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Is "Payday" Money, real money?
In the Pokémon games, when Payday is used, you can gain a small amount of money. The amount is however pitiful, so it's never used as an infinite money trick or effective money grinding strategy.
In the anime however, during the Johto League Arc, in one episode Jessie, James, and Meowth are copycatting a famous burglar who had a Meowth as a partner. In his escapes the burglar's Meowth used Payday like a smoke screen. When Jessie and James copycat, they do the same thing, however because Meowth can't use Payday, Meowth throws bottle caps belonging to James' collection. (When Ash, Brock, and Misty examine the "coins" they comment they are just bottle caps, after which you hear James in the background saying they aren't "just bottle caps".)
I am wondering however, is the money that's thrown out when Payday is used the same kind of money used in society in Pokemon? If so, then how is it people don't abuse the move to get rich? (For example, Team Rocket stealing Pokémon with Payday and using them to fund their criminal operations.)

Also i remember other occasions Jessie and James complaining about how if Meouth knew Payday they wouldn't be scraping the barrel all the time, though this could just be passed off as them being desperate

I'm pretty sure payday provides real money and is just one giant plothole lol

I don't remember anyone ever using money for anything in the anime. I remember that in the first season there was a filleted Magicarp served on a plate as food, though.

In chapter 56 of the Pokémon Adventures manga, you can see how Kanto's Pokémon Fan Club Chairman had perfected the Pay Day move on both its Rapidash and Fearow. He used the coins to pay his ticket to ride the S.S. Anne, so they must be real coins. As to why Team Rocket does not use this method to gain loads of coins, it probably costs too much time and effort to be worth it. Imagine your cat could spawn a couple of cents a day, and with some effort, it might be able to spawn, let's say, a dollar a day. You might retain only a little after paying for the training and food to keep your cat healthy to spawn lots of coins. I doubt it would make someone rich quickly. I think Team Rocket would be much better off just robbing a bank or something or stealing from some rich dude instead of stealing or breeding a bunch of Meowth.

It's possible that Payday as a move that is only successful if the opponent has money on them.
In this case the Pokemon would need to have some kind of money and so the move would not always be successful in the anime if they don't have access to what they consider money.

While I have no canonical answer, I do have a few ideas.

First, maybe it's somehow tied to Pokemon happiness.  Miserable
Pokemon gives a couple pennies, overly happy Pokemon gives several
quarters (maybe not in USD, but hopefully I've conveyed the point).
Alternatively, maybe it can only be used once every so often.  After
all, there is no exploit of Charmander for heaters or Pikachu for
powerplants.  Pokemon do not have limitless power, they eventually
need to rest and recharge.
Perhaps the coins are actually fake, just some people buy them as
keepsakes.  This would be similar to going to the beach and buying
seashells or buying a fancy rock from the mountainside.  Maybe even
just buying it as a lump of metal, similar to recycling plants that
pay for your aluminum from used cans.
It could also be that only some coins are real and the others are
illusions.  If a bunch of gold coins are being thrown in a crowd,
some might jump on the opportunity just in case they are real.

One potential reason the crowd might have swarmed for Payday coins would be that it looks like real money.  In a crowd, they might not know it was a Payday move and mistake fake coins for real ones.  It could also be that Payday is not a well known move to the general population.


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What is the motive behind the Titan Shifters' actions?
Okay, so I read a bit of the manga, and I know a good amount of spoilers. But why are most of the titan-shifters trying to destroy humanity? Eren and Ymir are good, right? Why do some titan-shifters want to destroy humanity, and what are Annie's, the Colossal Titan's, and the Armored Titan's backstories and motives?

That's the beauty of it, we don't know yet :). That's the main plot mystery, and as such, we can only guess until more details are provided. This question cannot be properly answered because the details were not yet revealed :)

Ymir acts more like an anti-hero, and before we know the real motives of the trio (Annie etc.), we cannot even say that they are destroying humanity. Maybe they are saving humanity in a twisted way as we see in the latest manga, the heart of the human walled territory has sinister elements.

Since there isn't much revealed in the manga, this answer is going to be a speculative one.
It's known that the royal family has been trying to wipe out the titans. They prepare someone to become the "Carrier" of the Coordinate, but each time a new titan gets the power, they accede to the demands of the 1st king, that is to allow the titans to dominate human, i.e. Titan rule.
The primary motive of the Titan Shifters is to recover the Coordinate, unknown to the fact that only someone from the royal family can use it's powers optimally.
This leads me to think that

The ape titan, is somehow related to the royal family and wants to fulfill the 1st king's wish.
Or, he just wants to convert all humans to titans, thus creating an only titan nation and annihilating humanity.

unclear english

Hi @jamesblack I don't know what's unclear in this answer. To me, and the other users that have read this in the past 4 years since the answer was posted, it has been pretty lucid, to be honest. So if you would care to expand a bit on what you were facing difficulties with, I'd be glad to help you out.

I thought I would update this question with information leading up to, and including, Chapter 94 of the Attack on Titan manga. I realize that these questions are broad, and the answer will be long, but it’s worth having it all in a single place.
Warning, severe spoilers take place in the answer below. I have done my best to indicate where the spoilers come from, but read at your own risk.
I will address the questions in this format so that you can skip ahead if you need to:

Why are the titan shifters trying to destroy humanity?
What are Ymir's, Annie's, Bertholdt's, Reiner's and Eren's backstories and motives?

First, it is super important to talk about the regions involved in this conflict. From Chapter 93, page 6, we see a geographic representation of the world at this time:

 A great deal of the story up until Chapter 86 had occurred on the Island of Paradis, within the three concentric walls - Maria, Rose, and Sina - all located in the region circled in red. Then, in Volume 21, Chapter 86, page 163, we are visually made aware of the mainland which is the landmass referenced by the blue arrow. This landmass belongs to the Marleyan government. Finally, in Chapter 93, we are made of aware of another presence, the region now known as the Mid-East Allies which is indicated in pink. There are other regions that we can see from this map, but they have not been discussed so far in the manga. Keep all of this in mind as we move forward because the political events get a little messy.

Now, let’s talk about the historical conflict between the regions specified above, specifically the blue and red regions. Each side has their own perspective, and we see some truth in both. We’ll start with the Marleyan perspective, because that’s what we’re presented with in Volume 21, Chapter 86, Pages 160-162 when Grisha’s father is having a conversation with Grisha about the history of the conflict between Marley and Eldia. In this Marleyan perspective we discover that

1,820 years ago, the Eldians' ancestor Ymir Fritz made a contract with the earth devil in exchange for the power of the titans. When Ymir died, her soul was split nine ways into nine separate titans. Using the power of the titans, Eldia conquered the nation of Marley, and started a phase described by the Marleyan government as an ethnic cleansing that lasted 1,700 years. But, the previously conquered nation of Marley was able to bring 7 of the 9 titans under their control, thus leading them to victory in the Great Titan War against Eldia. King Fritz escaped to the Island of Paradis, built the three walls - Maria, Rose, and Sina - and took refuge there with some of his people. Unfortunately, not all Eldians escaped with King Fritz and some were left behind; they lived in the internment zone for Eldians on the mainland.

In Chapter 87, page 10, and also later in Chapter 89, our understanding of the Island of Paradis is shattered when we discover that it is

a penal colony implemented by the Marleyans. In fact, the mindless titans are created at the border of the Island of Paradis by the Marleyan government through injecting the titan serum into the neck of Marleyan traitors (Eldians from the internment zone). This is done not only to punish the traitors by sentencing them to a life as a mindless titan but to keep the remaining Eldians trapped within their three concentric walls, using the newly created mindless titans as a source of cheap military labor that keeps the Eldians caged in.

In Chapter 87, pages 38-40, we see a deep-rooted cultural divide emerge during a conversation between Grisha and high-level Marleyan soldier when the soldier

Confirms a biological difference between the Marleys and the Eldians. That is to say, only the Eldians, or the subjects of Ymir, are capable of turning into titans. It is through this conversation that we learn that the Marleyans protect themselves proactively by segregating and oppressing the Eldians.

In Chapter 87, pages 38-40, we also see that the original portrayal of historical events was not accurate when Grisha states

the original titan, Ymir Fritz, had implemented the titans to cultivate land, establish roads, construct bridges, etc. for the benefit of humanity.

Of course, we eventually see this is also not an accurate historical representation of the creation of the titans, and the events that occurred afterwards. In Chapter 89, pages 28-31, the OWL tells Grisha that

that the Eldians were at fault as well in the historical conflict. They used the mindless titans as a means of warfare and not simply for the benefit of humanity. The OWL confirms the many theories of the Eldian/Marleyan history and conflict, but in the end, the only amount of truth is in their reality.

Now that we’ve covered our historical conflicts, and the players involved in the current conflict, the only thing left to discuss on the first question is the current conflict. The reason some of the titan-shifters are “trying to destroy humanity” is because

The Marleyans require resources in the form of titan power (Chapter 92, Page 47) and fossil fuels found on the Island of Paradis, home of the Eldians. The first attempt to re-take Island Paradis was for natural resources, and the second attempt to re-take Island Paradis will be because the Marleyans almost lost in battle to the Mid-East allies and they need a show of force in the form of reunification of all titans under the Marleyan banner. However, because the Marleyans deployed so many mindless titans as a means of originally securing the penal colony (Island of Paradis) they now have to deal with those mindless titans before they can secure the needed resources and titan power. And, the only way to do that is to find the founding titan, so that they have a viable means of controlling the mindless titans. Thus, they sent their arsenal of titan-shifters into the penal colony in an effort to secure the founding titan and the co-ordinate.

Okay, so we’ve got all that background story out of the way, let’s talk about the titan-shifters and their backstories, allegiances, and motives. Some will be shorter than others and this is because there’s very little remarkable information about their backstory, motives, and allegiances.
First, let's talk a little about Ymir. Although her origin story was fleshed out previously, I will reference Chapter 89 because it presents her backstory in chronological order which is most helpful for us to keep things simple. In Chapter 89, pages 8-18, we discover that

Ymir was once an Eldian beggar child who lived on the mainland under Marley rule. She was adopted by cultists, proclaiming that she was Ymir Fritz, and she was worshipped in secret by this cult for quite some time. She went along with this role for the cultists in an effort to please them. Eventually, however, the Marleyan government caught on to the cult, which was performing illegal activities in the worship of Ymir Fritz, and Ymir took on their punishment for them. She was sent to the Island of Paradis, sat along the edge of the wall, injected with the titan serum, and thrown down into titan territory to suffer her punishment as a mindless titan.

