Answerman

The Yaoi Debate Rages On!

do you know of any good fansubbers in england??
i'm sick of ordering from abroad!!
p.s when are the Giant Robo dvds coming out?

-Xup 878

I can't really give you specifics, but if you check www.fansubs.net, go to the "Fansubs Distro List". Scroll to the bottom. There should be a list of other distributors, with links. The ones in the UK will be listed in the right hand column. As for Giant Robo, Manga Entertainment lists it on their site as being available starting November 27th, 2001.

Are the rumors of another Slayers season in production true?
-Joann Garcia

Nobody knows. A few years back, someone announced that there would be a "Slayers Classic" TV series that'd be out sometime in the year 2000. There hasn't been any Slayers news in a while, so this turned out to be purely rumor. Keep an eye out, though - it's still a popular franchise, so there's the possibility of more on the way.

Hi there,

I had a question regarding Rurouni Kenshin. I myself can't seem to find the answer so maybe you can help. I live in the Netherlands and saw Kenshin OAV 1-4 last week on TV. I was so impressed by it that I started searching for the DVD of it. But the only thing I could find was Samurai X Trust and Samurai X Betrayal. So that's Kenshin 1&2 and Kenshin 3&4. But isn't there somewhere a DVD like they sell in France and Japan, 1 DVD containing all 4 OAV's? Or is there a company who's making it right now? Example: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1411757278

Hope to hear from you soon,
Erik

For some reason, ANN editor Tempest decided to answer this one himself. I'll let him field this question. Here's his answer:
Erik,

I took a look at the E-bay website you sent me, and I can assure you that most, if not all of those DVDs are bootlegs. For example the Ghibli DVDs I can guarantee you, without a shadow of a doubt, are bootlegged.

In most cases watch for the following type of DVDs, they're probably Bootlegged.
1) Coming from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan or Thailand
2) No Region Encoding
3) Hard Subs.

These DVD are usually produced from a Laser Disc master, and sometimes even from VHS masters.

As for the Rurouni Kenshin OVAs, there is no North American combined release; ADV, the North American distributor, has chosen to release them 2 episodes per DVD. In Japan the DVD were originally released one episode per DVD, however Sony did eventually release all four episodes on one DVD, as a combined theatrical movie. There is also a boxed set coming out in Japan this March with the four separate DVDs.

As for Europe, Glenat is currently releasing the Kenshin manga in France under the name "Kenshin le Vagabond" so I would have expected to see Kenshin on DVD, but such is not the case. According to DVD Furax(http://www.dvdfurax.com/) the first release of the Kenshin TV series on DVD has been postponed from February to some later date.

Good luck with your search.

Tempest

Awww. Thanks, Tempest.

Greetings, Answerman! Riddle me this, riddle me that...

Seriously, I have three questions.

Firstly, about the Tenchi-series. The original OAV (or was it TV?) runhad thirteen episodes in all, now collected as a three-DVD "Tenchi MuyoDVD ultimate edition" with one for extras only. Now, while many thingshave been wrapped up neatly come the end, it appears to leave manyquestions unanswered and some plot threads hanging, like what the JuraiEmperor is planning for Tenchi and what Lady Tokimi is up to. There ismore Tenchi stuff out there, like the Universe series (alternatetelling of the same thing, I hear) and three movies (seen them), butnothing that'd resolve these open plotlines. Or is there? I haven'tfound anything yet that'd take off from where the thirteenth episodeends. Help!

Secondly, whose bright idea it was to replace the Ghost in the ShellJapanese ending theme with some cr*p (my apologies, fans) by 'ThePassengers'? I was unaware there even was an alternate version of thekick-ass "The Making of a Cyborg" before I switched my LD to Japanesetrack during the ending credits, just for kicks. Sounds like afeeeelthy marketing scheme to me...

Finally, I've been UTTERLY hooked to Gasaraki. How many DVDs there willbe, assuming three episodes per DVD?

- Tenebrae

The original OVA series did indeed run 13 episodes in all, so that's what you're thinking of. Technically, it isn't finished; they hadn't planned on finishing the OVA series for several years, and they finally announced that they'd be finishing the OVA storyline with an upcoming third OVA series sometime in the near future. Your questions will be answered, but you'll have to wait like the rest of us for the new episodes.

