GURPS Anime...what should be in it?

[Dwarf99]

crap I got that backwards, it's Xenophobia that is hard to find not Xenophilia, and after a bit of perusal I recall that the phobias give the translations then the parenthetical notations of what the word is... I suppose Xenophobia will have to count for fear of tentacles.

[Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

But they are both examples of that kind of schizotech world.

Then here's another one:

A world superficially like ours, except that behind the scenes it is actually run by the Cabal. However, 16 years ago a rebel cast some kind of magical ritual designed to destroy the Cabal and after that, "espers" started to be born in great numbers. Now in their teens they are starting to come into their powers and the Cabal is split between those who want to study the "new power" and those who see them as the culmination of the ritual and want them all destroyed.

That's your standard Magic/Supers style world designed as a "secret conspiracy". You can design that as anime or modern gothic or even four-color supers.

Da Kromm has a valid point. Anime is too much stuff. You expect the same rules-set to cover Dragonball Z (over-the-top cartoony super-powered martial arts) and Ichigo Mashimaru (a slice-of-life sitcom about elementary school girls)?

[Xenarthral]

Originally Posted by sgtcallistan

I adapted the Tenchi Muyo books (Tri-Stat, Green Ronin?) to GURPS (simply done), but then ran into the problem of; 'which players would accept a harem comedy?'
Certainly not my bunch of hairy forty-somethings.

Maybe you used the wrong harem comedy/harem set-up.
If they're not suited to play alien space pirates/princesses/police officers squabbling over an earth boy then maybe pseudo-Chinese superpowered warriors protecting a priestess from a different world or fantasy dwarves protecting an exiled princess will go over better.

Originally Posted by Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2

You expect the same rules-set to cover Dragonball Z (over-the-top cartoony super-powered martial arts) and Ichigo Mashimaru (a slice-of-life sitcom about elementary school girls)?

Yes. That's one reason why I bought an obscure little set of rules called GURPS that was advertised as being generic and useable for any genre. (I also bought Big Eyes, Small Mouth and Tinkers Damn for similar reasons.)
The only real missing piece is something like GURPS International Educational Systems in order to portray, for example*, Japanese high school reasonably or even remotely accurately. (cf. GURPS Cops)

*One not uncommon problem in anime/manga fanfiction is that the writers assume that - possibly apart from the bits shown, like school uniforms and entrance exams - the Japanese educational system is identical to the US educational system, up to and including college. I vaguely recall seeing hints that the situation is similar for the British/English system in regards to Harry Potter fanfiction.

[Woodman]

The only real missing piece is something like GURPS International Educational Systems in order to portray, for example*, Japanese high school reasonably or even remotely accurately. (cf. GURPS Cops)

I think unless you happen to watch a lot of anime and consume other japanese media the same reasoning applies to the modern japanese society as a whole its quite different from the modern western society most of us are used to. And the average player who is interested in playing a believeable character in that society would need to study a complex society to do so, wich most people dont have either the drve or time to do, or both.
Getting this kind of information in pre-digested form for roleplaying porpose would make an anime campaign without a group of otakus or students of japanese studies much easier.

[David Johnston2]

Some notes I made for a rejected submission

Advantages:

Hermaphromorph: It's quite common for boys in anime to find themselves suddenly in a female body, but usually this is the result of an arbitrary plot device that requires no statting out. However there are a few cases where someone finds theirself changing sex back and forth, sometimes at regular intervals, sometimes in response to a trigger like cold water or excitement, . Hermaphromorphs are almost always more attractive in their alternate gender than they are in their native one, so a suitably limited increase to Appearance is appropriate.


Perk:

Big Eater: You have an unrealistic ability to consume and digest food. This gives a +5 on the strength versus strength roll to resolve eating contests, and a +1 to resist poisoned food. Usually paired with Gluttony, although Big Eaters rarely gain weight.

Comedy Hammer/Fan: This perk may only be possessed by female characters. It can appear in their hands any time the character observes offensively lewd behaviour on the part of a man in a comedy scene. It does no damage but inflicts an automatic stun on the offensive male

Emancipated Minor: While ending up living on your own is probably the result of some tragic events (or at least child neglect), it does have the virtue that nobody is going to be grounding you or poking into your business. Thus it alleviates some of the problems inherent in Social Stigma (Minor).

Member of the Student Government: This gives you a certain limited authority over fellow students. Perhaps more importantly, it gives you more slack when dealing with adults who aren't your parents. If the student government has an army of ninja, then you need to get them separately.

