Anime Questions

[Trogdor]

What does FCFL stand for? I know it's short, but I'd like to know, sence it might be coming to AS. I'd also like to know what Vandread is. I've heard of Ghost in the Shell, but I have absolutely no idea what it is. Anyway, those're my questions.

[Obi]

FLCL = Fooly Cooly.

[DianaGohan]

I think FLCL stands for Fooley Cooley, but that's all I really know about it. Here is the premise of Vandread I got off a site

The premise of Vandread is anything but dull. Men and women have formed seperate empires, Taraaku and Mejeiru, and these empires are at war with each other. The men have just remodeled their old, proud ship, the Ikazuchi, to be the flagship of the Taraaku Imperial Fleet. The first graduates of their military school, all first-class third-generation citizen, are embarking on a mission to rid the area of pirate women invading their territory. They are to stop them by fighting them in their powerful mechas, the bangatas.

Those who make the bangatas are third-class citizens. One such citizen, Hibiki Tokai, bragged to a group of other workers that he could steal a bangata and bring it back to show them. He didn't really believe that he could do it, and cursed himself for making such a remark. However, he sets off to steal one anyway, picking his way through the elaborate security system protecting the bangata storage room, located within the Ikazuchi. Just as he is about to get one of the bangatas, the ship launches.

Hibiki is discovered to be on board and imprisoned. Without much delay, however, the women attack them. All bangata piloits launch, with the exception of one who is a wussy and hides under the table. Hibiki is able to get out of his cell, only to find himself being chased by one of the women.

The women are royally kicking the men's behinds, and eventually the men are all gone, some having run away and others having been gotten rid of by the women. Hibiki, however, is still alive, and the women capture him and imprison him again, along with two other men they find.

The women turn out to be a group of pirates and not part of the women's military at all. Soon after capturing what is left of the Ikazuchi and taking the three men prisoner, they realize that they cannot pile the ship, and it can only be piloted by men. They also come under attack by a new enemy, someone other than men, who they have never seen before. Their Dreads (fighting ships) alone cannot beat them.

Is it possible that they must call on the men for help...?

Ghost In The Shell (The Series) was based of a popular anime mini seres of the same name which was based off a very popular magna series. This has been talked about coming to Adult Swim for over a year, but has yet to appear on the block. The Production Team of AS did work to help create the series, so like Big O Season Two, it is connected to AS more then other animes. Out of these two series, one is rumored to coming to AS this September, but we don't know which or if it's even out of these two.

[Anime Freak]

I've been gone for a week,but can someone please explain to me how Matt got the idea that Vandread was coming to Adult Swim??????? i've seen it before and its pretty darn good,but what are the chances of it coming to adult swim?

[Tienshin]

Fooly Cooly is the correct pronunciation, unless you can say "Furi Kuri" in impeccable Japanese. For whatever reason I always say "FLCL" and my friends think I am a tool because they think I am talking some kinda lingo.

I can't wait for the first talk back thread on FLCL...THAT will be some interesting stuff.

[Proteus3]

Ghost in the Shell deals with a world of increasing commercialization and technology around 2029 AD (it is around that time, but it varies between the manga, movie,and TV series). People have now integrated cyborg and machine technology in their lives, particularly with the creation of cyberbrains. Cyborgs are now commonplace, and the protagonist of the each GitS incarnation. GitS deals with a world where the line between man and machine is blurring. GitS centers around Sector 9, an organization created to deal with certain crimes. All the members of Sector 9 have some cyborg, some more than others. For example, the lead character in GitS, Motoko Kusanagi, is almost all machine. The only remains of her original body is her spine and brain. Togusa, on the other hand, the only part of him robotic is his cyberbrain.

The TV series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, is the one that is rumored (and very likely) to come to Adult Swim. In terms of atmosphere, SAC is halfway between the manga and the movie. It isn't nearly as cold and heavy as the movie, but also not as lighthearted as the manga can get. I've seen the first 18 episodes and it would be a very welcomed addition to AS.


Ghost In The Shell (The Series) was based of a popular anime mini seres of the same name which was based off a very popular magna series. This has been talked about coming to Adult Swim for over a year, but has yet to appear on the block. The Production Team of AS did work to help create the series, so like Big O Season Two, it is connected to AS more then other animes. Out of these two series, one is rumored to coming to AS this September, but we don't know which or if it's even out of these two.

Ghost in the Shell SAC isn't based off a mini series, since there is no GitS mini series (there are a series of Tachikoma shorts that were released on the GitS: SAC Region 2s as extras)
I guess you could say it is based off the Shirow manga, but it is also influenced by the Oshii movie. As I said earlier, it is like halfway between the movie and the manga. However, the story is an new. The movie's plot was a watered-down version of the manga's plot, while SAC has an original plot worked by Shirow. Some of the series is episodic, while some of the episodes deal with an overral storyline.

