Is Akira the only anime produced in 24fps? I read an article recently that states:

  "Akira" rewrote every rule for animation. It was filmed at 24 frames per second, in full Cinemascope aspect, using 312 colors in the palette (the richest palette for any hand-done animation ever).

Based on this article, it seems Akira was the first anime (or perhaps animation) to be filmed at 24fps. Is it the only anime to do so, or did others do this later on as well?

From what I can tell (according to this):

  Practically all hand-drawn animation is designed to be played at 24 FPS. Actually hand-drawing 24 unique frames per second ("1's") is costly. Even in big budget films usually hand-draw animation shooting on "2's" (one hand-drawn frame is shown twice, so only 12 unique frames per second)[6] and some animation is even drawn on "4's" (one hand-drawn frame is shown four times, so only six unique frames per second).

Other sources (of varying degrees of reliability) say:

  Japanimation runs at an average of 24 frames per second, with main objects animated at 8 to 12 fps and background objects as low as 6 to 8 fps.

(Source)

  Decent/high quality animation in general is done at the 24 frames/second rate (this also includes animation in other mediums, such as claymation and CG'd work). Now, depending on the 'look' and 'feel' they are aiming for--all of those 24 frames may be slightly different (in succession) than each other, to give 'movement' to the object on the screen (as in, none of the frames look exactly alike. There are slight variations between all frames), or only 12 of them may be different from each other--every other frame (in succession with each other) being varied, with an exact copy of the last frame before it acting as the ‘filler’ frame. So it's like 12 pairs of different frames--the first frame in each set varied from the last and its copy behind it to lengthen the time the image is on the screen.

(Source)

A general consensus, from the little that I can find, is that most anime now seem to have a frame rate of 24, but they often are 2s, which means that every frame is doubled so there are 12 unique frames per second. For example, a torrent site for Claymore lists the frame rate as 23.9, which is really 24 fps. So to conclude, Akira is not the only anime to be produced at 24fps.


Is any explanation offered for the anime’s ending regarding lost bodily function? Warning: Major spoilers following.
(Yes, I'm aware the anime is 'old news', but the spoiler warning doesn't hurt.)

It is established in the anime that the heros of the Taisha can 'bloom' to increase their strength, and that

   this 'blooming' causes them to lose a bodily function (one eye's vision, taste, voice, one ear’s hearing) upon returning to the everyday world.

 Similarly, from Tougou's and Yuuna's meeting with the former hero, it is established that this process seems irreversible because they are 'offerings to the divine tree'.

However, during the last episode,

   despite having bloomed multiple times (and in Karin's case, having a part of her body 'chained' each time), the girls regain the bodily functions they have lost — and even those they lost in the former bloomings, i.e. in Tougou's case she can even move her legs again.

Is there any explanation given either in the anime itself (which I must have missed) or in derived works as to how what is put into the second spoiler box is even possible? It seems to contradict everything we learnt about the hero system in the preceeding episodes.

This is explained in the bonus chapter 「その後の園子」 (Sono Ato no Sonoko, Sonoko After), published on Dengeki G's magazine ed. 2015/03.

The story talks about the everyday life of Nogi Sonoko and the heroes after the final battle. It also explains the reason why the divine tree decided to "reverse the effect".

Excerpt from the script (possible spoiler for 2nd season, heavily redacted to answer the question only):

   After the party, Sonoko went over to Tougou's house. Yuuna was probably being considerate. Today, she left them alone. The two had a lot to talk about.
 About everything that's happened so far.
 About their dear friend.
 And...
 "Have you heard the reason everyone's getting their offerings back, Sonocchi?"
 The other side of the incident.
 Sonoko smiled.

 [...]

 "The Shinju-sama... came to believe in human courage~"

 [...]

 "However the Shinju-sama came to believe in the courage of mankind. By witnessing Yu~yu's and everyone's hard work, as well as getting plenty of Vertex combat data, the hero system was updated to the next stage."

 [...]

 "Don't think negatively about the situation. The Shinju-sama believed mankind would be able to walk down the harsh path, instead of a gentle one that lead to its demise. That is why it gave back our offerings and allowed for mass-production of the system so that everyone would be able to stand and fight. Everyone will don their own flower~. Isn't that a good thing?"


What's with this up-tilted head posture? In Bakemonogatari, we see Araragi (and possibly some other characters) at quite a number of times in the series with his head tilted upwards, in what would in real life be a somewhat uncomfortable angle. While this in a number of cases could just be a result of the "camera" angle, it's clear at some points that it isn't (e.g. Senjougahara in the last episode, in this screenshot).

Is there any "meaning" to this posture, other than possibly it being an artistic idiosyncrasy?

It's known as the 'Shaft head tilt' as the animation studio "Shaft" are well known for including it in their shows:

Above are other shaft shows; Puella Magi Madoka Magica ,Arakawa Under the Bridge
, Nisekoi.

Anime director of Shaft since 2004, Akiyui Shinbo is responsible for this studio trait.

knowyourmeme - Shaft Head Tilt

The tilt is merely artistic, with no special meaning. Along with this, Shaft have other signature style traits such as large expansive empty rooms for dramatic effect and fast displaying text.

(who needs all that space to brush their teeth or have a bath?)

TVTropes Shaft Studio


How did the "silver devaluation" scheme work? I need help understanding what is going on with the Trenni silver coin scheme plot that is mentioned throughout episodes 3-7 of Spice and Wolf season 1. Let me explain what I understand and hopefully get some clarity about these Spice and Wolf episode plots (also if someone can block out the impending spoilers that would be awesome, I don't know how to do it)

So our main protagonist Lawrence gets word that the Trenni silver coin currency is about to go up in its silver purity. This means that both the actual metal value of the Trenni silver coin and its representative value will go up.

   This all turns out to be wrong though, as Lawrence finds out the Trenni silver coins are actually becoming less pure and going down in value and what he was told was a lie. This plot then leads Lawrence to go over to the Milone trading company where somehow he hopes to make a profit off of telling the company this info.

Now this is where it gets complicated. How was the Milone trading company going to make money off of the devaluing currency and how was Medio involved with this?

In the anime the Milone Trading company,

   upon hearing the devaluing silver info from Lawrence, started stockpiling Trenni silver coins. Why are they trying to stockpile the silver coins if their price and purity is going down? Shouldn't they be trying to get rid of all of their Trenni silver coins if the value is decreasing?

Also it is mentioned that the Medio trading company is

   hiring people to give merchants the wrong info about how the Trenni silver coins are going up in value instead of actually going down. Lawrence was even told this lie. How does the Medio Trading company possibly gain any advantage from this?

Basically I am asking what is the economic plot in the episodes 3-7 of Spice and Wolf season 1, explained in little kid terms, so I can hopefully comprehend what is going on in the story and enjoy the anime even more. I am sorry for not being more economics-savvy with this, but if you understand the plot be much appreciated for some insight.

Ok, let's look at the situation more carefully. You have your Trenni silver coins, which have some % of silver in them. The market value of such a currency is bound to the amount of the noble metal in each coin. It's very simple and intuitive: silver is rare and valuable, so the more silver there is in a coin, the more is the value of that coin.

Now, we have a situation where the amount of silver in the coins is going to be decreased. What is going to happen? Well, the new Trenni coins (with less silver) will become less expensive than the old Trenni coins. That means, that it is profitable to save all the old coins you have.

By spreading the rumors that the amount of silver is going to increase, the Medio company is accomplishing two things at once. First, it makes people think that it's profitable to sell their coins now (because they think that after the new coins arrive, the value of the old ones will decrease). Second, it creates a possibility to make people selling their coins for even a lower price than they are now, simply because they want to get rid of the coins ASAP, before the price drops.

Also, if they already have some new coins, they can even trade them for a larger amount (say, 2 old ones for 1 new, people think the new ones are more valuable, remember) of old ones.

This lets the Medio company stock plenty of old silver coins, which as we know, in reality, will be worth more when the new ones are released. That's how they want to make the profit.

The Milone company, after getting the information from Lawrence, starts doing the same thing: buying Trenni coins to get a large stock of them before the new coins are released. After the new coins will be in play, people will, of course, know that they are really less valuable, and the value of Milone company's stock of old coins will increase further.

I hope the explanation wasn't too messy ;)


Are high school and middle school students not allowed to use a backpack? In Ajin-chan wa Kataritai, there are a dullahan student named Machi. In chapter 23, it was said that the school wasn't allowing her to use a backpack, and she could only use a standard school bag or a tote bag.

At first I thought it was only their school regulation, but then I recalled in Yuru Yuri, on the first day of school Akari used a backpack because she forgot that she's already in middle school. Later she changes out her backpack for a tote bag.

I tried to take a quick look at a few high school anime I have, most of them use the exact same tote bag (school bag I assume?), but there are a few anime where each student uses a different bag. It seems like none of the students use a backpack.

In D-Frag, each student uses a different bag, but none use a backpack.

Short Answer

To answer your question: some schools specify bags students use, while others don't; it varies.

Long Answer

Like uniforms, bags are also specified by schools, which means the level of strictness varies from school to school. Some schools allow students to bring whatever bag they choose, while others will require students to buy from a specified maker, so that all bags have the school emblem.

While the hand-carried bags often seen in anime were once the main type of bag, most schools today use a 2-way or 3-way bag, that allows for multiple ways of carrying: by hand, diagonally over one shoulder, or on the the back. Also note that some schools use different colors for male and female students.

It should also be noted that the "backpacks" you are mentioning in Yuru Yuri and Nichijou are not backpacks in the broad sense (which would be リュックサック (rucksack) in Japanese), but ランドセル "randoseru" or "ransel", which are backpacks specifically for elementary school students. Wearing one above that age would definitely look odd to the a Japanese person.

Even when use is permitted, backpacks aren't always the first choice. While backpacks hold a lot, spread the weight between the shoulders, and allow for free use of both hands, they also have demerits, such as having to remove the backpack to access it, being unwieldy in tight spaces like trains, and making the back sweaty, especially in the summer.

Because this school-specified bag rule is common knowledge to the average Japanese viewer, any explanation is omitted in the work. So when an average viewer sees that everyone has the same bag, he/she would automatically assume that the school in this anime specifies the bag to use, and when another anime has different bags, then he/she would automatically assume this anime's school has no such regulation.

Wikipedia reference

Bag maker reference


Can the Avatar still be reincarnated? Near to the finale of The Legend of Korra - Book 2: Spirits when Vaatu rips Raava from Korra's body and destroys her, Korra says to Tenzen that the Avatar Cycle has too been destroyed and she is the last Avatar.

At the end Korra confirms that Raava is back inside her however her connection to the previous Avatars is still gone.