Disadvantages:

Ally (Magical Girlfriend): The character who at least believed himself to be a normal teenage boy has unexpectedly encountered something that looks like a human but is in fact an alien or creature with magic powers who moves in with and causes trouble, but uses her considerable powers to help you.

Code of Honor (Giri): Fulfill all promises you make or your parents make on your behalf. Apologise to and compensate innocents you, or your family injure. Take revenge for undeserved injury to you or your family if those guilty do not compensate you. -10 points

Code of Honor (Yamato Nadeshiko): Be polite and restrained in your gestures, expression and your speech. Be diligent in your domestic duties and hospitable to visitors. Put the harmony of your family above all other considerations. Defer to men, the men of your family especially. -10 points.

Enemies (An Absurdly Powerful Student Council): Unlike ordinary schools in this one the student government is exactly that. They have more power over the student body than the faculty does. One of the possible reasons for this, is because the Student Council is made up of some of the strongest supers in the school and take it upon themselves to keep the other superhumans in line where a merely mortal faculty is incapable. Other Student Councils have demonstrated vast financial resources and the control of considerable conventional military forces or armies of ninja. They may actually own the school and hire and fire the teachers. This kind of Student Council is a Medium Sized Group worth a base value of -30 points.

Enemy (Your Love Interest's Little Sister): Your Love Interest's Little Sister is a little bit too fond of your love interest. She wants you out of their lives and is constantly scheming to put barriers between you. Count on her to show up any time things start to get romantic. She has a base value of -5, but is usually only a Rival. She has the same relationship to the love interest but may also be an ally or a dependant to them.

Enemy (Your Older Brother): Your Older Brother is better looking, smarter, stronger, faster, and more talented than you are. You can't stand him. He either works for your enemies or he just considers you to be an nuisance and/or an embarassment. The base value for Your Older Brother is -10. He can be a Rival or an outright Hunter. Usually the only advantage you'll have over him is that you have friends and he doesn't.

Klutz: The "Dojikko" or "Klutzy Girl" is a standard stereotype, a cute girl with an inclination toward comedic pratfalls. They are often Lucky as well as Klutzy.

Obsession (Sibling): Your world revolves around your brother or sister and you are dedicated to sabotaging any relationship that might take them away from you. This is usually an NPC trait, making them "Your Love Interest's Little Sister".

Obsession (Romantic): You are in love, or think you are, and if your obsession is above quirk level and your are female you will take any opportunity to grab onto your target even though such public displays are uncouth even for girls. You are very jealous of anyone your target might actually be interested in, but may band together with fellow obsessive romantics in a fanclub of the target, in which case you restrain each other from actually touching him (or her). Male obsessive romantics are less likely to grab their victims because boys are less able to get away with sexual assault, but you are more likely to be roused to violence by any other boy who might be a rival.

Physical Appearance (Androgynous): Very common in anime particularly among male characters, but you knew that. When one is an androgyne, disguise rolls to pose as the opposite sex are easy, add your looks bonus to the disguise roll as long as all you are trying to do is pose as someone who looks like your sister (or brother).

Social Stigma (Juvenile Delinquent): Produces a -2 reaction from almost everyone who doesn't belong to your particular gang.

Social Stigma (Otaku): The character has an obsessive interest in something to the point where normal people think they're a bit insane. This -5 disadvantage is coupled with a highly developed skill, usually an Expert skill or gaming skill. The GM may not wish to count it against a disadvantage limit for the characters. However forcing their interest on others can also be an Odious Personal Habit and that should be counted.

Unluckiness (Aspected Toward Looking Like a Pervert): It is fairly common for male leads who are high school or college-aged students to suffer from a form of unluckiness that causes them to accidentally fall with their hands on someone's breasts, stumble or fall into rooms containing undressed women, be grabbed by an amorous drunk just as their love interest walks and similar mishaps or be misidentified as the chikan (subway molester) who just groped that girl. This is an action comedy disadvantage and shouldn't be taken in more serious or less violent campaigns.

Unnatural Features (Nekomimi): A (mostly) human girl, perhaps descended from a nekomusume crossbreeding with her ancestors, who has cat ears and a tail. Unlike Western catgirls, Japanese catgirls do not normally have fur. Assuming these traits are rare as they usually are, this is a -3 Unnatural Feature. It is extremely likely that if Japan ever perfects lifelike androids, they will make them in the form of a nekomimi, although this is not an unusual feature for an android in a world where they are common.

