Agatha Christie no Meitantei Poirot to Marple [Archive]

Lord Raiden

2004-07-04, 19:23

Anyone have any information on this anime yet? I just found out about it today and it looks just downright awesome. It's a series of episodes centering around Agatha Christie`s Great Detectives Poirot and Marple just like the thread title says. For anyone who likes Agatha Christie (*raises both hands*) and loves mysteries, you should really love this anime, especially if they do a good job sticking very closely to the books. I espect that this will be somewhat of a long series as AC had a LOT of books she wrote dealing both with Poirot and Ms. Marple. So even if they only touch on a few of the biggest books, this series should easily be 52 episodes or more.

The homepage is here (http://www3.nhk.or.jp/anime/agatha/) but I can't read enough Japanese yet to understand it, so I don't have more details than what I've posted here. If someone would be willing to do a little translating of the descriptions and stuff, or provide some more info, that'd rock!! I'm also plugging for this in the fansub groups forum to see if someone will pick this up. I'm definately going to be waiting eagerly for this to show up on AS. :D

zalas

2004-07-04, 19:49

Secca

2004-07-04, 20:30

I love Agatha Christie novels and I am so happy seeing it animated. ^^ Altho watching the raw, I was a bit lost what they were saying in the investigation. I like Poirot looks in the anime, kinda remind me of the twins from Tin Tin. ^^

Poirot and Ms. Marple animated. ^^

wao

2004-07-04, 21:40

And in a shock or maybe not-so-shock move, suddenly somebody jumps in and licenses this.

I won't be surprised if I actually am correct...

Seeing as it is based on English texts there should be absolutely no problem 1. showing this, 2. packaging this 3. marketing this 4. translating this

EDIT: Cool, there's some prestigious professor from Tokyo University doing background research for this anime.

EDIT2: It is animated by Oriental Light and Magic, who did Pokemon, To Heart and Sou Nanda out of others. The character designer is also teh character designer for the Pokemon anime, so you would see some similarities (Doesn't that duck have rather Ash-like eyes? >:|)

Secca

2004-07-04, 22:18

A bit off topic but the moment they start saying "ahiru.." I get this nostalgic feeling of Princess Tutu. :) And that little duck become very cute. ^^

TronDD

2004-07-04, 22:37

That's cool. My father loves these shows on A&E Mysteries. This will get him to watch anime. :)

wao

2004-07-04, 22:39

For those lazy to look through ANN's good encyclopedia...

Director: TAKAHASHI Naohito (Director: Beserk, Croquette, Figure 17, Steel Angel Kurumi [all]. Series Director: To Heart.)

Character Design: ICHIISHI Sayuri (Character design: Pokemon TV, 2000 The Movie, The First Movie. Chief animator: Pokemon 2000 The Movie, The First Movie. Animation Director: Pokemon 4Ever.)

Art Director: TAKAHASHI Hisayoshi (Art Director: Steel Angel Kurumi TV [1 and 2], Encore OAV, To Heart.)

Director of Photography: MIZUTANI Takaya (Director: Mermaids Forest. CGI Director: Steel Angel Kurumi [all].)

Animation Producer: KANDA Shukichi (Producer: Figure 17, Kasumin, Steel Angel Kurumi TV [1 only], Encore OAV, Weather Report Girl. Animation Producer: Pokemon TV, 4Ever, Stainless Night, Wedding Peach.)

Music: WATANABE Toshiyuki (Music: Ambassador Magma, Bosco Daibouken, Coral Reef Legend: Elfie of the Blue Sea, Devil Lady, Ginga Hyouryuu Vifam, Girl from Phantasia, Great Dangaioh, Here Comes Three Eyes, Peter Pan no Bouken, Space Travelers, Sword for Truth)

Sound Director: AKITAGAWA Susumu (Sound recording Director: Akira. Sound Effects editor: The Cockpit. Music: Kaikan Phrase.)

OP and ED sung by: YAMASHITA Tatsuro (I believe he's a fairly well-known singer or something.)

Marple by Kaoru YACHIGUSA (?)

Poirot by Koutaro SATOMI (?)

Mable by Fumiko ORIKASA (Hikari in Haibane Renmei, Hikaru in Figure 17,
Seras in Hellsing, Ester in Kenran Butou Sai, Ligene in Natsuiro no Sunadokei, Sheree in Konjiki no Gash Bell, Kirara in Samurai 7, Chise in SaiKano, Kim in RahXephon, Pacifica in Scrapped Princess, Ciel in Tsukihime, Yayoi in Stellvia, Meia in Vandread, AAAHH!!)

Hastings by Hirofumi NOJIMA (Miyahara in Midori no Hibi)

Oliver (Duck) by Masako JOH (Various random things.)

Broadcasted on NHK.

Lord Raiden

2004-07-05, 06:04

hehe. I finally told my mom about this new anime this morning and she just about exploded with joy! She was already bugging me for when the first episodes would be available. :D So yeah, I think she's just as phyqued about this anime as I am. Probubly even more so. I'm downloading the raw just to see what it's like. I'll report back when I get it. ETA: 5hrs. :(

Dhomochevsky

2004-07-05, 09:09

My mom loves movies made from those novels.
On the other hand she totally hates anime. :heh:

And for me its exactly the other way around. :hmm:

I dont think this is a typical candidate for lincense, as anime is still for younger people only in the western world (on an economy wide view of course... I know you could give plenty counter-examples ;) ). Now Agatha Christie novels arent exactly the kind of novels that are usually read by young audience.
They are not ready for adult anime yet.

well... of course thats only if this anime is like what youd expect from Agatha Christie-anime. ;)

TronDD

2004-07-05, 13:33

Anyone know who the VA for Vanessa is? I recognize the voice but can't place it.

The OP makes the show sound like a romance. :)

Lord Raiden

2004-07-05, 14:46

WAH! Not fair!! I'm still waiting on the stupid raw to download. :(

I'm really curious to know however who's going to be subbing this.

EDIT: WEE!! Finally got the raw! And although I only understood about 1/3-1/2 of what was said, I still very much enjoyed this first episode. I definately want to see it subbed now. :)

clem-kun

2004-07-05, 19:33

Are any groups fansubbing this? Our group was planning to, but we might drop it if we have some serious competition <_<

Yogo_Pogo

2004-07-05, 20:51

Anime of aghata christie's novel!!!!!!!!
it makes me nostalgic of the time i was watching sherlock holmes (with animals instead of human)

I once red an autobiography of aghata and she said that poirot and miss marple will never get well together and it was because of that that she never wrote a story with the two of them investigating the same case.

Does anyone know if Poirot and Miss Marple will investigate together or it will be episodic like Rumic theater?

Lord Raiden

2004-07-05, 22:56

It's supposed to be episodic to a degree. Each mystery will spam 2-3 episodes. Basically it will follow the books perty closely. So expect at least 2 episodes per book worth.

TronDD

2004-07-05, 23:04

Are any groups fansubbing this? Our group was planning to, but we might drop it if we have some serious competition <_<

I wonder. I haven't heard any group express an interest but we'll know for sure in a couple days which is about when I'd expect the first subs to to be released.

Why don't you guys be one of the groups doing it and let the others decide not to do it because it's already been picked up? Be the trailblazers. Set the bar. :)

It's supposed to be episodic to a degree. Each mystery will spam 2-3 episodes. Basically it will follow the books perty closely. So expect at least 2 episodes per book worth.

Except the first episode which seems to have solved the mystery. :)

I think it's cool they had that mini documentary on Agatha Christie at the end. At least I think It was cool. I couldn't understand most of it and the part in English had a Japanese voice over and I couldn't hear the language I understand. :)

wao

2004-07-06, 08:03

I can't seem to find out what "Vanessa"'s seiyuu is, and neither am I willing to download the raw, is there a kanji thingy around somewhere?

I would love to see a subbed version of it, please somebody do sub it if possible!

monir

2004-07-06, 09:49

I wonder. I haven't heard any group express an interest but we'll know for sure in a couple days which is about when I'd expect the first subs to to be released.

