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Which anime it is? (from description)
Few months ago I was watching anime on kissanime.com. In Latest update section I found interesting anime. I watched 2-3 episodes and then left site (forgot to bookmark). I thought that was airing anime, because it only had 2 or 3 episodes at that moment. After a month I tried to find it (MAL, google, browser history), but I couldn't. So lets give a try to find that dam anime :).
Story:
Nowadays. Two guys (cool looking teenagers, like a gangsters) was standing near the river. One said that life was boring. Then suddenly they had been teleported to abandoned city. They went to explore what is going on. When they ware wondering, they met women. After that they all together reach temple. In the temple game of death started. They all had to draw card with question. The answer- number. And if you guest wrong the temple are bombarded with fire arrows (arrow count is difference between correct answer and wrong answer). Finally MC (one of the guys) figured it out and escaped temple. Although his friend was shot with arrow in the leg. After then (or maybe later), someone explained all situation. That they must participate in those death games. And if they win, they can live X days more. Otherwise satellite will kill you (if you run out of time). MC was quit exited, so he suggested to participate in another game. His friend was injured, so he went with that women. The next game was in multistory building. There was about 5 levels with a lot of rooms. And outside stairs and balconies connected to each room. There were a lot of participants and all of them had to find room with red button. They they press it, they will win. Although there was walking a tough guy with MAC smg. And killing everyone.

Some information can be inaccurate. I watched this anime long
  time ago and I remember it poorly.

Okay, I think that is enough story. Please help me find this anime. Thanks.

That reminds me a lot of Yugioh, especially the first 7 or so volumes of the manga

Definitely not Yugioh. I watched Yugioh anime and I would recognize it.

I'm quite sure the same question but for a manga has been asked before.

Imawa no Kuni no Alice
I haven't seen the anime, but what you describe is more or less the same as the first chapters of the manga going by the same name.
Synopsis from MyAnimeList:

The story follows a high school boy named Arisu and other youths who are transported to a devastated alternate world. Trapped, they are forced to play a deadly game of survival.


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Getting a business-card after jumping from a sky-scraper
I remember seeing either a trailer for it or a part of the first episode.
There was a guy who tried to commit suicide (I think) and jumped off a tall building. As he was falling this guy and I think 2-3 others kinda fly next to him.
The guy offers him his services to save him or something coz I remember him giving the suicidal guy a card.
Sorry if I didn't describe it very well, but that's a that I remember.

I believe you may be looking for Noragami.
The scene you described is in episode 4, where a guy tried to commit suicide by jumping off a rooftop.
The only part that doesn't fit your description, is that the guy jumped. He intended to jump, but "accidentally" fell instead.

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What is the Evangelion reference Araragi was talking about?
At the beginning of Nisemonogatari before the opening, we see Araragi chained and handcuffed in the cram school with Senjōgahara being the perpetrator. At one point, Araragi said that he would be enjoying the moment more if it wasn't for the Evangelion reference.
What is the reference he was talking about? I didn't see anything which hinted at an Evangelion reference.

Might the EVA tag be useful here? I'm not really sure though.

Adding onto the other answer, the exact thing that gets interpreted as an EVA reference is Senjougahara's line:

You won't die. [Short break.] You won't die. Because I'll protect you.

It is clear that this is probably the content of the "reference", as Araragi makes the comment about wanting "no unnecessary Evangelion references" right after this line.
This is nearly identical to a line between Shinji and Rei in episode 6 of the EVA anime, as mivilar has pointed out. In that episode, there is an Angel attacking NERV, which has so far repelled the attacks against it. The solution is to use a very high-power rifle against the Angel from a distance, with Rei acting as a back-up or shield for Shinji.
Prior to the start of the mission, Shinji is worried, and asks Rei if she is scared. In response, she tells him that he shouldn't be scared, that "you won't die; I'll protect you." (The exact wording probably depends on the subtitle set.)

Aside: Naturally, this suggests that the EVA line is rather notable (something which did not occur to me when I first watched EVA). I would suspect that it has become so partly because of the pacing of the specific scene. Perhaps it's also easier to catch the mirroring of words in Japanese, as this is not a line with very idiosyncratic vocabulary. (Compare to Senjougahara's reference to Fullmetal Alchemist in Bakemonogatari, where the exact ordering or wording of "X kilos of A, Y grams of B, . . ." doesn't matter too much in terms of the ability of a watcher to catch the reference.)

That this reference is so hard to catch is probably the reason why Koyomi specifically calls it out as an Eva reference. No one ever does the same with Hitagi's FMA reference, though Tsubasa notices in the novel of Tsubasa Tiger that Hitagi's school notes are mostly just drawings of FMA characters.

Rei's watashi ga mamoru mono "Because I'll protect you" is easily one of the most famous lines in NGE, and I think Japanese viewers would have easily caught it even if Koyomi hadn't pointed it out (though not as easily as the earlier FMA reference, granted). It's been almost a decade since I watched NGE, and I still have a clear memory of Rei saying that; heck if I know why. It probably doesn't come across that way to the English-speaking viewer, since "Because I'll protect you" is a pretty mundane sentence, all things considered (plus differences in translation, etc.).

This is referencing the conversation between Shinji and Rei in episode 6 while preparing to engage Ramiel. At least that's the best I could think of and evageeks agrees.
Click the image below, for the full sequence.

At least for me, the YouTube link doesn't work -- the account has been removed for copyright infringement, apparently.

@Maroon Indeed, thanks. I just took the first one I found. I now added the images instead.

Here is the referenced scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksLAFbTskO0 > あなたは死なないわ、私が守るもの

You won't die. Because I'll protect you.

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Which episodes of Konjiki no Gash Bell are essential?
The anime series of Konjiki no Gash Bell has 150 episodes. I watched up to episode 26. As far as I saw, in most of the episodes, the main plot does not advance. Watching all those 150 episodes will be very time-consuming if that's going to be the case for the rest of the series.
Please give me a list of the essential episodes so that I could skip over the non-essential ones.

According to this page, there are 121 canon episodes.

Filler episodes for Zatch Bell/Gash bell:

31-35
89-100
139-150

Once you reach the end of episode 138, read volume 22, chapter 212 to continue the story properly.
139-150 have parts in them that are canon, but they are not completely canon, they are mostly filler and the manga is better.


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Manga with a girl having demons in her hands and hunts vampires
There’s this manga where, in the beginning, a boy is in school and sees a hot girl. She lures him to some isolated garden outside or something and tries to eat him (take his blood and stuff). A girl in his class, who is always seen sleeping, comes and rescues him by blowing up the vampire girl’s brains and stabbing its heart. The girl has two seals in her hands, and she usually uses only her right hand that has this monster/demon that can kill vampires. The monster-arm girl has a mission to kill all of the pure blood vampires (7 powerful women). She has a little girl sidekick that was bitten by a vampire but was mutated to help some organization’s cause. The girl with the monsters on her hand is human but wants some sort of revenge (I think?) and uses the monsters’ power. They drag the boy along as bait for the 7 purebloods (kinda)
omg i remember all of this but i don’t know the name of it please help :)

Crimezone fits most of your description, including the fact that they use the main character as bait, and that there were 7 "pure bloods".
According to mangaupdates, it's still ongoing, and last update was almost a year ago.
Synopsis from mangaupdates:

The people of Earth live in a society where vampires aren’t just real but dangerous. Although humanity has been able to keep them under control and even take the night away as the vampire’s natural habitat, some of them have adapted. Hesperides, a relatively new breed of vampires, have adapted over hundreds of years in order to be able to go outside during dusk when the sunlight is at its weakest and feast on humans.
Aburaya Shiro, a high school kid, lives in a town where there has not been a vampire attack in years, but adults keep warning them of going outside at dusk. Shiro and his classmates take this warning lightly and head out at dusk only to find out one of their classmates who they thought they knew well turns out to be a Hesperides. With all his classmates violently murdered, the only way Shiro was able to survive was with the help of a different classmate, Ichijoji Eruka, who doesn’t seem to be human herself.

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Horror anime about vampires hunted down by humans
Hello :) so I saw only part of it a while back and so I only know a little bit about it.
It was definitely on the horror side - there were humans vs vampires and (I dont know if it was for just that episode or if it was the entire series) but the humans were the ones hunting down the vampires. The vampires weren't evil and were just regular humans, but the humans were rude.
The scene I saw went something like this:
Some vampires are crawling through a narrow tunnel (head to butt) trying to escape the humans - they are obviously panicked and some are crying. Then one by one, the humans begin to rip them out of the tunnel. Pretty gruesome. After they rip them all out, you can see a massacre of bodies around as a large man comes up to one of the vampires (Who is burning, if I remember correctly because of the sun) and he says something that makes it evident that his son was killed by a vampire and then he kills her and the rest of the humans around him console him.
I'm afraid that is all I know, any help would be extremely appreciated! <3

It reminds me one episode of Shiki, I don't remember exactly which one...

I am also fairly certain it is shiki. @Dario you might want to post it as a answer

It sounds like Shiki:

When citizens of a secluded village begin dying off in alarming numbers, the sole hospital's head doctor tries desperately to save his patients—but his efforts are in vain. Entire families are wiped out while others desert their homes. All hell breaks loose as the villagers discover their loved ones' corpses are rising from the grave with an insatiable thirst for human blood. Who is safe when the urge to kill in order to survive blurs the line between man and monster?

It is pretty gruesome especially in showing humans killing vampires
In the beginning of the series vampires kills humans without letting them realize they were actually killed (they just considered theirs as unexplained deaths)... When humans realize the existence of vampires they begin to hunt them down.
I think the scene you described is taken from Episode 20.5: here is a clip from that episode.


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Romance manga where a guy tutors a girl who turns out to be a millionaire
A couple of months ago, i read a manga about a guy who get's a job to tutor a girl for math or other things, and he finds out shes a rich million air girl. She made her money by stocks, and he's curious and decides to learn stocks to get closer with her.
That's really all I know, It should be enough though. it's a romance 90%
Hope you can get me the name of it.

I am sure the manga in question is Billionaire Girl
The guy's name is Takato Kei. He tutors this rich teenage girl for 10000 Yen per hour.

