Why did the English dub of Naruto stop? Naruto and few episodes of Naruto Shippuuden are dubbed in English. Then it suddenly stopped. And also, few episodes used to be broadcasted in Cartoon Network, and that also stopped. Why has this happened?

Naruto aired on Cartoon Network and Naruto Shippuden aired on Disney XD. Apparently, Disney XD has dropped Shippuden from it's lineup but the Anime continues and episodes can be viewed on CrunchyRoll or Viz Anime, though the episodes are subtitled not dubbed.

Looks like, for those wanting Dubbed Naruto Shippuden, getting the DVDs/Blu-Rays is currently the only option.

Update: Stream the latest English dubbed versions (legally) from Amazon Instant Video.


A manga about a skilled surgeon who operates on the president's heart and removes worm-like parasites in the first chapter I am quite sure I read the localized version of the manga about 10 years ago, so the manga must have started serialization in Japan many years before that.

The manga started with the president being injected something into his hand, and fell into coma. All the doctors tried many types of drugs to no avail. The protagonist, who was a great doctor and surgeon, somehow came to operate on the president. It wa revealed that the president's pericardial cavity (the space between the double-walled sac containing the hear) was inhibited by a bunch of worm-like parasites, and he would die if the parasites were left to multiply, since it would obstruct the heart's beating. In the surgery, the protagonist had to stop the heart of the president and skillfully used a small clip to pick all the parasites, then restarted his heart. He also ordered to filter president's blood to remove all traces of the parasite in the blood stream.

Can anyone help me identify this manga?

After googling to no avail, I tried searching for "surgeon" on mangaupdates and go through the list of result. Among the results, K2 has a similar art style, but the synopsis is a bit different from what I remembered, so I check out the prequels Super Doctor K and Doctor K via Google and found the manga I was looking for in Vietnamese.

The image below is from volume 1 chapter 4 showing parasites on the heart:

Since I still don't know the exact title of the manga, I check the Wikipedia article of Super Doctor K. The manga was serialized from 1988 to 1998. While the series' name stayed unchanged in the magazine, it was changed to Doctor K for tankoubon released after 1996. The synopsis of Doctor K on Wikipedia matches the description in the question:

  アメリカ合衆国大統領ジム・ハミルトンが何者かの手によって瀕死の重傷となる。容疑者はドクターK。犯行の裏には何が?そして一昭の計画とは?KAZUYAの物語に終止符が打たれる。

Translation

  Jim Hamilton, the President of the United States, is suspended between life and death after receiving a serious injury from unknown person. The suspect is Doctor K. What is the motive behind the crime? And what is Kazuaki's plan? Starts the final arc of KAZUYA's story.


Is Sora no Otoshimono anime non-canon? I was told that this anime is non-canon, but there are things from the anime that are just as the same as the manga.

Strictly speaking, the manga is the canonical source since it's the original work. However, the anime adaptation is also considered as an original work based on the manga. It means, while the anime follows the general theme, there are some changes and it includes original stories.

The differences between the TV broadcasted anime's 1st & 2nd season (not including the DVD version) and the manga according to Japanese Wikipedia:

  In the manga, Mikako rarely appears in serious situations. However, in the anime, she appears more often including in serious situations. She introduces herself as Eishirou's "3rd assistant" in S1E9 (though, in the beginning of S2E4, she says she loses interest and offers a resignation letter), actively participates in Tomoki and his group's actions, gives guidance gently to Astraea who is troubled because she doesn't have place to live, and so on.
  Nymph's first appearance is not in "Ikaros' attack" (S1E8), but in "Sea bathing" (S1E6).
  In the manga, Astraea doesn't transfer to Sorami Middle School, but she does in the anime.
  Since the TV broadcast regulation tries to avoid Tomoki's sexual harassment in the manga, there are some changes on the scene where he transforms into Tomoko in S2.
  In the second-half development of first Chaos' battle (around S2E8), the scene where the author didn't include in the manga is changed.
  In the manga, the scene where Nymph's wings grow back after hearing Tomoki saying "I'll be the master" is after first Chaos' battle. However, in the anime, it occurs in the middle of second Chaos' battle.
  Regarding Chaos' second appearance, since the development of the manga and anime's 2nd season almost happened at the same time, it becomes an anime original story.


Is there any connection between Madoka Magica and Monogatari series? Apparently, both titles are produced by Shaft. The Madoka Magica Rebellion movies have short into animation that uses Monogatari characters to ask the viewers to behave in the cinema theaters. I'm interested if there are any other notable connections between the two.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-10-07/madoka-magica-monogatari-casts-teach-manners-in-crossover-shorts

There aren't any substantive connections between the two series, in terms of content.

From a production perspective, though, there is a lot of overlap between them. First, as you noted, they're both produced by Shaft, which means they share a lot of staff, most notable among them director SHINBO Akiyuki, whose directorial flourishes are easily seen in both series. IWAKAMI Atsuhiro is also the producer for both of them, though I'm not sure how much influence he has relative to Shinbo.

The short intro animations you mentioned are primarily amusing because the voice casts of the two series have a lot of people in common:

SAITOU Chiwa, who voices both AKEMI Homura and SENJOUGAHARA Hitagi
KITAMURA Eri, who voices both MIKI Sayaka and ARARAGI Karen
EMIRI Katou, who voices both HACHIKUJI Mayoi and Kyuubey
MIZUHASHI Kaori, who voices both TOMOE Mami and OSHINO Ougi

Hence, the four different intro animations, each of which features one of these four voice actors.

Generally speaking, Shaft does tend to hire a lot of the same voice actors for their shows, as you can see in this chart. Especially Saitou Chiwa - she's all over the place in Shaft productions.

Oh, one more interesting connection between the two series - Bakemonogatari and Madoka are the first- and second-top-selling late-night anime of all time in terms of discs sold.1 Shaft is clearly doing something right.

1 source - note that Evangelion was not a late-night anime, nor was The World of Golden Eggs (which was, in my opinion, really dumb anyway).


What do I have to watch before watching "Reflection"? Which of the Nanoha TV series and movies do I have to watch before watching the third movie ("Reflection")?

I assume that the first season and "A's" are a necessity, given that "Reflection" appears to be a sequel to the first two movies (which themselves follow the plot of the first season and "A's"). What about "StrikerS" and "ViViD"?

Also, do the first two movies diverge from the first two seasons in any significant way that would necessitate I watch them before "Reflection"?

(Please place any spoilers in spoiler blocks.)

Disclaimer: i have yet to see Reflection myself. the information provided is what i have looked up on the Wikia

it's advisable to watch the first and second movies. while they are sorta retelling of the Original Series and A's there are some design and story elements changed. while to my understanding the first movie is much the same in the second movie

   Lindy uses Durandal instead of Chrono and the Book of Darkness's Defense Program is revealed to be called NachtWal having it's own will and new forms not shown in A's, this changes the battle between it and the Mages (Nanoha and Fate) from A's up until Hayate reprograms the Book of Darkness renaming it Reinforce where afterwards it mainly follows what happens in A's

this separates the movies from the original 2 series (primary continuity) in their own continuity (movie continuity)

  it is part of the movie continuity, continuing with the history and designs in The MOVIE 2nd A's. However, as the primary continuity has zero coverage about what has happened between the early spring and winter of 0067, the story of Reflection may somehow be seen as a re-telling or supplement of this blank period.

Source: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Reflection (2nd Paragraph)

as such chronologically there should be no appearances of characters from StrikerS, ViVid, ViVid Strike and Force

also while the plot for Reflection takes some ques from the Nanoha PSP Games, The Battle of Aces and The Gears of Destiny, it adds original storylines and characters as such isn't a requirement to play or understand their plot.


Who did the art direction on for these episodes and scenes? There's a certain art director whose art I absolutely love. I can name a few episodes and shows I saw his touches in.

Shin Sekai Yori - episode 5 and 10 (dunno if any further).
Kimi no Iru Machi - mostly in the beginning, also opening, fewer scenes in the latter part.
Casshern Sins - many scenes

His works are very distinct and have many traits to it. Among others they're:

Angles. He uses a lot of different angles everywhere. Characters are rarely drawn in straight angle, the camera is looking from either higher or lower point. Sometimes it's also rotated a bit.
He focuses on faces a lot, putting emphasis on the eyes. Faces cover most of the screen whenever a character is talking and there's no other action going on. Also apply angles argument to that.
Some scenes just belong to a certain character, having only him and nothing else apart from the plainish background on the screen.
Emphasis on body movement, especially hands and posture.
Dynamic scenes consist of characters moving from one part to another, rotating from side to side. Sometimes background is still while character is moving on the screen.

What is his name and what other works did he work on?

I think you're looking for Junichi Hayama. He was the animation director for episodes 5 and 10 of Shin Sekai Yori as well as on staff for the other 2 shows you've listed. Some of his other works fall into the same characteristics you listed.

You can see some of his art from a Google image search

Among other works:

