WEEKLY STUFF E-ZINE #23-B (10-17-98) -Plain Text Version ^_^ Contents ^_^ 1.) A Few Crass Words from Kaneda 2.) Pioneer's Evolution Part 4 (of 6) 3.) Sex in anime? Part 1: Sex and the Single Anime Hero 4.) Sex in anime? Part 2: Sex and the Single Anime Hero 5.) Sex in anime? Part 3: Sex and the Single Anime Hero 6.) The Pokémon Craze 7.) Nintendo's New Money-Maker? 8.) Playstation 2: Rumors 9.) Nintendo 64 Doing Good? 10.) Mailing List Technical Info ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.) A Few Crass Words from Kaneda Greetings, faithful readers. The magic word for today is "Anthropomorphism". Does anyone here know what that means? I don't see any hands raised... Anthropomorphism is to give something a human likeness, way, shape, or form. This concept is very commonly seen in Anime. It's a staple of the art form. Take for instance, your standard cat-girl. It could be anything from a cat "turned into" a human girl, (with the usual inklings and retained cat-like traits) to say, a lemon chick dressed in a black cat suit. These geniuses have hit across a winning formula. The people love cat-girls. It's Homo-Felinus Appeal, folks. It's a proven fact that the public are in unanimous favor of cat-girls, almost as much as they're in favor of cinnamon-flavored dental floss. Well, I got my photo scanned the other day. While it is a nice thing to have a picture to show your online friends, you never notice how crappy your picture is until you scan it and it's the only one you can scan. I'll tell you the URL where you can see my pic, if you ask nicely. Here's some advice. Don't drink coffee and play Game Boy Pokémon at the same time, you'll regret it. Thank you for your tolerance, and have a nice night. - Steve Diabo (Kaneda) kokomojoe@compuserve.com ------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.) Pioneer's Evolution Part 4 (of 6) Pioneer's Evolution Part 4 By Adam "OMEGA" Arnold +Visit The Unofficial History of Pioneer Anime at http://members.tripod.com/~kishin_corps/+ "PIONEER - The Art of Entertainment" Pac De America, a semi-quarterly newsletter started in spring of 1996 to bring news and product information to all of P-Anime's fans. At this time there are only 2 ways to subscribe to PAC, send in the survey cards with your videos, or call customer service at 1-(800)-421-1621. At this exact same time came the Pop Point Program, a frequent Pioneer product buyer program in which you send in the Laserdisc stickers or VHS box flaps for T- shirts, stickers, key chains, mouse pads, lapel pins, videos, posters, and later on the Ryo-Ohki dolls. The 2 most sought after items of the Pop Point program are the 2 VHS titles you could get, The Secret of Moldiver (a program with inside info on the series, the mecha, and the characters) and Phantom Quest Corp. Incident File 00 (the Japanese promotional video, set before the 4 episode OVA series begins and introduces the characters and gives 'making of' info about the show). The Pop Point program worked on a 5 dollar equals 1 Pop point scale, so if you bought a $19.98 dollar video you rounded up to $20 and you get 4 points. (Important Note: The Pop Point program has currently ended, but don't throw away your stickers. Because, Pioneer has said it will return one day.) March 1996 brought The Hakkenden Volume 5 and another of new series for Pioneer, Hyperdoll Volume 1. Hyperdoll goes something like this, "Mew and Mica are your average high school students, if your idea of average is extra-terrestrial androids sent to save the world, that is." This 2 episode OVA is by far the weirdest series Pioneer has ever put out. In these 2 episodes the story starts in the middle of some unknown storyline and ends without a conclusion. But don't let this stop you from watching Hyperdoll, if you do then you are really missing out on a slap-stick comedy that is a true treat for any anime fan. Each episode is packed with 2 beautiful 'busty' girls, a wimp boy instigator, a giant squid, a giant worm, a giant locust, a mad scientist, and lots of needless destruction. And each volume contains a 10 minute live action special at the end of the OVA. Tape 1 has an Hyperdoll obsessed Otaku vs. Giant Rubber Monster vs. The Hyperdolls. Tape 2 has a concert between Mew, Mica, and there friend . July 30 marked the debut of Ani-Mayhem: The Collectible Anime Card Game in both a 75 card Starter Deck or 9 card Booster Pack form. Set 0, containing Tenchi-Muyo!, Bubblegum Crisis, Ranma 1/2, and El-Hazard cards, quickly became a sought after item among Anime enthusiast tired of Magic: The Gathering. brought the release of the final volume of The Hakkenden, and Pioneer's first domestically released Soundtracks; Armitage III: Cyber-Matrix (which contains a rare Ani-Mayhem card) and Tenchi The Movie: Tenchi-Muyo! In Love. Pioneer also made it possible to order Japanese Imports of Pioneer CDs through them. Then during the Sci-Fi Channel's '4th Annual Festival if Anime' in a move that would