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'AD Police' Makes A Comeback
randomErr writes "FantasiCon.com recently got a preview of the upcoming Japanese TV series AD Police. Just as the OVA version of AD Police is the prequel to the OVA of Bubblegum Crisis, so is this series the prequel to BGC's TV series. This series takes place approximately one year before BGC 2040(TV). The major difference with this series is that the plot follows the exploits of squadron leader Sasaki Kenji instead of rookie Leon McNichol. You can view the full article and a Quicktime of the upcoming series here. "
Okay, in Japan, it seems to be a semi-common thing for series to be reinvented every now and then. "Bubblegum Crash," the original "Bubblegum Crisis," and "BGC 2040" are all seperate universes based on the same theme -- of the Knight Sabers crusading against the rogue Boomers of the Genom corporation. While they share the same characters, the plot lines are different, and the looks, attitudes, and motivations of the characters are different.
You can also see this in the original "Tenchi Muyo" OVA, the two TV series, and the 3 movies. All of these can be argued to happen in seperate universes, due to changes from slight inconsistencies to radical reinventions. Similarly, the first El-Hazard OAV series, the second El-Hazard OAV series, and the 2nd TV series can be considered the same universe, while the 1st TV series was a seperate universe in its own right.
This kind of thing happens all the time. Sometimes it's a result of pople going back to make a series more in line with the original manga, like Kia Asamiya's Silent Möbius. Other times it's just a tinkering with the formula like the gorgeous new Sol Bianca OVA. So don't got twisting your brain in a knot trying to figure out how the series all interrelate -- they don't. <grin>
BTW, the original series happened in 2035-2036, I think. However, that doesn't mean the "BGC 2040" is in the same timeline. After all, the characters all look different, they haven't all met each other before the start of the series, and Brian J. Mason is still alive and working for Genom.
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
I'm probably going to come off as insulting to a lot of people here, but a related idea has been sitting in the back of my mind for the past few years and the less-than-warm reception of the Anime topic here is a convenient trigger for me to let it out. And I'm in a less-than-nice mood right now, so...
/*begin rant*/
Why is there such vocal opposition to anime articles here on Slashdot, even when there is an opt-out function? One reason, IMNSHO, is because many geeks are overly sensitive to appearing wussy or less-than-manly. Heck, one complaint even described Slashdot as being "officially gay" upon the introduction of the anime topic.
(A shame, because many anime and manga creators take a very hackish, geek-like approach towards the creation of their work, using the same general sense of elegant efficiency that good programmers use, as opposed to the bloated corporate committee approach so prevalent in American cartoons and comics.)
Anyway, back to my original point, look at well-accepted geek hobbies such as Star Trek, fantasy rpgs, computer games, comic books, etc. Most of them just _bleed_ machismo, if not through physical depictions (ie: swords and dark necromancy, gunfights in dank dungeon-style arenas, overmuscled superheros) then through the mental equivalent of penis-waving (ie: important-sounding sci-fi technobabble). For insecure geeks, anime is an easy target (given its cute, animated nature), a chance for them to reciprocate the social abuse they suffered for not being football team material, as well a chance to feel "macho" and superior by beating down on something (this also applies to trolls in general).
Now, I'm _not_ saying "if you don't like anime, you're insecure of your masculinity." Neither am I saying that anime is free of such stupid machismo (it's got plenty of its own kind), nor am I dissing macho entertainment (I probably enjoy booting skulls more than the next guy does). What I _am_ saying is "if you INSIST on trashing anime, even going out of your way to post complaints to a topic you could easily opt-out of, then maybe you're trying to compensate for something."
And people wonder why there are so few female geeks... maybe 'cause most females in general don't enjoy senseless macho posturing? Heck, the one-upsmanship and egotism I've seen around programmers rivals that of jocks (Ion Storm ring a bell?).
/*end rant*/
My apologies to geeks that don't mimic dumb jock mentality. I haven't eaten well in days, and I'm in a bit of a nasty mood right now.
One of the trends in Anime today seems to be the ressurection of older shows from previous decades, recycling plots, and retooling character designs and storylines. BGC TV and AD POLICE are some of the last in this current trend.
Ever since the colapse of the OVA Market, some claim that this is a "disturbing" trend. Especially since they usually take established characters etched into fandom(at least the ones who were around to watch it the first time around ^_^) and possibly mangle them into something else.
BGC TV, fortunately, did a good job. The character designs change but the core feeling is better and more convincing. For instance, the original Nene was supposed to be a Hacker but she didn't really act like one in the OVA. She acted more like a "consultant" than a hacker. On the other hand, Nene in the revamped TV series has an appartment full of computers(which is rather messy it seems), eats bad junk food while using the computer, and has a hacking ego the size of Genom Tower. I will miss the red hair though. ^_^;
These days, I approach revamped shows like these carefully. They must remain true to "form" and yet have modern sensibilities(if that makes sense in Anime ^_^). If they do that, then I have no problem watching it. If they don't, I'll ignore them faster than DIRTY PAIR FLASH. ^_^
Unfortunately, now that Slashdot has added the much-requested Anime category, they feel they have free-reign to post a lot more of it ("hey, if they don't like it, they can always turn it off").
Like I predicted, however, no one is turning it off. Instead, they're continuing to lower the signal-to-noise ratio of these discussions by bitching at the existance of the articles. Getting a new topic does nothing, just like getting a new topic didn't really reduce the flames on the Katz articles for a long time.
The problem with that is that CmdrTaco has gone on record as saying he tries for 15-20 stories a day. If Anime is using up some of those slots, then we are seeing fewer "normal" news for nerds stories, and personally I think Anime has enough fan sites for the hardcore fans.
<sarcasm>
Yeah, it's a shame. I could be missing something I care about like more phony Mac rumors or the latest never-ending distributed.net crypto contest. After all there aren't too many hardcore sites specializing in that. Maybe I'd be missing the latest development in the DeCSS and Napster cases. I mean, they're not covered by other sites.
</sarcasm>
Get over yourself. Just because there are other hardcore sites that cover this info doesn't mean it doesn't belong here. I like to think of Slashdot as one-stop shopping for all the news I care about, and that includes anime, as it does for other people.
After all, anime beats hoaxes like the SETI@Home Accelerator card.
I really think Anime has very limited geek appeal.
I think you don't know a damn thing about the hobby if you don't think it's got geek appeal. Go to a convention some time and try not to find a geek. The only way to do so is to stay outside the building on the opposite side from the parking lot and close your eyes, singing "la! la! la! la! no geek appeal here!" Even then, a geek might accidentally stumble onto you and ask what's wrong with you.
Anime is as much a geek hobby as RPGs and FPSs. Just because it doesn't directly relate to computers, doesn't mean it isn't "News for Nerds."
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").