It a complete romance story. In reality she is not a high school girl who has amassed a lot of wealth from stock market. I think this covers the description you gave. Hope this helps :D
BTW Fun-Fact: I just noticed it was written by Isuna Hasekura (of Spice and Wolf fame :D ).

Perfect, thnx! :D


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Anime set in a world where females choose their gender
I remember seeing this title on Anime News Network but I can not for the life of me remember the name.
The Plot Summary I remember from the site is that in the world all humans are born as female and remain like that until a certain age in which they have to choose their gender.
The staring group have been tasked with an important mission of some sorts and i think their equipment can only be used by females as i remember the summary saying that the group are at the age where they must choose their gender but it's been decided that they can delay the decision for the duration of their mission.
I know it isn't Infinite Stratos as the plot didn't describe a guy who is able to use female equipment

I am very sure it is Simoun, everything say matches.

In the world of Daikuuriku, everyone is born female, and chooses which sex they wish to become at age 17. In this world, the peaceful theocracy of Simulacrum is guarded by magical flying machines called "Simoun", which can only be piloted by young girls who haven't chosen a sex yet. The Simoun can activate a magical power known as "Ri Maajon" that can destroy large numbers of enemies at once. When the industrialized nation of Argentum decides that it needs to invade Simulacrum to acquire the secret of the Simoun, war breaks out, drawing the Simoun "Sibyllae" (priestesses who fly the Simoun) into a lopsided battle. Because the war is raging, the Sibyllae are granted an exemption from choosing a permanent sex for as long as they're willing to keep flying. Aaeru, a determined young Sibylla with a mysterious past, and Neviril, the leader of Chor Tempest, Simulacrum's most elite Simoun squadron, must lead their fellow priestesses through conflict both within their ranks and in the sky.

Ahh yes, that's it, the Plot Summary is right and matches all the points i mentioned (girls choosing their gender, the equipment (ship) that only girls can pilot, the group getting to hold off making their decision) and after seeing the Anime News Network page the memory of reading it came rushing back


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Identification of purple haired girl claiming she will pretend to be a cat if things go bad
I'm looking for the source of the following image, including which episode of the source it appears in.
Google image search isn't able to find anything.

The reason I'm looking for this image, is because I want the image in better quality, given the current one is a small jpg with ugly artifacts.

It's this scene from Episode 9 of Koufuku Graffiti

The story follows Ryou, a middle school girl who lives by herself. She has a knack for cooking and makes friendships with everyone through her food. The cooking manga is "full of detailed cuisine art to whet the appetite and slightly erotic meal scenes." The "koufuku" in the title is a wordplay on two Japanese homonyms—one which means "happiness," and another that means "appetite."

The girl is Kirin Morino.


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What's this old school anime with a badass green-haired Sephiroth lookalike?
So I remember this scene from an anime for many years now but I can't find it no matter what I searched for.
Here's what I remember:

Green (maybe blue? not sure) long-haired badass guy, with dark clothing. He really resembles Sephiroth from Final Fantasy.
The setup is in a futuristic city/world, the city I remember resembles the city from Akira: flying cars, full of roads, light etc.
It must be an old anime, late 80s or early 90s.

The scene I remember clearly is this guy walking an empty road on that city, but the screen is full with roads on all heights, buildings etc. I think this guy is accompanied by someone else on that scene but I'm not sure.
I tried to find it many times for 5 years or so, but I cant remember anything else at all.
What is this anime?

Is this possibly the Escaflowne (film)? It was made in 2000, adapting a TV anime from 1996.
Folken in the film version has long sky-blue hair and dark clothes, and is the main antagonist (he was born as Dune of Adom but became the leader of the Black Dragon Clan).

Allen Schezar in the same film, the leader of the Abaharaki (a group of refugees),  also has Sephiroth-style bangs with long hair and dark clothes.

The film includes airships, roads, and lights.

the middle set of screen shots on the left the guy really does looks a lot like Sephiroth with his hair and the coat he is wearing. if i didn't know any better and saw that image on google i could confuse it with a screen shot from the animated version of Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core

Actually this may be it. Not sure though, I will definitly check it out! Thank you so much for the answer.


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Manga about a crazy teenage boy
A few years ago I read a manga with the following features:

The protagonist was a teenage boy, who grew up to an adolescent over the course of the story.
He cruelly stabbed both his parents to death when he was young.
He got sent to a juvenile detention centre, where he learned karate.
When he got out he became a delinquent.
Highly psychological and adult manga.

I am really curious as to how it ends, but I just can't remember the manga's name. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The first result that came up when I googled "manga kill parents karate" was Shamo. "It tells a story of a boy who killed his parents and turned himself into a cold-blooded martial artist." Is that the one you're looking for?

@Gao It's very likely Shamo's the manga I was looking for. I will only be able to make sure after work, but in the meantime, post it as an answer, since I think it will be correct. Thanks!

Shamo

Selected synopsis (emphasis by me):

Ryo Narushima (成嶋 亮 Narushima Ryō?), a talented highschooler who was about to enter Tokyo University, the most prestigious university in Japan, killed his parents before his successful life could begin. [...] The 16-year-old bookworm murderer was convicted and sent to a reformatory where he was gang raped by other boys. Kenji Kurokawa (黒川健児 Kurokawa Kenji?), a jailed man who nearly assassinated Japanese Prime Minister decades ago, was sent to the reformatory to teach the youngsters karate every week. [...] Ryo returns to society with the mindset of gaining strength so as to survive and never be a victim again.

Of interesting note is that

This story was inspired by the Kobe child murders of 1997 that a 14-year-old "Boy A" ("Shōnen A") killed and decapitated several children.

The plot and settings somehow reminded me of Rainbow, which tells the story of 7 teenage delinquents, their lives in the reformatory, and their encounters in the real world outside. One of the seven killed his father (if memory serves), another went searching for his sister, and yet another learned boxing while in the reformatory, all very similar to what the protagonist Ryo in Shamo did.

Thanks a lot, Shamo was indeed the manga I was looking for, furthermore, I think I will give Rainbow a try as well. Looks really interesting!


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Where are these catgirls originally from?
I've seen this shared several times on Tumblr, Facebook and forums. But I have never found what the source is.

Where are the catgirls originally from, and why are they so sad :'(

Cropping the frame out, I found out via IQDB that this is probably from UFO Princess Valkyrie. These cat girls appear to be the Catgirl Maid Squadron, also pictured here, who serve Miss Sanada, another catgirl who is the chief maid for the royal family of Valhalla.

The hair colours and approximate complexions also match up here, and the "maid" designation explains the outfits in the GIF.

UFO Princess Valkyrie, which is also known as UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie follows Kazuto Tokino, who decides to run his grandfathers's bathhouse. Unfortunately, in addition to his lack of skills, an alien princess named Valkyrie from the planet of Valhalla destroys the bathhouse and nearly kills Tokino after she crashes into it. To save him, she kisses him, but in the process, she transfers half her soul to him (which forces her to stay with him) and also becomes an eight-year-old.
The series was originally a manga, although it has also spawned an anime adaptation. (MAL link.)
The exact frame used here is from episode 8 of the second season, a bit more than four minutes in. Earlier, the maids are scolded by Miss Sanada, who refers to them as "Maids A, B, C, and D", refusing to use their real names (which she may have forgotten). Later, when the maids suggest that they take Valkyrie to the mountains themselves, after she is unable to go on a school trip there (because Tokino doesn't go to that school), Sanada praises them, but still refers to them as "Maids A, B, C, and D". This prompts this "You're so mean!" response in the subtitles in the GIF.

but... why are they so sad?

@ʞɹɐzǝɹ: Google tells me it might be from episode 8 of the second season, where someone who I presume is Sanada is harsh with the maids and refuses to address them by anything other than "Maids A, B, C, and D", but I can't find the exact frames used in the GIF right now.

@ʞɹɐzǝɹ: found it -- apparently I missed a second instance of "you're so mean" in the subtitle printout I was referring to.


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Why do black lines appear at the bottom of older anime?
I've noticed in older anime (70's-early 90's), before each cut a black line on the bottom (or white scratches on top) would appear in the picture, and I've noticed this in tokusatsu as well. Does anyone know what this is?
I've mainly seen anime and toku from Toei, so I'm not sure if this was a thing unique to them.

I'm not sure if this is related specifically to anime because I think old Western movies/recording also have this kind of phenomenon. But I'll let the community to decide.

If they only appear for a fraction of a second between scenes then it could be tape used to splice the film together.

Perhaps some info in here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_transition

It looks like an artifact of the show having been recorded on video cassette and then transferred onto another medium - it can happen if there's something wrong with the read heads, or if the tape inside the cassette has degraded a little (which can often happen both due to time and if the tape has been used many times).


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How can Inuyashiki and Hiro hear voices from Earth?
In Inuyashiki manga chapter 82

 Inuyashiki was not able to hear the voice of Hiro when they were standing on meteor far from earth in space. So Hiro called Inuyashiki (via some telecommunication mechanism).

Later

 When Hiro was going to blow himself up, he heard the voice of Watanabe Shion. And the same thing happened to Inuyashiki - when he was going to self-destruct he also heard the voices of his family and dog.

How can they hear voices from the earth? Given that they were not able to communicate so Hiro had to call Inuyashiki.
Anime is still going on and I don't know how they're gonna show these parts.

My opinion:
They are very advanced machines, and as we know, they can communicate with all the networks on earth. The phone network doesnt reach the space but they on the space can reach the earth. That is why they even have their phones inside them.
Good luck!


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Why did Asuka get her right eye injured but Shinji didn't?
In the second episode of Evangelion, we can see that Shinji's Eva's right eye is injured by the Third Angel, but nothing happens to his right eye. But when it comes to Asuka's Eva getting her right eye injured by a Lance of Longinus in End of Evangelion, it also injures her right eye. How can this happen?

I think the thing is that the shot above was just some energy weapon, nothing (too) special, but the Longinus spear is very connected to the nature of these robots, so it was able to also harm the synchronized pilot.