sub-concisely change the lives of thousands of unsuspecting people. During the first movie, Pioneer introduced main-stream America to Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi-Muyo! In Love. Set in the TV series continuity (after episode 26 of Tenchi Universe), Tenchi and his gang of girls must go back in time to save his mother Achika from an escaped space criminal named Kain which has its demonic eyes set on destroying the Misaki blood-line forever. When Tenchi The Movie: Tenchi-Muyo! In Love finally was released, VHS subbed and dubbed and on a special edition CAV Laserdisc (with collectable a rare 'Washu's Time Machine' Ani-Mayhem card), on August 27, 1996 people were already familiar with Tenchi-Muyo! For those scratching their heads comparing Tenchi-Muyo!: Ryo-Ohki's continuity and Tenchi The Movie: Tenchi-Muyo! In Love, there was hope. Moved from an October 29 release to a November 12 release, Tenchi Universe volume 1 brought die-hard Tenchi fans an alternate take on the events of the OVA in a 26 episode series in which Mihoshi has a partner named Kiyone, Washu is the demon, Ryoko is a drunken space criminal, and tons of other changes and additions. Though the OVA series is the absolute best of all the Tenchi continuities, Tenchi Universe (Tenchi-Muyo! TV Series 1) brought more non-fans to the Tenchi-Muyo! craze than another Tenchi release to date. November 1996 brought the first Expansion Pack for the Ani-Mayhem card game. Set 1 contains cards for Phantom Quest Corp., Project A-Ko, Armitage III, Dominion: Tank Police, and even rare Oh My Goddess! cards. Late 1996 brought four Manga Video/Pioneer Laserdisc to stores. November 26 gave the public Macross Plus Part 3 and Ghost In The Shell CLV Version. December 10 brought Macross Plus Part 4 and Ghost In the Shell Deluxe CAV Version with 'The Making of Ghost In The Shell' documentary. February 25, 1997 brought a slew of new Laserdisc and VHS including Manga Video/Pioneer's Ninja Scroll and Wings of Honneamise Laserdisc. Tenchi Universe Volume 2 on Laserdisc and VHS subbed/dubbed and Chisa and The Heaven & Earth Band Live In L.A. on Laserdisc, VHS subbed/dubbed. Chisa Yokoyama, the Japanese voice actress (seiyuu) of Sasami from Tenchi- Muyo! performs in a live concert with Sharyn Scott (singer of English versions of Talent For Love, I'm A Pioneer songs from Tenchi-Muyo!: Ryo-Ohki) with a rent-a-band from L.A. Includes clips from Pretty Sammy TV, making of program, two music videos, interview with Chisa, and selected songs and clips from the concert. Chisa's complete concert was also released on Compact Disc and contains all the songs performed at the concert. Also on this massive release date came 2 more CDs along with Chisa. Tenchi-Muyo! OVA Best Volume 1 containing English and Japanese songs and Back Ground Music (BGM) from the First 7 episodes of Tenchi-Muyo!: Ryo-Ohki. And the other CD is by far the best of all Pioneer's domestic CD releases, Pioneer Animamation Best of Best. Best of Best contains English language theme songs from all three Tenchi series, Kishin Corps, Moldiver, Green Legend Ran, Phantom Quest Corp., Armitage III, El-Hazard, Hyperdoll, and The Hakkenden. March 25, 1997 introduced yet, 3 more domestic CDs; The Best of Moldiver, The Best of Phantom Quest Corp., and The Best of El-Hazard. P-Anime's new American created comic books of Tenchi- Muyo! (6 issues) and Phantom Quest Corp. (4 issues) premiered in Comic Shops across America with issue number 1 of each. And with Moldiver (4 issues) and El-Hazard - The Magnificent World (6 issues) set to be released monthly starting on April 14, things looked like we would finally see new adventures with out favorite characters. But, something went wrong. The El-Hazard comic to closely matched what was beign planned with the second OVA and Second TV series already being produced in Japan by AIC and thus is was pulled from ever being released. And though Phantom Quest Corp. had its' first issue released it was also pulled along with Moldiver because there was still a possibility of a continuation sometime in the future. Thus the only series to continue through all 6 of the planned issues was the Tenchi-Muyo! Comic Book which was based in the Tenchi Universe continuity, and thus had 'no need for a continuation' past the movie. March 25 also brought Pretty Sammy OVA 2, the second installment of the bizarre OVA with a cuteness factor of 100%. This installment is even better than the first one because of its' computer company villain. References to everyone's favorite software billionaire fly through your 'windows' in the second installment on The Magical Girl, Pretty Sammy on VHS subbed/subbed and Laserdisc. Tenchi Universe continued on with Volume 3, which concluded the 'Tenchi-Muyo! On Earth' box labeling, released on April . And in June anxious Tenchi fans got the release of both Volume 4, 'The Time & Space Adventures', on June 3 and Volume 5, 'Tench-Muyo! in Space 1', on June 24. Along