Afro Samurai: Resurrection (movie) : Key Animation
Be-Bop-Highschool (OAV) : Character Design, Animation Director
(The) Big O (TV) : Animation Director (ep 21)
Casshern Sins (TV) : Animation Director (eps 10, 17, 22), Key Animation (5 episodes)
A Certain Magical Index (TV) : Key Animation (OP1)
Cobra The Animation: The Psychogun (OAV) : Key Animation (ep 2)
Dokidoki! Precure (TV) : Key Animation (ep 7)
Doraemon: Shin Nobita to Tetsujin Heidan - Habatake Tenshi-tachi (movie) : Key Animation
Dream Eater Merry (TV) : Key Animation (OP; ep 13)
EX-Driver the Movie : Key Animation
Fist of the North Star (movie) : In-Between Animation
Fist of the North Star (TV) : In-Between Animation (4 episodes), Key Animation (3 episodes)
Fist of the North Star 2 (TV) : Animation Director (7 episodes)
From the New World (TV) : Animation Director (eps 5, 10), Key Animation (eps 5, 10)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (TV) : Key Animation
Gaiking: Legend of Daikū-maryū (TV 2/2005) : Illustration
Gu Gu Ganmo (TV) : Animation
Gundam Build Fighters (TV) : Key Animation (OP)
Gunsmith Cats (OAV) : Key Animation
Himitsu no Akko-chan: Umi da! Obake da!! Natsu Matsuri (movie) : Key Animation
(The) IDOLM@STER (TV) : Key Animation (ep 9)
InuYasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler : Animation Director
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (OAV) : Storyboard (ep 8), Character Design (eps 1-13), Chief Animation Director (eps 9-13), Animation Director (eps 1-2, 6-8), Cover Art, Key Animation (eps 2, 5-7, 13)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood (movie) : Director, Character Design, Chief Animation Director
Kimi no Iru Machi (TV) : Chief Animation Director, Animation Director (OP), Key Animation (OP; ep 1)
Kyō, Koi o Hajimemasu (OAV) : Character Design, Animation Director
Locke the Superman: Mirror Ring (OAV) : Character Design
Lupin III: Stolen Lupin (special) : Key Animation
Manyū Hiken-chō (TV) : Animation (OP)
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE (TV) : Key Animation (eps 40, 49)
Mobile Suit Gundam UC (OAV) : Key Animation (ep 3)
Mysterious Girlfriend X (TV) : Animation Director (ep 9)
Nessa no Haou Gandalla (TV) : Character Design
New Fist of the North Star (OAV) : Key Animation
Odin - Starlight Mutiny (movie) : In-Between Animation
On the Way to a Smile - Episode Denzel: Final Fantasy VII (OAV) : Animation Director
Pachislo Kizoku Gin (TV) : Character Design
Paranoia Agent (TV) : Animation Director (ep 9 ["TKO"])
Penguindrum (TV) : Key Animation (ep 18)
Pokemon Heroes - Latias & Latios (movie) : Key Animation
Psychic Wars (OAV) : Key Animation
Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal (OAV) : Key Animation (ep 1)
Sailor Moon R Movie: Promise of the Rose : Key Animation
Sailor Moon SuperS Movie: Black Dream Hole : Key Animation
Saint Seiya Omega (TV) : Key Animation (ep 51)
Sakigake!! Otoko Juku (TV) : Animation Director (8 episodes)
Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu Hokuto no Ken: Raoh-den Gekitō no Shō (movie) : Key Animation
Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu Hokuto no Ken: Toki-den (OAV) : Character Design, Animation Director
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (TV) : Key Animation (ep 25)
Star Driver (TV) : Animation Director (eps 9, 18)
Street Fighter Alpha (movie) : Key Animation
Toriko (TV) : Key Animation (OP)
Transformers (U.S. TV) : In-Between Animation
Transformers: Scramble City (OAV) : Key Animation
Votoms Finder (OAV) : Character Design, Animation Director
Wolverine (TV) : Key Animation
(The) World God Only Knows Season Two (TV) : Key Animation (ep 4)
X-Men (TV) : Animation Director (ep 9), Key Animation (OP; ep 12)
Xanadu Dragonslayer Densetsu (OAV) : Key Animation
Yu-Gi-Oh! (TV 2/2000) : Animation Director (eps 94, 124)


Who is to say if someone is 'murdered'? Who is to say if someone is 'murdered' (This is the main question. The sentences marked with '?' are just to help provide motivation and context for the question) ?

Example cases:

Does suicide count as murder?
What if A accidentally or unintentionally (there might be a difference. I talked to a law expert once. not sure though) kills B, whether or not there are witnesses?
What if C kills D in self-defense?
What if some student E trips over and dies, without the death being intended by any of the other students, while there are no witnesses? How do the students know Monokuma would really state that E's death was an accident instead of calling a classroom trial to trick everyone?
Who decides if a killing is done in self-defense? Who decides if a killing in an accident? The students? Monokuma?
If one of the students has dissociative identity disorder like in Identity (2003), and one of the identities murders another student, what happens to the body containing the multiple personalities?

Re the self-defense (hardly spoilerous but just in case):

   There was this one murder claimed by the murderer to be self-defense, but it wasn't.

Or it could be. I think that's kind of why we have juries, law experts, etc.

Oh and I guess 'not guilty by reason of insanity' is not a defense in Danganronpa.

PS I'm done with the anime. Go ahead and spoil other media. But please use spoiler tags for others.

DGR1 & 2 spoilers abound! Before we get started...

   Some of the scenarios you list don't happen in the stories (at least DGR1 & 2,) so there is no way to know exactly how they would play out.

Further...

   even if the rules regarding a certain scenario are well-defined, it's not as if Monokuma is obligated to follow his own rules 100% of the time (he usually does, but not always.) Since it has been shown that Monokuma does not need to follow his own rules, even if a rule was put in place, there's no guarantee that it would be acted upon as stated. In other words, any answer to "What if scenario X happened, if X never happened in the story?" is most accurately, "According to the rules, Y would happen, but since Monokuma can do whatever he wants, we can't know for sure what would really happen."

With that out of the way...

1.

   Yes it does! (In a sense.) In DGR1 Chapter 4, Sakura kills herself by drinking poison. The verdict of the fourth class trial is that (despite physical assault from several of the other characters,) the murderer ultimately responsible for Sakura's death is Sakura herself, as judged by both the students and Monokuma. No punishment is given to the murderer, as the blackened is already dead.

2.

   Doesn't matter, whether you intended to kill someone or not, you're still the murderer. In DGR2 Chapter 5, Chiaki unintentionally kills Nagito in Nagito's convoluted plot to reveal the traitor among the group of students. The verdict of the trial is that Chiaki, inadvertently or not, was the direct cause of Nagito's death, as ruled by the students and Monokuma. Chiaki is thus deemed the blackened, and is killed by Monokuma, as it usually goes. This case technically had witnesses and didn't at the same time. Whether that factor affects the ruling of the trial is purely speculation. My guess would be that it would not affect the ruling.

3.

   No cases of unanimously agreed upon "self-defense" occur in the game, so this is one of those scenarios where we can't say for sure. However, two cases which were found not to be self-defense, but the potential excuse came up in the trial, were Leon's murder of Sayaka (DGR1 Ch. 1) and Teruteru's murder of Byakuya (DGR 2 Ch. 1). In both of those trials, there was no evidence that even if they were found to be instances of self-defense, that the culprit would be pardoned. My guess would be that even if the death of another student was a result of unanimously agreed upon self-defense, the killer would still become the blackened, and be punished if discovered.

4.

   This doesn't happen in the story, so there's no way for us to know, but if it were to be ruled a suicide, then all the points in #1 apply.

However!

   It's unlikely that this situation would come to pass, as Monokuma is shown to go to great lengths to protect the lives of individuals outside the scope of the trial and the victim/murderer setting, in accordance with the rules (you know, when he feels like it.) To be specific, Fuyuhiko nearly dies as a result of the events at the end of DGR2 Chapter 2, but, after being spurred on by the other students, goes out of his way to save Fuyuhiko's life, because Fuyuhiko was ruled not the blackened. So, my guess is that either any accidental self-inflicted death would either be proactively prevented by Monokuma, or ruled a suicide and tried as such.

5.

Monokuma is described somewhere in the games as "judge, jury, and executioner," meaning he is the one who ultimately decides the truth of any case, and he is also the one who enacts punishment.

   At the end of DGR2 Chapter 2, Peko attempts to argue with Monokuma that despite the fact that she was the one who killed Mahiru, it was Fuyuhiko's will for her to do so, and thus Fuyuhiko was the "true" blackened. However, Monokuma rejects this argument, stating that Peko was indeed the killer, and that it is Monokuma's place, not any student's, to decide regardless.

6.

   This doesn't exactly happen in the story, but there is a case close to it. At the of DGR2 Chapter 3 it is revealed that Mikan is responsible for a double homicide, but further that her personality was completely changed (or perhaps more accurately, "restored") after being afflicted by the "despair disease." She was correctly ruled the blackened, and received punishment the same as any of the other cases, so there is strong evidence to support the case that having a dissociative identity disorder or other personality shift is no excuse for murder, and the body containing the multiple personalities is punished wholesomely. Regarding Toko from DGR1, she was never involved in a murder, so we have no idea what would have became of her. My guess would be that regardless of what personality committed a murder, that person (i.e. the body) would be punished, same as usual.


Is it possible to have a girl reincarnate of Asura and Indra? Though I haven't seen an instance where the reincarnate of Asura and Indra is a girl, I'm still wondering. So the question is, is it possible to have a girl reincarnate of Asura and Indra?

There isn't any mention of any other incarnates in the manga. It's entirely possible since it's simply chakra reincarnating to a different body, however it's unprovable.

Purely Theoretically: It does seem as though, from what we've seen and what we know of Asura and Indra, that all of his reincarnations would be descendants of them. Indra and his two known reincarnations (Madara and Sasuke) all have been Uchiha (descendants of Indra) and have had the Sharingan. Asura and his two known reincarnations (Hashirama and Naruto) are Senju and Uzumaki, descendants of Asura's clan. This may be because their decedents share similar chakra (Uchiha have the Sharingan, and Uzumaki/Senju have incredible chakra control and chakra reserves). Theoretically, as long as they're a member of one of these clans they can be a reincarnation.


Is the Princess Tutu manga any different from the anime, and does it add anything to the story? Per my knowledge, Princess Tutu's anime adaptation came first and was remade into a manga later on. Does the manga of the show remain faithful to the anime, or are there differences between them? Does it add anything to the story?

From wikia :

  The entire story of the manga is different from that of the anime with
  absent characters, too. Focusing more on the ballet side of things
  rather than the fairy tale elements that appeared in the anime, the
  manga brings with it a fresh look at the setting of Princess Tutu.

  We could have listed all the differences between the manga and anime
  but there are so many that it would serve no point and result in
  telling the entire story.

So even though they share same name and have similar themes, they are so different as to be considered two different things.


What is the significance of the bamboo tree that naruto carries at the end of the op? Naruto carries a bamboo tree at the end with some stuff hanging from it like a Christmas tree.
Is there any significance to the bamboo?

This seems to me to be a reference to Tanabata festival.

Tanabata is a traditional star festival, celebrating the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and ALtair).

According to legend,

  the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar. (1)

There is a tradition to write wishes on small pieces of paper and hang them on a bamboo tree:

So I would way Naruto is holding a small wishing tree with wishes from his friends.


What are the difference between Koro-sensei and other tentacle creatures? Koro-sensei and tentacle-having humans (e.g. Itona) have a drastic difference in their bodies: Koro-sensei's body is made up of tentacles wholly, whereas Itona has his human body along with a tentacle.

Are there any differences between the no. of the tentacle cells infused? If yes, it's a fact that even a single tentacle cell can cause death like pain, then how did Koro-sensei survive that much pain?

The most important point is that Koro-sensei told his tentacles that he doesn't want to be powerful, so they became like they now look.