I'm pretty sure it's a matter of synchronization rates. Shinji was clearly not well-synchronized to Unit-01 when he fought Sachiel in episode 1, whereas Asuka was extremely well-synchronized to Unit-02 when she fought the MP Evas in End, and hence she sympathetically suffered far more of the damage Unit-02 took.

^what this guy said, the higher the synchronization rate, the higher the chance for the pilot to emulate the damage the EVA receives

See also https://wiki.evageeks.org/Synchronization

another theory is that it's possible the Lance has "special powers" to inflict damage

@paulnamida bur how can mari in evangelion movie 2 her eva's eye were got injured when she is in eva's berserk mode by the angel but nothings happen with mari's eye...

@Gagantous was that at the fight at the start of the movie?? It's been a long time since I watched that movie and I don't think I remember the full details, but iirc that was a special mode dubbed "the beast" right?? I always thought it was a forced berserk form, without relying on synchronization. It's been a long time though, I could be wrong

Yes it's called "the beast" @paulnamida

@Gagantous so I was remembering it correctly then, in that case, I stand by my interpretation that "the beast" mode is artificial and not really linked to the usual high synchro-rate berserk mode that happens by accident and not willingly

The Lance of Longinus is not a normal weapon like it mobilized Lilith and it just overpowers Lilith and Adam which are the seeds of life of Angels and humans so I suppose it can harm the pilot if it hits the Eva It has that power and what makes this theory true and the synchronization one wrong is that if it wasnt asuka would be so dead, the harm caused by the other new evas to unit02 is so massive like her guts were out of her

you could add more link/reff to make your answer more reliable

If you've watched any other movies out anime series that have some sort of synchronisation between the human and a bigger robot (e.g. Pacific Rim and Darling In The Franxx) the concept that since the human is one with the thing they're connected to they will lose sense of their own feeling and only feel what the thing they're connected to is feeling externally, and since in Evangelion the Longinus Spear is something to stop Angels in their paths instantly and since Evas are Angel carcass basically, the Longinus Spear will have the same effect on the Eva, and since Asuka was linked to her Eva the Spear had dealt damage that an Angel would normally take to her Eva dealing the same damage to Asuka too.


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Who are these strange people at Moriko's door supposed to be?
In episode 11 of Net-juu no Susume (the OVA), a tense moment between Moriko and Yuuta is interrupted by someone ringing the doorbell. And, uh, it turns out to be these peculiar people:

They ask Moriko if she believes in aliens before she slams the door in their faces.
Judging from the distinctive costumes, I'm guessing this is some sort of common door-to-door annoyance in Japan, kind of like Jehovah's Witnesses in the US, but weirder. Are these people a representation/parody of some existing Japanese alien-proselytism group?
(Note: the guy in the middle, who is the only one who speaks, is not listed in the credits. That was clearly Nakamura Yuuichi's voice, but he's only listed as Kanbe's voice actor.)


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Site / Store where Princess Sarah (Purinsesu Sēra) can be downloaded or bought
Anyone has any idea where I can buy:

Princess Sarah (Purinsesu Sēra)

Downloadable is fine or DVD that can be shipped to the Philippines.


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Does Fate/Strange Fake take place in the same timeline as any of the Fate/Stay Night routes?
One of the hardest things to wrap my head around in the Nasuverse has been what events belong to what timeline, this is just one example of that.
It seems like F/SF isn't contradicted by anything that happened in the F/SN timeline (that is if you consider the unusual 'rules' of the Fake Grail War to be permissible in the same universe as the normal Fuyuki GW).
So, is it more or less the same timeline? If not, does it belong to any other timelines(like the KnK one for example)?

considering that Flat Escardos is shown with Lord El-Melloi II unless how Waver became Lord El-Melloi II is different then we know it takes place after the 4th Holy Grail War we see in Fate/Zero

I haven't read much of the current/ongoing LN series, but in the original one-volume version, there are oblique references to some sort of mysterious ritual being done on an island in the East, which points towards F/sf taking place in the main F/sn timeline. The depiction of El-Melloi also does not contradict anything from Fate/Zero, though it doesn't really provide strong evidence in favor of F/sf being in the F/Z timeline either.

Yeah, I was just about to say, the events of F/Z happening doesn't necessarily mean that F/SN is next. Also IIRC, Waver is El Melloi II in the Apocrypha timeline as well, and there the 4th GW never happened, so it's possible for him to attain this rank through other means.

From the afterword of the first volume:

I suspect many Fate fans are wondering, "This is set after the
  original Fate, but which route's future is it?" I hate to say this,
  but, "It's a fake, so it follows a mystery route." I'll leave the rest
  to your imaginations. In the extra chapter, the two "Observers" leaf
  through a lot of pages. You can assume that the "world's route"
  changes with each of those pages.

FSF is set in a parallel world, some years* after the Fifth Holy Grail War, as constant references are made to it: Shirou is obliquely mentionned as a creator of relics, Francesca Prelati took the mud of the corrupted Grail for her own purposes, etc.
*By my own estimation, maybe 2008. It was the year the April Fool's one-shot version of FSF came out in, but Flat Escardos's age is also an hint: in FSF and in El-Melloi Case Files, he is respectively 19 and 15, and El-Melloi Case Files take place during the year of the Fifth Holy Grail War, meaning 2004.


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Who is the idol Yuna in Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale?
In Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale, Shigemura is the creator of Ordinal Scale and is trying to recreate his dead daughter Yuna as an AI. Now, during the movie, we see two versions of Yuna. The first one wears an idol costume and appears at event battles to sing (I will call her "idol-Yuna"). The second one wears a hoodie and appears to Kirito to point him in the right direction (I will call her "hoodie-Yuna").
By the end of the movie, I was under the impression that idol-Yuna was a throwaway data collection AI created by Shigemura. I thought that her purpose was to collect information so Shigemura could create hoodie-Yuna, who would be the true recreation of his daughter. However, in discussions and reviews other people have told me that idol-Yuna was the daughter AI, and that idol-Yuna and hoodie-Yuna were the same.
Were there two different Yuna's, a data collection program and a copy of the daughter? Or was there one Yuna and she only changed appearance?

According to an interview made to the movie staff:

Miki: On a related note, about Black Yuna and White Yuna being separate beings……
Itou: Surprisingly, that didn't go through well.
Miki: The Black and White Yuna. Both of them are separate existences. The White Yuna was that white ghost who made her request to Kirito by pointing with her finger. The Black Yuna is an AR idol diva.
Itou: Until midway through through the movie, you'd expect them to be the same being, but they're actually separate…… everything was explained by Shigemura in the climax.
Miki: The Black Yuna is an AI crawler with limited emotions meant solely to drawn in players to 《OS》. Singing was her only purpose. The White Yuna was an existence born with the activation of an AI program midway. She continuously received upgrades through deep learning and was about to be reborn as Shigemura Yuuna. This Shigemura Yuuna was the yellow-haired girl in plain clothes that appeared before the professor as a phantom in the end. Oh, and she was also shown in the researcher's picture frame.

So yeah, they are separate beings, originally, the Black Yuna was used for OS as an AR-idol, later on, the White Yuna was created when the memories of the SAO survivors were stolen and she was the one supposed to become Shigemura Yuuna.
Link for a full translation of the interview along some extra lore of Aincrad here. It's part of a booklet given out to moviegoers in Japan.


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What is the name of the song when Yato uses Yukine to cut through the Pacification Ring to rescue Ebisu in episode 13 in Noragami Aragoto?
After Hiyori calls Yato from Yomi, he used Yukine to cut the "Pacification Ring" and they played a song that is so nice.

If you're talking about the flashback scene that starts around 4:59, this is "Reincarnation" (Noragami Aragoto OST, disc 1, track 8). Here is an extract from the track (0:45-1:00).

It's the 11th song on the soundtrack Footsteps. The portion we hear during that scene starts at minute 1:17 and crescendos around 2:00 when Yato uses Sekki.


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How was Shibo able to take her true form?
In Blame!'s manga version, Shibo's first appearance was in chapter 9.2. She looks ugly and more like a walking corpse. (read from left to right)

But surprisingly, in chapter 9.3, she was able to take her true form.
(read from left to right)

What did she do to re-make her physical form? On the Blame! wiki, it is stated that she used backup data, but do they ever mention how they created the physical body using 'data'?


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What is relationship with Megami Tensei franchises
like in the title said what's the relationship with Megami Tensei franchises? Megami Tensei have large franchises there are

Devil Children
Devil Summoner
Devil Survivor
Digital Devil Saga
Last Bible
Majin Tensei
Persona
Shin Megami Tense

They are all spin-offs of Digital Devil Story, an old horror novel series about a guy who develops a computer program that can summon demons. The original Megami Tensei game was based on the story told in the novels, then came Shin Megami Tensei as a spin-off of this, with no relation whatsoever to the original story aside from the demon summoning program, and then the other games got produced with that premise in mind but all with stories of their own. So the only point in common they have is the fact that you can summon demons through a technological device.


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How did Miku become so popular?
Miku is a Vocaloid, and Vocaloid is a voice synthesis software program developed by Yamaha. From what I've read, Vocaloid is not an anime nor manga; it's not a game like Kancolle; it's not a visual novel like Fate/SN; and Miku is not a mascot for a gaming company like Super Sonico or a Windows mascot like OS-tan or an IE mascot like Inori Aizawa. There is a video game series, but originally, she is a singing voice synthesizer software.
Miku herself is a cute humanoid persona for Vocaloid (picture from Vocaloid website)

But the Vocaloid interface itself looks like this (picture from Wikipedia)

It doesn't look like a software that just anyone would use.
Aside from her really nice character design, what made Miku become so popular? She is all over the internet and has a lot of fanarts, figures, and cosplayer pictures everywhere.

it is interesting considering that Microsoft showed off a mascot for Silverlight and i think she's only gotten to the same level as the OS-tans, not Miku level

oh yea I almost forgot those OS-tans

An additional question is: why KAITO and MEIKO didn't get so popular considering they're 1st gen. Vocaloids. Also, some insight on Vocaloid 2 on Wikipedia. Finally, one doesn't need to be able to use the Vocaloid software to draw Miku :)

@Aki Surely we don't need to use Vocaloid to know about Miku, but if there are only a few who would use it, how can she become so popular

I believe it's the power of social media. NicoNicoDouga has her videos since her birthdate (29 August 2007), Twitter was busy talking about her since then, and pixiv having the oldest Miku on 13 Sep 2007

"what made Miku become so popular?" If you can answer that question, you would be busy making yourself filthy, filthy rich. Not answering on StackExchange. Simply said, some random event created enough critical mass, that her popularity became self-sustaining and even growing.