In Volume 12, Chapter 47, Page 18, it is revealed that

Ymir had spent 60 years as a mindless titan after she had been injected with the titan serum. It was revealed prior to this chapter, and later confirmed in subsequent chapters that after some time, she hibernated under brush and dirt until, in the year 845, Marcel Galliard, Reiner Braun, and Bertholdt Hoover were on their way to infiltrate Wall Maria and they happened to cross paths with Ymir. She sprung out at Reiner, and Marcel pushed Reiner out of the way in an effort to save him, but was eaten by Ymir in her mindless titan form. Marcel, the Jaws titan-shifter, thus passed on his abilities to Ymir and she became the Jaws titan-shifter. However, she did not join forces with Reiner and Bertholdt. Instead, she re-joined civilization where she met Krista (Historia Reiss) whom she became romantically interested in, and remained by her side until later events. In the Survey Corps battle to get Eren back from Reiner, Ymir chose to let Krista go back to the Survey Corps and parted with Krista to save Reiner and Bertholdt. We don’t see her again in the story until much later.

Warning, severe spoiler ahead. In Chapter 93, page 97, our worst fears are confirmed when

Porco Galliard, the brother of Marcel - the titan-shifter Ymir had consumed - stated that he had not yet been able to see his brother’s memories but was able to learn a lot about Ymir after he had consumed her, even going as far as insulting her.

Up until this point, it is apparent that Ymir’s allegiance is to

Krista all the way until death. Although Ymir was an Eldian, she did not side with either the Eldians or the Marleyans.

Next, let’s talk about the Female Titan who is

Annie Leonheart. Annie is an Eldian and was raised in the Eldian internment zone on the mainland occupied by the Marleyan government. She enlisted in training and demonstrated great fighting skills and was selected by the Marleyan government to receive the power of the Female titan. She was part of the operation in 845 to infiltrate Wall Maria with Reiner, Marcel, and Bertholdt and they were all her comrades from training. When she successfully infiltrated Wall Maria, she joined the 104th Training Corps. Her allegiance is to the Marleyan government but with the help of the Attack Titan, she was captured by the Eldians on the Island of Paradis and we haven’t heard anything solid about her since.

That brings us to the Colossus Titan who is

Bertholdt Hoover. Not a lot of backstory for him. He grew up in the Eldian internment zone in Marley. He enlisted in the training program to be selected for a titan power and received the power of the Colossus Titan. Up until his death, his allegiance was to the Marleyan government.

Next up is the Armored Titan who as of Chapter 94 is

Reiner Braun, an Eldian raised in the internment zone within the nation of Marley. Reiner, like Annie, Marcel, and Bertholdt, trained to be selected for a titan power and he was selected to receive the Armored Titan. The Marleyan government sent Reiner to infiltrate Wall Maria in 845. However, after remaining undercover in the 104th Training Corps, he displayed some residual psychological effects that caused him to forget he was working for the Marleyan government and he had to be reminded on a few occasions, by Bertholdt Hoover, of the true nature of his mission.

We see some insight on Reiner’s humanity in Chapter 93, page 37 when

After losing Marcel in 845, and being prevented by Zeke from saving Annie from the Eldians on the Island of Paradis, and incapable of saving Bertholdt when he was consumed by another mindless titan (the next Colossus Titan), we see that Reiner suffers from grief and the loss of his friends when he pictures them as he’s talking to a group of younger recruits.

This sets the stage for a different Reiner, and influences his actions and allegiances as we see at the very end of Chapter 93, Page 47

Reiner has made a suggestion to a potential candidate for the Armored Titan that he become the Armored Titan to save his peer, Gabi, from a "dark fate" and the recruit then reflects back on the situation in a confusing manner, wanting to both save his friend and free the Eldia people

In Chapter 94, pages 22-27, we see Reiner at a family dinner. He is asked by members of his family about the “devils on Island Paradis” and without a second thought, Reiner portrays the Eldians there, especially those in the 104th Training Corp as

a group of normal people, different than Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie, each with their own strengths and flaws that were seen in an entirely positive light as he recalls the events. This perspective confuses the family, and the family immediately covers up after Reiner, portraying everyone on the Island of Paradis as monsters that built an empire off corpses. But his perspective of his enemies at the dinner table calls Reiner’s allegiance into question. That being said, his current allegiance is to the Marleyan government. His only reason for enlisting as an Eldian in the Marleyan military was so that his mother and father, one a Marleyan and the other an Eldian, could be together again. But the relationship was forbidden, and being an honorary Marleyan through selection for a titan power would allow his family to be together.

And Eren, well, we know his allegiance is to

The Survey Corps, and after the re-taking of the Island, the Survey Corps & the kingdom under Historia Reiss. His mother was devoured by a mindless titan in the very beginning of the story and ever since he's been out for revenge. More recently, his understanding through memories has altered his perspective a bit, but it has yet to change his allegiance. We will have to get further into the story to see if events change his loyalty to Historia Reiss and the Survey Corps.

Alright, to sum it all up the conflict happening in Attack on Titan is

Due to the existing feud between the Marleyans and Eldians, established 1,700 years ago. The first attempt to take the Island of Paradis by the Marleyans was to secure the natural resources on the Island. The second attempt to take the Island of Paradis will be for the unification of titan power under the Marleyan government.

The following titan-shifters have these allegiances:

Ymir, allegiance to Krista
Annie Leonheart, allegiance to Marley, made to believe Eldians on the Island were evil
Bertholdt Hoover, allegiance to Marley, made to believe Eldians on the Island were evil
Reiner Braun, allegiance to Marley, made to believe Eldians on the Island were evil but appears to be recently questioning his allegiance in Chapter 94
Eren Yeager, allegiance to Island of Paradis, or the Eldians under Historia Reiss and the Survey Corps

Please note: I will update this answer as things change.

I heard a theory that Annie, Riener, and Bertoldt were trying to free the Titan Shifters inside Wall Maria, possibly other shifters from their homeland. Also this would explain how surprised Riener was when Eren flipped out and attacked them when it was revealed they were also Titans, and thought it'd be okay for Eren to come with them. They may have known what the government wanted to do with a Titan Shifter's power.  For example, switching Eren's coordinate power to another Titan.  So, they were saving the shifters from the people.

All of us know who are the titan shifters, which are Eren, Reiner, Bertoldt, Annie, and Ymir. We already know what is Eren movtiation is saving humanity, have a taste of the outside world and having his revenge on th titans after what happen to his mother. Annie her movtiation was getting Eren and take him back to Reiner and Bertoldt. Reiner and Berholdt are emotionally and physically damage because they saw their friend get eaten. If Reiner and Bertoldt wanted to free the people they shouldn't break the walls because 20% percent of the population died in Wall Maria it has to be something else. I was doing research it said they destory the walls to get Eren but they failed many times because it said that Eren is the coordinater but I don't know their true motivation on destoring the walls. Also they want to know what is in the basment that Eren's dad was hiding. I dont spoil this for the fans of Attack on Titan because I am a fan too. I hope this help a little.

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Is Tobias' Latios the same Latios as the one in the Pokémon Heroes movie?
How can Tobias in Sinnoh League Champions ep.658 own Latios? Latios, as a legendary Pokemon, appears only once in the whole Pokémon world and, for we all know, he is dead since the Pokemon Heroes movie?

Although they are called "legendary", these Pokémon are not necessarily unique in the anime (or in the games). A good example is Silver, which is a younger Lugia. Tobias most likely has a second Latios.

I thought of that too, however Bulbapedia says that "Silver is a baby Lugia"...That would mean the other Latios would have to be the parent. But that was never mentioned, that's why I feel a little confused.

It's my understanding that Pokemon Heroes mentions that they come with their father and HE became the first soul dew. Not only that, but at the end, a Latias can be seen flying with two Latios, one her size and one larger. They could be another family, or perhaps the entire family reunited.

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Why does Lelouch speak English?

Lelouch Vi Brittania commands you...

Everyone who watched Code Geass heard this phrase, in both the dubbed version and original Japanese version.
My question is: Why, in the original Japanese version of Code Geass, does Lelouch speak in English when he uses his Geass?

Uh, I'm pretty sure that Lelouch never says "Lelouch vi Brittania commands you" in English in the Japanese version. His typical line when issuing a geass is 「ルルーシュ・ヴィ・ブリタニアが命じる」 Lelouch vi Brittania ga meijiru (which does mean "Lelouch vi Brittania commands you").

Just like @senshin said, he speaks normal japanese there. No english involved at all.

I don't see why this question should receive so many downvotes. ga meijiru does sound like commands you spoken in a Japanese accent.

Your question is why does he speak English in the Japanese version? Well, he does not.
The key sentence he says is

Lelouch Vi Britannia ga meijiru: senshin's comment states it's "ga" and not "ha"

Which means "Lelouch Vi Britannia commands you", in Japanese.

He's Britannian thats why he speaks in english
and i think coz its more catchy to use the english version . just an opinion.


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What order do I watch the Tenchi anime in?
I'm trying to watch the anime series Tenchi and don't know what order to watch the episodes in, including the OVAs and movies. What order are they intended to be watched in?

I'm not sure this is exactly a duplicate of that one (this one asks for viewing order, while that one asks for the in-universe chronology), but it's certainly highly relevant.

@LoganM I do think they are strongly related. But there the question is how are they related. Although it answer this question aswell I think people prefer to see some list over a massive wall of text.

@LoganM: Perhaps, but this question is answered there.