The other tentacle monsters only wanted power and told the tentacles, so their tentacles became hard and strong.


What was the first anime series to use digital production? What was the first anime series to use digital production? How many years passed between the first use and the complete conversion to digital?

According to this interview to Toshihiko Arisako by ANN [04:42] Toei first used digital animation in 1998 for the fourth GeGeGe no Kikaro series, and "2000 was the year that most of our productions were produced digitally". Is this time frame valid for other studios or Toei was a precursor?

According to this:

  In the 1990s, the Japanese began incorporating computers into the animation process. Some works such as Ghost in the Shell and Princess Mononoke mixed cel animation with computer-generated images. Towards the late 1990s, companies had began shifting towards drawing cels digitally instead of with paint. Fuji Films to boldly announce the halt of cel production for the animation industry prompting a mass scramble to import foreign cels and transfer more of the production line to digital.

Princess Mononoke was released in 1997, though animation production began in 1995. Ghost in the Shell was released in 1995. Based on that, digital production as a part of the general production began in or before 1995.

According to this, which may or may not be correct (I don't know how reliable the source is), Tobira o Akete was an early anime short to feature digital production, as was Bit Cupid (an anime series rather than a short), both of which were from 1995.

Also,

  Production I.G., known for their world-famous Ghost in the Shell film and other prestige features (Patlabor 2, Jin Roh) produced the first two digital anime series that most anime fans can recognize by name: Love Hina (with Xebec) and FLCL (with Gainax)

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, released in 2001, was the first photorealistic computer animated feature film. Blood: The Last Vampire, which was from 2000, was fully digital, and, according to this, the first fully digital feature.

The first fully digital anime series was Bit the Cupid, which was created in 1995 by Satelight Inc. A description is on this page, but it is in Japanese. From what I can tell from the translation, Bit the Cupid was the first continuous CG animation in the world. It was made to look like it was modeled in 3D. Also, after being colored, the contour lines were taken off.

All in all, it's kind of difficult to determine exactly when things began, but from what I can find, digital production began in 1995 and the first fully digital feature was released 2000.


What is the limit of the Death Eraser? The Death Note Wikia states that...

  The Death Eraser can revive the people that have been killed by the note
  The Death Eraser is an artefact

In the wikia is also states  if you wrote "dies from a tragic accident or something",would the person's wounds or destroyed body parts be healed?

Which lead me to ask what is the limits of the Death Eraser and if you wrote "commits suicide by gun" and you used the Death Eraser to bring them back, would the wounds heal even though they come back to life?

First of all, The Death Eraser is a plot device exclusive to the manga pilot.

  Death Note includes a rule stating that if the owner of the notebook uses the Death Eraser to erase names in the Death Note, the victims come back to life if they have not been cremated.

With this said we know atleast a body is needed for this

  Taro Kagami is offered the Death Eraser by Ryuk, and is told that he can erase the names in the Death Note and the victims will miraculously come back to life

Using the description Miraculously make's it quiet easy for them to get away with just about anything. They are miraculously healed, or the miraculously live on as just a severed head.

Simply said, It all comes down to the fact its a miracle.


Who is the Mother of Meliodas, Estarossa, and Zeldris? I don't think it ever comes up, but it's interesting to think about….

Who is the Mother of Meliodas, Estarossa, and Zeldris?

In my opinion, it's the supreme deity. Zeldris has a goddess symbol on his sword and Estarossa was a member of the archangels.


What is the meaning of the nuke like tree in "My Neighbor Totoro"? In My Neighbor Totoro, the girls plant some seeds they received from Totoro, and he helps them to grow them really fast in the night (See here). This tree really looks like a mushroom cloud from a nuke. I'm aware of the nukes that the US dropped on Japan during 2nd World War, still I don't get the meaning of this hint.

If you check most of the animes that Hayao Miyazaki wrote/produced they all have environmentalism, pacifism, feminism, love and family themes to various degrees.

For example in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is about the aftermath of a global war and find balance with Nature without repeating the mistakes for the past.

Same thing with Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

Past/Current wars are the central point of those 2 movies, with Miyazaki pushing for letting go of the 'old ways' and adopting a 'Live and let live' way of life.

In the case of My Neighbor Totoro he went with a family theme. But that does not mean that there could not be some hidden symbols in the images.

Japanese people have been marked severely in their life/culture by having 2 atomic bombs dropped on them.
Many manga/anime are based on post apocalyptical worlds as a result of it.
Others just hint at this 'scar' that Japanese people have.
Take for example Grave of the Fireflies in which it was only recently discovered that the movie poster actually shows a B29 Bomber plane flying above the children when everyone thought it was just a shape of clouds.

Considering this, it is possible that Miyazaki drew the shape of the tree as a mushroom cloud without even realizing it.

This covers the point of view that the tree was indeed drawn to look like a mushroom cloud.

Now, what you have to consider is that a lot of trees actually do have a mushroom shape (that's how kids mostly draw trees).

Also Japanese people venerate the largest trees. Often building small shrine around or next to them.

In the case of Totoro, Miyazaki actually made that tree stand taller and separate from the others to show it as a kind of 'king' of the trees.
Worthy to be protected by the guardian of the spirit Totoro.
It grows so tall and strong from the love/innocence of Mei and Satsuki.

Personally, and considering the way Miyazaki approaches war in his work, I believe the second hypothesis (a normal tree without any special war-related meaning) to be the most probable one.


What does the second part of rule VII mean? hello it's me again with another question about my favorite anime/manga death note. So, here's my question: what does rule VIII's second part mean:

  Even if you do not actually possess the Death Note, the effect will be the same if you can recognize the person and his/her name to place in the blank.

Can someone explain this to me?

Contains spoilers

This rule pretty much means that, if you were to be given a ripped out piece of paper. Even tough you are not the owner of the death note, the people you write down in there will die.

In the anime we can see a good example, I don't know the exact episode(s) but it was during the investigation of Light by the FBI as potential suspect. Where light gave the FBI agent Penber a envelope.

   Light tells Penber to take the contents out of the folder he gave him, and Penber takes out four envelopes with ten rectangular spaces cut out of the left side of each one. Light says to write down the names of the agents into the blocks on the folders. As Penber writes, Light tells him not to get off of the train when he's done, and that if he follows his instructions his fiance and family will not be killed. As Penber finishes, Light says to put the transmitter and envelope back into the folder and sit quietly for thirty minutes, then place the envelope above on the rack and leave the train when no one will notice. At 4:42 PM, Penber dies from a heart attack three seconds after he exits the train, and his last sight is of Light’s face. Penber appears shocked as he looks at Light's face and says "Light Yagami." Light watches as Penber dies, and says "Farewell, Raye Penber." - Wiki

Light takes the files home and takes the pages of the Death Note out of their envelopes, revealing the times and causes of death for each agent. Each agent will receive the file and die at a different time.


How could Sasuke match Lee's speed? In episode 22 of Naruto, when Lee fights Sasuke, we have seen Lee open the first Gate, after which he claims to have supreme speed to launch his attack.

But (not far away) in episode 66, Sasuke obtains that speed, within only a month of training, while it took Lee many years of extremely hard work.

Although he had Sharingan, it doesn't mean that he can copy the speed of his opponent. How was it possible?

Sasuke:
is a "genius" (possesses innate talent).
is a Uchiha (somewhat the reason why he is a "genius").
Lee:
is a hard worker (his main motivation being to surpass Neji, the "genius" in his team).

Basically, Lee has no innate talent to ninjutsu or genjutsu. Thus he had to master taijutsu in order to surpass the "geniuses", and become a great ninja. This is a process that takes a lot of time.
Sasuke on the other hand does not need to work so hard in order to accomplish what Lee needs to work on for several years. Remember that he was able to master the Goukakyuu no Jutsu at a very early age.


Can loose souls hide in males? After finishing the first season, I have noticed that all the loose souls so far have been hiding in female hosts.  I realize it makes sense for the male protagonist to be working with females, but is it possible for a male to have a loose soul?  Perhaps there is a female counterpart to Keima that deals with the males?

There is a reason why the runaway spirits hide in females. A runaway spirit can be reborn as the child of a female host. For this reason, essentially all runaway spirits have female hosts. As far as I know it has never been explicitly addressed whether a runaway spirit is capable of possessing a male host, but even if they could it wouldn't be of any benefit to them since the primary goal of the spirits is to be reincarnated.

This was explained in chapter 3 of the manga (before the Mio conquest), but at least according to @ShinobuOshino below in the comments, not in the anime. It does come up in some future arcs though (I'll avoid spoiling exactly when), so it may be mentioned later in the anime.


Did Karin even have any "romantic" relationship with Sasuke? For now, we know that Sarada is Sakura's daughter and Sasuke is the father. Leaving Karen as the deliverer. Sasuke at the beginning showed caring to Sakura for a long time.

Also since their married now, can we say that Sasuke even liked Karen? As many times as he had bitten her... I'd say if they even had a relationship that it wouldn't have been as strong as what he had with Sakura.

When Karin was introduced, she was shown to have feelings for SasukeIt is confirmed in Karin's memory that she began to have feelings for Sasuke after he saved her during the second phase of the Chūnin Exam.Tobi pointed out Karin to be Sasuke's "favourite".Suigetsu pointed out Karin to be the girl Sasuke was "About to hook up with".Kabuto pointed out Karin to be the girl Sasuke "knows quite well".Karin blushed before being able to take a look at Sasuke after he saved her, which implies that was the first moment she started to like him.The latter has saved one another numerous timesKarin is one of the people that Sasuke has apologized toOrochimaru stated that Sasuke is "Karin's soft spot".Karin stated that she "doesn't like anyone biting her, with the exception of Sasuke".Karin stated that she only wanted Sasuke's happiness as well as forming a friendly relationship with Sakura and also delivering their child, Sarada.Whether she still has romantic feelings for Sasuke is not confirmed, but the following lines she had stated "connections come in all forms" suggests that she still holds him in endearment, even if it's not romantic in nature.


What's the significance of revealing a character's blood type? A lot of Anime shows will reveal the blood type of one or more of the main characters:

What's the significance of it? What purpose does it serve?
Where did it come from?

Blood type in Japan is associated with temperance or personality. On Facebook in Japan, as well as Wikipedia and matchmaking sites, blood type can be listed. Many horoscopes and matchmaking services also use blood type to match people together.

According to Wikipedia:

  It is common among anime and manga authors to mention their character's blood types, and to give their characters corresponding blood types to match their personalities. Some video game characters also have known blood types. In addition, it is common for video game series to allow for blood type as an option in their creation modes.