@Euphoric just knowing how to do things doesn't necessarily mean you can do the same thing they did

Here is an excerpt from: http://kotaku.com/5936200/why-hatsune-miku-is-the-worlds-most-popular-virtual-idol

Hatsune Miku is more than a little big in Japan. She appears on billboards, in TV commercials, and gives sold-out concerts to legions of fans the world over. Of course, being a popular singer in and of itself isn't something that out of the ordinary. However, what makes her unique is the rather large obstacle she had to overcome in her path to fame—namely that Hatsune Miku isn't even a real person; she's a computer program.

The main fact that she is a program that anyone can use to make their own music despite perhaps not having an optimal singing voice opened up new paths for many music artists. This led to many popular Vocaloid songs done by Miku such as MELT or World is Mine.

On one hand, she was literally made to appeal to her audience raised on anime and sugar-coated J-pop. Her look, manners and expressions where scientifically designed to be loved. That's more than just being "cute". It is possible to custom or cosplay her and as she is virtual, it is even possible to basically have a little Hatsune Miku in your house. That means a lot for fans.
On the other hand, Vocaloid opens up a whole new dimension of music lovers. Generally, music are hidden behind big cooperate names with lots of people behind every song. Vocaloid, on the other hand, is generally created by 1-5 persons and is uploaded straight to the internet or is sold at local markets in Japan, which means it's way easier for the fans to "connect" with the producers and other fans.
To go further :

http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/observations/2017/03/crowd-sourced-pop-singer-hatsune-miku-reveals-true-nature-stardom
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagerou_Project


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Why doesn't Chen Guo find out who Ye Xiu is?
Why doesn't Chen Guo, the net cafe owner, find out that Ye Xiu is the Battle God of Glory? Doesn't his friend Tan Rou who is playing with him also know it?

when you say "he is the GOD of GLORY" who is he?

The net cafe owner, Chen Guo, does not find out that Ye Xiu is the god of glory because she just thinks that he is another slacker addicted to the game of glory. [Taken from The King's Avatar wikia]

He asks Chen Guo about the job flyer, requesting a night Network Manager, for the cafe. Since the job hours are so undesirable, she gives him the job, which includes food and shelter. The room he is given is a storage room filled with boxes, and only a meager bed in the corner.
When the countdown for the tenth server ends and the server opens, Ye Xiu opens up a guide. He tells Chen Guo that he is actually Ye Qiu, and Chen Guo jokingly retorts that she is Su Mucheng.

No, her friend, Tang Rou, is an absolute newbie to the game and finds about the games through her friend Chen Guo. And although she understands the absolute superiority of Ye Xiu, she doesn't know that he is the god of glory until later when he starts attracting the attention of guilds and in turn pro players.

but after getting all that attention y doest tang rou tell her frnd that he is a pro n most probably the god of glory as he also joined the cafe at the same time when new announced his retirement

did you see the episode where in chen guo cries that ye qiu retired ? although chen guo herself agrees upon the level of expertise that ye xiu has  she doesn't believe him in the slightest . Tang rou is not really familiar with the pro scene and doesn't care about it much until she actually experiences some of it at a later point in time .

As I recall, Chen Guo did not believe Ye Xiu when he told her that he really is Ye Xiu, The Battle God of Glory, and Tang Rou has no idea who Ye Xiu really is.
!!! This is a spoiler from the Light Novel !!!

 No worries though, because they will soon find out during the All-Star Weekend and from there Ye Xiu will tell his story.


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Why won't Harime Nui's left eye heal?
Fact 1: Any wound on a Life Fiber-infused human will automatically regenerate even if it is opened by a single blade of the Sword Scissors.
Example: Harime Nui's torso is pierced by the blade of the Sword Scissors that is owned by Ryuuko. The wound healed off as soon as the blade is pulled out. There are many scenes like that throughout the series.

(Episode 21, 21:41)
Fact 2: A wound on a Life Fiber-infused human will be prevented from regenerating only if it is cut by the two blades of the Sword Scissors, Bakuzan or an equivalent weapon at the same time.
Proof: The dialog at the beginning of episode 23.

Inumuta Houka: I figured out why Harime Nui's arms couldn't regenerate.
  The Sword Scissors and Bakuzan are able to cut Life Fibers.
  But for the case of strong Life Fibers, it immediately starts to regenerate from the point where it is cut off.
  However, if it is cut from the both sides at the same time, it is possible to once again cut off the Life Fibers which started to regenerate.
  This is the true power of the Sword Scissors that is made by Professor Matoi.
Matoi Ryuuko: Wait! Then those two Bakuzan pieces...
Inumuta Houka: ... will have the same effect.

(Episode 23, Just after the opening)
Contradiction: When Harime Nui invades Matoi Isshin's laboratory, he cuts Nui's left eye with only one blade of the Sword Scissors, but that eye of Nui never heals up. He couldn't have used both the blades, because the other blade of the scissors pair wasn't pulled out of his body until Ryuuko arrived.

(Episode 12, 07:29)
Question: Why doesn't Nui's left eye heal? It is not cut with the two blades together at the same time from both sides. It is cut with only one blade. Thus, it must be able to regenerate. But, it doesn't. Why?

your usage of the japanese pronunciations of Life fibers and the Scissors confuses me mightily :s

looks like a plot hole, or maybe the eye takes too long to regenerate, idk how they'd explain that


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The science behind Squall's Gunblade, if there is any?
So, Revolver, Squall's gunblade, is a pure melee weapon, and not actually a gun. Apparently, squeezing the trigger just before the blade hits the target mid-swing amplifies the damage dealt by this weapon.
Here's what I know, and please correct me if I am wrong:

It uses cartridges (most likely, without the bullet/projectile part) to do its damage-amplification thing.

And here are my issues:

Since making the cartridges explode is the key to the damage-amplification mechanism, does the explosion send vibrations to the blade, like star wars' vibro blades?
Or does it use the raw explosion, like, making mini shockwaves to deal more damage?
Either way, do you think there is a barrel (with only one hole, since the tip of the Revolver has no hole, like for bullets) inside for this vibration/shockwave to travel to the blade?
Asuming that there exist a material elastic and strong enough to do this mechanism, do you think it would make sense scientifically?
Do you have some more ideas to share?

You might find this question on Worldbuilding of interest.

After reading the information on Gunblade wiki, Squall's - and Seifer's - Gunblades do contain a barrel that runs through the sword. When the trigger is pulled, it emits a shockwave that deals additional damage when it strikes the enemy.

In Final Fantasy VIII gunblades have a sword blade with a gun action built into the hilt, the barrel running inside the length of the blade. They are mostly used like normal swords, but triggering a round sends a shockwave through the blade as the weapon passes through an opponent to boost damage

The reason behind this design was that Tetsuya Nomura was looking for something to further engage the players.

The gunblade was designed by Tetsuya Nomura for Squall's weapon in Final Fantasy VIII with the aim to make the battles more dynamic, the players needing to press a button at the correct time to deal a critical hit, and to give Squall an iconic weapon.

Seeing how this was the first game in game franchise to use the style of weapon, it is no surprise there were some design flaws in the implementation.
Furthermore, later games in the franchise still use Gunblades and they expanded on this style of weapon to allow both shooting and slicing

Some sort of blank round most likely, a ten gauge round half full of powder would have a recoil like a 12 gauge. Also all the unburnt powder would make an explosion like that seen in game, and the primer going off would provide the noise. Without projectile = less recoil and noise per gram of powder. As for the powder, probably a custom mix that would resemble pyrotechnic powders.
Also: all it needs is a twelve gauge barrels strength and you are good to go.
Although the recoil would force the gun back lightly. The weapon is so overbuilt that the overall recoil would be low, as it is many times heavier than even the most overbuilt 12 gauge. Heavier weapon frame=less recoil.

I belive people are over thinking the idea if the "barell" simply curves upward the recoil would assist swining the sword downward side to side ect


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Why doesn't the Sage of Six Paths undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi himself?
It's stated that the Infinite Tsukuyomi can be undone by someone who has the Rinnegan and the chakra of all the tailed beasts weaving the rat seal. But the Sage of Six Paths has them too. Why does he not do it himself?

Because he could not affect the world of the living at the time.He was a literal ghost

The sage of six paths doesn't have the chakra of all the tailed beasts he had that when he was alive. And the sage was dead when kaguya was revived , he came from the afterlife through the chakra network to help the reincarnates of indra and asura  .

Reasonable explanation but perhaps some links to sources will make you more credible. You can also add that he had already given his SSOP chakra to Sasuke and Naruto.

Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki could not reverse the Infinite Tsukuyomi because he divided his power between Sasuke and Naruto

Dividing his power evenly between the two young ninja, Hagoromo gives his chakra to Naruto and Sasuke, which ultimately leads to them awakening the Six Paths Sage Mode and the Rinnegan, respectively.

Due to dividing his power between Sasuke and Naruto, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki was required to seek the help of the Hokage to perform a summoning justu

Telling them of a powerful summoning technique that he is unable to perform now as he gave nearly all his power to Sasuke and Naruto, he instead gives instructions to the Hokage.
...
he called the spirits of the deceased Kage to aid him in performing a Summoning Technique to bring Team 7, the tailed beasts, and Madara back from Kaguya's Dimension.

Whether he temporarily or permanently couldn't reverse the Infinite Tsukuyomi is unclear, it goes to say if he was required to seek help in performing the summoning justu, he certainly was not strong enough to reverse the Infinite Tsukuyomi

The sage of six paths could have undone the infinite tsukuyomi himself because he was the one who gave them those powers(Naruto and Sasuke). But his objective was not only to undo the jutsu but make sure such events never happen again? How? By giving both prodigy brothers equal powers. By making sure the same conflict that has been going on between the two brothers does not occur again. The shinobi world has become peaceful because of his decision of making Naruto and Sasuke equals.

