×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Spoilers and Cast Lists




Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Encyclopedia
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Dessa



Joined: 14 Jul 2004
Posts: 4438
PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 12:17 am Reply with quote
I just added input on an error report, and this kinda bugged me, so I thought I'd bring it up.

The way I'm recalling the submission guidelines for casts, characters with multiple identities are to be listed with the primary identity/secondary identity (example: Tsukino Usagi/Sailor Moon).

Because of this, there are obvious spoilers in the cast lists, if a character's identity is not revealed until much later (I know I was personally spoiled in Gundam SEED Destiny).

However, one error report in particular made me think if perhaps something could/should be done for spoiler-heavy identities, especially for series with a manga much further, where the identity might be posted to the anime castlist before the show even starts).



Fair warning, the following may include spoilers for Pandora Hearts:

Over the course of the series (quite early, actually), there is a time gap of 10 years. Some events (and flashbacks) occur on the early side of the gap, while the majority of the series takes place in the latter side of the gap. As such, there is at least one character who exists on both sides, and has different voice actors.

The following is what's currently listed in the encyclopedia:
Kousuke TORIUMI as Raven
Azuma SAKAMOTO as Gilbert

The "Gilbert" credit is marked with an error, and these are the error reports:

Error:
Quote:
the character's correct but it would be appropriate to add (young) to the name since Gilbert and Raven are the same person and Raven is still referred to as Gilbert by Oz.


Correct:
Quote:
There is no need whatsoever to use the character list as a spoiler.


Error:
Dessa wrote:
The error report is correct. Regardless on if it's spoilers (and there are already guidelines in place for characters with multiple identities), there are two "characters" going by the identity of Gilbert, and, therefore, this one should be listed with the precision of (young).



If my above remembering of the dual-identities and precisions guidelines is correct, the following likely should be the correct rendering of these two characters in the Encyclopedia:

Kousuke TORIUMI as Gilbert Nightray/Raven
Azuma SAKAMOTO as Gilbert (young)


However, it still stands that this would create spoilers (although you first meet Raven briefly in episode 3, and fully in episode 4, and the spoiler is resolved in episode 6), and there are standing spoilers in the encyclopedia for other dual identities. I dunno...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Dan42
Chief Encyclopedist


Joined: 02 Jan 2002
Posts: 3794
Location: Montreal
PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 2:38 am Reply with quote
Good points, and a little tricky.

On one side it's not very nice to reveal major plot surprises willy-nilly. Imagine reading "Darth Vader (Luke's father)" in a Star Wars DB prior to watching the film(s). Also it's not like the information in its present form is erroneous; it just happens that it could be more detailed.

On the other hand the Encyclopedia is meant to accumulate vast amounts of information about a series, sometimes in fine detail. It shouldn't come as a surprise to find spoilers here and there. So my line of thinking is to list the secondary identity unless it's a really really big spoiler that totally ruins a key moment of the show.

Still, I'll keep this in mind for future developments; it may be worth it to add something similar to the forum spoiler tag.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address My Anime My Manga
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Encyclopedia All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group