The associated personality traits (from the chart here):

A

Better traits: Earnest, creative, sensible, reserved, patient, responsible
Worse traits: Fastidious, overearnest, stubborn, tense

B

Better traits: Wild, active, doer, creative, passionate, strong
Worse traits: Selfish, irresponsible, unforgiving, erratic

AB

Better traits: Cool, controlled, rational, sociable, adaptable
Worse traits: Critical, indecisive, forgetful, irresponsible, "split personality"

O

Better traits: Confident, self-determined, optimistic, strong-willed, intuitive
Worse traits: Self-centered, cold, doubtful, unpredictable, "workaholic"


Why does Eighth have such an oversized head? All the characters in Mirai Nikki follow more or less the same style, with one exception - Eighth, who has a strangely oversized head.

Spot the culprit

Why is this? Is there a specific reason Eighth has this appearance?

I wasn't able to find anything that explicitly stated as to why her character design is that way. It is apparent that a lot of the fans do not understand why her design is that way and do not like the way she looks.

I will try to explain my interpretation as to why she might have been created to look that way.

Character Impression

During the series, a good number of the diary owners are sociopaths that enjoy killing other people. There are a few exceptions to the trend like Yuki, Keigo, etc. Kamado is also part of this group not wanting to have anything to do with the game, but her orphan children want her to win and form a little army to protect her. The character design that was chosen shows that she doesn't look threatening in any way and leads most people to believe she is harmless.
Motherly Figure

As we all know, Kamado runs an orphanage that caters to quite a few children. This design could imitate how some children perceive their mother. A mother or father is a very big presence in a child's life, and this over inflated head design can reflect how a mothers head may look to a small child when she is bending down talking to a child or infant.

Taking those factors into account, that could lead to an exaggerated character design. Note that this is in no way 100% fact, as it is my general interpretation as to why the artist may do this.


What is Haruhi's power? I don't read the LN so I don't really know what she really is. She seems to have great power. She can make things happen just by thinking about it. She even create a parallel world. And she seems very dangerous even when she's unconscious. So, what exactly is Haruhi? What is her power? Did they explain it on light novel?

As described in Wikipedia, Haruhi possesses unconscious god-like abilities to change, destroy, and reshape reality to her desires.  In an interview, Tanigawa stated that the idea for the character came during a sleepless night at the beginning of the 21st century.

I think Koizumi also mentioned that Haruhi has a God-like power. I just don't remember what specific episode did he mention it. Along with Koizumi, Yuki and Mikuru revealed to Kyon that that was the reason why they were sent to earth, to watch over Haruhi since she is unaware of her God-like powers.


Why can't Oreki refuse Chitanda? Oreki is a usually lazy and energy-saving kind of guy. After meeting Chitanda, Oreki is unable to refuse her requests. Why can't he refuse it? Is this because he is in love with her or is it a form of hypnosis?

First things first - no, it is not a form of hypnosis. Hyouka is entirely devoid of supernatural elements. The notion is absurd on its face.
Anyway, why can't Houtarou refuse Chitanda? There are a few reasons for this, and they change over the course of the show.

Chitanda's force of personality
Let's take a look at episode 1. When Chitanda asks Houtarou to help her find out why she got locked in the room, we get that scene where Chitanda's hair captures Houtarou. This is, of course, a representation of how Houtarou views the situation at hand, and suggests that there was something very persuasive about the way Chitanda asked him. If we turn to the novel's version of this scene, we find that:

千反田のその眼差《まなざ》しには、いい加減な返事は許さないというような一種異様な力があった。それに圧倒されて、俺の声は間抜けになった。
Chitanda's eyes held some sort of strange power, one that forbade me from giving her an offhand response. Her gaze overwhelmed me, and left me sounding like a fool.

As this suggests, at the very beginning of the story, Houtarou is spurred to action not out of love for Chitanda or anything, but rather by Chitanda's immense force of personality.
In episode 15, we see that Chitanda has more or less the same effect on Masashi Tohgaito when she's trying to get him to include the Classics Club in the next issue of the wall newspaper. (Irisu suggested that she use her feminine wiles, but Chitanda didn't really manage to pull that off.)
Houtarou is a pragmatic person
In the second half of episode 1, Houtarou has Satoshi help him fabricate the story of the secret club. Why? Because, as he himself notes, if he hadn't, Chitanda would have dragged him off to the music room to investigate the so-called ghost that supposedly appeared there. In a sense, he chose the better of two bad options.
While they wait for the librarian in episode 2, Chitanda becomes curious about why the
school history book gets loaned out every day. At first, he tries to get Chitanda to stop pestering him, but soon realizes that refusing her any more would actually be more costly than just acceding to her demands.
Houtarou, being a very pragmatic sort of person, will sometimes do a small amount of work in order to avoid having to do even more work.
Chitanda is pretty pushy
In episode 2, Chitanda actually grabs Houtarou and drags him to the library to search for the club's archived anthologies, thus justifying his fear in the second half of episode 1 of being forced to go all the way to the music room. Later in the episode, with the mystery of the frequently-returned book, Chitanda shoves the book in Houtarou's face until he finally gives in.
Point here is, Chitanda can be a pushy kind of person.
Sometimes, Houtarou just doesn't have anything better to do
As his sister notes in her letter from Varanasi, Houtarou should join the Classics Club because (if for no other reason) he isn't doing anything better with his time. In episode 3, when Houtarou agrees to help Chitanda out (to a certain degree) with the matter of her uncle, he thinks back to his sister's letter and figures that indeed, there's not really any good reason for him to say no - as long as it doesn't involve going too far out of his way.
In episode 20, when Chitanda invites Houtarou to visit the Arekusu shrine on New Years', he again agrees, mostly because he doesn't have anything better to do. (His thought process is elucidated upon a bit more in the novels, making it clear that this was mostly why he agreed to go.)

These are more or less the reasons why Houtarou does anything towards the beginning of the show. As Houtarou develops, though, he starts developing other motivations.

Houtarou actually starts wanting to do things
In episode 18, Houtarou decides he wants to look into Mr. Ogi and why he was struck by lightning thrice, and hence goes out of his way (all the way to the public library) to learn more about the matter.
This is presumably a result of Chitanda's influence on him over the preceding months (not that Satoshi, Ibara, and others didn't play a part either). He's different now than he was at the beginning, when he was wholly devoted to his tenets of energy conservation.
Houtarou probably develops feelings for Chitanda
In episode 21, we see Houtarou flustered when when Chitanda tells him that, in her family, it is customary not to give gifts to people who they are truly close to. Later in the same episode, Houtarou's anger with Satoshi over the stolen chocolate incident by and large is due to the fact that Chitanda was hurt by the incident.
And, of course, in episode 22, Houtarou imagines telling Chitanda that he'd be willing to take on the business side of things to help her out. He then realizes that the way he felt as he thought about that might have been how Satoshi felt when he chose to break Ibara's chocolate in the previous episode. This can be interpreted in various ways; one possible (and common) interpretation is that he realizes he's fallen for Chitanda.

So yes, towards the end of the story, it's possible that Houtarou is motivated by love for Chitanda, but towards the beginning, he's more pragmatically-motivated than anything.


What's the song when Naruto talks to the little kid in episode 13? What's the name of the soundtrack played in Naruto season 1 episode 13? It's played around 15:35 when Naruto talks to the little kid.

It is a variation of the main theme slowed down. The closest I was able to find of the same would be this. Skip to  :50


Does one need to see the 2 Little Witch Academia movies before watching the series? Prior to the 2017 series of Little Witch Academia there were two films: a ~30 minute one released in 2013, which is just called Little Witch Academia, and a ~60 minute one released in 2015 called Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade.

I am wondering if one needs to watch either or both of these films before watching the 2017 series?

[This seems like enough of an answer to post as such, but I still haven't watched the films, so I don't have the full context.]

I watched the Little Witch Academia anime without having seen the films. I didn't have any trouble understanding the plot, and I could spot a major plot twist coming even without the context of the films. However, from the Wikipedia synopses, the events in the two films are not ones that appear in the anime, and at least one plot point is outright handled differently:

   Per Wikipedia and the fan wiki, how Akko finds the Shiny Rod is different. In the anime, she stumbles into the Shiny Rod while she is in trouble, while in the film, she finds it on a class assignment to look for treasure.

As far as I can tell, the characterisations in the films and in the anime are consistent with each other. In particular, Akko's incompetence and her classmates' ridicule of her for her love of Shiny Chariot are a theme in both adaptations. Anecdotally, I have also heard that the aforementioned plot twist was foreseeable in the films as well, although it does not appear to be explicitly revealed:

   Ursula is Shiny Chariot.


Is Mirai Nikki OVA equal to the manga ending? The final scene where Yuno breaks into his world is crucial for the ending, yet they saved it for the OVA. Many people I know haven't seen the OVA, and missed this final embrace.

I remember reading the final volume of the manga because the anime ending seemed inconclusive, until I realized the OVA had the final ending.

Why does the anime conclude seconds before the manga concludes?

The final volume Last Diary contains the ending where they meet each other. But the anime OVA contains the final ending and it is taken from Redial where the ending is very descriptive. This was not in Last Diary. As you mention you read the manga, so you know the difference between the ending in the anime and the manga: how Yuno Gasai from third universe meets Yukiteru god of second universe.

The OVA does not only contain the story of how Yuno meets Yukiteru but also about the other diary users and the changes in their lives. The final ending of the anime hints that they did meet each other. If you remember the ending from the anime, there is a text change of the diary from "Yuno died" to "Yuno came to see me" and the sound of something breaking and Yuno calling Yukki which leads to one conclusion that they did meet each other. You can't say it is inconclusive.

The main reason may be lack of time. So later Esuno Sakae released both Mirai Nikki: Redial and OVA where there is happy ending and other details like how the part of Murmur of first universe, which was hanging in Yuno's mobile to help her to remember about Yukki and Minene of the second universe and help them meet with each other which he was not able to do in the show.

Another reason is that, it is not necessary that the contents of the anime and the manga should be same. Manga can contain very deep story with every detail where anime covers surface. There are many other anime/manga, where the story of the manga and anime are completely different. Because release of anime is not like the release of manga.


Can Nico Robin really reveal the void century? Nico Robin's goal is to find out what happened in void century that written in poneglyph, and she must read all the poneglyph to know the history.
Poneglyph is said scattered around the world, and each poneglyph is connected to another poneglyph.