Theres are allot of story pieces involved. But one of the easyest ways to decide in which order to watch would be by checking out this website. It has the storys and their time settings layed down in detail (this might be a good addition to the How are tenchi timelines related)
For a casual viewing order you should watch it in this order

Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki (1992-1993)
Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki Omatsuri Zen `y.... (1993)
Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki (1994)
Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki (2003)

Then you can follow this up by the side story about his parents

Tenchi Muyou! Bangaihen: Galaxy Police (1994)
Mahou Shoujo Pretty Sammy (1995- 1997)

And from here on out you can either go check out alternative settings

Shin Tenchi Muyou! (1997)
Tenchi Muyou! Manatsu no Eve (1997)
Tenchi Muyou! (1995)

Or even the alternative version of  the side story

Mahou Shoujo Pretty sammy (1996)

And the alternative version settings variant of this

Sasami: Mahou Shoujo Club (2006)
Sasami: Mahou Shoujo Club 2 (2006-2007)

And finally you can check out the Same setting story

Tenchi Muyou! GXP (2002)
Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari ( 2009-2010)
Dual! Parallel Runrun Monogatari

With this info it is pretty much up to yourself how to actually watch it. But for story purposes I would advice at least watching the first 4 I stated in that order.


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In Steins;Gate, aren't the time machine crash and screaming mutually exclusive?

 When the time machine crash occurs, the time machine is damaged, because John Titor didn't calculate the co-ordinates correctly, so she can't travel back in time, ergo, Okabe can't go with her, and thus he can't scream. But in case of screaming, it was Okabe who went back in time, so the time machine landed correctly, ergo, no crash happened.

Despite this, the first episode shows both of them happening same day.
Aren't these two events contradicting each other?

If I get your question correctly, then the answer is NO. Those do not contradict each other because

 the events you described above (first half of episode 1) happen in the Beta Worldline. In the Beta Worldline, the time machine is complete - hence there was no coordinate error and the machine did not crash. The time machine only crashed on the Alpha Worldline.

You probably forgot since it was all the way back in episode 1, but Okabe does see the machine on the roof... not crashed, and hence he hears the scream. It's only after he leaves the building and sends the first D-Mail that he sees the crashed "satellite".

I'm sorry but Dustin's answer is wrong. If Okabe was the one who got tricked, then the elements leading to WW3 in his timeline don't exist. Even if he relived those same days for a month, in his version of time, he never grabbed the metal oopa, to begin with, and he would have seen his self when he spied and tried to see how Kurisu died. He is also insinuating that there is an infinite loop of Okabes saving Kurisu within the same world line, which is just not proven.
But nonetheless, the Okabe from the other world line in the future and the present Okabe are the only ones to really experience her death.
The conflicting or contradicting part is in the Steins;Gate. It starts on the day of her death, meaning no time machine mumbo jumbo was created in the first place, and all things relating to stopping WW3 were already accomplished by his future self.
So, when he says "This will be the most important 3 weeks of your life," he is not referring to his literal self, because the literal present self is the one in the Steins;Gate.
Meanwhile, his tricked self in that world line is the one who will experience everything he did, "but how?" is the question because, like I said, unless he is lying about the Okabe from the past experiencing those 3 weeks, then there is no way he could experience the same things he did if, in the tricked Okabe's version of time, those things he saw about Kurisu never happened, how they did for Okabe in the present/future.
Additionally, in the Steins;Gate, as I said, he starts off on July 28th, the day of her death, meaning there are no 3 weeks for him to experience because it never happened.

 The scream you mentioned was BEFORE Okabe sent a text message.
 The crash you mentioned was seen AFTER Okabe sent a text message. (and for clarification, the time machine didn't crash into the wall, it appeared there. It wasn't this "crash" which damaged the time machine either, it was the later rain storm)

I rewatched the last episodes (22, 23, 24). The last time I watched an episode of the anime, I noticed that there's a relation between the events that happened in ep 24 and 1.
Here's what I think. Okabe saved Kurisu by piercing himself for the blood pool so that the present Okabe (talking about the ep 1) would see/mistake her as dead in the first episode (rewatch from ep 24 to 1 to see the connection). The scream in episode 1 was definitely Okabe's (the Okabe from ep 24 when he pierced himself). However it also doesn't really make sense to me on how the D-mail was sent to Daru in episode 1 causing Kurisu not to remember meeting Okabe and herself being alive (referring to ep 2).
After thinking about stuff regarding the REAL plot of the whole anime series, I realized that in the first episode, Kurisu wasn't really dead. Okabe in the first episode mistook her as dead, which is exactly what Okabe in episode 24 wanted. The first D-mail which Okabe (1st ep) sent to Daru: "Seems someone stabbed Makise Kurisu." (I forgot the exact words)
That caused the "misunderstanding", wherein, if Okabe went back to the time when the D-mail/Phone Microwave didn't exist, Kurisu would be dead, which wasn't.


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Why do Black Organization members use alcoholic drink names as code names?
As far as I know, all of Black Organization's members using the names of alcoholic drinks as their code name, like Gin, Vodka, Sherry, and Vermouth. Is there any reason behind this?

probably the mangaka likes alcohol a lot! :P

From the Wiki: For an as of yet unrevealed reason, nearly all the Black Organization's members (with the exception of the boss) use code names based on alcoholic drinks ...

@Eric It's also mentioned that: "Agents who excel at their work and make their way up the ranks are given alcohol codenames." and "Even within codenamed agents there are further rank divisions"

There is no real reason for this, or even if there is, its hasn't been revealed yet. Maybe it will be, in the future.

I think that there code names are base on there roles in the organization because sherry is made of grape that is good for medicine and her role is to make poison or medicament
Vodka is made of potato and there are trades for poor peoples like the alcohol to so he do the trades like tequila that is also like vodka
Another exemple calvados is a sniper and you all know the game shoot an apple on the head...
So with those codes names the contact by telephones are at a minimum number because the phone number is the proof that she is a women that want to avenge her 7 child with the poison made by ai
And because of her known that she can be a bar woman
And because she called ai  sherry and not xeres like in other languages we can know she is from england or america but the suspect number 1 if I am right is Yuzuki from the BAR POOL

Also, another useful information to note, Ano Kata chooses hard/distilled alcoholic codenames for male members (e.g. Rum and Gin) and sweet alcohols for females (e.g. Vermouth and Sherry), the boss is a person with very malevolent intents, he might have a keen interest in alcohols, so he might have chosen alcoholic codenamed for members.


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Will Mirajane be able to handle the demon inside her?
If the Tartaros people seal the demon inside Mira's body, will she be able to control it as she controls her other demons?

This is kinda speculative and invites opinion - not really a suitable kind of question for this site (good questions are those that have a definitive answer backed by an authoritative source). In particular in view of the answer probably coming up in future episodes of the manga.

isn't it already answered by new chapters...

I don't know what you mean by sealing the demon, but recent chapters showed that

 Mirajane is able to control any demons or demonic things at Tartaros except of the Etherious. Including the demon they wanted to turn her into or the device they used to turn her into a demon.

It doesen't really matter if she will or she will not be able to control all her inner demons, as long as there are enemies powerful enough, that might not be a problem... and for the sake of the show, she shouldn't controll all her inner demons... because she will always have enough dangerous demons inside her... not sure if there will be enough enemies for them all...
Oh, and I'm curious what kind of creatures will Lisana take over? Maybe a dragon?


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Why doesn't Ash Ketchum catch legendary Pokémon?
In the show, Ash Ketchum hasn't caught any legendary Pokémon and he loses a lot of battles and people say that he is a pathetic trainer. Why does he not catch legendary Pokémon to expand his arsenal?

he gets enough of an annoyance from Jessie, James and Meouth, if he caught a Legendary like one of the ones Team Aqua/Magma/Galactic etc. just imagine how much more he would go though, then there's Team Rocket who would come after him with more competent members if he caught others like the Bird Trio

Ash is typically saving the legionaries from someone trying to capture them. It would be kinda hypocritical to go capture them himself.

Well it is obvious, Ash's PokéDex identifies Pokemons with simple encounters. Considering this, he doesn't have to "catch" them all because he is already "catching" information about all the Pokemons (his original mission given by Oak). What about the games? In the games, no information will be provided unless you catch them (Pokemons). Also, the above-mentioned explanations/comments are logical enough.

I remember saying that the tv series stopped saying "gotta catch 'em all" after the first season since there are pokemon that can't be obtainable, but I don't remember the reason.

There are several reasons to that:

It's a TV show, you wouldn't watch a TV show where the hero is absolutely the strongest and no one has a chance of defeating him, right? Think of what would happen should Ash have caught Dialga, Palkia or Arceus.
It disrupts "the balance", it was portrayed in the anime that most legendary pokemon serve a role as some sort of "god" of a force of nature, (Kyogre of the Rain, Palkia of space, etc). If you capture them, you might disrupt the balance by "not letting them do their jobs".

Those are the two excuses I know.

Just for the record, ash is a pathetic trainer, his level 4359348543 pikachu lost to a level 5 snivy.

To be fair Pikachu was discharged so it couldn't use it's electricity properly.

Please, Pikachu could've beat him using splash only considering his level!

then he can never fulfill his dream to catch em all? @MadaraUchiha

@AsshO.Le: That's right.

Btw. @MadaraUchiha i contend about "It's a TV show, you wouldn't watch a TV show where the hero is absolutely the strongest" well is kenshin in samurai x not the strongest?

@AsshO.Le: It's a bit different. Animes where the MC is strongest tend to be short, because there's only so much you can do with a MC which has nowhere to advance. Pokemon is running for years.

@MadaraUchiha well how about detective conan? he is also the strongest in terms of solving problems, and i bet the manga is still ongoing until now, i also think it is longer than pokemon :)

@AsshO.Le: Let's continue this discussion in chat.

Yes because an anime where the main character always wins is such an unthinkable story! Said no shonen manga writer ever.

@MadaraUchiha The anime is not a level-based RPG. Stop painting the Pokemon universe so Black and White.

The Power Rangers always win in the end.  It doesn't seem to have suffered any popularity or longevity issues as a result.

Moral quandries aside,
He has yet to get a lasting grip on a master ball, and except in the Safari zone, you'll notice he's never been good at capturing pokemon (his pokemon-per-badge ratio is pretty low). He also very rarely buys or gets anything better than the most basic pokeballs if you notice. And if you've ever played the games, you'll know how important those better balls are for better captures.
So, in short... shoddy equipment.
Also, second reason... if you notice, he rarely captures, period (again, with the exception of the safari zone). He's more like the coach that focuses on training his team rather than the coach who trades for better players. (Also, remember his experience with Charizard... he knows too powerful pokemon types can be hard for him to handle, and later on he just kept in the habit as far as I can tell. I mean, think how often he had to get skin grafts.

