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Answerman
Prize Package

Answerman: Prize Package

I received a lot of good questions this week; keep them coming in, folks. Despite the low turnout for last week's trivia competition, we have a new winner - but he was one of the only people who answered the questions. Are they too hard? Too obscure? I get plenty of questions, but very few entries into the trivia competition - can anyone out there explain why? If you didn't enter, send me a note and let me know why - perhaps things can be changed. I apologize for the lateness of this column - I was waiting on an answer from ADV on a question I really wanted to publish, but they never got back to me. That question will be printed in next week's column, assuming they ever decide to respond.

But I digress. This week's questions:


Hello, Answerman. I have a few questions for you, that I hope you can answer. First being, why did they have the numbering for the episodes twisted around, in the first two releases of Trigun? According to the back of the case, "Lost Past" holds the first episode, along with the next two, but the first episode is really on "The $$60,000,000,000 Man" which holds the next three also. So, "Lost Past" really has episodes five through seven. Do you know why they did this?

My next question is about Trigun release dates. I went to the Pioneer site about it, and it said "Puppet Master" should be be out (it says this in the Coming Soon section, March is when it was supposed to be here.) But, I didn't see it at Suncoast when I went today, nor did I see any information about it on ANN. Did my local Suncoast just sell out of them?

Thank you for your time.
- Jaysan

There was a simple numbering error on some copies of the first two Trigun DVDs. It wasn't done on purpose - sometimes errors occur during printing. Happens often enough to be acceptable - most people don't care. The seventh Trigun DVD is indeed available now; your Suncoast must be sold out of them. I saw numerous copies at a Suncoast near me.


I just read that Excel Saga is being dubbed by funimation (from your website) and about all the random american style jokes! I am sorry but that show just.... cant be edited! If it is and people do like it, it's fine with me, more wacky anime will be liscensed but do think a subbed version will EVER come out? ADV has it listed under thier aquisitions so do you think that they will do what pioneer did with Sailor Moon S? (the DVD with the subbed and dubbed edited/ not edited etc) I really hope that they do sub it because I know I have been waiting for 2 years for this baby (I have only seen and heard random clips form this show and I am about to do somthing very crazy if I dont find out about what's going on soon! ~whew~ okay! I hope you can answer!

Lotsa Love!     
Jordan

I was hoping someone would fall for that joke. Of course a subbed version will be out and no edited version is being planned, so just chill. I get asked questions about this show weekly; it's amazing how impatient Anime Fans can be when they really want something. ADV hasn't announced a release date yet but at least year's Anime Expo they did say that it was on their “accelerated release list”, meaning it gets pushed up in front of other titles waiting to be released. Of course, this IS ADV we're talking about; that probably means it'll take only one year to be released instead of the usual 5. (Actually, it's closer to 2 years average, but who's counting?)


What's up with the Satanika anime and is their any truth to a WU-Tang Clan Anime?
-David Floyd / Panama City, FL

The “anime” for Satanika (Which isn't REALLY anime, by the way - it's being animated in Japan but will be sold to a primarily American audience) was released back in 1998. You can buy the “pilot” video for it at numerous retailers online. I've heard through various sources that the Nine Rings of the Wu-Tang anime project, based on the comics, was canceled since the comics didn't do very well. If anyone out there has more information on this, let me know - I couldn't find much on it at all.


Once again I find myself writing to you to answer my anime questions. This time its a more recent anime. I have seen the first 13 episodes of Vandread I find myself quite interested in the story. The problem is that it stops at 13. Am I correct in assuming that these 13 episodes were basically the first "season" of Vandread? Have you heard any future plans for this series? Or has the rest of the series just not been fansubbed yet? Thanks again!

-Dib

There is a second season of Vandred being planned by Gonzo. The first season was a massive success in Japan, and since Gonzo is all about excess, they're planning more. It hasn't been released yet in Japan - apparently they're on track to release it next year sometime.


Ack! What is with this "All your base Belong to us" thing? I'm seeing it everywhere!! From Anime websites to even Star Wars websites. I'm just utterly confused. Can you explain this to me, because no one else seems to be able....thanks!
~Tara

This isn't really an anime question but I'm putting it in here anyway. The “All Your Base” thing is from an old Genesis game called Zero Wing. The translation was horrible and the dialogue was very poorly written. Someone found it and thought it was hilarious, so they started spreading it around. It caught on, and now everybody and their pet monkeys are running around repeating it. It gets more and more stale and overexposed by the minute, though; hopefully it will go away soon. Personally, I didn't find it all that funny - I've watched fansubs by Fushigi Anime before. I've seen much worse translations than that.


