Forum - View topicMs. Answerman: The Great Online Petition
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Tenchi
 Posts: 4469 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
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I coincidentally wrote about the Cutiepie petition in my blog last week:
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Steventheeunuch
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I said that about Ikkitousen, though. Yet people still buy said crap. |
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Joe Mello
 Posts: 2260 Location: Online Terminal |
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I don't know...it's actually very cute, despite all the frontal. Besides, you have to give respect points to anyone who can fit in an Urusei Yatsura reference for the OG's. |
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Glory Questor
 Posts: 456 |
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Actually, the disease Kenshin contracts in Samurai X: Reflections doesn't just give him all those dark spots, but spoiler[it also somehow heals his cross-shaped scar! (look when Kaoru moves the hair from his cheek at the end)].
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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Hmm. I haven't seen Reflections, but I'm beginning to think that I should. As a medical historian, all this talk about skin diseases is getting me interested. (hey it takes all kinds)
In the Japan of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the two most common incurable skin diseases (of a non-STD nature) were leprosy and psoriasis. The latter is genetic, so my money is on leprosy, assuming Kenshin actually caught the disease from someone else. I haven't seen any pictures of Kenshin in his afflicted condition - can anyone point me to some? - abunai |
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Haiseikoh 1973
 Posts: 1590 Location: Waiting for the Japanese 1000 Gunieas. |
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Untill I see pics of Kenshin during his final moments, I rather lay offa calling him a Leper.
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Godaistudios
Posts: 2075 Location: Albuquerque, NM (the land of entrapment) |
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Actually that's just a bit of symbolism for you. spoiler[The scar was gone because once he died, the "curse" he carried with him to help others was also lifted.] |
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Nagisa
Moderator
 Posts: 6128 Location: Atlanta-ish, Jawjuh |
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But the problem is that said symbolism runs very contradictory to the symbolism placed on the scar by Watsuki & the Tsuioku-Hen OVA. spoiler[Unless I misread something, both sources rather explicitly place the scar more as a "memorial" of sorts to Tomoe than the burden of Kenshin's sins. Kenshin embarks on his wanderings due to the events surrounding Tomoe, but the scar itself reflects more specifically his undying memory of her. To me, the conclusion of the elusive Jinchuu Arc was better closure in regards to Kenshin's vagabond ways & bloody past than the scar fading. It fading in Seishouhen just read more to me like "Yeah, that Tomoe broad? She wasn't that important, forget her" than his sins being lifted. And given how Tomoe just happens to be one of my favourite characters in the entire franchise, I must say I felt a little insulted by the director's choices there.] |
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Godaistudios
Posts: 2075 Location: Albuquerque, NM (the land of entrapment) |
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spoiler[I'm inclined to agree that while I don't like the director's choices, I doubt that there is a question that it is symbolic in nature. Considering that the director was given a'la carte here in how it was going to go, (though it has been awhile since I saw Reflections, since I don't care for it, nor can I bring myself to consider it a part of the Kenshin saga) it seems that's the direction he took it in.]
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Michi
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 741 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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I'd like to know why Ms. Answerman thinks the fact that a series is five years old means it won't be licensed. o_o; Wedding Peach was only recently picked up by ADV about a year or so ago, and that series is at least 10 years old now. =/ There's still hope for Kaikan Phrase, especially since the manga is over here. Really now.
Kinda annoyed at the unmarked Kenshin spoilers, too. |
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Godaistudios
Posts: 2075 Location: Albuquerque, NM (the land of entrapment) |
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Actually she stated that it's unlikely to be licensed. That's a fact of life we all need to face. The older a series is, the less likely it is to see the light of day over here. U.S. companies want the hot items, things that they know will sell quickly. That's just business for you.
Is it possible it will see a license someday? Sure, but I wouldn't hold my breath. |
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Haiseikoh 1973
Posts: 1590 Location: Waiting for the Japanese 1000 Gunieas. |
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Untill I see pics of Kenshin during his final moments, I rather lay offa calling him a Leper. I mean, he ain't exactly throwing bits and pieces of his body here and there like regular common Lepers.
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Rebecca
 Posts: 57 |
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This is actually why I hesitated to call him a leper, but it's possible that showing an accurate depiction of what a leper goes through wouldn't fit the mood they were after. spoiler[Could you imagine Karou holding Kenshin in his lap in that serene location while gangrene sets in, his nose caves in, and his body slowly succumbs to deformity?] It's also unlikely that it's psoriasis since it's not contagious. Kenshin and Karou do cough, but I never once saw any blood, ruling out TB. It's possible that he was afflicted by a less common disease, but leprosy seems to be the best guess. On my responses about the likeliness of a series being licensed, Godaistudios got it right. Generally I judge the likeliness on how old a series is, though I do take into consideration certain factors (such as the title being a Miyazaki flick) that may or may not increase it's chance. If someone wrote in asking if Gankutsuou will ever be licensed, I'd say there's a good chance since it's a current series in Japan. |
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SalarymanJoe
 Posts: 468 Location: Atlanta, GA, USA |
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I thought the Seisou-hen ending, while sad, was a better alternitive to the manga ending. But then again, I like finality over "happily ever after"; it's all about tieing up the loose strings.
Nagisa, concerning Kenshin's scar: Part of why Kenshin decided to wander after Bakumatsu was to repent for those he killed, most notably Tomoe. The scar he received from Kiyosato was more of how he was used (and arguably corrupted) by the Choshuu hanshi (and the Ishin Shishi). Throughout the rest of the series, he tries to atone for this and true atonement finally comes (for readers and viewers) during Jinchuu-hen, but perhaps Kenshin's own personal forgiveness doesn't come until the end of Seisou-hen. Personally, I think director's (Furuhashi) play off of Kenshin's noble character and continuing the use of the scar metaphor is a nice touch to the OAV. But then again, perhaps Furuhashi needs no more explination other than "Scar tissue heals over time and begins to look much more like natural skin." |
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Nagisa
Moderator
Posts: 6128 Location: Atlanta-ish, Jawjuh |
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I don't see how he's playing off of Kenshin's "noble character" when the very beginning of the OVA—the catalyst to future events—has him being the military's mascot dog like he said at the very beginning of the series that he'd never do. The scar issue aside, I can't stand Seishouhen because of all the plotholes like such that got inserted solely for cheap melodrama. A final "memorial" style OVA would've been a fine idea if only the producers didn't change stuff around to make the characters as pathetically angst-ridden as possible. I'm not saying it had to be "happy sunshine," but the way the characters were written in Seishouhen was just too over the top.
Which would, again, rob it of the pre-established meaning of scars that carry a burden to them not healing. |
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