Mail Desk
Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Mail Desk, the place where you get to talk back to us! Drop us an email on what you like, hate, or want the Easter Bunny to bring, anything at all! This month's mailbag is bursting at the seams, so let's dive on in!
Dear Animefringe,
Could you pass this on the Lesley Smith who wrote the article? I tried using "contact writer" link but it kept rejecting the mail. "No such user"....
Being a long time fan of Ah! My Goddess, I was quite pleased to read your positive article on the title. You a fan too?While I agree on most points you raised in the article, there is one I do not agree with.
Keiichi's call to the Goddess Relief Office was *never* accidental, either in the OVA or the manga. In both cases, Keiichi was vetted and found worthy to recieve a wish from Heaven, and they were just waiting for the chance to give him his wish. It just wasn't as blatantly obvious as in the tv series.
In the OVA number 1, shortly after being kicked out of the dorm and failing to find a new place to stay, Belldandy explains to Keiichi how Heaven *selects* who gets to recieve a wish. Nothing accidental about that.
In the manga, when Belldandy first arrives, she told Keiichi they would not deal with people who might wish for the destruction of the world. Right there, that's a clue to the fact that Heaven vetts who can recieve a wish.
I wonder who started the rumors that the series would follow the OVA? In the interviews with him, director Goda always said he wanted the series to follow the manga. That would make using the OVAs as a starting point impossible, because their pacing pretty much eliminates the stories in the first 4 volumes of the manga...
Here are some other Ah! My Goddess related items you might be interested in.
Regarding the comic that was the inspiration to Ah! My Goddess, there have been several descriptions of it over the years, all different. But, until last year, no one had seen that comic in 16 years. Then the original one-page advertisment manga was reprinted in the "Ah! My Goddess Collection" book in 2004. That page has been translated, or rather scanlated, and it's quite different from your description.
You can find it on the net, if you can find chapter 196 of AMG in english.
Next, the first Japanese DVD for the series will be out in April, not February. They have announced the series will have 9 DVDs. That implies a 26-episode season, unless they cram more than 3 episodes the subsequent DVDs. It's the soundtrack for the tv series that is coming out in February.
Once more, thanks for this nice article on AMG. I look forward to your response.
This email led to a lot of discussion among staff members. Lesley's information about release dates and episodes was up to date when she submitted the article, and we updated the dates and episodes once the article was online. The original Belldandy inspiring comic is pretty much as Lesley reported. Adam recalls that it's in You're Under Arrest, or is at least an ad for You're Under Arrest, where the cast goes to a shrine or something and there is this angel or something there. (It pays to have a manga collector with a good memory.) Patrick sums up our collective thoughts about Lesley's feature last month on the Ah! My Goddess TV feature:
"From what I recall, Keiichi ACCIDENTALLY dialed the goddess hotline. The name of the first book (in the new editions) from Dark Horse is even called "Wrong Number". If he meant to dial it, it would've been called "Keiichi dials a goddess hotline and gets Belldandy on purpose."
That's been the plot summary of the show for as long as I can remember, "When hapless loser Keiichi accidentally dials the wrong number and finds a Goddess on the other end, his life is changed forever!"
Now, it's true, Belldandy tells him that it was fate, not luck, but he DID NOT PURPOSEFULLY CALL FOR A GODDESS. Wasn't he ordering food?
Not that Bell isn't a dish. But that's a really bad joke. I apologize.
In truth, her staying with him was another "mistake," since he didn't really make his wish thinking that it would actually come true. The series would eventually go on to say that it was meant to be, but it's hard to NOT say that about things that have happened. It hurts my brain, but everything that happens is meant to happen, because it happened. If it wasn't MEANT to happen, then it couldn't happen, since there's really only one path through time that I'm aware of...and since I'm not aware of any other alternate parallel universes, and I might as well not be since I'm not.
Though it'd be cool if there WAS another universe where, for example, I didn't have to go to work tomorrow morning. Yeah. That's all I ask. My imagination has been terribly limited by work. One day, I might get a day off, too."
