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What happened to Maria and Mamoru?
I know that Maria and Mamoru

 escaped the village and erased their tracks, making it impossible for even their own friends to locate them. The Bakenezumi (I do not know the canon transliteration) even assisted their escape by preparing fake remains for the villagers to find, so as to convince them of Maria and Mamoru's death.

However, the Bakenezumi are later shown to have possession of

 their daughter.

How is this possible? Could it be that Maria and Mamoru

 were captured by Squealer and forced to have a child?

In fact, the ethics committee later commented that

 the remains they found matched entirely to the DNA records of the village. Does that mean that the remains really belonged to Maria and Mamoru, and they were killed after they were deemed to be of no use?

Does the novel explain this? I apologize if i jump to paranoid conclusions, but this possibility sounds too scary.

Is it necessary to have all of this in spoiler blocks? I don't know the show so I don't know what would actually be spoilers, but it's kind of hard to read the question like this.

I think it is justified, since the nature of the question itself is a spoiler. Hence, only people who have (nearly) completed the series should be reading it.

Okay, fair enough.

@kuwaly they pretty much give the overarching plot and the twist away, so yes.

Although it was not explicitly stated in the Anime. The following sequence of events was strongly implied and was part of Squealer's master plan.

Squealer helps Maria and Mamoru escape. Furthermore, he lets them stay and live with the colony.
Squealer waits for (or sweet-talks) Maria and Mamoru into having a child.
Once the child is born, Squealer (and/or his fellow rats) kills Maria and Mamoru.
They take the child and raise him/her. ("him" in the Novel, "her" in the Anime)
Squealer then takes the bones of Maria and Mamoru and gives them to the ethics committee.

When Squealer says that he will prepare fake remains for the villagers to find and that it will "take some time". He really means the actual remains of Maria and Mamoru and that it will "take some time" for them to have a child.

The sole purpose of this was to get a human child that could be raised into an Akki* and used against humans in Squealer's pursuit of world domination.
*I use Akki for short. But they really aren't. In reality, the children raised by the rats will believe themselves to be rats, thus attack inhibition and death-feedback will apply to rats instead of humans.

Is this strongly implied in the novel? I think I am going to cry now, by the way

I dunno. I didn't read the novel. But yeah, when I realized this I was like... wow... holy shit... It was almost too obvious.

So your answer does not have official evidence. I agree that it is strongly implied that Squealer killed them to obtain their bones. However, I think what happened between Maria and Mamoru's escape and the obtaining of their child is uncertain enough to prevent such complete conclusions.

Yeah. I'm not sure there is an official reference. The details of Maria and Mamoru's escape and their death are likely intentionally left to the imagination of the viewer. That's part of what makes this show so powerful and thought-provoking.

If we consider that everything said and implied make sense (story most likely don't imply anything without a purpose), we could even propose a darker possibility.
While it's obvious that they were both killed, we can't be sure about when. I would say the rats could have used brain surgery as they did for their queen to dispose of Maria after she went pregnant. (It's implied "what if they did it to human ?") We don't know if the council got the full squeletal or not. If not, they could have disposed of some of the body parts without killing them in order to give evidences to the council before the 10 month needed to give birth.

The (short/long) answer. Maria and Mamoru stayed in squealers colony. In the time that they stayed there, they began to get closer to one another. Since the child is about 9 years old, they must have been together for just about three years. I’m not entirely sure how long they stayed in squealers colony, but from the manga and the implications of the anime. Maria and Mamoru clearly had a child, and weren’t entirely trusting of squealers colony.From what was said in the manga. Mamoru, at the time, wasn’t there to protect Maria after she had her child and was tricked and killed. Upon Mamoru’s return, he was also killed and their child was stolen by Squealer. By the end, Maria and Mamoru make there way to the heaven kotatsu with Shun & Reiko. After a few years Messiah (Maria & Mamoru’s Child), arrives in heaven and sits down in the Kotatsu with his cold mother.
In the end, they all joke in heaven about how long it’ll take for Saki to come join them.
Note: this is an Omake added at the end of the final chapter.

this answer makes the most sense

I think its pretty obvious that Maria and Mamoru are dead if the etheics comittee found the remains had their DNA in it.. Not to mention that squeeler managed to take their child from them..

For me they did to them what they did to their queen.
Saki asked to Satoru in the anime if they do something like this to a human (and give up on questioning). But I don't understand why in the end she neither mentions it when talking with Squealer. When it is said that they are really dead, she should have realized that squealer was involved.


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Where do "fiends" get their abnormal strength?
"Fiends" have tremendous killing potential, because they actively try to kill humans who cannot retaliate due to psychological and genetic safeguards against violence.
However, I have not seen anything that indicates that they have a particularly powerful Cantus. Is their ability not the same as that of a regular human?
I am raising this doubt, because

 Maria and Mamoru's daughter could defeat the strongest Cantus user in the village at such a young age.

Did I perhaps miss some information that indicates that Fiends are much stronger for some reason?

There's actually two parts to your question:

Do Akkis (fiends/ogres) have abnormal strength?

There's a bit of a disconnect here. Maria and Mamoru's child is not actually an Akki as mentioned in the last episode. The akki "K" in the flashback is actually a grown up teenager. So he could very well be that strong in the first place.
So the real question is: "Why is Maria and Mamoru's child so strong?"
This assertion does seem to be true since the kid is able to do precision kills while normal children of the same age have trouble levitating a ball.
A speculative answer would be to go back to the fact that Cantus is a power of the imagination. It's possible that Maria and Mamoru's child, having grown up outside the village and influence of humans, has a completely different mindset and thus different imaginative potential.

Why was Maria and Mamoru's child able to defeat Shisei Kaburagi (the strongest Cantus user) at such a young age?

This is simply because Shisei, a normal human Cantus user, is restricted by attack inhibition.
So regardless of how powerful he is, he cannot hurt the child. On the other hand, the child can freely attack Shisei. Note Shisei does attempt to defend himself since he manages to protect himself against the rocks that the child threw at him. But once the child used his/her Cantus directly on Shisei, Shisei was as good as dead.
In other words, if you tied a 200 pound wrestler against a wall and let a 10-year-old kick him in the balls repeatedly, eventually the kid is gonna win.

ah yes, I apologize for inadvertently mixing two questions together, but I will not split them up because both have been answered.

Nah it's fine. Multi-part questions are welcome network wide.

Isn't it odd how Shinsei couldn't block the direct Cantus attack? Although he can't attack, he should be pretty good at defending, I guess.

@Omega Not when Cantus is used directly on his body. Which the kid doesn't take too long to realize. So the kid uses Cantus to bend Shinsei's body backwards and break it.

There is a difference between hurting and restraining though. I very well believe that the dude could have restrained the girl, but the dumb@#$ didn't. He (and everybody else) was either dumb or weak, or both. And if weaker than the girl, then that Yakomaru surely is a lucky son of a bitch for getting the right baby on the first time.

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


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What's the anime with the girl that everybody wants to kill?
I remember it having a girl who everybody wants to kill, as well as her guardians. It took place in what felt like a middle-ages universe, but it ended up being post-tech after some sort of apocalypse happened. One of the recurring characters was an AI.

Do you know around when it came out?

This sounds like Scrapped Princess:

Where the girl that everyone wants to kill is named "Pacifica Casull", the "Scrapped Pricess", and her 2 guardians (a brother and sister). The story looks like a fantasy world but it's actually set in the future. When Pacifica reaches 16 years of age, she's supposed to cause the world's destruction so everyone is out to kill her. In the show, there are these things which are A.I. weapons systems, called "Dragoons".

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


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Am I missing an entry in the Higurashi series?
Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni and Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai both say "Welcome to Hinamizawa..." and "WHEN THEY CRY..." on the cover.
Umineko no Naku Koro Ni says "Welcome to Rokkenjima" and "WHEN THEY CRY 3".
I thought Umineko was the follow-up to Higurashi.
Where's "WHEN THEY CRY 2"?

Although it's not said anywhere officially, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai is widely considered to be When They Cry 2.
Contrary to Jon Lin's answer, "When They Cry" is not purely an English licensing name. It may be used for the licensing name, but it is actually relevant to the original creation.
The creator of the original sound novels, Ryuukishi07, uses this name and numbers to distinguish/count the works in the "When They Cry" series.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - When They Cry
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai - When They Cry 2* (the title in question, see further below)
Umineko no Naku Koro ni - When They Cry 3
Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru - When They Cry 4

These titles can be seen on the official cover art as proof. I've linked pictures of these covers to the related titles above.
However, interestingly enough, "When They Cry 2" is quite odd. It does not appear on the cover of the sound novels, manga, PS2 version, DS version, novels, or drama CDs. The (original/Japanese release) anime DVD cases and boxes don't even mention "When They Cry"
However, despite this lack of "When They Cry 2", even the Japanese somehow know that 2 = Higurashi Kai, as seen in this Yahoo Chiebukuro question where both answerers reply that 2 = Higurashi Kai.
Additionally, a fanmade Japanese Umineko wiki site's FAQ page mentions the following definitions:

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei - When They Cry 2+
Umineko no Naku Koro ni Tsubasa - When They Cry 4+

So it seems that Higurashi Kai was not defined as 2 anywhere officially, but it has been accepted as such by both Japanese and Western fans due to either Umineko being called 3 or the Higurashi Kai anime being dubbed as 2. Who knows where Ryuukishi07 got the idea from. If I stumble upon an official Kai work using When They Cry 2 somewhere, I'll be sure to update this post.

When They Cry 2 refers to Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, as indicated on the side-label of the sound novel:


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Anime where androids have super powers
I want to find an anime where there are so many android which have superpower. The main lead have power of speed (In one instance he achieve more speed then light and everything appears to him as still objects). Others have power like shape shift etc. I think the main lead is a member of a group and every member have different power such as shape shifting etc. At one instance they meet a group of androids which thinks they are god and they really have similar power resembles of god. I think Greek gods but not sure. There are some half animal half human look like android too with god androids.
I watched it on an Indian entertainment Chanel approx 8/9 years before. Its full action pack but sometimes contain silly jokes too.