with this latest Tenchi Universe volume came the Ryo-Ohki Plush doll in either Brown or Gray colors. Pioneer was now unstoppable. End of Part IV. NEXT: Part 5: July 1997 - April 1998 The Wanderers, Dragonball Z, Armitage III: Poly-Matrix, Tenchi The Movie 2: The Daughter of Darkness, Tenchi Collection TU Volume 1 and 8 contain 4 episodes and Volumes 2-7 contain 3 episodes. ======================================= + Note 16: Hyperdoll Volume 1 & 2 are currently only available Dubbed for $19.95 a volume. However, you are most likely ONLY to see Volume 1 in a store. But, you can special order Volume 2. + Note 17: Tenchi The Movie: Tenchi-Muyo! In Love is currently available Subbed for $24.95, Dubbed for $24.95, and on Laserdisc for $44.98. + Note 18: Tenchi Universe Volume 1-8 are all currently available Subbed for $29.95, Dubbed for $19.95, CLV Laserdisc for $29.98, and CAV Laserdisc for $49.98. + Note 19: Ani-Mayhem Set 0: Booster Packs are available for $1.98, Ani-Mayhem Set 1: Expansion Packs are available for $1.98. Ani-Mayhem Set 0: Starter Decks are unavailable. + Note 20: Pioneer Domestic CDs: Pioneer Animation: Best of Best, Best of El-Hazard, Best of Phantom Quest Corp., Best of Moldiver, Tench-Muyo! OVA Best Volume 1, Armitage III: Cyber- Matrix, and Tenchi-Muyo! In Love are available for $16.98 each in the Soundtrack section of select music stores. All soundtracks are in Card-Board flip CD cases. + Note 21: Chisa and The Heaven & Earth Band Live In L.A. VHS and Laserdisc are currently unavailable. The CD is available in the Soundtrack section of select music stores for $16.98. + Note 22: Tenchi & Friends Special: Pretty Sammy 2 OVA is currently unavailable. ======================================= ------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.) Sex in anime? Part 1: Sex and the Single Anime Hero By Dave Baranyi Part 1 - What's Wrong with this Picture? As is obvious from the title of this essay, my topic this time is the way that anime heroes handle the "S" word. Although this will be at worst an "R-rated" tome, those younger readers who have difficulty imagining that anyone over 20 "does it" ( and even worse, that their Parents might "do it" regularly and have fun at it ) might want to approach this topic with some "parental guidance" or avoid it at all. However, this is not a discussion of "hentai" anime. To an extent this is a re- consideration of my "Wimps from Outer Space" essay from a year ago. I now have more anime "under my belt" and thus have more background from which to postulate questions. My query is once again, why do anime heroes avoid sex? In so many shows the hero is deluged with gorgeous heroines whose anatomy defies gravity and whose character demands that they fall instantly in love with the hero. But the hero spends most of his efforts trying to avoid the heroines at all costs. At first glance, from our cultural-centric point of view, the answer seems obvious; anime are often aimed at a youthful male audience and so that audience must not receive the "wrong message" about social mores from the anime. But Japan is not the United States and has a different cultural reaction to sex. So what's wrong with this picture? Let's look first at a well known anime that has had a number of shows translated into English, Urusei Yatsura. UY is about sex right from the beginning. Ataru takes on Lum in the tag game to save Earth because he sees it as an opportunity to "grab a feel". His desire for Lum quickly turns into frustration and by the time he does win Ataru doesn't want to see Lum any more. But his misunderstood declaration "Now I can get married" leaves Ataru stuck with Lum. Although Lum moves in with Ataru he doesn't seem to take advantage of the opportunity of having a willing and desirable girl co-domiciled with him. Many of the episodes in the series have to do at some point or another with Ataru's attempts to date other girls in despite having Lum around. This leads to the well known result of Ataru being "zapped" by Lum's potent lightning bolts. Now that Ataru has Lum he doesn't want her, or does he? All the other guys seem to want Lum, and if not Lum, which ever good looking girl happens to be around at the moment. The potential of teenaged sex in Urusei Yatsura is not something just left up to Ataru and Lum. It is something that the students at Ataru's high school talk about in ways that are not much different from how high school students talk here. For example, in the show where Mendou is plagued by the "alien baby", the situation is set up right from the beginning when the students are gossiping about a student at another high school who has been expelled for getting his girl friend pregnant. Mendou quite self-righteously condemns that student Appropriately, when the alien baby shows up it "glues itself" to Mendou which leads everyone to suspect that it is Mendou's child. After Mendou gives the alien a pile of coins to use as fuel to leave, everyone assumes