Why don't you guys be one of the groups doing it and let the others decide not to do it because it's already been picked up? Be the trailblazers. Set the bar. :)
:D Yes! Yes! Set the bar. I am dizzy at the sheer joy of hearing this news. This show bound to be dialogue oriented. If a good group such as Anbu or Totan *hint**hint* picks it up, we Christie fans should be in heaven.

NightWish

2004-07-06, 11:10

On the face of it, an anime series based on Agatha Christie (http://www.agathachristie.com/)'s books looks very interesting. She was defiantly a very skilled writer in the mystery genera so the plots if followed will be good... Those two series of books being particularly well liked. I guess that is why they were picked :heh: I do like the designs too :). I think the style is quite fitting.

Still, what I don't understand is how they are ever (as people have suggested so far?) going to stick to the plot in the books if both Poirot and Marple are in the same "story" -- as such an occurrence never actually happened to my knowledge.

Given the "detective" characters are fundamental to the story (naturally) you can't just mix and match them -- at least not if while being faithful to the scripts. Ok so strictly speaking you can't add a duck and stick to the story either... but that has less of an impact on the dynamics of how the cases are solved.

The stories themselves are fairly self contained too. Making them into a TV series that flows will take some doing, given they are not opting for the OVA format... (akin to the "feature" length productions the BBC did of Miss Marple or ITV did of Poirot -- which are the two best renditions I've seen on screen to date mind).

Still... I'm not saying all this will be a bad thing -- it could be interesting to see both Jane and Hercule in the same story... I just can't imagine how they would ever get along or interact well -- so very different characters. It'll be a real test of the writers trying to keep the feeling Christie's style has... I not sure they'll do it but I'm going to keep an open mind.

TronDD

2004-07-06, 11:11

I can't seem to find out what "Vanessa"'s seiyuu is, and neither am I willing to download the raw, is there a kanji thingy around somewhere?

What is a "kanji thingy"? :)

Venessa is a character that probably won't be in future episodes, since I expect the mysteries to take place in different locations each time. I doubt a maid from this one will show up elsewhere. The seiyuu may of course do other parts. She'll probably be hard to identify unless someone can read the credits.

EDIT: Found her in the credits. Anyone recognive the kanji?

http://www.think4me.com/vanessa.jpg

bubblehead

2004-07-06, 11:31

no, but I'm excited about the show. Agatha Christie is awesome! (Or was... I think she's dead :twitch: ) Anyway though, as long as they do it well, I'll be thrilled.

...most book (like a regular novel not manga) to movie/TV series transitions don't go so well, sadly.

But anyway, if it's good, IT MUST BE SUBBED! MUST, you hear me?!?

Lord Raiden

2004-07-06, 16:45

Yes, Agatha Christie died about 8 years ago if memory serves me right. Such a loss too. :(

A very interesting side note in regards to that is that she wrote books right up until she died and actually had specially written several books that were set away in a safe for the day she died. She didn't want anyone else picking up the series and butchering her dearly loved charecters, so all of these books effectively closed out the entire agatha christie line of mystery novels so that there can never be anymore written ever again. Personally, I'm glad because nobody can top her. :)

TronDD

2004-07-06, 16:49

Yes, Agatha Christie died about 8 years ago if memory serves me right. Such a loss too. :(

1976 according to the biography at the end of the episode.

Lord Raiden

2004-07-06, 16:53

Oh? Was it? I didn't think it was that long ago. Maybe I'm thinking of someone else then who died about 8 years ago. Hmm.

bayoab

2004-07-06, 22:42

Still, what I don't understand is how they are ever (as people have suggested so far?) going to stick to the plot in the books if both Poirot and Marple are in the same "story" -- as such an occurrence never actually happened to my knowledge.
I'm probably wrong on this, but i recall one of the books has both of them where they both end up on the same case accidentally. Iirc, there was one crossover book, but I cant remember which detectives. And from what I saw, they are basically turning some of the books into animes.
As far as licensing the series goes, I am not sure if they will because of the Live action dramas that air on A&E of most of the Poirot books.

wao

2004-07-07, 01:58

What is a "kanji thingy"? :)

Venessa is a character that probably won't be in future episodes, since I expect the mysteries to take place in different locations each time. I doubt a maid from this one will show up elsewhere. The seiyuu may of course do other parts. She'll probably be hard to identify unless someone can read the credits.

EDIT: Found her in the credits. Anyone recognive the kanji?

http://www.think4me.com/vanessa.jpg
Vanessa voiced by NEYA Michiko (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=698). For those lazy to read, she did...

Ayaka in Gravion Zwei, Satella in Chrno Crusade, Noriko in Dai Guard, Mogu in Fancy Lala, Melissa Mao in FMP, Riza Hawkeye in FMA, Rally in Gunsmith Cats, Mako Sato in Initial D, Natsumi Hayama in Kodomo no Omocha OAV, Delphine-sama in Last Exile, Honey Kisaragi in New Cutey Honey OAV, Tsubaki Oribe in Onegai Twins, Natsuki in Pia Carrot movie, Akiko in Piano, Barnette in Vandread, Chie in You're Under Arrest.

Prominent VAs can do some minor roles if they wanted to, really...

Thanks, Tron!

zalas

2004-07-07, 07:11

I finally sat down and watched the first episode. I have to say, the animation is done superbly. While it may not be GONZO, it does what it needs to do to bring the story across with consistent art and animation. The story seemed a little too predictable, but maybe the target audience wouldn't think that way. All in all, a very enjoyable half hour. :)

TronDD

2004-07-07, 11:33

Vanessa voiced by NEYA Michiko (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=698). For those lazy to read, she did...

Thanks, Tron!

Thank you. I was curious where I heard the voice. How did you take the kanji in the picture and find who it was?

wao

2004-07-08, 04:26

Thank you. I was curious where I heard the voice. How did you take the kanji in the picture and find who it was?
Well, I recognize kanji fairly easily (thanks to learning Chinese), and I know that the surname was the kanji for "root" and "valley". So it could be "Netani" or "Nedani" or "Neya"... Anyway I know how to type the words in Japanese, looked through the incredibly helpful WWWJDIC (http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/jwb/wwwjdic?) to confirm. Yes, the surname can only start with "Ne"...
I also know somehow that the name kanji were "Michiko" (I've seen it before; it's also the Princess of Japan's name or something like that. Or was it the Empress? Yeeks.). To check if there were alternate readings I put it in WWWJDIC again and no, it's just Michiko.

So I just looked under "Michiko" in the also inredibly helpful ANN encyclopedia, and there was only one Michiko whose surname started with "Ne" and "Neya" fit the bill, so there you go. The page on ANN for her confirmed it because it had the kanji for the name.

I've got a bit of experience with this, looking up the seiyuus for all sorts of other characters in Melody of Oblivion from the credits...

TronDD

2004-07-08, 11:56

Well, I recognize kanji fairly easily (thanks to learning Chinese)

Oh. You cheated. :)

That web dictionary is good stuff, I'll bookmark that one. I needed to find an online kanji dictionary. THanks again. :)

Lord Raiden

2004-07-08, 14:01

*drums fingers on desk*

Still waiting patiently for the first fansub. Plus, I know that if I'm getting overly anxious, my mother has to be just about totally climbing the wall waiting on this. For the meantime I'm pacifying her with a couple episodes of Kanon. ;) But either way, after seeing the raw I'm eger to see the sub of this. hehe.

Lord Raiden

2004-07-13, 09:21

Minor update to this. The number of episodes for this series has been reduced from 52 to 39 officially per AnimeNFO and AnimeDB.

http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,1448,vqidbs,agatha_christie.html

http://anidb.ath.cx/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=animelist&adb.search=agatha&do.search.x=0&do.search.y=0

While it's a bummer that they're cutting it back to 39 episodes, it will still be a great series. :)

ommseti

2004-07-15, 18:07

They could probably pull it off very nicely if they use the same format as Ayatsuri Sakon. I look forward to seeing it!

