Why do we generally see only one person per type of magic? Why do we usually see only one person using a type of magic? Look at Cana's magic for example. Out of everything shown via the Anime, no one else has used it on their own. Same with Reedus, Makarov, Evergreen, Bickslow, Gildarts, Jura, Erza (Knight), and many other people.

I can understand why limited number of people use the rare/lost magic (Dragon Slayer and other lost types), but what about the more modern magics?

In Episode 222 of the Anime, Lucy want to learn transformation magic from Mirajane (and some others join in).

So it is possible but really hard and requires a large effort than mastering his own type of magic. Besides it was too complicated for her.

It is like talent. Additionally not all types of magic are accessible to everyone because of missing prerequisites, such as dragon slayer and god slayer magic, which requires an dragon teaching an infant from the beginning or a lacrima crystal implant.

There are also magic wilders like Rufus Lore who creates new spells based on those he memorizes. Although one might argue that it's his magic which allows him doing so.


Are all Cowboy Bebop's episodes named after songs? I noticed that some episodes are named after existing songs.

As an example, the fourteenth episode name is "Bohemian Rhapsody",  which is a famous song from the music band Queen

Are all Cowboy Bebop's episodes named after existing songs?

Not all episodes are named after songs but most of them are and they are all named after cultural references.

1 - Asteroid Blues

  The blues is a well known music genre

2 - Stray Dog Strut

  Stray Cat Strut is one of the most famous songs of the band Stray Cats

3 - Honky Tonk Women

  Honky Tonk Women is a song composed by the Rolling Stones

4 - Gateway Shuffle

  The Shuffle or Melbourne Shuffle is a rave and club dance

5 - Ballad of Fallen Angels

  Fallen Angels is a song composed by the band Aerosmith

6 - Sympathy for the Devil

  Sympathy for the Devil is a song made by the Rolling Stones

7 - Heavy Metal Queen

  Heavy Metal is a rock/metal music genre

8 - Waltz for Venus

  Waltz is both a music genre and a dance. For more, see this answer
  Waltz for Debbie is both a song and an album composed by Bill Evans

9 - Jamming with Edward

  Jamming with Edward is an album released in 1972 by the Rolling Stones

10 - Ganymede Elegy

  Elegy is a Dutch Power Metal band.
  An elegy is also a type poem

11 - Toy in the Attic

  Toys in the Attic is both a song and an album composed by the band Aerosmith

12 & 13 - Jupiter Jazz

  Jazz is a genre of music

14 - Bohemian Rhapsody

  Bohemian Rhapsody is a song composed by Queen.

15 - My Funny Valentine

  There are multiple possible references.

  The album by Miles Davis
  The music by Frank Sinatra
  My Bloody Valentine is an alternative rock band

16 - Black Dog Serenade

  Black Dog is a song composed by the band Led Zeppelin. A serenade is a type of song.

17 - Mushroom Samba

  Samba is a Brazilian song and dance genre

18 - Speak Like a Child

  Speak Like a Child is an album made by Herbie Hancock

19 - Wild Horses

  Wild horses is a song composed by the Rolling Stones

20 - Pierrot Le Fou

  Pierrot Le Fou is a 1965 postmodern film directed by the French and Swiss filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, who was one of the founding members of the French New Wave in cinema.

21 - Boogie Woogie Feng Shui

  Boogie Woogie is a musical genre

22 - Cowboy Funk

  Funk is a genre of music

23 - Brain Scratch

  Evil Brain Rejector is a song composed by Lee "Scratch" Perry (album Jamaican E.T.)

24 - Hard Luck Woman

  Hard Luck Woman is a song composed by the band KISS

25 & 26 - The Real Folk Blues

  The Real Folk Blues is a song composed by John Lee Hooker


Exactly what is Aizawa-sensei's quirk? In My Hero Academia, chapter 6:

   Midoriya throws the ball, and Aizawa erases his Quirk, making him fail a first time.

During this time, he grabs the student with his scarf, while not touching it. The drawn version is ambiguous, but the anime version is clear about that statement.

How so ? His quirk is only quirk erasing, not something about gravity or scarf controlling. Is there even a valid reason about that ?

Links to evidence:

Video extract (sorry for the commercial channel)

Aizawa-sensei's quirk is Erasure:

Shota's Quirk gives him the ability to nullify anyone's Quirk by looking at them.

The cloth like material is not a quirk nor is it quirk controlled. It is called the Capturing Weapon:

The Capturing Weapon is a cloth-like equipment made from carbon fibers and a special metal alloy. Shota Aizawa wears it around his neck at all times.
He is able to manipulate the weapon to ensnare his targets and immobilize them. He uses the weapon as a powerful combo with his Erasure Quirk and as a precaution for Mutant-type Quirk users who are immune to his nullification power.


In the end of the last episode of RahXephon, does everyone retain their old memories? In the last episode,

   after Ayato, Quon and Reika/RahXephon re-tune the world and made it so the events involving the Mulian never happened.

Haruka seems to have memories of the events that occurred before the tuning. Does everyone retain their memories or is it just her because she was with Ayato?

There is no answer to your question provided in the canon. After the tuning of the world, we only see a very short scene (at the very end of the final episode) showing Quon as a baby. It's safe to say that she probably remembers nothing. Ayato and Haruka (offscreen mostly) discuss things that indicate they may have some awareness of what happened, but to what extent they may have retained memories of it is impossible to say. Nobody else is referenced, so it's anybody's guess as to what the rest of the world knows/thinks.

Sorry to be so inconclusive.


What is happening in the "Depth of Field" specials? The Depth of Field specials (included with the BD/DVDs) depict Dekomori and Rika going at it against each other in giant, magically-powered CG mechs. What's the story behind this?

Are they roleplaying (while playing some game?) something or is this set in an alternate universe?

In Depth of Field: Phase 6, it is revealed that Rikka and Dekomori are engaged in some sort of role-play thing in the clubroom. They seem to be pretending that the cardboard boxes they wear are mechas.

The preceding episodes of Depth of Field depict the way they imagine their role-play fight to take place.


How does Brook stay together? Bones are kept together in the body by muscles and tendons. Since Brook has none of those, how does he stay together and move? Especially with him being able to open his skull, how does he not fall apart?

According to me his bones are together because of Devil fruit only.

According to this link:

  As long as his bones are not hurt any attacks will not go to his core
  like when Zeo beheaded Brook, his soul managed to repair it and
  connect his bones together again.

Also note

  Also, due to the Devil Fruit powers allowing it, Brook also has the
  ability to store objects in his skull by opening it along its crack.
  While Brook is able to do these things because of his Devil Fruit supported form

He has also mastered the energy his soul emits to the extent that he can reattach his bones by using this energy such as when he is beheaded he then attaches his head back with the help of it.

So because of his Devil Fruit power he managed to master and realized the true nature of Yomi Yomi no Mi and because of this only he is able to keep his bones together.


Is there a special meaning to the class name "2-H" (2-ふ)? Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is focused on the students of the class 2-H. Is there a hidden meaning to that class name or is it just a common class name in Japan?

I recently saw some other, possibly related anime, also with students in class 2-H, but I can't remember which one.

I'm not sure where you got the information that the students are in class 2-H. Wikipedia lists Nozomu's class as 2-へ (2-He). Here, the number indicates the year, while the character indicates what class in the year they are in. Since へ is the 6th character in Iroha order, this would correspond to class 2-F. Incidentally, 2-ふ would be the 32nd class in year 2, which is far more than most Japanese high schools would have.

There's nothing really unusual about having 6 or more classes in a given year. It is a bit unusual that they're labeled in Iroha order, which is pretty old fashioned. It's more common (in my experience) for classes to be labeled with letters in the Roman alphabet or with numbers. I don't think there's any deep meaning to using this though; it just conjures a sort of old-fashioned feeling.

I can't think of any hidden meaning to 2-へ, but I have not read to the end of the manga so there could be something revealed at the end. If there is such a meaning, though, it isn't obvious and it certainly doesn't apply to other anime which have this same class name. The name is a pretty normal one, if old fashioned.


Where can I watch "Attack on Titan" in Germany since it's not available on Crunchyroll? I will be honest, I am not a fan of Anime. But my daughter is.
I wanted to surprise her with Anime gift.
Long story short, we live in Germany. For a while she was mentioning a cool website where one can watch anime for a monthly subscription (in title). So after a while, I went and bought a premium membership. But it seems that most of the videos are not available in Germany.
This is the message I see (Attack on Titan case):

Sorry, due to licensing limitations, videos are unavailable in your
region: Attack on Titan

I read a bit, and this is really stupid. I expect for a payed membership to be able to watch a content.
What are my options?

I feel you. Copyright restrictions are stupid. They are complex and vary from country to country. The copyright owners apparently only licensed Crunchyroll to air this show in certain countries, Germany not one of them. Get a refund from Crunchyroll. And try Netflix. Attack on Titan is available on Netflix Germany.
Caveat
I think only the first season is available on Netflix Germany. DVD is another option worth looking into if your daughter wants to watch all the available episodes.


Does Mine die in Akame ga Kill! manga? I have watched all the anime episodes and Mine dies in episode 22.

Does she die in the manga as well? I read the last few chapters of the manga where Tatsumi speaks about her like she is not dead.

No, she didn't die in the manga. However, in order to defeat General Budo, she used all her power in the final attack with Pumpkin and fell in a vegetative state as a result.

This happened in Chapter 56:

In the last chapter (Chapter 78),

   she's shown to regain consciousness after Tatsumi's return from the battlefield. It is also mentioned that they had children and lived a gentle and peaceful life.


An anime about two demons being teleported from medieval time to future That anime was about two demons being teleported from medieval time to future. They were on some island surrounded by another 4 islands. On the main one in the middle were demons, and they kept attacking them. One day they all attacked at the main island and king of demons with his assistant/friend teleported with time gate or something to the future.

I think you are remembering Hataraku Maou-sama! (The Devil is a Part-Timer!).

  The Demon Lord and one of his generals, Alciel, escape Ente Isla through a portal to modern Tokyo, Japan after being confronted by the Hero Emilia Justina and her companions.

On the wikia page about Ente Isla:

  Ente Isla is a world that lies on the Ocean of Ignoria, consisting of one large central island with four smaller islands to the north, south, east, and west. It is laid out in the shape of a cross.