You're most likely looking for Cyborg 009 which is about:

Nine regular humans are kidnapped by the evil Black Ghost organization to undergo human experiments which resulted in nine cyborgs with each one having super human powers. The nine cyborgs band together to fight for their freedom and to stop Black Ghost. The evil organization's goal is to start the next world war by supplying rich buyers with countless weapons of mass destruction.

In 2012, Production I.G., in association with other studios, produced a reboot of the series, called 009 RE:Cyborg, consisting of a 3DCG movie (written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama) and a manga series by Gatou Asou.


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Anime with a wolf/man demon as main character
A friend of mine is looking for an anime with a wolf/man or dog/man as main character. He described him as a demon with a red cloak and a big sword. He has long white hair and protects a female girl with black hair. The story takes place in old days from Japan, but I think the girl came from modern times.
I know which anime he means, but I can't remember its name. I hope some of you can help me.

Is it possible that you're searching for InuYasha?

@MCeley (who maybe won't read this): Thanks for editing. My English isn't the best.

@looper Not a problem. Here to help!


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Anime featuring a circus
I remember an anime about a girl from Japan who came to the United States (where everyone speaks Japanese, apparently) to join a famous high-tech sort of circus.
What I can't remember is the name of that anime. Could anyone give me a lead?

Based on the limited information provided, my best guess is that you are looking for Kaleido Star:

Sora Naegino, a young Japanese girl with a great talent for acrobatics, comes to the United States in hopes of auditioning for the Kaleido Stage, a world famous circus which has mesmerized her since childhood.


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What is this series featuring a boy that gets a calling card and ends up fighting in another dimension?
I read this manga like 2 years ago. It is about a high school guy who receives a calling card of a cyborg, and then when he answers his phone, he is teleported to another dimension where everything is devastated and he starts to fight with monsters. He has a female friend with gray hair and glasses.

This sounds like it might be Psyren, though I don't remember any cyborgs in that manga. Synopsis from MAL:

Yoshina Ageha is a high school student who offers to help people with their problems for 10,000 yen. He'll take care of your stalkers, find your lost animal, whatever you want. One day when he's heading home, a nearby pay phone rings, and he picks it up. The only thing he hears however is his own voice echoing. After finding a mysterious card with the word 'Psyren' printed on it, his life suddenly changes as he is drawn into a crazy new world.


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What is the proper order to watch Hakuouki in?
Pretty much just as the title states: What is the proper order to watch Hakuouki in?
Recently I watched Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan, and it really felt as if I jumped in half-way through a series. Then, I found out there are about 10 different Hakuouki and I'm wondering, in which order I should watch them to properly follow the story?

Hakuouki was released in this order:
Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan (or just Hakuouki), Hakuouki Hakketsuroku, Hakuouki Sekkaroku OVA, and Hakuouki Reimeiroku.
Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan is the original series. Hakuouki Hakkesturoku is the sequel to the original series. The "episode zero" of Hakuouki Hakkesturoku (Memories in Kyoto) is a recap of the first series. The OVA series was released between the second series and Reimeiroku. Reimeiroku was the third full series released and acts as a prequel to the original series.
To conclude, if you want to watch in chronological order of the show (as opposed to release order), the correct viewing order would be:

Hakuouki Reimeiroku
Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan
Hakuouki Sekkaroku OVA
Hakuouki Hakkesturoku

Edit: First, I actually made a mistake originally. The OVA is actually set in between  episodes 8 and 9 of the first season of Hakuōki Shinsengumi Kitan, so chronologically it would really be before Hakkesturoku.
In regards to the movies, their roles are a bit more confusing. According to Wikipedia:

Two new films are scheduled for 2013–2014. Film 1 was released in August 2013 and is released on DVDs February 2014. The film is supposed to be a retelling of both seasons in greater detail and with a slightly different ending.

However, ANN states:

Production on a two-part Hakuōki film project that will open [2013] has been green-lit. The film will tell an all-new story.

Having not seen either of the films, I cannot say for certain where they fall in the timeline.
Sources:
Wikipedia
Anime News Network

authors: アレックス・ザ・グレート


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Anime about the cameraman from a television show
I'm trying to remember the title of an anime I watched a while back. I watched this anime sometime in 2007. Judging by what little I remember of the art style the anime was probably made sometime between 2000 and 2005. The episodes were 10-15 minutes each and there were about 10 of them. The show had a lot of nudity and was pretty explicit, but I'm sure it wasn't hentai. I somehow remember the plot very vividly despite forgetting the name. It wasn't a very good show, but I'd still like to know what it was.
The anime was about producing some sort of hero/sentai television show. In that fictional television show there were several girls (probably 5) who were able to transform into different outfits and gain different abilities depending on their outfit. The main character is a high school boy who is the camera man for the show who is secretly also the writer of the show. He's also pretty perverted, and a lot of the show is just him falling into erotic delusions.
The actresses playing the characters in the sentai show realize that he is actually the writer, though they keep this a secret from him. Somehow they all go to his school (I think), even though I'm pretty sure some of them were elementary- or middle-schoolers. In order to try to increase their screen-time, they all start trying to seduce him by getting into compromising situations, like "accidentally" running into him naked or showing him their underwear. The first half (maybe more) of the series is just random fanservice in that vein.
Later on, he figures out that they know that he is the writer and that they've been seducing him, and decides to punish them by putting them into even more embarrassing situations, causing wardrobe malfunctions on-stage and doing all sorts of other abuses of power. The series takes a sort of darker turn at this point, though there's still plenty of fanservice. However, the plan backfires on him. Some sort of controversy causes him to be taken off the project, and I think the show was even cancelled. Yet somehow there was a happy ending where all the actresses were still friendly with him and the show gets restarted, and he might end up in a relationship with one of the girls. The only thing I remember about the ending is that it was rather implausible, so I don't know how that happened.
Does anyone have any idea what this anime could be?

You're looking for the show LOVE♥LOVE?.

Naoto Ohizumi is the screenwriter for the all-female Super Sentai TV show, The Super Transforming Cosmopolitan Prayers ("Cosplayers"), although this is only known by the show's producer. Naoto has a crush on one of the show's stars, Natsumi Yagami. As the show proceeds so does their relationship, with many twists and turns along the way. Many of the other actresses are also in love with Naoto, creating various situations throughout the anime.

Yup, that's the one.


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Guy becomes immortal after kissing a girl
I am looking for the name of a certain anime I saw when I was younger. It was about a guy who was fleeing into the mountains for some reason. In these mountains he found a woman. After kissing her he found out that he became immortal and lived for thousands of years. I also remember that the moment they kissed he would feel inhuman pain for 3 consecutive days.
Edit:
I can't properly remember the art style or the music used. I am sure it was a series around 12 episodes. I watched it subbed and don't believe there was any dubbed version (I don't really watch those so didn't pay attention to that). I believe it was a Madhouse production but I can't tell that for sure. The moment I started watching it had just about ended and I believe the end was a bit of a vampire-like story or at least hinted at a vampire-like plot.
I remembered a bit more about the plot: it was set in medieval times between 1200 and 1400, I think. But halfway through the plot, he loses consciousness and stays so for 1000 years and ends up in a post-apocalyptic Japan where he starts to search for his beloved (the one who kissed and made him immortal). Also it was not 2007 when I watched it but the end of 2008. I read the manga in 2007.

When were you younger?

@coleopterist i saw it end 2007 so 6 years back

Did the animation look new to you or old-school? Do you remember if it was subbed or dubbed? Was it a movie or a series? Please add as many details as you can to your question.

@coleopterist Added more details in the question

This sounds somewhat similar to Kurozuka.

The series begins in 12th century Japan and centers on Kuro, a character based loosely on the legendary Japanese swordsman Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Kuro and his servant, Benkei, meet a beautiful and mysterious woman named Kuromitsu while on the run from Kuro's elder brother, who seeks his life. Kuromitsu and Kuro fall in love, but he soon discovers that she harbors a terrible secret: she is a vampiric immortal. Following an attack by his pursuers, Kuro is badly injured and must imbibe Kuromitsu's blood to save his own life. Kuro is then betrayed and attacked by Benkei, who has been subverted by a shadowy organization called the Red Army, and Kuro's head is severed, which interferes with his transformation into a fully immortal being.
  Kuro loses consciousness and wakes up centuries later in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian Japan. The surviving citizens have fallen under constant oppression by the Red Army, and Kuro is quickly found and recruited by an underground revolutionary movement called Haniwa. The remaining episodes follow Kuro's fight with the Red Army and its host of elite warriors, who have been enhanced by samples of Kuromitsu's blood, and his quest to find his inexplicably lost love.

The anime is also by Madhouse from 2008.

You just made a bullseye Thats it :3!!!  ( added my mistake  i read the manga in 2007  anime end 2008)

Princess Resurrection (怪物王女 Kaibutsu Ōjo?, lit. Monster Princess) is a Japanese horror comedy manga by Yasunori Mitsunaga.

Hiro Hiyorimi is a boy who has just moved to the Sasanaki City to meet his sister. While walking down the sidewalk, he is suddenly hit by a car (crushed by construction beams in the anime). On the verge of death, he is seen by a young woman clad in gothic clothes. She then resurrects him, leaving him alive in the hospital morgue. He wakes up confused over what happened, only to encounter the woman again as she eliminates some wolf creatures. She addresses Hiro as "her servant" and introduces herself as "Hime" (Japanese for Princess) and explains that she is a member of the royal family of the Monster Realm.

No mountains apparently. But the rest of the plot appears to share the same ballpark. The time-frame is also a fit.
The manga is still ongoing.

Doesent seem to be the one, Does like one i will watch later on though. It was A older style, there were no cars yet. useing blades and stuff like that  although this did make me remmeber more ill update my question with more details

@Dimitrimx I see :( The Wiki also mentions the vampires that you've mentioned. Please add blades and 2007 to your question.

added all information i just remmemberd it was bit of dark blackish anime :/

@Dimitrimx Well done :)

"A Dark Rabbit Has Seven Lives" or the Japanese name "Itsuka Tenma No Kuro Usagi".

Taito has been really sleepy lately, and keeps dreaming of a female vampire who says she has given him her “poison.” Sometimes he even thinks he hears her voice when he’s awake. But after surviving an accident that should have killed him, Taito’s world changes drastically and he realizes that his dreams are more real than he thought. its a cool anime

You know this anime you mentioned, and kurozuka are so alike


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What is the primary principle of controlling Jinchuuriki?
What is the primary principle of controlling Jinchuuriki? I can think of two possibilities:

Control on hatred/negative thoughts;
Will and wish of tailed beast.