Lord Raiden

2004-07-19, 00:52

Raw #2 is out and available for those who can't wait for this series to be subbed. Personally, I'm bummed nobody's picked it up yet. My poor mom is climbing the walls waiting on this anime. :( So am I.

bayoab

2004-07-19, 05:21

Personally, I'm bummed nobody's picked it up yet. My poor mom is climbing the walls waiting on this anime. :( So am I.

I saw the first ep, and this show personally disappointed me. It really did not seem to be like Agatha Christie but more like Detective Conan with a girl. I would have considered trying to do it... but it sucked too hard imo.

Lord Raiden

2004-07-19, 11:45

True, nothing can top A&E live version of the books, but I really liked this one so far. It's been very enjoyable. Well, what I understood of the dialogue anyways. Of course my knowledge of the books helped me get past that a lot too.

Secca

2004-07-20, 11:25

I think the animation is well done, it's just missing something small, they are talking in japanese. ^^

I've been reading Agatha Christie novels in english, and always envision Poirot as an English gentleman. It's kinda strange to see him talking in japanese. But I think I can get use to it no problem. Already to episode 2 and me like Mable's resolution. ^^

I wished we can see more Miss Marple tho. ^^ or maybe alternate episode. ^^

wraith985

2004-07-21, 01:26

TronDD

2004-07-21, 11:19

I hope you do pick it up. You guys do a good job.

kuru

2004-07-21, 12:44

I'm not guaranteeing anything, but the idea's been kicked around and we may be thinking of maybe possibly perchance plausibly picking up this series...

I hear it's a good show, and if we do decide to do it I'm looking forward to it.

Please do it.

I hope at least you won't come lately saying "I'm sorry but we decided to do Soukyuu no Fafner instead" :heh:

wraith985

2004-07-21, 16:58

No chance of Fafner...no way :P

Lord Raiden

2004-07-21, 18:19

Wraith985, I also agree. You guys really should do this series. I think it will be a great one to do and I know that myself and my mother will be watching it. :D

kuru

2004-07-23, 21:12

Wraith985, I also agree. You guys really should do this series. I think it will be a great one to do and I know that myself and my mother will be watching it. :D

Borrowing info from another thread, its rating last week was higher than Naruto (http://www.videor.co.jp/data/ratedata/top10.htm#comic).

Probably the simple fact that it's broadcasted by NHK warrants the show a good audience to start with.

wao

2004-07-23, 22:07

It might just only be initial showing, though. Hopefully it will keep it up.

If this turns out to be a successful series in Japan, ...I dunno but then it'll mean more money for OLM, who I think already got quite a bit from animation all of Pokemon.

For some very strange reason (maybe not), every time I eat Maple Pecan Crunch (which is a great cereal btw, oh alright I'll stop advertising), I keep thinking of Marple... Marple Pecan Crunch o_O;

Shiorichan

2004-07-23, 23:33

Froth-Bite has now just released the first episode of Great Detectives Poirot and Marple. Enjoy!

TronDD

2004-07-24, 00:40

Just saw the torrent submission. Can't connect to the tracker, though. :( Oh well, guess I wait. EDIT: There it goes. :)

Thanks Froth-bite.

Secca

2004-07-24, 02:23

Yay, thank you, FB. :)

wao

2004-07-24, 06:23

Wow, I watched the first episode and the picture quality is amazingly clear. Why is it so clear? It's very sharp. I like it very much... Was it made for HDTV or something?

Lord Raiden

2004-07-24, 10:28

Wahoo!! YAY!! Thank you Froth-Bite! :D You guys rock!!

Haven't watched the show yet as I'm waiting till I get home to do so as I've downloaded it at home already.

Shiorichan

2004-07-24, 11:00

Wahoo!! YAY!! Thank you Froth-Bite! :D You guys rock!!

Haven't watched the show yet as I'm waiting till I get home to do so as I've downloaded it at home already.

Well, we do try to please the fans. As for the picture quality, I'm not all that sure ^^; I just know that I did mention to both our raw provider how sharp the raw was and to our encoder how good it looked after encode.

I hope you all enjoy the first episode. :)

Blaat

2004-07-24, 11:01

I've seen the first episode, I'm not impressed by it but I will continue it just to see how things turn out.

Kyoji

2004-07-24, 13:44

bugger, i watched this episode with high hopes, then it turns out i remebered the mystery from back in the good ol days of poirot, at least they're following them pretty well, but it spoiled the episode for me, because i remembered it all :( :sad:

Lord Raiden

2004-07-24, 14:18

Well, it kinda spoiled it for me too, but that doesn't mean much to me. It's still very exciting to see exactly how it's pulled off in anime form. The part that's confusing me is how they're putting Ms. Marple and Poirot into the same show and connecting the two of them. If memory serves me right, they were entirely separate and didn't interact in the two books or have any direct connections. Then again it's been a few years since I read the books, so I could be wrong. But I love the duck. The duck was cute. :D And overall I think they're already doing a good job with this series. I'm now very anxious for episode 2. :D

Secca

2004-07-24, 14:23

Knuckles

2004-07-24, 14:40

I've seen the first episode, I'm not impressed by it but I will continue it just to see how things turn out.

I agree.
The thing about Poirot is the criminal is never the person the cops take in, and
you never are sure who the real criminal is until Poirot points him out in the end.
But in this show it was so obvious who the criminal was, that there was no
suspense oppose the way it is in the movies. so I think the show is probably aimed
at 10 years olds and younger.
I was hoping that each case would take maybe 2-4 episodes and also murders,
so I will be checking out next 2 or 3 episodes to see if it will change for the better.

NightWish

2004-07-24, 14:58

Well that was an interesting adaptation that's for sure. I expected it to be "spoiled" having seen other shows and read the book before -- it's the same with any story based on mystery or an element of the unknown or a puzzle that the characters have to work out... once you know the answer, you've lost half the fun of the plot.

The designs and the animation were all lovely, I simply can't fault them, while the voice acting on the other hand left something to be desired. It was ok in it's own right but, probably because a standard has been set in my mind from other presentations, all the characters just didn't seem like themselves. I guess I'm really just referring to Poirot in this instance; I can't fault Maybelle and Oliver :) .. but then they are totally new. The music didn't really cut it for me either... but I can shrug that off as it might grow on me. Lastly, the story itself felt a little too watered down. I find a big part of the interest comes from the clever ways things are "discovered" and the way his "grey cells" work stuff out based on rather marginal evidence. With branches pruned to fit it felt a little bare, like it was lacking something... but not surprising if they are going to cram a whole thing into one 25 min time slot.

Still once I got into the feel of the show, accepted the style (and got past a few moments when Poirot's characterisation made me cringe) ... it was on the whole quite enjoyable :) I'm not sure my parents (Mother in particular; big Christie fan) would approve though :heh:

LinChoiSin

2004-07-24, 22:24

it looks like it tagets a young audience but it doesn't really matter since i really love agahta Christie's books and i'm just glad to see them adapted in anime.To me Poirot will always be like "david suchet " in the tv series so this poirot really makes me laugh but he's ok .

kuru

2004-07-25, 07:47

I've watched the first episode (very rare thing for me to watch an episode in the day it's released) and liked it. Only thing I thought to be a little strange it's that it wasn't a murder case. As I remember it (I read almost all of their books - 70 or more, but it was quite some time ago) almost all of Agatha Christie's cases are murder cases.

Lord Raiden

2004-07-25, 08:13

Well, if it's targeted towards kids, there may not be any. Then again, this may have just been a warmup episode to introduce all the main charecters. :D

Secca

2004-07-25, 08:22

Well there is that small documentary in the end of episode 1, so I think this show also aim to promote Agatha Christie works to the younger generation, as well as homage to Agatha Christie.