I am wondering, does this mean that the Avatar can no longer be reincarnated? or is Korra like Wan where he had no previous past lives to turn to for advice (unlike Aang who could turn to Roku, Kyoshi and those other 2 Avatars he spoke to at the end) and thus can still be reincarnated.

Actual Avatar reincarnation means Raava accepts part of current Avatar soul, leaves its body, and finds new Avatar. Communication with previous Avatar incarnations was exactly communication with parts of their souls inside Raava. Since Raava got itself destroyed, and then resurrected, it is in "clear" state, without souls of previous incarnations.

But while Raava exists in this world, it can find new vessel to become next Avatar incarnation. The only consequence of its temporary destruction is that Korra is now much like Wan.


What is the song when the female titan showed up at Levi's group in episode 18? I started watching Attack on Titan and this song started playing in slow motion when the "Female Titan" showed up at Levi's group, around 20:30 of episode 18.

What song is this?

Well, I did some digging, and this is what I found out. Shazam identified the song as:
進撃st-Hrn-Gt-Pf20130629巨人

by 澤野弘之.You can also find it under the title" Rittai Kidou Remix".
Plz listen and correct me if I am wrong because I have also found other tracks as well. But this one was the most accurate, according to my listening experience.


What type of Rasengan did Boruto used? When Boruto fires his Rasengan it varnishes. What type of Rasengan did Boruto use?

When Boruto is trying to convince Sasuke to train him, he creates a small rasengan infused with wind chakra.

  Though Boruto's Rasengan is initially much smaller, he subconsciously applies wind-natured chakra to it, enabling him to hurl the Rasengan across distances. While it loses its physical form shortly after bring thrown, the wind and force continue on-course unseen, tricking the opponent to let their guard down as sufficient damage is inflicted when it makes contact. Boruto eventually becomes able to create a normal-sized Rasengan after more training. - naruto.wikia.com/


Why wasn't Arlong in Impel Down during the Impel Down Saga? He was a known member of Fisher Tiger's crew and became a merciless dictator in East Blue. He had the highest bounty in East Blue at the time, and when Borsalino captured him, he was sent to Impel Down. So why was he not there during the big jail break?

I doubt he got left behind, because Buggy did most of the freeing of prisoners.

We currently have the following timeline of things happening to Arlong:

Arlong gets beaten by Borsalino (Kizaru) and sent to Impel Down.
Arlong is released from Impel Down when Jinbe became a Shichibukai.
Arlong had a fight with Jinbe and started the Arlong Pirates and went to East Blue and settled on Cocoyasi Island.
Luffy and crew follow Nami to Cocoyasi Island where Luffy beats up Arlong.
All of Arlong's crew get arrested (exception: Hatchan) by marines.

I skipped a large chunk between points 3 and 4 because it's irrelevant. You can find all of Arlong's history here.

At point 5 when they got arrested you would assume that he would have been sent to Impel Down again, but it is futher unknown what has happened to Arlong as it hasn't been shown or told in the anime or manga.


What are the marks on Index-tan's left eye? In the Toaru Majutsu no Index specials, Index-tan is shown to have some marks on her left eye. However, she did not have any on the 'main anime'.

What is the significance of these marks?
If it was not explained anywhere, are there any speculations as to what it might mean?

According to some attendees at an
Index II x Oreimo talk session in December 2010, someone from the Index
staff said there that it was intended to look like Kenji Ohtsuki's face
paint.

It is simply the result of a play on words without any significance:

In Japan, とある魔術の禁書目録 (Toaru Majutsu no Index) is
often referred to as 禁書 (kinsho) in short.
Ohtsuki is the vocalist/lyricist for the Japanese band
筋肉少女帯 (Kinniku Shōjo Tai),
which is often shortened as 筋少 (kinshō).


At what point does Naruto surpass Kakashi? When I see lists where they rank most powerful shinobi in Naruto, they generally rank Naruto near the top (usually 1 or 2). These lists generally don't even have Kakashi in the top 25, yet Kakashi is a Jounin, whereas Naruto has NEVER even been able to become a Chunin!

So at what point in the show is it that Naruto surpasses Kakashi?

This is highly opinion based question. The lists you might be referring to are mostly personal rankings by individuals who are using bias/potential to rank individual Ninjas. For Example, Ina-Shika-Cho may be great in a team, but lose out individually. However, I'll try to answer the question based on canon information only.

Naruto surpassed Kakashi in terms of Raw Strength and power as a Ninja, when he mastered the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken. This is proven by the fact that he defeats a Ninja Kakashi had trouble with in his 2nd attack and pretty much one shots him.

This was an achievement that showcases Naruto's persistence and talent as a Ninja, creating a move that both his Father and Sensei (Kakashi, Jiraiya) couldn't do.
He had been moving up the chain for several instances (like defeating Itachi duplicate), but this is the most clear demarkation of his prowess is beating Kakazu 1v1 with his Rasenshuriken. This is further proven by the fact that Kakashi himself said it wondering if Naruto had surpassed him. .

Later also Kakashi admits to Naruto, that he might be even stronger than him now.

Finally, The moment where everyone acknowledges Naruto's strength and talent is clearly beating Pain. Jiraiya and Kakashi died fighting Pain, while Naruto was able to beat him soundly. This moment, leaves no premise for confusion. So somewhere between Kakuzu and Pain Naruto had surpassed Kakashi!


What is the intended purpose of Haro? What is the original intended function of Haro (both in-universe and in real life)? What did it end up becoming?

Out-of-universe
Haro was included in Mobile Suit Gundam for the purpose of showing Amuro's talent for building machines. However, it fulfills another purpose; that of being a mascot.
Kunio Okawara initially designed Haro for Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3, and named him after HAL (the computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey)2. It was (likely) intended to be a mascot of the series, before the concept was discarded. However, Okawara was later approached prior to Mobile Suit Gundam and persuaded to include it, allowing it to somewhat serve as a mascot of the series. Since then:

Haro has since become a mascot for the Sunrise studio as a whole, often appearing in their recent idents.
  — Haro, Wikipedia

Because it its popularity and its rank as mascot of the series, Haro has also received a substantial following and quite a collection of merchandise.

In-universe
The in-universe explanation is actually far simpler. Haro was created by Amuro, the main character, as part of his hobby building machines. Amuro generally had few social interactions with others, so he created Haro as a companion to himself, with its speech function and brain-wave analysis functions making it quite a good substitute for a close friend.
References

Haro (character) at Wikipedia
Haro at the Japanese Wikipedia
Series Mascot at TVTropes


Is there any official picture of "Ultra Blue" Vegeta? So the japaneses are calling "Ultra Blue" to the supposed state Vegeta is going to have according to japanese magazines, where he will release his full Super Saiyan Blue power. And at the end of the last episode in the ending if I recall correctly, his Super Saiyan Blue had pupils, which the regular super saiyan blue doesnt have, and some people were speculating that was "Ultra Blue" Vegeta. And a Xenoverse 2 mod already incorporated "Ultra Blue" to the game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C1xENIdwFo

My question is, is there any official picture of "Ultra Blue" Vegeta?

Ultra Blue is not an official name. It's just similar to Goku's transformation being called as "Limit breaker" etc, in the early stages of the tournament of power before the Ultra Instinct was mentioned. As for pictures, one picture like you said is at the end of the DBS ending which looks different from a traditional SSJB transformation. Also, if you were to look at the final shot in the preview of Episode 123, Vegeta's hair appears to be Darker than the usual SSJB color. It was stated by Goku in the preview that Vegeta wakes up with a power beyond Super Saiyan Blue. It is very unlikely this is the supposed "Ultra Blue" transformation, however, it perhaps could be a starting point for the same.


Does Jellal love Erza? Throughout Fairy Tail, we see that Erza loves Jellal and just him. Some examples are her blushing, trying to kiss him, and when she was turned into a little child just before Tartaros she thought her biggest problem was Jellal thinking he likes them more matured.

But does Jellal reciprocate those feelings even though he rejected her?

Yes, due to an event that occurred in the Grand Magic Games arc. I'm not sure exactly which episode but there was a scene in which Erza and Jellal were speaking and he told her that he was married.

Later when speaking to Ultear who revealed that he wasn't, he gave the notion that he lied because he believes happiness isn't for the guilty of heart.

In a later cameo, Erza says to herself that he is a "bad" liar. Indicating that she knows he's hiding his feelings.

From that scene, I am able to infer that they do in fact both love each other. However, due to all the evil things he has done, he feels the need to seek atonement. That is the premises that Crime Sorcière was formed upon.


What are the sealing techniques used to contain the Tailed Beasts? When Naruto was asked by Killer Bee: "What is the sealing technique use to contain the Nine-Tails?", Naruto said that it is the "Four Element Seal". In return, Killer Bee said that the sealing technique used to contain the Eight-Tails is the "Iron Fist Seal". Now I want to know what are the other sealing techniques to contain the other Tailed Beast.

So far we have the following:

Nine-Tails:  Four Element
Eight-Tails: Iron Fist

This answer is based upon events up to Chapter 644.

Following techniques have been used for sealing Tailed Beasts.

Hakke no Fūin Shiki (Eight Trigrams Sealing Style) used by Namikaze Minato to seal yang-Kurama (Kyuubi) into infant Naruto (and yin-Kurama into himself).
Tekkō Fūin (Iron Armour Seal) used to seal Gyūki (Hachibi) into Bee (and Fukai, the previous Hachibi jinchuriki).
Fūinjutsu: Genryū Kyūfūjin (Sealing Technique: Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals) used by Akatsuki members to (extract and) seal their captured bijū into the Gedō Mazō.
Unnamed Fūinjutsu used by Chiyo to attach Shukaku (Ichibi) to Gaara's unborn body. The same technique was presumably used to attach Shukaku to the previous two jinchuriki.
Ten-tails sealing technique used by Uchiha Obito to seal the Juubi into himself.
Undisclosed Fūinjutsu used by Uchiha Obito to reseal various bijū into their resurrected former jinchuriki.
Kohaku no Jōhei bijū fūin (Amber Purifying Pot Tailed-beast sealing) used by the Third Raikage to seal Hachibi into the Kohaku no Jōhei.

Other jinchurikis probably got their bijūs through one of the above techniques, or other as yet undisclosed techniques.

There is not much evidence, direct or circumstantial, to suggest any kind of "compatibility requirement" between a bijū and its sealing technique, or in other words, it sounds plausible that a bijū could be sealed using more than one technique, and the same sealing technique could be used to seal various bijū (as seen in the above examples).


Why can Enel be hit without Haki? In the Skypia Arc Enel is directly hit, although he has a Logia type Devil Fruit. Why can Enel be hit without using Haki? I know Haki was introduced a long time after the Skypia Arc. But other Logia users, like Smoker, could not get hit from Ruffy at that time.

