My D&D Game would suffer without Anime!!!!

[Desdichado]

It's one of those basic truths. If there's something popular, somebody will get the bright idea in their head that they can appear cool by being distainful of it.

I think you're grossly misinterpreting how popular anime is in the US if you think there are folks running around getting their jollies feeling elitist because they don't like it compared to "the masses." In fact, that claim confuses and surprises me to no end. I mean, I'm sure there's a few here and there, but compared to the many, many more who run around feeling superior and elitist because they like anime instead of "mainstream American" media instead, then I really think you're barking up the wrong tree here.

 

[WayneLigon]

I think you're grossly misinterpreting how popular anime is in the US if you think there are folks running around getting their jollies feeling elitist because they don't like it compared to "the masses." In fact, that claim confuses and surprises me to no end.

Anime's popularity has drastically increased over the last five-six years, mainly due to Cartoon Network and a few other channels.

In 2002, Cartoon Network's Saturday Night block of anime was #1 across all cable channels for males 9-25 (which is also your prime ages that are going to be playing D&D). In 2005 Naruto and One Piece are #1 across all channels on Saturday nights for males 9-14 (Your up-and-coming gamers).

TimeWarner's ratings statement for November 2005 contains the statement "...proved the on-going U.S. popularity of Japanese animation this November as each program earned significant double-digit delivery and ratings growth [+70%/+68% for Naruto - wl] among Cartoon Network’s target audience of tweens 9-14, according to Nielsen Media Research."

This is the pool your next generation of gamers is coming from, guys.

I spent some time at the Books-a-Million the other day, looking at the (western) graphic novel section. It's two shelves wide, top to bottom, in a free-standing aisle; maybe half of those shelves are full. Next to it is the manga section, which is at least six shelves wide, stocked to within an inch of it's life.

I was there, oh, maybe twenty minutes or so, looking at the various new collected series and such, and glancing at some Eberron stuff. While I'm doing this on a Saturday afternoon, no-one else comes to look at the graphic novels. I notice a lot of people are hovering around the manga section, so I sit on one of the benches and I started counting. In 20-30 minutes, 33 kids, teens and adults (in, oh, roughly 50-30-20 proportion, just off the top of my head) looked at the manga section. Ten of those took one or more books off the shelf and presumably bought them. One guy is about 45-50 and looks like he just got down out of a deer stand; he picks up three manga titles and walks off with them. [By the way, seven people come and look at gaming material, two take books away; both of these are teens that are also picking up some manga].

It used to be that you could only see anime at comic or gaming cons, or in badly-chopped-up Americanized afternoon slots. I think that the fact that I can now go into a Suncoast or Best Buy and find a wall of anime speaks for itself.

 

[BroccoliRage]

It's one of those basic truths. If there's something popular, somebody will get the bright idea in their head that they can appear cool by being distainful of it.

That's a rather egotistical thing to think.

Did it occur to you that some people just don't like what you like, and have no problem voicing it when asked in a public forum?

I named six anime series I liked.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I'm just saying there are better games then D&D for it.

So what game engine would you recommend for Record of the Lodoss War?

 

[Danzauker]

Since this year will mark my 30th anniversary of watching my first anime, and I have been watching and collecting fron then on, while I only discovered D&D 20 years ago, I'd say that anime MUST have had a good deal of inspiraton for me.

Since all my current fellow players and the DM, too, are avid anime and manga addicts, with some bordering on the otaku, well, anime references are quite the norm.

Many of the villains of the current campaign we are playing in are obviously modeled after One Piece characters...

Anyway, for some good inspiration I'd suggest to read Berserk. The manga is much better than the anime, and develops the plot much more. Plus, the author is one of the most careful not to lose too much "western medieval" feel, except the Oversized Weapon Wielding feat that everybody seems to have.

Lone Wolf and Cub is another eccellent read, IMHO. sure, it delves a lot on honor and responsability stuff that all Japanese like, but still can provide a lot of inspiration, and it hasn't too much ninja and tentacle thingie stuff in it.