TiggsPanther

2004-07-25, 11:32

I've been reading Agatha Christie novels in english, and always envision Poirot as an English gentleman. It's kinda strange to see him talking in japanese. But I think I can get use to it no problem. Already to episode 2 and me like Mable's resolution. ^^ Ummmmmm. Wasn't Poirot Belgian, not English? (I just checked with my mum, how's a bit of an AC fan)

Tiggs

NightWish

2004-07-25, 11:44

Wasn't Poirot Belgian, not English?
Correct, he was a Belgian police officer / detective who moved to England to work as a PI... one of the books even has him return to Belgian and go over elements of his past life in the country. Can't say I've ever seen him as an English gentleman, although you could argue he does put on a gentlemanly show, not uncommon for people of his time and position. I'm in total agreement with LinChoiSin; When I think of Poirot I think "David Suchet"; he has given the most accurate portrait to date... he has the style, the accent, the appearance ... the arrogant attitude... all down to perfection.

Secca

2004-07-25, 12:56

Ummmmmm. Wasn't Poirot Belgian, not English? (I just checked with my mum, how's a bit of an AC fan)

Tiggs
Yes, he's Belgian. But I was refering to him speaking japanese in this anime. Because when I posted that statement, I was watching the raw and it sounds so strange to me. It's like not quite the Poirot I always envision in the book, which speak english with gentleman manner. It's like James Bond without his British accent or Tony Danza without his New York accent. ^^

It's just me being picky. ^^ Because I read Agatha Christie novels a long time ago and have a solid vision already about Hercule Poirot's character. It wasn't really that big of a deal actually, because it was only the first episode, and I just not use to it yet. The more I watch it the more he sounds more natural to me now. :)

LinChoiSin

2004-07-25, 23:01

in fact this Poirot looks more like Peter Ustinov which isn't bad either.AC 's books are not all about murders ,lots of them are about stealing or conning people .

Lord Raiden

2004-07-26, 10:38

That's very true, but her murder mysteries seem to be the most popular. At least around here they are. :confused:

AkihaTohno

2004-07-27, 10:14

Nah, I doubt there's a chance of murder getting involved in this show. To sad tho, seeing Maybelle covered in blood screaming in hysteria *sighs*... would of been sweet.

Shiorichan

2004-07-28, 22:48

Nah, I doubt there's a chance of murder getting involved in this show. To sad tho, seeing Maybelle covered in blood screaming in hysteria *sighs*... would of been sweet.

Actually, it seems that there will be murder mysteries in the show. Around episode 5 or 6, we should get into the murder mysteries.

wazzup

2004-07-28, 22:58

havent read the whole thread.. but is it releasing ? if so then know any fansub which will plan to do this / is doing it??

wraith985

2004-07-28, 23:14

havent read the whole thread.. but is it releasing ? if so then know any fansub which will plan to do this / is doing it??
The question was answered within the last page...but yes, it's being released, and yes, Froth-Bite is doing it.

Lord Raiden

2004-07-29, 13:19

Yep, Froth-Bite is doing it and as usual their subs rock. :D

Bullsquat

2004-07-29, 18:17

Is this a surprise to anyone?

I don't know how long this series has aired, I doubt it's been that long at all. 2 or 3 episodes perhaps? Apparently it's been doing so well with the Japanese audience. It's been jostling with Naruto the past couple of weeks in the ratings race. The Japanese have a thing for detective stories I suppose. Here I thought kids would rather watch shows with higher imaginations than simple whodunnit type of stories that would usually cater to teenage bookworms. Well where I live anyways, that is the case.

Oh well, I guess I'll have to check this show out.

Burner of Anime

2004-07-29, 20:52

Heh, I grew up on the Peter Ustinov version of Poirot so watching an animated detective based on his model kind of brought back memories. The first episode did make quite a leap to the conclusion- but now I have some idea on how to get people to give me their fingerprints :heh:

However, Orikasa Fumiko Maybelle ownes the show :love: Something about her portrayal of an inquisitive and intelligent young girl I find attractive. Maybe because it's very different from the calm and serious Ester as well as the spiritually solid Kirara.

Bring on ep2 and soon :D.

wraith985

2004-07-30, 16:44

I'm a bit miffed that the conclusions are reached so quickly and so much is skipped over; I'd rather them flesh out stories more and have story arcs, especially if the series is going to be 39 episodes; that would help build the suspense, the tension, and (most importantly) the mystery - the best part of any detective story.

Still, it's interesting enough. I'm gonna enjoy working on this one :)

Shiorichan

2004-07-31, 00:26

Bring on ep2 and soon :D.

Well, your wish has been granted. We just released episode 2 a few hours ago. I must say, I like how this one turned out.
:)

crumja

2004-07-31, 00:56

I hope at least you won't come lately saying "I'm sorry but we decided to do Soukyuu no Fafner instead" :heh:

o.o I somehow missed this thread. Anyway, it's quite interesting that I've come back saying, "I'm sorry, but I stopped doing Fafner to get this show to you guys." :heh:

Oh yeah, the ABC murders are coming up soon. Heh, look forward to that one all you hardcore Christie fans.

Burner of Anime

2004-07-31, 01:20

Well, your wish has been granted. We just released episode 2 a few hours ago. I must say, I like how this one turned out.
:)
:bow: :bow: :bow:

Getting now :D

Could be the speedy conclusion to the cases are because they need to do quick introductions for the characters and what they can do instead of a median streach that'll likely bore and alienate a crew of short attention span watchers :p

Thing is, are they planning to divide the time speant between Poirot and Marple? Looks to me Maybelle is actually a plot device to unite the 2 characters [1 young and talented apprentice training under 2 masters :heh:] since it's been mentioned before that they never actually collaborate.

AkihaTohno

2004-07-31, 13:05

For a simple mystery, I didn't get episode 2 at all O_O

LinChoiSin

2004-07-31, 23:33

after seeing the 2 nd episode i came to several conclusions ,first love the opening and the ending but as for the show itself i'm disapointed because they simplified the story and the result wasn't good .Seeing Mabelle and her duck be the victim of the next murder would please me but it's rather unlikely,unfortunately.I'll continue to watch this anime because i really like A C's and because i find it funny but i don't think it will get better.

wraith985

2004-08-01, 04:25

.Seeing Mabelle and her duck be the victim of the next murder would please me but it's rather unlikely,unfortunately.
LMAO, that would be...interesting. :twitch:

Hopefully the murder mysteries will be in story arc format so they don't have to cut and compress so much in the future...

Lord Raiden

2004-08-01, 10:20

Yeah, I do agree that there's a lot they cut out of that story that really could have been streached out into at least 2-3 shows for that second story. But it did do one thing. It showed some of Poirot's and Maybell's attention to detail and creativeness, which are big selling points for any detective. The only bad thing I found in this episode was Maybell's whining. They could have gone without that. But oh well. She's only 16 and even I whined a bit when I was 16, so I guess I can give her a tad bit of slack there.

glyph

2004-08-01, 18:02

Actually, it seems that there will be murder mysteries in the show. Around episode 5 or 6, we should get into the murder mysteries.

Yeah, it seems they will start the first book story-arc (The ABC Murders) at episode 5. The first four episodes are all short-story adaptations.

Sylf

2004-08-01, 18:05

I just watched the preview to episode 5. And it indicated that ABC murder will be a 4-episode arc.

tiktokfx

2004-08-02, 03:22

Watching the first two episodes made me queasy.

Thus far my impression is simply that it's more "hey, let's take two exceptionally popular mystery detectives and subvert them into background plot devices for yet another angst ridden teenage girl who insists on getting her way, despite a total lack of character beyond stubbornness," than "hey, let's make a really cool series of animated mysteries."

ShikaShika

2004-08-03, 16:16

Yeah, it seems they will start the first book story-arc (The ABC Murders) at episode 5. The first four episodes are all short-story adaptations.