Explanation is needed at the end of Corpse Party - Tortured Souls OVA I can't figure out what's going on at the end of episode 4 of the OVA. When Satoshi, Naomi and Ayumi finally preparing the ritual to go back to their own world, Satoshi told Naomi that he knows she took other person's paper scrap. Then, he gave her his paper scrap because he had Yuka's (his sister) one.

And then, at the final scene, they made it without Satoshi. What's wrong here? If they can't use other person's paper scrap, then why Naomi still alive? Wait, I guess they can use other person's paper scrap but can't use deceased one (like Satoshi use his dead sister's one)? If so, does Satoshi purposely sacrifice himself to let Naomi escape? It's confusing though, well, I watched the OVA but didn't played the game before.

Finally found a screenshot of the other student's ID.

Satoshi was using Yuuya's scrap, not his sister's; this resulted in his death on trying to return to his world. This is due to Yuuya not being a part of the ritual that Class 2-9 held, so his scrap could not bring Satoshi back.


What's the medical condition Whitebeard has? Whitebeard had a clear medical condition and it seemingly wasn't just old age. What was it, and why does he have it?

What did it impact?

According to the One Piece Wikia, it is just old age.

  While not in battle, Whitebeard was typically on oxygen and attached
  to several medical sensor machines, due to health issues concerning
  his age.


Was Cloud and Tifa living together and raising kids in Advent Children? In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, was Cloud and Tifa living together and raising kids?

We can clearly see that Tifa seeing a room (looks like Cloud's room) when she was trying to pick up the phone ringing (at first minute of the movie).

According to the Wikia they do live together

  Concerned with this new development, Rufus attempts to make contact with the now retired members of AVALANCHE, specifically with Cloud Strife, who now lives in the newly built city of Edge with another AVALANCHE member, Tifa Lockhart, and two children, Marlene Wallace and Denzel, who is infected with Geostigma.

Source: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children > Story

as you can see Rufus was trying to reach Cloud when he called Tifa.

as for the kids. they aren't their own if that's what you are wondering. they are

Marlene Wallace: the daughter of Barret's friends Dyne and Eleanor who Barret adopted after Corel was burned down by Shina. Tifa has been looking after her since before Advent Children as Marlene was shown in 7th Heaven in Midgar Sector 7 Slums
Denzel: a boy who used to live on the Sector 7 Plate before Shinra blew up the pillar. after the game but before the movie Denzel found Cloud's bike and called the last number on his phone which was the number to 7th Heaven in Edge before succumbing to his Geostigma only for Cloud to find him. Tifa and Cloud take him in as they felt responsible for Sector 7's destruction (as they couldn't stop it)
(After the film)

   Shelke Rui: former member of Deepground who after helping Vincent fight Omega, started living out the 10 years she lost while in Deepground with Tifa and Cloud

^ added that because i did hear they make an appearance at the end of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete


Is there any reference which confirms that Meruem is much more powerful than Hisoka? In the Hunter X Hunter anime, Meruem is said to be (arguably) the strongest character in the series. However while reading about Hisoka, I found that he once thought to challenge Ging to a battle to death, which seems astonishing because Netero once said that Ging is one of the five best Nen users in the world.

Is there any reference (either in the manga or in the anime) that conclusively says that Meruem is far more powerful than Hisoka?

Note: In the anime, Neferpitou's aura is reported to have much more murderous intent that both Hisoka and Illumi's, but I don't know whether it necessarily implies that Hisoka is weaker than Meruem.

Meruem is actually the strongest living being in term of Nen Aura. This is also due to his Nen consumption ability, as seen in his wiki article:

  Meruem's initial ability gives him strength through consumption.
  Meruem's aura grows every time he devours a user of Nen, with their
  aura synthesizing to his own.

Additionally, Netero, who was one of the strongest characters in Hunter X Hunter, couldn't really beat Meruem. Don't forget what he said to Meruem when he met him:

  When? When did I start waiting for my opponent to make the first move?
  When, indeed? It became a routine. The loser held out his hands in
  gratitude for the lesson and I graciously accepted without skipping a
  beat. As if that was what I wanted!! That's not how it should be!! For
  so long, I sought the height of perfection. I dreamed of giving my
  heart and soul to battle an unstoppable adversary!! I'm a lucky man.
  I'm thankful for everything that led me to this point...that led me to
  you!!

So considering this, Hisoka has to be weaker than Netero, who is indeed weaker than Meruem.

But as already said in Kalilz's answer:

  When it comes to a fight between Nen users, pure power doesn't mean everything. One may have an ability than can overpower a type of opponent.


Has super saiyan kaioken ever been animated in Dragon Ball Heroes? The Dragon Ball Heroes wikia claims Xeno Vegito can use the super saiyan kaioken technique and there is this picture of it, which I dont know where it comes from.

Super Saiyan Kaioken Dragon Ball wikia
Does it come from a card, or has super saiyan kaioken ever been animated in Dragon Ball Heroes?

Dragon Ball Heroes is an independent series with its own story arcs as well as original characters. It also uses both the plot and characters from both Dragon Ball Super and GT to fuel its storyline, but it does not affect either of the series. So therefor, no. This is proven at this Link.


Can a clone be in sync with its original user when it is still active? In manga, chapter 647, I saw that First Hokage's wood clone was able hear the discussion between original (Edo-Tensei) Hashirama and Madara Uchiha. Is this possible?

I have seen that Yamato's wood clone was not able to communicate with his original, that's why he was using earpiece. I also know that, once the shadow-clones are cancelled the original user will get its experience.

To understand this you need to dive a bit deeper into the wood style cloning technique

  A clone that is created by using chakra to alter the user's own cells into vegetation. The clones can be as simple in function as a wooden dummy for use in the Body Replacement Technique or completely mobile and able to perform techniques. They have the ability to travel far from the user and are able to communicate with the original. source

Depending on how complicated you make the wood clone yourself it will even be able to communicate. Yamato also should be able to communicate with his wood clone, although this might be harder for him as he does have some of hashiramas cells. But is not as strong/ chakra rich as him

  Because they share the same cells, Yamato is able to track its location, communicate with it over long distances, and absorb any information it has gathered by laying his hand on it. Yamato can also use a seed form variant to this technique that operates in the same way: he is able to track anyone that he plants the seeds on by its response to his chakra. source


In which Gundam series does Heroo Yuy appear? Which of the Gundam anime have the character, Heroo Yuy?

There are so many titles dating from different years, I could not remember the year I watched those before.

His name is obviously Heero Yuy as DuckDuckGo and Wikipedia suggest.

  Heero Yuy (ヒイロ・ユイ Hiiro Yui, derived from Japanese hito, lit. "one") is the pilot of the XXXG-01W Wing Gundam and its ancestor/successor, the XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero. He is the main protagonist of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and of several derivative works that make up the After Colony timeline.

Source: Gundam.Wikia.com


Are anime and manga subsidized or actively used by Japanese government to promote Japanese culture/relations internationally? Around 2003-2005, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) produces some documents highlighting the importance of manga and anime to promote Japan culture and international/business relations overseas.

The now unavailable online issue of Jetro Business Topics, "Japan's Soft Power Moves into the Limelight" (2 Sept 2004) by Tsutomu Sugiura, Marubeni Research Institute director at time, stated:

  If, for instance, children overseas learn to love anime, they may continue to feel a fondness for things Japanese as they grow older. And it is possible that such friendly feelings will translate into business deals involving Japan after they become adults.

directly citing the Soft Power concept by Joseph Nye. Similar concepts are expressed here by the same Tsutomu Sugiura, identifying the phenomena as "third wave of Japonism", where animation and videogames are:

  capturing the essence of Japanese character and lifestyle disseminates Japanese culture and Japanese soul to young people the world over

A document produced by JETRO Economic Research Department on March 2005 titled "Cool Japan's Economy Warms Up" associate it with the "Gross National Cool" cultural index theorized by Douglas McGray, and soft power concept is cited again.

After 7 years, are these concept actually implemented by the Japanese administration? Are there documents related to direct intervention by the Japanese government to spread or boost the anime and manga industry overseas aiming to these goals in international relations?

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has sponsored many programs that uses anime to promote culture and tourism. Last year, they published an English-language "Japan Anime Map" that highlights the locales in the country with ties to anime.

The map provides info on the various real-life settings in animes such as Lucky Star, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, true tears, and Summer Wars.

It also lists anime-related museums and theme parks such as Sanrio Puroland, Studio Ghibli Museum, and the Kyoto International Manga Museum.

Info on anime-related shopping areas such as Tokyo's Akihabara, Nagoya's Osu Electric Town, and Osaka's Nipponbashi (aka Den Den Town). Also included are shopping suggestions for souvenirs to bring back such as Gundam plastic models, soft vinyl toys, and Nendoroid figures.

Naturally it also provides insight on on otaku culture topics such as cosplay, figures, and games, and also anime-related events such as Comic Market and World Cosplay Summit

The JNTO had previously collaborated with the Hakone Tourist Association to produce the "Evangelion Hakone Instrumentality Map: English Version," and the "Cool Japan Poster: Hakone" to cover the town of Hakone near Tokyo.

One of the more noticeable ones is the Young Animator Training Project.

In 2010, the Agency of Cultural Affairs of Japan invested 214 million yen (over 2 million USD) in the so-called "Young Animator Training Project" and entrusted the execution of the project to the Japan Animation Creators Association (JaniCA).

In the following years JaniCA produced several original anime in cooperation with different production studios, continuing to receive money from the Japanese government. Each of the single episode anime was 23 minutes long. Young animators receive on-the-job-trainings under the supervision of professional anime creators as the works are shown on TV and/or at anime events.

One of the reasons that the Agency for Cultural Affairs is supporting this initiative is the concern that more of the Japanese animation process is being outsourced overseas -- thus leading to a decline in opportunities to teach animation techniques within Japan.

For those interested, here is the trailer for the four shorts for Anime Mirai 2013 Young Animator Training Project, scheduled to premiere March 2.


What was Incursio's trump card ability? According to the definition of a trump card, it is the ultimate Teigu's ability, one that often comes with a risk to the user's life.

It is true for several Teigu, like Murasame (infecting oneself with the fatal poison and the regret of everyone slain by it), Susano-o (giving up one's life force to the Teigu, said to be usable only three times before certain death).