Answerman,
Is there any word anywhere, about when the anime of Inuyasha will come to the States.
Thanks much,
Matt Ownby

No word yet, but I fully expect it to be licensed very soon. It's a high quality series based on a popular manga from one of the most beloved manga artists of our time. Keep an eye out for news on this one.


Hey Answerman,
I have one of those "My friend told me..." questions, so prepare yourself.
Alright, my friend told me that someone gave him a web site addy and it had all these clips of Outlaw Star that we didn't get, he siad that there were originally 46 though we only got 25. I thought there were only 26 episodes to Outlaw Star? Can you shed any light on this?
Thanks in advance!

There are 26 episodes of Outlaw Star and no more. Your friend is probably only familiar with the Cartoon Network version, which didn't include the Hot Springs episode since there was so much nudity in it. He probably saw a bunch of clips from that episode and then proceeded to make a bunch of stuff up. Once again, people - don't listen to your friends. They're wrong. Just assume so.


I just got my order of Revolutionary Girl Utena manga's in the mail and Ive been searching all over the internet for translations. I heard that Viz bought the rights for coming out with the english graphic novels and has asked people to take the translations off the internet. Is there anywhere i can find them??
Desperately seeking,
Andy

My first response to this question is “Why not just buy the US release?”. It's a good translation - I have all that's been released here and it seems pretty solid and accurate to me. Regardless, you asked where to find translations, so here's a few links.
http://members.tripod.com/~Miki_no_Miko/mangavol2txt.html
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/7763/story1.html
I hope these links prove useful, but in the meantime, I strongly encourage you to support the English language release.


Hi there
i was just wondering if you could answer a couple of questions for me about my
favorite show Dragon Ball Z
1) Why is Dragon Ball Z SO TEDIOUSLY LONG? i mean dragonball was more upbeat and moved at a faster pace? i read somewhere that it was because when they released Dragonballz, the manga wasn't complete yet so they had to add long seemingly never ending fights and pretty useless episodes (like goku and picolo learning to drive) which were obviously not drawn in the manga.

2) Did Akira Toriyama intend to stop after the cell saga or did he feel pressured to add the Buu saga? it seems kind of anti climactic to go to all the trouble of making Gohan the succesor to Goku as the strongest person and protector of earth after defeating cell, just to have him become a weak nerd later on in the Buu saga.

3) Did Akira Toriyama agree to let toei make Dragon Ball GT? And how much input did he have in the show if any? And who made the character design fro the show. Honestly it was pretty aweful. They shrank Trunks to a little guy and you can barelly differentiate between goten, gohan, vegeta and yamcha. I mean they ALL LOOK the same!!

Well that's it for that. Sorry if took up much space but hopefully you will be able to help me
RAlph
Thanks

  • Dragon Ball Z is tediously long because the anime was being produced around the same time the manga was coming out. They didn't want to deviate from the manga story so they just slowed everything down, so the manga could catch up and they'd have more story to animate.

  • As far as I know, the Buu saga was added as a regular part of the main story. It's possible that he was pressured into adding more; the series was insanely popular and when something gets that popular, the Japanese will run it until it isn't popular anymore.

  • Toriyama had no input on Dragon Ball GT. He wanted to move on to something else, and at that point Toei owned the characters so they decided to continue the series. It was a massive failure and was canceled halfway through the intended series run.


    Hey Answerman,

    I know that they finished the anime of Kenshin before the manga was completely thus leaving out the Revenge Arc. Are their any plans that have been announced for there to be another series or OAV to do the Revenge Arc ? I already know that they did part of the Revenge Arc in the OAV about Kenshin's past in the OAV, but do they intend to finish what they have started? By the way, any more work on Watsuki's new western manga?

    -CAM

    No plans have been announced for more Kenshin anime. It was a massive success in Japan but the end of the TV series left a bad taste in people's mouths, and although the OVA series brought back a lot of fans, for the most part, interest in Kenshin has waned. I could see it happening if the show really caught on here - which it hasn't, at least not the TV series - but beyond that, I wouldn't expect anything soon. I haven't seen much on Watsuki's new manga; I don't think publication has started in Weekly Jump yet, but I know it's about a gunslinger and it will be published in Jump this year. The Japanese website looked like it said March of this year - which means it just started. If anyone out there has any more info on Watsuki's new manga, let me know.


