Find the Anime Challenge

[Hussar]

How about this?

Look at her oversized eyes, sharp little nose, spikey hair...

Nice picture. Where's it from? And, is that cropped from a larger picture? I think I'd like to see the original before making any sort of judgement.

RC - Spirited Away was released in July 2001 in Japan (I assume later in the States) and the original 3.0 Monster Manual, where you pic comes from, came out in October 2000. That would make the chance for a Miyazaki inspiration somewhat problematic.

*Agrees with Klaus that Manara is a very good thing.*

 

[Raven Crowking]

In either case IMHO the influence for the Ravid (and Gold Dragon) can be traced to Asian mythology and artwork much older than anime. Lethe-boy from Spirited Away can trace his character design back to the same source.

Yes, but many things in anime have influences that can be traced farther back than the advent of "anime" as an artistic genre. I agree that it then becomes difficult to determine if the things is influenced by the historical antecedent (as I believe the 1e gold dragon was) or by the current pop culture reference (as I believe the ravid was).

There was a Dragon Magazine article in the lead-up to 3e, where the artistic design for 3e was discussed. Does anyone remember the issue number? I don't know if that article would shed light on this discussion or not, but I'd like to check.

RC

 

[Nifft]

Frankly, it seems to me a big 80% or more in this forum is almost completely unknowing of what anime or manga is...

(Psst... that's why it's such a great insult!)

Cheers, -- N

 

[Raven Crowking]

RC - Spirited Away was released in July 2001 in Japan (I assume later in the States) and the original 3.0 Monster Manual, where you pic comes from, came out in October 2000. That would make the chance for a Miyazaki inspiration somewhat problematic.

Good catch. I didn't know the Japanese release date.

But Spirited Away isn't the only anime to use that sort of design, either.

 

[Umbran]

Frankly, it seems to me a big 80% or more in this forum is almost completely unknowing of what anime or manga is...

Okay, here's the something that I think RC is trying to get at (but is doing so poorly) that you really ought to be wary of.

One of the top ways to try to win an argument is to dismiss its author, rather than to address the content. One of the top ways to be dismissive of another person's opinion is to claim they are ignorant. It is the fast and easy way to try to win an argument - "You don't know what you are talking about, so shut up!" Needless to say, in a forum dedicated to exchange of ideas, this is not something we like to see.

Likewise, badgering folks about a topic is also something we don't like to see.

So, let's make a deal (okay, not so much a deal, as an order) - one side can stop calling others ignorant, and the other can back off on demands of rigor and burden of proof.

 

[AllisterH]

Good catch. I didn't know the Japanese release date.

But Spirited Away isn't the only anime to use that sort of design, either.

True, but even there, it depends on the type of anime.

Like I said before, if the anime is set in a medieval/fantasy Europe, then the dragons (if any) will look more like the dragons we in the West are used to. See for example the dragons in both Record of Lodoss Wars and Slayers, two anime that use European mythology/fantasy.

Compare this with Inuyasha and Fushi Yugi, both of these anime are set in a Feudal mythological/fantasy japan and china respectively, and the dragons there tend to be wingless AND have the fu-manchu moustache to boot.

 

[Danzauker]

Okay, here's the something that I think RC is trying to get at (but is doing so poorly) that you really ought to be wary of.

One of the top ways to try to win an argument is to dismiss its author, rather than to address the content. One of the top ways to be dismissive of another person's opinion is to claim they are ignorant. It is the fast and easy way to try to win an argument - "You don't know what you are talking about, so shut up!" Needless to say, in a forum dedicated to exchange of ideas, this is not something we like to see.

Likewise, badgering folks about a topic is also something we don't like to see.

So, let's make a deal (okay, not so much a deal, as an order) - one side can stop calling others ignorant, and the other can back off on demands of rigor and burden of proof.

Well, actually, I don't think ignorant is an offence.

We are ALL born ignorant, Me, you, everybody else. And we learn along the way.

To be ignorant simply means that "you don't know".

Everybody has his or her field of knowledge. Someone can be the greatest mathematician of the world, and still don't know everything about cooking.

I have been watching anime and reading comics for 30 years, give or take, and I quite think I have a good grasp of anime as a style and of it's evolution.

There are lots of people here that are quite competent in RPGs, and I bet lots that are also competent in their work and other fields.

But since reading the WHOLE thread I noticed a lot of "OMG this elf has ears 10% longer than Elmore's, it MUST be anime!" posts, I came to the conclusion that few people are competent in japanese animation and comicdom.

That was my point... sorry it offended you.

 

[Geron Raveneye]

Well, for what it's worth (and because I did post critical posts here earlier concerning the whole motivation for the thread), I agree with Hussar that, while there may be some influences from anime and manga found in D&D artwork from the last 10 years, there most likely isn't any picture that qualifies as "pure anime" when taken into context with stuff like Inu Yasha, Lodoss war, Slayers, or even most Ghibli movies.

 

[Raven Crowking]

But since reading the WHOLE thread I noticed a lot of "OMG this elf has ears 10% longer than Elmore's, it MUST be anime!" posts, I came to the conclusion that few people are competent in japanese animation and comicdom.

That was my point... sorry it offended you.

It didn't offend me. One of the things I learned on this thread, thanks to the Tokyopop poll, was that none of the 1st three pictures posted has enough anime influence to be considered so by the people there.

I know that I am far from an authority on the subject!

RC

 

[Klaus]

Nice picture. Where's it from? And, is that cropped from a larger picture? I think I'd like to see the original before making any sort of judgement.

RC - Spirited Away was released in July 2001 in Japan (I assume later in the States) and the original 3.0 Monster Manual, where you pic comes from, came out in October 2000. That would make the chance for a Miyazaki inspiration somewhat problematic.

*Agrees with Klaus that Manara is a very good thing.*

If I had to guess, that picture comes from a larger WAR cover to an Eberron book. Either that or Pathfinder.