Wikia has on the Trump Card:

  Several Teigu were shown to have a hidden ability (奥の手, oku no te, lit. secret move), often referred to as "Trump Card" or "Ace in the Hole". (...) Usually, such moves are the most powerful, last resort ones. (emphasis mine).

Wikia lists the invisibility power as Incursio trump card. It goes against the very definition, since it has no risk (exaustive, yes, but not life-threatening) and is used in almost the time.

So I have to disagree with that definition. I think that Incursio Trump card is the evolutionary power. It is shown in the Manga that Tatsumi is being consumed by Incursio due to the repeated evolutions:

  However because Tatsumi forced Incursio to evolve rapidly to increase his strength, Incursio started to manifest in one of Tatsumi's eyes. After being examined by a doctor, he reveals that the armor has started to bond with him. He also states that after a few years Tatsumi could use it without overdoing it like Bulat. Now at the risk of being devoured by Incursio (...) (emphasis mine).

So, what is the trump card of Incursio? Is there any official or canon material on the issue?

I do not think that the adaption and evolution can be counted as a trump card.

Before Tatsumi, Bullat and Gensei also were users of the Teigu Incursio.
Both Bullat and Gensei did not unlock the capability of evolution in the Teigu like Tatsumi did. This might be due to them not being skilled enough to or just because Tatsumi has so much hidden potential.

With that said for most Incursio users the invisibility most likely will be the actual trump card, with the only life losing risk being

  As noted, a weakness of the invisibility is that while it masks the user visually from the naked eye, it does not hide their "presence", allowing skilled opponents to sense the user despite the invisibility.

The fact that Tatsumi did manage to awaken this power from the Teigu, most likely is due to his hidden potentional, which seems to get stated by allot of characters through out the series as well

  Tatsumi's name means "Sleeping Dragon", which seems to be a reference to his hidden potential, which has been noted by many different characters in the series. The first creature he was shown fighting was an Earth Dragon, and he later obtained the "Demon Dragon" Teigu.


Is Jiren a Fusion Character? As we know Jiren is a Over powered character. Even Beerus was mind blown when he released his Ki questioning whether this really the energy from just one warrior?! What if Jiren is a  Fusion Character and he meditates in order to control the insane power within?

I understand why you would think that as fused characters tend to be very strong. However, it is certainly possible for even a regular character to be stronger than a fusion. For example, SSJB Goku was holding his own against a Kefla, Base Vegeta beats up SSJ3 Gotenks etcThat said, Jiren's level of power is not an unattainable feat. At least his base power was compared to a God of Destruction and all of the G.O.D are random individuals who have trained to attain their levels of strength. Even Goku achieves a level far beyond when he masters Ultra Instinct. Even Broly was able to reach a level comparable to a G.O.D.Plus, being a fusion would completely contradict Jiren's character. Jiren has been indicated to be a loner who doesn't seek help from anyone and would much rather work by himself on account of his traumatic past. Fusion would imply he's dependent on someone else for his strength. So clearly, the character is not a fusion.


Why is Zen Oh Sama destroying universes? Why are the Zen-Ohs going to destroy the universes that lose in the tournament of Power ? It seems rather brutal and pointless, and make the Zen-Ohs look evil just for the sake of being evil.

By now the anime has provided a clear answer (though if you're only following the broadcast of the dub you're not quite to it yet):

   The whole tournament and super dragonball wish was a secret test of character.  Wishing back all of the universes was essentially the only correct and allowed wish.  If a selfish wish had been made, they were going to take it as proof that those Universes are, in fact, not worth keeping, and all of them would be destroyed.  But wishing them back would be a testament to the caliber of the denizens of these universes, such that they would be returned and spared.

Oddly, this seems to be a little different in the manga:

   None of the "secret test of character" stuff gets brought up at all.  Seventeen says he wants to wish all the universes back if the super dragonballs can do so, and the Grand Minister confirms that they can. So they're wished back and that's pretty much the end of it. All that's said is that the wish elevated Universe 7's rank by one position.  Which does at least say that such a wish was (highly?) valued, but not nearly at the level it seems to have been in the anime.


Why does Naegi call Togami "kun" and Aoi "san"? In Japanese, "kun" is more casual and usually used for friends or those on the same level or lower in the "hierarchy" while "san" is more formal and used for those higher up in the "hierarchy" (older, in a higher grade at school, or in a higher-up position in the workplace.)

It seems that Naegi is a lot closer to Aoi than Togami. He spends a lot more time with her in Danganronpa the Animation and is together with her the whole time in Danganronpa 3: Side Future. They are also in the same grade.

It seems to me he should be calling Aoi "chan" and Togami "san" if anything.

Japanese honorifics can be confusing to non-Japanese (personally, I was still confused when reading this question). However, other than the suffix (-san, -kun, etc.), which part of the name is also (if not, more) important. Note that their full names are Byakuya Togami and Aoi Asahina (given name - surname).

By calling Byakuya Togami as Togami-kun, it means that Naegi respects him, but their relationship is not that close (using family name). Kun, in this case, is used to refer men in general (or, male friend). Probably, he didn't call him Togami-san because it's too formal.

By calling Aoi Asahina as Aoi-san, it also means that Naegi respects her, and their relationship is closer than between Naegi and Togami (using given name). San, in this case, is also a respectful way to refer anyone (kun can also be used to refer women, but it's more a rarer and special case). As for why he didn't call her Aoi-chan, it's probably because they're still not that close, not until he found her endearing.

Although the question didn't ask, the more confusing thing is why Naegi calls Kyouko Kirigiri as Kirigiri-san, despite their closeness and also love interest. One can suggest that because he respects her more than anyone, but can't get closer in relationship. Naegi once tried to call her cute in Danganronpa (the game, in Another Story), and she acted embarrassed at first, but soon it was revealed that she was actually fooling him. Considering that she looks tough, more likely a tsundere that doesn't easily show her dere side, Naegi was having a hard time to feel closer to her.


Why didn't Kushina die when the Nine Tails was released from her? When Tobi came to release the Nine Tails from Kushina, and successfully did, and after Kushina was stabbed by Kurama, why didn't she die?

   When Kurama was extracted from Naruto, Naruto immediately passed out, and would have died if it weren't for Sakura.

She didn't die immediately for the same reason why Kurama, Nine Tails, was put in her in the first place. She inherited her clan's, the Uzumaki, extremely big amount of chakra.

  Kushina was eventually told why she had to leave her home of Uzushio and go to Konoha; because of her special chakra, she was to be the next jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.

In the statement above is indicating her special chakra.

  As an Uzumaki, Kushina was blessed with a strong life-force, granting her tremendous chakra reserves and vitality. This also gave her tremendous stamina, healing powers, and longevity. Ultimately, this trait let her survive the Nine-Tails' extraction minutes after giving birth, and still provided great aid to Minato on the battlefield shortly after despite her heavy exhaustion. Likewise, while still weakened, she did not die immediately from being impaled by the Nine-Tails' claw. Even by her clan's standards, Kushina possessed a powerful and special form of chakra that made her well-suited for becoming a jinchūriki, effectively sealing the entirety of the Nine-Tails inside her and further enhancing her reserves.

The one above talks Kushina's chakra, why she survived the extraction of Kurama, why she was still alive even after Kurama's claw stabbed her, and why she was a perfect candidate to become a Jinchūriki.

  The vitality inherent to the Uzumaki clan allowed her to survive the extraction, though greatly weakened by experience, the masked ninja tried to have the Nine-Tails finish Kushina off.

The one above and the second one mention her getting weaker once Kurama was extracted from her.

  Uzumaki naturally possess incredibly strong life forces, granting them very long lifespans; Mito Uzumaki was born before the founding of Konoha yet lived well into the reign of the Third Hokage. This also enables them to recover from injuries and exhaustion in short periods of time, enough to survive the removal of tailed beasts, although they are still left near death afterwards. Uzumaki also have the ability to heal and rejuvenate allies by having their allies bite them and suck their chakra. It is dangerous however to use this ability too regularly. At least one member has displayed a unique sensory ability.

The one above is technically saying that the Uzumaki have special traits that let them live more than others, just like Mito, and the ability to heal others, just like Karin. They can also recover from injuries and they can even survive a Tailed Beast extraction but they will be left near death,

   just like Naruto when Kurama was extracted from him.

Kushina didn't die immediately because of her inheritance of her clan (this is the reason why she was still alive). But she did die from Kurama's claw because she was already weakened from his extraction, and the claw opened a bigger wound that was not healed immediately.

Sources:

Kushina Uzumaki
Uzumaki Clan


How different are the anime and manga versions of Nichijou? I was considering starting to watch the Nichijou anime series, and then thought that maybe I should read the manga first. Then I noticed that MAL lists Helvetica Standard as Nichijou's manga side-story, and that there is also an OVA listed as a prequel to the anime series, and 14 1-minute special episodes listed as the anime's side-story.
Bearing all this in mind, I thought I might as well ask:

Is the anime (including the OVA and specials) a faithful adaptation of the manga (including the side-story), with only slight variations? Or does it add a lot of new content, and possibly stray from the original content?
Or should they be regarded as two separate pieces?

Having seen the anime and read some of the manga (I own the first volume), I would have to say that the differences are minor. The only real exception is that Nano starts going to school for the first time in Vol.1 and then later I think it shifts the focus back in time to before she went.

The anime simply re-arranged this and some other events for convenience's sake.

I would still suggest reading it though, as while I am pretty sure most of the anime comes from scenes in the manga, the manga naturally has more content and as it is still running at time of writing, more will be added.

Only a few scenes were taken from Helvetica Standard though, so I would also suggest reading that too. Some of them are less random and could fit in Nichijou as well.


Are all namekians brothers? IIRC , all namekians were born from the grand elder, but apparently in the new chapter of the Dragon Ball Super manga they say

   One character who heals Goku and Vegeta is Dende's brother. If he's Dende's brother, does this mean the other namekians arent his brothers?

Then, are all namekians brothers or not?

There was a population bottleneck due to an ecological crisis in Namek's history, so most remaining Namekians originate from a single Namekian, Grand Elder Guru. So most Namekians are brothers.