Yeah. I'd like a day off too, Patrick.
-Janet
Dear Animefringe,
the book b.b. explosion was a very wonderful book.i only have
versions 1 and 2 im looking for volumes 3 and 4.what made you
write this book?ive been getting my books at waldens books i
think im not really sure how to spell walden.how many versions
of b.b. explosion did you make?ok thats all my question.oh
forgot one do you know any places where i can get versions 3
and 4 here in ca,montebello.ive been to a mall but i dont
remember what its called.ok thats all bye.
sincerely,
adrienne salvador
Dear Adrienne,
As much as it pains me to write this, Patrick doesn't write B.B. Explosion. He just reviewed it. I have no idea how this urban manga myth began!
-Janet
Animefringe,
do u know if there making a 2nd vol to 'your and my secret'?
Patrick reports: "I think it exists...but ADV is sitting on it. They have too much to do and not enough resources to do it."
-Janet
Dear Mr. Patrick,
I've read your old topic about Street Fighter comic from Udon
in the June 2004 issue and I was very excited about it.
I found a book in amazon.com called "Street Fighter: Eternal
Challenge" and it is from Udon and I wonder if this book
includes all the comic issues of Street Fighter that you talked
abou because they are not saying anything in the description
about it.
Otherwise, can you help me in finding a website where I can
buy all street fighter issues?
I tried a lot but with no luck until now.
Thanks & Best Regards.
I'm not Patrick, but I'll try to tackle this. "Street Fighter: Eternal Challenge" is an art/background book about the Street Fighter franchaise that was released in Japan and only recently domestically. It is not a comic tradepaperback. The price of nearly US$50.00 should have triggered red lights and sirens.
However, Street Fighter Vol 1: Round One: FIGHT! was released at the end of January through Devil's Due Publishing. (They do the Transformers and GI Joe comics as well.) It collects issues 0 and 1-6. This tradepaperback collection should be available through your local friendly comicbook retailer or even Borders. As Street Fighter is up to issue 13, I'm willing to bet that the second TP will come out in a couple of months.
-Janet
Dear Animefringe,
hey, iv just finnished your article and to confess i began as a
sceptic...most of the work or comments i find relating to street fighter are
from "die hard" fans who have taken the story too far with references to fan
fiction and new characters who have little real importance. reading your
article was like being told there are some true fans out there! i was so
impressed with what you though; in honesty its exactly what i thought. iv
showed the film to my friends and apart from one or two who almost love
street fighter but were always mortal kobat or tekken fans unfortunatly,
most though it was crap. i loved it! the characters are exactly as you\'d
want them to be, no one apart from maby guile who does loose kinda quickly
to bison is portrayed wrongly at all! iv recently bought all the udon comics
from ebay and im going to do that every time one is released, it wasnt easy
getting issue zero but i got if for maby $16.00. i hope the comics continue
and re-write some story lines that have got misunderstood and have been
changed by so many people for so long that no one knows the truth...for
example today my friend told me that on a site he looked at ryu was being
taught by oro, who after facing him in the semi-final of the 3rd tournament
decided he would be a good student...ok il admit i havn't(and try not
to)payed much attention to anything past the second tournament; in my eyes
after akuma was beaten by ryu in the final who only claimed victory using
the dark hadou the story got to adapted by fans to find one true plot. you
may not agree with my version of the second tournament... i simply found
several sources and decided on a likely answer. where bison fights akuma but
loses after being hit by a raging demon, then a weakended akuma is beaten by
ryu. some parts are sketchy i admit. i am currently looking to write an
entire version of street fighter in my own version, in a simple summary, not
as deep as the comics going as far as the second tournament. if you would
like to add anything or have any suggestions just send them to me. when iv
completed it il send the site adress:) anyway i just want to say thankyou
for such a perfect article. marksee
Hey Marksee,
I passed this one over to the man himself, Patrick.
"No matter which fighting game you currently prefer, it was Street Fighter II that brought brawlers into the spotlight. And to this day, I'm not sure that any other fighting series has such a detailed history as the grandaddy of them all.