Killer Bee could easily get in a good relationship with Hachibi. We can recall the Falls of Truth incident of Bee, where he could easily pass it in a second, because he didn't have any hatred about anyone around him in his heart. So is it because he had suppressed negative thoughts, hence he got his tailed beast under control? Or is it because Hachibi himself is a really good guy, who is broadminded enough to lend his chakra to Bee?

Bijuu control can be achieved in 2 ways.

My (Madara Uchiha's) way, by force.
By earning the respect of the Tailed Beast in question.

In the past, when Madara battled Hashirama at the Valley of the End, he summoned and controlled the Nine Tails with the power of genjutsu, using the Sharingan.

 Naruto and Killerbee however, earned their respective Tailed Beast trust. The Tailed Beasts are ancient beings, very bitter about constantly being sealed and used by humans. They developed a deep resentment to humans. Naruto and Killerbee, by not succumbing with those powerful negative emotions, and showing their desire to work with, not against their Tailed Beast, have earned their respect, and achieved a whole new level of power.

The second method is by far stronger than the first.

one question! By force/ by earning respect.. which one does 'Tug Of War' belong to??

The force one. By submitting the bijuu to your will, you take his chakra. By befriending him, he'll give you chakra willingly.

yah .. and don't have to spend our chakra to control him isn't it? :)

Yes, exactly. By force, the bijuu drains your chakra. Willingly, he doesn't.


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What was Akamatsu Ken's role in creating Negima!? Neo?
Mahou Sensei Negima! is a manga by Akamatsu Ken which has had an anime and live action adaptation of the same name.
There is also another manga called Negima!? Neo by Fujima Takuya which was made into an anime titled Negima!?. Wikipedia says that Fujima is the author and Akamatsu merely provided guidance. MAL, however, credits Akamatsu as a story author (along with Fujima).
Is there any official statement on Akamatsu's role in Negima!? Neo?
I mostly want to know if he played a major role in its creation or just basically made sure Fujima didn't completely ruin his series and/or its' reputation.

I'd say that the info on MAL's page would be the accurate one.
You can see in Amazon's page for the first volume of Negima!? Neo, that both the information on the authors (right under the title) and the cover state that the story is by Akamatsu Ken and that Fujima Takuya is the illustrator.

Also, Amazon.co.jp's page on Negima!?Neo too states Akamatsu Ken as the author (赤松 健 appears under the title followed by the kanji 著, which means author).


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Looking for the name of an 80s anime movie involving a spaceship of girls fighting aliens
I saw a great anime movie on TV when I was young, but I don't remember its title.
I suppose it is an anime movie from the early 80s.
The movie opens with a space battle with a lot of fighters and a spaceship whose crew consisted of only girls.
I think one of them is called Ruby. When the battle ends, an alien life form enters the spaceship. In an attempt to kill this intruder, one of the girls dies and the rest of the crew eject her body into outer space.
Later, for some reason, the spaceship starts to become unstable and everyone must evacuate the spaceship using a smaller emergency ship.
The controls for the release mechanism for the emergency ship does not work. One of the girls, who is revealed to be a robot, sacrifices herself in order to release the ship. The spaceship then explodes. All the survivors then land on a nearby planet.
One of the passengers on the ship is a baby which has the ability to grow supernaturally fast.
After a while, the alien enemy locates the planet and starts the attack. The movie concludes, when the baby, now a fully grown woman, does something in the ship that causes all the aliens to die in a huge wave explosion.

Based on this link from AVClub, I think it could be Gall Force: Eternal Story.


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In Naruto, what makes a person a genius?
In our world, a "genius" is someone who is extremely smart, analytic or a fast learner.
Although there are similarities between our and the Naruto universe definition of "Genius", I still feel that it's not the same.
What is considered a "Genius" in the Naruto world? Is Naruto a genius? Is Sasuke a genius? Itachi? Nagato? I don't see it as strictly being smart.

Famous but underused words by Syndrome "Once everyone is Super, no one will be". Applicable here, because if everyone was a Genius, then by definition no one would be. We never get a proper line in the Naruto verse, but Id wager that Somewhere between the lower and upper levels of Jounin would be a solid minimum, with only a few exceptions possible. Even Hidan shows a very high degree of competence and skill while fighting, and hes one of the dumbest strong guys out there.

I'd define "genius" by breaking down and analyzing the concept of "proficiency".
I like to think that for any skill, people are born with varying levels of ease in picking up the skill and/or developing it (nature). Extreme examples include people who feel like "I've done this before", which have some parallels with the awakening of Kekkei Genkai in the Naruto universe. From "baseline" level of ability, people can work to raise or lower their proficiency in proportion to how much effort they spend (nurture).
I would say that a "genius" is someone who was born with an extremely high level of baseline proficiency. Hence, with regards to your question, does a genius have to be smart, analytical or a fast learner? These three qualities differ slightly in character:

Concerning the skill of intelligence, people who are born smart are geniuses, but people who became smart after studying/practicing very hard need not be.
Concerning the skill of analyzing the battle situation, people who are born analytical are geniuses, but people who became analytical with decades of battle experience need not be.
Fast learners "develop their skill abnormally quickly" so they can be all considered geniuses (very fast learners, that is).

According to my definition, Jinchuuriki and lineages of powerful Kekkei Genkai (such as the Sharingan or Rinnegan) automatically qualify as geniuses. Interestingly, in the real world we don't have that much of "inherited genius" to be unleashed, so this is unique to the Naruto universe. Thus, to answer your question, Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi and Nagato are indeed geniuses; from Morpheus's answer, Shikamaru is one too.
However, it is important to define the scope of one's genius; different types of genius cannot be compared.

Shikamaru is a genius when it comes to "being smart" or "analyzing the battle situation".
Byakugan users are sensor-type geniuses.
Rock Lee is a proficient Taijustu user but is not a genius; he simply worked extremely hard to attain that level of skill.
Naruto and other Jinchuuriki are geniuses in chakra-intensive (and thus powerful) techniques.
Naruto is also a sage mode genius (being able to perfectly balance natural energy with his own chakra).
Regarding JNat's comment to the question, Naruto's proficiency in many other skills (walking on trees comes to mind) came from extensive training due to his spirit of "never giving up", but he cannot be considered a genius for those.
However, Naruto may be a genius at learning and picking up most skills quickly; coupled with his determination, that is a potent self-improvement skill in itself.

We have Kekkai Genkai in the real world. Someone whose born with ridiculous math skills early on has a form of KG.  Or someone like LeBron James who at 17 is drafted to the NBA or a 16 year old who is a world class tennis champion or the fifteen year old programmer that sold his company to Yahoo for 30 million or something.  KG definitely exist in the real world.

Rock lee however is a genius at understanding the Chakra gates. Specifically what kind of genius that makes him I cant say, but his ability to learn and unleash them, (up to the 5th gate as a genin at around age 13/14) is something even kakashi acknowledged as genius.the Gates are not easy to open.

@ryan Isn't it also said in the anime/manga that Rock Lee is a genius at hard work?

Sasuke is a genius, he's gifted, comes from a gifted clan (one of the most gifted in the Shinobi world).
Naruto is not a genius. He doesn't excel in his first years: while Sasuke did everything easily and without making mistakes, becoming the most popular kid in the Academy, Naruto, in plain terms, sucked.
When he was asked to do the clone he completely failed:

I don't think however that being a genius is necessarily a matter of being born in a powerful clan. Naruto's father was powerful, yet Naruto sucked. Hinata is weaker than Neji yet she comes from the main family.
I think that genius, after such considerations, is a union of, at least, clan and environment.

And yet, Naruto has (and utilizes, by the way) the potential to beat any of those so-called "geniuses". So how does that settle with your theory?

@MadaraUchiha I don't see why you think it's incompatible. Naruto is stubborn but the good side of this is that he works hard and trains until he sees results because he believes in himself, in order to show everyone else his value. The ultimate way to show this is becoming Hokage, the most powerful ninja of the village.

@MadaraUchiha Naruto is in no way a genius.  Rock Lee and Naruto bond very early over the fact that neither of them are geniuses.  A genius is someone that excels very early and almost effortlessly early in life.  It's natural.  It's exemplified by Neiji and Sasuke.  But geniuses often stall or walk into darkness, i.e. Orochimaru.  But just as Rock Lee said, a genius can only be defeated by effort.  Thus the balance between geniuses and others.

Naruto is clearly a genius.  His initial problems were due to the seal placed on his chest blocking his own chakra from being utilized properly.  After the seal on his chest was adjusted he began to easily excel in difficult jutsu.  After it was removed he has no issues at all with chakra usage.  In the example of the Rasengan he found a way around forming it.  Also not to mention that Naruto's family is showing it self to have very powerful chakra, and abilities in the range of proper GK abilities themselves tied to their chakra.  He's mastered techniques that only legendary nins have.

@McFuu I disagree with him being a Genius. He can't do stuff easily like other "geniuses". He works hard for every jutsu, Rasengan included. His ability is that he is really determined, he works hard, and never gives up. For the Rasengan he found a way to form it using clones, while a Genius would have just done it without that kind of help.

I disagree, Naruto learnt the Rasengan at a very young age almost easily. Seeing as it took the fourth years to develop that jutsu should it not make a person who learns it that easily,

@NeilMeyer Are you disagreeing with me? That's unclear from your comment.

Genius can be defined as a single strongly marked capacity or aptitude.  Characters are called geniuses because they don't need to work as hard others to become good at something.
For example:
Compare Sasuke and Rock Lee.  Sasuke is considered by a lot of the cast to be a genius.  He learns techniques easily, and has been shown to improvise in combat better than others.  On the other hand, Rock Lee has to train very hard to keep up with his peers.

Maybe you could elaborate a bit: is Naruto a genius too? He has a "strongly marked capacity or aptitude" too (which is to never give up).

I want to accept this answer, but it feels to me that it lacks in detail. Would you mind detailing some more on the subject?

I wasn't sure how to expand the answer, so I added an example.