    I was at my college's anime club and I saw only the opening to a very cute children's anime show about "a bunch of hamsters and their owners", as the guy who runs the club described it. He told us the title of the show and I totally forgot it. I think the second word of the title is "Hamster" or something close to that. I think it's a pretty recent show. Do you have any clue what this show is?

    -Vinnie

    This question was answered by reader Sydra who'd heard of the show he's talking about:

    "There are actually at least two "cute little hamster shows" that are for kids. Both of them started last year. The first is simply titled "Hamster Club", and was one of those 5 minute anime. I believe it ended just last month. The other is "Tottoko Hamutarō", which began in July of last year, and while I'm not certain, I think it may still be airing. The official page is here if you want to check it out: http://www.hamutaro.com"
    sydra

    Thanks, Sydra! I thought he was talking about Ebichu, which is definetely NOT a children's show, but it does feature a hamster.


    Answerman I read from various sources on the web that Senkaiden Hōshin Engi was acquired by ADV but there is virtually no info on that at ADV's site. And animeondvd didn't have it on the Licensed List. Plus I also heard that ADV have plans of changing the name to the extent of "Soul Hunter" or something.... So is it licensed? And is ADV planning on chopping it up?

    Also how likely is it to expect Yami no Matsuei and Gensoumaden Saiyuki to get liscensed in the US?

    Igraine

    ADV has indeed licensed Houshin Engi and there was a rumor going around that they were renaming it Soul Hunters. Most everyone thought that was a bad idea since Bandai has a major release coming up called Soul Taker. I fully expect Saiyuuki to get licensed since it's like a cross between Dragonball and WeiB Kreuz. The great thing about Saiyuuki is that it doesn't have any of the problems that plague Dragonball and WeiB Kreuz, and manages to appeal to the audiences of both shows. Yami no Matsuei is a bit of a long shot - there's a lot of homoeroticism in that show. I'm not saying it won't get licensed, but it might not due to the content.


    Got a couple of questions for ya

    1. I know that Ayashi no Ceres is currently slated for release here in the U.S. I was wondering if any of the American voice actors from Fushigi Yuugi, were going to do some of the voices in Ayashi no Ceres??

    2. I was also wondering if you have heard anything about any of the following series being released in the U.S they are: Flame of Recca, Houshin Engi, Card Captor Movie 1 and 2, Akazukin Cha Cha, Hime Chan's Ribbon, and The Vision of Escaflowne movie.

    Hope to get an anwser from ya soon

    No word yet on the voice cast for Ayashi no Ceres. Check the cast list when the DVD is released later this year. As for the series you asked about, here's a breakdown. Flame of Recca has not been licensed yet. Cardcaptor Sakura movie 1 has been licensed by Nelvana and WB, and although the second movie hasn't been licensed yet, it's a shoe-in given the popularity of Cardcaptors. Akazukin ChaCha and Hime Chan's Ribbon haven't been licensed yet. The Escaflowne movie is licensed by Bandai and will be released sometime in the next few years - they haven't given us any kind of release date yet.


    I have a question that has had me (and probably many other fellow Otaku) stumped that I hope you can help out with. Whatever happened with the plans to release the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure OAV's? I heard Studio A.P.P.P. has the rights to do the U.S. release for both shows and that the plan was to release the second OAV this spring and perhaps the first OAV if the second one did well. Have you heard anything new about it lately? In my experience, it seems like any news about this show is hard to find and unreliable at best so maybe you can help us Jo Jo's fans out with some solid answers.

    -James Connaster

    The OVA series was licensed by SuperTechnoArts, a company that hasn't said anything since they announced that they'd licensed the series. You've heard more than I have - I couldn't find anything beyond the initial announcement by STA that they'd licensed the first OVA.


    Hey answerman--
    Just a couple of questions that absolutely no one but me cares to know the answer to:
    1) I dig "Here Is Greenwood", but as far as I can tell, no one has the rights to the Manga here. Any news so far on this?

    2) On that note, any chance of CPM releasing an El Cheapo DVD version of the 6 episode OAV series at any point in time?

    3) Lastly, who the hell owns the rights to the Bio-Booster Guyver OAV from Bandai? I saw an old Black Horse dub of it a looooooooooong time ago, but since their parent company (US Renditions) went under, I haven't see hide nor hair of it since.

    Thanks AM, you're a pal.