There were a few Namekians who were sent away from the planet prior to the climate shift though, and so these Namekians would be further apart on the family tree. Among those who survived, there was most notably the child of Katas, the Namekian who later split himself into King Piccolo and Earth's Kami.

Some highlights of the Namekian family tree are as follows:

Katas had the Nameless Namekian.

The Nameless Namekian split into King Piccolo and Kami.

Kami created Shenlong, the dragon for the Earth Dragon Balls.
King Piccolo had Drum, Tambourine, Cymbal, Piano, Piccolo Jr, and a bunch of other offspring.

Piccolo Jr fused with Nail, and then after that, Kami.

Grand Elder Guru had Nail, Moori, Dende, Cargo, and 105 other Namekians. He also created Porunga, the dragon for the Namekian Dragon Balls.

Nail fused with Piccolo Jr.
Dende resurrected Shenlong.


Why did Lelouch and Nunnally allow themselves to be seen in public? After the Second Pacific War and Invasion of Japan, Lelouch and Nunnally decided to live under false identities (not to have plastic surgery and be seen in public).

Why? What exactly were they thinking? They really wouldn't be recognised? I seem to recall Cornelia and Kirihara recognised Lelouch.

The risk really wasn't all that great. Without the geass power, Lelouch never would've met Cornelia or Kirihara or any of the others that recognized Lelouch (Clovas, Euphy, etc...). Cornelia because Clovas would've stayed alive so there would've been no need for her to become Viceroy. Kirihara because he wouldn't have needed to meet with the 6 head families, remember he only meets Kirihara/reveals his identity to secure support for the Black Knights.

To expand:

While they lived at a school for Brittanians, Brittania is very caste based, and the castes don't mix much, besides a few outliers like Euphy the royal family doesn't mingle with commoners. Which is what the Knights of the Round call Ashford Academy when they transfer to it. So no real chance of running into someone who would recognize them there.

As for those few - and it was very few - Japanese who knew their secret, they also all knew that he hates the empire and why he was exiled to Japan in the first place. So they are far more likely, if they ever ran into him, to support him and hide him from the Brittanians then to out him. As can be seen by Kirihara immediately throwing his support behind Zero when he learns that Zero is Lelouch.

Finally: (This block doesn't actually effect Lelouch's decision to be in public since it's not known to him at the time, but it's interesting to note for us viewers, since it explains why they were so safe for the 7 years before Lelouch gets geass.)

   At the end of Season 2 we learn that none of Lelouch's siblings were actually after him and his sister and mother when they were younger. In fact from their reactions they all actually seem to miss them. We also learn that the Emperor wasn't after them either and in-fact exiled them to Japan to keep them "safe" from his brother VV. And as far as we know VV wasn't actually hunting them again until CC came into their life and gave geass to Lelouch.  So no one in the Empire was actually hunting them at all.


Why wasn't Jiraiya brought back with Edo Tensei? Was it ever explained why Jiraiya wasn't brought back via Edo Tensei when just about every other powerful ninja in history was?

From my understanding, the summoner only needs a good bit of genetic material to bring someone back and Jiraiya's body was intact when he died.

The point is quite simple.

   In order to perform Edo Tensei you need a sample of DNA of the deceased. If you remember how Jiraiya died, he's been in the depth of the water and it's not feasible to recover him.

And indeed in this Wiki on Edo Tensei, it is stated that

   Kabuto wanted to reincarnate him, but his "body lies at the bottom of the ocean where the water pressure is too great to reach. However, he claimed that the bloodstains on the Six Paths of Pain's weapons may provide enough DNA."

 He wanted to reincarnate Shisui Uchiha too, but he "could not find his body, though he suggested that Shisui's crushed eye, which is in Tobi's possession, may be sufficient. Later, after learning that Shisui's other eye was on the battlefield, he seemed excited at the prospect of obtaining it. However, Itachi incinerated it."

If you're reading the Manga, the fact about Jiraiya is stated in the Volume 55, Chapter 520, page 14, so you can read if you got there:

    Kabuto: Unfortunately, I had no luck finding Uchiha Shisui's corpse, and Jiraiya's body rests deep in the ocean, below unfathomable depths.  Though Danzou's right eye and the Six Paths of Pain's weapons should still carry their DNA...

So, that's a pretty simple but fundamental requirement.


Is the dialog in the One Piece opening unique? In the latests one piece opening (opening 17 Wake Up) At around the 1:27 mark of the opening there is a short dialogue between Blackbeard and Luffy, with our Straw Hat hero telling Blackbeard it is him who will obtain One Piece and be the Pirate King!

Is this a unique feature made by One Piece just like their long openings instead of openings and endings. Or has it been used before/ is it more common to add a piece of dialog in between the opening of a series.

This is unique in this opening

There hasn't been any opening before with text between two characters. I've seen every opening and haven't seen it in earlier openings, that being said I don't know every ending of OP so I don't know if it was used in those before.

The piece of dialogue is just flavor, nothing more nothing less. It isn't shown anywhere in the anime or the manga. This is probably just to spice up the opening and set a premice for the opening battle that follows suit.

If any other anime did this please let me know or correct me but I haven't seen it anywhere before, but I haven't seen every anime so I can't say


Why aren't characters' names in Fullmetal Alchemist Japanese? In most anime, the character's names are usually common Japanese names (for example, Yuuki, Yoko, Chiharu, etc.). So, why in Fullmetal Alchemist are the characters' names more on the English side of things?

The main setting of FMA is in Amestris, which is a pastiche of various European countries, in particular, England. (See the answers to this question for more details.) We can readily see that English is used in-universe, for instance, when Hawkeye corresponds with Roy, writing in vol. 19 of the manga:

   SELIM BRADLEY IS HOMUNCULUS

Note that many character names are not actually "English" or even German, although fans often posit Amestris to be a parallel of Germany. Some examples:

Jean Havoc's first name is French -- in English, Jean is more commonly a female name and is also pronounced differently -- and Riza is possibly a Hungarian name. Olivier might sound English, but it is not an English spelling of the name Oliver.
With regards to the suggestion that the names are German, Hughes, Bradley, and Armstrong are at most rather English in nature. Similarly, the German equivalent of Jean would presumably be Johann -- see this webpage on the name.

I remember Arakawa stating she chose names at random from a dictionary of European names for more minor characters, on some of manga bonus pages. I don't remember the specific chapter where this appeared, but this is stated in one of the answers of the question I linked to and also readily comes up in search results for arakawa european name dictionary fullmetal alchemist.

So in short: the names are not Japanese because the setting is largely in a country derived from Western Europe of the late 19th or early 20th century. However, it is incorrect to say that the names are English or necessarily German in origin. Of course, it's possible that there's so much ethnic diversity in Amestris that some variation in names isn't entirely unexpected, but well, that supports the "pastiche of Europe" view of the setting more.


Is Ultra Instinct a Super Saiyan transformation or can anyone attain it? We know that Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2, Super Saiyan 3, Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue, Super Saiyan Rage, Legendary Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan Berserker, Super Saiyan Evolution, etc. are all Saiyan transformations, they can only be achieved by Saiyans. But what about Ultra Instinct? Could a human, a Namekian, a frost demon, etc. attain it?

The answer to this question can be drawn from a few scenes from Episode 110 of Dragon Ball Super:

Lord Beerus saying what transformation Goku might have gone through:

Lord Champa in shock after hearing what Beerus said:

The Supreme Kai realizing how Goku's movements linked to what he knew:

The Supreme Kai doubting Goku's ability to reach that transformation:

The Gods being pressurized by Goku's transformation:

All this would mean that it's not an exclusive Saiyan trait or transformation, but an extremely powerful and difficult ability that the Gods and other Omega level fighters are known to use.


Why did Kanon reincarnate in another race? So 2000 years ago Kanon and the demon king made a pact for peace, both died, and both reincarnated 2000 years after that. However, when the demon king reincarnated in his own race, Kanon who was human reincarnated as a demon. Why is that?
Why did Kanon reincarnate in another race?

I am assuming that you're asking as you've watched the most recent, episode nine. The answer lies back in episode two at 2:25:

In episode two it is mentioned that Kanon and Anos made a promise that if Kanon were resurrected that it would be as Anos' friend when they end the war between Humans and Demons. If Kanon were born human again as a hero he would be destined to fight the demon king again, where as if he were resurrected as a demon, this would not be the case. This would be why Lay was born with extraordinary swordsmanship abilities, as well as explain partially why his seven hearts were split to maintain in part his heroism in reincarnation.

Please note that at this stage in the anime this is still semi-speculation, but rather credible speculation at that. Anos confirms this at 11:00 - 11:14 in the anime in episode nine.


How did Aokiji survive Whitebeard's attack; observation Haki or something else? How did Aokiji survive Whitebeard's attack?

The attack was said to be imbued with Haki. According to Luffy and Rayleigh, Haki attacks should let someone punch even Logia users but it doesn't seem to be the case here.

Was it just observation Haki similar to Katakuri? The animation does look very different when you compare Aokiji vs Katakuri.

In Katakuri's case, you can clearly see his body making holes. While Aokiji's "dodge" seems to be just his normal Logia devil fruit power. Aokiji is also never shown with the red eyes.

Could this be some sort of awakened Logia?

Although we never got any official confirmation, it is heavily hinted to be similar to Katakuri's technique. Haki punches won't work if there's nothing there to hit.

The animation difference is just due to those scenes being hundreds of episodes apart. The red eyes are also something the anime started doing after the timeskip.


Why does Earth have two moons after the season finale? After the closing credits of episode 10 of Devilman: Crybaby, the series ends on an image of a reformed Earth with two moons.

Why does Earth have two moons at the end of Devilman: Crybaby?

The two moons are the two halves of the old moon split apart in the final battle.

This happened during the season finale but can also be seen in the ending credits and is alluded to in the opening. It holds symbolism for the main conflict of the show between Akira and Ryo. It also ties in with other works in the series as mentioned by @Sn0wCrack.


What is the music played during the fight between Juuzou and the Owl in episode 11 of Tokyo Ghoul Root A? What is the name of the music played at 11:50 in Tokyo Ghoul Root A, episode 11 when Juuzou and the other Ghoul investigators are fighting the Owl? I like that pretty much.

What I've found out is it's called "Tokyo Ghoul - Yukata Yamada"


Why is Blackbeard in Impel Down? I am currently watching One Piece and I'm at the part where Luffy is trying to escape Impel Down. Blackbeard appears at the entrance to Impel Down when Luffy and Co. starts the escape from Level 6.