I would assume that in Naruto terms it's much more to the perceptiveness and the analytical nature a character shows in adapting to a tougher battle scenario, which rules out characters like Naruto and Rock Lee. I can make a point with respect to Kakashi's quotes about Naruto because Kakashi always remarks to him that he can surpass 4th Hokage but never really compliments him on being a genius. Kakashi is sure that Naruto can surpass him through sheer hardwork and training.
Secondly the characters who I really think standout for genius terms are Sasuke, Shikamaru and Itachi. As for Shikamaru, there are plenty of scenarios all over the manga, most notably the one where he first assumes task as squad leader to retrieve Sasuke where he formulates the best formation to go after the Sound Four with the squad which was put up as quickly as possible and his attention to detail outlines that. Also in the very first fight he is shown on the anime in the chunnin exams against the sound girl, he deceives her with the landscape easily and he claims that ninja should be very perceptive to their surroundings and where they fight.
Sasuke always has been shown to be a battle genius in all his fights. The most notable to re-iterate my point would be his fight with Deidara where he quickly nullifies all strategies of Deidara (who himself was shown to be a very good tactician the way in which he approached his fights with Gaara and Naruto and Kakashi  prior to that as well) and beats him with a technique to spare as well. (Although Sasuke after Mangekyou started spamming Susanoo greatly he is still shown having a great battle prowess.)
Itachi even though we never get to see him in so many fights throughout the series, he is shown as the guy who sets very high standards for Sasuke to follow when he was a kid. The most notable thing I can think of is how he gets out of the Edo Tensei from Kabuto very easily.
All these characters can fight harder as much as everyone else but most importantly they fight smarter. They look for the loop holes in the enemy's weakness rather than attack the enemy head on.


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Are Sword Art Online and Accel World related?
Recently, I have been hearing loads of theories about Sword Art Online and Accel World being related due to the fact that they refer to NerveGear and such in Accel World.
I have also been hearing that the plot of Accel World was made by Kirito.
Is there some sort of confirmation of this? Or trustworthy speculation?

Spoiler! In a side-story, Kirito also appears in Accel World.

@looper which side story ^^ provide me with links :D

It's the Versus-Crossover in Vol. 10 C. 3 of the Accel World Light-Novel.

They are in the same universe.  Sword Art Online's Nerve Gear was elaborated in Accel World as a precursor to the implants seen in Accel World.
Anything further than that is likely speculation, until either light novel reveals more details.

ugh then guess ill have to wait to find out more :)!

The author, Kawahara Reki, didn't clearly say whether they are in the same timeline or not. During the Sakuracon Festival Interviews, he answered like this:

When you were creating the Alicization arc in Sword Art Online, was the technology used in the Alicization arc carried over as a foundation to Accel World?
It is true that the technology used in Alicization could be, or is the foundation of the technology being used in Accel World, but at this point, like I said, it might be similar technologies having a similar technological chain, but it hasn't been made clear that it is in fact the same world. The two worlds could just have a similar technological advance. Also, as I noted before, if I were to clearly state the two worlds are the same, the number of things that need to be resolved in order for such a thing to be clearly possible is, the numbers are tens of thousands of times greater than I can even hope to do right now! Seeing a movie like The Avengers, where it took a bunch of properties into one cohesive title, I have to say that the creative staff on that movie is quite amazing.

Original link is "Interview with Kawahara Reki" on Sutoraiku Anime.

Really amazing interview. Good thing there is more information available ;). This is still no definite answer, but the way he speaks of it he actually is planning on linking it (thats how I feel he said it ) Thanks allot for adding the info

Another point to add to this that I have yet to see is that when Haruyuki was looking up the older generation tech, they show a picture. At first glance, I saw the similarities, and it was when he actually said "Nerve Gear" (in Episode 22) that I freaked.
I'm not saying that it's definite that it's connected, but really, it's totally possible. At the end of the first season of SAO, he was given the seed that would enable other people to create their own worlds and games that others could come into. If the worlds aren't connected, then I'd be very disappointed, but at least it would make great fan fiction.

Sword Art Online and Accel World exist within the same universe but at different times. Similar to Batman Beyond being in the future of Justice League and Batman the Animated Series. The technology in SAO is the first gen version of the tech in Accel World.

SAO and AW are related because they have the same author and also in the one chapter of SAO and AW (versus) they meet and duel. (fact)
You may also think that the timeline also looks like this: SAO may be the first generation (nerve gear) until technology improves until the period of AW (neuro linker) is created.
(opinion)
The timeline of past and future met and they have a duel because of that machine Kirito used and Silver Crow using that accceleration program. (opinion)

"are related because they have the same author" - this isn't necessarily true. While some authors might have some links between the different works they do, this isn't always the case (e.g. Hiromu Arakawa's Silver Spoon and Fullmetal Alchemist).


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Title of an anime with a certain side-story
I'm looking for an anime that involved a side-story where a certain young girl (she was probably a grade-schooler and the guy was a high-schooler) liked the male main protagonist of the story. I remember that the girl confessed to the main protagonist and was dumped because (of course) of being too young and the male protagonist liked the female protagonist. I'm not sure if the girl was relatively younger than the main protagonist, but she probably was (based on my vague memory). There was a boy who was younger than the girl who had a crush on her (not really sure) and she was a bit cold to that boy, saying that she might end up just like what happened to her.

 In the end, when they grew up, the girl and the younger boy ended up together. I quite remember the scene where the younger boy was waiting on the couch and was saying something like "oneesan, hurry up". And then it revealed that it was the girl the boy (who was then a teenager) was referring to and that they were a couple.

I'm sorry for being vague but I really can't remember. As far as I can remember, the graphics are like in Special A and I guess the story was too (those kind of stories where there is a club and everything revolves around the club members liking each other etc.).

You just spoiled it for me. :)

Sounds suspiciously close to Cardcaptor Sakura, but it isn't it :P

@xjshiya I'm afraid you description is still a bit vague, do you remember anything else about the main series episodes? Like when you saw it or how long the series was?

It's very uncommon to call one's girlfriend "onee-san" in Japanese (unless it's a story with an incest element and she actually is his sister). I suspect that either they were still in a very casual relationship at that point, or you got that line wrong.

@Krazer, Yes it is vague. I don't why I can't remember what anime was it. I remember that the girl's confession to the main protagonist occurred during sunset. I think the series was 12-episode long, or 26-episode? I really don't know, I'm sorry. :(

@LoganM, hm.. I'm not sure if it was indeed "oneesan" or maybe it was "senpai"? But I'm sure that he regarded the girl like that since the girl got pissed off (like tsundere characters do).

Finally! I remembered what it was!
The title of the anime I was searching for was Myself; Yourself.
The young girl was Hinako Mochida. The guy he liked was Shusuke Wakatsuki, who was one of Sana's (male protagonist) childhood friend. And she ended up with Asami's cousin.

Hinako is ten years old at first but becomes eleven in the course of
  the story. She is in love with Shusuke from when he saved her from
  three bullies who took her bag and would not give it back. She seems
  to want to learn how to be the girl he will like and asks Sana and Aoi
  for help. Hinako has a personality comparable to Aoi's, however being
  only in the fifth grade, she is childish as a result of her age. In
  the last anime episode, it is shown that she is the girlfriend of
  Asami's cousin, who is five years younger than her.

This is where I checked if what a friend of mine suggested (that the anime I was looking for was Myself; Yourself) was right, and he is.


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Why was Shana naked after using Tenpa Josai?
In the final episode of season 1 (episode 24), Shana is forced to use her (supposedly suicidal) Tenpa Josai to absorb all the Power of Existence that had been released in the battle.
Tenpa Josai normally kills the Flame Haze, but for reasons explained in the subsequent dialog with Alastor, Shana survives.
But she's naked. Why?
Is there an actual plot reason to it? Or is it just another case of forced fan-service?

Furthermore... where did that towel come from?

One of Alastor's titles is the "Flame of Heaven." In the Shakugan no Shana movie, we see his true, summoned form as a massive creature completely covered in flames, with the form of a minotaur with large webbed-like wings.

Since Tenpa Jousai uses the body of the Flame Haze as a vessel to contain the existence of the Crimson God naturally anything surrounding the container would be consumed by the intenses flames. Yuji was holding Shana's hand when she activated the summoning and came out slightly charred, but survived with the help of the Azure sustained by the his own Power of Existence.
As for the towel/blanket, it could be something extracted from Yogasa, the black cloak/cape that Shana uses to store things, which is said to be an extension of Alastor.


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Looking for an anime with an impoverished town and abusive father
I’m thinking of an anime but I only remember a flashback about one character (possibly a  villain character). It’s bugging me that I can’t remember what the anime was. I’m sure I’ll remember the main story once somebody says the title but right now this is just an unassociated fragment in my head so here’s what I remember…
It starts out with a young boy and his father living in an impoverished sort of town where they both work at the same factory. The narrator (female I think) says that for this kid there were only two moments in his life that he valued: one was when he fell ill and his father stayed by his side, changing the wet towel on his head. I can’t remember the other moment.
His father is a mean drunk or something who pretty much takes all the money the boy makes and probably beats him too. Anyways, the boy finds out from a person at his work that it was a neighbor lady who stayed by his side while he was ill and not his father (and so his cherished memory was tarnished). His second valued memory was true, but I can't remember it.
So one day some other people gang up on and start beating the crap out of the boy when he spots his father. The boy looks over at him as if asking for help. His father looks at him for a moment but then looks away and carries on his merry way.
That’s all I remember... Any help would be appreciated.

Do you remember what any of the characters look like?

Oh! I figured it out! It took me awhile searching through a few series I thought it might have been. I thought it could have been a minor Neo-Nazi or Czech S.S. character from Monster, the Comrade “villain” from Gun X Sword, the perfectionist character from the last story arc in The Twelve Kingdoms, or one of the rich & borderline-insane old men from Kaiji or Akagi.
But then it dawned on me... Hunter X Hunter (2011)! I found in the first ten minutes of episode 80.
It was a few details off in the previous description but it’s the story of the youth of Gyro (the leader of NGL’s underground). We’re never told what happens to him but I can only assume the worst if you saw the episode. I think I had my memory lapse because his name, position, and story of youth are all that are mentioned without any sort of introduction of his character into the storyline. Seems sort of suspicious to me…
I’m sorry about answering my own question kuwaly and other people who may have been researching this. Have a good day.

