From: takahash@ntmtv.UUCP (Alan Takahashi)
Subject: Anime Pocket Guide INTRO
Originator: takahash@lacerta
Reply-To: takahash@ntmtv.UUCP (Alan Takahashi)
Organization: Northern Telecom Inc, Mountain View, CA
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 20:37:18 GMT


[I've been hearing rumblings of impatience, so I thought I'd post
 what I've got rather than wait until later... :-)]


                            POCKET GUIDE TO ANIME
                            =====================

                              by Alan Takahashi

			     Last updated: Oct-92

   This file is intended as a short reference guide to anime.  It can
   be grepped by specific keywords to retrieve some sorted information.
   
   All names which appear in this Guide are arranged in the English style 
   (i.e. <First Name> <Family Name>) because this is the order which 
   the Japanese seem to prefer when writing out the names in romaji.

   Additions and corrections are welcome.  I'll update this whenever
   time permits.

   Thanks to Hitoshi Doi for some cleanup and updates.

   The actual Pocket Guide appears in the next posting.


KEY TO THE ENTRIES:
==================

**> Sample Entry:

Title: [TITLE]                                             ([TYPE]) tKEY
Cast:                                                               tKEY
  Character .................................... Voice Actor  vKEY  tKEY
Description:                                                        tKEY
  [DESCRIPTION]                                                     tKEY
US Release by: [US DISTRIBUTOR]                                     tKEY
Rating: {RATING]                                                    tKEY


**> [TITLE] field

  The title of the piece.  Usually, the title will be used to refer
  to the entire series (e.g. "Project A-Ko" and "Bubblegum Crisis").
  Unless something major happens, typically this title will be used
  to blanket everything produced with these characters.

  An example of this would be "Urusei Yatsura".  There are a multitude
  of OAVs, movies and TV episodes.  Rather than list everything,
  a short entry is all that is needed, since the characters and
  situations don't really change across the TV series and movies.

  An example where separate titles is used is "Bubblegum Crisis" and
  "Bubblegum Crash!".  Between the 2 OAV series, the production
  and distribution companies changed, and the entire basis for
  "Bubblegum Crisis" changed.  These two are essentially 2 different
  OAV series and are listed as such.


**> [TYPE] field

  FILM - Released as a theatrical feature.

  OAV  - Released as a one-shot Original Animation Video (OAV).

  OAVs - Released as an OAV series (multiple parts).

  TV   - Released as a TV series.

  Many anime have been released in multiple ways, and are noted when
  that occurs.

  Definition: Original Animation Video (OAV)
              Original Video Animation (OVA)
    An OAV or OVA (the Japanese use the terms interchangeably) is
    a feature which is released only to the video tape rental/
    purchase market.  The feature is *not* released to the movie
    theaters or as a TV series.  As a personal preference, I always
    use OAV.


**> [DESCRIPTION] field

  A short description of the title(s) listed.  This should be enough
  to give the reader a general idea of what the anime is about without
  going into much detail.  Also, relevant production comments and
  other such details appear here.

  If <No Description available> appears in this field, this means
  that I didn't know enough about this anime to give a brief
  description.  Contributions are appreciated.


**> tKEY key

  The title key.  Used by grep for retrieving information about a 
  particular title.  See example below.


**> vKEY key

  The Voice Actor key.  Used by grep for retrieving all roles by a
  particular voice actor.  See example below.


**> [US DISTRIBUTOR] field

  Optional field.  May not appear in an entry. 

  When rights to part or all of an anime are acquired by a US company,
  that is noted in this field.  Also whether the anime has been,
  or is going to be subtitled or dubbed.


**> [RATING] field

  This is an entirely subjective rating...basically, what did I think
  of this anime.  There are no standards which determine how the
  rating goes, so don't go looking for one... :-)

  Keep in mind, though, that this is aimed at a novice -- someone
  new to anime, or just someone who hasn't seen this piece yet.
  With this in mind, here is the rating system:

  "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" - a definite must-see.  If you haven't seen it,
			 and you have any interest in anime, GO SEE THIS
			 ONE!