I'm going to answer this question with a bit more respect for the show and Ash as a character than most people give it credit for. I think there are some reasons Ash doesn't catch legendary pokemon.
Ash only obtains a pokemon when it is natural - it's never forced
Ash's pokemon are not an "arsenal". Ash's stated goal is indeed to become the best pokemon trainer of all time. There is an implication that this means catching "them all", but in the context of the show, and Ash's character, this is considered to a long-term goal. There is no panic of missed opportunity when an encounter with a legendary pokemon does not lead to a capture.
To Ash, being a "master Pokemon trainer" means, first and foremost, treating his captured pokemon with respect and maintaining a friendship with them. He always does what he thinks is best for them. As such, any time he obtains a pokemon, it it's a natural thing; not forced. If it doesn't happen, then it doesn't happen.
Lastly, the anime often contrasts Ash's personality against those who would weigh and measure a pokemon's stats. Ash is no scientist - I think we would all agree he isn't very smart. He bases almost all his decisions on instinct - he cares not for statistics and min/maxing, which would realistically be required to become a Pokemon Master. The show does this on purpose - it considers getting out there to experience life a superior way of learning than sitting at home reading stats (this is probably most exemplified by May's brother Max). For this reason, Ash will never freak out about the potential lost by failing to capture a legendary pokemon.

What do you mean by "natural" and "never forced"? Ash does capture Pokemon against their will, especially in the first seasons and in Black and White.

Maybe what you're trying to get at is something being "natural" to the plot. A capture of a legendary by Ash may indeed seem "forced" if it was put at the end of an arc where the whole goal was to keep it from being captured from an evil team and it would seem more natural to allow the legendary to go back to the wild.

Look what happens in the movies when a legendary leaves its post. Mass chaos and destruction would happen (though I suppose that is debatable. I've counted two legend trainers that I can remember, so it might just be the ORIGINAL legends and their young are safe to catch).
Though I do agree somewhat: it would be nice if Ash could at least capture them and call on their aid while generally leaving them alone.

So what's the reason Ash doesn't catch legendary Pokemon? Is it that would cause mass chaos and destruction?


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What is Kurumi's Gender?
In Sundome, was Kurumi a transsexual boy before? I remember reading that in an early chapter Kurumi revealed that she used to be a boy before to the main character. Also she claimed to have the same father as him, kind of curious don't you think?

Kurumi is a girl, she told the main character that she used to be a boy, but it turned out she was just messing with him.
We can be fairly certain that there was no more to the joke as whilst the main character was stressing out and trying to judge his feelings on the matter, Kurumi had forgotten all about it by the time he approached her again about it.
The claim about sharing a father was similarly false

Those were just jokes to prevent him from cumming/masterbating. Even if you did not understand her jokes, there is other evidence.
Both the doctor and her wife regarded her as a female. She was an actual little girl on the swing set when the doctor first found her.


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What happened in the final episode of Amnesia?
I watched the last episode of Amnesia about 3 times but I still can't understand what it is talking about.
Can someone explain it in a simpler way?


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What happened to Retsu's doll at the clothing shop?
In the Hunter X Hunter: Phantom Rouge movie, what happened to Retsu's doll when she activates it after Gon and Killua step out to talk? We never see anyone exit the shop after Gon and Killua. Did she swap places with her doll?
She mentions she "left her doll in the shop for safekeeping;" what exactly happened here? How did she catch up to Gon and Killua in the alley?

I finally got around to watching this and here is my theory on what exactly happened to the doll. After Retsu gets her dress Killua asks her to give Gon and him the location that she believes to be where the Pairo doll is that contains Kurapika's eyes. After a small argument Killua asks Gon for a moment alone so they walk outside to the alley. Before the even leave the store Retsu uses the Soul
Doll ability. According to the HxH wikia a brief description states:

The ability to make a doll copy of a person that the target is strongly thinking about. Conditions in performing Soul Doll are :
  Omokage's doll must be adjacent to the target while that person is thinking of someone. When the doll is adjacent to the target, it will turn into the person that the target is thinking about. The real person of whom the doll is based cannot feel or notice this (without actually being there). ref(Omokage Abilities)

During the brief exchange with Gon, Killua has the ever present flashback of Illumi telling him that he will betray his freinds. After Retz comes out and addresses them in the alley they leave, the scene zooms back into the alley and we see a purplish aura that grows into a humanoid shadow.
So my theory is since Retsu can manipulate her doll without strings she sent it after Gon and Killua in the alley and once the Soul Doll ability was activated it caught on to Killua's thinking of Illumi and once they left the alley it transformed into the Illumi doll that we see later on in the movie.


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What led to Takako's injuries?
When Akazawa hears Takako scream, she rushes to their room to find the sheets cut up and bloody, yet she shows up later on bloodied but fine (apart from being almost insane). Who or what caused these injuries?

Which episode is this and approximate timing?

@user1306322 I don't know exactly which episode but the whole incident is near the end when the class goes to that retreat with the mountain shrine in an attempt to avoid the Calamity like a previous class did


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What are the stuffed toys in Suguha's room?
Kirigaya Suguha's room is often portrayed in the ALO arc of Sword Art Online.
When Suguya is in her room, some stuffed toys are visible in the background.

Penguins resemble those from Mawaru Penguindrum, even available as stuffed toys:

However, the animation studio is different and the link between the two shows is not clear to me.
What are these stuffed toys? Are these a citation of other anime or universes related to Sword Art Online production?

I'd say the cat-looking things in front are a type of nesting doll (matryoshka doll). Specifically this:
From http://bobobabushka.wordpress.com/2010/12/31/lucky-new-year/

The Penguins themselves might be a generic penguin plush toy. Remember that people keep all sorts of things in their bedrooms, and wouldn't display anything they didn't find visually appealing. Plush toys are considered cute.
In the first image, the dog-like stuffed animals are Capybara-san. This is also a cute thing.
If you want to make a connection. Capybara-san and Mawaru Penguindrum are toys put out by Banpresto, who also puts out SAO figurines.

Those cat-like dolls kinda looks like Kapibarasan. A doll popular in Japan. I have one as well and the salesclerk told me they were Suguha's dolls.

There's nothing special about them, they are just random animal plush as such thing are popular toys for kids. Stuffed animals are often shaped as people's favorite animals and such things.


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Why are "Release" and "Freed" used for the first generation wife images?
After you marry your chosen girl (or choose one but have the other two fully in love with you apparently), you're given a movie called "[WIFE] Release" and an image based on that move called "[WIFE] Freed" (maybe the other way around) with "[WIFE]" being Linda, Routier, or Sayane.
Now, I don't really understand why they use the wording because:

 Linda, Routier and Sayane die with Sieg at the end of the First Generation.

I'm wondering: Is this because of a bad translation from Japanese, or is there some innuendo in which "freed" and "release" may mean "to conceive a child" considering what the images and movie actually represent?
NOTE: I know this is a game, but I have learned that questions to some games, particular ones which are like a visual novel, tend to get answers here rather than on Arqade if they're not directly related to gameplay (such as questions about the story).
UPDATE:
I've been playing Agarest: Generations of War; in Zero, I got the marriage and a "Sealed" image from an event of the heroines from the first generation of Agarest: Generation of War. I thought that how they used "Sealed" was in the same way as "Release" and "Freed"; however, it does make sense to use "Sealed" in Agarest: Generations of War.

 The First Generation Heroines (and most likely other generations but the last) are sealed up with their husband in the Pillar.

However, while it makes sense to use "Sealed" in Agarest: Generations of War, it still doesn't make sense to use "Release" and "Freed" in Agarest: Generations of War Zero 'cause they aren't freed or released.

 Of course, while Linda, Routier, Sayane, and Sieg return when you enter the Boundary Plane, you can only get to the Boundary Plane if you get the True Ending and they are still dead.

For reference, our current policy, based on this meta post, is that anime-style games, including visual novels, are allowed so long as you stick to plot questions. Gameplay questions are not allowed. I'm pretty sure this qualifies both as anime-style and plot-related.

I think you accidentally a few words at the end, there. "[Be]cause they aren't..."

@Eric it might be because of how i speak, "[Be]cause they aren't" relates to just what i had just said prior to that thus avoiding having to repeat myself

@Memor-X Yes, that is typical in English; however, I couldn't figure out exactly what you were referring to in your previous statements. It makes much more sense now, thanks.


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What are the transmutation circles in Fullmetal Alchemist based on, if anything?
The transmutation circles in Fullmetal Alchemist always looked familiar to me, but I could never place my finger on why. What, if anything, are they based on?

This site has a note about "Squaring the circle", describing a utilization of circles:

Attributed to Michael Maier, a German alchemist from the 17th century. That gives you the generalized "simple" transmutation circle:

The symbols used in some of the more complex circles are old alchemic symbols or variations of them. I don't know of a complete list of them but some of them can be seen in Annibal Barlet's works or other symbols from the 17th century. The inscriptions themselves seem to mostly come from George Ripley's 12 Gates.

Circles are a relatively major thing in alchemy. Ouroboros symbols were sigils in alchemy dating back to Cleopatra, and they depict a serpent or dragon eating its own tail.

The symbols in the circle are mostly alchemic symbols. The one on the the bottom left on the outside looks like the symbol for iron ore or the symbol for male. Going clockwise from that is what looks like either copper ore or female, a symbol I can't identify, one of the symbols for regulus, another symbol I can't identify, and sal-ammoniac. (Source)
Some Renaissance alchemic images have circles with words in them.

Squaring the circle was another major part of Renaissance alchemic ideas. It was believed that this symbol plus a man and a woman in the circle was all that was needed to create a philosopher's stone. A full explanation can be seen here.