Answering your own question is perfectly fine! Glad you found your answer! :)

Michiko & Hatchin has abusive stepparents at the beginning, in an impoverished country.

Can you expand a little on this to help the poster? Maybe explain how Hatchin could be mistaken as a boy and etc.


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What manga is this image with a depressed girl from?
I think this is a manga, but I'm not sure which one.
I have tried other sites to get this question answered, but no dice.

This is from the manga Watashi ga Motenai no wa dō Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui! (often translated as "It’s Not My Fault That I’m Not Popular!"), which incidentally is getting an anime adaptation starting in July. Wikipedia offers the following synopsis:

Having been well-versed in the world of otome games, fifteen-year-old Tomoko Kuroki believes herself to be popular. However, upon entering high school, she discovers this is far from the truth as she winds up being an unsociable loner and is forced to take a long hard look at herself for the first time in years. The story follows Tomoko as she attempts to improve her social status as she progresses through high school.

This particular panel is from chapter 7, page 6. Here's a scan of the full page to compare:


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Anime with three blue-eyed high school students
I'm trying to remember an anime I watched when I was younger.
There were three main characters; two were siblings, a boy and girl. The third was also a girl. All three of the characters had rare blue eyes. One of the girls had short-ish red hair; the other girl had blue hair, and was a bit sweet and shy. The boy is tall-ish, if I remember correctly.
The beginning shows the boy, holding a picture of his sister and him playing in a kiddie pool, naked, outside the house he lives in now. The characters are all high school students, as well, and I think they lost their mom.
Does anyone know what this anime might be?

Do you know which two are related?

You're looking for Please Twins!/Onegai Twins!

Please Twins! is a story about three high-school students: Maiku Kamishiro, Karen Onodera, and Miina Miyafuji. The three were drawn together by a photograph of their childhood home which later makes all of them seek out the house in the picture. However, the picture shows only two children, a boy and a girl. The three conclude from this that only one of the girls, either Karen or Miina, can be related to Maiku. The other must be a nonrelative. The only other identifying feature of the pair in the picture is that the boy and the girl have eyes of the same unusual color, a feature that furthers the ambiguity as all three of them share the same eye color.


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What anime is this winking girl from?

I've been searching for quite a long time...I'm guessing it's from an Anime.

Possible duplicate of Where is this picture from? How do I use Reverse Image Search to find the source of an anime/manga image?

The image is of Kusaribe Hakaze from the anime Zetsuen no Tempest, which aired October 2012 - March 2013. Here is the plot synopsis from Wikipedia:

The story revolves around Mahiro Fuwa, a teenager whose sister was mysteriously murdered one year before, and his friend Yoshino Takigawa. Mahiro is contacted by Hakaze Kusaribe, the leader of the Kusaribe clan who was left stranded on an unknown deserted island by her followers, and agrees to help Hakaze in exchange for her help to find out the culprit for the death of his family. Upon learning of his friend's intentions, Yoshino joins him on his quest to stand against the Kusaribe clan who intends to awaken the "Tree of Exodus" whose power can bring ruin to the entire world.

The image occurs in episode 5.


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Where did Cobra get his psycho-gun?
In Space Adventure Cobra, a campy space opera series, and in its more recent sequels, Cobra, the adventurous main character, has a cybernetic gun embedded in his left forearm that uses mental energy. We know he wasn't born with it, so how did he acquire the psycho-gun?

He had made the blacksmith of "不知火鉄心 (しらぬい てっしん) (Shiranui-Tesshin)" who live on the earth.
thus, I think answer is the earth.


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Manga about a sword that only a little boy can unsheath
What is that manga that is set in the 17th century about a small boy who has a sword from his deceased old man that only he can open when he's angry? The sword is longer than his body.
And he's all about revenge and the manga is often about war tactic or strategy...
Chosen people have star marks on their bodies and that boy is one of the star-marked people...

Sounds a bit like D.Gray-Man.

But Allen Walker (D.Gray-Man) doesn't wield any huge swords? I would also not consider him as a little boy.

You're looking for Hero Tales aka Juushin Enbu. There's also a 26 episode anime adaptation of it.
From ANN:

Set in a time of chaos, seven heroes of the Stars, the Hokushintenkun, rise up to lead the people. Two of the seven, the Nitenshinson, the Hagun and the Tanrou, are never supposed to exist at the same time, but fate has decided otherwise. Taito, chosen as the Hagun, now must rise up to defeat the Tanrou, as the fate of the Stars destined it to be.

I am kind of sure you mean Juushin enbu. Its by the same mangaka as full metal Alchemist with the same kind of art.

nope... that's not it~~~ it have some echi on it, and the kid are around 8-9 years old...

and the art is much more serious...

and the strategy part is just super!!

it was in jump comic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_series_run_in_Weekly_Sh%C5%8Dnen_Jump
If you think you may recognise the name then there's a list. I think searching with character names would narrow it down.
~cheers


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What is this manga about a demon or vampire linked to an acolyte?
I read this manga a very long time ago....
And the story goes like this: There's a demon, or vampire or something (can't remember it well) who overpowers all.
He's the strongest, and up until the current state nobody can kill him, because he is somewhat an immortal, because of his healing powers...
He's also cruel. Then this girl came; an acolyte girl that was ordered cast a spell (or prayer) to him, and then to kill herself. She was ordered by the "highest rank priest" (somewhat similar from the position of the paladin in Ao no Exorcist). The spell was actually to connect her life to the demon, so whatever happen to the girl or to the demon will also happen to the other... I can't remember it so well, but I think the girl is scared to kill herself. She also wants to know why the priest ordered her to do such a thing (why did the priests want her to die?).
Well, it ends up that they tag along with each other from then.
That was all that I can remember. And that was just the 1st chapter... I remember that during the time I'm reading it online it was turned to be already licensed so I think the manga was dropped, but I still want to know the title of this one.
Does anyone know what this manga is? Thanks in advance. :)
and, NO. It's not zenki. It doesn't have an anime.

could it be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenki

did it get serialized in one of the big magazine's ? if so do you remmember which one ?

I just realized it or rather found it out when it updated yesterday. The title of the work is Kai Pilgrim.

I think the manga you are looking for is Chrono Crusade (or Chrno Crusade). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrono_Crusade


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In the end of the last episode of RahXephon, does everyone retain their old memories?
In the last episode,

 after Ayato, Quon and Reika/RahXephon re-tune the world and made it so the events involving the Mulian never happened.

Haruka seems to have memories of the events that occurred before the tuning. Does everyone retain their memories or is it just her because she was with Ayato?

There is no answer to your question provided in the canon. After the tuning of the world, we only see a very short scene (at the very end of the final episode) showing Quon as a baby. It's safe to say that she probably remembers nothing. Ayato and Haruka (offscreen mostly) discuss things that indicate they may have some awareness of what happened, but to what extent they may have retained memories of it is impossible to say. Nobody else is referenced, so it's anybody's guess as to what the rest of the world knows/thinks.
Sorry to be so inconclusive.


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How did Saki meet Shun near the end of the show?
About halfway through the series, I thought Shun had killed himself in order to prevent any further damage to others.
However, in the last few episodes, Saki hears his voice as he gives her some very important advice. In the second to last episode, she even seems to see Shun in front of her. However, he seems to disappear in an instant, and she sees Kiroumaru instead. She later hears his voice once more as he tells her the solution to get rid of Maria and Mamoru's child.
Were these just hallucinations, or was there some supernatural force going on?

I am pretty sure she is hallucinating because in the last episode there was a scroll (22:18) saying “the power of imagination changes everything”

Yes, she's hallucinating. The evidence for it at the start of episode 24 is irrefutable.

Why would she be hallucinating?
It safe to say that given what Saki has gone through, she isn't in the best state of mind. With all the death and destruction she's witnessed and experienced, she's probably in some form of denial.
Where does the advice from Shun come from?
Herself actually. Her own subconscious mind.
When you're in such a hypnotic effect, things from deep in the back of your mind can come forward at unusual times. This is the same reason why hypnosis is sometimes used to bring back memories for criminal investigations and why artists can do their greatest works under times of extreme stress.

It's still weird that he was giving her such helpful advice if he was just a hallucination... I wonder if the book has more info.

It's a psychological effect actually. When you're in such a hypnotic effect, things from deep in the back of your mind can come forward at unusual times. So really, all the knowledge that Saki obtains from Shun during these hallucinations is actually from herself - her subconscious self.

Images aren't working for me :(... Anyway, this is just a speculative answer so far (maybe that's what the images are for - what were they?).

@Omega Yeah, that's what the images were for. It's side-by-side comparison two seconds apart of what Saki is seeing. Are all imgur images down for you? Everything seems fine on my end.

They're now working. Yeah, it looks plausible that she's hallucinating. Although it still concerns me how the extensive interaction between Saki and Shun is. Maybe he's projecting into her mind, until someone interrupts them by standing in the middle.

Hearing advice, remembering what they said and seeing a dead loved one are all very common plot devices. You hardly even need to go to the extent of justifying it as plausible in real life... it happens in basically every second anime where a main character dies.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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What other sacred/legendary places exist that are like Mount Myoboku, Ryuuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest?
The locations that have been mentioned where one can learn sage mode are:

Mount Myoboku
Ryuuchi Cave
Shikkotsu Forest

I am interested to know if any other places exist that are on-par with these places, such as a place where a legendary event has occurred. (Example: A place of hawk, summoned by Sasuke while fighting against Danzo).

We know that there are other types of creatures, Gai summoned a turtle, Temrai summoned a weasel, and I'm not even beginning to talk about Pain's Chikshodo.
However, as for the "homes" of said summoned creatures, only 3 have been confirmed. The 3 you listed.

Mount Myoboku
Ryūchi Cave
Shikkotsu Forest

pain's chikshodo summons were dead animals infused with pain's chakra receivers. they are summoned from dead world( or watever it is) using rinnegan.

@Sreepati: Unlikely. If the summoned animals are anything like the bodies from the Rikudo no Jutsu, then it's likely that they're summoned from some sort of safe-house, a lab or something similar. The animals are dead bodies imbued with Yin rods.

in one canon episode they were trying to make the ultimate kuchiyose animal in a lab in an island. maybe from some similar island or something , i guess.