There's an anime I used to watch when I was a kid, called "Entaku No Kishi Monogatari Moero Arthur" (loosely, Knights of the Round Table: Shine Arthur!) whiche was very loosely based on King Arthur and set in medieval Europe. Still, I guess it's quite difficult to find in the USA.

Full Metal Alchemist could be another good source of inspiration if you're running a campaing more leaning toward steampunk than classic fantasy. The setting seems perfect for Eberron.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Berserk is perfect for those low-magic settings. High horror and lots of personal issues of redemption and vengence going on there. (Us poor Americans are only up to #15 and I've already seen that the originals are like on #30 or something. )

 

[Danzauker]

Berserk is perfect for those low-magic settings. High horror and lots of personal issues of redemption and vengence going on there. (Us poor Americans are only up to #15 and I've already seen that the originals are like on #30 or something. )

Yep, and still going on.

#15 should be where the anime version finishes, and the long flashback of Gatsu's youth connects with the beginning of the story (one has to wonder why in the first episodes he has an iron arm and it's signature huge Dragonkiller), isn't it?

From then on a new "campaign" start, with new secondary characters. The plot get's much more D&D style, with spellcasters and clerics / inquesitors entering the scene.

Unfortunately, I fear the ending of the main plot is stil far to see the light in Japan...

 

[JoeGKushner]

Hard to say.

Berserk #14 is well into the 'elf' plot.

Berserk #12 is pretty much matching up with the anime I believe. In the anime, we don't see what little tricks Gordo has for Guts after all. Although we do see him tell Guts not to get killed if you watch all the way through the last ep.

 

[Danzauker]

Hard to say.

Berserk #14 is well into the 'elf' plot.

Berserk #12 is pretty much matching up with the anime I believe. In the anime, we don't see what little tricks Gordo has for Guts after all. Although we do see him tell Guts not to get killed if you watch all the way through the last ep.

So I guess the manga volumes are not exactly the same size here. Or I failed my Knowledge (manga) check, of course.

Anyway, the "Elf" subsaga is just the beginning of a whole new story. And, frankly, one of the weakest points in the saga, IMHO. It will take some time and the development of some new characters, like Lady Farnese and Serpico before the author finds a good new direction to the story. I reccomend you not to give up if the story seems to go a bit random, from now on. It will take some more volumes before it gets back in focus but I think it's worth it.

 

[The Shaman]

I fully understand that the aesthetics of it bother some people. Can't get past the style that things are drawn in regardless of whether they are big eyes small mouth or fairly realistic with some "traditional" influences. No problem.

It's bad dialogue (and delivery of said dialogue--although I am giving a bit of a pass to the stuff because of possible translation problems), badly constructed and executed plots, boring characters that I can't relate to, cultural gulf between me and the creators that isn't being successfully crossed, or some combination of any and all of those features.

Yup.

I've tried. I really have. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Steamboy - all lost me in the first seven minutes. Castle in the Sky - watched the whole thing, with great effort, then gave the DVD away. Dominion: Tank Police, Hellsing, Submarine 707R, Record of Lodoss War, something about a battleship with sails in space, another with a woman disguised as a male samurai done all in pastels (except for bright red blood. . .) - watched one episode each, skipped over them whenever they showed up on the program guide after that.

A medium, a genre - whatever. It just doesn't speak to me.

I managed to watch Cowboy Bebop once, and mostly I was just frustrated because I didn't know the characters or the continuing story, which meant I could at least stomach the art and the dialogue for fitteen minutes, making it a huge leg-up on anything else I'd seen. I'd be willing to give this another shot, if I can start from the beginning.

Anime's popularity has drastically increased over the last five-six years, mainly due to Cartoon Network and a few other channels.

Popular doesn't make it good - it just makes it popular.

The guy who invented pet rocks became a millionaire. Just sayin'.

This is the pool your next generation of gamers is coming from, guys.

Hopefully I'll be able to get up a game with the rest of "my generation" in the rest home. . .