======== Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime.info Subject: [APG]: Anime Pocket Guide (17/17) (Epilogue) From: Alan Takahashi Date: 11 May 1997 21:38:10 -0400 Anime Pocket Guide by: Alan Takahashi Last Updated: March 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ========================================= = Anime Pocket Guide work in progress = ========================================= Note that I'll accept entries from anyone who wants to do these. Your version may end up being much better than mine... :-) - Incomplete new entries: Space Pirate Captain Harlock Mobile Suit Gundam Yuu Yuu Hakushou - New entries: The Guyver Venus Wars Harmageddon Windaria M.D. Geist A Wind Called Amnesia (US Manga Corps) Heisei Tanuki Kassen Ponpoko - Wish list: Create HTML forms-based page to provide an easy way of submitting Guide entries. ====================================== = Contributors to the Pocket Guide = ====================================== Much as I would like to take all the credit for this, I can't possibly know *everything* about anime. Thanks are due to the following people for filling in the gaps. Curtis Hoffmann: Avi Melman: Tonghyun Kim: Bush Baby Lamune & 40 Miracle Girls cast Dragonball (Z) KO Century Beast General cast updates Takayuki Ito: Tatsuro Sekiguchi: Chris Swett: Cast fix (tMAI & tUY) General cast updates Yohkoso Yohko Seiichi Kimura: Hitoshi Doi: Tom Jewell: Minky Momo updates Sailor Moon updates Baoh Mary Bell updates General cast updates Locke the Superman General cast updates Oh My Goddess! AD Police GS Mikami Beast City Tonde Buurin Enrique Conty: Kevin Winkler: Jay Harvey: Spirit of Wonder Burn Up! cast update Yawara! cast fix Future Boy Conan Battle Angel fix Christian Balzer: Robert DeLoura: Dave Endresak: General fixes Marmalade Boy Angel Nurse Ririka SOS One Pound Gospel Hana Yori Dango Shamanic Princess Keniichi Sonoda: Robert J. Woodhead: Jeff Okamoto: Riding Bean cast fix Oh My Goddess! fix Anime Seiyuu List v1.31 Ben Ettinger: Dennis Jann: Minky Momo updates Miyuki-chan There are many others who have contributed to the Guide, and I apologize for not being able to list everybody. You have my thanks. ====================================== = Adding to the Anime Pocket Guide = ====================================== If there is something not in the Anime Pocket Guide that you think should be there, I take requests. Same with anything that needs to be corrected. *E-Mail* me with the following info: + Name of the anime. + A short description (in case I have never heard of it) + Cast list if any I'll get to it when I can. If I end up using your description, then you get a credit in the Intro file. Let me know if you *don't* want your name used. NOTE: If no rating is specified, and I don't have an opinion myself (i.e. I've never heard of this anime), then I'll stay neutral and give it a [1 2 3 ] rating. This seems pretty safe until I *do* see it... :-) If you specify a rating, I'll use that instead with a note saying where the rating came from. NOTE: I am in the process of changing the rating system. For anyone who has recently submitted anything, I'll be contacting you once the new rating system is worked out so you can re-rate your entry. Thanks for your help! ================================ = Key explanations and usage = ================================ I've been asked how I come up with the title and cast keys that I use in the Anime Pocket Guide, since they apparently don't make any sense. Not to worry...there's a *little* method to my madness... :-) For titles, I typically have 3 characters to use as the key (though I've used 4 on occasion). These generally fall into the following categories: - Common usage on the net: e.g. "Bubblegum Crisis" == tBGC - Acronyms: e.g. "Mamono Hunter Yohko" == tMHY - Start of main title: e.g. "Record of Lodoss Wars" == "Lodoss Wars" == tLOD - Something unique that makes sense: e.g. "Ranma 1/2" == tR12 Note that genre keys are derived in the same way as title keys, except that only 2 letters are used. For cast keys, the rules are even simpler. I use a 3 character key that consists of the first 2 letters of the actor's Family name, followed by the initial of the first name. Where duplication occurs, a number follows the key to make it unique. If I run out of numbers, then I'll go to letters. e.g. [To]uma [Y]umi == vToY e.g. [In]oue [K]azuhiko == vInK0 [In]oue [K]ikuko == vInK1 Note that I display the actual actor's name in English order. ========================================= = A brief history of the Pocket Guide = ========================================= Once, I thought of putting together something that would answer the numerous "I heard about this anime called {whatever}, and I was wondering if anyone could tell me about it" postings that would show up on rec.arts.anime. I came up with a general format, but decided to change it around a few times until I came up with something that could retrieve various bits of info by using the Unix grep program. That original "Key" system looks remarkably like the current system... I created a "Pocket Guide" of about 15 entries. It was so named because each entry was a "pocket description" of the actual anime. Any good synopsis would completely overwhelm any Guide entry with information. It was meant strictly as an introduction for the anime described. At this point, the dreaded Real Life Syndrome (TM) took over my time, and I saved what I had in some corner on my hard drive. This was in June 1991. The Pocket Guide sat there, gathering dust... In 1992 (April?), Enrique Conty posted a request for anyone who had written short descriptions for various anime. I remembered what I had done, and posted the Title: index for the file. As I recall, he replied saying something like "This is EXACTLY what I'm looking for!". I posted the whole file, and the Anime Pocket Guide was born... In November 1994, something called the 'Web' was gaining in popularity. As an exercise, I took the opportunity to learn about HTML and Perl. 6 months later, the first versions of the Anime Web Guide were ready to see the light of day. =================================================== = Why isn't it called the 'Manga Pocket Guide'? = =================================================== Though the term 'manga' has been used to describe Japanese Animation, it is, at best, inaccurate. In common usage, 'manga' refers to printed graphic material laid out in panels. Or, to put it another way, 'manga' is the Japanese version of a comic book. The term is often translated as 'irresponsible pictures'. 'Anime' is thought to have been derived from the French word for animation, and refers to animated works produced in Japan. This includes Japanese released TV series, Original Animation Videos and theatrical releases. This does not include works that were produced elsewhere, but the animation work was done in Japan. Both 'anime' and 'manga' are part of the Japanese language, and are used to describe the two separate genres. Despite the close links between the two, they really are different things. In short: 'manga' = comic books 'anime' = animation ----- _ __ ____ ___ _____ ____ __ Alan Takahashi / \ / / / _ \ / _ \ /_ _/ /__ / / Santa Clara, California / / \/ / / /_/ / / _/ / / / /__/ / /__ E-mail: takahash@nortel.ca /_/ \__/ \____/ /_/|_| /_/ /____ /____/ ----------------------- N O R T H E R N T E L E C O M "When you need to knock on wood is when you realize the world's composed of aluminum and vinyl." -- Flugg's Law