There have been many retellings of the Street Fighter mythos, from the simple backstories gleaned from the introduction screens and ending text of Street Fighter II, the theatrical anime film released on VHS all those years ago by Manga, the TV series, the many comic book adaptation, and then the required embellishments subsequent games made on the timeline as new characters were added and histories were cleared up.
It's one of the reasons I'm still so attached to the series.
Now, this isn't to trivialize Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter, Guilty Gear, Soul Caliber, or Tekken, but Street Fighter is special. It's nice to hear that people still agree with me."
-Janet
Dear Animefringe,
Hi im a big fan of anime and i like l/r the most.
do you know the song lyrics for "angel"? why?
because my friend and i love that song and we want
to know the lyrics. so if you can e-mail me back
A.S.A.P. PLEASE!?
biggest fan of anime
Irene
Hi Irene,
I don't know the lyrics themselves, but I do know of two great sites for hunting up anime lyrics: www.animelyrics.com and www.projectanime.com/lyrics. Readers, send in your own pet sites for anime lyrics!
-Janet
Dear Animefringe,
I have seen both of the Inuyasha movies and I loved both. I have also
heard that there are two other movies that have come out in Japan. I
would like to know when and if they will be released in North America. I
would also like to know if you can recomend a website or source so that I
may learn Japanese since I already know three other languages I thought
why not a fourth. I love your website and thank you for your time.
Sincerely
Arnold Gonzalez
Hey Arnold,
I tossed your letter over to Joe, our resident Inu-Yasha expert.
"Well, there have been two other movies put out. The third in 2003 is called "Inu-Yasha: Tenka Hadou no Ken". I found a few different translations for this title: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, The Sword of the World Conquest, The Sword that Rules over the Empires. The first movie was like this and it had a few different translations floating around before its offical release as well.
The 4th movie was put out in 2004 and is called Inu-Yasha: Guren no Houraijima (Fire on the Mystic Island).
I don't know of any offical release dates yet for these movies, but you can be sure that they'll be released here and I wouldn't doubt that these will be put out much quicker. If you look at it this way, it took roughly three years for the first Inu-Yasha to be released here after it hit threaters in Japan, but only roughly two years for the second movie, which leads me to believe that they wanted to speed things up and get the second movie out as fast as possible, and I think they'll be even quicker with the next two after how popular the TV series has become."
As for learning Japanese, as a multilingual person, you know that the best way is to take a course and practice, practice, practice! Books can only teach you so much. There is no substitute for speaking, verbally practicing a language. A website that I've found useful for practicing Japanese is Project LRNJ -learn Japanese through an RPG of killing slimes. Good luck!
-Janet
Dear Animefringe,
cheeky angel is a great manga and wanted more reviews of cheeky
angle
I do too. Seriously, the Borders that I frequent has been out of the recent issues. I hope March will be luckier.
-Janet
Dear Animefringe,
yo i just finished reading the review of wonderful but now im at a stump were am i supposed to
get this bilingual dvd? i have searched around for practically hours now but to now avail if
you know where i can find it please please please tell me!
Dear Wonderful Days Fan:
Adam, Lord of Multi-Region DVDs, replies: "Wonderful Days was multi-region disc that was not released domestically in the United States. You'll have to get a copy from one of the many import stores that deals in Korean imports. www.yesasia.com might be a good place to start, but there are many, many others that might have it cheaper. Generally, if the store carries import versions of Ringu (The Ring) or Battle Royale, then you've found a good place to check."
-Janet
Dear Animefringe,
You site is cool and very nice. How lang have you had the search bar up but it
always says coming soon? When will it be up and running so i dont have to search
though all 49 some odd issue of this magzine. I think it might be time to call
in some mad anime hackers or something to get that search bar up and running for
the masses!! :: Motions to her huge crowd of dancing bunnies ::
NOOOO!!!! Not the bunnies!!!!
