Arnold:

> > 2. Occasionally I feel we (non-Japanese Ranma fans) overanalyze Ranma 1/2.
> > Ranma is not amoung the serious mangas and anime in existence and perhaps we
> > see it on a deeper level than it really is.
> 
> What exactly do we overanalyze?  This isn't exactly Evangelion here.  Where's the

> overanalysis?
> 
> We're not trying to figure out if there's some greater message inherent in the
> stories- we just appreciate them greatly. 

You don't need to be searching for deeper meaning to overanalyze
something.  The AD&D rankings is overanalysis.  The 'best fighter'
thread or trying to figure out what style each character uses is
overanalysis.  Rationalizing any character's behavior, sexuality, or any
other subject not dealt with directly in the manga is overanalysis.

Most of the larger debates on this ML that certain people (Blade, HK,
Frank, etc) live for are almost completely in the realm of overanalysis.
=============

Owain:
>Example: my friend lent
>his friend, a girl, the first few Evangelion eps, promising there would be
>no nudity, which the girl believed.  A few days later she's yelling at him
>about how he's such a pervert for watching that stuff and is no longer
>really good friends with him anymore.

I don't consider the nudity in Eva to be all that offensive, but you're
bound to put some people into an uproar because Asuka and Rei are
minors.


On a related note, NGE 0:13 was without doubt (IMO) the lamest ending to
a series that I've ever seen.  It was just a collage of graffiti and pop
psychology fluff.  If I had $1 for every question about the series left
unanswered, including the ones that 0:13 itself raised, I would probably
get the purchase price back easily.

The quote I'm using now is probably the best thing in it.
==

The biggest barrier to anime becoming popular (IMO) is the stigma of
being a "geek hobby".  Being cartoons/animated is second, because there
are a few cartoons here that are popular with large portions of people. 
I'd probably put culture gap as third.


-- 
Bradster         ICQ: 10951748 (FWIW)
Founder of SAUCE and the EOE          Lurker in AD and UGMA
Ranma Preview Gallery at http://ranmagallery.simplenet.com/
"Why are you defending him?!  I'll bet you're riding his
   bologna pony!"     -Rei, NGE 0:13