The first? Am I correct in understanding then that the first four episodes are original works? Then I don't understand why people are saying stuff was cut out of the two first. Or maybe they said it could have been fleshed out... :confused:

glyph

2004-08-03, 16:37

The first? Am I correct in understanding then that the first four episodes are original works? Then I don't understand why people are saying stuff was cut out of the two first. Or maybe they said it could have been fleshed out... :confused:

No, the first four episodes are adaptations of short stories by Agatha Christie, collected in various anthologies.

The original texts for episodes 1 and 2 can be read online here

The Jewel Robbery at the 'Grand Metropolitan'
http://members.lycos.co.uk/Agaweb/pi007.html

The Adventure of the Cheap Flat
http://members.lycos.co.uk/Agaweb/pi003.html

"The ABC Murders" will be the first full novel adaptation in this series.

ShikaShika

2004-08-04, 05:28

Cool thanks! I watched the first ep, and I agree it was a bit easy to tell who the perpetrator was. I hope it's more difficult for the longer stories.

Lord Raiden

2004-08-04, 19:21

hehe. If you've read the books you already know. ;)

ShikaShika

2004-08-06, 08:36

Just saw episode 2, surely there's a mistranslation either on the producers' side or on the part of the fansubbers
Since when is a black cat a sign of good luck? Makes no sense either, when Poirot tells Elza.

Knuckles

2004-08-06, 09:34

Kyoji

2004-08-06, 09:49

Shows how much you know, black cat in England is considered to be good luck.

Is it? :confused:
I'd never heard that, i always associated it with bad luck, must have been too much TV :p

edit: is anyone else finding Oliver the duck too weird? I mean, Mabel is ok, but the duck is just odd :s :help:

ShikaShika

2004-08-06, 11:48

Yeah bad luck for me too, but I can't honestly say I lived in England in the 30s so maybe it was different then. :)

Also I don't know about weird, but I'd say Oliver is damn annoying. :)

Secca

2004-08-06, 12:39

In some culture, cats considered really lucky, because they are believed to have 9 lives. Some culture even believe in cat paw charm just like rabbit foot charm.

Japanese stores usually have a Maneki Neko (http://www.amy.hi-ho.ne.jp/~mono93/cat/english/what_e.html) that welcome people to their store, it believes to bring luck to their store.

http://img57.exs.cx/img57/7079/maneki_neko.jpg . http://img57.exs.cx/img57/1308/maneki_neko2.jpg

Black cat is rare. If you see one you can consider them as an omen, either your luck has turn really realy good or really bad. ^^

This is some more cat superstition (http://www.angelfire.com/tx/tranera/luck.html) if you are interested. ^^

ShikaShika

2004-08-06, 12:50

I see. Around here it's just bad luck. I still think that the scene reffering to this would make more sense if it was bad luck though.

Lord Raiden

2004-08-06, 13:10

Around where I live, the only cat that'll bring you bad luck is the one that's about to eat you. :eek: IE wild cats.

Burner of Anime

2004-08-06, 21:22

I had a cat with a solid black coat, but the only bad luck was on him. A car ran over him last month T_T

wao

2004-08-06, 22:40

That isn't very nice ;x

I wonder why they would say black cat is a good omen when clearly in England it can't be? Even if it is in Japan, well... are they trying more in catering to the audiences than to produce the show accurately? :\
It seems to be very popular in Japan, I wonder why...
And I also wonder about the very high video quality of the raws. It's so nice to look at...

Burner of Anime: What about grey cats that sit on people's heads :D Medium luck?

Burner of Anime

2004-08-06, 23:03

Burner of Anime: What about grey cats that sit on people's heads :D Medium luck?

Usually bad in anime. Increases cuteness factor of target person by a factor of 10. :love:

It's a law of anime that the amount of cuteness a person has is in direct purportion to the amount of luck [good and bad] they inflict on their surroundings. In KBS, in the same episodes that cat used a persons head as a throne a lot of property damage ensues... :heh:

Which means someone is going to get really screwed in this anime as well because Maybelle is cute enough :p

LinChoiSin

2004-08-06, 23:09

Mabelle is not cute at all ,she's desperately annoying and so is her duck but the duck at least doesn't speak! :)

Lord Raiden

2004-08-11, 01:09

YAY!! Episode 3!! Thank you Froth-Bite!! WAHOO!! Now if stupid BT would just download faster. ;)

wraith985

2004-08-11, 02:20

I liked the pacing on this one better than the first two. ABC murders soon...I hear good things, so I can't wait ^^

Secca

2004-08-11, 05:33

I liked the pacing on this one better than the first two. ABC murders soon...I hear good things, so I can't wait ^^
Me too, I think episode 3 is excelent.

Miss Marple is really amazing. It's cool how she work on the puzzle one step at a time without rushing into a conclusion. She even lay down hints and give interesting perpectives for the viewers to follow. ^^

Edit: This series is very refreshing compared to other anime series playing this season. ^^

Shiorichan

2004-08-11, 09:15

Me too, I think episode 3 is excelent.

Miss Marple is really amazing. It's cool how she work on the puzzle one step at a time without rushing into a conclusion. She even lay down hints and give interesting perpectives for the viewers to follow. ^^

Edit: This series is very refreshing compared to other anime series playing this season. ^^

I too really enjoyed this episode as well. Marple was confident in her abilities, but she wasn't overly confident on the edge of arrogance. I'm pretty sure I will like her more than Poirot if not just for that reason.
I really enjoyed when Marple told them about the clue and they thought of invisible ink and they ran to the fire. She just let them do it and I'm pretty sure she had already had it figured out at this point.

LinChoiSin

2004-08-11, 20:32

i think it's getting better except for Mabel who's stupider than ever.i don't know why but i love the intro and ending's songs.

tiktokfx

2004-08-12, 18:29

I really can't agree with the portrayal of Miss Marple... she's much too soft-spoken.

that intro song is horribly catchy too :twitch:

Burner of Anime

2004-08-12, 22:45

I too really enjoyed this episode as well. Marple was confident in her abilities, but she wasn't overly confident on the edge of arrogance. I'm pretty sure I will like her more than Poirot if not just for that reason.

Finally had time to see ep3 [my work hours suck :(], glad I did manage to catch this one. I do like Marple's approach to the puzzle because she starts with the human element first as opposed to Poirot's methodical analysis of the evidence. I thought the rabbit stew recipe part was genius :heh:, before starting to cook catch rabbit first :p. My first answer however, was the one Mable gave She has a strong empathy for her target/suspect and applies thinking like the criminal to the events and evidence. How to say, her way of running through the mystery appears more complete to the viewer because of it.

Looks like it's time to start up a library of Agatha Christie books :D

glyph

2004-08-13, 00:52

hooliganj

2004-08-14, 01:42

This is a minor point, but it got me wondering...

When Maybelle is looking for an apartment, she checks a posting board in front of a realtor's shop. I've seen these in a lot of different anime and manga, and had always assumed them to be a Japanese thing, since I've never seen one in the US. Do they use this system in England? In the 1930s? Is it in wide use in the west, and just not here in Texas?

Around here, at least, if you want to see free ads, you look in the classifieds. In fact, in the original short story, I believe the client (not Maybelle obviously) came across the ad for the empty apartment in the newspaper. Generally, if you want to use the resources of a realtor or apartment broker, you have to pay them.

As I said, it's a minor point. Just curious about it, is all.

Adol

2004-08-14, 01:47

This is going to be quite a intresitng series, I think.. Maybe a bit boring at times, but overall very good. Best of wished to the people at froth-bite, and the nice job they are doing on the series!

Momiji74

2004-08-14, 04:49

Interesting series, maybe too "for children" but enjoiable.

kool_dudy

2004-08-14, 15:06

Kyoji

2004-08-14, 15:36

LinChoiSin

2004-08-15, 21:19

yeah, we have this in england, my mum likes looking at the houses in the estate agents window >_>
we also have it in France. I don't think we should look to much into the details because since this show is for kids there are a lot of things that doesn't really make sense .