Welcome to [anime.se]. This could become a good answer if you can add some references to back up your answer. You can still [edit] your answer to improve it.


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What is it called when an anime character is emotionless on the inside and sweet/kind on the outisde?
Emotionless on the inside meaning literally that, and sweet/kind on the outside as in being completely fake and pretending to like someone or be a happy person just for personal benefit or similar.
No violent behavior or psychotic behavior other than being manipulative, just a two faced person; emotionless on the inside and kind on the outside.
Sort of like how "Tobi" from Naruto acts childish and funny on the outside but ends up being

 a psychotic criminal that wants to help plunge the world into endless "happiness."

Looking for a "-dere" term that I can use to describe that type of character.

Not convinced a -dere term exists for "psychopath", honestly.

Afaik, -dere refers to a love struck state. I'm not sure someone with psychopathic tendencies (Yes, Psychopaths exist, not all of which are violent/serial killers) can be "love struck". Psychopaths usually hide using the techniques you described. I think you may be confusing it with Yandere... who are typically very controlling. But they do feel emotions and typically shown to be very violent.

You probably just want a trope. Try obfuscating stupidity or a wolf in sheep's clothing.

shakaibyou

I don't think there will be any satisfactory answer here. This answer itself is almost better suited as a comment, but there is too much to cover in a comment or two.
Most importantly, this is probably not an anime related thing. The intent is there, but looking at the results, I can only find a non anime related answer. To address this, the most important thing to note is that there is most likely no "Dere" personality that can fit what you are talking about. At least, it's not mainstream, and generally would make no sense for one to exist at all.
Dere personalities are, first and foremost, personalities (and usually refer to how they express love). One decent reference, here, lists most if not all of the main ones, none of which match what you are looking for. It's all about their personality, how they express themselves. A Sociopath pretending to be good natured is not expressing them self, they are pretending to be something they are not. You can argue that Tsundere's are the same, they fake their tough act, but the only thing they have in common with our Sociopath is the part about them faking. There are terms for that kind of faking, and that is probably the best answer you can get here.
What the Tsundere does, and what our Sociopath is also doing, is something that can be called a Facade (There are probably other applicable words/phrases, but I will use this one). They are faking their personality, putting on a Facade to the world, hiding the truth. They are pretending to be something they are not, for their own reasons. The main difference, is that the Tsundere hiding their personality, is their personality. The sociopath and psychopath hide their true feelings for other reasons, usually keep secrets a secret, or to net some kind of gain from others.


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Why did Harry want to kill Brandon?
I still don't understand why Harry killed Brandon. He was Harry's best friend and the most loyal member he had.
Is it because he was jealous of him because he was Maria's boyfriend, or was it for another reason?

Harry wanted to take leadership of the syndicate, and the only way to do that was to assassinate Big Daddy, a way that Brandon does not approve with as he was still very loyal to Millennion's founder and leader. Brandon even left Maria when her dad, Big Daddy, disagreed with their relationship. So Harry betrayed both Brandon and Big Daddy, killing them both, in order to take control of Millennion.

Tough luck.
Very sad truth.


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What are Holo's roots in Japanese tradition?
The rich background of Holo: being a minor deity of harvest, her forms, shapeshifting, powers and limitations, likes and dislikes, traits character etc - how is it grounded in Japanese beliefs, myths, traditions, and legends?
Is her lore entirely made-up for the needs of the show; did the authors take strong artistic license on some more or less common legends; or is she shaped closely after a character well known in Japanese culture?
If it's one of the latter, could you give some sources or summaries of the original upon which she is based?

I wasn't able to find any references that state that the exact background that Horo has originates from some exact legend or myth. However, it is definitely not entirely made-up. Animals play a significant role in Japanese folktales. Two of them are also widely known to be able to transform into humans, and other objects: kitsune (狐) - fox, and tanuki (狸) - raccoon dog.
Also, the Wikipedia article "Japanese folklore" has this interesting fact:

Marriages between humans and non-humans (irui konin tan (異類婚姻譚 "tales of heterotype marriages")) comprise a major category or motif in Japanese folklore. Japanese heterotype examples such as the crane story describes a sustained period of married life between the interspecies couple, in contrast to Western examples like Frog Prince or the Leda myth where the supernatural encounter is brief.

I believe we can say that all these definitely have some resemblance with Horo's background.

For the most part, there is not much.
The author Isuna Hasekura herself mentioned in an interview that Holo is based off folklore from France, Germany, and Slavonic countries.
One particular story worth noting is that of the "corn-wolf" from the story of the Golden Bough. That and a particular mention of a corn ritual parallels particular Pasloe rituals regarding the wheat harvest.
Note that while the word "corn" is mentioned, it does not refer to the maize crop of modern times, as it did not exist in the pre-Christian, medevial setting that the series is based on, since it was a New World crop. During those times (even in Britian now), any staple cereal crop was referred to as 'corn.'

Okami written one way in Japan means 'wolf', but written another way means 'great god'. If you look up Okami, Honshu wolf, and Hokkaido wolf you find references to wolves as being venerated in the Shinto beliefs and by the Ainu.
One reason they were venerated was for keeping the wild boar and deer populations down, which was great for farming societies. They were revered in a  respectable and down-to-earth manner. While they did protect crops, they also ate horses, and possibly people who were out too late at night.
Japanese folklore referred to the Honshu wolves as Okami, Yama-inu (mountain dog), and Okuri-inu (escorting dog). If a person walking alone after dark felt they were being watched, they were considered as protected. If you tripped though, it was said Okami would attack you. They started dying from rabies in the 1700s, and were hunted by people trying to bring in cattle in the 1800s. Nowadays, in some parts of Japan, it is said some survived and studies are often done as to whether or not they are still out there.
The wolf as god is worshiped under the name of Ooguchi no Magami, or "Large-Mouthed Pure God". The people who followed the Shinto beliefs had rites in small farming villages to honor it. It is still worshiped at some shrines, like at the Mitsumine mountains. The shrine guardians there are wolves, not foxes. The Ainu felt that a white wolf came and mated with a human woman to create their people, similar to some of the British Columbia and Alaska native peoples who believe that the ancestors of men had been wolves.
The Ooguchi Magami Matsuri, or Wolf Deity Festival, takes place at the Musashi Mitake Jinja every January.
There is also a Japanese myth of how a wolf deity, a white wolf, appeared to Yamato Takeru, son of Emperor Keikko. Takaru and his group got lost near Mitakesan when a demon shape-shifted into a white deer and obstructed the road. The white wolf showed him the way and led his group to the correct path to where they were going.
You can find all of this information and more in library books, or on internet websites if you run searches.

it is preferable to cute the soruces of this yourself rather than telling readers to effectively validate the information for you. this makes your answer more creditable

Horokew (Kamuy) is the Ainu word for wolf. And probably where Horo's name comes from. The r is important because unlike the Japanese language the Ainu language actually has the R-sound. Inserting it this way will help you find more background on Ainu tradition and wolf deities that in part inspired the Horo you know and love from Spice & Wolf.

An interesting new thread!

Please include relevant sources/references.

Pretty sure her origin is rather primarily the Germanic "Frau Holle", probably especially Holle's connections with the Greek/Roman "Diana/Artemis" and "Frau Gauden" and the wild hunt.

Welcome to A&M! As it stands your answer is very speculative, could you give some background as to why you think so? Preferably with some credible sources to back it up

While unsourced, I'm not inclined to dismiss this thread, considering the show's world - cities, culture, politics, technology - resembles  the Hanseatic League, and is pretty far from Japanese culture.


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Who exactly is Archer from the Unlimited Blade Works movie?
Although I have not watched the Fate/Zero TV series, I have watched the Fate/stay night series and the Fate/Stay Night - Unlimited Blade Works movie. At the end of the movie I found out that:

 Archer is actually Shirō. Even before the ending, Archer told him he has already experienced what Shirō goes through. So I did not know if he is actually Shirō from the future or if he is a completely different character than the one in the TV series.

Can you point to the episode and time where he mentions that? I don't recall ever hearing something like this.

@Mysticial He mentions it in the movie, actually.  Apparently hero summoning transcends the future, too.

That's because he said it in the movie.
He may have said this series but I do not remember as well.

@fbueckert Ah ok. I haven't seen the movies, that why I never saw.

@Mysticial I'd highly recommend it; it's essentially a modified retelling of the series, but there are some points (such as this one) that stand out.

Is it the TV reproduction? I checked my MAL, and I actually have seen it. But it was probably a while back.

@Mysticial, it takes the Unlimited Blade Works route (Rin route), instead of the Fate route (Saber route) of the TV series.

@Krazer, then I haven't seen it. The TV reproduction is just a condensed version of the main series.

The Archer-class Servant in the fifth Fuyuki Grail War is:

 Shirou Emiya from an alternate timeline than that of the Fate/stay night timeline. The Shirou from the alternate timeline made a contract with the world and became the Heroic Spirit EMIYA.
 He is not a proper Heroic Spirit in the sense of other heroes (e.g. Saber, Lancer, Berserker). He acts as a Counter Guardian for the world as payment for the contract.
 He is summoned because he still has the jewel pendant that Rin used to save his life after Lancer stabbed his heart. The jewel he owns is the actual catalyst used for his summoning rather than the one that Rin still has at the time of his summoning.


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How does a Philosopher's Stone work?
The Philosopher's Stone is said to be an alchemical amplifier, allowing an alchemist to perform perfect transmutations, bypassing the laws of equivalent exchange.
How does that work? Isn't the point of alchemy that you can only get as much as you give?

The first thing you need to understand is that the stone does not let you bypass the law of equivalent exchange, it is only an illusion. The stone itself simply acts as an amplifier. Note that when the stone is used, it eventually shrinks and loses his power. If it was able to bypass the equivalent exchange law, why would it?
What really happens when one uses the stone? As we know, the stone

 is made of living souls.