  "RECOMMENDED"        - The vast majority of anime is rated in this
			 category.  As such, quality also covers a
			 wide range.  With this one, I didn't feel
			 that this anime rated the "HIGHLY" rating
			 (though it might be very good), and I didn't
			 think it was a dog either.

  "NOT RECOMMENDED"    - STAY AWAY FROM THIS ONE!  I don't give this
			 rating very often, so it says something when
			 I do.  Sometimes, it's for a sequel which
			 didn't come close to matching the quality
			 of the original...

  Occasionally, I leave comments in this field as well, though I try
  not to do this too often...


SAMPLE GREP SESSION:
===================

First, we'll want to see what's currently in the Pocket Guide, so
we'll use grep to get a Table of Contents:

lacerta%  grep Title: pocket.guide
Title: Area 88                                                (TV) tA88
Title: Akira                                                (FILM) tAKI
       .
       .
       .
Title: Queen Millenia                                         (TV) tQUE
Title: Ranma 1/2                                     (FILM,OAV,TV) tR12
Title: Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon                             (TV) tSAI
Title: 3x3 Eyes (aka Sazan Eyes)                            (OAVs) t3X3
Title: Silent Mobius                                        (FILM) tSIL
Title: Urusei Yatsura                                (FILM,OAV,TV) tUY
Title: Video Girl Ai                                        (OAVs) tVAI
Title: Space Cruiser Yamato                              (FILM,TV) tYAM
Title: Yawara!  A fashionable judo girl.                      (TV) tYAW

OK, now we want to see what this series called "Ranma 1/2" is all about,
because people keep talking about it on the net, sooooo:

lacerta% grep tR12 pocket.guide
Title: Ranma 1/2                                     (FILM,OAV,TV) tR12
Cast:                                                              tR12
  Ranma Saotome (boy) .................... Kappei Yamaguchi  vKYa  tR12
  Ranma Saotome (girl) ................. Megumi Hayashibara  vMHa  tR12
  Akane Tendou .............................. Noriko Hidaka  vNHi  tR12
  Kasumi Tendou ............................. Kikuko Inouye  vKIn  tR12
  Nabiki Tendou ........................... Minami Takayama  vMTa  tR12
  Ukyou Kuonji ............................... Hiromi Tsuru  vHTs  tR12
  Happosai .................................. Ichiroo Nagai  vINa  tR12
  Kodachi 'Black Rose' Kunou ................ Saeko Shimazu  vSSh1 tR12
  Sasuke .................................... Shigeru Chiba  vSCh  tR12
  Azusa Shiratori ............................ Naoko Matsui  vNMa  tR12
Description:                                                       tR12
  Take a high school boy.  Give him a curse where he turns into    tR12
  a girl when splashed with cold water and returns to normal with  tR12
  hot water.  Arrange a 'violent' girl (Ranma's words) to be his   tR12
  iinazuke (fiancee).  Stir liberally.  A martial arts comedy by   tR12
  Rumiko Takahashi.                                                tR12
Rating: RECOMMENDED -- especially the 1st TV season.               tR12


Well, I like Ranma-chan's voice, so let's see what else Hayashibara-san
has done...:

lacerta% grep vMHa pocket.guide
  Ume .................................. Megumi Hayashibara  vMHa  tAKO
  Minky Momo ........................... Megumi Hayashibara  vMHa  tMOMO
  Ranma Saotome (girl) ................. Megumi Hayashibara  vMHa  tR12
  Pai/Sanjiyan ......................... Megumi Hayashibara  vMHa  t3X3
  Video Girl Ai ........................ Megumi Hayashibara  vMHa  tVAI


From here, you can use grep to look at any of the other titles...

And now......{drum roll}......TIME FOR THE POCKET GUIDE!

-------------------------  NEW .SIG IN PROGRESS  -----------------------------
Alan Takahashi                          !        hplabs   amdahl
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					!               |  
"When you need to knock on wood is when !              ames
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