I don't know whose idea that was; probably some suit at Manga who saw that they were doing a theatrical release of that film and decided that there's more soundtrack sales potential in an English closing theme. I love it when people who know absolutely nothing about the market for anime try and develop marketing plans for it.

Assuming 3 episodes per DVD with 4 on the first one, Gasaraki will end up on 8 discs total. There are only 25 episodes.

hi! I have a few questions about various rumors that I've been hearing lately about Sailor Moon. Maybe you can help!

first, I heard that Naoko Takeuchi is interested in doing a new Sailor Moon manga. Is this rumor true? If so, is she just revamping the story, or will there be a new story in the works?

Second, do you know if Bandai ever plans on releasing the Sailor Moon musicals (SeraMyu) in the U.S.? There's a very big fan base here, and there've been campaigns for years, so I was just wondering.
Thanks!

--- nemesis

The rumors that Takeuchi is interested in doing more Sailor Moon have been flying fast for a while now, but no confirmations as of yet. If anyone out there has heard anything, make yourself known - I can't find much out there beyond mentions of the rumor.

As for the Sailor Moon Musicals, I wouldn't bet on it, but it might happen. Nobody's made any announcements yet, but I imagine that there is a market for such a thing - so long as they can convincingly dub them. I've seen one - they're just recordings of stage shows, so I'm not sure if the production values are really high enough to be considered for a US release. It's like watching a bootleg of a concert. Keep signing those petitions, though, and Pioneer may one day decide to license the darn things.

Hi there.

I was wondering if Toonami is ever going to show Sailor Stars, the final season for Sailor Moon. I've only seen two of the episodes of that series. I've heard that Toonami was suppose to air Sailor Stars in January (2001). I was reading one of your news articles where it said that Toonami was airing new anime shows. (2-22-01). However I did not see Sailor Moon Stars there. I would like to know if Toonami is going to show Sailor Moon Stars.

Thank you,

Sugar

I honestly don't think they can air Sailor Stars. It features the vinyl-clad transsexual "Sailor Starlights" (Which, if you ask me, are more at home in the Rocky Horror Picture Show than they are in Sailor Moon) and I'm not sure how they'd cover up all the thoroughly "inappropriate" connotations that run throughout the course of the show. They could cover up Haruka and Michiru, but I'm afraid the Sailor Starlights are just too flamboyant to cover up properly for American audiences. Cartoon Network hasn't said anything regarding this season of Sailor Moon, and I fully expect them not to.

HI this might sound like a stupid question but do you know of any plans for an escaflowne sequel. I have just finished seeing the series on YTV in Canada and loved it but it didn't seem like it really ended so i don't know I guess false hope that it's not really over.
Thanks
Amanda

Sadly, The Vision of Escaflowne is over and probably won't be resurrected for a second season. The show tanked in Japan - the movie version that was made was produced primarily for an American audience, since the show was much more popular here than in Japan. You can look forward to seeing the movie, but alas, I wouldn't bet on there being any more Escaflowne TV episodes being produced.

Hi Zac

I am just curious, what do you know about any possible pick up of the Sakura Taisen TV series?

Thanks in advance,

Mike Nicolas
President Emeratus, York University Anime and Manga Association
Assistant Coordinator, CNAnime

As of this writing, no US companies have licensed the Sakura Taisen TV series. It'll probably happen any day now - the original OAV series did well for ADV, so I can't imagine them not licensing it and the second OAV series.

Last week, as you may recall, I posted a small rant about the upcoming Yaoi convention. Naturally, I got some hate mail for that. Here's an interesting letter:

You know, I *REALLY* expected something better from someone like you! NOBODY has made any pretenses about Yaoi-Con being about anything *OTHER* than porn. Or at least there may be other stuff, but the porn is *CERTAINLY* there. And that's why, btw, there's also an age restriction on the convention. The only reason there *is* no hentai con is simply because nobody's brave enough to start one up! And rather than firing off a rather immature rant, I REALLY think what is in order here is an apology to Larissa and the other Yaoi-Con staff and prospective attendees. All they're doing is the same thing the founders of the first "normal" anime cons in the U.S. did - taking their fandom, something they love and are interested in - and organizing together with fellow fans. And if you don't like yaoi, well, *NOBODY* is forcing you to attend!