The Seal of Solomon is another similar image.
According to here:

In alchemy, the combination of the fire and water symbols (up and down triangles) is known as the Seal of Solomon. The symbol is representative of the combination of opposites and transmutation. By combining the alchemical symbols for fire (upwards triangle) and water (downwards triangle), the alchemical symbols for earth and air are also created. The downwards facing triangle is divided along the center by the base line of the opposite triangle. This is the alchemical symbol for earth. Conversely, the upwards triangle divided by the base line of the downwards triangle is the alchemical symbol for air. The Seal of Solomon is all that is unified in perfect balance; the Spirit Wheel.

It's seems to be pretty much a compilation of different alchemic elements.

Yes, those are the symbols for the four base elements. But there are also two more very important parts to the circle. The center point which represents origin, time and growth, as well as an outer circle that represents the womb, the ether and protection. There are many more aspects and details to Solomon's circle than that. In fact, for such a simple symbol it is quite complex.

This answer is relatively low on actual content and doesn't have any references. If you have a lot more to say which is relevant to the series, you're welcome to add another answer, but right now this looks like it's more intended as a comment on one of the existing answers.

Based on information I read at another source, some of the circles utilize the elemental symbols. Take colonel mustangs, for example. Two triangles intersect, one representing air and one representing earth, two things necessary for a successful fire. Within these triangles is the triangle representing fire. The bigger triangles push past the boundaries of the circle that’s attempting to contain it, symbolizing fires expansive nature. To accompany this are images of a fire and a salamander. There’s a reason for the salamander but I didn’t understand that as well as the other things I mentioned.

I always thought it looked like the Seal of the Seven Archangels which is a protection symbol.  Seal Image

Please elaborate on your answer. One-line answers are discouraged, unless it fully answers the OP's question.

The seals in fma are based on the King Solomon seals of Kabbalah as we see the Sephirotic tree of life in the show. The Soloman seals are said to have magical properties such bringing wealth or repelling demons (there are like 50 different seals). These seals can only be activated by people who know how to use them (at least in the show). My theory is the people of Amestres mix alchemist symbols with magic (prayer) to produce energy using holy power.
Assuming the fma world acts mostly as ours we know something cannot be made from nothing i.e the conservation of mass. The way to go against this worldly law is by using a stone. The philosophers stone grants godlike ability but at a cost of a soul, bringing up the whole idea of how much is a soul really worth?
Father and the seven deadly sins are powered by souls like batteries but humans have only 1 such battery. This is where the series gets paranormal. It is through the literal power of God that alchemist can manipulate objects but the objects can never change their chemical properties or add mass to them "for creating something from nothing is God's work" and impossible. The 2nd laws of thermodynamics basically states that energy needs to be consumed for anything to happen, it could never be an endless stream of energy, it needs a source. There is an irreversibility towards natural processes. No human could go against God and cheat death.
We can further deduce this by looking at the people who opened the portal of truth. Once opened you are granted the ability to do alchemy with no seal and by simply clapping your hands together which kind of looks like praying (Ed even mentions it in the last episode). They cant ignore the conservation of mass but they can manipulate it without having to use any seals. Even this needs energy to do. They claim in the show it is the tectonic energy that is harvested through the earth which produces the energy needed. But they also claim one is all and all is one. This is a prerequisite to alchemy training. In theory if you are one with all, you are one with God because God is everything (we see this is most religions especially Hinduism) you are using the power of the world to force energy into mass.
The whole Dragon or Snake eating itself is a great analogy for the search for immorality, the holy grail, the power of God, the fountain of youth, etc. The whole FMA series is based off the idea that nothing last forever and death can be a beautiful thing. it is something we have to fight and accept at the same time.

The Gamer Psyche


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What are the characteristics and themes present in Gundam characters based on Char Aznable?
Across all Gundam universes, there is always at least one character based on Char Aznable from the original Gundam series. (I say "at least one" because sometimes there is a softer character that is less obviously based on Char.)

In Gundam Wing, the obvious Char knockoff would be Zechs Marquise; the tell-tale characteristic is the mask. He was the sister of Releena and the child of the Peacecraft family. This an obvious nod to the fact that Char was really Casval Rem Deikun, son of Zeon Dum Deikun. His sister was Artesia Rem Deikun, who took the alias Sayla and was an active member aboard White Base.
Quatra is the less obvious Char clone, who shares Char's blonde hair and is named after the number 4. (Char in multiple Indian languages means four and his alias in Zeta Gundam was Lt. Quatro.)
In the most recent Gundam Unicorn, Full Frontal is obviously the main Char character (many in the show itself believing him to be the famed Red Comet) while Ensign Ridhe is the softer Char character (indicated by his blonde hair, his family's ancestry, and rivalry with the main character).

The Char character usually has some kind of "cool" nickname; Char's is Red Comet, and Zechs has the name Lightning Count. Additionally, their mobile suit is usually colored red or white. Would this make Athuran Zala also a Char character, with his signature Red mobile suits?
Basically, what I'm wondering is: Is there a defined set of characteristics like the above mentions and their occurrences across all Gundam series (whether they be Universal Century or not)?

When adding more context to a question, it is usually better to edit the information into the question rather than post comments, especially since no one has replied to you yet; there's no need to preserve the conversation :)

This might be a good place to look at: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CharClone

It seems that there is always a masked antagonist in the Gundam series, but they vary in how much they resemble the original Char.
In Gundam Seed, it is Rau Le Creuset . Masked, and related by blood to a member of the protagonists camp. IIRC he is also a noble who stands to inherit, but unlike Char Aznable,

 his family is not usurped.

In G-Gundam, it would be Schwarz Bruder. It is a bit tricky to bring him in the equation, though, because G-Gundam is much simpler than the other Gundam series.
Going by these examples and the ones mentioned in the question, the constant features seem to be

The character wears a mask to hide his true identity.
The character fights for the (apparent) enemy.
The character is male.
The character is related by blood or cloning to the protagonist or a close ally.

The features that vary among the Char Aznable knockoffs are

The character has a strong sense of honour and fair-play (IIRC Rau Le Creuset is the exception here).
The character is a noble.
The character bears a secret grudge (Schwarz Bruder would be the exception).
The character has a nickname (again Schwarz Bruder is the exception).

With respect to Quatre in Gundam Wing, I don't think he is a Char-based character. Quatre makes no secret of his identity and doesn't wear a mask. His name is not a clue IMO; almost all characters in the show were named after numbers in French. The role of Char is aptly fulfilled by Zechs Marquise.

actually, I read elsewhere that Quatre was in fact loosely a Char clone (I believe it was anime news network). Furthermore, I would go to point out that aside from Rau Le Crueset, Athrun Zala would also be a char clone. He is the son of Patrick Zala (Char is the son of Zeon Dum Deikon), pilots exclusively red mobile suits, and was made rival to the main character.

Maybe we should have separate lists for "hard" Chars and "soft" Chars. The "soft" Chars don't hide their identity and descent.

Feel free to edit that into your answer. I constantly find new themes regarding Char every time I go to research Gundam, that's why I went ahead and decided to ask a question to see if we can get a complete answer to the question regarding Char. Add anything you can think of regarding Char and his clones.

I can't remember the character's name, but he was in Gundam 00.  First season, he was one of the nations' Aces (blue...so he flew for Union?).  He was one of a very small number of antagonists that could hold his own against the meisters, but got seriously messed up along the way.  He returns in the second season wearing a mask (black and red though) and a new MS.  This new MS was a melee focused unit.
He was a bit odd, in that he came into his archetype later in the show, originally being little more than a dedicated, if only slightly stronger mook.
Also, could Yzak from SEED (he piloted Duel Gundam) be considered here?

You seem to asking more questions than you're answering, lol. The Guy from Gundam 00 was Graham Aker, and (SPOILER ALERT) in the movie, he fights along side the Gundam(END SPOILER). I don't know about Yzak as Athrun, Ra Le Crueset, Rey Za Barrel, and Neo/Mu La Flaga were all already Char Clones. What characteristics does Yzak have that would label him a Char clone?

Yzak has the single-minded drive and motivation to take out the Strike.  It's like he i a corrupted char...but perhaps that's looking too much into things lol.

Did you see gundam seed destiny? Sorry for dragging on a discussion, but I don't see Yzak wanting to take down the strike beyond the beginning of Gundam Seed. Then again, he shoots down that shuttle carrying civilians much in the same way Lt. Jerid did to Camille's mother in Zeta, and Jerid was a Rival to the protagonist, Camille.

@Nil i did not, in fact see destiny.  i didn't like SEED enough to see a continuation, and from what I've read it looks like destiny was less cohesive plot-wise and had lower-quality writing all around.

...yeah...good soundtrack though

@Nil SEED's soundtrack was decent.  00 and Wing were better, imo, and nothing comes close to Eureka Seven, but that is off-topic lol.


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When was Shion's flashback of him and his father camping set at?
In the first flashback, we see a meteor shower; since Shion was a contractor since he was born, this would mean that the false sky was already in place. To my knowledge, there are only two events that had a lot of contractors die (thus showing a lot of stars falling): One was Heaven's War, and the other is the events at the end of the first season.
When Shion's flashbacks occurred, was it during Heaven's War, or the end of the first season (which I like to refer to as Hell's War)?

The original Suou died 8 years before Ryūsei no Jemini, which is set two years after the first season. Izanamis stopped awakening in the OVA, which was 6 years after human Suou died. Logically, Suou has to have died during Heaven's War.

i was asking when Shion's flashback of the meteor shower was since both he and his father saw the meteor shower (there was no Suou) and it symbolized the deaths of many contractors which there are only 2 times it happens, Heaven's War and the end of the first Season, while your answer does state that Suou have to have died during Heaven's War that unfortunately does not indicate which meteor shower Shion saw

Apologies maybe i read incorrectly. Did you mean when he had the flash back or when the flashback was from? Shion has no presence in the tokyo incident so it would make not sense for flashbacks to be at or from that time.

when the flashback was from, also the flashback could have been from the same time as the Tokyo Incident as i'm sure the flashback wasn't set in the same country as where Heaven's War took place either unless there was a 3rd incident which would cause starts to fall like that, and sorry for the late replay, i got no notifications about you replay to my post so i never check back at the question


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Who is the boy in the coffin in the last episode (of the Gemini of the Meteor)?
Who is the boy in the coffin that wakes up in the last episode of the second season, Gemini of the Meteor? What significance does he play? Why does he look like Yin?