But can she really read all the poneglyph and reveal the void century?

Because if I'm not mistaken about the Log Pose, it will point to the nearest island. How about there's some island missed by Mugiwara Crew and possibly have a poneglyph, that's mean Nico Robin can't read the poneglyph and she also can't reveal about the void century.

Yes, she can.
What you said about her requiring to visit all poneglyphs to decipher the Rio Poneglyph is true and has been stated in the Wikia also:

Only when the stones are read as one will they fill in the Void Century of the world.

However, it also says:

There are two types of poneglyphs: those that carry information about how to reach the other poneglyphs and those that carry the records of the "True History".

Hence, even if she were to miss an island, she would be guided there by another poneglyph. Finding the island is not much of a problem either because one can use an Eternal Pose:

Like a Log Pose, it records the special magnetic waves of a certain island within the Grand Line, allowing the user to know which way to go to arrive at their destination. Unlike a Log Pose, which resets its recordings on new islands, an Eternal Pose always points to the same island, no matter how long it stays elsewhere.
They appear to be available for purchase, though come at a high cost.


What's the music playing in Naruto Shippuden episode 1 when Naruto and Jiraiya are walking through the forest? There's a music playing in Naruto Shippuden episode 1 when Naruto and Jiraiya are walking through the forest back to the Hidden Leaf village.

I have listened to all the Naruto Shippuden Original Soundtracks 1-3 but have not found it. I also could not find an episode list listing the music in each episode on the web.

What's the music title?

There are a large number of soundtracks in Naruto that were never released officially. For these songs, sometimes you can find an unofficial version online. Fans construct these versions by splicing together audio samples from various episodes, so if there aren't enough samples, the audio can be partially distorted due to voice removal manipulations and the like.

For this particular track, it seems that there was a particularly good sample from Shippuden episode 343, so no splicing needed! It's been uploaded to YouTube titled as "Peaceful Theme" and also "Konoha Peace".


Are anime that are not based on manga common? Has there ever been an anime that was not based on a manga? I notice that most if not all were actually mangas before they were turned into a TV series.

Is it common for an anime to be created without there being a manga first?
Answers are appreciated. :)

Let's take a quick sample of full-length non-children's anime that began airing during the current season (Winter 2014) and see which are based on manga.

Based on a manga: D-Frag; Engaged to the Unidentified; Hoozuki no Reitetsu; Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha; Maken-ki 2; Nisekoi; Nobunagun; Noragami; Saki Zenkoku-hen; Sakura Trick; Seitokai Yakuindomo 2; Silver Spoon 2; Witch Craft Works
Based on a light novel: Chuunibyou 2; Mahou Sensou; Nourin; ImoCho; Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta
Based on something else: Falcom Gakuen (a video game series); SoniAni (a mascot character)
Not based on anything: Buddy Complex; Hamatora (simultaneous mixed-media); Nobunaga the Fool; Sekai Seifuku; Space Dandy; Wake Up, Girls!; Wizard Barristers

As we can see, roughly half of the series this season are based on a manga, and roughly half are based either on a work in some other medium or are wholly original.

To make a broader point, we can take a look at some data collected by user /u/homu on Reddit (link).

As we can see from this graph, manga has historically been the source for at least a plurality of anime adaptations (though never a majority, at least since 2000). However, other sources are by no means negligible. In particular, the rise of light novels starting circa 2005 appears to have eaten into the market share of manga adaptations, and shows no sign of slowing down as of yet.

All said and done, yes - anime that aren't based on manga are pretty common.


Who leaked info on section 9's kidnapping of Mr. Serano? - tl;dr Version -

How did information of Section 9's involvement with the second kidnapping of Mr. Serano, which happened in episode 23 of GitS:SAC, get leaked to the media? I can't find any source online that clarifies this.

- Longer Version -

In episode 23 of GitS:SAC, Major Kusanagi uses the memories she obtained from the Laughing Man to stage a second kidnapping of Mr. Serano under the guise of the Laughing Man himself in order to verify the connection between Serano Genomics and Secretary General Yakushima. During the kidnapping, Major Kusanagi impersonated the Laughing Man perfectly because, well, she was the Laughing Man for all intents and purposes. However, the degree to which the rest of Section 9 was filled in on this plot seems to be vague. Throughout the episode you can see the rest of Section 9 trying hard to "arrest the laughing man", though it's conceivable that this could have all been part of Section 9's plan.

Regardless of whether or not the rest of Section 9 was filled in on this plan, how on earth did the media find out that it was the Major who impersonated the Laughing Man and kidnapped Mr. Serano? At most only the members of Section 9 knew about this (and possibly the Laughing Man himself I suppose), so who leaked the information? One possibility is that Major's girly eyes gave it away, as is slightly indicated at the beginning of episode 24 when Chief Aramaki and Togusa are in the car, but that seems like a silly way for the news to be leaked. In the GitS:SAC wiki page, it's claimed that Secretary General Yakushima, the guy who this entire Laughing Man plot is focused on putting to justice, found out that Section 9 was behind the kidnapping and so leaked that info to the media (which played a very big role in the rest of the story). But how would Yakushima have known about that? Who told him?

What's really weird about all this is that in the beginning of episode 24, Chief Aramaki tells nearly everybody in Section 9 to "find out where news of our op was leaked from." But nobody ever seems to give an answer to this!

Secretary General Yakushima would have feelers out to pick up on any operation like the one Section 9 were pulling off. The universe also doesn't set up the enemies as inert - they are active and have skills - at that level of espionage, the Secretary General would totally have the resources to uncover what Section 9 was doing.

Interestingly, one of the possibilities is that Aramaki leaked it himself, or left a trail to put the whole death-to-rebirth, process into action. However, it is more likely he just reacted to the situation and any small member of Public Security could have had some type of tap on Section 9.


Was "defenestrated" simply a literal translation, or part of a bigger concept or joke? WorldEnd: What Are You Doing at the End of the World? Will You Save Us? (aka Shūmatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii Desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii Desu ka? (終末なにしてますか? 忙しいですか? 救ってもらっていいですか?), commonly called SukaSuka) is a currently airing anime of Spring 2017. It should be obvious from the title that the author is very particular and non-traditional with their word usage. As strange as it sounds, the title of the series fits excellently. The English sub translation has flowed very well.

However something in episode 8 struck me as odd at time mark 14:00 (if watch, start 30 seconds earlier for context).  Willem, the main character is speaking with Chtholly, who is in love with him. He is defending himself from light jealousy. When she counters an argument of his with an alternative case, he says with wit and resignation:

  Defenestrated in two seconds flat.

I did not know what "defenstrated" meant (basically, in this context, he acknowledges she has completely dismissed his argument and admits defeat.) It is not often I need to look up a word while watching anime, and on top of that figure out how that word fits the situation.

What I wonder now is if the translator used "defenestrated" as simply a literal translation of a Japanese word, without any real thought.  My suspicion is the opposite, that this is a contextual translation which would probably seem just as odd (and as oddly appropriate) in Japanese as it does in English. What kind of translation was it, and does it carry the Japanese intent well?

Update

HotelCalifornia (HC) further researched this question, and it turns out my original interpretation of "Defenestrated in two seconds flat." was incorrect. I had assumed the meaning to be [My argument was dismissed in two seconds flat.] As HC learned in the Japanese SE, a much better meaning uses a different subject and adds an object (both absent in the literal Japanese as well). So a translation that better fits conversation flow is:

  I would have thrown Nygglatho out the window in two seconds.

(Nygglatho is the attractive female adult leader of the "warehouse", and Chtholly had just asked what Willem would have done if she had crept onto the couch where he was sleeping, instead of the teenage female who had actually done so.) So the primary meaning for defenestrated was the proper one, not the figurative meaning of dismiss.

After listening to the exchange a number of times, it sounds to me as if he is saying

「2[秒]{びょう}[以内]{いない}に[窓]{まど}から[捨]{す}ててるな。」
Ni byō inai ni mado kara suteteru na.

To break it down:

Ni byō: two seconds
mado kara suteteru: throwing out from/through a window

(the rest of the sentence is mostly structure, and immaterial to this answer)
My translation of the line would be something along the lines of:

[My argument] didn't last for two seconds before being thrown out [a window].

In other words, the translation (though the word choice may have been odd) was a literal translation, while also carrying some of the Japanese intent.
Update:
I asked about it on the Japanese SE, and have determined two things:

I misinterpreted the subject of the phrase- rather than his argument being dismissed, he is referring to what he would do "if it was Nygglatho" (namely, throwing her out the window). This applies to Crunchyroll's English translation as well.
The phrase 「窓から投げ捨てる」 (to abandon by throwing [something] out through a window) is a slangy phrase usually used to tell someone what they can do with an inferior product (akin to the English phrase "shove it up your ass." So, the Japanese phrase is figurative in a different way than the direct English translation.

An updated translation could be

[Nygglatho? I'd] throw her out the window in two seconds.


Is this a Shonen Jump anime? So I've had this image for a while (just been trying to find it to use in the question).

I know that all four characters are from Shonen Jump and looks (to me) like a screenshot of an actual anime, but when I try to use Google reverse image search I either get other image hosting sites tagging all the characters uploaded by various users or a YouTube AMV. (I am assuming as it is an AMV I don't have sound but the description links to a song called "Hear Me Now". Also I don't see the image in question in the video so I think it's used as a thumbnail).

So I am wondering is there a Shonen Jump anime which stars Luffy, Naruto, Ichigo and Goku?

The second page of a reverse image search leads me to this Deviant Art page, where it's made clear that this is fan art. (A lot of fan edits can look reasonably professional. For example, I know of someone on YouTube who includes a lot of scenes in her AMVs which she creates with Photoshop or the such. As an example, this Fullmetal Alchemist AMV features a number of with Hawkeye and Mustang that are non-canon, and which the creator states as such on her Tumblr blog.)

However, since it's still interesting to look at whether or not a cross-over exists, I'll take a look at that as well. It doesn't look like there's an anime starring all four, at least in that a search for any cross-over spin-offs doesn't generate anything "official". As I don't follow any of these series, this may have been insufficient.

For what it's worth, I searched for one piece spin-off dragon ball z naruto bleach. However, one piece spin-off dragon ball z did generate this one-chapter collaboration involving both series and Toriko, so it can't be that my search terms are completely off. Replacing spin-off with collaboration still yields no useful, official results. Moreover, when I put the names of the series in quotation marks, all I ended up with on the first couple pages were either references to the Toriko collaboration or people comparing all four series.


