Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! [2005-12-02]
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Azumangaman
 Posts: 256 Location: Canada |
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Great Answerman as always Mr.Zac. I never win anything. I guess I should stop making so many fart jokes...so many good ones too...
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remember love
 Posts: 764 Location: Germany |
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Good to you...not to him. |
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red stranger
 Posts: 184 |
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{SPOILERS AHEAD}
Cowboy Bebop is not "mostly filler". While there may be a couple of filler episodes, most of the sessions DO deal with the main story, they just don't in a straight forward, linear way way like most other anime. For example, in Session #1: Asteroid Blues, Azimov has betrayed his gang and is trying to escape with his girlfriend Katrina, and spoiler[they end up dead]. Change the names to Spike and Julia, and you've got a parallel of the main plot of Bebop, that also foreshadows the last episodes. So what seemed like a one short story, is actually the whole main plot, just with different characters. And Bebop is certainly not episodic like Lupin. With Lupin, all the characters are ther from the begining (at least in the two more popular series), and most of the episodes are completly self contained with out any reference to any other episode. Like I said above, in Cowboy Bebop almost all the episodes relate to the main plot, and even the filler episodes at least relate to the main themes. And you have to watch the series in order, just because of the main plot, the Faye sub plot, and the comming and going of characters. These episodes are pretty much locked into place (see spoiler below for a long explaination): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 15, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26. The episodes not included in that list are not necessarily filler, or unrelated to the main plot, they just don't sit in order as firmly as the others. Also, the list doesn't pay attention to character development, which would certainly lock in a few more episodes, but is a bit subjective. spoiler[Session #1 is only episode that has only Spike and Jet, so that HAS to go first. Ein is introduced in the next episode, which has to be seen before #3, because Faye is introduced. But she doesn't actually join the crew until #4. So the first four episodes have a definite order. After that, you have to watch #5, #6, #7 & #8 before you see #9, as those four sessions don’t have Edward, who joins in #9. Sessions #12 & #13 have to be seen in order after #5 & #9. #15, & #18 have to be seen in order after #4 & #9. #21, #22, #23 have to be seen in order because the movie is said to take place #22 & #23, and is set on Halloween (and has a cameo by Andy from #22). #21 takes place in August, so it has to come before the film, and #23 is the last episode for Antonio, Carlos, and Jobim. #24, #25 and #26 should be seen order after #23, because they wrap up the series. ] |
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remember love
Posts: 764 Location: Germany |
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spoiler[Yes, but they are on a different planet now right? Technically speaking, each plaent has different size and days,weeks,months, and years are all different to other planets. So, really the timeline has nothing do with anything to the movie if we look at that small fact, that's if they are on a different planet which I'm pretty sure they are.] |
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TiredGamer
 Posts: 246 Location: Florida |
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I wouldn't label anything in FMA the TV series "filler". The series is a reimagining of Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist manga. Seiji Mizushima and BONES told a very different (and some might say darker) story about the Elric brothers. A story that has not entirely ended, but has given itself some closure. Meanwhile the manga continues with its own vision. Whether it will bend towards the one told by the television series is up to the writer, but I hope not. I like both as separate tellings about the adventures of the Elric brothers.
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Train
Posts: 4 Location: Tomoeda |
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As an anime itself (and ignoring the manga entirely), didn't it still have some filler eps? Correct me if I'm wrong (and I very well can be since it's been way too long since I saw the beginning of the series and I did so only once and in FF mode), but what of the episode featuring that girl pretending to be a boy? Was there something relevant to the plot (as a whole) in that ep? Or.....*headdesk* I really can't remember very well....the ep took place around that time...had something to do with an elderly man or....... ........ Case in point, I haven't properly watched the anime. XP And I rather doubt Arakawa is going to follow the anime path. For one, the way the homunculi are created is already completely different. That and she seems to plan way ahead, like the reason Havoc smokes spoiler[so that his lighter could be used in the Roy/Lust battle some thirty/forty chapters later]. =D |
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PantsGoblin
 SubscriberEncyclopedia Editor  Posts: 2969 Location: L.A. |
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Despite all that you said, I didn't watch the series in order and it still made sense. The points you made are just so insignificant, that they don't really matter in understanding the story. I consider Cowboy Bebop to be mostly filler because you can skip so many of the episodes and still understand the main story. The things you said don't really contribute enough so that you have to watch it for it to make sense.
This is funny, you actually further proved my point here in saying that, "So what seemed like a one short story, is actually the whole main plot, just with different characters." Yep, you said it yourself, the whole main plot can be explained in one episode. |
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TiredGamer
Posts: 246 Location: Florida |
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There might have been episodes that were not plot-focused, but then any manga or anime series (original or no) has those. My point was that the TV series is such an original work that it can't be associated with the manga like others. |
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ACDragonMaster
 Posts: 405 |
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FMA is an unusual case on the "filler" issue, because the series effectively kicks off the overarching plot immediately in the first two episodes, and from that point forward continues straight on to the end 50 episodes later without any really pauses or slowing down.