If it's sticking vaguely close to the manga it's Kagutsuchi (the being unknown) who is created when Izanami (Yin) and Izanagi (Hei or Shion) bond as predicted in the Mikata Documents.

Izanagi gazes upon the false sea bottom, waiting for Izanami. Izanami
  will cross the sea bottom and eventually the two will meet. When they
  do, heaven and earth will split in two, and there the Gate of Hell
  will open. From the Gate will come forth one, a being unknown. And
  strife will continue for eternity.

why do you have a blockquote and no link?

Didn't think it necessary since the entire plot of the 2nd season revolves around the quote.

What manga?  According to this answer there is no manga that follows the storyline of Gemini.

The Russian boy's power is to create copies.  He created the Russian girl as a clone of himself.  They noted that one thing was always different in his clones; in the case of the Russian girl, it was the gender.
The same thing happened with the boy in the picture.  It's a clone of Yin with the gender switched. The Russian boy created a copy of the Earth, as I understand it, and on that copy earth, there is also a Yin.


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How is Mystogun able to eat apples through his scarf?
In Episode 28 of Fairy Tail, Mystogun is eating two apples. That's normally nothing special (obviously) but he is eating them through his "scarf".
How does he do it? I Googled for it, but the best answer is "It's magic". I can't believe that it is that easy.
Do you know how he is doing this?

"It's magic" isn't really so hard to believe, is it? Natsu can change his body to flames, Happy is a blue cat who can talk and fly, Erza can summon armor and weapons from an alternate dimension, Gray can make ice out of nowhere, Lucy can summon spirits. How do they do that? "It's magic", of course! We don't seem to have any trouble accepting that, but Mystogun eats apples because "It's magic", and mind gets screwed!

no one bats an eye when mashima gives fan service, but mystogan eats an apple and people get mad...

Maybe he just took off his scarf at that time. Porlyusica and Mystogan both being from Edolas and all, she probably knows his true identity anyway.

Mystogan is pretty wary about revealing his face to anyone in any situation. His first appearance was at the beginning of the the arc, where he put all of the guild members to sleep, before he took a mission and left, leaving the guild quite mysteriously. If he goes as far as to do this, its safe to assume that:

Either he freezes time so that he can remove the scarf, have a bite and then unfreeze time. (Quite unlikely)
He wears a glamour charm that allows a mask like covering over his face which is just an illusion, through which he may be able to eat at will

Concerning your #2 theory--- if he is paranoid about people seeing his face and he went to the trouble of having an illusion of a mask to cover the times he eats or drinks, he is also likely to actually wear a scarf as all. This would be to hide his face from people using magics that see through illusion. But with an illusion spell of a mask, he would then be able to move the real mask just long enough to take a bite or drink and then put it back.

this reminds me of one of the early naruto episodes with kakashi and the secret of his mask

I'm pretty sure that he used illusions in that case. In his fight with Laxus, he uses illusions to make it appear as if the building dissapear, Laxus is caught and the heaven was opened in half to release a giant monster (chapter 120 pages 3-6). Althought Laxus realised it's an illusion, it's probably mostly because it was too absurd to be true.
But a fellow man, famous for being mysterous, to eat apples through his scarf might not be something as easily taken as an illusion than, say the armageddon of mankind.
So I'd say without actually watched the anime, Mystogun was hungry, physically removed the scarf, but created an illusion of still wearing his scarf meanwhile, thus being able to cover his face and enjoy delicious apples.

Did Laxus notice it was an Illusion? In the anime, it seemed like he started to panic.

First he panics in the manga, then he figures it out.


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Are the honey-pickled apples from Spice and Wolf historically accurate?
If you've seen or read Spice and Wolf, you probably remember that they had apples pickled in honey and spiced with ginger. That sounds delicious. In fact, this tumblr blog claims to recreated the recipe, and the results do look tasty.

Those apples look delicious too, though I have to admit I'm not sure if they're the kind I'm talking about.
Spice and Wolf is also culturally based on Europe, though exactly when or where isn't revealed and the setting doesn't seem to exactly be Europe. It's probably based on some times in the medieval period but we can't really be sure.
Is there any evidence of this sort of technique being used in Europe in the correct time period for the preparation of apples? If not, is it inspired by any other techniques for preparation and preservation of fruits (perhaps from some other location and time period)?

This question would fit much better on https://history.stackexchange.com or https://cooking.stackexchange.com because it requires only historical culinary knowledge and no anime knowledge at all.

According to The Joy of Pickling (see page 75 "Pickled Apples"), there is a recipe for Pickled Apples, which originates from the area around Russia; this recipe involves the whole apple, unlike most recipes that require the apples to be sliced.
Pickled Apples

"Another Russian specialty, brined apples retain their
  crispness but acquire a flavor like that of sparkling
  wine."

Ingredients:

3    quarts water
1/4  honey
8    teaspoons pickling salt
2 or 3 handfulls of sour cherry leaves
4 to 6 sprigs of tarragon
3 pounds of small tart apples, such as Graventeins

In a non reactive pot, bring to a boil water, honey,
  and salt, stirring to dissolve the salt. Let the brine
  cool.
Spread some cherry leaves and 1 or 2 tarragon sprigs on the bottom of a 1-gallon jar, Add a layer of apples on their sides.
3 should just fit. Layer more leaves, tarragon, and apples, and then repeat for a
  third layer. Top with the rest of the leaves and tarragon.
Pour enough brine  over the apples to cover them  well. Push a freezerbag into the mouth of the jar and pour the remaining brine in to the bag.
Seal the bag. Let stand at room temperature for 5 or 6 days, until fermentation slows.
Remove the brine bag, cap the lid tightly and set in a dark place where the tempreature dosent rise above 50 degrees (use a fridge produces good results)
Let the jar stand for 30 to 40 days befre eating the apples.
After you open the jar, the apples will keep for at least a week in the fridge.

This Ukranian recipe details fermented apples to be a regional specialty of central Ukraine and are typically used as a relish or an accompaniment to roasts, poultry, and game.

They are somewhat similar to apples cured in sauerkraut but of a more delicate flavor  although they are considered a delicacy by the old country gourmets, one has to be accustomed to them to enjoy their piquant taste. Ukrainian Canadian homemakers seldom, if ever, make the, but the recipe is worth preserving.  When trying this recipe, select undamaged apples of a good quality and tart in flavor.

Ingredients:

5 lb apples (select ripe, undamaged apples with a tart flavor.)
5 qts water
2 cups rye flour
4 tbsp sugar or honey
2 tsp salt

Wash the apples thoroughly and remove the blossom ends.
Place the apples in a crock. If cherry or currant leaves are available, arrange the apples and leaves in alternate layers.
Bring the water to a boil. Pour half of the water over the flour and stir briskly until smooth.  Add the remaining water and strain the mixture.
Stir in the salt and sugar.  Cool to lukewarm.  Pour over the apples, allowing enough liquid to rise several inches above the apples.
Cover with a plate and weight down with a suitable weight to keep the apples completely submerged.  Keep at room temperature for 1 week and then store them.
It will take 5 to 8 weeks for the apples to ferment, depending on the variety used.  During the process of fermentation, a scum will form on the surface.
It should be removed and the plate washed as often as necessary. Store in a cold place.

This is a great find, but do you know when the techniques originated? And also, is there any evidence as to which of these (if any) inspired the apples in Spice and Wolf?

Spice and Wolf is also culturally based on Europe, though exactly when or where isn't revealed and the setting doesn't seem to exactly be Europe.

The scenery and period is based on England if you are actually curious, this is why the show includes sheep and thatch roofs and some other characteristics. However most of the characters are given German names, so it's a bit all over the place, of course it's a fantasy anime (not a documentary).
The plot of the anime itself though is not based on Europe. Most of the characters are European of some form, Holo herself is likely not meant to be European though, she is a wolf deity and not even human. Plus her daughter has a Japanese name.
However, most of the other human characters in Spice and Wolf are meant to be European, hence their katakana names and German type romaji names. In the manga quite a lot are drawn very stereotypical to be a westerner. Whatever studio did the anime however, drew them a bit more generic, however despite this, they are indeed meant to be European.
As far as your original question, it's probably too hard to find a traditional recipe and like many elements of this anime, the creators likely just made it up.
Assuming that elements within it would be historically accurate is unrealistic - it's about a wolf-girl goddess, after all.
Honey was used in old Europe as a sweetener, because Europeans didn't know of sugar yet. However there is no record of a dish with honey+apple+ginger historically. That doesn't mean it didn't exist though, it may have existed and just wasn't recorded in any book.
It's likely that the anime creator just made this up. Just like many of the other elements within this anime that are fantasy-based and not historically based on anything.
In fact most anime are packed full of pure fantasy, it's the whole point of it.

The tradition of brined apples does exist as far back as the 19th century in areas of eastern Europe, such as Poland, and certain Soviet block countries, especially northern Russia, though ginger is not used,  peppermint, honey and rye sourdough seem to be the standard ingredients used in fermentation.

So you can see it's mostly made up, of course honey was used as a sweetener in Europe before sugar was introduced, and Apples were introduced to Europe a very long time ago, first being introduced to Greece and Rome, and then the Romans made an effort to plant them all over Europe.
Therefore there are likely many recipes with honey and apples in Europe, however as you pointed out, the ingredients are different than in this anime.
The oldest recipes with apple and sugar are likely from China, where apple domestication started. The specific recipe in this anime is made up though.

There are a few misconceptions here. Ginger is not mentioned in the volume that the concept is introduced. The recipe in given by the OP is self perscribed . It's possible that the novel, and subsequent adaptations is just portraying an artistic abstraction of how pickled apples are made, with little to no historical reference. Furthermore, it's apparent that the recipe does not actually "pickle" anything. So it's more like spiced apples in syrup.