Thank you
- Mikhail Koulikov

Thanks for your comments, Mikhail. Simply put, almost every fangirl I know who's in to Yaoi has serious issues with people who watch Hentai. They're more than happy to lambaste someone for buying Hentai videos at a convention, and will then turn around and buy 100 dollars with of Trigun Y-doujinshi. I'm glad to see there's an age restriction on the convention; anything else would almost certainly be illegal. I absolutely refuse to apologize for expressing my opinion on the matter. If they're really confident about this whole thing, they don't need any apology from me. “Normal” anime conventions, to me, are about appreciating an art form and embracing something that's bigger and greater than any of us - a Yaoi convention seems to be nothing more than a collection of people who get off on watching Duo and Heero get it on in the back seat of the Gundam Wing Zero. I never had any intention of attending the convention - but I, like anyone else, reserve the right to express my opinion about things like this.

Then, I got another letter from a vastly more level-headed man than I:
Also, in reference to the yaoi con, I agree. I wouldn't call all yaoi porn simply because I don't call all hentai porn - a great deal of it is erotica. And there *is* a difference between erotica and porn, as is shown here:

http://www.brunching.com/toys/toy-eroticaorporn.html

'Is That Porn or Erotica?' will answer all your questions on this subject. And yes, that's a comedy link.

But really, a yaoi con sounds spectacular to me...but robbing the world of a yuri con is...criminal. And a hentai con sounds great to me. Really, they're all just different flavors of hentai, erotica or not...asking for a yaoi con is like asking for a Girls in School Uniforms con.

-Irk

This guy had a lot of really interesting things to say - I wish I had space to print his whole letter. He's right in saying that all Yaoi isn't porn; I'm sure it isn't, but I'd honestly like to see anything that's considered Yaoi that isn't porn. Anything softer, I'm told, is considered Shounen Ai. He's also right about it being the same as asking for a Girls in School Uniforms convention; you have to give them props for having the balls to actually throw the convention, but I'll be damned if it isn't at least a little creepy, to say the least.

Enough of that unpleasantness. On to this week's Trivia Championship. Unfortunately, only one of the questions was ever answered correctly - and it was answered in fine form by Irk, who also wrote in about Yaoi. Here's the answers to all of the questions, in order:

1. In the Gainax OVA series FLCL, Haruko claims that Naota is dead in a very (blank) manner. What does this expression mean? Name the expression and explain what it means.

   Haruko says that Naota is dead in a very “Taro-kun” manner. This essentially means that he's dead in a very normal way. It's like saying that someone is dead in a “John Doe” fashion - meaning there's nothing unusual or interesting about it.

2. In the OVA series Otaku no Video, What famous mecha/battleship stands at the entrance to Otakuland, what series is it from, what version of it is present at the entrance, and where was that version used most prominently?

   This is somewhat of a trick question - the mecha/battleship at the entrance to Otakuland is indeed Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, but it has both versions of the Nautilus from Nadia - The Secret of Blue Water on either arm. It appears, of course, only in Otaku no Video.

3. In the TV series Revolutionary Girl Utena, bitter rival Saionji is expelled from Ohtori Academy. Why was Saionji expelled, and who did he shack up with afterwards?

   Irk's Answer:

   Saionji was expelled for attacking Utena (and subsequently injuring Touga). I believe the wording on the expulsion notice was 'misconduct'. But we all know he got kicked because he almost sliced Touga in half. ^^;;; After that, Saionji slouched around in Wakaba's dorm room, living on her hospitality till he managed to get reinstated by the Black Rose Society in another of Mikage's attempts to rule the world -- er, kill Anthy.

   That's exactly right. You rock.

4. In Maison Ikkoku, nobody knows what mysterious tenant Yotsuya does for a living. According to the television series, what is Yotsuya's profession?

   Nobody knows what Yotsuya's profession is. It's rumored that he's a rubber band salesman, but that turns out to be a red herring. His real profession is never revealed.

5. Name Kenshin's final succession technique and what the conditions were to learn it.Kenshin's final succession technique is called “Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki” and the condition is that you have to kill your master using the technique in order to learn it.

Due to the fact that nobody answered these questions correct, I'll ask some easier ones:

1. What's the name of the small black cat in Trigun?
2. In the Slayers Special OAV series, how many clones of Na-Ga are there?
3. At the end of Fushigi Yuugi, how does Tamahome kill Nakago?
4. In The Vision of Escaflowne, what does the Escaflowne require to activate itself?
5. In Rurouni Kenshin, what does the Kanji on the back of Sanosuke's shirt mean?

Thanks for reading!