Adam, additionally Lord of the Website Function Updates, says: "Right now we are working on a revised layout that will include page bars at the bottom and top. You might also like to know that we've been trying hard to get a site search feature to work, but our site is so large (Feb '05 makes 62 issues) that it breaks the spider! Regardless, we feel your pain and are working hard to get that corrected. At least you have our mega fifth anniversary issue to keep you busy until then. Thanks for reading!"
-Janet
Dear Animefringe,
Hi there! I read your little article on J-rock for Dummies. I was wondering if maybe you could
help me out. Me and some friends are doing a project for history on Japanese entertainment and
such, but we\'re having trouble finding one very important piece of information. Do you have any
clues about how J-rock came to be? What were the first bands? Who officially started J-rock?
Anything that you can tell us would be great.
Thanks!
Shippo Gene
J-Rock is not my forte. However, I searched the web and my research says that X-Japan was the original J-Rock band, or at least the band that made J-Rock famous. With a repetoire ranging from heavy metal to ballads, singing in a mix of Japanese and accented English, X-Japan broke up after 17 years in 1997. Lead singer Yoshiki is quite famous and well-respected in the music business as a musician (he wrote many of X-Japan's songs, as well as playing piano and drums) and as a producer. He is responsible for unleashing Dir en grey onto the world.
Lead guitarist hide, who died in true rock 'n roll fashion in 1998, was friends with Marilyn Manson. Rumour says that Manson was stealing hide's ideas and that Manson's pink-haired phase was done as a tribute to hide. There is actually a museum dedicated to hide in Japan.
The other major defining band in J-Rock was Malice Mizer, known for their dramatic style and extreme goth look on stage and as a prime example of visual kei. Originally, the band had a light, pop feel to their sound, mainly due to Gackt, their early lead singer who is now enjoying a popular solo career and exisiting as a gravitational point for fangirls in Japan and elsewhere. Mana, practically the only Malice Mizer original member, is the origin of the cross-dressing J-rocker, to the point where he dresses as a female even offstage. He has his own fashion line and can be very feminine. Just google for photos.
(Warning to fangirls: I admit to my ignorance of J-Rock and my facts here may be slightly off. Thanks to Exploring the Beyond: An Introduction to J-rock for information.)
-Janet
Dear Animefringe,
I emailed Shannon Fay and Lesley Smith but it bounded back
to me. I need their update email addresses.
Thank you,
Shannon P.
Hey Shannon,
At present, we are updating our e-mail directory and they don't have direct e-mails yet. I'll forward along your e-mail and they can contact you at their leisure.
-Janet
Dear Animefringe,
Uhm...I just happened to breeze by through your web and found it really
cool. I found out a few things on CLAMP and they\'re works which I never knew
(Huge fan, me)....and other anime. Can we subscribe to this online mag or do
we really have to check the homepage to read??
I\'m 14 and I hope to somehow work with you guys...info and stuff....it\'d be
really cool.
Hope you can reply to me.
Hi Magi_Gennikki,
Thanks for the compliments! We love them!
I believe Webmaster Steve is looking into setting up subscription via email for our new Animefringe layout for 2005. For now, just stop by around the beginning of the month for a crisp and fresh new issue!
As for working for us, right now all of our staff has to be 17 or up, and even that's pushing it. We want to present each month high-quality writing, and that means high school senior level at the very lowest of the age spectrum. So drop us an email in a few years. We'll still be here, doing what we love the best.
-Janet
Dear Animefringe,
[WARNING!!!! SPOILERS FOR TSUKIHIME]
This email is in respondence to a few opinions of yours stated in your
review of Shingetsutan Tsukihime:
"The ending was not what I wanted to see, but I think that can be
considered a strength. Surprises are good. However, Shingetsutan
Tsukihime's final minutes were rather depressing and seemed to fizz
out on what should have been a bang ending."