The setting most likely not England and most likely. The time periods is likely late Middle Ages or Renaissance era. The large number of independent states and climate suggests possibly the Holy Roman Empire. The names of towns are mostly German but the architecture and the way the people dress seem more Italian. The biggest historical inconsistency is with Paganism. Since in the afforementioned era the last pagan nations lived in the Eastern and Northern Europe. However as this series is a work of fiction. Those settings and themes were likely mixed in for added effect and flavor.


text:
What has Mamoru Hosoda directed at Toei that he isn't credited for?
On AnimeNewsNetwork, Mamoru Hosada is credited for around thirty productions under various roles:

Alice SOS (TV)
Ashita no Nadja (TV)
Coo: Tooi Umi Kara Kita Coo (movie)
Crying Freeman (OAV)
Digimon Adventure (TV)
Digimon Adventure: Bokura no War Game (movie)
Digimon Adventure: Born of Koromon (movie)
Digimon: The Movie (U.S.)
Dragon Ball Movie 4: The Path to Power
Dragon Ball Z (TV)
Dragon Ball Z Movie 10: Broly - Second Coming
Dragon Ball Z Movie 8: The Legendary Super Saiyan
Galaxy Express 999: Eternal Fantasy (movie)
(The) Girl Who Leapt Through Time (movie)
Occult Academy (TV)
Ojamajo Doremi DOKKAAN! (TV)
Ōkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki (manga)
One Piece (TV)
One Piece: Omatsuri Danshaku to Himitsu no Shima (movie 6)
Sailor Moon Sailor Stars (TV)
Sailor Moon SuperS Movie: Black Dream Hole
Samurai Champloo (TV)
Slam Dunk (TV)
Slam Dunk: Hoero Basketman Tamashii! Hanamichi to Rukawa no Atsuki Natsu (movie)
Slam Dunk: Shōhoku Saidai no Kiki! Moero Sakuragi Hanamichi (movie)
Slam Dunk: Zenkoku Seiha da! Sakuragi Hanamichi (movie)
Spiral (TV)
Summer Wars (manga, movie)
Superflat Monogram (movie)
Voogie's Angel (OAV)
Wolf Children (movie)
Yu Yu Hakusho The Movie: Poltergeist Report

However, I know he directed a few episodes of Gegege no Kitaro in the mid '90s and the CG short Digimon Adventure 3D: Digimon Grandprix. Which Kitaro episodes did he direct, and is there anything else he directed that ANN hasn't credited him for?

It would be helpful if you included the list of things that ANN does credit him for, to protect against link rot and make the question more self-contained.

Everything is answered here: ja.wikipedia.org - 細田守


text:
What was the shop that Subaru went into?
In Ro-Kyu-Bu! SS episode 6, Subaru and the team makes a stop at a local shop while on a class field trip. Aoi is with them as well, and reads the sign out as "Youjiya":

In the next cut, she says it aloud again, and says it as "toddler shop":

However, when we go inside the shop, Subaru is buying toothpicks:

Does the sign indeed say "Toddler Shop"? If so, why were there toothpicks inside (and nothing seemingly toddler-ish)? If not, what did the sign actually say?

The sign says ようじや (youjiya) but because it's written in hiragana the meaning is a bit ambiguous. The や suffix in the name of a store would always be 屋, which just means store, or it can also refer to the head of such a store (e.g. 魚屋 can mean either a fish store or the dealer selling you the fish). So this is a store for ようじ (youji), but the meaning of that is still ambiguous because ようじ written in hiragana is a homophone that could have several meanings.
The meaning that Aoi interpreted is 幼児, which means infants and young children. So Aoi thought it was a store to buy children, hence the second screenshot you've given. This is the most common somewhat sensical interpretation of ようじ when written in hiragana in this context. It could also mean 用事 (errands) in other contexts, but that doesn't fit here.
But ようじ can also mean toothpick written as 楊子 (or 揚枝 less commonly). Usually one uses 爪楊枝 (tsumayouji) to describe the toothpicks themselves but the 爪 (here tsuma, meaning claw or nail) can be omitted in principle. This is the meaning here, so the shop is literally a store for toothpicks (and likely some related merchandise).
I think that many Japanese people would not know how to interpret the sign ようじや, so Aoi's misunderstanding is understandable. However, I don't think very many people would think that it was a store for 幼児 (children) either, so Aoi's leap of reasoning there is somewhat comical.
As a cultural note, there actually is a toothpick specialty shop in Japan. It's called Saruya and located in Tokyo (link to a blog post about the store). As far as I know this is the only store of its kind in Japan, so the shop in Ro-kyu-bu is fictional (being in Kyoto). In any case, Japanese culture takes toothpicks more seriously than most other cultures, so the existence of such a store is not entirely impossible, but it's still quite implausible.

Let me add another layer of complexity to the wordplay. よーじや (Yojiya), pronounced the same way, is a famous brand of cosmetic items, especially known for facial oil removing paper. The brand is based in Kyoto and is a popular souvenir. The name comes from toothbrushes that they sold earlier in their business, then called 楊枝

A tourist coming to Kyoto for the first time and mistaking it for a toothpick-specialty store is like a common joke in Japan. The scene in the anime is a play on this.

@Asa Thanks, I had no idea about that. Do you think this was a reference to that store? Looking at the products they have and the clear similarity of the names it seems quite possible to me, and it would invalidate or at least complicate a few parts of my answer. In any case, if you want to post that as an answer go ahead, or I can incorporate it myself if you don't want to.

In addition to Logan's already ample explanation, there's another layer of complexity to this wordplay.
There is a famous brand of cosmetic items in Kyoto, called よーじや Yojiya, pronounced the same way. They're especially famous for their facial oil removing paper (あぶらとり紙 aburatorigami), a popular souvenir in Kyoto.
Their name comes from the toothbrush they sold early on in their business, which was called 楊枝 yōji back then. Nowadays toothbrushes are called 歯ブラシ ha-burashi (a literal translation of the English word), so people use the word 楊枝 to mean 爪楊枝 tsumayōji (toothpick).
So when a tourist comes to Kyoto for the first time and sees Yojiya, they think of it as a specialty store in toothpicks. They would walk into the store expecting to find out what a high-end toothpick would be like, only to find out otherwise.
So, the scene in question could be considered as a gag that plays upon this popular joke.


text:
Where does the term "waifu" come from?
I was stalking a forum looking for images to nab to use as wallpapers, and there was a post where posters were claiming characters as their "waifu".
Seeing how it is spelled, I would assume that what they mean is "wife"; however, it seems weird to use the term "waifu" rather than the normal Japanese term for wife (my understanding is that it's "Tsuma" (妻); however, I could be wrong).
So, where did the term "waifu" come from? If I am wrong, and "waifu" isn't what I think it is, could someone explain what it is and where it came from?

Obligatory

Origin
The prevailing wisdom1 is that the term "waifu" originates from a scene from the 2002 anime Azumanga Daioh; specifically, this scene from episode 15.
Some context: the male character in that scene, Mr. Kimura, is a teacher at the school the female characters in that scene attend. Mr. Kimura has a well-deserved reputation for being generally perverse and possibly a pedophile.
A rough translation of the scene follows:

TAKINO Tomo: What's this? A picture of a woman?
KASUGA Ayumu: Wow, she's beautiful.
TAKINO Tomo: Who is she?
KIMURA: My wife.
All: That can't be!

The astute listener will observe that Kimura uses the English words "my wife", rather than a Japanese translation thereof (such as 妻2 tsuma). When the words "my wife" are adapted to conform to Japanese phonological constraints (e.g. no terminal /f/), and then re-expressed in a Japanese syllabary (hiragana/katakana), the result is マイワイフ. Finally, when we romanize マイワイフ, we get "mai waifu".
Usage
The below graph shows that usage of "waifu" on the internet was effectively negligible until early 2007. This seems to suggest that "waifu" did not become memetic until some time after Azumanga Daioh aired.

There is evidence from the Animesuki forums that "waifu" (in fact, "mai waifu") was being used in its modern sense (rather than the literal standard-English "woman one is married to" sense) by May 2006. Interestingly, this appears to precede the rise in searches for "waifu" on Google Trends. I'm not sure what this means, but it probably means something.
Husbandos
There is also a male counterpart to "waifu": husbando. Unlike "waifu", "husbando" is not derived from Japanese3. Rather, it was developed by analogy, as an idealization of how a Japanese speaker might pronounce the word "husband". A "husbando" is basically the same thing as a "waifu", except male rather than female.
The earliest citation I've found for "husbando" is from October 2007 (again, on Animesuki). With some internet archaeology, I suspect it should be possible to show that usage of "husbando" began as much as a year prior to this citation.

Notes
1 I say that this is the prevailing wisdom, because I have no evidence that "waifu" was not used prior to 2002.
2 The Japanese equivalent of "mai waifu", in terms of usage among otaku and memeticity and so forth, is actually 俺の嫁 ("ore no yome", lit. "my bride").
3 ハズバンド hazubando exists, but I'm almost certain this didn't directly give rise to English "husbando". At most, it may have been an inspiration.

Not sure how relevant this is, but if you look at the Google trend chart for ワイフ, its search usage peaked in late 2004 (but Google's data only goes back to 2004 unfortunately)

@atlantiza I doubt that's related - ワイフ is used as a synonym for "wife" in Japanese (albeit not as often as non-borrowed words like 妻, 家内, etc.). Plus, Google Trends for マイワイフ shows essentially negligible searches relative to the total volume of ワイフ searches.

The word waifu (ワイフ) is an "Engrish" term for "wife". It is likely the preferred term for "wife" among English-speaking otaku because of its auditory similarity to the English term and its phonetic similarity to Japanese.
Its origin is likely from a dialog by an Azumanga Daioh character named Mr. Kimura. When a pair of characters picks up a dropped photo, and he is asked who is in the photo, he responds (very creepily), "mai waifu" ("my wife"). (YouTube)
At this point, the term is mostly used by otaku subculture (particularly males) as a reference to a favorite female character (usually to the extreme). There is a male equivalent, husbando; however, this term is far less common.
Further reading
   •  ワイフ - Denshi Jisho
   •  KnowYourMeme - Waifu (May be NSFW)
   •  Wikipedia - Mr. Kimura

OK, here's the deal short and sweet, all that technical babel is just that. jargon.
I'm a dual citizen Japanese and American. I speak both languages. The term "waifu" is "wife" in the English language on both sides. Meaning, when Japanese people speak, we put a vowel at the end of our words almost all the time. So when learning to speak English , it's natural to add a vowel at the end of what we are trying to say in English. Ergo: "Wife", comes out to sound like "waifu" when speaking English.
The actual Japanese word for "wife" depending on who you are speaking to is "tsuma". As far as why its usage is so popular, who knows. It just got popular because of how we speak with our accent. And for the record, there are many more words in English like this, that are not in any way shape or form uses in the Japanese language because it's an English translation.


text:
Why did the Hunter x Hunter manga go on hiatus?
I think the Hunter x Hunter manga has been on hiatus for months now; does anyone know the reason for the hiatus? Is the author planning to continue the series?