I don't think CN helped fund or create the series (somebody correct me if I'm wrong). Bandai did pay a large amount of the $8 million that went into making the show.

[Trogdor]

Oh, ok. Thanks you guys.

[Sisto Kid]

Fooly Cooly is the correct pronunciation, unless you can say "Furi Kuri" in impeccable Japanese. For whatever reason I always say "FLCL" and my friends think I am a tool because they think I am talking some kinda lingo.

I can't wait for the first talk back thread on FLCL...THAT will be some interesting stuff.


At least you guys kept the whole FLCL/Furi Kuri/Fooly Cooly debate civil. I hope that continues. You wouldn't believe how many hardcore otakus get soooooo upset about it's correct pronunciation. :rolleyes:

"No, no no, a thousand times NO!!! It's "Furi Kuri!" Furi Kuri, do you understand? "Fooly Cooly" is the American bastardization of this great series, and if I hear anyone pronounce it Fooly Cooly, I will personally hunt them down, rip off their appendages and beat them with them!!!"


My thought is, who the hell cares? FLCL is a great show!!! Weird as hell and funny as all get out too!

I don't know about the wisdom of airing it on Adult Swim since it's only 6 episodes, but hey, if it attracts new fans, all the better! (Can you tell I love it? Maybe I'm being too subtle... :D ;)

[Delthayre]

My understanding is that the creators took the words 'fool' and 'cool' and adapted them for the title, which is essentially nonsenical. I personally maintain that it is best to say Fooly Cooly since that's what the Japanese where trying to say, although both are essentially acceptable. Japanese doesn't have an /l/ sound, but the Japanese [r] is the closest sound to it they have (Japanese [r] is actually closer to [d]) so they substitute it wherever the /l/ sound would be.

[Tienshin]

My understanding is that the creators took the words 'fool' and 'cool' and adapted them for the title, which is essentially nonsenical. I personally maintain that it is best to say Fooly Cooly since that's what the Japanese where trying to say, although both are essentially acceptable. Japanese doesn't have an /l/ sound, but the Japanese [r] is the closest sound to it they have (Japanese [r] is actually closer to [d]) so they substitute it wherever the /l/ sound would be.

I have that was the way the title came about as well. Plus the term "Furi Kuri" is used in the series in several odd contexts. One theory I read sometwhere was that it referred to the sound of, um, a womans chest being squeezed. A quick point from the series, nothing major but i'll hide it anyways.

Naota is asked point blank by his father and grandfather what "Furi Kuri" means reasoning that since he is the star of the show he should know but he responds that he doesn't.

[aesir]

Vanderad is really great. Its really funny a lot fo times. Not really adult per say but funny. The only thing that really makes it adult is that you know most people are either gay or lesbians.

[Killtacular]

Vandread isn't coming to Adult Swim. Or Ghost in the Shell. Those cards turned out to be a joke. They knew people would try and speculate.

[Tienshin]

Vandread isn't coming to Adult Swim. Or Ghost in the Shell. Those cards turned out to be a joke. They knew people would try and speculate.

Sadists. WS is full of sadists. They shouldnt play with peoples emotions like that. Dont they realize there are some sickos that will show up at thier door very angry and full of bad intentions?

[Mog]

Vandread isn't coming to Adult Swim. Or Ghost in the Shell. Those cards turned out to be a joke. They knew people would try and speculate.

Yet.

The know they exist. They know people would love to see them. This can only mean good things. Maybe at some time in the future they will be on AS. Near-future isn't an option though. The "Big Spring" event might include one of them. But I really doubt that.

[Ferquin]

I have that was the way the title came about as well. Plus the term "Furi Kuri" is used in the series in several odd contexts. One theory I read sometwhere was that it referred to the sound of, um, a womans chest being squeezed. A quick point from the series, nothing major but i'll hide it anyways.

Naota is asked point blank by his father and grandfather what "Furi Kuri" means reasoning that since he is the star of the show he should know but he responds that he doesn't.

I guess you really have to read the DVD liner notes. Initially, it's the term "kuri-kuri", which is the Japanese onomotopoeia for nipple twisting. Naota's perverted dad mispronounced it and said "furi kuri". Naota's grandfather thinks it's the onomotopoeia for rolling bread, which is also "kuri-kuri". There's also various references to other things that sound "-uri", like "curry". Basically, it's just a crazy mass-mispronunciation of words and puns. In the end, it's really up to you do decide what the hell it means.

Well, I'm off to pick up the final volume of FLCL... It's out today, guys.