What makes Enel different from other Logia users?

Haki was unknown at that time so any Logia users we saw hurt were due to their specific fruit's weaknesses:

Crocodile has the Sand Sand Fruit which is weak to moisture.  If you get sand wet it clumps and, therefore, can be hit.  Luffy takes advantage of this by getting himself wet, swallowing large amounts of water and regurgitating it, and using his own blood to wet his fists.
Ace's fruit allows his body to be made of fire. Nevertheless, he is burned himself by the Lava Lava Fruit which is hotter.  Lava outclasses Fire.
Enel is simpler.  Rubber is a really good insulator and is, therefore, "immune" to electricity in this story. As electricity is outclassed by the rubber, Luffy can hit him.


What is the origin of shaking eyes meaning surprise or fear? In a lot of shows, a character's eyes (pupil and iris) will begin to shake when they are surprised or shocked? What is the basis of this, and where was it first used?

I think it might be universal as Mysticial mentioned in the comments above, your eyes waver or tremor when you express emotions such as fear, sadness, elation etc.

  "The eyes are the window to the soul…"

I don't think it has a set origin, just one of those things that anime inherits from real life. Showing emotions in anime can be hard but not as much with some of those big doleful eyes with multiple catch lights.

  And a bit more..

  Eyes are an absolutely fantastic way for having your character convey
  emotions without actually saying a word. Sometimes a scene can be much
  more powerful when no words are spoken, but a character's eyes do the
  talking. This definitely happens in anime quite a lot. While most
  people think of big, bright eyes in anime, there's actually a lot more
  to it than that.


Inconsistent D-mail Dates in Steins;Gate Season 1 and Steins;Gate 0 In episode 23 of the original series, Okabe receives a D-mail from 2025 which triggers him try again to save Kurisu and enter Steins Gate.

In episode of 23 of Steins;Gate 0 we see the same scene:

There's a clear discrepancy here. The year in the date.

The text "受信日時" translates to "Reception date and time".

Questions:

When receiving D-mails, which date is supposed to be used? The sending world line's date? Or the receiving world line's date? Normally, this doesn't matter since the send and receive dates will be almost the same for electronic communication.
Is this discrepancy intentional? Or is it a goof? If it is intentional, is there yet another world line change hidden underneath that we don't know yet? (The ending of Steins;Gate 0 left plenty of room for a 3rd season.)

Pardon me for this somehow lengthy response.

The episodes 1 and 7 of Steins;Gate tell a lot.

In the first half of episode 1, Okabe received a video mail from the future. It was received on 28 Jul 2010.

The main content of the mail, with the attached video file, in episode 1:

The video included in the mail, still locked, not playable (static), in episode 1:

The video, unlocked, playable, in episode 23:

This video mail definitely shows the received date, not the sent date.

In the same episode 1, we have the first D-mail which is what switched the world line from that of Beta to Alpha, sent on 28 Jul 2010 and received on 23 Jul 2010.

The mail received in Daru's phone:

The current date, which is consistent with the received date of the video mail above (28 Jul 2010):

Daru's received mail also shows the received date.

At the beginning of episode 7, they made a D-mail as an experiment which was to be sent on 3 Aug 2010 and received on 29 Jul 2010.

The timestamp shown at the very beginning of episode 7:

The contents of the D-mail sent:

This mail, too, uses the received date.

There are a few other time travel experiments but that's pretty much it for the anime, we can also consult the visual novel, its source material.

Unfortunately, Okabe's phone in the visual novel does show the receiving date, but not the year. The year has to be implied to be the current year unless otherwise specified by the characters reading the mail or the narration. Also, only the receiving date is what is normally shown.

What a mail normally looks like in the visual novel, with only the received date shown:

The above screen shows the LOTO SIX D-mail which was to be sent on 3 Aug 2010 and received on 27 Jul 2010. Just like the anime, it also only shows the received date.

A rare occasion where both the received and sent dates are shown:

  When receiving D-mails, which date is supposed to be used? The sending world line's date? Or the receiving world line's date? Normally, this doesn't matter since the send and receive dates will be almost the same for electronic communication.

With the above in mind, it is safe to assume that the date on the field ”受領日時”/"Date and time received" should always be the date the mail was received. In other words, the mail "Turn on the TV."/"Turn on the news..." in the episode 23 of Steins;Gate has an incorrect date, and should have the year
 2010, not 2025. Steins;Gate 0 episode 23 seems to correct it.

  Is this discrepancy intentional? Or is it a goof? If it is intentional, is there yet another world line change hidden underneath that we don't know yet? (The ending of Steins;Gate 0 left plenty of room for a 3rd season.)

It is most likely a mistake. Steins;Gate the anime is known to have its fair share of inconsistencies when it comes to details. As for Steins;Gate 0, it was meant to expand on the original, especially its beginning and ending, and explore the Beta world line(s). Before Steins;Gate 0, the Beta world line wasn't really explored because the original focused on the Alpha for the most part.


Why is Rider wearing Pants? When Risei Kotomine issues the temporary suspension of the Holy Grail War in order to hunt down and destroy Caster, Waver makes a deal with Rider, that if he destroys Caster, he will buy him a pair of pants so he can freely explore outside.

Yet in Episode 9 before the two even find Caster's hideout at the time Rider is wearing pants. What happened to the deal? Neither of them was present during the attack on the Einzbern castle and it was in broad daylight so Rider can't have stolen them when he went to collect the water samples for Waver.

Waver does say in Episode 7 that he'll buy Rider some pants as a reward for taking out Caster. In the novel he tells Rider in Volume 2, Act 5, -140:41:54, that he'll buy him a pair of pants if he can defeat even one of the other Servants.

  [Waver] “Your majestic achievements and your trousers are two completely
  irrelevant things! Before you go out to enjoy yourself, show me what
  you can! Kill at least one of the opponents’ Servants!”

  [Rider] “Eh? You are quite an impatient fellow. You can engage a Servant in a
  combat anytime you want, you know.”

  [Waver] “So do it now! Kill at least one of them! If you do that, I’ll buy you
  trousers or anything you want.”

Later, in Episode 9 of the anime, we find out that Waver caved and bought the pants for Rider so he would be able to go outside and get the water samples that would let Waver isolate the location of Caster's workshop. In the novels, this occurs in Volume 2, Act 8, -108:27:55.

  [Rider] “No no. He is the one who has been of help to me. These trousers, even
  he had chosen and bought it for me. Looks great on me, doesn't it!”

  At the time when he was entrusted with external businesses, Waver got
  stuck with buying stuff for him, and bought an XL-size washed-jeans
  for Rider, which he proudly showed off.

So Waver ended up having to buy the pants for Rider early so that Rider could go out and gather water samples without looking strange or attracting attention.


How did Nunnally and Sayoko survive the FLEIJA? The sheer action of the FLEIJA leaves behind a very neat crater and turns matter in its radius into a vacuum (airborne units tend to get blown into the blast center). How did Nunnally and Sayoko survive that?

This blogpost adequately explains how she could have survived.
I also do not believe there was as much of a vacuum because at that point in time the FLEIJAs still had a limiter. It was not until the destruction of the Capital city of Pendragon that the limiters were removed.
This is the summary of the link:

After Sayoko rescued Kallen she went on ahead to find Nunnally and to try and Rendevouz with Rolo and found the ship Nunally was on. Around the same time the Gefjun disturbers were disabled and Nunnally’s ship left with Sayoko and her men aboard.  She never passed Rolo because he hadn’t even reached the hangar yet.
Eight minutes later Rohmeyer is on a decoy ship with KF’s to make it look like the governor general is aboard and Rolo walks in to find the ship, assuming reasonably that Nunally is on it he commandeers a KF to try and blow up the ship and kill her.  Meanwhile Sayoko barges in on Nunnally in the ship she’s really on and Rohmeyer doesn’t respond at all because she’s actually on the decoy back in the hangar.  Nunnally’s ship is probably just outside the area by this point.  When the bomb goes off Rohmeyer is caught in it in her decoy ship and goes up in a ball of flames.  Rolo has run away once he thinks he knows what’s going on with Fleija (whatever it’s called) and somehow made it to safety.
How? I’m not sure as that thing had a pretty big blast radius.  So when he reports to Rolo he talks about the ship Rohmeyer is on and really isn’t lying when he says Nunnally is dead, because he honestly thinks she is.  In reality I think she’s okay and with Sayoko elsewhere.  Though that elsewhere might be in Schneizel’s clutches.


Which episode of Sailor Moon is this scene of Usagi in a bath towel from? Which episode of the classic Sailor Moon anime are these douga (動画) sketches for animation cels of Tsukino Usagi (Sailor Moon) from? I know that in a small number of episodes she was shown with her hair down from its usual odango style, but I do not recall an episode in which she was in a bath towel as well as with her hair down straight.

This was in episode 123 in Sailor Moon S (Super). This is played around the beginning when Chibiusa wonders about Hotaru and Usagi and her are washing up before bedtime.


Does everyone from Naruto's generation have chakra within them? I think it's feasible to imagine some people out there in the world have been born without chakra during the time period where Naruto is alive. I say this because chakra as we learn in the anime was originally given to Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki during a time period in the history of Naruto where no one had chakra, after which she passed it on to her children. Therefore it's presumable that of the other people alive at the time some of them could have continued to have children without ever mixing bloodlines with those who had chakra all the way until Naruto's generation.

Now despite this I can see how considering how many generations it has been there's not likely to be many left who haven't attained chakra, but do you think they are there, and why were they never a plot point for the show?

I don't blame you for asking this question. It is hard to imagine how everyone could have chakra if Kaguya was the origin of chakra, and only a few people had actually descended from Kaguya. But there are some fillers that you have not seen that will explain how.

In one of the late Shippuden episodes, we see Asura Otsusuki, the grandson of Kaguya, teach a bunch of people ninjutsu while he was on a mission to supposedly find water. I think he spread chakra by "donating" it to people. It's either that or everyone has a chakra flow that was unnoticed before Kaguya, and she activated the chakra flow and started the concept of shinobi.


Does this anime quirk have a name? I've always liked this quirky anime technique, which was used in several anime around the 1990s and 2000s, but not THAT often. What is it called and how does it work?
How do you animate it and when does it get used?

I also found other examples

It's most likely a mix of,

Human Hummingbird
Kewpie Doll Surprise
Wheel o' Feet
Floating Limbs
Possibly also Thundering Herd if you want to consider the background or context for the first image


What does Kensei Muguruma's bankai do? His shikai, Tachikaze, is a wind-based zanpakutou that can launch long-range, string-like, blades that slices enemies. But what special abilities does Tekken Tachikaze, Kensei Muguruma's bankai, possess?

