Ms. Answerman

Summer Heat

Two of the most interesting words in the English language are “hot”
and “cold”. No matter who you ask, everyone will have a different
opinion of what is (too) hot and (too) cold. With summer upon us, the ever popular
debate will rage on between friends and relatives as they travel and experience
varying types of summer weather.

I will say one thing though; I miss the 20 degree variation between standing
in the shade and standing in the sunlight. Humidity is a horrible thing.

These may be questions you've answered before... :-)

I've noticed in a number of shows that signs, computer readouts, etc, are in
English, even when the show is set in Japan. Are English-language signs common
in Japan, or has the artwork been altered to match the dvd's target market?
It seems like some of the shows (such as Evangelion) would require nearly a
complete reshoot to change all the text.

I've noticed a costume-related item that seems odd on a couple of shows - american
sandals are typically made so that the strap anchors to the sole between the
big and second toes, but in anime like Rurouni Kenshin, the strap seems to be
more centered on the foot, between the second and third toes. Is this how japanese
sandals are made, or is it a drawing issue?

Scott Wiley

English language signs are “common” in Japan, but like here depend
on which area of the country you're in. If I drive down to an area populated
by Japanese stores, most of the titles are in Japanese. Likewise, areas that
are used to seeing foreign tourists will generally have a larger supply of English
signs. Generally signs are not altered in anime shows, though you'll see
it from time to time. It's more common to see the translation subbed over
or near the actual sign.

Japanese sandals, like most American sandals, are anchored between the big and
second toe. Sum it up to the artists who've given the Kenshin cast giant
big toes.

Hello! Just wanted to know for the sake of settling a little argument on a message
board.

As you've mainly noticed from the subject, my question is, who is/are the director(s)
of Tenchi Muyo! for the OVA 1 & 2, TV, Shin Tenchi, GXP, and the upcoming
(for the US at least)OVA 3 series?

Thanks for the help.

LOVE & PEACE!

Esteban

Here's a brief list of directors and their Tenchi work:

Tenchi Universe, 1st & 3rd movies - Hiroshi Negishi

Tenchi in Tokyo (Shin Tenchi) – Nobuhiro Takamoto

Tenchi Muyo! OVA 1 – Hiroki Hayashi

Tenchi Muyo! OVA 3 – Kenichi Yatagai

Tenchi Muyo GXP - Shinichi Watanabe

I wasn't able to find the director for the second OVA, but all of this
information can be found on ANN's webpage if you want to do a little more
research for yourself.

Hello,

I have been a big fan of D.N.Angel for a really long time. So, I was wondering
if you knew when the DVD/video was coming to the U.S.? I had heard that ADV
Films was licensing. They said they were about a year ago. Now, there is no
word of it. Do you know anything?

Thanks in advance,

Lady Pyro

ADV does have the rights to the anime, but they haven't announced anything
else aside from the fact that they have it. Either they've put it on the
backburner for a little bit or they've run across problems and are trying
to deal with them now. Until then, check out your local stores for the first
volume of the manga, courtesy of Tokyopop.

Dear (Ms.) Answerman:

For quite some time now, I've been anxiously awaiting the releases of various
manga titles by Viz. The problem is that many of the manga have not been showing
up at my local stores. Manga such as volumes 4 and 5 of Hana Yori Dango,
Fushigi Yuugi volume 10 (rerelease), and Hot Gimmick volume 3 are nowhere to be seen.
According to Viz's website, all of these titles should have been released, at
the most recent, by February. However, many other manga titles set to be released
around the same time are in stores.

I'm hoping there haven't been any unannounced delays; but that does seem unlikely
anyways. Might you be able to tell me who's being lazy: Viz, or my local Media
Play and Borders? Thank you,

Laura ~ Soupychan

I remember waiting for about a month before one of the six stores I visit finally
stocked Hot Gimmick 3. Ironically enough I found volume 4 without any problems
a few weeks later. I'm not certain about Fushigi Yuugi 10, but I do know
that Hana Yori Dango 4 and 5 have been out for some time.

Finding manga is, sadly enough, akin to bargain shopping. You need to have a
large number of stores in close proximity to you and you need to check them
regularly. While some might be better than others (Kinokuniya's is my
favorite spot to find both English and Japanese manga), I have yet to find a
single store that has every title on the shelves on time. If you only have one
or two places near you, I'd suggest you speak to someone at these stores
and give them a list of titles you're interested in purchasing. You could
also order what you want online and eat the shipping costs.

Been wondering a while was is Yoshiaki Kawajiri's next work? I keep hearing
he will be doing the sequel to Ninja Scroll movie, any word on that being his
next project? I'm hoping that Kawajiri works something like a tv series or something
at the very least that has his named on it, I'm a huge fan of his.

He's listed in the credits for the second Ninja Scroll movie,
but I'm not sure how much of an influence he'll have on the movie.
If he's involved in other projects aside from this, he's keeping
quiet about it for now (or the information has yet to be translated into English).
Since Kawajiri has an impressive resume, any announcements regarding
his current or future projects will likely end up in on the front page of ANN.