    ~Josh~

    Well, Here Is Greenwood is about as popular as the Black Plague and about as well-known as most local garage bands. No plans have been announced to release the manga here. The manga is about 9 volumes long and is over 10 years old, so I wouldn't expect to see it anytime soon. The OVA series is a CPM release, and since CPM is really bad about releasing old, unpopular catalog titles, I wouldn't hold my breath on that one either. It'll probably happen some day, but probably not in the near future. When it does come out, you can expect a very cheap complete series release. As for Bio-Booster Guyver, the anime series is owned by Manga Video, and they released all 12 episodes back in 1994 on 12 separate dubbed videos. You can still find these videos in a few places across the web. Thanks to BBK for the Here Is Greenwood information.


    What issue of the 'Oh My Goddess!' manga has a bmxer showing of in it? i remember seeing it in a comic shop, but i didn't have enough money to buy it at the time, and it was gone by the time i got back... being a bmxer myself i would really like to see this issue... please help!!

    I enlisted the aid of Ah! Megami-Sama Otaku Extraordinare Tad Morgan for this question. Here's his answer:

    “Skuld meets a young boy who rides one in the two part story "Childhood's End" (Part VIII, Number 1-2). He shows up again a few issues later for the race in the issue titled "Pretty in Scarlet" (Part IX, Number 1) which focuses on the hatching of Skuld's angel, Noble Scarlet.”

    Hope it's what you were looking for. Thanks, Tad!


    That's it for this week's questions. Trivia this week was something of a wash; someone finally answered all the questions from 2 weeks ago correctly, so we have a winner. Zack Williams is this week's Super Mega Ultimate Trivia Champion. Here are his answers:

    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?

      Because Shamshel, the 4th angel was relatively intact after the battle (it's the one with the pink whip arm thingies in ep 3 of the anime, in which Kensuke and Touji get in Eva 1 with Shinji and he drives the progressive knife into the angels core when the battery runs out on his EVA), they can analyze it fully. What Ritsuko finds is that the angels genes are 99.98% the same as humanities, although the angels made of a different, wave like substance.

    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?

      In episode 19 of Outlaw Star, Law and Lawlessness, Valeria and Doos from Angel Links appear. The Outlaw Star gang is apprehended by an Angel Links security force, and they're locked up, but eventually save the Angel Links crew from an attack after escaping and Jean saving Doos life. Doos is the dragonman with the strong sense of dignity, and Valeria is the human tactician. Angel Links is a different story set in the Outlaw Star universe, and has it's own 26 episode series that Bandai will release sooner or later.

    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?

      Yamamoto Yohko's rival is named Midoh Madoka, whose shiny forehead blinds people with glare. She joins Yohko's team eventually, but keeps trying to show her up. Madoka's Seiyuu is the famous Megumi Hayashibara.

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

      From 1958 till its release in 1961, Osama Tezuka first contribution to animation was in the Toei film "Alakazam the Great", based loosely on the chinese Monkey King legend (which is also the inspiration for Dragonball). He did character designs, storyboards and the screenplay to this. Note that this was not Toei's first animated feature - that honor goes to the 1956 "The Tale of the White Serpent".

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

      In the Marmalade Boy anime, Yuu works at Junk Jungle, a clothing boutique run by Kijima-san, and Miki works at Bobson's, an ice cream shop, and then at an import store run by Kijima-san's wife after Yuu goes to america. In the manga, things are a bit different - Yuu's workplace never appears, Kijima-san isn't even given a name, but the reader is told that he's Yuu's boss. He appears in 3 drawings total, to make Yuu look like more of a hunk, because he got off work to spend time with Miki (this happens in the 3rd volume of the manga). Miki does work at Bobson's though, to introduce the Kei-kun substory, but never at the import store Kijima wife runs, which doesn't exist in the manga.

    Nice work. Here are Zack's questions for this week:
    1. In Initial D, what technique does Takumi use to go around a curve like his car is on rails in the first race against the Redsuns?

    2. In Shoujo Kakume Utena, how does Anthy express her jealousy over Utena's relationship with Akio?

    3. In Neighborhood Story, what discovery causes Mikako to dye her hair blonde?

    4. In Chikyu Shoujo Arjuna, what taunt prompts Tokio to search for Juna while she's on "survival training"?

    5. Near the beginning of the bimmo-chan episode of Golden Boy, there's some immediately recognizable background music from an artist that is also featured in Konami's Dance Dance Revolution games. Name the artist.

    These are some seriously tough questions, folks, so we're changing the rules. The first person to answer the questions correctly - and with a proper amount of detail - wins the first ever Answerman prize package! So, keep those questions coming!


    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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