that Mendou bribed the baby's mother to leave. Essentially, no one has difficulty believing that Mendou would have sex with some girl, get her pregnant, then use his fortune to buy her off. But for all the talk, there are no open indications that any of the students in UY are successful at their attempts to seduce each other. However, there are some interesting indications in the anime that Ataru and Lum have something more than a platonic relationship, despite the fact that Lum sleeps in Ataru's closet instead of next to him. For instance, at the end of the early episode where Kintaro first appears, we see Ataru and Lum watching TV together. Ataru is laying down with his head in Lum's lap and Lum is cleaning Ataru's ears with a q-tip. This is a very personal, "husband and wife" sort of image which is a "cultural indicator" in Japan of a very close relationship. An even more intriguing scene is found in the episode where Lum's father is thrown out of his house by his wife because he is too selfish and self-centered. At one point in the show Lum's father is in Ataru's room with Ataru and Lum and makes a casual comment along the lines of "not wanting to get in the way of the young couple". Lum and Ataru immediately protest that "nothing has happened" and that Lum sleeps in the closet. Their expressions and protests have a certain combined aura of embarrassment and guilt that Lum's father diplomatically ignores, but it is a very familiar and well understood sight to most parents of teenagers . Later in the series, in a great episode that hasn't yet been translated into English, Lum and Ataru get a chance to spend a weekend alone together when Ataru's mother wins a trip away for her and Ataru's father. Lum sees this as an opportunity to "play wife", as does Ataru, but Ataru sees it with fear and regret. Ataru spends a great deal of futile effort trying to avoid his fate until a marvelous "super deformed" scene occurs in which Ataru receives a "revelation". Ataru suddenly realizes the obvious situation: as things stand, he tries to stay away from Lum and gets zapped by her every time he looks at another girl. But if he goes to Lum instead, he will still get zapped for looking at other girls but at least he will "have" Lum. So Ataru enthusiastically goes up to his bedroom with Lum. Lum is equally enthusiastic about this turn of events. But this being Urusei Yatsura, things rarely turn out the way that Ataru wants. Ataru does get to "sleep" with Lum, but it is Ataru who has the "sleepless" night. It turns out that Lum unconsciously gives out electric shocks in her sleep, so she puts an insulated suit on Ataru before they go to bed. With the suit on Ataru doesn't get zapped, but he also can't touch or even kiss the lovely but not-quite-available Lum who snuggles up so enticingly next to him. So Urusei Yatsura seems to be a bit of an exception to the rule, although it takes a fair amount of careful observation to notice the variation. The teens in UY seem normally curious about the opposite sex and spend what seems to be a normal amount of time and preoccupation on the topic. In the next part of this essay, "What's Wrong with that Boy?" I will look into another couple of popular series in which the hero seems to be "missing" something when it comes to reacting "normally" to girls. Dave Baranyi ------------------------------------------------------------------ 4.) Sex in anime? Part 2: Sex and the Single Anime Hero By Dave Baranyi Part 2 - What's Wrong with that Boy? A young man is accosted by a beautiful and mysterious young woman who has great and frightening powers. Although the young man is initially fascinated by the woman, he is also taken aback by her forwardness and scared of her potential sexuality. Sounds like our "special couple" from the first essay, Ataru and Lum. But I am thinking here of a number of other very popular and successful anime series which use this formula quite shamelessly. A reader of my first essay in this series pointed out quite astutely that American television shows such as "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeanie" exposed the world to this plot line in the 1960's. But the heroes in those two TV series were quite straight-laced and not hopeless skirt-chasers like Ataru Moroboshi in Urusei Yatsura. (Yet, despite the long running popularity of those series and the characters in them, I suspect that if most people were asked to mention Larry Hagman's most memorable role they would more likely remember his lascivious and totally amoral role as "J.R." in "Dallas" than his "all-American boy astronaut" role in "Jeanie". ) One of the anime series that recaptures the "innocence" of Bewitched or Jeanie very well is, of course, the Tenchi series. This extremely successful and popular series has undergone a number of character and plot line "modifications" during its run of two OAV series, two TV series and two movies, but one thing remains constant - Tenchi's inability