Was just talking with Roadkill, about Anime.
The subject got started with him griping about the people who have issues with adult themes in “Cartoons” as are often seen in Anime. Of course people just need to realize that animation is targeted to adults, and teens, as well as children, just like live-action film.
Still I got talking about the last series I was seriously watching. The Golgo 13 TV series. For those not familiar with this series, its based off a Manga that’s been written since the late 60s and spawned many movies, and I personally liked this TV series the best as the Manga often covers short stand-alone stories of various jobs of the Globe-Trotting assassin, Golgo 13. That makes it very natural for 20 minute TV episodes. Here’s a particularly good episode (sorry no Embedding)
Still what I find very puzzling is this, watch the whole series (many of the stories borrowed from back Manga issues) and what’s missing?
Golgo 13 is constantly smoking in Manga and feature-length Anime. Yet in this series he doesn’t smoke.
Seems kind of odd that a series loaded with loveless sex, violence, murder, not to mention the moral ambiguity that comes with being a free-lance assassin. Yet a cigarette or cigar in the mouth of the anti-hero protagonist is somehow a bridge too far?
Just gets me scratching my head!
Weerd, if you’re interested, some kind soul re-animated and re-wrote the ‘Star Blazers’ saga. The dialogue makes sense now! The animation, while CGI, is amazing, doing justice to the storyline. Here’s the backstory link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TP347BvgqM
I know the exact reason why they don’t put in the tobacco:
IZ FOUR TEH CHILDRENZ!!!!!!!11!!!!11!!
Video games get the same treatment; those who don’t play them often think they’re only for young children. Remember the hysterics every time a new Grand Theft Auto came out? It’s a diverse medium just like books or television, and if adults want to play or watch adult stuff, they should be able to.
So does the 13 stand for the number of tentacles or what?
Ever watch Hellsing Ultimate? Extremely well detailed pistols for an anime (rifles, not so much). It appears they even got the mechanical workings of the 1911 right. Not too many 1911’s chambered in .454 Casul, though…
My favorite will still be “Cowboy Beebop”, and Spike does smoke in it. So does Jet and Valentine.
Heck, the only two that don’t smoke are Ed and Einstein.
It reminds me of when I was watching the Lupin the Third anime on cable and watched how in the American dub Lupin and his gang somehow got shitfaced drinking “juice”
Not ‘anime’ I guess, but I loved ‘Wizards’ back in the day.
Wow, just searched it and the whole movie is on youtube.
I think there is some sort of standards code for broadcast anime. The incredibly funny “Cromartie High School” parodies this by having the cast of delequents… not smoking, but having sticks with funny cgi blobs on the end…
It’s kind of a surreal series…