Each time the stone is used, it lets the user to perform better than he/she normally would. Doing so, however, uses the power of the

 souls that were used to create the stone. Basically, each time you use it, you use a soul (well, maybe it's not exactly 1 usage-1 soul relationship, but you get the idea). When all the souls are used, the stone ceases to exist. Note that since one needs a lot of souls to create the stone, it usually lasts long enough.

Isn't the point of alchemy is that you can only get as much as you give?

Yes it is. The law of Equivalent Exchange states something like: "In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed."
According to the FMA wiki:

In standard practice, Equivalent Exchange is separated into two parts:

The Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that energy and matter can neither be created from nothing nor destroyed to the point of elemental nonexistence. In other words, to create an object weighing one kilogram, at least one kilogram of material is necessary and destroying an object weighing one kilogram would reduce it to a set of parts, the sum of which would weigh one kilogram.
The Law of Natural Providence, which states that an object or material made of a particular substance or element can only be transmuted into another object with the same basic makeup and properties of that initial material. In other words, an object or material made mostly of water can only be transmuted into another object with the attributes of water.

Source - Alchemy - Equivalent_Exchange
This can be better understood when

 Ed repairs Al. Al has a huge hole and Ed cannot create 'new armor', so he has to stretch the 'available' armor in order to cover the hole. However, as it stretches, it becomes thinner, since he cannot create new material. He also uses some pieces they were able to retrieve, and those he can fuse together into the armor again, using the same mass. However, as explained above, missing pieces cannot be created out of nothing, thus the need of the stretching part.

Although I am not quite sure about the last paragraph (concerning the Law of Natural Providence), for it makes me think about how the philosopher's stone really works...

How does that work?

The philosopher's stone

 is a concentration of human souls. Thus, it uses those human souls as the 'giving' part, so it appears that you are 'getting' something without having to pay for it. However, it was already payed for. So it creates the illusion that you are bypassing the Law of Equivalent Exchange.
 It should be taken in consideration that this means the philosopher's stone is not unlimited, since the human souls contained in it will eventually be consumed.
However, I have some doubts as to how it works exactly, considering the Law of Natural Providence explained above, because you may use human souls to transmute... just about anything. As discussed with Madara in the chat, the human soul is so invaluable that it actually makes it possible for this 'trans-material' transmutation, that somewhat defies the Law of Natural Providence.


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What is the chronological order of the episodes of xxxHolic?
I've seen the second season so let's start from there. That's when it gets complicated.
Which episode came before which, and when?
I know there is a OVA called xxxHolic Shunmuki but it didn't interest me in particular. I also saw that there is a season called xxxHolic ROU but I did not understand what episodes it has (at the moment) or how many seasons are there in general.

Huh? Were the xxxHolic episodes out of order? Or are you just asking what order all of the seasons and OVAs go in?

Yes, that's exactly what I asked.

1st Season, 24 episodes
2nd Season (Kei), 13 episodes

Movie "A Midsummer Night's Dream", This probably takes place somewhere during the 2nd season (60 minutes, essentially a long episode)

OVA Shunmuki, 2 episodes, also crossover with Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE
OVA Ro, 2 episodes, occurs a significant amount of time after Shunmuki.

Is there any information (only if it certainly) that will be released to other more chapters?

@HashiramaSenju I haven't read the manga or know what state the story is in there, but it's certainly possible to continue the story eventhough there's a significant time skip. Unfortunately, I know nothing of any plans to make more xxxHolic. If it's going to happen, you're likely to find news about it on sites like Anime News Network or AnimeNews.biz


text:
How does Gilgamesh have a futuristic fighter plane?
In the dogfight between Gilgamesh and Berserker, Gilgamesh rides a golden fighter plane that is capable of hovering and flying at great speeds, supposedly by harnessing some "strange green power" (see the opening wings and glow when Gilgamesh prepares to dodge Berkserker's approach). The Gate of Babylon is supposed to contain Gilgamesh's treasures of his time, so how did such a futuristic contraption come into his possession?

This "airplane" is the Vimana. It is recorded in several epic Hindu texts, including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In fact, in the original Sanskrit works, there is more than one vimana, but in any case it is a flying contraption that gods would ride. There is no record of them in Babylonian literature as far as I know, but of course Gilgamesh owns the prototypes for all of the technology that appeared in later cultures, which presumably includes this.

Here's the more relevant Typemoon wiki entry.

There are several examples of what would seem like futuristic technology in ancient cultures like the Egyptians and Babylonians. In temple of Seti I there are hyroglyphics that depict blimps and helicopters.

Image Source - Wikipedia
The Vimana is another example of this. Also Ea is a construct "not of this world" and is an Anti - World Noble Phantasm that defies the analysis of Unlimited Bladeworks despite not being a Divine Holy Relic like Excalibur. This suggest that Vimana and Ea are of Alien Origin.
This may come into play later as Fate is part of the Nasu-verse and we know they use the many worlds interpretation of time and space, adding or hinting at alien worlds to this is not a stretch for them.

Basically, because Gilgamesh was the very first king, every treasure was claimed by him, including everything made by Man. Even after he died, things than Mankind dreamed up afterwards were claimed by him. That or the power of magic back then meant that his kingdom was able to make magical things equal or greater to modern inventions. It is also is that as the very first Hero, he must have the prototype to every weapon or item used by later heroes. The only things Gate of Babylon doesn't contain is anything made with new concepts by a new human race, or items made by extraterrestials or with extraterrestial knowledge. In Fate/Extra, he even has a spaceship able to move at the speed of light.
The article I got this all from is worded a little confusingly, but I think it is that if Mankind has or will make something, then as the first King and Hero, he already has it in his vault. So either the Vimana is a magical airship, or it's based on a ship Mankind will make.

So basically you've rephrased Logan M's answer from 4 years ago.


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Does the "bloody nose" trope necessarily imply a sexual situation?
If you've seen much anime, you're familiar with the male character getting a bloody nose when he gets sexually excited. For example:

Master Roshi (Dragon Ball) and Umino Iruka (Naruto)
However, when I mentioned this to a Japanese person (someone who was not a big anime viewer), she was confused, and adamant that a bloody nose would normally just mean that the person was excited in general, and it would not necessarily have anything to do with sexual excitement.
This could (and seems likely to be) true for Japanese day to day real life, but very different in anime, where the connection to libido seems very clear.
Is there someone that can explain this difference? Is the "bloody nose" in anime just used to signify excitement, and it just happens to often (always) be sexual excitement because of the plot? Or is it supposed to be just understood how a bloody nose is interpreted in anime is different from normal life?

(And lemme tell ya...it's hard finding information on the internet about this...there's tons of info out there...but it's pretty much all based on anime/manga, and the conclusion seems to be inferred from guesswork based on the generalized experience.)

I can easily imagine anime depicting a boy getting a bloody nose after receiving a beautiful, shiny new scooter.

@Beska, you may like my answer at the SE question Origins of the nose-bleed in anime/manga. Yes, the trope in anime/manga implies sexual arousal and is recognized as such by otaku but, as you suspect, it is not a common belief among the general Japanese population.

Also a counter example to sexual excitement-related nosebleeds : nosebleeds due to overuse of ability

Gilles Portras, author of The Anime Companion, wondered the same thing:

"So I asked a few Japanese and got a variety of pseudoscientific, and occasionally embarassed, explanations about humidity and blood pressure. But the best response I got was from one fellow who simply recounted that when he was a child he was told by his mother that if he stared at a pretty woman he would get a bloody nose."

It's basically superstition, like if you sneeze once someone is saying something good about you. If you sneeze twice they are saying something bad. If you sneeze three times, you have a cold.

So basically the kids are made to believe that they will bleed (from nose) if they think of something wrong about the women in the society. A preventive measure for wrong adolescence sexual desires!

The bloody nose gag exaggerates the rise in blood pressure when people are aroused, to such a degree that blood shoots out of the aroused character's nose.

Although this has fewest votes, it's the correct answer. Excitement increases blood pressure, the exaggeration of which is a bulging vein or nose bleed.

@GorchestopherH I disagree.  I think it steps around the question: whether there is a difference between what is understood in normal Japanese society vs anime.

This answers the question since animes exaggerate the person's reaction to the erotic events in a manner that (very) rarely happends in real life. It's like asking why cars explodes in moves and not in real life. Exaggeration (and false assumptions). Might add, that I used to know a person that could simple get nose bleed through standing in the sun for 10 minutes. That's enough to start a reference such as this one.

As far as I know, it comes from embarrassment more than arousal.  Note that it tends to not be perverts who get bloody noses (at least not when they're dealing with someone other than their primary love interest).  Instead, it is the semi innocent/honorable hero/supporting character, the one who is not actively trying to look at a female's chest.
When presented with this kind of situation, all of a sudden, they tend to become quite embarrassed.  This embarrassment normally leads to the face being filled with blood (blushing).  BUT, to show an extreme case of this embarrassment, their nose bleeds instead from the excessive blood pressure buildup.

This sounds like guesswork to me.  (I don't mean that as an insult: it sounds like really good guesswork...it makes a lot of sense.)  I'm just also hoping to find some external source to provide some solid evidence about this in one direction.

But then... Ikeda Chitose from Yuru Yuri has nosebleed precisely to point out she is a pervert (and doesn't show much shame about it either).

@Beska unfortunately, i cannot provide any external source.  This is something that has come to me after watching quite a lot of anime over the years.

@CamiloMartin I am not familiar with that particular anime, although looking it up on wikipedia tells me it doesn't really hold any interest for me. I don't like slice of lifes (lives?). Though it could be explained as pretty clear lampshading, as the creator took a seemingly unrelated/non-justified trope, and used it specifically to point out what the trope signifies.  Think about how many expressive/mobile hair examples you see, conveying emotion/distress/mood/whatever (ed's little spike from FMA, LOTS of Moe...) and then an exception to the 'expressive but non-useful' trope (Bobobobobobobo)

What about Jiraiya? He used to get a nosebleed and he was a perv...

@JNat again, possibly the trope being used BECAUSE it is a trope.  Lamppshading is pretty impressive at times.

According to Wikipedia:

Male characters will develop a bloody nose around their female love interests (typically to indicate arousal, which is a play on an old wives' tale).

It has a reference in the end of this sentence that leads here.
I am not sure if these are reliable source, though...

