Ms. Answerman

Juuni Cookie

Best get straight to work today!

Hello, Ms.Answerman. I'd like to know if the anime "Jyuni Kokuki"(Tale of Twelve Countries?) is any good. How well does it follow the original storyline? I loved the book, so I want to know if it's worth my time checking out the anime. Thanks.

I've only seen a few episodes of Jūni Kokuki. The animation is stunning and the character designs for the non-human characters are creative. The two main female characters whine a lot (“I don't want to fight!” “If she doesn't want to fight, let me fight!”), bringing back fond memories of the intolerably annoying Miaka and Tamahome. If you're willing to wait while the characters adjust to being dumped in a fantasy world, it will probably be worth your time. Juuni Kokki's based on the novel by Fuyumi Ono, and since it's an adaptation, there are bound to be many changes. There's also a Jūni Kokuki manga series. If you liked the book, you should definitely check the anime out.


Hi Ms. Answerman,

First off, love the job you're doing.
Secondly, in Cowboy Bebop episode 10 i think, Toys in the Attic....a few weird things happen, and I got lost as to what exactly happened in that episode other then some sort of mobile pudding being eaten. I guess im simple or something. Can you shed some light on it?
Thanks,
SZ

Cowboy Bebop has a LOT of references to American action films in it. Toys in the Attic is the most potent of these references, with the entire episode being basically a parody of the Aliens films. The scene where he's chasing the pudding down in the hallway, the scene where he opens the refrigerator, and the scene where he shoves it out the airlock are all taken directly from the Aliens films. If you've seen those movies, it's a laugh riot, but if you haven't, I can see how it would be confusing. Hopefully that clears it up for you!

Hi there Answerwoman;

I've been quite interested in the Haibane Renmei series as of late, primarily because I was so enamoured with the Serial Experiments: Lain character designs.

I recently received the a copy of Haibane Renmei from Japan, and I was looking through it. I have noticed something.

Over the past few years, I remember reading that the creator of Lain was Yoshitaka ABe. I'm certain that the Haibane Renmei story is by the same person, however, the name is written as Yoshitoshi ABe.

Can you please clear this up for me? Was Yoshitaka a translation error? Is it a character that can be translated two different ways?

Thanks for your help!
Jason "Tamakun" Wesley

Yoshitoshi is the pen name Abe used to write the doujinshi that Haibane Renmei is based on. Artists will frequently use another name to write other manga and doujinshi titles. Haibane Renmei is, interestingly enough, the first anime to be based on a doujinshi.


What's up?
I was wondering if you could tell me whether or not Fruits Basket will be released as a box set (after all the four DVDs have been released, I would imagine). I searched a few different FUNimation sites and couldn't find a thing! Thanks for your help.

Funimation recently announced plans to release both a full and an empty Fruits Basket box, so fans can either have a box to put the DVDs they've already purchased in or buy the entire series in one fell swoop. The series is performing well beyond Funi's expectations, so we can look forward to more cool extras like this!

I saw that ADV is going to release Voices of a Distant
Star (Hoshi no Koe) on DVD in June. I also saw that
ADV bought up the rights to another OVA by Makoto
Shinkai, Her and Her Cat (Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko.) I
was wondering, since Her and Her Cat is only 5 minutes
long are there any plans to release it on DVD (maybe
as one of the extras in the Hoshi no Koe DVD?)

Thanks for answering my question.

Sincerely (or something like that)
~Chris G. Daniel

ADV plans to include the Her and Her Cat animated short on the DVD that has Hoshi no Koe on it. Interestingly enough, Makoto Shinkai's newest project, Beyond the Clouds, is due for release in the near future and looks to be just as spectacular as Hoshi no Koe was, so you can look forward to that!

Thanks for your questions this week, see you all next time!