Hey, Answerman!

Elfen Lies

Hi there, friends! If not friends, then well-wishers! If not well-wishers, then neutral observers!

Just a quick note before I begin, I will be attending both cosplay outfits will point and laugh at the sad man in his silly theater get-up. All judging and laughing.

Now that I've scared everyone, I have some questions!

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Howdy Answerman,

Was noticing something while checking out the page on ANN for Sankarea that sparked a question that I hope you will answer.

I read the news article that wrote that Funimation “has acquired the broadcast, home entertainment, mobile, streaming, and FUNimation Entertainment” (again in the case of Jormungand).

Obviously, these are two different kinds of licenses. My question is, in the case where it is the whole “Licensed by Funimation” part, that means one can expect a DVD/Blu Ray release of the show, yes? Most likely to include an English dub?

I ask because I am still confused as to the whole process of what shows will get “fully” licensed (I suppose that is what is being said about shows like Sankarea and Eureka 7: AO). If you could enlighten me to this process, that would be greatly appreciated as well. I have mostly been streaming these days, and so have been watching the Japanese dubs, only to find out a few months later that they get licensed and an English dub is produced (but by then, I have already watched the show in Japanese, and don't usually tend re-watch the English dub, as I can't help but compare the two, and whichever I watched first usually is the one I stick to). I like ing the industry, and it is one thing if I have only watched a few episodes of a show just to get the feel, but if I complete a series that is streamed, I am less likely to buy the DVD. Better understanding in advance what shows will get or are fully licensed (and what that means), will make it much easier for me to hold out until the release to buy the DVD.

In case you haven't yet, I'd urge each and every one of you out there to read Hulu. They hope you'll go ahead and buy it anyway, of course, but we're only human, and money is precious. Shelf space is precious. Time is precious. People always tell you to "vote with your dollars," and, well, this is a great place to do that.

"Should I hold off on watching the streams so I can finish the rest of the show on DVD?" shouldn't really be the question. The question should really be, "Do I enjoy this show enough to own it? Ostensibly forever?" If the quality is there and the answer is "yes," that sends a rather potent message to the companies involved that this is what we fans want to own. We want to own quality. We'll watch damn near everything on a stream, of course, because it's cheap and convenient, and were are nothing but ravenous when it comes to new content. But for a physical release, we demand some form or another of quality and efficacy.

Whoops, there I go again with my heartfelt... I'd like to call it a "plea," but at this point it's more like yelling. Heartfelt yelling.

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Hey Answerman,

Having read a lot of the columns on ANN this summer and watched a lot of the season's new shows, I've really been getting a sense of anime as an art form that goes much deeper than my thus far narrowly shonen-focused experience has given credit to. I am pretty much a newbie outside of the biggest series of the last decade, like Bleach, and the like, and am trying to branch out into some of the shows that have made and are making anime what it is today. But I have no one good to ask.

So, I've been inspired to try and make the transition from occasional anime dilettante to true blue fan. What should I watch/read/learn/listen to/wiki, with no lines drawn according to genre, age (of both intended audience and work itself), gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or squigglyness? Recommend five things or fifty, I appreciate anything at all. Go nuts!

Normally, I would jump at the chance to flout with unassumed importance my taste, cavorting about like the dandiest fop - but, nah. I could deluge you with recommendations until I'm blue in the mouth, but contrary to the title of this column, I don't necessarily enjoy telling people what, explicitly, to do.

However, I do enjoy giving people some options. So let's do that!

Most of the cool things I've discovered in my life - books, films, music, anime, whatever - hasn't necessarily come from recommendations from like-minded folks. Not that I'm closed-minded to the suggestions of others, but there's a more powerful force at work when it comes to my entertainment: curiosity!

That's how I got into anime in the first place. I was curious. I'm curious about the connective tissue between the things I already like, and the stuff out there I haven't seen yet. I was already rather heavy into animation and its history, and anime existed in my head as this ephemeral, weird offshoot; I was also quite into video games, and after playing Lunar on my friend's seiyuu, and whatnot - there's often a shared influence, or perhaps a point of view that permeates both works, stemming from a particular writer. And so on, so forth.

So go out there, get curious, and dig up stuff you never thought you'd be watching or reading a million years, let alone enjoying. Good luck! You're the one who gets to go nuts, dude!