What's the deal with Shinobu's hat? Shinobu originally didn't have a hat, but in Nekomonogatari Black, Shinobu ask Oshino to buy her that hat, he gave it to her as a reward since she was the one who resolved the problem with Black Hanekawa. But since she live in Araragi's shadow, she started to talk more and didn't wear that hat anymore, any specific reason why is that?

Shinobu in Nekomonogatari (Black), Bakemonogatari and in Nisemonogatari:

This is off the top of my head, so I could be barking mad, but this is how I remember it. Spoilers for Kizumonogatari, Nekomonogatari Black, and Nisemonogatari ahead.

Shinobu, in Kizu, tells Koyomi that head-patting is some kind of intimate act of subservience between a vampire servant and master. Koyomi thinks this is a little weird, but goes along with it.

At the end of Kizu, Tsubasa deduces that Shinobu wanted to die the whole time. Koyomi refuses to grant her this, and instead brings about the situation where he's an asymptotically human pseudo vampire and Shinobu is a mostly powerless asymptotically vampiric pseudo human who has to suck Koyomi's blood to survive. Shinobu is furious, and doesn't talk to Koyomi until Karen Bee.

In Neko Black, Shinobu helps defeat Black Hanekawa. Afterwards, Koyomi goes to pat her on the head as a reward, but finds that she's wearing that strange pilot hat. She got the hat to show Koyomi that she was still pissed at him and wasn't going to let him pat her on the head.

Later, in Tsubasa Cat, Shinobu stops being angry at Koyomi and starts living in his shadow. In Karen Bee, she even comes out to talk to him when he's in the bath. Since she's not mad at him anymore, she stops wearing the hat, since she doesn't need to stop him from patting her head.

Edit: Now with actual evidence.

Kizumonogatari, Chapter 4 establishes that head-rubbing is regarded by Shinobu as a sign of obedience. Koyomi has just allowed Shinobu to turn him into a vampire, and Shinobu has asked him if he understands that he must be subservient to her. The first to speak is Koyomi.

  “Ha, haa”

  “Huh, an ambiguous answer——do you really understand?”

  “Um, umm——I understand.”

  “Then as a sign of obedience to me, rub my head!”

  She said majestically.

  ....

  Rub head.

  Uwa, her hair is really soft.

  Although there is a lot of hair, it‘s really smooth.

  “That‘s enough.”

  “....That‘s the sign of obedience?”

  “You don't know that?”

  She looked at me with contempt.

  Vampires use a different set of rules.

Here's Nekomonogatari Black, Chapter 13, where Koyomi goes in to thank Shinobu for her help and finds her wearing the hat. Oshino also tells Koyomi that he gave her the hat. I massaged out some of the grammar mistakes in the translation.

  I even wanted to stroke her head.

  The sign of obedience—though I wouldn't call it that.

  Still, I thought she could let me do at least that—I thought she
  would certainly let me thank her.

  “............”

  My expectation was largely unfulfilled.

  The sense of omnipotence of the look from above in epilogues didn't
  apply here.

  As I arrived and met her in the classroom on the first floor, the
  little vampire girl was wearing, of all things, an enigmatic helmet
  with goggles, of the type you wear when riding a moped.

  I couldn't stroke her head like this.

  “Ah, that? Vampire-chan badgered me about it. After all she is
  the one who solved the whole cat thing, so I gave it to her as a
  prize”

  Oshino explained.

The quotes don't explicitly say that Shinobu was wearing the hat to stop Koyomi from rubbing her head, but it seems pretty plain from the context. It was her way of telling Koyomi, without deigning to speak to him, that she hadn't forgiven him.


Which episode of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood had a lot of transitions with a black screen and white text? I think it was one of the earlier episodes but I can't remember. Maybe it was during a character's backstory or a flashback but it was only in 1 episode.

There was an episode in FMA Brotherhood where the scene would fade to a black screen with white Japanese text appearing vertically, and then fades back to the story, and the whole process is repeated several times throughout the episode as the story progresses. I thought it was during the Ishvalan extermination episode, but Riza Hawkeye was narrating that part so I don't know what other episode it could be.

I believe you're looking for the Youswell flashback, in episode 38 at around 6:52. This may not be what you're looking for, since it doesn't repeat throughout the episode; however, it's the only one I can really think of.

It starts with a black screen stating １９１４年 (year 1914), followed by ユースウェル (Youswell), followed by various shots of the town and Yoki.

These shots are interlaced with black screens of white text showing the dialog these characters are saying while in the flashback, since Yoki is narrating the scenario.


Why did people start falling unconscious in "Futari wa Pretty Cure"? During the first season, people had to be evacuated when the Dark Zone attacked, and civilians even interacted with the villains in some episodes. However, at some point, people started to fall unconscious, or even disappear until the fighting was over.

By Max Heart, I don't think a single civilian became aware that strange stuff was going on. This even included

   Honoka's grandmother, who was magical enough to stand up to Poisony in the first season.

From what I've seen, future series ditched this and civilians are increasingly aware of the existence of Cures.

Is there a reason people started vanishing and falling unconscious during the earlier days of the franchise?

Talking about the very first season of Pretty Cure, Nagisa and Honoka had to face Zakenna, black monsters that come out in form of shadows possessing objects and creatures. When those monsters appear, people fall unconscious while the sky become dark.

AFAIK, since Zakenna appears only in season one and season two (Max Heart), the behavior you're asking for seems to be related to Zakenna particularly.


How and why is Subaru connected to the Witch (Satella)? All throughout the series, specifically, within the second Arc of the story, there are references to Subaru smelling like the Witch's Scent, Giving us the knowledge that he is Definitely connected to her.

Why is this? It's well known that Subaru was pulled from modern day Japan into this Fantasy world, as well as that he has the ability "Return to Death" In which he has the ability to Respawn.

These things most likely have things in common with his relations to the witch, though... What exactly is the relationship? How are they connected?

Satella The Jealous Witch is in love with Subaru. Why though is not known to the current arc of the latest source arc 6 (web) may change in the official version (Published book).

The first time we supposed to see her was supposed to be in the current anime arc which is arc 3 it is not shown during the anime but every time Subaru dies he is transported (symbolizes by the arm grabbing him) to a new timeline while that happen he is transported first to a void places (for depiction look at opening 1 where the places is covered with smokes symbolizing the witches miasma which may explain why the smell grew thicker everytime he re-spawn).

He saw an image of a girl which became clearer every loop. not only thus images pop up the more significant changes that you would observe in the anime (if they didn't cut it) he will hear the whisper of Satella saying 'I Love You' in every attempt of a reveal.(episode 20)

The fact that he say 'I love Emilia' during the Rem scene will put on perspective why Emilia was killed during his attempt to reveal the power


Where is the divergence in Fate/Apocrypha? I know that the light novel Fate/Apocrypha has some divergent point after the Third Grail War, but I was wondering what exactly that divergent point was. How did the world end up without a Fourth and Fifth Grail war? Did someone win the Third Grail War, or was there something else that happened differently?

One cause was Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, who aided the Nazi's during the Third Holy Grail War by locating the greater Grail and stealing it.

  Seventy years ago, he participated in Fuyuki's Third Holy Grail War in an unknown capacity, aiding the Nazis to supposedly help them further their own goals. He found the location of the Greater Grail, and with the power of the Nazi army behind him, plundered it. He betrayed the Nazis as it was being transported to Germany without their knowledge, leading to the only details being known that the Grail disappeared without a trace and the magus aiding them also vanished.

However, there is also another deviance which dates back earlier than Darnic.

In the original timeline that Fate/Zero and Fate/Stay Night follow from, the Einzberns summoned a new Avenger Class for Angra Mainyu. However, its early defeat and storage in the Greater Grail corrupted it, causing the abnormalities we see in future wars (non-Heroic Spirits being summoned, wishes becoming destruction).

In Fate/Apocrypha however, the Einzberns summoned Ruler, which in the Great Holy Grail War is Joan of Arc, but in the Third War, it was Shirou Tokisada Amakusa who we know in Apocrypha as Shirou Kotomine

  As the third war drew to a close, the Einzberns clearly stood closer than any other to the Greater Grail. However Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia successfully stolen the Greater Grail, the only survivors in Fuyuki City were Shirou and Risei Kotomine. While his Master was killed in action, Shirou remained materialized due to Shirou came in contact with the Greater Grail and he managed to receive flesh.

So we can assume that what caused the timeline to split is when the Einzberns chose to Summon Ruler instead of Avenger.


Why have people's wishes become so powerful after God vanished? In the anime, several wishes are in place, from creating alternate realities (Alice, Dee), to immortality (Humpnie) and absolute life or death (Ulla, Celica).

Why are people's wishes so powerful? Were they like that before God vanished?

Actually, yes. Throughout the series, it is mentioned that the reason humans can actually live they way they can is because God has given them their "wish". The reason for the immortality (even if it is miserable) is because God has given up on them and given the human beings what they desired. (Even if it's not a great idea...)

So, this whole thing became possible because of the humans wishes and what they thought was best. So, since this happened before "God" vanished (or as God did, that is) it's safe to assume that perhaps God was capable of fulfilling a few things here and there, too.

This is just speculation but perhaps God has not abandoned them completely just yet.


Minimum amount of people for harem? Silly question, but how many people do you need at minimum in a love-triangle (or love-polygon, whatever) for something to be classified as a harem manga/anime? If "only" three people are involved, and not even at the same time, would that already be a harem?

From Wikipedia:

  Harem (ハーレムもの hāremumono; "from harem") in anime and manga is an emphasis on polygamous or love triangle relationships characterized by a protagonist surrounded amorously by three or more members of either the same and/or opposing gender, sex, and/or love interests

So three people is enough to be classified as harem


How common is it for men to voice women? I know male characters are often voiced by women. Naruto for example, is voiced by Junko Takeuchi, Luffy is voiced by Mayumi Tanaka, and Hitsugaya Toshiro is voiced by Romi Park, all of whom are women.

How common is it for men to voice women? Is there any precedent to it? If not, are there any examples? I'm asking specifically about voicing in the original Japanese.

According to TVTropes,

  Sometimes, an animated character is better suited for being voiced by
  a voice actor of the opposite sex. Maybe a higher voice is needed for
  a male, or a lower voice for a female.