to deal with the girls in the show. Granted, that is a driver for the comedy, but why is Tenchi so up-tight? Tenchi is embarrassed by Ryoko's forwardness, but at the same time when they are alone he encourages her with promises of "someday". Tenchi nobly goes out to save Ayeka when she is in danger but when he has succeeded he leaves her to return to anonymity. Only with Sammy does Tenchi seem at ease. ( Is this an ominous hint of a "Lolita complex" ? ) Is it the power that is embodied within Ryoko and Ayeka that frightens Tenchi off? In boring and distasteful example of what makes "hentai" anime so worthless, the "heroine" in "Sakura Tuushin" hunts her "choice" down in the hotel where he is staying while he tries to concentrate on his university entrance exams. Now that Sakura has found him, she disrobes, crawls into bed, turns her back and makes little "submissive" moans for him to come and take her. For the "hero" to do so would obviate this pitiful excuse for dramatic tension, such as it is, so of course, the hero refuses and throws Sakura out into the hallway. Is it a lack of submissiveness on the part of Ryoko and Ayeka that turns Tenchi off? Let's look at another famous anime that almost glorifies submissiveness and passiveness, "Ah My Goddess". Keiichi is a "nerd amongst men" and bemoaning his fate when he causes Belldandy to appear before him. Here is the girl of his dreams, available to grant any wish and unlike Ryoko, totally non-threatening. But Keiichi is frightened of the potential problems that could be caused by Belldandy. Is Keiichi is so used to being a loser that he is frightened of actually winning for a change? To an extent the situation is similar to the opening part of the movie "Risky Business" in which Tom Cruise's character is effectively emasculated by the vision he has of his future being totally ruined if he has sex with his girlfriend. Yet at the same time he is tormented by dreams of hot sex with an unknown beauty. But unlike the hero in Risky Business, Keiichi continues to struggle against his desires, even when others encourage him to do otherwise. When Keiichi's sister shows up, she gives Keiichi a "knowing" smile and congratulates him on finding a girl. She automatically assumes that Keiichi and Belldandy are doing more than "playing gin rummy". When the uninhibited Urd shows up Keiichi's struggles become even more difficult. Urd knows that Keiichi was interested in "taking advantage" of the situation when he didn't realize that Urd was Belldandy's big sister. Urd can't understand why Keiichi doesn't "do what is natural" with Belldandy. And when Skuld shows up Keiichi shows a comfort level with the youngest sister, similar to that of Tenchi with Sammy in that series. So what we have in both series are heroes who have the "opportunity of their dreams" and their choice of beautiful and willing young women. Yet the heroes do "nothing" in the "heroic" tradition. ( Sorry folks, but if you take the time to read the pre-Victorian versions of "heroic" literature, you will see that heroes have "heroic" duties to their ladies beyond simply slaying monsters. ) To a good extent, both Tenchi and Keiichi are inhibited by a concern about "responsibility" as well as fears of how they will be judged by their society and their "elders". But how are their "elders" handling the same question? What sort of "role models" are the "older and wiser" heads providing to the youthful heroes of anime? In the next part of this essay, "What are Mom and Dad doing behind that Door?" I will look at the reaction of anime parents to sex and compare it to that of their children. Dave Baranyi ------------------------------------------------------------------ 5.) Sex in anime? Part 3: Sex and the Single Anime Hero By Dave Baranyi Part 3 - What are Mom and Dad Doing Behind That Door? Hmmm anime parents seem to be a fairly tolerant lot. In Tenchi Muyo, Ryoko announces that she is pregnant with Tenchi's baby and Tenchi's father congratulates Tenchi. Tenchi is, of course, totally taken about and shocked by this. In Urusei Yatsura, Lum's father visits and just takes it for granted that Lum and Ataru are doing "what young couples do". Lum and Ataru deny this, maybe a bit too strongly. In the first UY movie "Only You", during a meeting between Ataru's and Lum's parents, Ataru's mom tells Ataru that things have been "okay" for the past year, but a girl wants to be married sometime; implying that it is time to do the "honorable" thing and make Lum an "honest woman". So the adults in anime expect the teens to act as "young adults" and seem to accept the fact that sex may be part of the equation in "growing up". But how are the adults behaving and is it different from the teenaged heroes that we've mentioned so far like Ataru, Tenchi and Keiichi? In some shows like UY and TM the "adults" seem to act more like teens than the teens. In TM, Tenchi's father is portrayed as a hopeless, but good natured hentai; almost a