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Dear Answerman,

I don't have a question, and I'm not sure I am even emailing the right person about this. But I would love to see new episodes of your fantastic show "Elfen Lied." It is my favorite show of all time and has literally made a noticable impact on my life. I cried multiple times in many of the episodes, and I love the deep emotional control that this show had over me. I believe that the majority of the people who have seen this show would want a continuation on what already is a great anime. I wouldn't care if it was just one episode. The show had a cliff-hanger ending and I would love to see what comes next, even though I did read the manga. The two were different indeed, but the anime could still branch off and away from the manga just a little and still have that wonderful feel to it. So, in a nutshell, I want you to bring the show back and make the end to feel more complete. If you read this whole message than I apologize for making you read this mass of illogical bantering.

Ah, well. Another one of these.

No, I didn't make Elfen Lied. I don't think I have quite that much malice and despair in my heart to unleash something that cruel and sadistic on any audience.

But I didn't pick this question to laugh at the notion that I created Elfen Lied! Funny though the thought may be, no! Instead, I want to inform my readers - and the Whole Of The Internet, if possible - that sometimes things end in a way that is unsatisfying on behalf of both the fans and the creators themselves.

The directors of Elfen Lied haven't been shy about their disappointment regarding the anime series. They balked at the episode count - they figured that 13 episodes was "not enough" to contain the entirety of the story - and they agree that they were "rushed" to create their own ending out of whole cloth while the manga was still running. But, hey - them's the breaks, man. They only had the budget to make those 13 episodes, and that's all. For a while, it might've seemed like Elfen Lied could be a big enough hit in the West - and indeed, Thundercats, naturally.

Basically, the show is done. It's done. And what's wrong with that? The ending might not be what they "wanted," I guess, but virtually no production is entirely, 100-percent perfect in the way the creators envisioned. In a way, I think that's the beautiful and fun part about discussing these things with each other; this imperfect quality from these rather bold and audacious shows that challenge us emotionally, that lead us to think of other resolutions and meanings. It gives us fodder for discussion and empathy and, sometimes, controversy.

Nothing is ever perfect. It's not supposed to be. Things don't always turn out the way people wanted. Elfen Lied was a project that really strove for something creatively, and it didn't quite succeed. But that's what's fascinating about it. Aside from being a bad show or a great show, I think Elfen Lied accomplished something even better - it's an interesting show.

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It's Answerfans time! My question to all of you last week was in regards to one of the big-ticket events at every convention I've yet seen:

I wanted to try and spark a little bit of AMV discussion, because, I thought, "Hey! The AMV s are always packed and highly attended affairs!" But, as it goes sometimes, you folks just weren't in the mood to speak at length on AMVs at length. Not to worry; the two that I got are, as usual, rather imioned, which I like.

Let's queue these up! First is Sam X, who likes Cool Stuff:

AMV. Heck the name sounds cool, so what do I want to see when I watch it? Something cool! If I click a link and get delivered a video that just cuts together unrelated pieces of footage along to a song that in no way fits the atmosphere of the scene then I just have to close it down. If an AMV is going to be good then it needs to look professional. Gurren Lagann Parallel Works and are one of few examps of a legitimately professional AMV (which they essentially are) what Gainax achieved was a story that was told through music as much as it was the images on screen, and that is a quality I look for in an AMV, the “cool” factor that makes me want to watch a piece again and again. Where the actions on the screen play out in perfect harmony to the correctly chosen song. When a big bass note hits and a defining moment occur simultaneously. Heck, even if the story that is being told is totally different to what's canon to the series! These are the cool things I want in an AMV.

Half-hearted works with subtitles along the bottom, low-quality footage and watermarks just don't tell a story. They come across as what they are: a quick ploy to get views from the fan-base. It's when a person genuinely puts time, effort and ion into an AMV that the truly great ones shine through. My favourite examples are that of [MAD] and his summary of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, condensing the whole series into around 5 minutes and set to the blisteringly amazing Welcome to the Black Parade and of Regiosk8's One Piece AMV set to This is War. Both these AMV's show the ion, commitment and love that tells the story of the characters and events in a condensed and emotional burst. It is these kind of AMV's that leave a lasting impression and the kind I hope to see win the AMV contests this year.