  A common variant for this is for young boys, usually 12 and under, to
  be voiced by an adult woman. This is because real little boys' voices
  deepen when they go through puberty. Not to mention that it's easier
  to find experienced actresses than experienced prepubescent male
  actors. The producers don't have to deal with child labor laws that
  limit the amount of time a child can spend in a studio, either. Women
  are often able to maintain the role longer, as well, since their
  voices don't change like a growing boy's.

  There are exceptions, of course — sometimes an adult man or an actual
  child will voice a little boy. In films, this is the rule rather than
  the exception, as voice recording for a film generally takes much less
  time than for a TV series.

  And on a related note, sometimes, for comedy purposes, a deep-voiced
  woman will be played by a man.

Also, female seiyuu voice acting as a male character is much more common than male seiyuu voice acting as a female character probably because it is easier for a woman to lower her voice's pitch than a man to make his voice's pitch higher like that of a woman.

Personally, I don't know of any male seiyuu who voice acted a female character, but Jun Fukuyama voiced Grell Sutcliff who acted as gay.

From the TVTropes link I have provided, here are some examples (some examples are from Japanese animated films or games):

  Spy D is voiced by Tessho Genda, who is a well-known Japanese live-action actor renowned for his "tough guy" roles. In fact, Spy D's personality and physical appearance were based on Tessho Genda. It is reported that he had no idea the character was female until he saw the finished movie.
  Akihiro Miwa, a male actor and cabaret singer, has played female roles in two Miyazaki films: The Witch of the Waste in Howl's Moving Castle and Moro in Princess Mononoke, who is a giant wolf for which a deep growling voice is actually quite appropriate.
  A rather interesting (and literal) twist in Gundam 00: In one of the drama CDs, Tieria poses as a female student to infiltrate the high school that Louise and Saji attend. While disguised, his voice is provided by...his normal voice actor, Hiroshi Kamiya, who can apparently pull off a rather convincing female voice. Who knew?

  This is repeated in the second season, where Tieria dresses as a woman (with Gag Boobs, hence the Fan Nickname "Titeria") to infiltrate a party the bad guys are throwing. Considering Tieira was a major source of Viewer Gender Confusion before the show aired...

  In ICE, Julia is played by a man in both Japanese and English.
  In Ixion Saga DT, Jun Fukuyama voices Mariandale, the princesses' maid. Turns out he's just cross dressing.


What motivation did Hidan, Kakuzu, Deidara, Sasori have for joining the Akatsuki? The motivations of the following characters, have been were shown in the anime:

Tobi/Madara and Zetsu wanted to capture and seal the Tailed Beasts for his Moon's Eye plan.
Pain and Konan wanted to capture Tailed Beasts and use them to destroy the Five Shinobi Nations.
Itachi wanted to make sure the Akatsuki didn't attack Konoha or capture the Nine-Tails.
Kisame already had connections with Madara before joining Akatsuki.

What motivations did Hidan, Kakuzu, Deidara, Sasori, and Orochimaru have to join the Akatsuki?

As for the reasons, most of their background stories weren't clearly provided, so I am going to have make my answer with their character portrayal.

Hidan - As for why he would've joined Akatsuki, I can only surmise that it's due to his obsession to fight and kill (primarily on the aspect he was religious, he wanted to give more sacrifices to his god Jashin) and he could've seen that as bread and butter stuff of what Akatsuki was doing. He probably would've joined to work for free just for the killing.
Kakuzu - Surely money. There is no motivation other than money for him, which was shown clearly in his fight with team Asuma. That same obsession for money in fact even got him killed.
Deidara/Sasori - Their ambitions to join Akatsuki is quite vague to me. For Deidara, he was young and wanted to make a name for his art by blowing up stuffs, so Itachi challenged him to a fight, saying that if he was defeated, he would have to join Akatsuki. He probably ended up joining because of that. As for Sasori, he, being a rogue ninja like all the others, probably thought it would be safer to be along with fellow rogue ninjas.
Orochimaru - One of Orochimaru's ambition was to live for eternity to learn all the techniques. He knew the organization had stronger members and probably joined the organization to learn more about others and their skills. It's probably also because of his hate he had for Konoha.


Is the story of "Welcome to the N.H.K." about hikikomori based on a real conspiracy? After watching Welcome to the N.H.K., it got me wondering if this story had been based on a real conspiracy.
According to Wikipedia,

[...] The story revolves around a 22-year-old asocial individual who gets aid from a strange girl who seems to know a lot about him, despite never having met him before. A common theme throughout the story deals with the hardships of life and how people must deal with them in their own way.
[...]
In Japan, NHK refers to the public broadcaster Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai, but within the series, the main character believes it stands for Nihon Hikikomori Kyōkai (日本引きこもり協会, The Japanese Hikikomori Association), which is a reference to the protagonist's claim of a subversive conspiracy led by NHK (the real-life broadcaster) to create hikikomori. [...]

I haven't read through the article about hikikomori's yet, but as far as I remember, too many people end up living in seclusion in Japan for it to be just a coincidence.
Was there ever a conspiracy or claims that there might be a company or organisation that would promote people to live their lives in seclusion?

I'm pretty sure Welcome to the N.H.K. isn't based on an actual conspiracy story. It's not mentioned in any interviews or commentary sections of the media.

I would imagine however, that the conspiracy is somewhat based on the author Tatsuhiko Takimoto's personal experience living as a self-proclaimed "top-runner" hikkomori. In the light novel afterword, it informs us that he primarily lives off royalties of his novels.

The 'conspiracy' is mostly a commentary on how the mundane life of TV and seclusion is easy to fall into - because of the attraction of broadcast media's element of fantasy, such as produced by NHK TV - and the lack of immediate consequence if should one fall into a hikkomori lifestyle. So it could seem like there are conspirators trying to keep hikkomoris as hikkomoris.

Hikkomoris feel trapped because they usually have little social or commercially valuable skills meaning it is hard to get a job or contribute to society (Especially as Japan job system is pretty much school -> college -> job or via social contacts) - and on the flip side, it is much easier to stay indoors and watch another episode of the latest airing anime.

This isn't his first novel dealing with the issue of life indirection either - Happy Negative Chainsaw Edge. So it is an issue that is close to his heart - perhaps he himself believes there is a conspiracy.

This fan blog post is a pretty great for reference for N.H.K. stuff in general


How to refer to the two states of Umaru? In Himouto Umaru-chan, Umaru Doma has two distinct "states":

I am wondering how do both English-speaking fans and Japanese-speaking fans call these two "states". Is there an official name given?

From what I observe, when she changes from the "small" state to the "big" state, the text "うまうーん" appears behind her:

So I suspect that the big form is called うまるーん.

うまるーん is not the name of either form, it is the sound effect of Umaru shifting into her grown-up/outside form.

It's not 100% set in stone, but she often uses the name 「こまる」 ("Komaru") when she's smaller, typically when one of her classmates meets her in that state. Otherwise, the common names for the two states are outside and inside, since she typically changes when she crosses the threshold of their apartment.

There is, also, her third persona, "UMR", which is grown-up like her outside form, but wearing a costume to hide her identity so that she can go to arcades without being spotted. It's also the form in which she becomes friends with Sylphynford Tachibana.


Who is the main character in Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works? I just want to know who is the main character in Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works, in the sense that every season has a different main character.

[...] every season has a different main character

This is actually incorrect. Fate/stay night always has the same main character Shirou Emiya. In the visual novels, you always play/read in the perspective of Shirou, with some exceptions:

Various interludes (such as in the Fate route, the scene where Saber left to attack Ryuudou Temple in the middle of the night, going against the group's decision not to attack, is played in the perspective of Saber).
The Prologue, which plays at the beginning when you start the game up for the first time (replayable from the Extra's Menu). You play as Rin Tohsaka from the morning before she summoned Archer until the point where Archer was attacked by Saber.

However, depending on the route, there is a second character whom the story focuses on. The female main character is always the heroine/romance interest of Shirou during the said route.

In the Fate route, it is Saber
In the Unlimited Blade Works route, it is Rin Tohsaka
In the Heaven's Feel route, it is Sakura Matou

So in regards to the Fate/stay night anime adaptations, Shirou is always the male lead, while the female lead in

Studio Deen's 2006 Fate/stay night anime adaption, it is Saber (the majority of the series adapts the Fate route)
Studio Deen's 2010 Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works movie adaptation, it is Rin Tohsaka (the movie poorly adapts the Unlimited Blade Works route)
Ufotable's 2014-2015 Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works anime adaptation, it is Rin Tohsaka (it adapts and adds onto the Unlimited Blade Works route)
Ufotable's TBA Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel anime adaptation, it is Sakura Matou

Apart from the heroines, their Servant also get featured in their respective routes:

In Fate, it remains as Saber
In Unlimited Blade Works, it is Archer
In Heaven's Feel, it is Rider

I also remembering reading somewhere that there was originally a plan for a route in which Ilya was a Heroine, but it was later scrapped and merged into the Fate Route (apparently, a dinner scene in which Ilya is a part of was taken from this route). So had this route been published, Berserker most likely would be the Servant featured.

So to answer your question, Shirou is still the main male character, but Rin Tohsaka is the main female character in Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works.

Sources:

Ufotable's Type-Moon Wikia Page
Studio Deen's Wikipedia Page


What happens when a devil fruit eater is asleep? In One Piece, I know that when a Devil Fruit eater is unconscious the people that were affected by the fruit are then returned to normal, like in Sugar's situation for example. And I was thinking, being asleep is also a state of being unconscious.

So does Sugar ever sleep or is being asleep a different story?

As far as I know Oda sensei never clarified this topic so we can only speculate until he does. Anyway, I found some related answers in Yahoo! Japan Chiebukuro that discusses it and would like to share.

Difference between sleeping and being unconscious

  If Sugar is the DS console and the people turned into toys are the software, then I think "sleep mode" is sleeping and being "switched off" is being unconscious.

DS above refers to Nintendo DS of course. So basically the answerer is guessing that the effects of Sugar's powers are not cancelled if/when she sleeps as she is only on standby and not entirely "switched off".

Why was Sugar's power undone when she fainted?

  It's not just Sugar whose power became undone after fainting. It was true with Moria and the others too. The bodies that Law switched using Shambles, would probably return to normal too if he fainted. Sleeping and fainting are different. Probably it's that kind of system.

The answerer is guessing that sleeping and fainting are probably treated differently in One Piece.