It was confirmed in chapter 560, taken from  Bleach Wikia:

  It appears to greatly augment his strength, as he is able to create a
  large explosion upon attacking. This is due to the fact that in this
  form the power of his Bankai is transferred to the knuckle blades. The
  bursting power continues to hit his opponent endlessly as long as his
  fists are touching his opponent.


How is Kakashi close in age to Nagato? Nagato was 34 years old when he died, but Kakashi was 29. This would set them at most, only 5 years apart. How can this be when Nagato was 7 when Jiraiya started training him. Later, Jiraiya started training Minato (who was a kid at that time). Then, Minato was an adult when Kakashi became jonin at 9. So, Nagato should be older than Minato. He should also be at least a generation older than Kakashi.

Minato died at the age of 24. If he were to survive, he would have been 36 in Part 1, and 39 in Part 2.

In Part 2, Nagato's age is confirmed to be 35, in the databooks.

This means there's a 4 year age difference between Minato and Nagato, where Minato is elder.

Kakashi's age was about 29-31 in Part 2, confirming that he's younger than Nagato by 4-6 years.


Which episodes of Bleach are filler? I want to watch Bleach, but the anime has a lot of filler content not in the manga. I'd rather not watch the filler content and only watch the episodes which are directly related to the plot. To be clear, I'm defining a filler episode as one which is not based on any story in the manga or based on extra manga chapters which have nothing to do with the overarching story.

Which episodes are filler?

The following episodes are anime-original content which you should skip if you aren't interested in filler. Some of the other episodes include original elements or reference events from filler episodes, but these do not impact the story in the long run so you can safely ignore them. The ones based on manga omake are noted as such.

Compactly, the fillers are: 33, 50, 64-109, 128-137, 147-149, 168-189, 204-205, 213-214, 227-266, 287, 298-299, 303-305, 311-342, 355. In more detail:

Episode 33 Miracle! The Mysterious New Hero (奇跡！謎の新ヒーロー) (based on "Karakura Heros" Omake 1)
Episode 50 The Reviving Lion (よみがえる獅子) (based on "Karakura Heros" Omake 2)
Episodes 64-109 Bount Arc
Episodes 128-137 Stolen Hogyoku arc
Episodes 147-149 Forest of Menos Subarc
Episodes 168-189 Captain Shuusuke Amagai Arc
Episode 204 Ichigo's Stomach-cutting Persuasion Strategy (一護の切腹説得大作戦☆)
Episode 205 Thump! A Kemari Tournament Filled with Hollows (ドキ！虚だらけの蹴鞠大会)
Episodes 213-214 Karakuraizer Mini-arc (based on sketches from volume 29)
Episode 227 Wonderful Error (ワンダフル・エラー) (based on Omake 0.8 "A Wonderful Error", 0.side-A "The Sand", and 0.side-B "The Rotator")
Episode 228 Summer! Sea! Swimsuit Festival!! (夏だ！海だ！水着祭!!) (based on Omake BLEACH on the BEACH!!)
Episode 229 Cry of the Soul? The Rug Shinigami is Born! (魂の叫び？ヅラ死神誕生！)
Episodes 230-265 Zanpakutou Unknown Tales arc
Episode 266 Ichigo vs. Ulquiorra, Resume (一護ＶＳウルキオラ、再開!) (recap episode)
Episode 287 Side Story...Ichigo and the Magic Lamp (外伝！一護と魔法のランプ)
Episode 298 Film! Festival! Shinigami Film Festival! (映画だ！祭りだ！死神映画祭！)
Episode 299 Theatre Opening Commemoration! The Hell Verse: Prologue (劇場公開記念！地獄編・序章) (adapts "Imaginary Number 01: The Unforgivens" Omake)
Episode 303 Real World and Shinigami! The New Year Special! (現世も死神も！お正月スペシャル！)
Episode 304 Another Side Story! This Time's Enemy Is a Monster!? (外伝再び！今度の敵はモンスター！？)
Episode 305 Delusion Roars! Hisagi, Towards the Hot Springs Inn! (妄想爆走！檜佐木、温泉旅館へ！)
Episodes 311-316 Miscellaneous Fillers (none of these are based on manga chapters so I've grouped them together)
Episodes 317-342 Gotei 13 Arc
Episode 355 Shinigami at War! New Year in Seireitei Special! (死神参戦！瀞霊廷もお正月ＳＰ！)

The series ends with episode 366, at which point you can pick up from manga chapter 480 if you so choose.

The sources for this are scattered across a number of sites, but of particular note are Bleach Wiki, Wikipedia's list of Bleach episodes, and this MAL forum post. However, all had at least some errors so I've had to check on various other websites as well.


What happened to the Itachi Uchiha movie? As far as I know, a movie based on Itachi Uchiha was about to come in March.
Can anyone please tell whether it's coming this year or is it delayed?

Here is a Reddit thread of the poster, and here is a YouTube video of the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl89gnvXcTg

This is not a movie. The Itachi Shinden novels are being adapted to a TV release, which will air this spring. I didn't see information about it beginning in March.

The Naruto twitter account shared a link to TV Tokyo Naruto website which has a small trailer and information about the release, which seems to indicate that it will begin airing in Japan on April 7th.


Why did the Black Butler anime diverge from the manga? Halfway into season one of the anime the storyline changed from that of the manga and new characters were introduced. Then, because of the changes made in season one, the second season was also completely different to the manga. Book of circus, season three, picks up where one veered off. Was there a reason why they didn't just stick to the plot of the manga to begin with?

At the time the first season of the anime was developed, there was not enough published manga content to fill a season.

The first episode of the Black Butler anime aired on Oct 2 2008. (IMDB) At that time, the last completed arc was the Curry arc. The first chapter of the Circus arc was not published until August 18, 2008. (Kuroshitsuji Wikia)


What does the dialog related to Nanami's quote in the last episode of Bokura Ga Ita mean? In the last scene of the final episode of Bokura Ga Ita (ep. 26), Yano repeats a quote that Nanami made in an earlier episode. The quote was

   "it all equals out".

In the earlier episode, where the quote originated, Nanami was explaining to Yano how

   he may not have anyone he loves, but there are people who really love him and thus "shouldn't it all equal out?"

Now, back to the final scene. He repeats the quote

   "it all equals out" and questions it. He says, "it didn't all equal out," and that "it ended up more equal...on the positive side."

I've watched two different translations of the scene and I am still confused. I originally thought it was basically saying

   'you love no one, but someone loves you a lot, so it equals out', so I'm not understanding the "sides".

What exactly is "the positive side"? Did he simply just mean

   I loved no one, Nanami loved me dearly, and it ended up being on the "side" of me loving Nanami?

Or is there more to it?

Note that this isn't a question about "how it ended". This is a question about the literal meaning of the final lines in the anime. I suspect it might be something lost in translation.

The answer follows when Yano entered the train:

 "Because I met Takahashi. I lived to meet Takahashi."

 In the end, the positive side is that at last Yano admitted he doesn't feel lonely anymore because he has Nanami.

Here is the original dialog in Japanese

七美　「どこにいてもどんなにさみしくてもつらくても
　　　　ここで七美が想ってることを忘れないでね。
　　　　矢野は絶対、ひとりじゃないから」
矢野　「プラマイゼロ？」
七美　「え？」
七美　『矢野のすごくすごく好きな人はもういないのかもしれないけど
　　　　それはさみしいことなのかもしれないけど、
　　　　でも矢野のことをすっごくすっごく好きな人間がいるってことはそれって
　　　　プラマイゼロじゃないかなあ。だからひとりだと思わないでね』
矢野　「そうじゃなかった」
矢野　「ゼロじゃなくてプラマイプラスだったよ」
矢野　『高橋と出遭ってから、俺は高橋と出遭うために生きてきた』
Dialog source: Happy☆Lucky's blog entry (Japanese)

In the original Japanese scene, Nanami used the term "plus-minus zero", in which Yano replied with "plus-minus plus".
Also, the main point of Nanami's quote is more about

 loneliness, deeper than just "someone who likes/is liked by another". Nanami felt that Yano was feeling lonely after his previous girlfriend had left him, but since Nanami liked Yano, he shouldn't be feeling lonely anymore, hence "it all equals out". But Yano couldn't move on despite that.

However, after having gone through all of this, Yano finally realized that he was wrong, hence "it ended up [...] on the positive side".


What was the “I’m not a bad slime” reference? In episode 6 of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Shizue notices that Rimuru is Japanese after he says “I’m not a bad Slime” which is apparently a reference from a game she heard about from a friend she had. We then discover that she got engulfed in flames during an air raid.

Excuse me if I’m wrong, but this seems like an air raid from WW2 and I don’t think there were any games back then. Is she referring to a board game or party game, or have I just got my history mixed up?

I’m curious as to what game she is referring to as well. Where did the idea of living slimes originally come from? Is she referring to a “tabletop RPG”? Where did that quote actually come from?

What was the “I’m not a bad slime” reference? A web search got me results regarding a game called Dragon Quest. Apparently, friendly slimes in that game greet players with 'I'm not a bad slime!' This is most likely a reference to that game.

In addition, I also found this, which says this is a reference to Dragon Quest.

Regarding the air raids: From the link given by @AkiTanaka , a Japanese fan speculated that Shizue, who was summoned during the air raids in the 1940's, laughed not because she knew it was from a game or that she came from a time when the game already existed but because it reminded her of a friend, most likely summoned from a time where video games (especially Dragon Quest) already existed, who told her about this. Also, as @RossRidge said, the air raid was most likely the Bombing of Tokyo, which coincides with what is stated in Shizue's wiki page.

Update: As @RossRidge mentioned, this was confirmed in Episode 8, with Shizue saying:

   It was a school for kids from other worlds. ... It was one of them that taught me that video game line you quoted.


Why was Pikachu chosen to be the main Pokemon of the anime? In the Red and Blue game version of Pokemon, the 3 starters are Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbasaur.

As the anime is based on the game, it would be logical that the main Pokemon (the one with Ash since the beginning) is one of those three starters.

Is there any specific reason why any of those three Pokemon weren't chosen to be the mascot? Why and how was Pikachu chosen by the producers over all the 150 other Pokemon?

Ash did have the choice of choosing from the starter trio. But he wasn't able to, since he arrived late. The starter trio had been chosen by other trainers and Professor Oak gave Ash a Pikachu.

This plot was shaped in a clever manner to bring Pikachu up as Pokemon that will represent the Pokemon series.

Like you've mentioned, the game versions give Pikachu a minor role but it was enough to gain popularity among the players. An interview with the creator of Pokemon, Satoshi Tajiri, states so:

  TIME: Pikachu is sort of marginal in the game. But it's now the best-known character. How'd that happen?

  Tajiri: When they did the anime, they wanted a specific character to focus on. Pikachu was relatively popular compared with the others and potentially both boys and girls would like it. They heard a lot of opinions about this. It wasn't my idea.

