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Answerman
Walking in the Rain

Answerman: Walking in the Rain

What's wrong with you, people?! You're letting me down! There's no winner this week and Steve Broida remains Super Mega Ultimate Trivia Champion! I'm very disappointed - you let this Broida guy walk all over you. His questions are reposted at the bottom - remember, people, DETAILED answers. One sentence or one word answers do not count. There's a lot that can be said about all of these questions; I'm sure you can do it!

And now, on to this week's batch of questions:


Alright Answerman, if that is your real name, I recent posting of yours got me all confused... At the end of your posted answer to the quiz question about berserk, you said "but at the time, the second season wasn't planned yet...Thankfully, we can all look forward to the second TV season." So is the second season of Berserk no longer just one of those 'my friend told me' rumors?

-Bewilderedbeest

It isn't a dream - at least year's Anime Expo, Anime News Service announced that they'd heard from someone who knew a few people on the production staff that a second season of Berserk is coming. No other announcements have been made but that's enough for me to remain hopeful. It isn't much more than a rumor but it's solid enough to be taken into account. Check out the story at: http://umjams.animedream.org/berserk.html


What is the name of the song on Episode 5 of Cowboy Bebop when Spike is thrown out the church window?

-Z

That song is called “Green Bird” and you can find it on the second Cowboy Bebop OST.


Hey Answerman!

Over the weekend I had the immense pleasure of watching Gestalt, but with
only two episodes, it left me craving more. Were there only two episodes
ever made and if so why? If there were more episodes produced in Japan, why
haven't they been brought over? Thanks for your help!

-Steve

Only two episodes of Gestalt were ever made. I've heard that it was a massive failure in Japan and the OVA series just didn't take off. It's an obscure, short series that was canceled. It was a really cheap license, hence why you're seeing it released in America; the same thing happened with Haunted Junction, which was supposed to run 26 episodes but only ran 12 before it got yanked. . There's no more anime, but there is quite a bit of Japanese manga available. As far as I know, there aren't any plans to import the manga yet.


Hey Answerman

I remember awhile ago that they were planning a X TV series that would be more like the manga, whatever happened to it and is there any licensing plans yet?

Calvin Cruz

There is an X TV series in the works. I've heard a lot of rumors but nothing solid; so far, the release date seems to be pegged at either winter 2001 or spring 2002. Madhouse (Trigun, Card Captor Sakura) is doing the animation and there's supposedly going to be 30 episodes. I imagine the license will get snapped up ASAP since X is a relatively popular property in the states. There should be more news on this soon.


What's up with the American rights to Berserk, anime and manga? I read Urban Vision was pursuing the Berserk anime and read somewhere that someone picked up domestic rights to the manga. Could you get me out of the dark on this issue? Who's doing what and how far along is it?

Thanks! Keep up the great work! I've learned a lot reading your column.

Taiso

I've gotten numerous emails about Berserk this week - I'm really pleased about that. Berserk is one of the best anime and manga series in existence, something I think all serious animation fans should see. As for an American release, the manga has indeed been licensed by an American publishing company. Not many details are known about it yet, but we should know more soon. The TV series is in limbo, somewhat; last I'd heard, Urban Vision is still under licensing negotiations. Nothing has been announced recently.


Dear Answerman,
I'm a subscriber to Animerica Magazine, but I'd like to take a look at some other animé magazines available in the US. Do you know of any that are available in the states other than Animerica?

Thanks a bunch,
Matthew Moxcey

American Anime publications are a bit on the slim side, as far as selection is concerned. Animerica is, of course, the big one, but there's also Protoculture Addicts, which is also a great magazine. Try Super Manga Blast or Animerica Extra - they're manga compilations but they usually have a few articles here and there and some interesting fan art sections.


Hi there. I have a few questions for you.

1. I know that Tasuki's voice actor is James Penrod a.k.a Robbie Bowman, a.k.a etc, etc. It seems like this guy is running from rabid fangirls like myself, with all of the different names he uses! Even in the FY OVAs he has a different name, because Robbie Bowman and James Penrod aren't listed! Anyway, getting to the question: Do you know of any other aliases of his, or any other roles he may have done? I know of Dark Schnieder from Bastard!!, but I'd really like to hear some of his other work.

2. I know you answered something similar to this a while ago, but I'm re-phrasing it sort of. Can you envisage a possibility that someone would dub the Weiss Kreuz series and OVAs?

This is more of a comment than a question, but Ruby Marlow is indeed the voice of Fuu from MKR, it's just that she has an alias, much like our dear friend James Penrod. Her MKR alias is "Bridget Hoffman." She also plays in Perfect Blue as Mima, and a slew of others like Sheila in the Bastard!! series.

Thanx,
Shunugrrrl

Thanks for the info on Ruby Marlowe! As for James Penrod/Robbie Bowman/etc and so on, I couldn't find anything on him other than his voice work in Fushigi Yuugi and Bastard!!. The Internet Movie Database says he's sometimes billed as Jack Hammer - maybe he has a career in the porn industry? No, seriously - if anyone out there knows anything about this guy, let me know. I couldn't find anything. Weiss Kreuz hasn't been licensed yet but given all the screaming drooling WK fangirls out there, I'd say the chances are pretty high.