Personally, I think it's also possible that some characters in One Piece do not need to sleep at all! Anything is possible in that universe. :)


What did Vegeta mean with "be careful Kakaroto, that could be the super saiyajin true form!"? In Dragon Ball Super episode 100, (spoiler)

   After Kale transformed in green super saiyajin "berserker", Vegeta says to Goku: "be careful Kakaroto, that could be the super saiyajin true form!"

What did he mean with this? was he refering to

   the legendary super saiyajin?

or was he talking about something else?

He was referring to the legendary super saiyan form. It is the Legendary Super Saiyan form that Broly basically used, but I thought he wasn't canon so I am not really sure how Vegeta can refer to the form Broly used. However he probably as the Saiyan prince posses more knowledge than others when it came to being a super saiyan. By calling it the true form he most likely verbally meant to the form giving an infinite amount of stamina. The form Kale used was Berserker Super Saiyan though.

Legendary Super Saiyan: http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Legendary_Super_Saiyan

Berserker/Uncontrollable Super Saiyan: http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Berserker_Super_Saiyan


Was Naruto's bad chakra control caused by Eight Trigrams Seal? When Jiraiya unsealed Five Elements Seal Naruto easily walked on water. Could it be that Eight Trigrams Seal was reason why Naruto couldn't control his chakra properly?

Not exactly, Naruto's 8 Trigram seal was placed onto him by the Fourth Hokage in order to seal the Nine-Tails inside of him. The 5 pronged seal you're referring to was placed onto him by Orochimaru in Ch 49 during Squad 7's confrontation with him in the forest of death during the Chunin exam.

As we see, Orochimaru is in the midst of his mission to inflict his curse mark onto the heir of the Uchiha, Sasuke who he has chosen to be his next host. Running into the Jinchuriki of the Nine-tails was an unexpected boon and Orochimaru opportunistically applies a seal over the already existing seal to further restrict the Chakra flow. In the panels before Jiraiya undoes the seal in Ch 90 he notes obstructive nature of the double seals.

In the panel below that, Jiraiya correctly suspects Orochimaru is the one who added the 5 prong seal. Naruto has always had trouble with precise Chakra control unlike Sakura and often Sasuke but he hasn't been hard-stuck like he was while learning water-walking before.


Why did Kirito toss the sword away in episode 17 of the second season? Towards the end of episode 17 (of the second season of SAO), after extricating Excaliber from the dais in the lowest level of Thrymheim, Kirito makes a comment about the sword "still being too heavy" for him. He then throws Excaliber away before jumping onto the flying tentacle-elephant.

Why did he do that? He doesn't seem averse to accepting the sword from Sinon a few minutes later (after she grabs the sword out of the air with one of her arrows), so it didn't seem like a "I am unworthy to wield this sword" type of thing.

It's because the sword was overburdening Kirito and since he can't put it into his inventory, he had to make a choice of either letting it go so he can make the jump onto Tonkii or going down with it:
From the (previously translated) light novel (Sword Art Online Volume 8, Early and Late, Caliber, page 308):

At that point, I noticed one terrible fact.
I couldn't jump.
To be more exact, in my arms was a heavy load the «Holy Sword Excaliber», so jumping five meters wouldn't be possible. Just by standing, my boots already bit into the ice.


Who was Obito going to revive? I just watched the recent episode (391) and just prior to Obito being taken over by Black Zetsu, he seemed to have acknowledged his sins and was planning on using Rinne Rebirth - but for whom? It certainly wasn't for Madara because Black Zetsu wouldn't have gotten involved. Jiraya was on his mind, so was it him? Or was he planning on reviving all of the ninja who died during the war?

Obito was trying to revive all the people he killed in battle, the way same way as Nagato did.From here

  Obito attempts to amend his mistakes by using the Samsara of Heavenly
  Life Technique to revive those he killed, noting he had finally
  understand why Nagato betrayed him.

For your question why Nagato didn't revive Jiraiya... My guess is the dead people will
 be revived from where their dead body is,

  Since Jiraiya's body was far too deep in ocean that even Kabuto can't reach to
  collect his DNA, it would be waste to revive him. Even after reviving
  he will die because of water pressure. So Nagato didn't try to revive
  Jiraiya.

It is also mentioned in Jiraiya's wikia page

  Later on, Kabuto revealed that he attempted to retrieve Jiraiya's body
  to bring him back through Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation, but
  it was far too deep in the ocean for him to reach without being
  crushed by the water pressure.


Why didn't the Task Force capture Misa Amane? After the final meeting and Light's death, everyone in the room knew the truth. They knew that the 13 day rule was fake, and the rule about destroying the Death Note was fake, too.

They also had many evidences against Misa (the tapes, fingerprints, hair, etc.), and Light also screamed "Misa write their names".

At this point, they had enough proof that Misa was Second Kira, but why didn't they capture her? Why did they let her go?

I think we need to consider all the times she was held under watch for one reason or another. First was under suspicion for being the second kira, during which she lost her memories and the bulk of the task force then believed she was innocent and harmless (aside from L who was figuring out why she went from determinedly silent to the ditzy blonde) Then after L's death, Near manages to bring up Aizawa ' s doubts involving Light, and even misa. So with Ide and Mogi to back him up, they have Mogi keep an eye on her under the guise of police protection where she does nothing even hinting at ulterior motives (having already submitted ownership to Mikami per Light's order)

Finally you have Near and the SPK keeping her and Mogi in captivity under surveillance again until 1 hour before the meet up where Misa is dropped off at a high class hotel and allowed to call Light.
Near knew full well in his theorizing that Misa was the 2nd kira. But by this point it would stand to reason that they all deemed her no longer a threat. With the last 2 books burned and no sympathetic shinigami to give her a new one and restore her memories, she could really do nothing about the situation and doesn't even know she committed any crime.


Trying to find a song from Assassination Classroom episode 19 I was watching the first season of Assassination Classroom and I really enjoyed this one song. On episode 19 of season 1, at 5:48, a song starts up that sounds techno-esque and I really like it. Which song is it?

This is track #18 from the season 1 soundtrack, titled 「エレクトリック会議」 Electric Kaigi "Electric Meeting". You can listen to an excerpt from this piece (and the rest of the OST, too) on the Amazon Japan page for the album.


What are the thin books that everyone reads when in a club in School/slice of life Anime? I've had this question on my mind for quite some time and saw in an anime again that the characters when not doing much read a thin book.

Does anyone know what this books are because most books are bigger and thicker.

That's actually a pretty common size for Japanese novels (Bunkobon, designed to be compact). This blog entry shows the respective sizes of a Sword Art Online book in Japan, Korea and USA - the standard page size for a Japanese book is about A6, or 105mm × 148mm (4.13in × 5.83in).

The thickness of the book is also not unusual - as you can see here, many Japanese books are quite thin even taking into account their small cover dimensions.

EDIT: And as pointed out in a comment, the paper used is often thinner, and both the font size and compactness of the Japanese language also contribute to the book being thinner than their Western counterparts.


Why in My Hero Academia some of top 10 students from the entrance exam are in B class? This is the top 10 students from the entrance exam at beginning of the series

As you notice, some of the students got into B Class such as Ibara, Kendo, Tesytetsu, and Awase. Why is that? How does UA assign class to their prospective students?

You seem to be thinking that "A is better than B" like it would mean on an exam grade, explicitly ranking the classes, but that's not the naming system in use here.  Typically in Japan  it's the same as naming them Class Orange and Class Rhino. They're just distinguishing between the groupings at the same grade level, not ranking them.
Unlike in most American schools where everyone in the same grade tends to be lumped together with fluid groups that vary between every single course and travel between rooms for each of their courses, the Japanese system tends to break the student body into chunks who all stay in one room as the teachers themselves move between the classrooms. That's why classroom scenes always start with the students already there, in the same room as always, and the Teacher walking in just before beginning to teach.
So being "Class A" just means you're in Room A all the time (except for PE and anything else that the room is inadequate for), not that you're among the best.  If your schools have ever had a "Homeroom" class, it'd be like grouping you by "Mr. Fenster's Homeroom Class" and "Ms. Manotti's Homeroom Class".
A few schools might use the secondary labels to imply some sort of hierarchy, by trying to group like-minded or similarly-abled students together, if they can support such variations in curricula, but this is not necessary.  And your entrance exam results imply a random coin-toss selection: approximately half (6 of 10) went into one class, and the other approximate half (4 of 10) went into the other.


In which Kitaro manga does he visit Easter Island? I am the curator of an exhibition on Easter Island in popular culture and I am trying to track down a few missing items. If you can assist we will acknowledge you in the exhibition.

We are aware that Kitaro visits Easter Island in a 1972 television anime. But we understand this story was either based on a manga or later translated into one.

In which manga and how can I purchase/acquire a copy?

As mentioned in the comment, "Easter Island Epitaph" is the 35th episode in series 2 of GeGeGe no Kitaro (1971) anime. However, the manga the story was based on is not from GeGeGe no Kitaro, but from World Mysteries series, another original manga by Shigeru Mizuki.

The World Mysteries series (世界怪奇シリーズ) contains 8 short manga:

Yōkai Flower Alraune
The Woman of Angkor Wat
Easter Island Epitaph
The Rainbow Kingdom Agartha
Neko-Mata's Love
Invitation from the South
Persian Twilight
Amagami Yumuchaac

As for the "Easter Island Epitaph" chapter itself, it has appeared in a few publications:

Big Comic magazine (1968.06.01)
Rainbow Country Agartha (虹の国アガルタ) (1971.03)
Kaiki Shinin Chou (1985.01)
He no Youna Jinsei (屁のような人生) (2009.12)
The Complete Shigeru Mizuki Manga Collection vol. 69 (水木しげる漫画大全集(069) 世界怪奇シリーズ(全)／サラリーマン死神(全) 他) (2013.07)

Unfortunately, the whole publications haven't been licensed in English, so there's no way to acquire it legally. However, for the original Japanese version, The Complete Shigeru Mizuki Manga Collection vol. 69 can be purchased on:

Amazon Japan: Printed Comic / Kindle Edition
Yodobashi (Japanese): Printed Comic / E-book Version (need Doly app to read)
Apple Books (Japanese) (digital)
Book Walker (Japanese) (digital)
or look for the alternatives listed on Kodansha Comic Plus (Japanese)

Sidenote: the reason why GeGeGe no Kitaro anime used another manga series was that there was not enough material to be adapted at that time. Out of 45 episodes, 23 episodes were adapted from non-Kitaro series.

References:

TomePage - Listing of World Mysteries series publication (Japanese)
AniOta - GeGeGe no Kitaro <Series 2>) (Japanese)