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Answerman
Chicken Soup

Sorry there was no update on Friday - Answerman has been taking care of a very sick Mrs. Answerman. Everyone should wish her a quick recovery!

In between pouring juice and making soup, though, I've had time to answer a few questions. Let's get busy, shall we?




Do you know how many volumes of the Hellsing manga are out in Japan? I
think there are four out right now. Are new chapters still being
drawn/written, or has the series finished?

Well, the fourth one ends on a cliffhanger, and as far as I know, the manga is still being published. We'll have to wait and see if another tankoubon comes out anytime soon - remember that both Berzerk and Trigun sometimes go on publishing hiatus and it can take up to 6 or 7 months (or in Trigun's case, over a year or longer) for another volume to be released.




I just saw the first episode of the X TV series and I have some questions. First, is this going to be an extended version of the movie or those it follow some different story? Another question is this show actually good, i mean the movie was stunning when it came to the visuals but otherwise i think it sucked.

The X TV series essentially follows the manga to the letter (for the most part). It isn't an original story, nor does it have much of anything to do with the movie. It's just a regular TV adaptation of a manga series. The series itself is actually quite good. One of the few really excellent series to have come out of Japan in a long while. It'd be hard to mess up something that was designed from the beginning to be a direct adaptation of the manga (unlike the movie, which is almost universally reviled by hardcore fans of the manga series.).




Will there be a second season of Orphen?

Technically, there are three seasons of Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. There's the first one, simply titled "Sorcerous Stabber Orphen", the second, titled "Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: Revenge", and the third, oddly titled "Sorcerous Stabber Orphen Up and Down!". ADV has said that depending on sales of the first season, they've optioned the rights to the entire thing, and will be releasing them provided the show continues to sell well.




How come a lot of anime from Japan doesn't make it to America? Is it because there are too many cultural refrences that Americans don't understand? Or is it because anime isn't that profitable in America?

I'd like to se RahXephon make it to our shores sometime this summer. All I can do now is feel like a thief by buying the fansub.

- Y. V.

Well, for the most part, anime is quite profitable in the US, in most instances. Titles like "Samurai X (Rurouni Kenshin)" and "Cowboy Bebop" turned a handsome profit. Most companies pay quite little for the license and then turn around and sell the thing for 30 bucks a disc. That's not to say they're gouging - they're just not struggling to survive. Titles are usually selected based on fan popularity, series quality and marketability to a US audience. There aren't too many anime series that are so deeply involved in being "Japanese" that you couldn't provide enough liner notes to explain it all. Look at Urusei Yatsura - that show is one long cultural reference and yet, it has a huge following here in the States. It all depends on what company is buying what - and they have thousands of reasons to either buy something or not buy it. You never really can tell.

Well, that's it for today. See you all on Friday. I leave you with a quote.

"This is your world. These are your people. You can live for yourself today, or help build tomorrow for everyone." -Ronan Harris, VNV Nation





Got a burning question that you can't seem to answer? Maybe the Answerman can help you! Contact the Answerman at [email protected] (answerman at animenewsnetwork.com) with your questions, and read his new columns every Tuesday and Friday! Maybe your question will be answered!

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