@Sreepati: I don't remember such an episode, do you remember which it was?

yeah there was one filler episode. in that they created an animal looking like a baby or something in an island. maybe during the naruto's journey to killer bee island.


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What happened at the end of Code Geass R2?
I believe I may have missed something.
At the end, Lelouch...

 died at the hands of his childhood friend, Suzaku, who was masquerading as Zero. But when did Lelouch order Suzaku, as Zero, to kill him (Lelouch)?

Zero and Lelouch were the same person. Are you sure you're not thinking of Susaku?

This was all part or Lelouch's Zero Requiem plan.

 The plan involved focusing all of the world's hatred onto the tyrannical Emperor of the world (Lelouch) and killing him, as part of their plan for world peace.

Suzaku agreed to ally with Lelouch after the Tokyo Settlement incident with the F.L.E.I.J.A., specifically after his one-sided conversation with Jeremiah Gottwald.

 The only Geass order Lelouch gave Suzaku was the order to "live" on. (During the event on Shikinejima Island where he is ordered to kill Lelouch, who was Zero at the time)

This was shown when Nunally touched Lelouch after he was stabbed and saw the flashback of what they had planned.


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Who is this girl stuffing food in her face, and what show is it from?
What show is this from?

what exactly is happening?
I found in this amv but the source for it (this is from boom boom dollar within that amv, at 22:04) only says "various".

Please try to upload/embed your image using our image upload service to prevent linkrot. Additionally, please try to provide the time code and a link to view your video, if possible.

@Krazer I keep getting Failed to upload image; the format is not supported and I've never found/seen a link to view the video, only download it.

The upload tool won't work with images larger than 2MB. Normally that's far more than is necessary, but you've included a lot of redundant frames, made the size quite large, and not optimized the colors. As a result, your gif is 36MB. I've done some basic optimizations to get it down to around 500KB. While one could do better with the original source, this was enough for the purposes of uploading it with the stack.imgur account.

If you had broke the GIF into static parts it would have been better(for identification purpose) to be honest but nice job shrinking it.

@Prix FYI, you can extract static images from any GIF using websites like http://gif-explode.com/ or http://www.gifexploder.com/.

@LoganM I originally had a 3MB file, but that was too big, So I thought an online gif editor/creator could make a smaller one but I was wrong. So so wrong.

I think this is maybe from Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou.

Yukino Miyazawa is a Japanese high school freshman who is the envy of classmates for her good grades and immaculate appearance. However, her "perfect" exterior is a façade, a charade she maintains to win praise. In the privacy of her own home, she is spoiled, stubborn, a slob, and studies relentlessly and obsessively to maintain her grades. On entering high school, she is knocked from her position at the top of the class by Soichiro Arima, a handsome young man whose very existence Yukino considers a threat to the praise on which she thrives, and she vows to destroy him.

Seems like this could be it.
Edit: I am absolutely sure this is it as I found another image from the series. The scene occurs during episode 11.

After some searching to verify, you are correct. I still don't know what's happening because what I found was subbed in German! I'll have to find a different sub/dub. but now I know what to look for, thanks!


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How accurate is the World Map in The Irregular at Magic High School?
In the monologue (at the beginning of episode 1) you may have remembered a world map being displayed. The funny thing was that they got East and West Europe wrong as seen in the images below. How accurate are the borders?

Did anyone notice this?

The map definitely isn't accurate (at least in that it doesn't depict quite a number of current borders correctly). For one thing, as you noted, Europe hasn't been depicted well, though it does seem that the part west of Germany is alright. However, the Czech Republic's border with Slovakia is gone, and it seems that the border with Austria is also missing. The Romania-Hungary border is also gone
When you look at South Asia though, the borders are also wrong. While the India-Pakistan border seems ok, the borders with Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan aren't there. There are a couple smaller issues with Central Asia.
I initially thought that this might be a 1900's map because of the European borders, but the North-South Korea division still seems to be there (which didn't exist at the time of Austria-Hungary), and the India-Pakistan border shouldn't have existed at the time - so as far as I can tell, this isn't supposed to be a replica of a map at some point in time in actual history.
Summary: a number of borders here and there have been omitted. I'm not as familiar with the geography of Africa and South/Latin America, but for starters, the Algerian-Tunisian border has also disappeared in this map. But there are definitely a number of noticeable errors with Central/South Asia and with Europe. So this map really isn't that accurate, even if for a lot of the "unaffected" countries it's drawn reasonably well.

FWIW, under the British Empire, the Pakistan-India border didn't even exist internally, so that's probably not related.

@senshin: Yeah - hence my comment that it might only be parts of the British Empire. I'm more confident about my "answer" about Europe, but I'm not too sure about the exact details for the rest of the world.

This takes place in the year 2030 so anything could have happened to those countries. They could have been taken over or just wiped out.

They didn't get east and west wrong, as the world is round and you are just used to looking at the world with the americas on the left and europe/asia/africa on the right. Also the map is a mercator projection meaning that it is distorted making areas of low population bigger because due to the earth being round it cant be represented by a flat rectangular object

The question refers to the East and West Europe specifically, not the location of the America and Asia-Europe-Africa continents. Also, I don't think Mercator (or any) projection is related to the question...


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Need help identifying this anime from about 18 years ago
I remember watching this when I was a little kid, but I barely remember anything at all. The main character was a man with a "demon arm" that he always keeps hidden with a glove, the moment he takes off the glove his hand activates granting him great power. The episode that I remember watching had a little girl singing in a black, dream-ish environment.
If I recall, I watched one episode in Spanish dub and the girl sang this song as she played: "dos y dos son cuatro cuatro y dos son seis". I know it's not a lot of information, but it's always been bugging me.

The premise sounds like Jigoku Sensei Nube.

Nube is a clumsy, easygoing, and very kind teacher, but he has a secret under his glove on the left hand. He has a monster hand, and he also has the ability to sense ghosts and evil spirits. So he protects his dear students from these evil spirits with his monster hand, proving to be very powerful.

YES! The arm looks very familiar, this is it! Thank you.

@Shelby.S: No problem =)

For reference, the Spanish title of this anime is apparently Nube, el Maestro del Infierno.


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Is there any more of "Bagi, the Monster of Mighty Nature"?
Does the franchise of "Bagi, the Monster of Mighty Nature" consist only of this one movie or is there anything more to it? Any sequels, series, mangas, visual novels, "spiritual sequels" (entirely different movie but taking strong inspiration in it) or any other paraphernalia related to Bagi?

From 1975-1976, Osamu Tezuka also wrote a manga titled Daichi no Kaoyaku Bagi (大地の顔役バギ), which would probably translate as "Bagi, the Boss of the Mighty Earth", with "boss" in the sense of "leader of a gang". See also the manga's article on Japanese Wikipedia (there are no writings on it in English that I can find).
It appears that this manga was incomplete at the time Tezuka stopped writing it. You can find the one volume Tezuka did complete on Amazon Japan. It does not look like anybody has translated this manga, ever.
I have not read this manga or watched the movie, but Japanese Wikipedia appears to suggest that the contents of the manga and movie are mostly unrelated - the Bagi in the manga is a jaguar, while the Bagi in the movie is a mountain lion-turned-human (I think?).

From what I can find, it only is the movie and does not have any other series as sequel/prequel/etc.


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Identify anime with submarine under aerial attack
This is an anime movie (OAV?) I saw on a local TV station in the late 80's. It was dubbed in English and here's all that I remember about it:

Set in a futuristic dystopian world.
Hero was a young male with at least one additional male companion.
They find a lost girl and decide to help her.
After sometime they find her father who is the captain of a submarine.
Among the crew is a fat chef who treats the hero and his band to a large feast.
Sometime later, the submarine surfaces, probably to do some kind of maintenance. I remember scuba divers working around the sub.
An enemy jet fighter finds them and starts strafing the submarine, killing several of the divers.
The fat chef attempts to rescue some survivors but gets shot himself.
The movie ends with the sub sinking but the hero and his friends surviving.

EDIT:
It is not any of the following submarine animes:

Submarine Super 99
Konpeki no Kantai
Nadia of the Blue Seas
Blue Noah
Blue Submarine No. 6

Sounds kind of like Mars Daybreak, but that's not a show from the 80's

@JonLin - Yeah definitely not that one

Maybe it could be Submarine Super 99 OR Konpeki no Kantai  Those 2 are atleast the closest ones I could find using http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_ships

@Dimitrimx - Not one of those two unfortunately

Nope. I know Nadia and it's not it.

You may check List of Animated feature films list maybe you can find it there...

Thanks to a very diligent redditor I was able to find it.

海底大戦争 愛の20,000マイル
The Great Navy Battle: 20,000 Miles of Love
Released by Tatsonoku in 1981. Apparently it was dubbed by Harmony Gold as Undersea Encounter but was never released for home video, which probably explains why there's almost no trace of it in the web except for a few cover images and brief synopses (mostly in Japanese).

Could it be Marine Boy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Boy It's from the 60's but is still shown on TV even now. If you look at the episode list there are several involving submarines. I haven't personally seen it myself.

I think it is Super Atragon but its a 90s anime

You should try expanding your answer a bit, maybe some links or image. Also i believe it is not called Super atragon but atragon

Super atragon is the animated version of atragon

okay yeah thats my bad. thought the animated version was called the same ;)


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What is this show about girls that use "spirits" to fight?
Genre: Probably Shoujo/Fantasy or magic
Type of media: TV show/OVA?
Characters: Mostly girls with one main heroine and a male protagonist living in modern times (school attendance was probably involved)
Plot: The story revolves around girls with "spirits" they use to fight. The main heroine was using a "fire spirit" but only after she accepted it in one of the episodes. There also was a smaller girl, which was firstly her rival but they became friends after some time. The little girl was using a huge sword and in one scene in park lot she cut a car in half. Apart from the girls there is also a love story involved with the main heroine and a boy. In the end they have to fight some evil villain.
Time range: I watched it around year 2006?
I know this is as vague as it can get, but if someone could recognize it - it would be much appreciated!

I think you need to use past tense in your question on the first line, also could you try to add more information to your question thanks [if possible].

Edited - added few details. Can't remember much more however.

Yes, I think the other spirits were related to elements. Also if I recall it correctly the fire spirit had a form of a white serpent? Then when she "absorbed" him, she had two rings around her wrists?