grown-up Ataru Moroboshi. Yet in the first Tenchi movie Tenchi's father is portrayed as a typical "anime wimp" when he was a teen. The change in character is never explained. Is it the fate of all "repressed anime wimps" to become "dirty old men" once they grow up? UY is a bit of an exception in comic anime genre in that Ataru's parents are both together and play a recurring role in the show. On a number of occasions Ataru's parents get in the "mood" to "feel young again" and disappear into their room. But at the same time Ataru's mother is portrayed as a closet "hentai" on several occasions when the super handsome ( and super stupid ) Rei shows up. Ataru's mother has no qualms about instantly getting made up and offering herself to Rei. Hmmm older women and younger men. A bit of the "Graduate's" influence in anime? ( The church scene in the first UY movie when Lum is pounding on the window to get Ataru's attention owes a lot to that film. ) A current "serious" anime series, "Brain Powerd" has this as an interesting sub- plot and character driver too. "Brain Powerd" is a new anime series that is currently running on the Japanese "Wowow" pay satellite system. "Brain Powerd" was developed by the creator of the Gundam series as a "rebuttal" to "Shin Seki Evangelion". It is a story about ( at least ) two mysterious organizations that are battling to either save or destroy the Earth ( depending upon whose claims you believe ). Central to the show are giant "organic" mechas that are created not as machines but are "grown" from DNA- like accumulations of energy. The driving force of the show is the relationships between the characters on both sides of the battle. Families are split by the conflict. Yuu is a 17 year old mecha pilot for one side. His mother, Midori, who is in her 40's, is one of the leaders of "Orphan", the opposite side. Midori is having a rather open affair with Jonas, a 21 year old mecha pilot under her command ( and a sworn enemy of Yuu ), who happens to be the son of one of the leaders of Yuu's side. ( And this doesn't begin to scratch the surface in the soap opera-like relationships in this show. ) In one scene in a recent show we see Jonas happily leaving Midori as Midori leisurely re-buttons her clothes and puts her glasses back on. Jonas thinks that he is having a fast, good time, but the look on Midori's face strongly suggests that she is in command in the bedroom too. This brings up even more family conflict as Yuu's sister Iiko ( who also likes Jonas but won't or can't get herself to do anything about it ) and who is a mecha commander, suspects what is going on but can't get her father to react or her mother to admit anything. ( A distaff analogy to the Clinton's? ) At the same time, Yuu is too engrossed with his anguish over the fact that he abandoned his family to change sides, to react to the beautiful 18 year old Hime ( who is a mecha pilot on Yuu's side ) who obviously cares for Yuu. So while the parents "act", the teens continue to dither. ( B.T.W. - in addition to the complicated character plot, the show has great visuals, a snappy pace and marvelous music by Yoko Kanno. ) In another currently running show on Japanese TV, "Silent Mobius" TV, the most recent episode had one of the main heroines, Katsumi, make love to her colleague Roy immediately after they had seemly defeated an attempt on their lives and their love by their enemy. As they lay there in silhouette, with Katsumi on top, my first thought was, "Hey, wasn't Roy supposed to be badly injured? If Katusmi isn't careful Roy will be in real trouble ." Silent Mobius is not a "hentai" or a "late night" show though. This scene was critical as a set-up for the next scene, which ended the episode and has potentially created a whole new direction for the series ( sorry, no spoilers ). In another recent anime with adult protagonists, "Cowboy Bebop", there are three main adult characters, Spike, Jeto and Fay, who live together on their spaceship as bounty hunters in the distant future. This is not your ordinary "space opera". It is a gritty, realistic glimpse into a possible future where Venus and Mars are terraformed, as are the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Space travel is facilitated by the orbital giant "gates" that transport space ships instantly between the planets. The show is a mix of/homage to the detective/spy shows on American TV in the 60's, as well as the TV "westerns" of the 50's. But at the same time it is something unique and tremendously appealing. Spike is 30 something, Jeto is 50'ish and Fay ( a beautiful woman without a past ) is probably in her late 20's. There is no "relationship" between either Spike and Fay, or Jeto and Fay, other than some limited sort of friendship, professional respect and some signs of camaraderie. When the three of them "hit port" they go their own ways. In one show Jeto goes to visit an ex-lover, with unexpected results. In some shows Fay goes off to bars to chose