GURPS Anime...what should be in it?

[David L Pulver]

Originally Posted by Mark Skarr

I left out a lot, but I did it on purpose. I left out Code Geass, I left out Crusher Joe, I left out Voltron, I left out Tranzor Z/Mazinger Z. David Pulver listed two other ones that I left out: Bokurano and Rideback. I couldn't possibly hope to list every Mecha Anime show and give a two or three GURPS book breakdown for them all.

Hentai titles though . . .. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I covered quite a lot of titles in GURPS Mecha. And more in d20 Mecha's biblio, where I provide a four page list of titles and one-line summaries of about, oh, 150 series focusing on giant robots, spaceships, or other vehicles.

I'm still continuing my quest to watch *every* mecha series. I finally recently saw Dragon Century (obscure but interesting OAV from the late 80s).

If you want mecha and tentacles, Iczer One is my favorite. For mecha-bikers and sex, Pop Chaser is nicely done.

[David L Pulver]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

And don't forget The Vision of Escaflowne (Mecha+Romance+Tragedy)

Sincerely, one of my favorite anime series (though I would not touch the OVA with a 10 foot pole)

[/url]

I should point out that stuff like Escaflowne, Rayearth, Sakura Wars, Metal Fighters Miku (battlesuit wrestling) etc. are referenced in GURPS Mecha which does indeed include magical mecha, steam punk mecha, etc. and campaign notes on running high fantasy games and so on with mecha .

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

Also, I'm surprised that no one has mentioned In Nomine Anime

Bah. That lists Belldandy as a Mercurian of Flowers, when everybody knows she's really a Mercurian of Faith...

(I suppose I really should work up some GURPS In Nomine stats to add to that page, shouldn't I?)

[Mgellis]

Originally Posted by David L Pulver

I think the best option is to simply present a *setting* that is based on those elements from particular anime that you don't find reflected in other settings. The games Exalted and CthulhuTech are examples of this. The other approach is to pick an easily defined sub-genre - military mecha, shirow-style cyberpunk, pocket monsters, supernatural martial arts, maid comedy, etc. A third approach that is also viable is to just do a sourcebook that provides useful data on whatever aspect of modern Japanese society reflected in anime you want to emphasize: street racing, high school, j-pop music and idols, whatever. For example, a " Japan Pop/Idol" sourcebook covering making it in Japanese-style showbiz as a teen could let you do NANA, DETROIT METAL CITY, SKIP BEAT, and K-ON! and with crossovers handle MACROSS FRONTIER...

I like all of these options. Although I still think it would be possible to do an e-book covering the major tropes, etc. (following books like Supers and Mysteries as a model), I'm willing to concede more focused titles might work better. Certainly, that seems to be conclusion of writers with a lot more experience than myself, so I take those ideas very seriously.

Earlier, in fact, I suggested we might have...

GURPS Locations: A Quiet Little Village in Japan

...and...

GURPS Locations: Anime High School. There's no reason we could not also have titles like GURPS Modern: J-Pop, GURPS Infinite Worlds: Mecha-1, and so on.

So...what other titles would people want to see?

Mark

P.S. I was not trying to chide Mark Skarr for leaving out Demonbane; I know he wasn't trying to provide a comprehensive list. I am just amused by Demonbane. While the series itself is rather average, I think it does deserve a special kind of kudos for having one of the loopiest main concepts I've seen in a long time...and I think one of the attractions of anime is that just when you think it can't get any stranger, those nice people in Tokyo pull out the stops one more time and prove that, yes, it can. :)

[Mark Skarr]

Originally Posted by David L Pulver

I'm still continuing my quest to watch *every* mecha series. I finally recently saw Dragon Century (obscure but interesting OAV from the late 80s).

You and MonkeyFist would get along marvelously. He did want to point out that Bokurano is not an Mecha anime, it's just got Mecha because no one was going to green-light a series about kids pit-fighting to the death.

Originally Posted by David L Pulver

If you want mecha and tentacles, Iczer One is my favorite. For mecha-bikers and sex, Pop Chaser is nicely done.

I never could get into Iczer One. I haven't actually seen Pop Chaser, I'll have to check that out. I think MonkeyFist has a copy of that Creamy Lemon around here, somewhere.

Originally Posted by Mgellis

I like all of these options. Although I still think it would be possible to do an e-book covering the major tropes, etc.

I don't think you could have a single book that could cover enough ground to be A) useful or B) affordable. And if you're just looking to cover tropes . . . I hesitantly point you to tvtropes.org. I say "hesitantly" since I've lost many days of productivity to surfing that site.

Originally Posted by Mgellis

I was not trying to chide Mark Skarr for leaving out Demonbane

I take nothing personally about your post. It's all good!

As my own P.S. I want to comment that in no way am I attempting to belittle David L. Pulver's GURPS Mecha or his contributions to Anime in Gaming. I have picked up books with the thought "Hey! David Pulver's name is on this book, I should look at it!" I hold him in the same regard that I hold Bill Stoddard. I may never use the book but I will buy it simply simply out of respect.