Hello Answerman,

A voice actor question this time. Who is 1) the English voice actor of Yakumo Fujii in 3x3 Eyes, and 2) the English voice actor of Makoto Mizuhara in El-Hazard? Are they the same person? They sound SO similar. Or was the latter actor perhaps told to "do Yakumo"?

- Tenebrae

There have been a few different voice actors for Yakumo in 3x3 Eyes. Apparently the new dub uses someone different from the old dub. Yakumo in the old dub was voiced by Eddie Frierson, who did indeed voice Mizuhara in El-Hazard under the name Christy Mathewson.


Well, I'm gonna try again...last time I e-mailed you I never got a response so here I am again...I'm wondering about Saint Seiya...if at all it's going to be released in the US or if anyone is possibly even looking at it..there seems to be some renewed interest in the series since Masami Kurumada, the creator of the show and character designers Shingo Araki and Michi Himeno are going to be attending an animation festival in France where a French artist is unveiling a multi-media project of the final chapter in the series that was never put into animation, hoping that Toei will renew the series for animation sometime soon...anyways sorry about the long question but maybe with this renewed interest in trying to get the series final chapter into animation that maybe one of the US companies would be interested in the series? I hope you can answer this for me....thanks.

-Alex Keefe

Nobody's licensed Saint Seiya yet. The series is widely available fansubbed and I believe it aired in Mexico for some time, but nothing's happened Stateside. It's a pretty old show so chances are fairly slim that it'll get picked up here, but anything's possible.


Has ADV recieved the rights to distrubute the martian successor nadesico movie, Prince of Darkness yet? Or is some other company planning to buy the rights to it? What year did the first gundam show appear in Japan and is there any news on TurnA or Gundam X comming stateside?

-Ronin Mecha

Yeah, ADV picked up the Nadesico movie when they bought the series. It'll be out after they're done releasing the TV show. As for Gundam, the first Gundam TV series aired in Japan in 1979. TurnA and Gundam X have both been licensed by Bandai and will be released in due time. I believe the next Gundam series they're releasing is 008th MS Team, which will air on Cartoon Network sometime this year. They haven't announced much beyond that, although I know that the first season of Gundam is due this summer on Cartoon Network, around the same time as 008th MS Team. No plans for TurnA or Gundam X have been announced yet, but they'll be out soon enough.


Just a quick question. Are there any plans to bring Oh My Goddess! or Maison Ikkoku to DVD? There are so many great titles yet to be released on DVD. Why does it take so long? Okay, sorry that was two questions. But any info would be great!

Thanks!

Oh My Goddess! Is being released on DVD by AnimEigo sometime soon. Viz has been teasing us with Maison Ikkoku and hasn't laid down any definite plans, although they have hinted that it might be coming out eventually. Check AnimEigo's website for updates on the OMG DVD and con news for Viz announcements.


Hey Answer Man,

Have Media Blaster's shown any interest in bringing the less-cut version of Kite to DVD?

Thanks,

Andrew

Kitty media released a “director's cut” version of Kite. You can obtain it from any place that carries Kitty Media titles. Be warned; it's really graphic. I've heard people who liked Kite didn't like the “director's cut”. Heck, the director himself said he liked the cut version better, since the studio apparently forced him to add in all the sex.


Update: 4/6: (ED's Note: This is a joke. Preserved for prosperity. Salt to taste.)
Dear Answerman,
I heard that the translation for the upcoming Excel Saga was being done by Funimation to be aired on Cartoon Network. My friend, who works for the Funimation, said he was rewriting most of it and that they didn't even have a Japanese script to go from, they were just going to ad-lib the show. He said since it's supposed to be funny and it's all Japanese humor, if they just do random american-style jokes through the show people will like it more. Is this true?

Absolutely. Cartoon Network expressed an interest in Excel Saga a few months after ADV purchased it; hence why we haven't heard anything from ADV concerning Excel in a long time. Cartoon Network is set to air Excel Saga this fall; I heard they were removing the Menchi jokes since you can't show animals in peril on TV. Keep an eye out for news on this one.


That's all for this week. Onward, to trivia!

Well, like I mentioned above, there's no winner this week because only one person answered every question and even then, his answers were short and to the point. I'm looking for ultimate geek answers here, people; tell me everything you know. Anyway, Steve Broida is this week's champion again, since nobody was able to defeat him. C'mon people - I'm counting on you!

1. In Neon Genesis Evangelion, when Shinji beats the fourth angel, Ritsuko and Nerv begin to examine it. When Ritsuko explains their findings to Shinji, what did they discover about the structure of the angels?

2. In Outlaw Star, an anime crossover happens. (Hint: It can be seen clearly in the episode "Law and Lawlessness") What character (or characters) make guest appearances in Outlaw Star, and what anime series do they crossover from?

3. In the series Starship Girl Yamamoto Yoko, what is Yoko's rival's name, what is her most outstanding physical trait, and who does her voice?

4. Osamu Tezuka is well known for his anime brainchild, Tetsuwan Atom (AstroBoy). However, he worked in animation before he did AstroBoy. Name the animation work he worked on first, and what did he do on it?

5. In Marmalade Boy, Miki and Yuu hold different jobs. Name the two places they work at.

There they are again. You can do it! Answer best time for lucky good prize! Let burning passion rage in body!

See you next week. Make sure you check the date on this column, folks.


Got a burning question that you can't seem to answer? Maybe the Answerman can help you! Contact the Answerman at [email protected] (answerman at animenewsnetwork.com) with your questions!



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