The youngsters who had played the Pokemon games were attracted to Pikachu. The reasons to why Pikachu, out of all the other Pokemon, could be because of its characteristics. Ikue Otani (voice of Pikachu) responded in a similar way when asked the same question:

  Why do you think Pikachu is so popular with young people?

  IO:I think it’s like being the owner of a pet dog; you’re always wondering what your dog is thinking, but you also believe that you understand your dog better than anyone else could ever hope to understand it. You can tell its thoughts just by looking at its face or how it is behaving. Whether it’s hungry, happy or sad. That’s exactly how Satoshi and Pikachu communicate. Because Pikachu can’t say anything other than its name, the audience has to think about what the “Pikachu” noises mean and learn to understand the character. Ultimately, I think kids feel like they are Pikachu’s owner.

The reason Pikachu was chosen to be the mascot, was because of its popularity. It was a brilliant marketing scheme, by taking advantage of the popularity of Pikachu from the games, and incorporating it into the anime and merchandise, sales had soared. The dynamic yet cute relationship between Ash and Pikachu was also another factor to bring up the sales.

  TIME: How does that translate to the U.S.?

  Tajiri: It's interesting, because in Japan, everybody goes for Pikachu. In the U.S., the characters Ash [Satoshi in Japan] and Pikachu are grouped together. American kids seem to like that. In America there are more products sold with Ash and Pikachu together, not just Pikachu alone. I think Americans actually understand the concept of Pokémon better than the Japanese. The Japanese focus on Pikachu, but what I think is important is the human aspect--you need Ash.


How do anime streaming sites decide whether to acquire licenses from studios to show their anime? What is the process of getting an anime for example onto CrunchyRoll? Let's say a new original anime airs in Japan and a lot of the viewers on the west want to watch it too.  What reasons does a streaming site consider before acquiring licenses to stream anime? How does a streaming site know what results to expect from streaming each title?

Without going into specifics, the process is the same for anime as for any other product in the world:

Is there an interest in the product? This can be measured in many different ways in case of streaming sites: polls, data analysis (who watched what, what do forums/discussion boards say), etc.
If yes, can a profit be made? (in terms of new subscribes, income from ads, etc)
If yes, is the product legal in the country you wish to sell it in? (If not, can it be made legal? Think pixelating private parts, etc)
If yes, can a license be obtained? (eg. are there no import/export restrictions)

The answers to all these questions, and a few others (technical feasibility for example - what if a series is only made in 4K and the distributor insist on not downscaling?) will enable a streaming site to make a proper business decision and either move forward with actually acquiring the license, or drop/shelve the matter.

A more comprehensive list of considerations, not specifically geared toward streaming sites but business in general, can be found on Entrepeneur, which is the most comprehensive overview of considerations going into a business decision.
Streaming sites, as a business, will ask those questions most suited to their respective fields (anime, series, movies, music, etc).


How do they imbue their weapons with Haki? In the One Piece world, you can give a devil fruit power to weapons (things) by destroying it with that weapon. It seems one can also give haki to weapon, how can they do that? Kuja tribe member Marguerite is the first to be seen doing that. (Chapter 516)

Only Color of Armaments can be given to a weapon. Since weapon is non-living, Color of Observation and Conqueror's Haki cannot be provided. Weapons can be thought of like an extension of one's limbs (although not mentioned in OP, this is usually the case in most manga). Color of Armaments provides an extra layer of hard protection from external injury to one's body. With sufficient practice, it can be used as weapon to attack. Since weapons are an extension of one's body, weapons are given armament protection to make them more lethal.

Also, Rayleigh did mention that Color of Armaments can be imbued with a weapon for more impact. But how it is done has not been explained properly.


Does a ninja have to be a Jōnin to be a Kage? I mean does a ninja have to go through the ranks of being a Genin, a Chūnin, a Jōnin and then finally a Kage?

In the movie Road to Ninja Naruto asks Iruka to fill his Jōnin  form but Iruka refuses it saying that Naruto will have to be a Chūnin to fill out the application form of Jōnin. But when Naruto became Hokage he still has to be a Genin right? If thats a case can any of the a Genin, a Chūnin, a Jōnin become a Kage?

According to Naruto's case, it might be possible. Hokage is praised to be the strongest shinobi in the village, while strong shinobi is capable of passing Chuunin/Jounin exam. Naruto has only participated in the Chuunin exam twice throughout the whole series. One is during the Chunin Exams Arc, and the other one is in the 5th OVA of Naruto Shippuden. He failed both exams anyways. Nevertheless, he's still strong, but his silliness made him failed the 2nd exam. Shinobi rank might not be the most important fact to consider when electing a new Hokage, they need to be loyal and trustworthy, as Naruto has all of it.


What is Homura's gender? In Sekirei, I am confused with Homura's Gender (Sekirei #06). I just can't seem to find out the logic of it.

Is Homura male or female?

From Wikipedia in List of Sekirei Characters:

It states under Homura:

  Homura (焔, Sekirei #06) was the self-titled "Sekirei Guardian" who protected unwinged Sekirei during the first two stages (this mission was given to him by Takami), usually from Hikari and Hibiki. Prior to being winged, Homura's power and gender were unstable. Even after his body started becoming female (called "feminization" in the manga), Homura continued to think and act as a man....
   Afterwards, Minato received the power to determine Homura's gender and mentality, but chooses to let Homura remain who he is for now


Why do anime/manga characters have big eyes? Going as far back as Astroboy, anime and manga characters have had big eyes.

What is basis of this trend? How and where did this originate?

Anime characters having large eyes is generally attributed to Osamu Tezuka{1}, an artist prolific enough to be called the "father of manga", and the creator of Astro Boy, the source of the image you shared in your question (among other manga).

At the time of Astro Boy (1952), Tezuka was inspired by precursors in animation, largely those of Walt Disney, but including others as well, before adapting them to a more Japanese stylization. Two such characters who served as inspiration were Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop:

It is from Astro Boy and Tezuka's other works that a lot of modern manga and anime style evolved, and the big eyes are one of the things that stuck around. Fred Ladd, the man responsible for bringing Astro Boy to the United States, corroborates this, saying that Betty Boop was indeed one of Tezuka's favorite characters. The "runaway" success of Astro Boy was what led other studios to imitate Tezuka's style.{2}

It is also the case that the large eyes tend to look "cuter", much like they were intended to on characters like Mickey Mouse and Bambi. This continues in anime and manga; younger characters tend to have the largest, "cutest" eyes, while older characters generally have smaller (and often sharper) eyes, which can be seen in this image containing Hunter x Hunter characters:

So, while the style Tezuka used—which has carried on in new anime and manga media ever since—was largely based on Western animation style, the eyes can still serve as a good way to indicate personality or the feel of the character that the viewer is supposed to have.

Sources and other Links

Wikipedia sources this to "Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews".
MIT Anime Resources: Big Eyes (2008-07-23)
TVTropes on Anime (a very brief mention)
Wikipedia on anime eye styles


Why are Hajime's attack names in French? In "Gatchaman Crowds", the main protagonist is a 16-year old girl named Hajime Ichinose.

When Hajime fights in Gatchaman mode, she has several attacks:

Blanc et Noir ("Black and White")
Petits Ciseaux ("Little scissors")
Balles Patsels
Wings de l'Avenir ("Wings of the future" - a mix of English and French since the French word for "Wings" is "Ailes")
Grand Ciseaux ("Big scissors")

(The attacks where listed on the Gatchaman Wiki. "Balles Patsels" may be a misspelling - maybe it was "balles pastels", "Pastel-colored balls").

The "scissors" theme is logical, since one of Hajime's favorite spare-time activities is Kirigami.
What's remarkable is the names of the attacks: the other Gatchaman team members have attacks with Japanese or English names, but Hajime's attacks have French names.

So, why do Hajime's attacks have French names? Is this ever explained in the series?

Almost certainly based on the Rule of Cool. Manga and anime frequently contain specialized jargon, names of attacks and locations in foreign languages simply because it sounds 'cool' and different to the Japanese ear: e.g. Spanish (Bleach), German (Neon Genesis Evangelion), English (most of them) or multiple (Full Metal Panic).

In Gatchaman, there may be an additional reason for using French for Ichinose's attacks specifically: to emphasize her femininity and artistic side. French is often associated with delicacy, grace, and the arts (e.g. ballet, couture, visual design, performance art, etc), and so may be a hint towards her "gentler nature" (chauvanism does still appear in anime). Her artistic side is also referenced by attacks related to her crafts hobbies, as you've mentioned.


What is the "Recovery" of Moriko Morioka after the series end? The only "recovery" thing I see is that both (not just Moriko Morioka, but also Yuuta Sakurai) main characters have overcome their social difficulty.

I just watch eps 11. However I haven't see the mention on whether Moriko Morioka get a job or not. I wonder how she is making a living somehow. Because she stay home for too long (all the series), I think she might somehow run out of fund soon.

Did I miss something? About Morioka getting a job?

The Japanese title of Recovery of an MMO Junkie is ネト充のススメ (Neto Juu no Susume), which is closer in meaning to the subtitle of the English title, "Recommendation of the Wonderful Virtual Life." It is often the case that Japanese creators determine the official English title, and that the English title has a different, even incorrect, meaning.
However, it is possible that the English title would have been appropriate for the original webcomic, which was stopped before its intended completion due to the author's health.

On June 30, 2018, it was announced that Comico has ended the manga due to Rin Kokuyō's failing health. Prior to this, Recovery of an MMO Junkie had been on a hiatus since 2015.
Wikipedia

I've read a bit of the comic, and it seemed that the anime diverged from it somewhat as well.


Manga where a daughter pays off her father's debt? I remember reading it a few months back, I have forgotten the name of it and some parts of it are quite fuzzy to me now. Can someone help. It has been on my mind for a while and I have been desperately trying to find it!

The manga was about a young high-schooler girl whose father was in
debt. Her father basically leaves her to pay it off himself? Or
something along the lines of that by working on a boat but something
happens to his back as part of the plot in the manga.
Then, she becomes a live-in housekeeper for a writer/author as she
gets recommended to him by someone. She did so in order to help her
father with the debt. She also tried getting a part-time job as a
hostess/waitress at a place. However, she's supposedly underage but
lies about her age.
While she works she recognizes this boy whom she met and fought over some
kind of food product/rice at the grocery store when they were younger.
She finds out he is the son of the person who has hired her at the store.
Unexpectedly, the author/writer comes in with the person who
recommended her to him. The author/writer gets mad at her because
she's underage and working there. He asks if the money he pays her is
not enough.
She begs the boy to not tell his mother that she is underage? There's
also this part somewhere in the manga where her panties are stolen by
a weird man and the author gets her panties back for her. I also
think she realized she was developing feelings for this
author/writer.