Indeed, the ending was not what one would prefer, but it was the best
it could beā"any other way to end the anime wouldn't have been in sync
with its entirety and essence; I believe the creators noticed that,
otherwise we would've had a happy, fairytale ending that would've been
completely out of character from the rest of the series. In short (I
could probably go into a good fifteen page explanation, but I'm in a
down mood after viewing this anime, and will have to lay off of
anything related to it for a whileā"which'll be hard, since I really
wanna whip out my violin or run to my piano and play every piece from
the soundtrack), a "bang ending" was not possible without upsetting
the balance of the animeā"sad, but true.
"Looking at the "one-boy/many girls who want him" set-up, the H
connection seems rather obvious, however, at the time it escaped me.
Shingetsutan Tsukihime stays out of the hentai trap by making Shiki
almost oblivious to his female friends' advances, or merely turning
away and murmuring one word replies."
It is true that Shingetsutan Tsukihime is not hentai, however, there
are major references to such and it is always in this anime's shadow.
For instance, when it is explained to Shiki that the two twin maids
were brought to the Tohno mansion all those years back: the reason for
thisā"which hinted at during future scenes in the animeā"is that they
have the power to give energy to others, and Akiha's father needed
that ability (just like Akiha does throughout the series; hence that
"breast-feeding" scene). Incidentally, this transfer of energy is the
most potent through the means of sexual intercourse (and incase you
were wondering, the twins never consentedā"who around the age of
nine-year-old would?). Another instance is the little love-scene
between Shiki and Arucreid; though, that was not very descriptive.
Finally, the only thing I see that could really make this anime any
greater is the pace and length of episodesā"as it finishes leaving you
feeling it could've/should've been longer.
Dear Okamuro Keisuke,
Don't have much to say, except thanks for reading my feature on Shingetsutan Tsukihime. A lot of those points have been coming up into my mind as well, now that I'm watching the series again on DVD, thus I have more time to watch the anime itself than watch to try to figure out what's happening story-wise.
-Janet
Dear Animefringe,
I'm curious as to why your magazine doesn't do spotlight articles on some of the biggest anime sites built by anime fans.
When I first started to creat my site ten years ago, it was a small site dedicated to the Ah! My Goddess Anime and Manga
series. To this day, it still reigns as THE biggest and most original and unique fan-supported website online. With over 300
magabytes of images, archives and information related to a single series I've seen some huge traffic going on with my site
ever since I started adding the Episode Synopsis Guide and the SCreenshot Galleries as they relate to the currently running
television series being broadcast in Japan.
Plus, I'd like to know what process your periodical goes through in choosing the Anime Fringe Top 25 Webs-Sites as I'd like
to be included in that list. Thanks in advance.
Hey Wolfe426,
Consider us posting your letter as free promotion. We prefer to showcase excellent sites that are hidden gems, people and address that really could use the attention that posting their URL and a recommendation brings. It's great to hear that your fansite is doing well; let's work to make sure that other people can enjoy the same level of success.
As for the annual Top 25, all websites are nominated by website visitors. If you want to place among the Top 25, then send more people over to vote in December 2005.
-Janet
Dear Janet Crocker,
I have just recently become a fan of Steel Angel Kurumi and I was just
wanted to know how many DVD are there in all including the movies,
sequel episodes etc... and if the T.V show is still on and if so what
channel and when,and I am also very curious in asking where is the best
place I could get the " Steel Angel DVD" or wher e I could rent them.
Poprapper
Hi Poprapper,
The entire series is seven DVDs. Steel Angel Kurumi, the original series, is four DVDs, with 24 episodes. The fifth DVD, "Encore", is four OVAs outside of the series continuity. Steel Angel Kurumi 2 is two DVDs long and is a sequel to the first series, with 12 episodes. That series is complete and I don't think that the series is being carried by any TV station. If you're interested in buying the entire series, the seven-disc Steel Angel Kurumi Complete Collection is what you should seek out. For renting, I would suggest Netflix (I heavily use their service) or Rent Anime.
Adam wants to add that there is also Kurumi Zero, but ADV never bought the rights to it. By supporting the Kurumi series that ADV does carry, maybe we can send the message that we want that series as well.
-Janet
And that wraps up yet another hefty bag of mail! See you soon, cyberspace cowboy!