a man for the night. ( With her looks, attitude and ability with guns and martial arts, Fay is always in control of the situation. ) So, in recent "adult" anime, sex appears to be something that adults chose in a manner which seems to be close to what one would expect from real society. But the teen sex still doesn't seem to match a similar "reality". Is this a case of Japanese society, like American society, separating out in entertainment what is "acceptable" for adults from what is "wished for" in teens? In part 4 I'll look at some more "normal" teen heroes and ask "What are the Normal Guys Doing?" Dave Baranyi ------------------------------------------------------------------ 6.) The Pokémon Craze "Like any other 10-year-old, Ash wants to become a Pokémon Trainer-specifically, the World's Greatest Trainer, one who can catch all 150 extraordinary Pokémon creatures, plant, animal, fire, water, and many more! When he goes to Professor Oak to choose his first Pokémon, he is surprised to receive the rare and electrifying Pikachu. Pikachu is mischievous, but soon he and Ash become good friends. And Ash needs friends to compete against the villainous trio called Team Rocket, his rival Gary, and all the other challenges waiting out in the world of Pokémon!" Who would of thought that a show that caused 'Epileptic Seizures' in Japan last year would become America's fasted growing phenomenon? In the course of 2 months, Pokemon has premiered on National TV in syndication (check local listings) in the USA and Canada, The first video game of Pokemon has premiered on Game Boy in the USA in both a Red and Blue version making it a necessity that if you want to become a master trainer, you have to trade between the two types of games to get all 150 Pokemon. And in the coming months VIZ Communications, with Pioneer Entertainment, will release the first three of many volumes of Pokemon. Pokémon: I Choose You, Pikachu! (ep 1-3), Pokémon: The Mystery of Mt. Moon (ep 4-6), Pokémon: The Sisters of Cerulean City (ep 7-9). "Plus, each volume of Pokémon includes mini-comics, stickers, trading cards and other collectible bonuses!" And expect to see Comics, cards, bean-bag toys, posters, and tons more stuff. Even Kentucky Fired Chicken has a kids meal toy campaign planned for Pokemon. Expect to see more of Pikachu in the coming months. Get the low down at The Official Pokemon World web site at http://www.pokemon.com/. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 7.) Nintendo's New Money-Maker? +++Pokemon GB Sets Record Nintendo's newest Game Boy title, Pokemon, has sold more than 200,000 copies over the course of the last two weeks in the US. This makes it the fastest-selling portable game of all time. Considering this is the first of many pieces of Pokemon merchandise to hit US shores...it looks like the Teletubbies are on their way out. Courtesy Videogames.com --- SYSOP*Joe Talladira, (104074.3641@compuserve.com) +++Nintendo: U.S. Crazy for Pokemon Nintendo says their entire first production run of 400,000 units has already been shipped to retailers, and expects to sell 1 million be the end of the year. October 14, 1998 Nintendo has sold more than 200,000 of the Game Boy cartridge in the U.S. in the first two weeks of the product's availability, a figure Nintendo says has made Pokemon "the fastest-selling portable game in American history." The game first hit stores on Sept. 28 in the U.S., after a two-year Pokemon craze stormed Japan, where more than 10 million of the units have been sold. "Initially, we anticipated a steady build in popularity right up to the holidays, but that isn't the case -- it's hugely popular right off the bat," says Peter Main, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Nintendo of America Inc. "Fueling the sales frenzy is the fact that the collaborative and care-giving aspects of the game are as popular among girl players as boys." Nintendo says the entire initial production run of 400,000 cartridges has already been shipped to retailers, and with reorders, Nintendo expects sales of up to one million units by year-end. Sales of 200,000 units in the first two weeks constitute a rate at least three times the levels achieved by previous Game Boy best sellers based on Mario or Donkey Kong characters. And Nintendo isn't letting up. There's a Pokemon cartoon show currently running daily in nearly every large U.S. television market, and expect to see a full line of toys and merchandise by Hasbro this Christmas, a massive fourth quarter promotional campaign with KFC, a trading card line from Wizards of the Coast, comic books, home videos, and more. Courtesy Next Generation Online --- SYSOP*Joe Talladira, (104074.3641@compuserve.com) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8.) Playstation 2: Rumors +++PSX 2: Facts And Theories Abound Playstation 2: Further to Friday's PlayStation 2 release story: a developer who wishes to remain anonymous has suggested that early '99 was indeed