Lord Raiden

2004-08-15, 21:51

Finally got around to watching this episode, and whoever said the duck was annoying obviously must not be an animal lover because I thought the duck in this episode was both funny and cute. Heck, he was having a grand old time in the yard of that mansion. ^_^

As an aside, I think they did a beautiful job of showing how carefully Ms. Marple picks through her crimes and solves them, even if she does tend to get off on a lot of nastalgic tangents.

Dagger

2004-08-15, 22:27

I liked Miss Marple's dialogue but not her VA--the woman sounds too down-to-earth and sensible. Marple is supposed to come across as being very fluffy and air-headed.

All the same, I enjoy the show and am longing forward to watching some of the longer arcs.

Secca

2004-08-15, 23:34

Interesting series, maybe too "for children" but enjoiable.
I don't quite agree with that statement, I think this show is intended for all age. Even if I watch this series with my mom or with my 10 year old cousin, they would stil be able to enjoy it. Because mystery and detective stories never get old. ^^

Burner of Anime

2004-08-15, 23:54

I liked Miss Marple's dialogue but not her VA--the woman sounds too down-to-earth and sensible. Marple is supposed to come across as being very fluffy and air-headed.

Nah, they just split that part off and stuffed it into Maybelle :heh: We still get it but it's in a better looking package. :p

Sylf

2004-08-16, 09:28

Episode 3 - Clue lost in translation?

The original Japanese translators translated "gammon" literally as "a side of bacon".

But "gammon" also means a misleading hoax.

The phrase "gammon and spinach" means nonsense.

"Bacon and spinach" just sounds yummy.

ooooh, thank you! I was wondering what that reference really meant! Yes, when you translate the spoken Japanese straight back to English, that's what you get. Translation of translation truly does lose a lot....

thirdlc

2004-08-16, 18:57

I don't think we should look to much into the details because since this show is for kids there are a lot of things that doesn't really make sense .
However, a historical authenticity checker is working on this show. This is quite rare. I think it's pretty safe to believe the details.

LinChoiSin

2004-08-16, 19:39

I don't quite agree with that statement, I think this show is intended for all age. Even if I watch this series with my mom or with my 10 year old cousin, they would stil be able to enjoy it. Because mystery and detective stories never get old. ^^

This show is for a rather young audience,that's the reason why the plots are simplified and why Mabel and her duck keep on following Poirot and Miss Marple when it's obvious that they should stay in school and study :) .Of course everybody can watch kids ' show and enjoy them .

Secca

2004-08-16, 20:13

This show is for a rather young audience. ...

Of course everybody can watch kids ' show and enjoy them .
I beg to differ. :) There are many shows who were intended for young audience, like Pokemon, Power Puff girl, Dragon Ball etc. That will turn off the older audience like my mom generation and loose interest right away.

But this series was made with everyone's age in mind. Even if your're not into anime, you can stil watch it and enjoy it.

For example, say if I am to introduce anime into an audience with random variety of age, I would probably pick this series over Naruto or Evangelion. :)

LinChoiSin

2004-08-17, 19:07

I beg to differ. :) There are many shows who were intended for young audience, like Pokemon, Power Puff girl, Dragon Ball etc. That will turn off the older audience like my mom generation and loose interest right away.

But this series was made with everyone's age in mind. Even if your're not into anime, you can stil watch it and enjoy it.

For example, say if I am to introduce anime into an audience with random variety of age, I would probably pick this series over Naruto or Evangelion. :)

You may call it "kids's show" or "family show" to me it 's still made for (young?)children .Families can watch this kind of show because the kids will love it and the parents will find it cute but unless the parents really like AC's books (like myself) i really doubt they'll watch it without their children. ;)

Lord Raiden

2004-08-17, 23:58

hehehe. This is a show I could get everyone from my neice to my great aunt to watch and enjoy, so I don't think it's really a "kids show" persay. Sure, it's kid friendly, but not nessisarily just a plain jane kids only show.

Secca

2004-08-28, 13:13

Yay episode 4, ^^
Since the begining I was already a bit suspicious about miss Lavinia, she's up to something. But when I saw her sister I tought that miss Lavinia secretly hate her sister and want to get rid of her. That's why she setup a new maid to kill her or something. ^^ Well the new maid was kinda suspicious also, like miss Marple said she's too perfect. I tought she's a professional killer. XD

And I was wrong on that theory totally. ^^;; When the case happen it turn out to be a robbery, so I tought this kinda like the first episode thingy, Miss Lavinia trying to get some insurance money from a fake robbery and the maid is an acomplished. The problem is the other resident's jewelry are robbed too. So probably it's not insurance scam. I'm quite sure the maid and miss Lavinia is on this together tho.

But one thing I didn't expect it at all is the maid and the sick sister are the same person. When Miss Marple explain it how it done, I was like "Woah, what a brilliant scam!!" and the police will be chasing someone that doesn't exist. While Miss Lavinia and her sister can take their time to disapear. ^^;;

I swear I didn't think of it before that they could be the same person, I even remember when the scene Miss Marple visit to see the new maid, I tought there were 2 person talking from the sick room. I have no clue when did Miss Marple started to get suspicious that they could be the same person.
I tought this episode is quite interesting also. I had fun on this one. ^^

LinChoiSin

2004-08-28, 23:11

Most of the time ,in this show,the culprit has a mean face.
Anyone knows if the intro and ending 's music are made for the show or are real tunes?

Ori

2004-08-29, 01:39

Can someone show me some screenshots of this show? I love Agatha Christie's books but I am sort of doubting the animation at the moment.

deathsvengeance

2004-08-30, 00:42

Can someone show me some screenshots of this show? I love Agatha Christie's books but I am sort of doubting the animation at the moment.Here are screen caps from ep 3 :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/miyuhime/GDPM.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/miyuhime/GDPM1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/miyuhime/GDPM2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/miyuhime/GDPM3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/miyuhime/GDPM4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/miyuhime/GDPM5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/miyuhime/GDPM6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/miyuhime/GDPM7.jpg

I personally really enjoy this anime and I think the animation is quite nice. Enjoy!

Lord Raiden

2004-08-30, 09:05

I personally love the duck. He's cute and he's so funny half the time. :D Plus Oliver adds some nice comic relief to the whole show. :D

Sylf

2004-08-30, 10:20

I personally love the duck. He's cute and he's so funny half the time. :D Plus Oliver adds some nice comic relief to the whole show. :D
(OT) Do we need to start an Oliver fanclub?

Burner of Anime

2004-08-30, 11:22

A fantasy animal fanclub is territory no one should even contemplate going in to. Remember, doujin mangaka are evil >_<. They will be attracted to something like this like flies to an open outhouse :bash:

As for episode 4

I think Ms. Marple saw something like a gap in logical thinking when Lavinia left her 'kin' behind suddenly and appeared with a new maid. Or was it she took the girl along and then couldn't quite figure out what happened to her when Lavinia reappeared with a new maid. Her natural suspicion kicked in when the new girl was simply too perfect :p

Lupus

2004-08-31, 07:21

I've just watched episode one, and I don't know whether to laugh at it or love it! XD The latter seems to have won though, and I think it's well done. Some odd bits like Oliver...but still, he's cute. :P

Killerattacks

2004-08-31, 07:47

I think this series is great, but this annoying duck...:/
And what makes the whole show even better are the dvd like raws and the godlike sub of Froth-bite. :)

Lord Raiden

2004-08-31, 08:19

Yeah, I've been noticing that too lately, in respect to certain shows having DVD raw like layouts. All I can assume is that some of the raw groups have started sucking down their raws from HDTV. If that's true, then that means that the HDTV encryption hacking project worked and raw distributors are back in full swing, but this time with wide screen HDTV raws. hehe. That'd be cool if that were true. :)

Shiorichan

2004-08-31, 10:52

I think this series is great, but this annoying duck...:/
And what makes the whole show even better are the dvd like raws and the godlike sub of Froth-bite. :)

Oooo...godlike....I haven't heard that one before. ^^ Thanks for the compliment!

