Ms. Answerman

Murphy's Laws

Murphy's Law Corollary #2,845 ~
It will inevitably rain on the day when you need to do your laundry, forcing you to run from tree to tree in a vain attempt to keep your clothes dry on their way to and from the laundry room.

Murphy's Law Corollary #2,845.1 ~
Ten minutes into the drying cycle, lightning will strike and cause a power surge, forcing you to run back to the laundry room in the rain to reset the dryer.

Murphy's Law Corollary #2,845.2 ~
Said power surge will cause the machine to eat your last quarters, thus negating the need to run from tree to tree in a vain attempt to keep your clothes dry on the way back.

In every anime and game their always seems to be weapons that stand out and make people wonder. "Where on earth can I get such a weapon?" This question probably has been asked before. So, is there really such a company that would make anime and game weaponry?

To my knowledge, there is no company that specializes in anime/anime-related game weapons. Luckily, many weapons are based on real-life and relatively common weapons, so if you're looking for something more generic, chances are you can find them at a local cutlery store or online through a martial arts website. Certain weapons, such as Guts Dragonslayer, would be extremely difficult to make into a live blade (if not impossible). If you need one of these near-totally-impossible weapons for a costume, you'd probably have better luck making something that looks close to the original but isn't a real weapon. Otherwise you'll probably have to hire a professional to make it for you (and it won't be cheap!).

Dear Ms. Answerman,
I recall some months ago a brief ANN news flash about a new Black Jack anime series in Japan. Being a die-hard fan of anything related to the good doctor, I'd like to ask you if you know anything more about this new anime.
Many thanks,
Amy B.

So far the only information that's been released concerning the new Black Jack series is that it'll be produced by Tezuka Studios and it's due to air in Japan sometime this fall. Detailed information regarding a series normally isn't released until a month or so before the series is set to air, though I've seen some series hold out until mere days before it's released. Check the anime encyclopedia every few weeks and keep up with the news page for information as it's announced.

Dear Ms. Answerman
I've noticed that its very common in anime, particularly shoujo, for a high school student, sometimes even younger, to be living alone. Is this actually common in Japan, or is it an over-used tool in shoujo to accentuate to a character's loneliness? Or maybe a little bit of both...
Thanks!
Katrina on the Gulf Coast

Anime likes to emphasize loneliness, individuality, as well as the instability of a traditional Japanese family. Take a look at most series and you'll find at least one major family that is missing one or both parents, which oftentimes forces children to grow up faster or behave differently than they would if they had two parents.

Unless a student is attending a special/private school far away from where their family lives, younger students will live at home with their family. Being a full-time student in Japan is a tremendously difficult task, especially if the student plans on attending a decent jr.high/highschool/college. Of course there are the exceptions, but these are about as common as they might be in the US. If a student's parents are wealthy, they most likely have an apartment (or dorm room) that is close to their school. Since it might be too expensive (or too far away from work) to move everyone, it wouldn't be uncommon for wealthy families to send their children off to live elsewhere while they remain where they are.

I see anime series that have run more than one season sometimes given names that just add one letter. For example: Sailor Moon's second series was Sailor Moon R, followed by Sailor Moon S; and this is not the only case.
I'm curious how those letters are chosen - do they mean something in the Japanese? Is it some in-joke? Is it perhaps completely random?
I hope you can explain
Tony

From what I've seen, the letters are there simply to separate the storylines. Some series decide to add ‘Season X’ to the end of a title, while others might change the title around a little (GITS:S.A.C. 2nd GIG and Innocence). \ In the case of Sailor Moon, I like to think that the letters stand in for these words:
R ~ Return
S ~ Super
Super S ~ Super Sh**

I was just searching the net for the answer to this question, and I happened to end up on your site, in which I'm pretty happy about. Anyway, on to the questioning...
The YuGiOh movie is coming out on the 13 of August, and I know its going to be a complete atrocity because of 4Kids. It's already been shown in Japan, and I was wondering if there was a way I could get a subtitled version of it now. Better yet, do you know if indeed, its going to be screwed up like the show? (as in the dialogue and cutting up various scenes in the movie, of course)
Well, that's it! Hope you answer!
Thanks from a Fan...(sigh) from Canada.
Monique

I hate to break it to you, Monique, but it hasn't “already been shown in Japan”. The YuGiOh movie was made with American fans in mind and will premiere in the US. Since the movie's been made for an American audience, and you can take this as good or bad news, there won't be any need for it to be edited... So they won't be screwing it up “like the show” or cutting various scenes/dialogue. Furthermore, going off on 4Kids is really getting old. So is assuming that anything attached to them automatically becomes “a complete atrocity”. A company gains a title, makes decisions based on the material, audience, funds, etc. then releases said title to the public in a format that they believe will best accommodate these decisions. Obviously some people don't agree with some of their decisions, but its not as if they sit around, pick their noses, and decide to do the same thing over and over again for the hell of it. Instead of making up facts and assumptions, why don't you try watching the movie? At least you can watch it knowing that you'll be seeing the same thing that the Japanese will see.