I didn't understood what Blackbeard is looking for at Impel Down. In the first place, I thought he wanted to fight Magellan but after been poisoned, I think his goal wasn't this.

What is Blackbeard's purpose?

Well, if you really want to know, you can watch the arc to the end since everything will be "explained" there, or you can read the spoiler.

If you really want to know ahead, Darjeeling's comment told you what happened:

   The whole reason Blackbeard took the title (Shichibukai) is so he can gain access to Impel Down and recruit some new members. He descended to the last level (6) where the most dangerous criminals are held (for the info, even the existence of this level is unknown to the general public) and recruited the members there. However, he made a competition. He told the prisoners to kill each other in their cells and he will rescue the winners (take them into his crew). At the end, there were 4 prisoners left: Vasco Shot, Avalo Pizarro, Sanjuan Wolf and Catarina Devon. Alongside them, another person joined the crew,  the former chief guard of Impel Down, Shiryu (Shiliew). (From Wikia)

Anyway, I recommend you watch the anime/read the manga and find out this on your own.


Why did Saber possess Excalibur as Heroic Spirit but not Avalon? When Saber died, she should have lost both Excalibur and Avalon. The Einzbern are able to locate the latter in the present time, which they used as catalyst to summon her. Why is it that Saber still had Excalibur on her person when she was summoned as HS? (IIRC, it is sheathed by invisible air). The sword itself should have been left behind in the real world like Avalon was.

Fate/side material (2004-1-30), p.056 defines Heroic Spirits as:

  Heroes who achieved great things in life, and became objects of worship after death.

Saber is actually a special case in this matter. Saber did not die. When Saber was on the brink of death she made a contract with the world to become a heroic spirit after her death. Since the stories we see are in a time much later than the time Saber is in, she can of course be summoned, since Heroic Spirits are timeless. However, at the time of making this contract, she was not in possession of Avalon.

From Fate/complete material III World material:

  In the civil war that raged at the end of Artoria's reign, she and her son Mordred mortally wounded each other. At that moment, she made a pact with the World to serve as a Heroic Spirit after death. In exchange, she wished that the Holy Grail would redo the selection of the king.

Saber had lost Avalon before her death, and its loss had been engrained into the legend of King Arthur. While she did have Bedivere throw Excalibur back to the Lady of the Lake, it was with her until soon before she would pass away. It was then that Saber made the contract with the world, requesting she be given an opportunity to seek the grail in exchange for her becoming a Heroic Spirit.

Also from Fate/complete material III World material:

  In legend, the loss of this sheath cast an ominous pall over the life of King Arthur, eventually cascading into the collapse of the kingdom. In modern times, the Einzberns excavated Avalon at Cornwall and passed it into the hands of Emiya Kiritsugu.


Why are some Titan Shifters able to harden their Titan bodies when most can't? How can the Armored Titan and Annie in the Titan form harden their bodies, while Eren and the other Titan Shifters can't?

The fact that Annie can harden her Titan form and Eren couldn't is because there are different types of Titan power in existence.

The complete explanation is as below.

Massive Spoiler Alert

   In the manga it is later revealed that all Titan powers came from Ymir Fritz, an ancient Fritz family monarch. According to Eldian mythology, over 1,820 years ago, Ymir came across what is only described as the "source of all organic material". With this discovery, Ymir gained the power of the Titans, becoming the 'Progenitor of all Titans'.

 After 13 years Ymir met her death, and her "soul" was split between nine successors, giving these nine Titan powers. Throughout history, these powers are inherited by the 'Eldians' or the 'Subjects of Ymir'.

 The Titan power that Eren possesses is called the 'Attack Titan'(進撃の巨人 Shingeki no Kyojin). The names of powers of other Titan Shifters is not yet revealed but they are also among the nine.

 This the reason that the Titan Shifters possess different powers.

 Sources

   Ymir Fritz
   Eren Yeager


Why are there unreleased soundtracks? I'm quite familiar with the soundtracks of many anime, yet, especially for bigger anime, like Naruto, I notice that there are many soundtracks that are never officially released.

I can understand it if that soundtrack was very similar to another that was released, meaning it doesn't need any attention of its own, but there are plenty of amazing soundtracks that remain unreleased.

Why do they do this, especially after composers put so much hard work into them?

To answer this you have to understand how the anime market works.

Naruto and many long running series sell terribly on DVD, and for a lot of things the production company never even bothers to make Blurays. These shows are marketed to teenagers, and teenagers aren't spending $80 for three or four episodes of Naruto. The series is made to drive sales of the manga, and the action figures, and the fighting games.

It's not about the popularity of the series, but the collector's market. The people who spend money on this stuff in Japan are largely not into Naruto. For example:

Boruto is averaging 745 copies sold for each volume.

Last year's big hit Yuri on Ice is selling an average of 69,520 copies.

So no Japanese record label is likely to go all out and publish the complete Naruto soundtrack. They'd never earn what it costs to press the CDs.

So why don't the American distributors who sell Naruto put out the soundtrack?

Well, that's a separate license, and few are willing to pay. Since the days of Geneon going out of business, the anime soundtracks you CAN buy outside Japan are usually just imports.


Are anime characters drawn seperately? Are anime characters drawn separately or together?

For example, Boy A is near but Boy B is far, and both are dancing. Is Boy B only drawn for his movements same as Boy A, and with the use of a software, they will overlap a character depending who is near or far. More like a cel animation but with layers using a software.

And does this apply to every anime series and anime character movements like when Boy A and Boy B are fighting and both have interaction with their sword, are they drawn separately or together?

More like this, are both drawn together or separately but with the use of a software, the girl's hand overlap the boy's body

I am talking about hand-drawn animes in papers, not hand-drawn animes with a drawing tablet.

(I have posted the same topic but I didn't know where it went, I don't know if it was posted or not, sorry if I have made 2 same topics)

This is actually two, or even three, questions in one.
Movements in anime start and end with keyframes, everything else are inbetweeners.
How both keyframes and inbetweeners are drawn up is not just a matter of preference (which may impact how the final drawing comes to be), but also one of efficieny.

In your example, drawing the persons separately will allow much easier change in composition even though there is nothing against drawing the frame 'as-is' right off the bat.

For example, if the director decides that the girl needs to be a tad more to the left, of that her hand needs to be higher, it's much easier to just move the girl or reposition the hand than to draw everything from scratch (including the boy, the background, etc).

Distance as such as little to do with anything and is only used to create a sense of depth. Clouds, traffic, etc moving at different speeds to create a parallax-like effect.

Ultimately, regardless of whether or not layers are used and regardless of overlap, all characters, every single stroke even, are drawn separately.


Why didn't/couldn't Kabuto bring Orochimaru back? Kabuto had Orochimaru's DNA and a sacrifice, so why did he not use the Edo Tensei? Or couldn't he have used Anko, like Sasuke did?

Because Orochimaru was never dead. He was just sealed. Well, maybe "sealed" is not the right term. Every curse mark holds some a part of Orochimaru's chakra. And Sasuke reversed the cursed seal on Anko with the flesh from Kabuto to bring him back -

This is from chapter 593.

PS: Almost same thing happened when Sasuke fought Itachi.


What's the significance of the 'w' finger position in Elfen Lied? I've noticed that in the opening sequence, and the big climactic moment at the very end of the season, Lucy has her hands on the figure's back with the ring/middle fingers together and the other two fingers separated in a 'w' sort of shape.

Is this a symbol of love, a reference to Gustav Klimt (like the paintings) or something else?

I've also noticed it on the cover of the 3rd Vampire Bund Omnibus.

It's likely to be a homage to the work of El Greco, who used this hand symbol in his various works.
Like this one titled The Gentleman with His Hand at His Breast

or Christ Carrying the Cross

The meaning of this gesture is subject to much debate...
Some hypothesis indicate that:

The hand gesture is a secret sign indicating that the gentleman is a Marrano -- a crypto-Jew who accepted Christian baptism in order to remain in Spain after the Catholic Kings' order of 1492 that all Jews leave Spain;

The gesture indicates a Loyolan/Jesuit spirituality that calls for the sinner to place his/her hand on their chest after committing a sin as a sign of moral pain. Both of these theories have been discussed at length in academic circles without, however, formal acceptance of either, though at least one academic allows that the hand "assumes the function of an important communication, a personal avowal."


What is the name of the soundtrack when Madara was absorbing chakra from Hashirama? What is the name of the soundtrack when Madara was absorbing chakra from Hashirama?
It happened on Naruto Shippuden episode 391 Madara Uchiha Rises.
And in this YouTube video 3:23 ~ 3:58.

Found. It's called "The Allied Shinobi" and should be a part of Naruto Shippuden OST 3.
Below is a sample of the song, not the full thing, and you should notice the same parts as from your link https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=7&v=G_H7hMRc-Nc&feature=youtu.be


Just what does the word "canon" mean when referring to anime? I've been wondering for quite a while. Each time I have questions about either anime or manga, someone always refers to the word "canon", or "non-canon".
I've searched up what the word means on Google to help expand my understanding on it, and many answers that differ very much show up. It's helped me in no way at all.
What does the word canon mean and how does it refer to anime or manga?

Something being canon essentially means it's true to the primary1 storyline. A good example of this would be when talking about fanfiction - if a fanfiction has two people dating in it, it would be canon if those two characters are actually dating in the storyline of whatever the fan-made work is based on. It would be non-canon if that's not true.
This isn't just limited to anime or manga; this refers to any fictional story when talking about artwork, literature, discussions, etc produced by fans or non-official sources.
For example, when talking about "ships" between characters, it's canon if they are actually in a relationship. If they aren't and it's just what fans like to speculate about, it's non-canonical. Of course, it's not always this binary; some things are heavily based on real parts of the story but the speculation itself is either false or might be unconfirmed.
1As Pablo pointed out in the comments, I originally had "official" here, but there is an important distinction to make - a company that owns the rights to this media may produce official additional media that may not canon because the author of the original work didn't have any contribution or say in it, but it is still official because it is produced by the company with the copyright.


How was San-Juan Wolf put in the Impel Down? San-Juan Wolf is a giant who was a prisoner in Impel Down, until Blackbeard freed him.