I think you either love or hate Oliver. We love him so much that we've got a bot named after him. I have this thing for cute and fuzzy animals like Nanami and Dogtato, Penguins, Pandas, etc. So I happen to like Oliver, but someone on our forum said that Oliver must be her lunch because he's hanging out in her bento box.

The duck is her lunch - note how she keeps it in her bento box.
So it's actually a different duck in each episode (a bit like Rei Ayanami, heh).
(It's a little known fact that English schoolgirls bite the heads off live ducks. This is where the Hells Angels got the idea from.)

Burner of Anime

2004-08-31, 11:19

Am currently waiting for the girl to carry that duck around on her head :p It'll be about the 3rd time a character played by Orikasa Fumiko wears an animal mascot hat :heh: Or was it 4th... must see Stratos4 again :D

Putting out the seiyuu credits for even the guest characters is a definate plus. Sometimes these extra details just get missed when looking at a general info site like animenfo or ANN. The anime otaku in me appreciates the extra mile here :bow:

glyph

2004-08-31, 12:32

Oooo...godlike....I haven't heard that one before. ^^
So I happen to like Oliver, but someone on our forum said that Oliver must be her lunch because he's hanging out in her bento box.

Ah, an emergency food supply. That explains it.

Hail Ilpallazzo!

LinChoiSin

2004-08-31, 18:37

i usually love cute animals/characters/things but Oliver and Maybelle really get on my nerves ! i think that they're really totally useless and annoying. :bash:

dkellis

2004-09-15, 10:19

Episode 5 has the first part of the first multi-part mystery. (How confusing was that?) Interestingly, I just finished reading the novel in question.

It'll be interesting to see how Maybelle influences the story here.

hooliganj

2004-09-15, 14:44

i usually love cute animals/characters/things but Oliver and Maybelle really get on my nerves ! i think that they're really totally useless and annoying.
I think they seem even more useless than the average mascot character because they were added to the story long after it was written. The closest Christie ever got to having a useless character around was Hastings, who generally didn't do much except serve as the butt of Poirot's jokes. Since Poirot himself has been made into a more polite person in the show, and Hastings given at least the appearance of competence, they needed a new narrator character to stand around and be clueless all the time, hence Maybelle.

Oliver is just there to look cute and sell toys, which I'm sure he does very well.

Lord Raiden

2004-09-15, 19:09

I don't think that Maybelle or her duck are useless. I think they add a nice touch to the story. :D But that's my take on it.

basket

2004-09-26, 21:15

Since Poirot himself has been made into a more polite person in the show, and Hastings given at least the appearance of competence, they needed a new narrator character to stand around and be clueless all the time, hence Maybelle.

Oliver is just there to look cute and sell toys, which I'm sure he does very well.

I agree with you about Oliver being there to look cute (except I don't think he's that annoying :P) but as for Maybelle she was actually mentioned (briefly) in "The Thirteen Problems" as being Raymond West's niece who was not particularly intelligent. (Incidentally, Raymond West appears pretty often in that book, since he lives in the same village as Miss Marple - St. Mary's Mead)

Also, Hastings isn't all that incompetent - read the last few chapters of "The ABC Murders" to find out why :)

Burner of Anime

2004-09-27, 04:48

basket

2004-09-27, 05:14

Read it??? The show hath gone up to ep11 already, I think it's safe to say a lot of ppl here want to see it T_T And the ABC murders is getting interesting. Didn't realise Agatha Christie was into criminal profiling for serial killers. :twitch:

I'm biased since I've already read The ABC Murders but I'm curious to see how a significant element of the story will be developed in the anime.

There was one murderer but he wasn't the one everyone thought - the one whom everyone thought was the murderer was being used by the real murderer. The "fake" murderer also suffered from epilepsy and was easily influenced

(incidentally, where did you see there were 11 eps? I only see 8 on ANN... then again I can't read the Japanese home page so it might be mentioned there)

Burner of Anime

2004-09-27, 06:15

Math? I do know the raw for ep 8 appeared on the 31st of August. Barring postponement and if it's shown every Monday then it should be ep12 today. :p

basket

2004-09-27, 11:10

Math? I do know the raw for ep 8 appeared on the 31st of August. Barring postponement and if it's shown every Monday then it should be ep12 today. :p

Ah. But in any case I can't watch raws (I don't know enough Japanese to be able to translate them) so as far as I'm concerned it's still on episode 5. :p

Shiorichan

2004-09-27, 12:43

Lord Raiden

2004-09-27, 12:55

Hey, that's no problem. You guys got the last ep of Maico out just recently, so I'm tickled to wait for a bit longer for the next episode of this series. :D

Shiorichan

2004-09-27, 13:17

Hey, that's no problem. You guys got the last ep of Maico out just recently, so I'm tickled to wait for a bit longer for the next episode of this series. :D

Ah yes...Maico! I love Maico. We also did a triple of Space Symphony Maetel. However, I'm not working on that series, but I did work on Maico.

I was supposed to work on Maetel, but I dropped it along with Poirot and Marple. It was much harder to let go of P&M because I worked on the first 5 episodes, and I hadn't touched Maetel yet.

But I still think Poirot and Marple is a great series, and I can't wait to watch episode 6. I'm wondering how it's gonna turn out. It was nice to end an episode with a cliffhanger, though. For some reason, I'm rather fond of them. This series might end up surprising us in the end...

crumja

2004-09-27, 15:11

Actually we've got 6-12 done already. We're just withholding it to spite you guys. :heh:

basket

2004-09-27, 20:22

We are working on Poirot and Marple, and we haven't forgotten about it. We had a bit of a staffing problem in which I had to discontinue QCing the project due to school. My last semester of college and other tasks that I must accomplish are eating away at my time. So I had to cut a series from my load, and that was Poirot and Marple. However, we have another competent QCer working on it and it should be out soon.

I see... *nods understandingly* Considering I'm also in university I can imagine how you feel about being bogged down with schoolwork. :P

Anyway, I look forward to seeing more eps from Froth-Bite (or any other group but I prefer F-B because of their translation quality)

Burner of Anime

2004-09-28, 21:06

Ep6 is out :bow: :bow: Have leach off the office line to get it though :p [probably going to burn in hell for it]. :nono:

Shiorichan

2004-09-28, 21:36

Ep6 is out :bow: :bow: Have leach off the office line to get it though :p [probably going to burn in hell for it]. :nono:

Yup, we released episode 6, and it's special because it's mkv_wraithstyle's birthday today! So he got his own birthday release!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy 6, I still haven't seen it yet. I'll get around to it once my pile of schoolwork dies down a little.

basket

2004-09-29, 04:19

Yup, we released episode 6, and it's special because it's mkv_wraithstyle's birthday today! So he got his own birthday release!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy 6, I still haven't seen it yet. I'll get around to it once my pile of schoolwork dies down a little.

I'm still downloading it via IRC (from the F-B channel, since I can't use BT in campus). :(

But I guess it'll describe more about the ABC murders and Poirot's analysis of them.

I predict that this episode will reveal a bit more about the Bexhill murders, as well as hint at the Churston one. The third episode in this arc (episode 7) will probably reveal the Churston and Doncaster murders, while the final one shows how Poirot wraps it all up, gets the fake murderer off the hook and reveals who the real murderer is.

(incidentally, if anyone doesn't appreciate my spoiling it, let me know :P)

Sylf

2004-09-29, 09:35

(incidentally, if anyone doesn't appreciate my spoiling it, let me know :P)If I can't put spoiler within the spoiler tag, then I wouldn't even come here, then ;)

basket

2004-10-01, 11:03

I finally found some time to watch episode 6... Once again I must congratulate F-B on their excellent quality/encoding (it's one of the very few animes which I can watch full-screen on my laptop without any pixelation).

The plot seems to be developing in accordance with the book, which is good.. the producers taking creative liberties with it would be a bit of a letdown.

