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Ms. Answerman
World Police

by Rebecca Bundy,

Dear Ms. Answerman
Could you recommend some seinen anime? I have been curious about anime for a while and bought several DVDs, and was really getting into it when I was stopped in my tracks by Kai Doh Maru. It's difficult for someone who didn't watch anime in their teenage years to know what is genuinely good and what is loved partly for nostalgic reasons. I know my judgement is not good because I watched the first volume of EVA in a highly doubtful frame of mind and was blown away by how good it was, yet Kai Doh Maru, which seemed so much more ‘grown up’ in the way it was presented, just didn't make sense, even in a Japanese kind of way.
Appreciation Maximum
S.M.


Berserk would be at the top of this list, followed closely by Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Hellsing. All of these series have a decent helping of violence and adult themes without the need for gratuitous sex or nudity (Berserk's TV series doesn't have THAT much, but the manga is unfortunately rife with it).



Dear Ms. Answerman,
It's great news that Fullmetal Alchemist is coming out on DVD in the US soon, but could I just ask if it's going to be uncut? Funimation has released other anime that were shown on Cartoon Network (*cough* Dragon Ball Z *cough*) where they have cut out all the evidence of fighting, ie blood, and any swearwords to replace them with things such as 'I will destroy you', etc. As the violence and language is an integral part of the Alchemist storyline, will the DVDs be censored?
-Amy

The difference between Dragon Ball Z and Fullmetal Alchemist is their timeslot on Cartoon Network. DBZ had a kids-friendly time in the afternoon, while FMA will have a comfortable 11:30 spot on Adult Swim. Generally Adult Swim is left untouched, especially recently, so there's a good chance that FMA, violence and all, will be uncut as well. The first episode was shown during the L'arc~en~Ciel concert at Otakon this summer and from what I saw, the episode was uncut.



Dear Ms. Answerman,
Been wondering if there's any word of Vagabond being turn to anime form. The manga is so damn good that it even rivals Berserk in every way. So why hasn't this great manga series been turn to anime yet is it because it's too violent?. It's up to volume 20 in Japan that's enough source to be turned into a long running series three seasons or so. Takehiko Inoue other work Slam Dunk was a popular series and it's likely that the if Vagabond is turn into anime it will be popular too.

Violence itself is rarely an issue when it comes to creating an anime, mostly because the Japanese are very tolerant when it comes to violence on their TV screens. If an extremely popular manga series isn't turned into a TV series, OVA, or movie, it's because the mangaka does not want their series made into an anime or has too many demands when it comes to what must be done in the anime. Hiroaki Samura, the mangaka for Blade of the Immortal, has made it public knowledge that he doesn't want his series to be made into an anime because he feels that the animation could never accurately and religiously use his style of art.



Dear Anwerman,
I understand that you have a lot of questions to answer back, but there is this question that has been bothering me for quite a while now. I want to know if the setting of Mangas or Animes have to take place in Japan or not. Can it take place somewhere else like in America?
Thank you for your time. I hope I will receive an answer.
Sincerely,
ACrystal

While Japan is the most common location for anime and manga series to take place in, other countries are regularly used as settings for stories as well. Pet Shop of Horrors and Fake both find their roots in American soil, while Monster makes use of Germany's countryside. A lot of series also have short visits or character history based in other countries. Members of Section 9 from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex have trained in areas all over the world, most notably some in Central and Southern America.



Hello I am curious about a version of Sailor Moon I once heard about which is supposedly rather bloody and ends by them all getting killed by some character named sailor galaxy, I've never watched the show because it seemed to childish and annoying to me but I've been looking to find out the name of this particular version of Sailor Moon if it exists. please let me know if you know of anything like this thanks a lot..
sincelryle
eric zimmermann

The season you've heard of is Sailor Moon Stars, the only season that hasn't been released in the US, thanks in part to the fact that the Sailor Stars are women who transform into men and hit on some of the female scouts. I personally enjoyed Stars more than S, but both seasons are highlights of the Sailor Moon TV series. If you're curious enough to actually buy something, the three volumes for Sailor Moon Stars manga are available for purchase. Try ordering these volumes online though since it's an older series and many stores might not carry it any longer.


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