The manga is also currently on-going as far as I remember!

Thanks in advance xoxo :) <3

The manga you ask about is Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet.


How does a wolf come to live in wheat? How does a wolf come to live in a field of wheat?

Throughout the first season of the anime, Horo makes reference to herself as a normal wolf, but wolves don't seem to inhabit many things.  Even the other big one we see later on just acts like a regular wolf.  Presumably, she attained her deity status when she went from being a regular wolf to living in the wheat, but that has not been explained in the anime, nor on this wiki page.

Throughout the first season of the anime, Horo makes reference to herself as a normal wolf

She is probably trying to be humble or modest or is comparing herself to other wolves in Yoitsu because she isn't a normal wolf compared to others we see on her journey for obvious reasons. As per the wiki you link to,

  Holo is a wolf harvest deity that was bound by a promise to the town of Pasloe for several centuries, ensuring a bountiful harvest of wheat for the residents.

I would say she was a deity from the start, or at least had the powers of one (common in Yoitsu?) as she knew that she would keep the promise (but not without caveats such as having bad harvests because of needing the land to recover)

Now, considering that she had come from Yoitsu and we don't have any information on her hitchhiking from Yoitsu like she is on the trip back, as in the anime when we see a flashback from when she first came to Pasloe we don't see her with anyone, I would speculate her binding to wheat is apart of the promise or contract she has made with Pasloe, and possibly how she is able to affect a harvest.

Her still being bound by wheat might mean that the promise is more of a binding contract between her and Pasloe, and it was Holo's decision to leave because she felt she was no longer needed.

  Feeling unneeded and that she had kept her promise long enough, she skipped town with a traveling merchant named Lawrence, by 'jumping' from the villagers' wheat to Lawrence's wheat in his wagon.

If her promise is a supernatural binding contract, then she wouldn't necessarily be released from it just because she feels like it.


What anime name are these two characters lying in the grass from? I have been searching this name for weeks!!
Could you help me out?

It's from a visual novel named Koijibashi, according to the tag on the same image on Sankaku Channel.

It is released on 2004-August-13 for Windows platform.
Synopsis (translated from Koijibashi's article on Japanese Wikipedia):

Looking forward to their graduation in March, Tachibana Yuuta, together with his classmates Katakura Hadzuki, Ichinose Ryuu and his childhood friend Konno Nonoka, make a plan to go on a graduation trip together during spring break.
From Yuuta's casual remark, the destination is decided, by Sagara Shiho - Yuuta's cousin who happens to be there, to be a rural town with the suspension bridge named "Koijibashi" (Love Bridge?), which has the legend to tie people's fate together. However, the legend of "Koijibashi" as it is passed down is not your usual pleasant story, and unforeseen mysteries awaits Yuuta and co.


Which episode is this eye in hand from and what is its purpose? I was listening to some cover of Cruel's Angel Thesis when I stumbled upon this image:

Since every other image used in the video does come from NGE/EoE, I am inclined to think it does come from an episode of Evangelion.

However, I don't recognize the scene, and don't know of any character with such a... scar, nor its use.

Does anyone remember where it appears? What is it and what is its purpose?

That is Gendo Ikari's hand with the first angel Adam implanted on it. From the linked article:

  Adam is a crucial element in Gendo's own scenario for Third Impact, wherein he intends to use the "forbidden fusion of Adam and Lilith" as a means to achieve reunion with Yui. At an undisclosed point, Gendo has Adam fused into his right palm, and, in the moments before Third Impact, he inserts his hand into Rei. However, rather than carry out his wishes, Rei severs and absorbs Gendo's arm — fusing with Adam, but rejecting Gendo. The "forbidden fusion" is complete when Rei returns to Lilith.

The screenshot is from episode 24.


Are the Iris's the same person? In the Atelier Iris series, all 3 games have character called Iris.

In Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana and Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny, they both have Iris Blanchimont. In the first game, she is a great Alchemist who practices the many teachings of  (with the exception of Mull) and she befriended the Mana.

   She, however, passed away long before the start of the game from fighting Amalgam, leaving only her final creation Lita and the materials and formula to create the Ruby Prism

This is Iris in the first game:

In the second game, she appears as a small child who is taken in by Viese Blanchimont as her sister (though one could speculate that Viese and Felt one day married and adopted Iris as their daughter).

   Later, we learn that she has the reincarnated powers of Lilith, the Creation Mana, who looks a lot like her, which explains her talents in alchemy.

Also in Belkhyde, there are placed like the Tower of Marcus and the Cleft of Nelva

   And at the end, Lilith's power releases Mana throughout Belkhyde which makes Alchemy possible again.

This is Iris in the second game:

I just started playing Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm and found out the Iris in this game is named Iris Fortner. It's mentioned she was raised by a family of Alchemists. However, when she talks to Yach about how she made the Heal Jars for the quest, he doesn't believe her and Edge indicates that Alchemists are rare (kinda like what was mentioned in the first game with Klein). Furthermore, it seems no one know about Mana and the world seems disjointed with other worlds called Afterworlds.

This is Iris Fortner:

They all look similar, and the first 2 games hint at a direct connection (with Iris's last name and how she would learn Alchemy). Is Iris Fortner the same as Iris Blanchimont (being a younger version of her from Atelier Iris 1)?

If that is not the case, is there a deeper connection to her and the game's title? Apart from her looking like the previous Iris, being an Alchemist and being a main character from the very start.

the Iris from Eternal Mana and Azoth of Destiny are the same, set at different points in the timeline. Grand Phantasm was originally supposed to take place during Iris Blanchemont's alchemy career with the main antagonist and the young elder witch from the first game as her teammates, however the storyline was scrapped and altered, resulting in the seperation. so Iris Fortner is not Iris Blanchemont. but Eternal Mana Iris and Azoth of Destiny young Iris are one and the same.


Why do Kenshin's eyes change color? When Kenshin is content and in his normal, day-to-day state, his eyes are purple.

Yet, when he is incensed or when he must resume his Hitokiri Battousai persona, his eyes turn yellow:

Why do Kenshin's eyes change color?

In this Wiki, it is stated that:

  Kenshin's eyes, too, are unusual, being a deep violet. In the anime series, when Kenshin's eyes change to reflect his psychological reversion to Hitokiri Battōsai, their color shifts from violet to gold.


What will I miss if I start watching Naruto from episode 26 (recap episode)? I want to go through the story as fast as possible so I can watch Shippuden. I watched some of it when I was a kid but I forgot almost everything. However, episode 26 shows the recap, so will I miss anything important if I start there?

Not necessarily, although you will miss the character building stuff and some content that may be referenced in the future, so make sure you atleast read the synopsis or summary of the episodes.


Which manga chapters correspond to the 2nd season (or "Season 3" on Netflix) of the anime, "Revival of the Commandments"? The 2nd season (labeled as "Season 3" on Netflix) of the anime, Nanatsu no Taizai: Imashime no Fukkatsu (or The Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of The Commandments), has ended.

Which manga chapters correspond to each of the anime episodes?

The Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of The Commandments covers chapter 102 (volume 13) up to chapter 197 (volume 24) + 2 extras (volume 26).

Post-Kingdom Infiltration arc

Revival of the Demon Clan: chapters 102-107, 109
Existence and Proof: chapters 104-105, 108-112

Albion arc

Sacred Treasure Lostvayne: chapters 113-116
The Ten Commandments on the Move: chapters 117-119
Overwhelming Violence: chapters 120-122, 139

Istar arc

The Great Holy Knight Atones for His Sins: chapters 123-125
Where Memories Lead: chapters 126, side story 3 (volume 16)
The Druids' Holy Land: chapters 127-130
A Promise to a Loved One: chapters 130-131

Ravens arc

A Promise to a Loved One: chapters 138-139
What We Lacked: chapters 132-133, 140
Father and Son: chapters 134-135, 140-141
Where Love is Found: chapters 136-137, 141-143
Farewell, Beloved Thief: chapters 138, 143-146
Master of the Sun: chapters 147-150

Great Fight Festival arc

A Bloodcurdling Confession: chapters 151-154
Death-Trap Maze: chapters 155-160
Legendary Figures: chapters 160-165
For Whom Does That Light Shine?: chapters 166-170
Meliodas vs. The Ten Commandments: chapters 171-175
Have Hope: chapters 176-177

Defensive Battle for Liones arc

Have Hope: chapters 178-179
Certain Warmth: chapters 180-183
Return of the Sins: chapters 184-188
The Hero Rises!!: chapters 189-194
So Long as You're Here: chapters 195-197 (volume 24), extras 11-12 (volume 26)

Source: Nanatsu no Taizai Wikia - Episode Guide, Season 2


Is Sol Martra the Reinkernator for Metafalss? Both the Towers in Sol Ciel and Sol Cluster has at the top the Reinkernator but in Metafalss the tower was initially hidden and when it reappeared it's top was Sol Matra which was always there from the begining.

I am wondering if Sol Matra is the Reinkernator for the Ar Tonelico Tower in Metafallss. if not then where is it?

The Second Tower doesn't have a Rinkernator due to the fact it was never completed and due to being completely dependent on the First Tower. Similarly, there is no need for one because Frelia was never intended to become a Tower Administrator on the same way Shurelia and Tilia were, which is also the same reason why she is the only one among the Origins that doesn't have a Linkage armor.


Where can I watch Digimon Adventure Tri. in English online? Does anyone know where I could watch Digimon Adventure Tri. in English? Every version I find is in Japanese.

No such edition exists presently - there were dub screenings but the license for those had lapsed prior - but Shout! Factory has acquired home distribution rights for the media, and plan do to a dual-language release in the future.

In the meantime, the subbed versions available on Crunchyroll are actually quite well done.  They're also available for free, and I'd encourage you to enjoy it while it's still available on the site.


Who is Leilah in Tales of Zestiria the X? I am watching Tales of Zestiria the X and I didn't understand if Leilah the Seraphim is the soul of the sword or it's kind of the guardian of that sword that can strengthen it.

Who is she?

After having played to the video games what we learn about Leilah is that she is living in the sword waiting for a new "Dôshi" to come.

So Leilah isn't the soul of the sword or here to make it stronger. She's here awaiting a new "Dôshi" and that's why she ask to Sorey why he wants power.

When he answer her right she allows him to use the sword and become is Seraphin.

I would add that I don't think Seraphin lives in objects. But in Tales of Berseria we learn that usually, each Seraphin is linked to one object really important for them. So it's more like a symbol.

Edit :

I'll just add the link that  Namikaze Sheena mentioned in a comment for those searching more information about Seraphins and not only about Leilah or their link with objects.