That's the problem I have.  I mean everyone seems to "know" this...I did as well.  And yet, when I asked someone Japanese about it (far more likely to know about the cultural norms than me), they had no idea what I was talking about (and were very adamant that it was not the case that it was sexual.)

According here, in anime, nosebleed mostly happens to a character being sexually aroused. It is an exaggeration of having high blood pressure when a real person is sexually aroused.

In Japanese media, healthy young men that have no other sexual outlet
  will often suffer nosebleeds upon seeing the naked female body, or
  even just a pair of well-filled panties. It's probably a side effect
  of High Pressure Blood in a body that's Overdrawn at the Blood Bank.

And it is somehow a metaphor to this:

The nosebleed is, of course, a visual shorthand/euphemism for sexual
  arousal. It is commonly interpreted that way for males and females,
  with little trickles of blood indicating mild arousal, and gushing
  fountains of blood indicating erection/extreme arousal in both sexes.
  It can also be interpreted as shorthand strictly for erections in
  males. In that case, when blood shoots from the nose explosively, and
  in ridiculous quantity, the implication would be an ejaculation.

This answer is basically just quotations from TVTropes, which is editable by anybody and is frequently wrong. It also does not contain any information that the asker did not already know.

As clarified in the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia:

Nosebleed can be caused by:

Irritation due to allergies, colds, sneezing or sinus problems
Very cold or dry air
Blowing the nose very hard, or picking the nose
Injury to nose, including a broken nose, or an object stuck in the nose
Sinus or pituitary surgery (transsphenoidal)
Deviated septum (tissue that divides the nose into 2 nostrils)
Chemical irritants including medicines or drugs that are sprayed or snorted
Overuse of decongestant nasal sprays
Oxygen treatment through nasal cannulas
Snorting cocaine or amphetamine

Repeated nosebleeds may be a symptom of another disease such as high blood pressure, a bleeding disorder, or a tumor of the nose or sinuses. Blood thinners, such as warfarin (Coumadin), clopidogrel (Plavix), or aspirin, may cause or worsen nosebleeds.

To answer your question, your Japanese acquaintance is right that in real life, a bloody nose would normally just mean that the person was excited in general, and it would not necessarily have anything to do with sexual excitement.
In my experience, though, it's usually due to the causes listed in the bullet points and not due to high blood pressure.
I would side with кяαzєя that it is a superstition/myth that is perpetuated in anime and manga, which Wednesday's Downtown, a Japanese variety show, debunked light-heartedly through a rather unscientific experiment featuring AV idol Moe Amatsuka in episode 20, titled Manga vs Reality and aired on November 5, 2014.

Screenshots from the video. The big captions read "Verification method: the woman in front will get naked without warning" and "Will the nosebleed come out?"

No actual proof here, but...
I would suspect that the anime writers just use bloody noses when they think it is funny, not taking actual Japanese beliefs or day-to-day customs into account.
It is way more funny when heroes get bloody noses when they get an accidental look than when perverts get a look (all the time).
On the other hand it is also funny when a pervert gets a bloody nose all the time (in extremes). As already mentioned, Jiraiya is an example of this. Sanji is even a better example as his bloody nose becomes life threatening at a certain point!

It's possible that the response of the 'Japanese person' in one of the above comments, that it's a sign of excitement in general, is probably correct. In 'Black Clover,' the character Gauche Adlai exhibits the characteristic anime nosebleed over a little girl, Marie - but she is merely his sister, whom he worships, and nothing more.
In anime, not all nosebleeds are a sign of sexual arousal - but perhaps all instances of sexual arousal are signified by nosebleeds.


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Where do I find a table / listing of all currently airing anime series?
Is there a website or any kind of document that shows all currently airing series in Japan? Airing dates and times would be great too.

I think you should definitely narrow down this question to at least a country, but preferably a specific TV network or set of channels. Note StackExchange is an international site. Do you want all series airing everywhere in the world?

@SF. Considering anime airings outside japan are quire scarce, it is obvious I mean original japanese airing.

@Euphoric: Not totally obvious, so I think the comment is merited. Note that I opened up a discussion on meta about the validity of questions like these, you may want to provide your input too.

We're not totally sure on the outcome of the above discussion, but there's a tendency towards letting these stay open in the beginning. As such, voted to reopen.

@Euphoric Unless you include that in the question itself, the question stays broad. Edit it and make it more specific. :)

Note that we decided to reopen this question based on this conversation in chat.

I use http://countdown.mandragon.info/ which shows the day and time of the next episode for currently airing shows and dates for shows that will be broadcast soon.
Edit: This site is now down, so I'll recommend another one I use often: http://anichart.net/

I like this, because it shows nice countdowns.

This site seems to be down. I don't know if this is temporary or permanent. Luckily there are lots of other alternatives here, most of which still work.

There's AnimeCalendar, which, when you make an account and are logged in, lets you filter the series and also convert to your local timezone.

It also gives you an iCal link which you can export to your personal calander program

There's a MAL Group that updates with the season, has airing dates for all the anime airing during that time and such. It's right here.

I feel honored... :)

I always use Mahou.org, which not only tells you what is airing, but gives you up-to-the-minute information on precisely when it is airing. However, you'll need to cross-check the listed shows with some other site like MAL, AniDB (note the convenient links to the right of the table), or ANN's Encyclopedia if you want descriptions.

There is also the Fansub Wiki which separates out each season, includes the time/date/channel, is updated (at least regularly enough these days) to show which shows get picked up by which groups that aren't licensed by U.S. distributors. Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Sentai pick up large handfuls of shows each season these days so the actual fansub groups are less relevant now.

EDIT:
I just noticed today that ANN has an upcoming anime list.

Note that fansubs are not tolerated / promoted on Anime.SE, so I don't think that counts as a valid answer.

@Xeo Despite the name of the site, it's only content is seasonal lists of what shows air, when, what channel, and which ones have been licensed. Aside from the names of some groups next to ones that aren't licensed, there's no links to any fansubs, where to find them, or how to obtain them. If the mention of "fansubs" at all isn't tolerated then maybe a question should be raised on meta?

The link is dead, and I think it moved to https://fansubdb.com/

Neregate also has charts of all animes, OVAs/movies/whatever else will be airing the next season. (So you can check what was the "next season" of last season, i.e. this season.)
Note that while the charts on Neregate are family-friendly, other elements of the website may contain NSFW content.

Wikipedia has listings of anime per year. For example: Anime Television Series of 2012.


text:
Why are anime music videos admitted in anime conventions?
Anime music videos have public screenings in several conventions, especially in the USA. How do they solve the problem of copyright?
Some contests forbid the use of dubbed (localized) anime in competitions because of copyright issues. Are there different rules for content in Japanese (usually ripped from airing)? Is there an explicit or implicit agreement between organizers and copyright holders of Japanese works, or it is permitted by the copyright laws?

It's different from convention to convention. Some pay the licence-costs, some not, in some contries is allowed without problems, insome not...

Thank you for commenting. To avoid to expand he topic too much and for the importance of that market I'm primarily interested about agreements in the USA, if any.

This is a question that only lawyers can answer.

Lawyers, anime conventions organizers o volunteers, any AMV maker that scratched the surface of the contest he/she participate. But if you consider the question unfit for anime and manga SE please open a question on meta.

@chirale Already done. http://meta.anime.stackexchange.com/questions/239/should-we-allow-questions-about-the-legality-of-forms-of-anime  I encourage you to submit your thoughts on it, as well.

As a side not, and despite what the Wikipedia article writers claim, there are quite a few official AMVs like this one, too.

@MartinSojka Personally I would consider that a DVD special rather than an AMV... But I guess you could call it that too.

This is actually a legal gray area. Typically, since nobody's making money of of them, the copyright holders don't usually pursue the claim. But it is ultimately at the whim of the copyright holder. The conventions typically get permission from their sponsors to do AMV screenings, the content show is usually owned by at least one of the sponsors. As they see it, it's free publicity for them at the convention.
Typically AMVs don't qualify as fair use. Though it is highly debated, you will most likely risk getting into legal trouble with copyright infringement if you attempt to use a fair-use defense.
Fair use allows someone to use copyrighted material for certain purposes where its use cannot practically be avoided. For example, if you review a movie, including a few very brief clips of the movie can generally be fair use, because it's difficult to review something without giving the readers a frame of reference. Here the copyrighted material is used to illustrate a concept or idea. This concept can also be applied to content used for educational purposes such as a supplement to lessons being taught in a class. Additionally, protected forms of free speech might unavoidably use or make reference to copyrighted materials, as when a political action group wants to make a point about an undesirable candidate and prepares a parody of his own campaign commercials. Note that most parodies recreate material and don't copy it wholesale.
Ultimately the decision is up to the copyright holders according to the Digital Millennial Copyright Act.
Here's Funimation take on this, from their copyright specialist Evan Flournay:

"For elements of media that are owned by more than one party, such as the underlying animation, enforcement usually falls upon the party with rights for that territory where such use takes place. Regarding AMV's and fan videos, we don't mind most fan videos, including AMVs. The main reasons for this are that they can often serve a promotional purpose, and legally, they can sometimes constitute Fair Use. The basic thinking going into fan videos is thus: if it whets the audience's appetite, we'll leave it alone. But if it sates the audience's appetite, it needs to come down. Does that make sense?"

Evan Flournay's personal belief is that AMVs should be considered fair use, but that's his legal opinion; and if he decides that a video that includes his intellectual property is not worth taking down, it's within his legal right as the content owner to do so.
Each copyright holder might have their own right view of their legal right, some might turn the other way, others may encourage it (because they are), while some just don't like it at all.