But how does a man so huge, who is almost big as the Marine Headquarters, get put in the Level 6 of Impel Down? Also, when Blackbeard came, how does he get out?

It's not obvious, but there are a few possibilities.

They could have a devil fruit user working for the world government who's able to somehow get him in. For example, Law would be able to do this with his fruit by cutting Wolf up, and it's possible Blackbeard got Wolf out by absorbing him into a black hole and using "Liberation" to set him free outside.

The other obvious possibility is that there is a second, much larger entrance to Impel Down underwater, and Wolf was brought in by a giant submarine.

It could be either of these, or something else entirely, it seems ridiculous, but in the world of One Piece almost anything is possible.


Why did Mumei "need to go to the toilet"? In episode 10 of Kabaneri, Biba (aka. the Liberator) visits the local lord. He takes his Kabaneri with him, including Mumei.

As soon as they arrive, Mumei claims she needs to go to the toilet, then uses that excuse to run all the way back to the station's gates and open them.

What I didn't understand was why Mumei needed to accompany Biba in the first place. Since opening the gates was part of a grander plan devised by Biba himself, wouldn't it have been simpler to just leave Mumei behind?

Even from a purely political point of view, there doesn't seem to be any reason for Mumei to act. Unlike Biba, she's not a particularly important (political) figure; she wasn't born in a particularly rich or notable family, and although she calls Biba "brother", the two of them aren't officially related. Her absence would likely have gone unnoticed by the lord and his retainers. And even if her absence had drawn attention...

   all of the witnesses would've been either murdered or kidnapped by Biba.

What was the point of taking Mumei along, then have her make up an excuse to run all the way back to the gates, instead of leaving her behind?

Because it would be weird if she separated from Biba at any other point. They were closely followed and in open while going in. So it would raise an alarm if they tried something funny.

  And even if her absence had drawn attention... all of the witnesses would've been either murdered or kidnapped by Biba.

The point was not to draw attention until gates are open. If someone like Biba was just walking around it would definitely raise alarm. Someone like Mumei can easily stealth around and stun anyone who sees her. There is also added benefit of Biba staying with the "governor" distracting him.

And because only women and children were allowed to follow him inside (I assume because they believed women and children won't be a threat to soldiers), Mumei and the other woman were clear choices.


What are the names of these Characters? If am not mistaken this anime was aired in 90's, I forgot their names and the title of it.
I tried so many times to search this on google, but I failed.
I really want know their names and also the title of it.I remembered that this anime was based on a period time of japan.

The anime is Gate Keepers

You can find the list of characters with pictures here. They are in order from left to right:

Shun Ukiya - Ruriko Ikusawa - Misao Sakimori - Reiko Asagiri - Kaoru Konoe


Where does the "You are 100 years to early" trope come from? "Hyakunen hayai ze!"

This is a common boast in shounen anime, declaring that someone is X amount of years too early to even consider facing their opponent.

Is this a long-lived reference to an older anime's catch-phrase? (in a similar vein to "You are already dead" from Fist of The North Star)

The catchphrase comes from character Akira Yuki from the Virtua Fighter series, and was popularized as a seiyuu meme (basically a meme associated to a voice actor) related to famous voice actor Shin-ichiro Miki.

Akira is the main character of the Virtua Fighter series, and his catchphrase was used in every game of the series, starting with the first opus in 1993 for arcade.

  十年早いんだよ！

  It's ten years too early! [for you to win against me]

History of jyuunen hayaindayo! (youtube)

After the success of the first game, a Virtua Fighter anime is produced in 1995, with Shin-ichiro Miki acting the voice of Akira. Since then, Shin-ichiro Miki voiced the character in every installment of the series.

The catchphrase gained popularity and became an easter egg related to Shin-ichiro Miki.

Notably, Shin-ichiro voiced in 1996 Ryuusei Date, the main character of the game Shin Super Robot Taisen (Shin Super Robot Wars). In this game, Ryuusei says the famous sentence. With the success of the Shin Super Robot Taisen game, the catchphrase will gain even more momentum afterwards.

In the following games of the Robot Taisen series, Ryuusei said the catchphrase again, and, starting with Super Robot Taisen α (2000), Ryuusei got more confident and started adding years to the sentence:

  百年早いんだよ！

  It's 100 years too early!

Ryuusei didn't stop there, and a 1000 years, then a million years variation ensued in the following games. Eventually, Ryuusei got back to 10 years in the more recent installments of the Super Robot Taisen games.

At this point in time, it is a nod to Shin-ichiro Miki to mention the catchphrase, and it is interesting to note that the seiyuu played a part in most major shounen anime, even though most are also minor roles.


How do Gai's Gates work? During the Chunin exam,

   when Lee fights Gaara, Kakashi says that as you open more Gates, the risk of death rises.
 Well, when Guy fights Kisame, Guy has already opened several Gates (up to 6) before the final attack, and they have been open for quite a lot of time (relatively) before the seventh Gate is opened.
 And of course as he opens more Gates, with his stamina rate supposedly decreasing exponentially, I'm pretty sure he was supposed to be "pretty exhausted".
 But still, when he opened the seventh Gate, he still had enough time to talk and stop Kisame from escaping.

Shouldn't this be too much for him?

No, you're not quite right about it.

There are eight gates at total. Each gate is a special point in the body that limits the flow of chakra. This is done in order for the body to live longer (more chakra flowing = the body is expiring faster). Opening a gate lets chakra flow freely through it, giving the shinobi a boost in his powers, but as a price his body is suffering from that power greatly.

Each gate gives a boost in a special power, e.g. the first gate removes the restrains on the muscles, the second improves physical strength and re-energizes the body, and so on.

Now, opening the gates is very dangerous by itself, and it's becoming more dangerous the more gates you open, that's right. The reason for that is that the body simply can't stand the chakra, and gets damaged by it. That's why it's hard to open the gates, and it requires a lot of training to use them. Guy has gone through a lot of training to learn to use that much gates though.

As for the side effects, the seventh gate (which Guy used) causes the user's muscle fibres to be

    ripped to shreds, causing intense pain if anything or anyone touches them

and finally the last, 8th gate gives the user some tremendous power, but costs him his life.

So, to summarize: since Guy has gone through a lot of training to learn to open the gates and use their power, he can use them in the battle. Of course, there are side-effects, even for him, but they usually happen after the battle when he closes the gates once again. Nevertheless, opening the last gate would cost him (or anyone else, for that matter) his life.

source: Naruto Wikia - Eight Gates.

Edit: it's wrong to say that guy doesn't suffer from opening the gates, he does, though not immediately, that's probably why you were confused. It happens in chapter 512 of the manga, after

   Kisame uses water prison and kills himself.

Here's a screenshot with Guy starting to suffer from the Gate opening (not sure if it's a spoiler, but I'll mark it as one just in case):


Song played in Episode 77 start of My Hero Academia Season 4 In episode 77 of the anime Boku No Hero Academia Season 4, what is the name of the song played at the start with that glitchy tune?

I love that one too! It’s track 43 from the second season’s original soundtrack. A video transcribed the title as “Honki de Tatakitsubusu Shozon.” Not sure if that’s correct, but hope it helps!


Anime about a guy who sees and then eats invisible bugs? Can you identify this anime?

This anime might have been a short movie that was an extra on another dvd set.

It was about a guy who starts seeing these bug-like things attached to peoples backs. I think he has the urge to eat one which makes him realize that the 'bugs' are the regrets or bad memories of those people. When he eats them the people become happier. After trying to help people by eating their invisible 'bugs' he notices they might have been better off keeping those memories.

I know that's not much to go on, but any help would be great!

This sounds like an episode of Boogiepop Phantom.

Different episodes focused on different characters, each having a special ability... that was usually not as beneficial as it seemed. Their stories intertwined and showed the events from the different viewpoints of these characters. The guy who could eat bad memories was one of these episodes.


What does "dog's circle" mean? I just watched an anime where the phrase dog's circle was used in the English subtitles.  The sentence was, "We are the dog's circle."  Is that a well known Japanese expression?  The anime was episode 6 of Natsume Yujin-Cho 5, where it was used at time mark 20:10.  The episode just went up on Crunchyroll this week.

From context, I'm pretty sure it refers to them being a group of friends or allies around one they protect, but not literally surrounding him/her.  Checking on both Google and Bing, there appears to be no general English usage of this phrase.  Is my interpretation correct, and in Japanese would the phrase be instantly understood?

I'm sure someone can give a better answer than mine, since I have not read or watched the series.

Dog's circle is not a Japanese phrase. Looking at the Japanese wiki article, it mentions an Inu no Kai (犬の会), or Gathering of Dogs.  It says it is a drinking club of youkai that would rush to Natsume like a dog for whatever reason he calls them, therefore the "dog" name.

I am assuming the "gathering" part of the title was translated as "circle", which I don't think is a very good translation.  Circle is used in Japanese to refer to clubs, like an "anime club", but does not translate over well back to English in that same sense.  I think the name should've been capitalized to make it clear it's a proper noun. Still, if they're throwing a term like that around, I would assume it was explained somewhere in the series.


Loss of shinobi abilities after overusage of Mangekyou Sharingan When a shinobi overuses the mangekyou sharingan, other than the vision (blindness), does he lose any other abilities as well? If so, what are they?

I was also wondering for a bit as well as I do know that it eventually makes the user blind which leads them to snatching the eyes from a blood relative Sharingan user. Whether that impacts their abilities is something I wasn't sure of.

But, fret not, now I am!

Once Mangekyou Sharingan has been awakened, it grants them a lot nice extra's, but also the negative effect of turning blind over time. As far as I could find, the only negative effect is blindness, meaning that they retain their abilities from their eyes. Of course, it might be a bit difficult to cast Amaterasu accurately based on the sound of footsteps when you're blind, but that is essentially what is possible.

When they awaken the eternal variant, they can unlock eventually what they had with their original eyes. Meaning that in the end, they gain a lot more.

So in short to answer your question, no, you don't. You only lose your sight unless you have the eternal variant.

Source: Naruto Wikia - Mangekyō Sharingan


Does Naruto Shippuuden retain the original seiyuu from Naruto? I'm just curious, does Naruto Shippuuden retain its original seiyuu from Naruto (voice actors)? Or there are certain changes with the voice actors? If there are changes, what are they and what were the reasons for changing?