Weirdness Magnet:

Quirks:

Bleeder: A character subject to nosebleeds when he (or rarely she) gets "worked up". It is only appropriate for adolescent virgins (and usually helps them stay virgins). Usually all it does is cause embarrassment and a need for clean clothes but more severe Bleeders sometimes should be represented with a Weakness as they take fatigue damage from the blood loss.

Bokkuko: A girl who talks like a boy (such as using "boku" instead of "atashi" as a personal pronoun). This can't be conveyed in English, but is noticeably quirky in Japanese culture and should be mentioned the first time a PC talks to one.

Compulsive Tardiness: The character is always running late, especially in the morning and has to run to catch up

Cosplay Girl: A girl who enjoys making and/or wearing costumes, generally inspired by comics and cartoons. This can go beyond quirk-level into a full blown Social Stigma (Otaku) if she wears them anywhere except at conventions or in a cosplay oriented business.

Heterochromia: Eyes of different colours. This is a rather noticeable trait, and in some cases has been a symptom of a failed attempt to use Dominance or exposure to Infectious Attack.

Incompetent Cook: The girl who can't cook but tries to cook love offerings anyway is a comedy staple.

Popup Ears: Only available to intelligent animals who shapeshift into humans, this quirk is a partial reversion to your original form when you get agitated, risking exposure of your nature and attracting attention. This is sometimes used for comedic exaggeration, but seems to be just a joke for the audience, invisible to other characters.

Refers to Self In Third Person: This deliberately infantile quirk is the mark of a girl who is or tries to be Pitiable, accentuating her cuteness by sounding a bit simple-minded.

Strange Hair Colours: If everyone is wandering around with with all colours of the rainbow for hair, this is not a quirk. However in series where the palette of hair colours sticks closer to reality, simply being blond or red-haired in black-haired Japan is distinctive and may excite intolerance and bullying attempts when you are still school-aged. It suggests either foreign ancestry or worse, a deliberate attempt to stand out from the crowd by dying your hair, something which is often against school rules. In most groups of juvenile delinquents you will find at one who dies his or her hair blonde.

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by Mgellis

Just for the sake of discussion...if someone was thinking of proposing a GURPS Anime book to The Powers That Be, what do you think should be included?

Acknowledgement that you used one of the FAQS on my website as a reference. After all, it is the seminal list of good anime (which I hope hasn't suffered too much under my care), predating even the World-Wide Web.

Mind you, that's what I think should be included. YMMV.

(And, really - looking at just that list should get anybody to realize that there's no such thing as a single "anime style". If it doesn't, here's a bigger list...)

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

You absolutely need:

• Giant Mecha
• Kung Fu Heroes
• Tentacle monsters
• cat girls
• school girls
• space detectives
• fighter pilots
• pirates
• zombies
• ninjas
• angsty-awesome vampires
• ghosts
• goblins
• demons
• spies
• sweet gadgetry
• swords
• teleportation powers
• blasty powers
• powering up powers
• schoolyard drama
• overwrought, fashion-challenged fantasy
• toilet humor

And a few more things, I think. I'm sure I'm missing something.

You should be able to do it in 500 pages or so.

You do, of course, realize that your list almost completely ignores Lupin III... <g>

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Kromm

IMO, anime is a medium – not a unified visual style, not a consistent set of tropes, and most definitely not a genre.

I don't get "medium." The medium of anime seems to be visual images projected onto a television screen in rapid succession to produce the illusion of motion, with the images being drawn by hand and/or computer rather than being photographed/videoimaged from actual physical objects. But that's also the medium of classic Warner Brothers cartoons, Rocky and Bullwinkle, American Saturday morning cartoons, and a lot of Canadian and European material as well. It's called "animation."

And yet I can recognize anime as something distinctive, both by the visual style of the drawings and by certain recurrent tropes. I can even look at certain American creations and say, "Ah, now this one has a definite Japanese influence."

I think I'm going with style, or maybe family of related styles.

Bill

[Xenarthral]

Originally Posted by whswhs

It's called "animation."

Yes, and nobody who, if you pardon the expression, is in their right mind would
suggest a GURPS Animation sourcebook or make an "Animation The Role-playing
Game". As Kromm said it makes as much sense as GURPS Comics or GURPS
Television.

I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with "family of related styles", but it makes more
sense.

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by robkelk

Acknowledgement that you used one of the FAQS on my website as a reference. After all, it is the seminal list of good anime (which I hope hasn't suffered too much under my care), predating even the World-Wide Web.

Well, you do lack one recent Gainax production in that list.