No matter what license standing of a copyrighted work, all copyright violations are persecuted only on demand of the affected entity (or entity acting on their behalf and request, e.g. BSA acting on behalf of software manufacturers.)
That means: no complaint = no lawsuit. The copyright holders are fully within their right to sue the fans for statutory damage. But (unlike with trademarks) they are completely free to ignore the violation, acknowledge it or even express approval without issuing actual license - they may choose not to sue, and they usually do.
There are many reasons, not the least of them being suing your own fan base is a really terrible marketing move.
Besides that, these videos are not damaging for the brand (so no way to find proportional damages as none happened) and are not released for profit (so no royalties to sue for.) They can be only sued for statutory damages and even if that provides actual profit outweighing the hassle, the damages to reputation for alienating the fan base will be far worse than the financial profit.
And in the end, these videos are frequently a free marketing of their franchise. They actually bring profit by attracting new fans, new customers. So why fight something profitable?
In essence, the authors and studios choose to let the fans get away with the copyright violations.
The case is somewhat different in case of trademarks. A trademark that is not actively defended is at risk of being lost. Studios sometimes "regretfully" send Cease&Desist letters to fans who, say, produce games that feature trademarked titles. Studios with more competent lawyers choose a different avenue, issuing a limited license allowing these fans to proceed with an official blessing. They can't afford to let the issue "pass under the radar" as is the standard in case of copyright. They must act one way or another, permit or decline, they can't ignore it.

As unpopular as this is likely to be... AMVs at US-based anime conventions are fairly flagrant copyright violations. They are clearly derivative works, using the artwork of an anime to either summarize the story or create a different story from the original work.
The American copyright law summarizes this fairly clearly:

A “derivative work” is a work based upon one or more preexisting
  works, such as a translation, musical arrangement, dramatization,
  fictionalization, motion picture version, sound recording, art
  reproduction, abridgment, condensation, or any other form in which a
  work may be recast, transformed, or adapted. A work consisting of
  editorial revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications
  which, as a whole, represent an original work of authorship, is a
  “derivative work”.

(On a side note... yes... this is the reason fansubs are violations as well)
Unlike what several people here have said, copyright is NOT limited to civil law (the type of law where the copyright holder is the one who has to bring a case against the offender). Both the Copyright Act and the DMCA have established criminal penalties for cases of 'willful copyright infringement'. This does mean that it is possible for law enforcement to investigate, arrest and prosecute copyright violators without the involvement of the copyright owners. From a practical perspective, this would be very difficult, since law enforcement needs to know if some type of permission has been given. (and this type of investigation is usually limited to mass importers of bootleg DVDs/CDs)
Realistically speaking, however, anime music videos are fantastic advertising for the copyright owners property. We are unlikely to see any type of hostile action against them at any time.

A more realistic problem is the other media being flagrantly infringed upon in an AMV. Unlike the anime, which is typically sliced into small "beat-sized" fragments and rearranged at the whims of the creator, the MUSIC part of the AMV is typically a straight copy of a recording. This violates the musicians song copyright, the recording company's media copyright, AND the public production copyright (owned by who-knows).
Once again, if the song is from the anime, any prosecution is unlikely. For popular American pop songs, however, anime conventions would be well advised to look into obtaining blanket licenses from the major clearing houses. (the same operations that sell permission to bars/nightclubs for 'public performance')

That depends on the country, the convention and the concrete copyright holders, I believe. For example, in USA (and some other countries), there is so-called "fair use". It takes different form from country to country, but in USA, as an example, it works like this (from this wikipedia article):

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 17 U.S.C. § 106 and 17
  U.S.C. § 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use
  by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means
  specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment,
  news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom
  use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.

So in some cases one may actually use copyrighted work without causing an infringement (I think AMVs may fall under "scolarship or research" in some cases, though I'm not a lawyer). I would like to note again, that in different countries this works in different ways. For example in Russia, where I live, such usage of copyrighted material would most likely be forbidden. Also sometimes the organizers of a convention (or contest) may take care of the copyrighted issues for their contestants.
Another important thing is the reaction of those who hold the rights. Some publishers may be strict about the copyrights, and may take some actions to forbid you using copyrighted material. Other are more loyal and will allow you to use the material as long as you are not trying to make profit of it.
A good example for this are youtube videos. Some of them get deleted, some are blocked in particular countries, and some stay there, but have adverts placed on them. I think it is a good example of how different companies take different actions when the material on which they hold rights, is used.


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Why did Mikako send Ikaros from the sky?
I have watched the movie of Sora no Otoshimono entitled "Sora no Otoshimono Final: Eternal My Master (2014)".
In this movie, when Mikako scans Ikaros' memory, it was revealed that Mikako was an Angeloid who sent Ikaros from the sky. In the anime TV series, it was never shown that Mikako is an Angeloid. She's just a childhood friend of Sugata, whom she calls "Ei-kun", and is the daughter of an influential yakuza boss in Sorami. And there was a possibility that Sugata is also an Angeloid because they were friends since childhood.
So, why did Mikako send Ikaros from the sky? To meet Tomoki?

This is Mikako Satsukitane.

I think, to destroy the world?.

It was displayed only in a glimpse and it wasn't in the manga, so this question might not have any answer at all. One correction though, she wasn't an angeloid. She was one of the Synapse people. During the time Ikaros wreak havoc, there were only Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma.

First of all, you are mistaken about Mikako sending Ikaros from the sky. It was Daedalus who freed the sealed Ikaros and sent her down to Tomoki.
Secondly, based on what Ikaros said during the reminiscence, what Mikako did at that time was making Ikaros malfunctioning so that she would accept orders from humans. For reference, Ikaros said, "after I reduced the ground to nothing, suddenly I malfunctioned." Mikako also possibly sealed Ikaros' memory so that she wouldn't remember what caused her to malfunction until Mikako herself removed the seal by touching her forehead as she said, "please grant Ei-kun's wish." As for the reason why Mikako did that, it is purely speculation, but it might be because she dislikes the way Master of Synapse ordered Ikaros to kill people mercilessly or she pitied Ikaros for having to kill even when she doesn't want to.


text:
Long shot: ID an Anime Series
Right off the top, going to apologize for the lack of description here... Really hoping someone might be able to take a stab and I'll be able to find this lost gem.
About 3 Years ago, I used Hulu plus and watched random anime. There was one series I watched I really liked, and want to continue to seek out... but I cannot even remember the name.
I want to say it had something to do with "Seven".... Seven samurai perhaps? Seven stones? but that brings nothing to searches.
So really, all I know is that one season streamed on Hulu plus, and I don't believe it is streaming any longer. and honestly, I don't even remember much more than that. It was not dubbed (subtitles English), though it may exist as a dub and I wouldn't mind.
I believe it was produced by the same company that produced Blue Exorcist (Aniplex?). It did have a similar animation style. But I see nothing like it on Aniplex lists...
I also vaguely remember a large stone he carried around that could talk... I think it was a demon trapped? This demon could sense other demons nearby, and the main character had some power that allowed him to see and fight these demons... (Gee, that limits it down, I know)
Any help?

Any of these ring a bell? http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?type.web=1&type.unknown=1&type.tvspecial=1&type.tvseries=1&type.ova=1&type.other=1&type.musicvideo=1&type.movie=1&show=animelist&orderby.name=1.1&orderby.airdate=0.2&noalias=1&do.search=search&adb.search=seven Could it be Sacred Seven?

Wow first try, and so quickly!
I looked up Sacred Seven and I instantly recognized everything!
Thank you so very much!!
(Comes highly recommended by the way for anyone curious!)
Off to watch it again!
Thank you!!

The anime is likely to be Sacred Seven, since it is one of the few series with "Seven" in the title and it was aired in Japan in 2011. It is animated by Sunrise (a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings) and has no relation to Blue Exorcist's studio A-1 Pictures (a subsidiary of Aniplex).

The anime is Sacred Seven.

Seventeen years ago, several meteorites carrying seven types of alien crystals landed on Earth. Given the name of Sacred Seven, these crystals withhold the power to alter DNA and cause mutations. Inheritor of overwhelming abilities from this enigmatic legacy, Alma Tandoji is an unsociable 17-year-old student feared by his schoolmates due to several rumors of his violent behavior. He is contacted by Ruri Aiba, a rich teenage girl and CEO of the powerful Aiba Foundation, who pleads him to help her fight a mysterious enemy that very recently started causing massive havoc through the land.


text:
Why was Yamakan replaced by Takemoto as director of Lucky Star?
When Lucky Star began airing, the show's director was Yamamoto Yutaka ("Yamakan", as he is often referred to). However, after 4 episodes, he was taken off the project and replaced by Takemoto Yasuhiro (one of Kyoto Animation's longer-time directors), who went on to direct the remainder of the show.
What happened? This is the only time in KyoAni's history (since they started being a main production studio in 2003, anyway) that a show's director has been changed midway. Kind of weird, huh?
I'm aware of the general belief - that Yamakan's direction of the first four episodes was so bad that they had no choice but to get rid of him - but I'm looking for specifics, preferably from the mouths of the people involved.

The official reason given has been a very vague "He has not yet reached a level required of a director."

「らき☆すた」監督の山本寛は、監督において、まだ、その域に達していない

Because of that, people assume because the 4 episodes he produced for Lucky Star were of such poor quality, he was sacked. That said, no one else has been fired from KyoAni or AniDo in this manner ever since, so the situation left many puzzled.
Shortly after his firing, people speculated he was fired for sexual harassment instead, especially after an anonymous person claiming to be staff posted that he had stalked her several times. Nothing was directly confirmed, but his behavior after getting fired didn't help in this either. During production for Wake Up, Girls!, he harassed the female seiyuu (who were of high-school age at the time) to the point she had to tell him to cut it out. He's also criticized the #MeToo movement, claiming he would proudly continue to tease/harass women.
Just recently, an anime adaption of a light novel got canceled for racism against Chinese being prominent in the story. Yamakan complained it was the end of anime and stated in his blog that he also has racist views.
Generally, bad director or not, he's consistently proven himself to not be a good person, and it's highly likely that him "not being ready to be a director" was just the nicest way KyoAni could put it as their reason for firing him.

Here's an official press release about him being replaced from KyoAni.  The reason for it is described in it as follows (emphasis mine):

[...] 「らき☆すた」監督の山本寛は、監督において、まだ、その域に達していない [...]

It's hard to translate this since it's in (probably intentionally) vague words, but it says something along the lines of "he has not yet reached a level required of a director."
The phrase (in bold) used to condemn him is well known among fans.  Yamamoto himself often quoted the phrase in his works, including Kannagi.