the arrival date for PlayStation 2 development kits. He also added that while DVD and polygon counts may be subject to change, Hardware B- Splining and a proprietary "skinning" technology would definitely be included. This technology is said to give PlayStation 2 a huge advantage in assembling organic-looking figures and textures on the fly, using algorithms to calculate appearance rather than simply mapping attributes onto skeletons. The proposed 10 million polygons per second would make the machine more than twice as poly-rich as Dreamcast (4 million per second). The inclusion of a DVD format could well cause in-fighting between Sony's DVD division and its PlayStation group. Even more interesting is the news that Sony has completed a tiny, compressed version of the original PlayStation board, clearly designed to fit into other devices. Current suspects include: - Sony DVD players with built-in PlayStation ability - a-la Project X. - A portable PlayStation. - Aircraft/hotel installations similar to Nintendo's gateway system. - TVs with built-in PlayStation technology All of the above are designed to see PlayStation well into its old age, keeping the format alive while PlayStation 2 establishes itself. Courtesy Fastest Game News Online --- SYSOP*Joe Talladira, (104074.3641@compuserve.com) +++PSX2 Follows Dreamcast Suit? Unconfirmed reports out of Tokyo this morning claim that Sony has begun working with at least two different game developers in determining the needs and desires of the game development community in respects to launching their much anticipated next home console. Sources close to Sony claim that they already have plans in the works for an arcade version of their upcoming console which, much like the Dreamcast, will ease translations onto the "PSX2." Although little is actually known about the specifications of the hardware other than mere speculation, sources in Tokyo claim that Sony is pouring it's collective resources into developing a seamless game development environment which will potentially win over developers already poised to develop projects for the Dreamcast. The only question now is, how long will Sony hold out until making an official announcement? Courtesy of Sega-Otaku.com --- Excalibur [STAFF], (110517.1723compuserve.com) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 9.) Nintendo 64 Doing Good? +++Survey: Nintendo No. 1 in Japan Market The business survey said financial gurus rated the Big N as one of the best investments for the next century. October 12, 1998 The Nikkei Business Survey asked stock players in Japan just which companies would be most likely to continue performing well in the 21st century in the Japanese market. And guess who grabbed the top spot? That's right, Nintendo was first among their picks for successful next-century companies, followed by Fuji Photo Film, Takeda Chemical, Toyota, and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. Companies were ranked on such factors as: Credit rating, the age of the firm's president, and the development of economic profit (the profit a company gains to meet the expectation of its investors), among other things. Courtesy Next Generation Online --- SYSOP*Joe Talladira, (104074.3641@compuserve.com) +++Zelda Takes to the Tube TOKYO - In Japan, where Nintendo is currently not even a factor in the home video gaming market (in spite of Game Boy - still huge, with no signs of slowing), The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time could be the machine's last hope for the N64. Today, we spotted a TV commercial for the game. It's simple, but effective. If it brings in buyers, the N64 could get a second chance. In it, viewers watch a cute Japanese girl play the game, reacting to different scenes as they cut directly to parts of the game. At the end, the ad announces the release date (Nov. 21 in Japan) and its price. It's effective in showing some of the cinematic scenes in the game and some really cool action as well. But will it be enough? If Zelda 64 - one of the most anticipated games on the machine since Mario 64 - does not do well in Japan, it could mean the end of the system. By Chris Johnston, videogames.com --- SYSOP*Joe Talladira, (104074.3641@compuserve.com) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10.) Mailing List Technical Info ~ Back Issues can now be found at Omega's Vanishing Point, the original home of this E-Zine: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ablarnold/wsemain.html ~ To subscribe a friend send e-mail to ablarnold@csi.com, with the subject of _SUBSCRIBE_ . ~ To unsubscribe send an unsub e-mail to ablarnold@csi.com, with the subject of _UNSUBSCRIBE_ . Special Thanks to Dave Baranyi for allowing me to use his great essays in Weekly Stuff E-Zine. I look forward to reading Part 4 as soon as Dave writes it. Keep up the great work! See you again next issue. Arigatou! Adam “OMEGA” Arnold ablarnold@csi.com ; ICQ #7737442 http://welcome.to/vanishing.point/