When did Conan first met Haibara's sister? In the beginning of episode 128, Conan said that he knew Misami, Haibara's sister. However, we have never seen them meet before, how is that possible?

In the next episode, Misami told her sister that she suspects Conan to be Shinichi. I do not think she would think that unless she knew Conan well.

Akemi Miyano actually was in a previous case, in episode 13, "The Strange Person Hunt Murder Case."
The problem is that the anime didn't do that episode according to the manga, so they had to change some things later to make the show follow the correct storyline.
Here's a summary from Detective Conan World Wiki:

In the manga version of the story Gin and Vodka are the masterminds of the case (rather than Okita), and they end up killing Masami Hirota/Akemi Miyano who informs Conan of the organization's existence and that they dress in black. Her death is the motive of Shiho Miyano's defection which leads to Ai Haibara's appearance later in the series. Furthermore, Shiho makes a silhouetted appearance when Akemi is demanding for herself and her sister to be free of the organization, which is also omitted. To repair the storyline, Episode 128 The Black Organization: One Billion Yen Robbery Case was written with a similar ending to the manga version.


How strong (physically) is Robin? How strong would robin have to be to be able to pull off all of those tricks with the Hana Hana no Mi since she's using her own arm? I mean like she can create webs than can stop canon balls, break soldier's backs and use hands to create huge arms/legs and be able to control them. How strong are Robin's muscles?

Let us investigate this. Nico Robin is human, who ate a paramecia type devil fruit. She should be as strong as a normal human (physically)
Wiki corroborates it so far.

  Robin has no superhuman abilities beyond her Devil Fruit powers but is an above average athlete. While the frequent use of her powers in battle leave much of her physical attributes in question, it is hinted from time to time that Robin's physical prowess is actually much stronger than her build would otherwise suggest.

Robin's greater than average feats include (copying directly from the wiki so I don't miss any)

   She was seen being able to take on direct hits from both Yama's drop kicks and punches (with the latter sending her flying through a wall, destroying it) and was still able to effectively retaliate after maneuvering the latter away from the ruins of Skypiea. She was able to restrain a powerful zombie like Jigoro (albeit briefly). She was also able to survive being impaled through the chest by Crocodile and remain alive without medical attention from a doctor, until the wound healed on its own. She is agile enough to maneuver (while maintaining her arms' "X" formation) her way through a group of Marine captains and commanders before using her powers in retaliation. She has great recovery ability, for example when she, Zoro, Gan Fall, and Wiper were all knocked out by Enel's Devil Fruit ability, Robin was the first person to wake up. Even with a severe injury, she still had enough strength to use her Devil Fruit ability to carry them to safety and had fully recovered without the aid of Chopper.One of her most impressive aspects is her will power; as she managed to recover in mere minutes after having her shadow stolen by Gekko Moriah (when it usually takes a few days for most humans).

Thus Robin has above average agility, strength, will power and recovery.
Moving on to the powers of her DF; Hana Hana no Mi

  The Hana Hana no Mi is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to replicate and sprout pieces of their body from the surface of any object or living thing

We've seen Robin is very intelligent, probably the most, in the Straw Hat Crew. She uses her Df in a very effective manner. She doesn't rely on strength but on blocking the movement of the enemies and intelligently using holds and distractions.

  As she claims to Pell, speed and strength mean nothing to her, as she can render almost any foe into submission with ease, even those with superhuman speed such as Hakuba

However, her main weakness is,

  The user will gain damage to their body if the extra limbs are attacked, and can feel the pain on each one of them. This disadvantage also extends to other Devil Fruits, as if her limbs are affected, then the host body is affected as well, as demonstrated when Sugar touched her limbs with her Hobi Hobi powers, turning her real body into a toy.
  The strength of the user is also still limited to their individual strength, meaning that the individual strength in the replicating appendages is no different to that of Robin's actual corresponding limbs.

The last line is of the main importance. EACH of the appendage can exert strength equal to that of main body. Thus Robin utilizes strength of multiple arms to produce the required result.

Breaking Soldier's backs; Clutch: Robin doesn't use strength as much as her knowledge. These holds turn the trapped soldiers'strength against them. These type of submission holds are common in MMA, wrestling etc. And can easily dislocate joints or break bones.
Stopping Cannonballs: This is the most contentious. It can be argued that multiple arms work together to stop the cannonballs, but her real body should feel the pain of being hit by a cannonball. But being above average in strength and endurance, Robin can manage. I'll chalk it up to the edge conditions.
Giant Arms and Legs: Robin feels the fatigue from these giant creations. Combining these many arms can have the desired strength but flying shouldn't be possible. Robin explains its more of floating though. But her training in the timeskip allows her to use this technique for longer periods of time due to her endurance and willpower but not the strength.

TL;DR: From what we've seen Robin has above average physical prowess, but its her knowledge, effective technique and use of DF, and superhuman Will power, recovery and endurance that allow her to do the feats shown in One Piece.


To do a 'Unison Raid', do you have to have the same type of magic? In Fairy Tail, does it matter what type of magic two wizards use in order to perform a unison raid? Okay, I understand the Gray and Juvia have done unison raids before, but both of their magics have the same concept just in different forms. But let's say someone like Natsu, or anyone with a type of Lost Magic (dragon slayers) were to perform a unison raid with Mirajane, for example.

Specifically, my friend is writing a fanfiction on Fairy Tail, where the main character is a dragon slayer, and she also has another certain magic that was passed down from her mother, a type of lost magic (a musical magic, where if the character sings or plays any instrument, the sound waves attack the opponent, and because of the whole thing with the

  Dragon Slayers with their dragons being inside of them, and making
  antibodies so they wouldn't turn into dragons, (somehow) turned into
  her forms that she can use for this lost magic, that's are crazy
  powerful.

My friend isn't really sure if she can perform a unison raid with Mirajane, because they both sing, because Mira doesn't have this lost magic. So is this possible?

(Sorry if it's really long)

The definition of Unison Raid is

  An extremely powerful ability that allows two Mages to unite two kinds of Magic similar in nature together, thereby creating an even stronger attack.

The Wikia page listed Unison Raid that has been performed in the series. We have:

Lucy (Aquarius) + Juvia = Water + Water
Gray + Juvia = Ice + Water
Wendy + Lucy (Scorpio) = Wind + Sand
String + Rogue = Light + Shadow

All of the elements that they use doesn't go against one another. In video games usually Light and Dark/Shadow are opposite elements, but in nature, whenever there is light, there is darkness/shadow. So in nature they are not opposites and in fact are quite similar.

Now, there is a problem with what you stated in your question. Mirajane doesn't use song magic. Her magic is a Take Over (transformation) magic. When Mira sings, she sings normally, not with magic, so you can't Unison Raid that.

Is it possible to Unison Raid 2 song magics? Yes, it is. But both mages needs to match the frequency of their song so that the resulting sound wave doesn't cancel each other out. So if the first mage use a song magic that results in the following sound wave (a sine wave),

Then the second mage's song magic must create a sound wave that have the same frequency (same position of hills and valleys). They may have a different amplitude (height and depth of the hills and valleys), it doesn't matter.

However, if the second mage failed to make a sound wave of the same frequency, let's say that he created a cosine sound wave, then the resulting Unison Raid wouldn't be as strong, if it can be called a Unison Raid that is. It is even worse if he created a -sine wave. They will cancel each other out.

For comparison:

Not very synced

Cancels one another

Perfectly synced


What would happen if you caught a PokeBall with another PokeBall? Consider the following scenario: A trainer is trying to catch a rare or strong Pokemon, and figures that catching it in a PokeBall will have a low likelihood of actually catching and containing it.

What would happen if, after the trainer threw the first PokeBall and before the wild Pokemon breaks free, the trainer hit the occupied PokeBall with a second PokeBall? Would the both the original PokeBall and the wild Pokemon be "caught" by the second PokeBall? Would the wild Pokemon just be transferred from the first PokeBall to the second PokeBall? Would this double the likelihood that the Pokemon will be caught, due to the fact that it has to break out of two balls instead of one?

If the PokeBalls can be "layered," and the probability that you catch a Pokemon increases with how many PokeBalls you can layer on it, could you not just keep layering PokeBalls until you reach the strength of a Great or Ultra Ball?

We already know that inanimate objects and things other than Pokemon can be "caught" by PokeBalls, as evidenced by this question.

While it's not an ordinary Pokéball, the Mewtwo ball is capable of capturing another Pokéball inside it.

This is demonstrated in the first Pokemon movie and quoted in the synopsis section of the movie's wiki page. A gif of the event is below too:

  "Ash tries returning Bulbasaur and Squirtle (who have been fighting the balls bravely), but it's no use. Two of Mewtwo's Poké Balls fly over and capture Bulbasaur and Squirtle's Poké Balls."

Granted, this is a special kind of ball developed by Mewtwo, so I can't say for sure in this answer whether a standard Pokéball would behave similarly.

Additionally, the catch rate for the Mewtwo ball is listed as 100% on the wiki page. Therefore it's impossible to say whether it would increase the catch chance of a wild pokémon through stacking, as it's a guaranteed capture with just one.


Can someone please explain the ending of Shiki? Did the whole village get burned down? How about the girl? The whole thing seems quite incomplete to me. Can someone explain the ending?

Sunako and the monk got away. And probably began spreading their disease from there. They will most likely stick to low level feeding rather than the full village conversion. Since that turned out really bad.

The vampires were clearly aggressors as they preyed on the villagers. We start out really hating the vampires. In addition to that, we also hate the villagers too for being so docile and complacent. They had numerous warnings that they were being attacked by vampires, but no one took it seriously. Eventually the doctor and the monk figured it out but the doctor quickly turned into a blood feud.

By the end of the season, we no longer feel sorry for the villagers as they have now banded together and have turned the tide of the war. Instead, we feel sorry for the vampires since only a small handful of them actually attempted to fight back. The vampire faction were simply not prepared for a united front. Ninety percent of the vampires were simply running away with white flags over their heads. And the villagers pretty much demolished them.

The writers wants us to feel sorry for the vampires especially how sad music kept playing whenever one of them died. The story was pretty tragic.

There was definitely a better way to settle this. But that would make an uninteresting story. Like authorities could be called in. Police, soldiers, and helicopters could gun the vampires down and then strap their immortal bodies to a stretcher. And then send them to some underground military clinic to run experiments on them. lol. Help find a cure and also produce new vampires without the bloodsucking and daylight phobia drawbacks. lol

Anyways. Watching the villagers go vigilante was definitely an interesting turn. Just bodies everywhere.


In Code Geass R2 episode 17, why did Lelouch lie to Suzaku about what he ordered Euphemia to do? In Code Geass R2 episode 17, why did Lelouch lie to Suzaku that he ordered Euphemia to massacre all the Japanese people? The scene starts at 8:14 into the episode.