[raykremer]

Japanese doesn't have an /l/ sound, but the Japanese [r] is the closest sound to it they have (Japanese [r] is actually closer to [d]) so they substitute it wherever the /l/ sound would be.
What? Japanese "R" sounds like "D"? Where did you get that from? Maybe it was a typo or something...

If anything, the Japanese "R" sounds halfway between the western "R" and "L". It is always romanized as "R" for consistency.

[Teo]

What? Japanese "R" sounds like "D"? Where did you get that from? Maybe it was a typo or something...

If anything, the Japanese "R" sounds halfway between the western "R" and "L". It is always romanized as "R" for consistency.


The Japanese "R" sounds close enough to a "D" sound as it does an English "L" (and is closer to D slightly IMO, although it really is its own sound entirely). It's not a particularly hard D sound, but it sure ain't any closer to L either. And in a slightly related note, the R sound we have in English is one of the rarest phonemes in the world. It's us, Western Dutch, and a very small number of other languages that have the same sound unit. Be proud of your unusually unique language!

The L is sometimes Romanized depending on the original intent of the word, if it's a borrowed word. If it's not a borrowed word then you're not gonna be using any L's anyway. Romanizing "Itary," for example, would be stupid if you didn't translate it back to "Italy." In the case of Fooly-Cooly, if the words are in fact borrowed from English (I wouldn't know) then there's no reason not to have the L's be correct along with however the Japanese say it. It makes no sense to take a word borrowed from your own language and then not translate it back as the same word. And I'm inclined to agree with what was said earlier; if you're gonna destroy the word with American pronounciation, just don't try--"Furry-Curry" is so very ugly sounding.

---
Gunnm

[raykremer]

The Japanese "R" sounds close enough to a "D" sound as it does an English "L" (and is closer to D slightly IMO, although it really is its own sound entirely). It's not a particularly hard D sound, but it sure ain't any closer to L either.
That's still one of the silliest things I've ever heard. I suppose you've never watched subbed anime? Japanese has a D sound, and it's the same sound as the English/western D.
And in a slightly related note, the R sound we have in English is one of the rarest phonemes in the world. It's us, Western Dutch, and a very small number of other languages that have the same sound unit.
That's also a load of dren. Maybe outside of European languages it's a rare sound, but there's no way that you can say only a small number of languages possess the R sound.

[Delthayre]

I think I better clarify this whole sound situation.

The first thing to understand is that the character [r], as it is used in English is used to represent several different sounds. However in Japanese is it used only to represent an alveolar flap, which is articulated at the same place as the English /d/ (the flat area behind the teeth). English [l] represents either an alveolar or postalveolar lateral approximate (often called, "light and dark /l/, compare the sounds in hill and hillock). The Japanese [r] is closest to English [d] in it's method of articulation (a single tap or flap), which is why I said it was really closer to /d/. It's similar to the pronouncation of [r] in certain upper class British dialects ("veddy good Jeeves).

Odd story to illustrate the point: I was once watching a bit of Mail Call when R. Lee was addressing a question about Ninja weapons, and when the expert showed him Shurikens, the expert prounouced the word as a native Japanese would speak it. R. Lee, being an American and thus not mentally conditioned to distinguish the postalveolar stop (d) from the postalveolar tap (Japanese [r]), referred to them quite clearly as, "shudikens."

Sorry, language geeks can't resist.

I'm not sure how helpful it will be, but this IPA Chart (http://hctv.humnet.ucla.edu/departments/linguistics/VowelsandConsonants/course/chapter1/chapter1.html) might illustrate things better. This section (http://www.zompist.com/kitlong.html#sounds) of Mark Rosenfelders Language Construction Kit might also illuminate things better.

And someone should ask an anime question again before this drifts completely beyond the scope of this board.

[Teo]

That's still one of the silliest things I've ever heard. I suppose you've never watched subbed anime? Japanese has a D sound, and it's the same sound as the English/western D.

That's also a load of dren. Maybe outside of European languages it's a rare sound, but there's no way that you can say only a small number of languages possess the R sound.

I'm entirely aware of the D sound in Japanese. I can speak and write Japanese and have lived in Japan. I'm not native sounding by any stretch but I understand the mechanics well enough. The Japanese R is close to an English D--not exact.

The R sound in English is a very specific phoneme (smallest meaningful sound unit) that occurs very rarely. Other languages have R's but they are not voiced or interpreted the same way as English and a few others.

And it's nice to see someone writing from a phonemic/phonologic perspective that knows what they're talking about (Even using correct notation!). I don't have a rigorous background in linguistics, but I'm aquainted with it enough to what's going on with basic sounds and construction and that Delthayre knows what time it is.