The answer is: sort of.

There are a number of characters who have multiple voice actors, but those don't (as far as I can tell) change as the show goes on.

Kakashi is a character who has a second seiyuu in Shippuden, but it is one who voices him as a child. Normally, and through both Naruto and Shippuden, he is voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue, but as a child, he is voiced by Mutsumi Tamura.

Orochimaru has had four seiyuu: one for his normal body, one for his body as a Grass ninja, one for him in the female body, and one for him as a child.

Deidara's voice actor in the English dub is different between his episode 135 cameo and his role in Shippuden.

Sasori has three seiyuu: one for as an adult, one for as a child, and one for as a puppet body.

Tobi has three seiyuu: one for when he is Tobi, one for when he is

  Obito

(see)

and one for when he is a child.

Shikamaru has a different seiyuu for episode 141. Normally, he's voiced by Showtaro Morikubo, but in that episode, he was voiced by Nobutoshi Canna. I can't find why that switch happened, except that Nobutoshi Canna was the stand-in.

Konohamaru has a similar situation: he is usually voiced by Ikue Otani but Akiko Koike acted as a stand-in.

As far as I can tell, there is nobody who specifically changes seiyuu between Naruto and Shippuden, but these are characters who have multiple seiyuu for various reasons.


Which music plays in Bleach episode 283 at 10:33 mins? I was searching the music which plays in Bleach episode 283 at 10:33 but couldn't find anywhere.

Can someone please help?

Soundscape to Ardor, which is in Bleach OST 3, if I'm correct.


Where can I get listings of convention locations and dates? My interest in anime and manga is largely a solitary pursuit that consists of me watching copious amounts of animated TV shows and answering questions on this site -- I don't really collect merchandise much or go to conventions . However, in the past, I've missed at least one convention that I would have liked to go to, on account of the fact that someone who had been involved with a few series I really like spoke there.

One problem, in addition to my lack of interest in looking through guest speaker lists early enough, is probably simply that I don't really know where I can learn about ongoing conventions. I might know of some small "convention" run by the anime club of a school I might be affiliated with, and, along with that, of one much larger convention in the area. However, I only know of these via word-of-mouth, and I pretty much do not know of the approximate times of any other conventions near areas I've lived in. Moreover, if I travel, it'd be nice to be able to have some approximate idea as to whether there are any conventions in the area, so I can see if I might be interested in going.

With this in mind, are there any websites that list major conventions by location and dates? (Bonus points: are there any particular websites that do not just do so for, say, the US?)

Although Jay Fubler Harvey's massive Anime Web Turnpike web directory of over 40,000 links unfortunately went offline in November 2014 after being acquired by The Anime Broadcasting Network, Inc., the classic version is still visible at archive.org. The Anime Conventions page lists all of the main anime and/or manga conventions that had come into existence by that point. There is also Wikipedia's List of Anime Conventions.

The largest anime convention in the world is AnimeExpo, which is held in July in either Los Angeles or Long Beach, California. It features what is arguably the best line-up of Japanese celebrities: mangaka, anime directors, anime producers, animators, and seiyuu. It also features a variety of options for spending your time such as anime screenings, hands-on workshops, academic lectures, competitions (cosplay, AMV, gaming, karaoke), and performances.

The largest doujinshi convention in the world is Comic Market, better known as Comiket, held twice a year in summer and winter in Tokyo. Since it is doujinshi-focused, it does not contain much in the way of anime/manga guests of honor, licensed anime/manga content, or vendors of anime merchandise, but it does include cosplay and sellers of handicrafts.

The main manga conventions in Japan are Jump Festa and Ribon Festa (this is the link for the 2015 Ribon Festa, but the URL for the convention changes every year. You can find the current one linked from the Ribon magazine official site). These conventions include exclusive anime OAV premiers, exclusive collectibles that cannot be bought elsewhere, mangaka talk shows and autograph sweepstakes, and gallery displays of real manga pages. Since they are sponsored by the publishing company, they aren't conventions that feature any titles other than Shuueisha's own series. Jamie Lynn Lano (who worked as a professional mangaka assistant) attended Ribon Festa and reported on it here, as well as on Tenipuri Festa, which represents smaller-scale Japanese conventions about specific titles (in this case, Tennis no Ouji-sama).

If you're going to shell out a lot to travel to a con, AnimeExpo is highly recommended and you'll want to be there all 4 days (there's quite a lot to do); Jump Festa and Ribon Festa are a fantastic experience but minimal Japanese language skills are required (1 day is enough, as the scale is much smaller than AnimeExpo). Comiket is about 90% explicit hentai doujinshi, so if that's not your thing, you will likely be disappointed by the experience and I would recommend against attending.


Which novels does the Bungaku Shoujo movie cover? I would like to watch the Bungaku Shoujo movie at some point, but I don't want spoilers for the novels. Skimming over the Wikipedia page, it seems that some events haven't happened yet as of the end of the fourth novel, while other events seem to correspond to earlier novels. There may be other spoilers, some of them major, and that also makes me afraid to research this topic too deeply on my own.

Which novels provide the major plot points for the movie? Please use spoiler tags as appropriate.

I've read the first 5 novels and from what I see, the main plot of the movie is basically the 5th novel (which is also the thickest one), though there are some parts of the other novels in there too, especially in the beginning and in the end (after the scene in the planetarium).


What will happen if one person eats two Devil Fruits? If a person has already eaten one Devil Fruit, what will happen to him if he eats another Devil Fruit?

Their body would explode without a trace, and they would die...

During the Enies Lobby arc, in chapter 385, we see how Jabra gets scared when seeing the Giraffe Fruit and the Bubble Fruit. He claims that a rumor exists that says that when an ability user comes close to a Devil Fruit, the Devil will come out of the fruit and start fighting with the Devil residing within his body and that would make his body explode. This was immediately countered by Bluenote saying that Grandline scientists have already uncovered that the body would only explode if two fruits are eaten by the same user. Therefore it is believed and apparently proven that eating two Devil Fruits would make a person's body explode.

Later during the Marineford arc, in chapter 577, we have seen an exception to this case. Blackbeard was seen to have two Devil Fruits at the same time. When Whitebeard died, he supposedly extracted the Devil from Whitebeard's body and put it into his own. How Blackbeard was able to extract it and whether his body did not explode due to it being different, due to the Dark Fruit powers or due to a different reason, can be read here.


What is the difference between Shonen'ai, JUNE, Yaoi and Boys' love? The difference between Shonen'ai and Yaoi as already been asked.

However, I encountered a few more terminologies concerning anime and mangas referring to masculine homosexuality :

Shōnen'ai
JUNE
Yaoi
Boys' love

What are the main differences between those genres?

Shounen-Ai
Literally translated means boys love. However, in these type of series, it usually represents an innocent, non sexual nature of homosexuality.
Ex- 7-Ghosts.

(Taken from wikipedia)

  The term shōnen-ai (boy love) originally connoted ephebophilia or pederasty in Japan, but from the early 1970s to the late 1980s, was used to describe a new genre of shōjo manga, primarily produced by the Year 24 Group of women authors, about beautiful boys in love. Characteristics of shōnen-ai include exoticism, often taking place in Europe, and idealism. Jeffrey Angles particularly notes Moto Hagio's The Heart of Thomas (1974) and Keiko Takemiya's Kaze to Ki no Uta (1976-1984) as being groundbreaking, noting their portrayal of intense friendship between males, including jealousy and desire.

June- This name actually comes from a specific manga magazine and it cannot be said as a genre or demographic per se.

(From Wikipedia)

  A manga or text story with male homosexual themes for women written in an aesthetic (耽美 tanbi) style, named for the Juné magazine.

Yaoi

  Yaoi (/ˈjaʊi/, Japanese: [ja.o.i]), also known as Boys' Love (BL), is a Japanese genre of fictional media focusing on romantic or sexual relationships between male characters, typically aimed at a female audience and usually created by female authors. Although yaoi is typically aimed at a female audience, the genre also attracts some male readers; however, manga aimed at a gay male audience (bara) is considered a separate genre.

Boys Love

Yaoi and Boys-Love are basically the same thing and can be used interchangeably


Before watching "Tokyo Ghoul:re" anime, is it necessary to read the manga to understand the story? I've seen the first episode of Tokyo Ghoul:re and I didn't understand anything.

Before watching the anime, is it necessary to read the manga to understand the story?

Assuming you have seen the previous two seasons (anime) - Yes, you can watch Tokyo Ghoul:re without reading the manga.

It's fine if you didn't understand the first episode. Things will gradually be explained in the anime, though not in much depth as in the manga, but you will start understanding the story. Just hang on to it for a while...

If you can't wait that long and insist on knowing the back story (which will probably be explained in the anime later), then go on and read the spoilers below.

The ending of Season 2

   There was a battle between Kaneki and Arima in the end of Season 2. Kaneki was seriously wounded (Arima pierced his brain through the back of the skull, destroyed his left eye and then finished the fight with the stab through the other eye).

The story of Haise Sasaki

   Kaneki survives and becomes a prisoner at Cochlea (3rd floor), but becomes amnesiac (experiences total or sometimes partial loss of memories). Arima started bringing him books in the prison and his health improved substantially. Since he lost his memories, Arima gave him a new name using his (formerly Ken Kaneki)'s two favorite kanji from the words "coffee" and "world" - Haise (Haise Sasaki as the one in the anime currently being aired).

The Quinx Squad

   The CCG then decides for Haise (formerly Ken Kaneki) to be the mentor and overseer of the Quinx squad under the supervision of Arima. The Quinx members are referred to as humans with built-in quinque in their bodies, drawing a distinction between them and normal one-eyed ghouls. The members are regarded as human research subjects who have undergone the surgical procedure developed by Dr. Kouitsu Chigyou.

And there you have it, the current Quinx squad (Kuki Urie, Saiko Yonebayashi, Tooru Mutsuki and Ginshi Shirazu) under the mentorship of Haise Sasaki as seen in episode 1 of season 3.


How does the Sword of The Thunder God get stopped by a Kunai? I used to watch Naruto a long time ago and I remember there being a filler anime about people using lightning techniques..

One thing I remember specifically was that one of the ninjas was using a lightning weapon that was supposed to be able to cut through anything including Chakra...