However, some episodes are considered "filler" to different degrees by the fandom- Episode 4: some portions of the fandom call this one filler as it's a one-shot story that is, litterally, a side trip Ed and Al take. I don't count it as filler because it ties in directly with other aspects of the series, namely spoiler[Ed and Al catching a glimpse of Lust (referenced in episode 1), and some exploration/opening up of the issues of binding a human soul to an inanimate object] Episode 10: this comes closest to being unversally accepted as "the" filler episode of the series. Aside from again being a side trip, the only thing that contributes to the overarching story is one line that pretty much any character could have told the Elrics. The argument against it being filler is that it shows a little character development, but then again that's addressed later anyway. This one is closest to true filler because the entire episode could be cut, with no impact to the overall plot of the series. Episode 13: because it's mostly made up of gaiden and omake features from the manga, some tend to call it filler. It however directly ushers in a couple plot points that are explored in the next few episodes, so I really wouldn't call it filler at all. Episode 26: this is following the point (episode 25/chapter 15) considered to be the changeover from the anime mostly following the manga, to the two having considerably less in common. As I believe someone else noted, this plot arc is explored much more in the manga than the anime. This episode is a bit of a side story, but it's only the second episode to do anything much with Winry's character, which does contribute to things later on. Also, it brings in the appearence of a certain couple who're very important in the second half the series. Episode 35: considered filler by some because it's more of a side story. I wouldn't call it filler because spoiler[it gives us a lot of insight into Lust and begins her backstory, which is important in later episodes] Episode 37: the second of the gaiden/omake episodes, and considered filler for that reason. Reasons against it being called filler are that it does move a couple pieces of plot foward. And gives us some much-needed development of the military crew, who sadly don't get anywhere near as much in the anime as in the manga. After that I can't think of any more episodes that I've heard people call "filler" before. And any other episode that could be named, it's easy to point to the connections it has with later events in the series. (such as episode 9, for example) So I'm still of the opinion that if FMA has filler, the only true filler episode is episode 10. |
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Abarenbo Shogun
 Posts: 1573 |
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I wanna see cute catgirls than kittens. Like Felicia from Darkstalkers.
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Andromeda
Posts: 119 Location: Florida |
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Why not? 
Here were all of mine (of varying quality, I'll admit): Caption Number 1: Girl: "No, actually, I wasn't aware there was such a thing as a knee fetish. Why do you ask?" Caption Number 2: Girl: "So, I'm going to be A-OK, right? Girl again:...right?" Guy: ...! Caption Number 3: Guy: Wait, can you use hairspray as an antiseptic...? Damnit! I knew I shouldn't have dropped out of med school... Caption Number 4: Guy (thinking): My GOD is it hard to concentrate with her picking her nose like that! Caption Number 5: Guy (thinking) : Did I leave the oven on? Caption Number 6: Guy (thinking): Are knees really supposed to be... pointy? Caption Number 7: Guy: My GOD! I can't believe it's not butter! Caption Number 8: Guy: My... my GOD. He can't can't hear me now! I...I've been living a LIE! Caption Number 9: Guy: You want me to... your WHAT!? Caption Number 10: Guy: ...you do realize there's extraordinarily little likelihood of getting lint up *there*, don't you? Yeah, in hindsight, a lot of them kinda sucked.  I would think that the pic would have inspired SOME reasonably good caption enough to win, though. Considering the ones that have won before on the merit of "It made me smile for a moment, none of the others did." (<--- paraphrasing from memory) 
I am NOT saying that any of mine should necessarily have won (again, some of them were... really lame, actually), but come on, surely there was ONE good one amongst all of the entires Zac got? The pic really, really seemed to lend itself. I find it really surprising that no one at all won. Especially after all that "you'll have to wait another week to find out" business. I do have one manwha I read and actually adored, ya know. Demon Diary. It's cute, funny, has gorgeous art, and even a tiny bit of a decent plot hidden in it. I bought all seven volumes, and didn't regret it one bit. At least, I think it was manwha. It was written by people with Korean-sounding names and it reads left-right.
-Andromeda |
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mufurc
 Posts: 612 |
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Yes, in hindsight that episode was a very clever foreshadowing. It's similar with Jupiter Jazz - while the actual story is about how Vicious has betrayed Gren, I always thought that on a different level it was a way to show Vicious' bitterness over having been betrayed by Spike (and Julia) whom he must have considered as his comrade at one time. |
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Ohoni
Posts: 3421 |
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A "filler" episode (which occurs in all genres, anime, tv shows, comics, etc.), is any short story arc that does not advance the main plot, nor does it add any significant character development that could not be implied through later episodes. Essentially, it's any episode which could be removed from a viewing of the series, and yet nothing essential would be lost in the lack of it. FMA had several of these. They were generally entertaining, certainly not complete wastes of time, but they were filler nonetheless. Bebop was indeed almost half "filler", but becauseso much of it was filler it kind of fell into the category of a non-plot-driven show. Excel Saga, for example, was around 90% filler, for example, as only the first couple, last couple, and an episode or two in the middle actually advanced any semblance of a plot, and even then haphazzardly. It was still a great show. Essentially in bebop I remember something like five Spike episodes (not counting the first ep), three or four Faye episodes, two Ed episodes, one Ein episode, and two Jet episodes. That would leave about 8 filler episodes in the series, which might have been interesting, and given a slightly broader view of the characters, but which were not essential to follow any of the character's through-lines. BTW, I DO consider an FMA episode to be filler if it's 90% "filler-esc" material, with a little bit of plot thrown in at the begining or end of it or something. It's still filler, those portions should instead have been recut into the preceeding or following episodes, and do not "excuse" the episode of being filler. |
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.Sy
Posts: 1266 |
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I preferred the kitten pictures, but only because they were cuter. But I won't mind if you stick a lizard in there occasionally. Great read as always. |
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Azumangaman
Posts: 256 Location: Canada |
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Please bring back the Kittens
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