Sounds kind of like Kaze no Stigma (Stigma of the Wind). A 24 episode series that aired back in 2007.

Here's ANN's synopsis:

Ayano is the heir to the house of Kannagi, a house with ties to the spirit of fire, whose members are all fire users. All except for her cousin, Kazuma. After he was defeated by Ayano, his father banished him from the house in disgrace. Kazuma ran off and changed his surname to Yagami. He formed a contract with the spirit of wind and becomes a powerful wind user. Four years later, he returned.

Unfortunately this is not the series. The main female protagonist never used a sword. From what i remember...

First thing that popped into my mind was date a live because u said "the story revolves around girls with "spirits" they use to fight." And
 using a "fire spirit" but only after she accepted it in one of the episodes. There also was a smaller girl, which was firstly her rival but they became friends after some time.
The one who was the heroine didn't use a fire spirit but there was a female who did and accepted it in the series and there is also a girl spirit who uses a huge sword and the main heroine is a boy. I hope this helped


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Anime about old people nursed in high-tech beds
At least 7 years ago I was shown an Anime that revolved around the premise that due to medical advances and low birth rate there were a lot of old people and as such there was a huge demand for old-person care nurses. One of the main characters was such a nurse, but there was also another guy as a main character.
Anyway, a company develops some high tech nursing beds that take care of bodily function needs and provides mobility but the prototype bed (and it's AI) begins interfacing with various electronics in the room and eventually becomes mobile and begins consuming other machines and devices and this bed (along with the old guy still inside) begins terrorizing downtown. Eventually the military is brought in and the bed is stopped somehow.
I'm surprised that I couldn't find it myself, but maybe I'm just unlucky. Any ideas? It's either a movie or a OVA I'd think.

Sounds like you're looking for Roujin Z:

Roujin Z is set in early 21st century Japan. A group of scientists and hospital administrators, under the direction of the Ministry of Public Welfare, have developed the Z-001: a computerized hospital bed with robotic features. The Z-001 takes complete care of the patient: it can dispense food and medicine, remove excretory waste, bathe and exercise the patient lying within its frame. The bed is driven by its own built-in nuclear power reactor — and in the event of an atomic meltdown, the bed (including the patient lying within) would become automatically sealed in concrete. The first patient to be "volunteered" to test the bed is a dying widower named Kiyuro Takazawa. He is an invalid who is cared for by a young nursing student named Haruko. The electronic elements within the Z-001 somehow manage to transcribe Takazawa's thoughts through Haruko's office computer, and he uses the communication to cry for help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH4K3OkRqL8


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Are anime that are not based on manga common?
Has there ever been an anime that was not based on a manga? I notice that most if not all were actually mangas before they were turned into a TV series.
Is it common for an anime to be created without there being a manga first?
Answers are appreciated. :)

This? Has an anime ever come out before the manga was published?

@ShinobuOshino That question is a little different in that it's asking about manga that are based on anime, whereas this question is asking about anime that aren't based on manga. There's some overlap between the two categories (since some anime that aren't based on manga will go on to have a manga based on the anime), but I think the questions can legitimately exist separately.

Let's take a quick sample of full-length non-children's anime that began airing during the current season (Winter 2014) and see which are based on manga.

Based on a manga: D-Frag; Engaged to the Unidentified; Hoozuki no Reitetsu; Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha; Maken-ki 2; Nisekoi; Nobunagun; Noragami; Saki Zenkoku-hen; Sakura Trick; Seitokai Yakuindomo 2; Silver Spoon 2; Witch Craft Works
Based on a light novel: Chuunibyou 2; Mahou Sensou; Nourin; ImoCho; Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta
Based on something else: Falcom Gakuen (a video game series); SoniAni (a mascot character)
Not based on anything: Buddy Complex; Hamatora (simultaneous mixed-media); Nobunaga the Fool; Sekai Seifuku; Space Dandy; Wake Up, Girls!; Wizard Barristers

As we can see, roughly half of the series this season are based on a manga, and roughly half are based either on a work in some other medium or are wholly original.

To make a broader point, we can take a look at some data collected by user /u/homu on Reddit (link).

As we can see from this graph, manga has historically been the source for at least a plurality of anime adaptations (though never a majority, at least since 2000). However, other sources are by no means negligible. In particular, the rise of light novels starting circa 2005 appears to have eaten into the market share of manga adaptations, and shows no sign of slowing down as of yet.
All said and done, yes - anime that aren't based on manga are pretty common.

Last time I checked, Silver Spoon 2 was second season of an adaptation of Silver Spoon manga.

Even weirder: Kantai Collection is an anime based on free-to-play online social card game.


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What is this shounen manga about a female monster hunter?
There was a manga I read about 3 or 4 years ago and I'm having some trouble trying to find it again. It was a shounen manga, and the premise was that a girl was trying to either capture the most monsters, or become one of the best monster hunter in the world. She encounters someone on her travels who says that he's a monster trapped in human form, and he had bracelets and a neckband that enabled this. If I remember correctly, he was a sort of monkey-dragon hybrid, and that at the beginning he was able to morph one of his  arms into one much larger that was covered in scales and had claws at the ends.
The girl at the beginning was able to control his transformations, and the monsters characters goal was to regain his true form.
I can't remember much else besides that the boy had orange hair and was rude, that there was another character introduced that led to a dynamic similar to the main cast in Naruto, and that they had all three joined a monster hunting guild.
Any help appreciated!

Was it Bleach? Its fine you read it about 3 to 4 years ago but was it made about 3 to 4 years ago?

I think it's Bleach too, but his two paragraphs sounds a bit different than Bleach.

From your description, I'm quite sure it is Buster Keel. Its serialization began in 2008 in Japan and completed with 12 volumes.

Here is the description from Baka-Updates:

Keel, the hero of our story, is looking desperately for Siva the so called "best monster fighter" to retrieve something precious that he took away from him, on his search he joins a beginner monster fighter girl, along with her flying pig monster and goes for an adventure to find Siva who for some reason has been missing for two years.

The girl in the description, named Lavie, is a monster hunter. She has a Devil Pig named Mippy as a monster partner, and she can enhance the power of the monster partner by playing her guitar. This works by having the monster partner wear a contract ring, which allows her contract melody to work.
During the fight with King Lizard in chapter 1, Keel wears a contract ring and tell Lavie to play her music. The result is that Keel's arm is restored to that of his original form (Dragon Ape).

It is shown in the same chapter that the collar on Keel's neck maintains him in human form and it was unsealed by Lavie's magic during the battle. Keel's goal is to find Siva (the person who defeated him and turn him into human form) and change back to his original form of Dragon Ape.

Oh that's it exactly! Thank you for the quick response!


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What does Accelerator say to Dark Matter at the end of their fight?
After Dark Matter's defeat, he stabs Yomikawa to further hurt Accelerator, which causes Accelerator to sprout his black wings and then tell him something in angel language.
The English translation says:

“—yjrpEVILqw”

What does he say in Japanese though? I tried finding the raw but couldn't, and my Japanese-fu isn't that good. Anyone familiar enough knows what he says there?

I think it might be nice to edit the title of this question so that it doesn't contain spoilers - maybe something like "What does Accelerator say to Dark Matter at the end of their fight?".

Sure, go ahead.

In the English Dub, I thought you hear him say "Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill".  Is that what you are referring to?

@estebanrules The battle between Accelerator and Dark Matter was not shown in the anime.

@estebanrules You're probably thinking of the thing near the end of Index II where Accelerator fights Kihara Amata.

Ok yes, I'm sorry.  Where is that battle shown?  The manga or light novel?

In the light novel (very close after the anime finishes too)

「——ｙｊｒｐ悪ｑｗ」

Volume 15 (Old Testament), chapter Dark_Matter, section 4 (p. 320).
悪 (あく / aku) means "evil". The surrounding letters don't appear to gain any additional meaning in Japanese - they're probably just gibberish.


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Why didn't Jinbe and Ace wear prisoner uniforms?
Ivankof and the others also didn't wear a uniform, but they're part of some kind of underworld society, so they're basically running away; but Jinbe and Ace are prisoners, so why they didn't wear uniforms?
Jinbe

Ace

interesting question. if i have to guess it would be something along the lines of that they were not expected to stay long in there so a uniform wasn't needed

I don't believe there is a definite answer (which is why this is a comment) for either but especially Jinbe. It is worth noting, however, that Gol. D Rodger was not in uniform when executed. A likely minor curtosy afforded those waiting execution could be the right to wear their own clothes for their final hours. This would make them more recognizable in this odd world where people wear one outfit for months. Jinbe was clearly a special case and would likely have been released after execution and he had been shown his place. This is all speculation.

Jimbei was officially a Shichibukai until he verbally told to Sengoku at Marineford that he is resigning. He was imprisoned just because he didn't follow World Government orders. So there is no reason why he should be wearing prison uniform as he was not a convict.
As for Ace, I think kaine must be right. It must be like when Gol. D Rodger was not in uniform when executed. A likely minor courtesy afforded those waiting execution could be the right to wear their own clothes for their final hours.

The reason for this is may be they were new in the prison and were supposed to be there for a short amount of time.
Ace : he was going to be executed. So there was no reason to give him a proper uniform.
Jimbei : he was opposing the war but his decision was not final until he said so to sengoku at marin ford. I mean to say is there was a chance that he would support the government.
This is just my speculation don't know if it makes sense


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Why does Kuriyama always say "How unpleasant!"?
Kuriyama often says the phrase "How unpleasant!" (不愉快です！, Fuyukai Desu!)

Did they explain this in the light novel, or is this just a typical catch phrase to make her cute?

It's more of a catchphrase, like Shana's "shut up" (x3) line.

There isn't any deep meaning to Kuriyama's fuyukai desu / "How unpleasant!" in the light novel. It's just a thing she says frequently - a catchphrase.


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How powerful is Homura's shield?
In the anime, Homura is only seen using her shield to reset or rewind time until the first time she met Madoka.
Can't she rewind time for a minute, or an hour? If she could do it, I think it would be easier for her to fight against Walpurgisnacht.
And how far is its area of effect? When she was chasing a car, she couldn't stop time, but only a few parts were stopped and she still had to run to catch up to it (if she could stop time, she wouldn't need to hurry).