The problem was that one of the Ninjas from Hidden Leaf if I remember correctly was fighting them and stopping the blade with a regular Kunai...

How does that work?  If the lightning weapon can cut through anything including Chakra why would a regular kunai stop it?

After a quick research the weapon is the Sword of the Thunder God... as stated on Naruto Wikia: Sword of the Thunder God - Narutopedia, the Naruto Encyclopedia Wiki

  As shown in Aoi's fight with Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, the
  blade was shown to not only be able to easily cut through any solid
  object, but also through chakra-based substances as well.

After rewatching the episodes again the person using the sword swung at a ninja then a couple of kunais is seen to drop to the floor blocking the attack...

The Kunais are seen to be intact... So if this sword can cut through anything why was his attack stopped by them?

Fillers are parts of the series that are designed to give the manga time to get a larger distance from the anime.

Generally, less experienced (and less paid) writers do these fillers, not the original mangaka.

This results in inconsistencies with the general storyline, and sometimes, even inside the episodes themselves (due to the writer's lesser experience).

Now I haven't checked the credits for that specific episode, to see who was the script writer for it, but my educated guess is that this is the case. A plot hole, and nothing more.


Why are Chinese names in anime sometimes rendered in English using the Japanese pronunciations? Background on how Chinese names are pronounced in Japanese

Consider the man who was the chancellor of the state of Shu under Liu Shan during the Three Kingdoms period. In Chinese, his name is written 诸葛亮. In English, his name is typically written Zhuge Liang (pinyin), which is a reasonably close approximation of how his name is pronounced in Mandarin.

Japanese, though, does something that may seem strange. The Japanese language has its own unique ways of pronouncing Chinese characters, and so even though this man's name is still written 诸葛亮 (same as in Chinese), it is pronounced "Shokatsu Ryō" - nothing at all like how it's pronounced in Mandarin! The reasons for this are complicated; basically, it has to do with how the Japanese language borrowed Chinese pronunciations for Chinese characters (so-called "on readings") from Middle Chinese mostly before 1000 CE, and how the Japanese and Chinese/Mandarin pronunciations have diverged in the ensuing millennium-plus.

The actual question

In some anime, the names of Chinese people are spoken. This sometimes happens with historical figures, e.g. Gakuto in Prison School and his obsession with Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It also happens with the joint Chinese-Japanese productions that've been springing up lately, where pretty much everybody's name is Chinese - for example, Hitori no Shita: The Outcast, Bloodivores, and Soul Buster from the past few cours.

The thing I find weird is that sometimes, Chinese names are localized using the Japanese spellings. This makes no sense to me - nobody outside Japan has any idea who "Shokatsu Ryō" is, whereas many people will have heard of "Zhuge Liang".

Some examples:

Crunchyroll's subtitles for Hitori no Shita (for example, the character "Baobao" is rendered in the subtitles as "Houhou")
Crunchyroll's subtitles for Soul Buster (the Han dynasty is subtitled as the "Kan" dynasty!)
the manga Reincarnation no Kaben, apparently
the Crunchyroll subtitles for Cheating Craft also do this (the main character is called "Shokatsu Mumei" in Japanese, but would be called "Zhuge Mu Ming" in Chinese), but since the show technically takes place in the fictitious "mainland" rather than real-world China, I'd let this one slide

I know I've seen this happen elsewhere; I'll update this list if I remember where I saw it happen.

Why would a subtitler or other localizer choose to render Chinese names into English using the Japanese pronunciations? This approach seems wrong on its face to me, so I'm hoping to hear from some involved party why this decision might be made.

I can't yet cover all the reasons, but at least on Hitori no Shita and Cheating Craft, that's what they're using on their official sites.

Hitori no Shita - Characters (English)

Cheating Craft - Characters (English)

Changing the names from the one stated on the official site may confuse viewers when they notice the inconsistency, especially coming from official licensees (e.g. Crunchyroll). This should also explain the retconned subs of the first 2 episodes of Hitori no Shita when they diverged from the official given names. The viewer's experience could certainly be improved by adding "translator's note" though.
I can't say for Reincarnation no Kaben, because apparently it hasn't been licensed in English yet. In this case, fansub/scanlation is a different thing because they're free to translate how they want to (add "lack of research" into the factor too).


What's the name of an anime with a girl who lives in a farm and takes care of these animals which are like Komodo Dragons? The girl has green hair. There's some kind of musical instrument in the anime, like a flute or something. She lives in a farm and takes care of these animals which are then used for war as mounts.

I started watching this anime a long time ago but stopped midway, so now I want to finish the rest of it. If someone here can help me, I'll be very grateful :)

The anime is Kemono no Souja Erin.

Description from MAL:

  Erin is a young girl who lives with her mother in a village which raises war-lizards, called Touda. We see her daily life, which changes as she grows up. Meanwhile, there is growing tension between the two provinces of the country she lives in.


Why is Momo Hinamori even a vice-captain? OK, so all I know about what good she is at :

Using kidou
Being a victim of the villain

Also, she's always being protected and can't look after herself There are so many other Shinigamis with better abilities that can take her position and perform better and be useful!

Is there something I'm missing out? Isn't she over-rated?

From the Wikia article on Gotei 13:

Lieutenants function as executive officers for their division, taking care of or supervising day-to-day operations. Along with their captains, they are not assigned to one specific squad. They generally only know the Shikai of their Zanpakutō but they are still the second strongest in their division. In the case of a division captain's death, departure, or other circumstances making him unable to perform their duties, the lieutenant acts as the "substitute captain" until another can be assigned.
The authority to appoint or dismiss a lieutenant lies solely with the captain of the respective division, a privilege which was granted to them with the support of the Central 46 Chambers. Captains reserve the right to appoint multiple lieutenants at a single time, though this is rarely done due to it being both considered highly unorthodox and heavily frowned upon by the Central 46 Chambers.

Hence, it's not necessary for a Lieutenant to have a Bankai. It's not even required for the second strongest person of the squad to be the lietenant as it is completely upto the captain to the assign the position, although the position is usually given to the second strongest person in the squad.
An important factor in Aizen deciding to appoint her as a lieutenant has to do with the fact that she was in love with him, which made it easy for him to manipulate her.
From the Wikia article on Momo Hinamori:

Though normally kind, her rare bouts of anger can appear rather menacing, such as her outrage at Captain Gin Ichimaru when she blamed him for killing Aizen. While serving as his lieutenant, Momo greatly respects and admires Aizen. She idolizes him to the point where a letter from Aizen leads her to attack Hitsugaya, her childhood friend, and even after being stabbed by Aizen, she, proclaiming Aizen was being manipulated, asks Hitsugaya to save him. When Aizen leads an attack on the Fake Karakura Town, Momo helps to defend the town from Aizen and his forces, but she still notably refers to him as "Captain Aizen".

Aizen himself says:

 When she is reunited with Aizen, he, betraying her, stabs her through the chest, and she nearly dies.
 Aizen's reasoning behind almost killing Momo is since he built her to not be able to live without him, he has done her a favor by killing her

Even though she might be weak, she does have battling skills. You can read about her powers and abilities here.
In the end, we can say that her appointment to the position of a vice-captain/lieutenant has more to do with her being of use to Aizen than on the basis of her fighting prowess.


Why Eren can't fully transform? In season 3 episode 1 they show Eren can't transform properly, having shorter legs, less "meat" and not reaching 10 meters with his titan. Why is this so? Why can't Eren fully transform? AFAIR he never transformed half way before

This is expanded on more in the manga, in this instance he had been testing his abilities for hours and had transformed three times with his titan form being smaller and weaker each time and with little control over himself on the second attempt.

The third transformation resulted in the opening scene of the anime episode.


What are the highlights in eyes called? In anime, character eyes usually have highlights that are usually white. They seem like a light reflection or something.

Do the highlights have a name? What are they supposed to be?

For illustrative purposes, I have taken the first four images off a Google search for eyes (note: you may not want to perform this search yourself, as there is at least one disturbing image on the front page).

As you can see, all of these images contain a similar "white space" / highlight. That's because if you're taking a photo, you need a light source - and the eyes, being reflective, are going to reflect that light source.

These "white spaces" are called catchlights, and are naturally found in film and in photography. It is unsurprising that animators and artists would imitate this for added realism - Disney's been doing it since forever.

Of course, catchlights are somewhat more pronounced in anime simply because characters drawn in an "anime style" tend to have large eyes - and hence, correspondingly large catchlights.

For more information about catchlights in photography, see the question In portrait photography, what is a “catchlight”? at Photography.SE.


Is Leonard a Whispered? Spoilers for FMP The Second Raid

Is Leonard a Whispered like

   his twin sister Tessa? If so, do we know his specialty? If not, how did he become the leader of the opposition?

I think some of this is not revealed in TSR, so I've spoilered it.

   Yes, he is a Whispered. Not only that, he exceeds his sister's abilities both physically and mentally, and he used his knowledge to produce Arm Slaves for Amalgam. I don't think we know for sure how/why he became the leader of the opposition, though it's implied at some point that primarily he wanted more freedom.

Source: Wiki


Does Chizuru like Kazuya? It’s hard to tell because she doesn’t show much towards Kazuya and she blushes from time to time but that’s it. It’s pretty obvious Kazuya likes her but not the same vice versa.

Hard to answer this question without revealing spoilers from the manga, as the manga is much further ahead than the anime, so click below at your own risk.

 Starting from chapter 164, the author made Chizuru's feelings very clear to the readers. She does in fact have feelings for Kazuya, and currently in the process of realizing them (chapter 182 as of this moment). Often time, when they are alone together, Chizuru would get overly conscious of her feelings, resulting in her getting flustered and blushed quite frequently around Kazuya.


What anime is this figure of a white girl from? What anime is this girl from? I found this on Facebook and I'm just curious. Thanks.

That is from Kantai Collection.

  Kantai Collection (艦隊これくしょん Kantai Korekushon, lit. "Fleet Collection", subtitled as "Combined Fleet Girls Collection"), abbreviated as KanColle (艦これ KanKore), is a Japanese free-to-play web browser game developed by Kadokawa Games

The game was adapted into a TV anime series in Spring 2015 season.

The girl the figure is modeled (including her pose) after one of the Abyssal Bosses, Aircraft Carrier Princess