It's because he did order Euphie to massacre the Japanese people.

In Stage 22 - Bloodstained Euphie after Euphie had invited Zero to attend the commemoration ceremony for the Special Administrated Zone, Lelouch had planned to use his Geass on Euphie to shoot him. It would have looked like Britannia had declared the zone to lure out Zero to be assassinated and spur the people to fight Britannia. In the chaos Zero would, however rise from the dead (as the shot wouldn't have been fatal) and help lead the Black Rebellion. It is for this reason he created a ceramic and bamboo hand gun and snuck it in with him.

Of course Euphie was Lelouch's first love and Euphie explains that she is most likely going to be condemned by the Royal Family for her independent action and that she wanted to create the Zone so that she could be with Lelouch and Nunnally (as in the stage before she confirmed Nunnally was living in Japan with Lelouch). Hearing this, Lelouch is unable to go though with his plan because his first love had totally defeated him.

Here, Euphie remarks that she could never shoot Lelouch. That's when he reveals the nature of his Geass (without actually revealing it.)

  Lelouch: However... and in your usual rash Euphie fashion, you've managed to end up winning all of it.
  When I think of you, I don't visualize the sub-viceroy or a princess; I only see the plain little Euphie who you used to be.

  Euphie: Then will you join plain little Euphie and help her?

  Lelouch: You are... you are the worst opponent I have ever faced.
  You win.

  Euphie: Huh?

  Lelouch: I'll amend my plans to help out your Special Zone. But not as your subordinate, all right?

  Euphie: All right! Though you haven't got very much faith in me, have you?

  Lelouch: Hmm?

  Euphie: Did you honestly believe that by simply threatening me I would shoot you?

  Lelouch: Oh, no, you've got it all wrong. When I really want people to follow my orders, they will not resist me -- whether it's to shoot me, to grant pardon to Suzaku, or any order at all.

  Euphie: Oh, now you're being silly. Stop playing with me.

  Lelouch: *Geass Activates* I'm serious. For example, if told you to kill all the Japanese, it wouldn't matter how you felt about it.

  Euphie: No... don't make me do it, please! I'm not-- I'm not going to do it, please...! I don't wanna kill them! No...

  Lelouch: Did I--?!

  Euphie: You're right. I have to kill all the Japanese.

  Lelouch: I've become like Mao! -- I can't control my Geass power! Forget the order I just gave you! Euphie! Wait, Euphie, don't!

Source: Anime Transcripts - Code Geass > 22. Bloodstained Euphie

So while he didn't mean for it to happen, Lelouch's Geass went out of control, just like Mao's did. So now if he looks at anyone and asks/tells them to do anything, they'll always do it. Later in the next episode as the Black Rebellion is starting, Lelouch laments that he will never be able to see anyone again with the exception to C.C. who is immune1

By the time Suzaku confronts him, he was suffering from the guilt of having been responsible for killing Euphie and Shirley. He had already destroyed Shirley when he inadvertently killed her father in the landslide and in her grieving state she became mentally unstable. She planned to kill Lelouch (as a part of Mao's plan) and then herself because she wouldn't be able to live with the guilt of having killed the boy she loved. To save her, Lelouch "killed" her by erasing his existence from her memory.

when Jeremiah Gottwald used the Geass canceller, she was caught in the blast. Her memories returned but the memories she gained in the past 2 years were gone. Still grieving her father and confused that all her friends were gone (Rivalz was the only one left at school as Milly, Nina and Kallen had already left for different reason) and Nunally was now the Viceroy of Area 11, she tried to seek out Lelouch because of her last memory of him saying she would forget. She confronts a boy claiming to be Lelouch's younger sibling who then kills her. Rolo admits he did it but it was to protect Lelouch's identity as Zero. Lelouch knows this is a lie but he blames himself because it was his actions which made Shirley unstable which, to him, was the major contributing cause of her death.

By Turn 17 - The Taste of Humiliation, Lelouch had already accepted these and while he may have been able to handle it, Suzaku then re-opens and pours salt on the wounds

  Suzaku: You wanna know? I'm fed up with lying. I've had to lie to Nunnally. Just the way you have. That's the worst thing. Some friend you were. You've been betraying me all along. Not just me, either, but everyone on the student council, too. And even Nunnally. And don't forget Euphie!

  ...

  Suzaku: I need to know. Did you use your Geass power on Euphie? Be honest.

  Lelouch: Yes.

  Suzaku: You caused her to massacre the Japanese?

  Lelouch: I ordered her to do it.

  Suzaku: Why would you use your Geass like that? Answer me!

  Lelouch: To motivate the Japanese people. If the specially administrated zone of Japan had been established, the Black Knights would've collapsed.2

  Suzaku: And Shirley's death?

  Lelouch: Also my fault.

  Suzaku: You aren't even a human. You know that? Shirley and Euphie were both of them nothing more than pawns for your ambitions?

  Lelouch: Yes, that's right. So all the sin is mine alone to shoulder. My little sister had nothing to do with it.

  Suzaku: Why, you coward! How could you use Nunnally like that?

  Lelouch: Suzaku, I'm sorry.

Source: Anime Transcripts - Code Geass R2 > 17. The Taste of Humiliation

Lelouch had already been a good liar: he hide his family background and who knows how many people in the past could have identified him and Nunnally as royalty, he's lied to Nunnally about his night activities, he hid from Shirley about him being Zero, he had lied to the Black Knights about who he was, and he had planned to lie to the entire country in his original plan for the Special Administrated Zone. What's a couple more lies now? Especially when he believes it's his actions which caused their deaths.

1: There is the exception to those who Lelouch has used his Geass on before like Shirley but numbering those who Lelouch would have met if he had a normal life to everyone else he would meet these are few in number. Also with Nunnally, while Lelouch couldn't make eye contact with her due to her blindness, aside from what we learn at the end of the series it was initially said that her blindness was trauma from seeing her mother die, so that aspect is based more on psychological factors that actual damage to the eyes. Nunally would one day open her eyes and then she's be susceptible to Lelouch's Geass

2: This is actually true, had the zone been established then the Black Knight who are mainly Japanese would choose this option over getting killed. Though after being convinced by Euphie, Lelouch was going to amend his plans for the Black Knights, and this could mean allowing them to disband or having them supplement a S.A.Z Military Force


How does Ymir turn back into her human form? Late in the manga, we know that titans are actually transformed humans, and that not all people who transform into titans can turn back into human form.

I did a lot of research on Ymir and there are many theories regarding how she turns back to her human form for the first time. How does it work?

The answer contains heavy spoilers to anime watchers. You have been warned!

It's been heavily hinted (almost confirmed, really) that titans are created by transforming humans in some way. Ymir was transformed to a mindless titan over 60 years ago, and was unable to return to her human form for a very long time.

We already know that several powers (such as titan shifter powers, titan control powers, and "The Memories") can be transferred by eating. This conclusion was reached by Hanji in chapter 57.

When Ymir ate Reiner's and Berthold's friend (who was also a titan shifter), she gained his titan shifting abilities, and was able to return to human form.


Why did Rossiu forced the ones who lived underground to come up to the surface? In Tenga Toppa Gurren Lagann, there was a part where after they defeated the beastmen, Rossiu forced everyone to come up to the surface, even those who didn't want to. Never really fully understood why he did this. After all, if I recall correctly, Lord Genome already warned them what happens when the surface population of humans reaches 1 million. A census on those who live underground doesn't make sense to me. So why did he do this?

I would have to check, but I seem to remember that the trigger was 1 million total - it does not matter whether the humans are on the surface or underground, they still count. Keeping humans underground, and under constant attacks from beastmen, had the effect of capping that number.

And as far as I remember, the thinking was that people underground hampered the census efforts, thus preventing Rossiu from estimating correctly how far they were from the limit.


Why do Lala's inventions always turn out to be defective? Lala's inventions in To-Love-Ru are always defective, mostly the cause of problems in every episodes. But why are Lala's inventions defective when Peke once explained (Motto To-Love-Ru Episode 6 "Night Tutor" to be exact) about how universally genius Lala is?

Looking at the list of Lala's invention on Wikipedia page of To-LOVE-ru - Japanese version), or a less complete list on To-LOVE-ru Wikia, most of Lala's invention has caused some sort of trouble as seen in the source material.

There are a number of inventions which are created and used right away without testing.
For example, unnamed drug in chapter 54 of original series, given to Rito when he disguises as his father during Mikan's house visit.
There are a number of inventions which explodes, or activates too easily, or not idiot-proof.
There are a number of inventions which has unwanted side-effects.
For example, Pyon-Pyon Warp-kun usually only warps living things, leaving the person naked after warped.

However, there are a number of inventions which are mostly stable, such as Peke, D-Dial and the expansion to Rito's house.

My theory is that all of Lala's inventions are work-in-progress or proof-of-concept, and the more an invention is used (which is equivalent to testing), the more stable it is. She is a genius in the sense that she can quickly create a working proof-of-concept. However, since she is not making a product, she doesn't feel a need to make her inventions practical, safe-to-use and idiot-proof.


Why didn't Frieza know about Goku and Kid Buu's fight? In Dragon Ball Z, when Goku was fighting Kid Buu, there were many enemies watching him from Hell.

From DBZ Wikia article on Hell:

  In the Kid Buu Saga, during the fight with Kid Buu, the ogres are seen watching the fight alongside Cell, Frieza, King Cold, Recoome, Burter, Jeice, Guldo, Dr. Gero, Appule, and Babidi.

However, when Frieza was revived, he didn't know about the fight with Majin Buu.

Is there any reason as to why this is so?

As stated in the Wikia article on Hell (emphasis mine):

  Hell (Jigoku), or HFIL (Home For Infinite Losers in the edited English dub), is a place in Other World where evil characters (and sometimes, in the case of Piccolo, Goku, and Pikkon, protagonists) go after they die. Hell is never actually shown in the original manga, but it is shown several times throughout various medias of Dragon Ball.

Hence, it's an anime inconsistency which is not the fault of Akira Toriyama. One can only assume that the scene was not taken into account in Dragon Ball Super because they adapted it from the manga and didn't take into account the anime-added filler.


Are water spirit users ever seen? In Kaze no Stigma, fire, earth, and air spirit users are clearly seen using their abilities. Ayano is a fire-user, Kazuma is an air-user, and the Tsuwabuki family are earth users. Water users are never even shown.

Are they ever mentioned as existing, and is there any reason given, even in-universe or by an author, for them to never be shown?

Since the writer is dead, the story won't continue on from the point where it prematurely ended, but I think it's very likely that the arcs that would've followed (chasing down Rhodes and Lapis/Tsui-Ling) the ending would feature Water mages sooner or later, otherwise mentioning it to begin with would've been pointless.