Related: Is there any news about Hunter x Hunter since June 2016?

In the past, the reasons cited for HxH hiatuses have usually been "ill health", "research", and "mangaka circumstances". Most of it, however, is said to fall under "mangaka circumstances". This site (jp) tracks all of them.
Seeing as to how HxH and Yu Yu Hakusho have been such hits, the mangaka, Yoshihiro Togashi, has gained a fair bit of clout at Shonen Jump and the editors are apparently very lenient with him. While it is said that he did suffer from health issues thanks to the pressing schedule of YYH, it is also said that he plays truant a lot and attends Comikets when he's supposedly sick. Togashi is also known to be a massive Dragon Quest (related April Fool's joke) fan and apparently likes to take a break whenever a new version comes out.
The story goes that the mangaka does not like using assistants and prefers to draw everything himself. He is infamous for not meeting his weekly deadlines and releasing chapters with extremely rough artwork. He has been known for going on hiatus in order to redraw such chapters for release in the more lucrative tankōbon market.
I  can't find any source stating exactly why he is on hiatus now, but I think it's safe to assume that Togashi will be back and that the manga will continue. Only time will tell when this will happen.

@ton.yeung Good point. I believe he redraws them for the tankōbons.

i think the answer need to be update


text:
Why wasn't a Uchiha asked to control the Nine Tails during its attack?
Madara or Tobi had controlled the Nine Tails to attack Konoha during Naruto's birth. But there were other Uchihas in the village such as Itachi's father. So, the village could have made use of them to defend the Nine Tails by controlling it using their sharingan. Why didn't they do that?
Another question: Why were the three sannin not seen during the Nine Tails attack?

Why no other Uchiha in Konoha was asked to take control of the Nine Tailed beast? - To control the nine tailed beast you need to be a shinobi of very high caliber. Being an Uchiha is just not enough to be able to control the nine tailed beast. Tobi had Hashirama's cells (in the form of Zetsu) infused in him that allowed him larger chakra and better control of the Nine Tails.
Where were the three sanins? - it has not been mentioned anywhere in the plot where they were, so all we can do is guess about their whereabouts. If they were in the village they would have surely come for help, and since they were absent from the battle, we can only guess that they were out of the village on some mission.

As for the Uchiha, the nine tails was already being controlled by Tobi at the time, so I doubt anyone would be able to control him on top of that.
Not to mention, the Uchiha weren't exactly trusted at the time, following the Second Hokage's rule.
As for the three sannin, it wasn't explained anywhere, but it isn't hard to imagine them being at a remote mission and out of the village.

this answer is more correct then the accepted one. also about the sannin, they disbanded aster 3rd ninja war. so they went there separate ways.

An Uchiha needs to have awakened the Mangekyu Sharingan in order to control the Kyuubi and Madara  and Tobi were the only two Uchihas who were able to achieve this followed by Itachi, Kakashi and Sasuke.
About the three Sanin, Jiraya was most probably training with Nagato and Konan, Orochimaru had defected from the village and Tsunade had left the village because she was unable to bear the trauma that came with death of her brother and lover.

Please could you explain as to where it has been mentioned that an Uchiha needs to have awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan in order to take control of the Kyubi.
Also Dan was not Tsunade's husband, he was just her love.

When Sasuke learned of the Mangekyo inducing blindness, he said "so that's the price you pay to control the nine tails".

Thanks so much for pointing it out that Dan was not Tsunade's husband, have updated my answer. And the answer to your first question can be found here. http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Mangeky%C5%8D_Sharingan

I'm not sure that your timeline adds up though. Jirayia was training with Nagato and the folks before Orochimaru defected from the village. Also Tsunade was still in fighting shape then.

I think there is a flaw in your timeline. Jiraya teaching Konan and group was during the third great ninja war, and Orochimaru defected after that.

didn't izuna and sasuke have mangekyo as well. and shusui also.

TLDR: The Uchiha Clan were distrusted by the village leadership and were ordered to not engage the Nine-Tails.

As per Itachi Shinden, the Uchiha Clan (which was the Konoha police force during the Nine-Tails' attack) were ordered by the village leadership (Konoha Council) to protect the civilians in the village and not engage the Nine-Tails.
Uchiha Clan members believe that this was because they are distrusted by the village leadership. They also feel that they are being suspected to be what actually caused the Nine-Tails incident.
Indeed, after the Nine-Tails' attack, the Konoha Police headquarters (which sustained heavy damage) and the Uchiha Clan houses were ordered moved to the outskirts of the village, too far from the village center, despite Fugaku Uchiha's protest. (Fugaku is the head of the Uchiha Clan, and Itachi and Sasuke's father.) The location also can be easily spied upon from several vantage points as noticed by Fugaku, adding to feelings of distrust between the Uchiha Clan and the Konoha Council, culminating at the Uchiha Clan massacre.

Another reason might be that: Not all Uchiha's are as powerful as you think. And not all of them are lucky enough to Awaken the mangekyou. They were a proud clan but not all their members were as strong as Madara or Itachi. Those 2 were like prodigies in their own ways.
Also, I doubt anyone at that time knew an Uchiha could control the Kyuubi. It was probably only Minato and Kushina that knew about the masked man and his Sharingan. No one else saw him and lived so it makes sense that their minds didn't think about it. In madara's case, It was probably a classified information that he fought by controlling the 9 tails. It makes sense that the higher ups would classify that type of information as secret cause they wouldn't want other Uchihas to go researching into how to control the Kyuubi.
As for the 3 Sanin, It makes sense to believe that they were on a mission, probably that timeline could fit into when Jiraiya was training nagato and his crew (Yahiko and Konan, This is just a vague guess btw).

Fugaku uchiha had the mangekyõ sharingan at the time of the attack therefore he could've easily controlled the tailed beast. But he was ordered to stand down.
And as for the three sannin. Orochimaru was a rogue ninja at the time. Jiraiya was out doing research and hadn't heard about the attack. TSunade had quit being a shinobi.

Only an Uchiha with the mangekyou sharingancan control the nine tails. Obito had obtained it after Rins death plus he had Hashirama cells to fall back on. The leaf village was not aware of fugaku having the mangekyou sharingan or else they would have feared him even more plus his people would have pressured him to attack the village.
To answer your question the leaf village feared that the Uchiha would done how gain control of the nine tails so that’s why three weren’t called to assist during the attack. It was stated by the Uchiha that they suspected this. The Sannin were always away on missions doing their own thing. They weren’t such a great asset to the village only Tsunade after becoming hokage.
In conclusion the Uchiha clan were always being discriminated against and treated like trash but then the leaf is surprised when they retaliate. The third hokage was the worse leader Kohona ever had. Yes naruto always forgave sasuke for his treachery but at the end sasuke changed. Danzō never did and he let Danzō get away with everything. He even ordered a 13 year old kid (Itachi) to kill his entire clan including his parents. He just used Danzō as the darkness he could never represent as him self.


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Is this artbook by Clamp based on a series?
I was at a convention recently and I saw a few volumes of this at one of the trader's stalls:

The blurb on the back was quite non-descript and the guy running the stall seemed too busy for me to chat about it.
I left it alone, because I figured it was probably based on something I hadn't read/watched.
I thought it looked interesting, so I went to see what it was based on, but I haven't been able to find very much information on this book.
Is the artbook an unattached work in Clamp's general style, or is it based on one of their series and I just haven't been able to find it?

It's related to the manga X. Here's a pretty helpful review by an Amazon.com user:

This is a well-made, high quality hardcover artbook collecting color artwork from the manga (comic) X/1999 (as it is published in the US). X/1999 is a supernatural, apocalyptic story about destiny and choices leading toward the end of the world, written and illustrated by a team of women collectively called CLAMP. The artwork here focuses on the numerous characters. As a loose generalization, the illustrations are either elegant or bloody. The characters themselves have the delicate, slender designs of all CLAMP characters. The female character illustrations shine here: the sword-wielding priestess Arashi, the innocent Yuzuriha Nekoi, and the fire-wielding Karen Kasumi, in particular. Other illustrations, particularly involving lead characters Kamui and Kotori, are scenes of violence or impending violence. X/1999 the comic has scenes of dismemberment; none of these illustrations reach that point, but they are not all sweetness and light. If you have read any comics by CLAMP (such as X/1999 or Rayearth) and think the art looks good in black and white, these full-color illustrations will show you CLAMP can reach an even higher level. One last note: this is a Japanese book, so it opens and reads in the opposite direction (but don't worry, it sits just as nicely on a bookshelf).

Thanks :) I guess the similar covers made it hard to find


text:
Why not simply "Metal Alchemist"?
Why is Edward Elric known as the 'Fullmetal Alchemist' not simply as 'Metal Alchemist'? Is there any reason besides the names sounding better?
I've only watched the 2nd episode of FMA brotherhood.

No one here will judge you (for what were we supposed to judge you anyway?).

i dunno.. maybe i missed something blatantly obvious :/

maybe this is why people in the series get confused between him and his brother, who is a full metal suited knight :P

@full-metal-wannabe Off-topic, but your username is funny :D

I don't think there's a reason beyond the "Cool" factor.
はがね (Hagane) translates to "Steel" or "Metal", so I don't see a real reason.
Fullmetal, refers to objects that are completely made of metal, that they aren't hollow or are composed of other, non-metallic materials.

It's probably a play on the term "full metal jacket" which describes bullets that have a soft core (usually lead) and a hard metal outer layer. Or it could be a play on the movie title Full Metal Jacket (which the anime Full Metal Panic is almost certainly parodying).

Trivia: in the Hungarian dub of both series, Ed is always referred as "Acél Alkimista" which means "Steel Alchemist" translated to English.