Seems like it either works on a few objects for a short period or time, or on everything and for a long period of time. Sort of a "all or (almost) nothing" tool.

According to Gen Urobuchi from his interview in Otona Anime Vol. 20:

The weapon that looks like Homura's shield is actually a sand timer. When the flow of the sand is blocked, time is stopped. And when there is no sand on the upper part of the sand timer and then the timer is reverted, one month's worth of time is turned back. But before that stage is reached, only time stopping is possible. This means the special power of Homura is the ability to manipulate one month's time's worth of sand in the sand timer. As for the time passed and then turned back, since it was not the focus in this work I did not think it through very thoroughly. I think you can say that the world split up and became parallel worlds there.

To sum it up:

Homura cannot rewind time until one month of time has passed after March 16th, the start of her time loop.
Before then, Homura can only stop time and the sand in her sand timer from falling.
Homura cannot rewind short periods of time or go forward in time at all.

Besides time, her shield serves the purpose as a probably infinitely spacious storage for all of her artillery. It should also be noted that her shield is quite fragile and clearly not a defensive tool. It can be broken as seen in Rebellion Story when Sayaka stabs the gear mechanism and renders it unusable. (Then again, this is debatable, as the universe Homura created in her witch world bended many laws of magic from the normal universe.)
To explain her constant time-stopping when she was chasing the truck in Ep. 6, one could speculate that she was trying to conserve her magic by periodically stopping and starting time. Perhaps the truck was moving too quickly for the small (fixed?) period of time Homura had to move after stopping time. Note that the average running speed of a human is 8 mph and the truck was probably moving at about 60 mph, just at the speed limit for trucks on highways in Japan.

i think with the truck part it was more to do with conserving energy, she has no trouble firing and stopping missiles one after the other so that they all fire off at the same time, also remember that ever her powers would cloud her soul gem, she would still need grief seeds to purify it and would want her soul gem as pure as it can be for her fight

I agree with you completely -- just didn't want to leave out the theory of a "fixed" period of time.

@homura You've stated that Homura's shield is fragile and it was rendered unusable after Sayaka's strikes it with her cutlass... This is wrong, as it is quite strong and a few seconds later Homura does stop time to fight against Sayaka!

I personally love this question, since I've thought about it myself! The gradually evolving personality of Homura throughout the story(who becomes more stoic and condescending at each timeline) complements the strangeness of the time manipulating "shield".

TL; DR version
Homura can use her magical shield to:

reverse time (possibly constrained to certain rules)
stop time (for a limited amount of time)
store/retrieve anything (possibly in n-dimensional space)
manipulate objects in space
protect herself from anticipated attacks
create a shock-wave of air around her
make a fashion statement (I mean, just look at it, so fabulous!)

Homura's shield is undoubtedly the most mysterious "weapon" of all magical girls. The shield allows Homura to travel through time repeatedly to relive her first meeting with Madoka. The nature of temporal manipulation or it's range have not been clearly explained in the anime/Rebellion movie. However, it seems that it can be used only after a month of time has passed(as described in @homura 's answer, derived from Urobuchi's interview).

Homura's uses her "shield" in multiple situations to stop time. This certainly implies that the whole universe is at a stand-still(without which a lot of anomalies would surface at possible boundaries of time manipulation).
"It's powerful" would be an understatement for such a device. Notice the airplane in the background!

A detailed observation of the instances of Homura's usage of the shield would prove that it can do much more than just time manipulation(either reversing or stopping). Homura uses it as an (infinitely large?) storage space and brings out armaments when necessary.

Further, during her fight against the Walpurgisnacht, Homura controls and uses a large truck in combat, which was enveloped in a purple gleam. As time and space are connected, I think that this scene suggests space-time manipulation.
Another similar space manipulation scene occurs when Homura blocks off Walpurgisnacht's flames with her shield. She protects herself by deflecting the flames in a defensive move.

Also, in episode 1 of Madoka Magica(at 19 minutes 8 seconds), Homura clears off the fire extinguisher fumes by a blast of air using her shield...(maybe she set off an explosive charge to disperse the fumes, but this seems unlikely since she stays in the same spot throughout the scene)

I really love the Madoka Magica series. I hope I've covered all the unique instances of Homura using her shield!

The weapon that looks like Homura's shield is actually a sand timer. When the flow of the sand is blocked, time is stopped. And when there is no sand on the upper part of the sand timer and then the timer is reverted, one month's worth of time is turned back. But before that stage is reached, only time stopping is possible. This means the special power of Homura is the ability to manipulate one month's time's worth of sand in the sand timer.  I think you can say that the world split up and became parallel worlds there." In episode 11, we see Homura's sand run out in the middle of her fight with Walpurgisnacht, verifying this limitation of her time stop powers.


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Are any of these One PIece characters based on real people like this image suggests?
I found this One Piece picture on a friend's wallpaper and became curious whether any of these characters were really based on the people they're paired with (as confirmed by the production itself) or if this was just a product of a person's creative imagination.

PS. I don't watch One Piece so I'm pretty clueless. Forgive me for that. lol

most of the picture above is only a fans creativity, but Oda actually said that some of his character base on real person (I read it in several SBS)

That Michael Jackson one is the bets :)))

I can't validate the genuineness of the link contents, but this is what I could find: Character Inspirations for Oda.

Aokiji/Kuzan
  Kuzan has been confirmed to be based on the late actor Yasaku Matsuda. One of the characters the actor played even had similar hairstyle, clothing and sleep mask design. Kuzan's birthday is also based on Matsuda's. Kuzan's nick-name (Aokiji) is taken from the Momotaro Legends.
Akainu/Sakazuki
  Akainu has been confirmed to be based on the famous Japanese actor, Bunta Sugawara. Akainu's real name, Sakazuki is apparently based on the three movies of Bunta Sugawara with "Sakazuki" in the title. Akainu's birthday is also based on Sugawara's. The name "Akainu" is taken from the Momotaro Legends.
Basil Hawkins
  It has been confirmed that Hawkins' name is derived from a real life pirate and a navigator. His given name came from Basil Ringrose, while his surname came from John Hawkins.
Boa Hancock, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold
  The three sisters are based on the Gorgon Sisters from Greek Mythology.
Capone Bege
  It has been confirmed that Capone Bege is named after the real life 1920's gangster, Alphonse "Al" Capone. His inspiration is both from Capone as well as the English privateer, William le Sauvage. He also shares his birthday with Al Capone.
Emporio Ivankov
  Is confirmed to be inspired from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Specifically, Ivankov's look is based on Tim Curry's Dr. Frank-N-Furter role. His tendency to call people "candies" could be a reference to a line from the Rocky Horror song 'Sweet Transvestite', "...he thought you were the candy man." Another similarity the two have is the fact that they can both turn men into transvestites.
Enel
  Is based on a Japanese mythological "thunder god" known as Raijin.
Eustass Kid
  It has been confirmed that Kid is named after a real life pirate, William Kidd, who was also nicknamed "Captain". His surname is taken from Eustace the Monk, another real life pirate.
Fujitora/Issho
  Fujitora has been confirmed to be based on the Japanese actor Shintaro Katsu, more specifically his role as Zatoichi, the blind swordsman.
Hannyabal
  Although not confirmed, many believe Hannyabal is based on the the Hannya mask.
Jewelry Bonney
  It has been confirmed and Bonney is named after the real-life 18th century Irish female pirate Anne Bonny, a noble turned pirate, who operated in the Caribbean.
Kizaru/Borasalino
  Kizaru has been confirmed to be based on the Japanese Actor Kunie Tanaka, Kizaru's clothes, real name (Borsalino) and birthday, are apparently based on a movie character that Kunie Tanaka played in his youth. His nick-name "Kizaru" is taken from the Momotaro Legends.
Sabo
  Is possibly inspired by Artful Dodger, a character in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. The characters share similar style's of clothing (top hat, sleeves, etc) and they are both of "mischievous" group of children.
Sanjuan Wolf
  Known as the "Colossal Battleship" is possibly based on the Spanish Battleship/Warship San Juan Nepomuceno. The warship also participated in the "Battle Of Trafalgar".
Scratchmen Apoo
  It has been confirmed that Apoo's name is derived from real life Chinese pirate, Chui A-poo.
Sentomaru
  Is possibly based on the Japanese folklore hero Kintarō (also known as samurai Sakata no Kintoki), who was notable for wearing nothing but a bib, carrying a massive axe, and sumo wrestling with bears. Additionally, his attack, Ashigara Dokkoi, is a pun on Mt. Ashigara, the place where Kintaro was raised.
Shiliew
  Is possibly inspired by Yasunori Kato, a fictional character.
Trafalgar Law
  It has been confirmed that Law's name is derived from real life pirate Edward Low. Law's apparently infamous cruelty echoes Edward Low's own reputation for violently torturing victims before killing them.
Vander Decken IX
  Not officially confirmed, but Vander Decken IX is inspired by the Flying Dutchman legend. He is the captain of the ship "Flying Dutchman" and as a Fishman, Vander Decken is a devil fruit user making him unable to swim, where as most other adaptations portray the captain in a human form who cannot step onto land.
Whitebeard and Blackbeard
  Both are inspired by real life pirate known as Edward Teach. Whitebeard's character design and traits are also confirmed to be based on the owner of the pub Oda liked going to. The owner often sat down in the store with medical equipment hooked up to his nose and drank, calling sake "medicine" while telling war stories.
Whitebeard's own line in his first appearance, "I'm not talking to any snot-nosed airheads." was in fact an exact phrase the owner often said to customers. Unfortunately, the pub owner passed away by the time Oda revealed this fact.
Urouge
  It has been confirmed that Urouge's name comes from the real life 16th century Turkish pirate, Oruc, one of the Barbarossa brothers.
X Drake
  It has been confirmed that Drake's name is based on real life privateer, Sir Francis Drake.

That's the best answer I've seen to any question ever online. That's some serious trivia in breadth and detail. It's as comprehensive as is possible, and well written too. Thanks for this. That's some serious research...

(sic) ...One really stellar answer, and so many other roles I didn't catch. But when it comes to Jo Jo, I can identify all the bands and musical stars who name the characters. I think. It's fun when they tie in some puzzle like this so you have a game to play while watching. Thanks again for the great answer.