into this has already been explored by countless fanfic writers.

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My question is related to rumors I've heard that they are going to make
more Fruits Basket episodes. I've searched around on the internet,
though, and found nothing. Do you know if the rumor is true? If it is,
do you know when we might expect to see them?

The rumors you've heard are probably due to the countless online petitions, wishes, and “I've heard from a friend of a friend that a second season is coming” that scuttle through the internet. It's also because two characters, Kureno (the rooster) and Rin (the horse) were cut from the anime. These two characters, along with the rest of the Furuba story, are included in the manga. The anime is a cold property so there's very little chance of seeing a second season, OVA, or movie. Save up a bit of money and wait until the manga continues where the anime left off.

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What is the English translation of this anime?
I know that arabic dub english translated name of it is "The Golden Dreams" but what is its original name translated to?

This series, called Mysterious Cities of Gold (a more direct translation would be 'Esteban, the Sun's Child), aired on Nickelodeon back in the 80's and still has quite a following of fans who remember watching it when they were kids. Spanning 39 episodes, MGoG focused on the children Esteban, Zia, and Tao as they traveled with the Spanish navigator Mendoza in search of the legendary Cities of Gold.

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I've seen some dvd extras that seem to be produced at a much higher level than the usual voice actor/production team interview ("Club Escaflowne" and "Fruits Basket Room" come to mind, as does the "Illusion" chibis on the Infinite Ryvius discs). Are these strictly extras, or do they ever get broadcast in Japan?

These extras generally show up on the Japanese DVDs in regular installments alongside the episodes, giving buyers more bang for their buck. As for airing alongside the episodes on TV, unless the extras are extremely short (less than a minute) they won't be aired. Personally I love it when the Japanese specials end up on American DVDs. They're the perfect chance to see how the Japanese interact with each other if you don't have access to a Japanese cable station.