---
Gunnm

[Tienshin]

I'm entirely aware of the D sound in Japanese. I can speak and write Japanese and have lived in Japan. I'm not native sounding by any stretch but I understand the mechanics well enough. The Japanese R is close to an English D--not exact.

The R sound in English is a very specific phoneme (smallest meaningful sound unit) that occurs very rarely. Other languages have R's but they are not voiced or interpreted the same way as English and a few others.

And it's nice to see someone writing from a phonemic/phonologic perspective that knows what they're talking about (Even using correct notation!). I don't have a rigorous background in linguistics, but I'm aquainted with it enough to what's going on with basic sounds and construction and that Delthayre knows what time it is.

---
Gunnm

True.

If you can watch FLCL undubbed, you will hear "Furi Kuri" pronounced similar to "Fudi Kudi". And certainly not "Fooley Cooley"

[raykremer]

I think I better clarify this whole sound situation.
Alright, I'll buy that I guess. I've never misheard an "R" in Japanese as a "D" that I know of, though given the "Fudi Kudi" example, if you know beforehand that it's really Furi Kuri, it's more difficult to mishear it. Or maybe I'm just so used to foreign accents that I don't make that mistake. Even though the Japanese "R" uses the same mouth movements as a "D", it's clearly a different letter or else Japanese wouldn't make a distinction between "R" and "D".

[.hack//Tsukasa]

in any case Furi Kuri is an awsome anime. to bad its too short. only 6 eps T_T total. i think they should make a 27ep anime about HARUHARA HARUKO and her adventures in... no any more would spoil the siries ^_^ just remember i like my cury bland and not SPICY!!!

[Delthayre]

One thing that has me interested in Fooly Cooly is that the creatore himself has said that the series is essentially meaningless. While this hinders accepting philosophical interpertations of the series, I wonder if it might inadvertantly offer something that is just as intellectually engaging by accident.

The possibility of accidentally valid philosophical material aside, it could make for an interesting study in what happens when the creative process is unleashed by itself in a conscious or unconscious effort to be bizarre.

Or maybe I'm just being foolish and it's best to simply accept Fooly Cooly as a crazy trip that is fun to take even if it doesn't exactly go somewhere.

[.hack//Tsukasa]

but furi kuri has a ending and a bugining. there is a story there. to say there isent is kind of silly. now there is alot of foolishnes in the siries but it still revolves around a main idea. i mean i realy think that FLCL has a story. and is not jusst a crazy trip

[Tienshin]

but furi kuri has a ending and a bugining. there is a story there. to say there isent is kind of silly. now there is alot of foolishnes in the siries but it still revolves around a main idea. i mean i realy think that FLCL has a story. and is not jusst a crazy trip

There is definitely a plot, in as much as Haruko has an objective she wants to complete. And though the path to Her final goal is littered with

Naota’s father’s libido, survival games, tons of sexual innuendo, sour drinks, REALLY HOT CURRY, eyebrows, and gratuitous guitar abuse.

and other silliness there is still a build up and a climax to the story. I doubt that fans will think it is meaningless, and will probably want to expound upon particular themes that at least seem to exist and are touched on heavily throughout the series. Man, all this talk about FLCL is driving me nuts, since it is making me impatient. Damn you August 4th! DAMN YOU!

[Conekiller]

Ok, I've seen the first 4 eps, cna someone please tell me if they at least tel you what Haruka wants and why she's bashing things with a guitar and Vespa?

[Andrew]

Yes, the sixth episode (somewhat) explains (almost) everything (mostly).

[Ferquin]

Honestly, you must get the DVDs. The liner notes totally explain everything. And that art box is pretty cool! Only 10,000 boxes made! Get it and be better than everyone!

MASTER THE LEFT SIDE OF YOUR BRAIN AND YOU WILL MASTER ALL!!

[The Drizzle]

Honestly, you must get the DVDs. The liner notes totally explain everything. And that art box is pretty cool! Only 10,000 boxes made! Get it and be better than everyone!

After I watch the show on AS, I know I'll get the DVDs. I'm sure I'll buy Vol. 3 first just because the box is limited edition. It's not like I'll be seeing the episodes out of order if I do that anyway. ;)

[Tienshin]

Honestly, you must get the DVDs. The liner notes totally explain everything. And that art box is pretty cool! Only 10,000 boxes made! Get it and be better than everyone!

MASTER THE LEFT SIDE OF YOUR BRAIN AND YOU WILL MASTER ALL!!

Nice quote, brain my of side left the reach can't I.

But what can you do, you know?

The DVD's are my next target, I want my girlfriend to buy them for me since she thought FLCL was too weird, and has proclaimed it to be an unacceptable request for a B-Day gift. I have got some work to do.