Trevor, now, breaks things down into numbers:

Hey Answerman,

I personally love watching AMV's. I've never made one myself for a few reasons (no time, lack of creativity and motivation, etc.), but I go on YouTube and other AMV websites to watch them all the time. So, what do I think makes an AMV great? Before I get into effects, timing, flow, etc. I think first two things are *almost* out of the creators control.

1. Song Choice
2. Anime(s) chosen

What song the creator chooses is important because if I song is unbearable, I probably won't watch the entire AMV…If the song is good (or really matches the anime), then I'll be more likely to continue watching it. I've actually found a lot of good song's I've never heard before from AMV's, which is pretty cool. Another type of AMV I like is the “trailer” style, when they take the trailer audio from a movie and make an AMV out of it.

I personally like AMV's about anime I've already seen (and liked) because I know where the clips come from and it's easier to see why the creator chose the scenes they did. Also, I've noticed that the more I like the show, the better chance I'll like the AMV. Might be “shallow”, but watching an AMV about your favorite anime is awesome. I'm not saying I don't like AMV's about shows I didn't like; just that I actively search for ones about my favorite shows.

I say the song choice and the anime(s) chosen are *almost* out of the creator's control because no matter what song or anime they choose, there are going to be people out there who don't like one or both. They're both very subjunctive to the watcher. Other important things I look for in AMV's are:

1. Flow
2. Effects
3. Originality

The AMV needs to have good flow from clip to clip matching the song. If the song is very mellow and there's an intense fight on screen, it doesn't really work out. I like a good amount of effects in AMV's, but they can't be overdone. Some AMV's have so many effects, they suffocate the anime and the song. I feel bad for AMV's like this because it takes the creators so long to make them, and you think in your head “maybe they put too much effort into this one."

Some things are intertwined. I.e. you can use effects to maximize flow. If you have a section of intense effects, you need to slow the pace down to have some contrast. Watching great effects for a long (continuous) time can get boring. Like the movie “2012”, just go go go, no stopping.

But, as with anything, nothing is set in stone. I like some AMV's that have no effects at all because the song, the anime, the pacing, flow, etc. are awesome ( see “Spanish Lady” ~ Spice and Wolf, it's on YouTube). But there's also AMV's that are all effects that I like (“Celebrating A Decade of Anime”). There's a lot of wiggle room and sometimes, you can't explain why you like the AMV, you just do.

I know what *I* look for in an AMV - Haruhi dancing to either Weird Al Yankovic songs, or that one song by Live. Can't get enough of 'em.

I'm kidding. Please don't send me those. I may die.

Next week, however! Let's put on our Answer-caps and think about this question, inspired by my Elfen Lied query:

Now you've got this week's question, and it's time to get answerin'.

For those of you new to Hey, Answerfans!, I'll explain the concept.

Believe it or not, I'm genuinely curious what you think.

That's right; as much as I love the sound of my own voice, I do love to listen to what other people have to say on a subject. I'm finding that over the last few years, the attitudes, reasoning and logic that today's anime fans use eludes, confuses or astounds me; I have so many questions for you, and I'm dying to hear what you have to say in response.

Welcome to Hey, Answerfans!

Basically, we're turning the tables. Each week I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to email me your answer. Be as honest as you can. I'm looking for good answers; not answers I agree with or approve of, but good, thoughtful answers. People feel ionately about these subjects and I'd like to see that in the responses I get. I'll post the best answers I get, and maybe some of the crappy ones. Sometimes there may only be one or two good ones; sometimes five or more. It all depends on what I get in my inbox! Got it? Pretty simple, right? Start writing those answers and email them to answerman [at] animenewsnetwork dot com.

We do have a few simple ground rules to start with.

Things To Do:

* Be coherent.
* Be thoughtful.
* Be ionate.
* Write as much or as little as you feel you need to to get your point across in the best possible way.

Things Not To Do:

* Respond when the question doesn't apply to you. For instance, if your email response starts with "Well, I don't do whatever you're asking about in the question... " then I'm going to stop reading right there and hit delete.

* Be unnecessarily rude or use a lot of foul language.
* Go off-topic.

I'm all out of stuff to say, so farewell! But don't forget to email me! C'mon and email me! Email me, damn it! Email me at answerman(at)animenewsnetwork.filmscomplets.org for all your questions and responses! See you all at the cons!