I also want Poirot's moustaches :heh: , though perhaps not given how he had a lot of problems when drinking soup as he had to avoid getting them soaked.

Maybelle also seems to know quite a bit about modern (for that time) ladies' fashion, when she sketches out the dress that Betty Barnard was wearing.

I also found it hilarious when Megan (Betty's sister) came in, thought Poirot, Hastings and Maybelle were newspaper reporters and tried to get rid of them by offering a quote without being asked first, only to receive a shock when Poirot and Hastings tell her who they really are.

Since when do newspaper reporters walk around carrying a duck? :p

The background music for this episode, in particular, is also nice. Does anyone know where I can find a listing of which BGM appears in which episode, or is that in the animenfo pages? (etc.)

Shiorichan

2004-10-07, 22:41

We happily present the 3rd episode in the A.B.C. Murders saga of P&M. I myself did enjoy this episode, as per usual. It looks like Maybelle might have a purpose after all.

Lord Raiden

2004-10-08, 08:34

Oh? So she's not just another pretty face? ;)

Lord Raiden

2004-10-24, 00:32

Ok, while it admitted took FB a while to get us EP8, it was well worth the wait. Great episode and very well done. It not only showed the brilliance of Periot, but also provided us some humor hidden between the drama. Case in point.
When Periot was grilling the killer if you notice shortly after he's identified by Periot, everyone quickly retreats across the room next to Maybel. :D
I didn't notice it at first, but when I did I just cracked up laughing! :D

Thank you FB for another great episode. Now where's the rest? ;) hehe. Just kidding.

Oh yes, and the duck was just as cute as ever. :D

wraith985

2004-10-24, 15:31

Time for me to make some Peking Oliver...buahahahaha.

Episode 9 features more of Hercule Poirot! Look forward to it ;)

hooliganj

2004-10-26, 17:52

I never read the ABC Murders before, so I was looking forward to the end of the arc, but it only underscored the reason why I find Agatha Christie stories so frustrating.
After everything is done, and Clark has made his confession, Poirot admits that he made up the part about the fingerprints. Going back over it, that was the only concrete piece of evidence he had, and that's the problem -
the solution to these mysteries is often so far out in left field that the only reason the detective knows the answer is because they're the main character in the story. Compared to mystery stories that go for less sensational but more pragmatic solutions, you wind up with a frustrating plot, because you can't even really speculate for yourself who did it. You can only trust that Poirot will get it right in the end. I definately prefer Holmes.

Having said that, sometimes life is just that way, right? I always enjoy reading these books, even if I never like the endings. I look forward to more. :D

Lord Raiden

2004-10-26, 18:43

Well, I don't think the anime did as good a job of showing periot revealing the murderer as well as it was done in the book, but then again, these guys aren't AC either. But they still did a good job. I think in the book though AC did a better job of showing periot giving Clark the royal body slam. But hey, it was still well done for a book to anime convertion.

hooliganj

2004-10-26, 21:40

Maybe so, but this is a general trend with Christie. It's nice that the solution is always a surprise, but for a lot of her stories and books that I have read, there isn't enough real evidence to support the conclusion. I'm always left with the impression that the crook is going to get away because there's no way for the lawyers to build a case. :p

Lord Raiden

2004-10-26, 23:08

Well, as any good cop or lawyer will tell you, solving a case is 10% finding evidence, 10% finding a perpetraitor, and 80% is tricking that sucker into thinking he's been caught and getting him to fess up even though you really don't have much of anything to go on and if it was taken to court you'd probubly loose and he'd walk.

Lord Raiden

2004-10-31, 19:46

Episode 9 is out by FB if anyone wants it. :)

Once again, thank you FB. Even if you're slow for any reason, be it in your control or otherwise, we still love you and apreciate your work. :D

crumja

2004-10-31, 21:31

o.o

I swear, after I get through this load of college apps...

Anyway, much of our time is spent debating the "appropriateness" of various lines, including culture-specific ones. We want to make the dialogue flow as naturally as possible while capturing cultural expressions correctly.

Now, on topic:

IMO, the ABC arc was ruined due to the late introduction of Cust. In the books, AC presented Cust, with his full name, and made the reader suspect him. Then, every other chapter or so was from his perspective. Thus, the reader always knew the actions of Cust and the investigating team. AC led the reader deeper and deeper into the mystery, intensifying his or her suspicion of Cust, before revealing the true culprit.

Lord Raiden

2004-11-23, 11:46

Well, just saw episode 11 and
interestingly enough, I don't remember the book well enough to remember if the charecter actually mentioned about the lid being moved by a falling person just by sheer force of the fall due to heart attack, however, logic would stand to tell me that this is impossible, at least in regards to the moving of the lid of the sarcophagus. Especially since the lids weighted in excess of at least 1 ton if memory serves me right, and that was just the primary inner most protective stone sarcophagus. In some places they were layered 3-4 deep with the outer most having a lid that weighted in at upwards of 5 tons. So either this was a goof by the animators or AC, however, given their record, I'm more willing to believe this was a goof in translation by the animators. Otherwise the episode was good and Poirot was hilarious. :D Camel sickness. LOL. Also, is it just me, or does the doctor seem a bit too suspicious? hehe. I wish I remembered this particular story better because I've even forgotten who done it, but I've definately remember enough to recognize the story. And the reason I say the doctor appears like the culprit is because he would be the only one who has the skills to be able to kill everyone off so perfectly like that without any physical harm to the body, and be able to cover it up by immediately declairing causes of death like that.

basket

2004-11-24, 01:52

I watched episode 11 too. \o/

Incidentally, the book's title is Poirot Investigates, and it contains a collection of 11 short stories. So far, 3 stories (The Adventure of the Cheap Flat, The Kidnapped Prime Minister and The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan) have been featured in the anime. This makes it the 4th to be featured.

I just read the story again, and there isn't any mention of the coffin's lid being ajar. In fact, there's no mention of them seeing the coffin itself, other than that they were taken around the excavation area.

And yes, Poirot was hilarious. Here's a quote from the book (page 135):

"I pass over the spectacle of Poirot on a camel. He started by groans and lamentations and ended by shrieks, gesticulations and invocations to the Virgin Mary and every Saint in the calendar. In the end, he descended ignominiously and finished the journey on a diminuitive donkey. I must admit that a trotting camel is no joke for the amateur. I was stiff for several days."

Also, in the book, Schneider had died (of tetanus) before they actually reached the excavation site.

To answer your question about whodunnit, it was Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick. :P

In actual fact, it was Dr. Ames himself who committed the murders and then killed himself by swallowing cyanide. Sir John Willard really did die of a heart attack, Bleibner was injected with deadly germs, and his nephew shot himself because he believed he had leprosy (after being told so by Ames, who knew he had a skin condition that could be misconstrued as leprosy). Through this, Ames had hoped to acquire Bleibner's wealth, which had passed to his nephew who had previously made a will leaving everything to Ames.

Poirot notes that Sir John Williard's death created an aura of superstition around the scene, and that made it very much easier for Ames to commit murder as their deaths would be attributed to the "curse of the pharoah's tomb".

Personally, I hope that the animators will cover "The Big Four", which is one of the most gripping AC novels I've read to date.

basket

2004-12-06, 02:53

Thank you Froth-Bite for releasing episode 12. ^^ It was pretty good at solving the mystery of the pharoah's curse.

I think leaving Maybelle and Hastings alone in the desert while Poirot goes with Hassan to Cairo didn't really sound like such a good idea. Also, this segment provides an opportunity for Ames to demonstrate that he is a caring doctor...

One deviation from the book is that Ames wasn't able to kill himself by swallowing the cyanide, but I don't think that really changes the story much.

Also, it's interesting that they don't refer to Rupert's disease as being leprosy, but rather "an incurable disease"...

Finally, the part where they return to Cairo and Poirot has to, once again, go through the torture of riding on a donkey in the wrong direction is classic. :)

In the next episode, it seems like Miss Marple will take centre-stage. I wonder whether it will be a two-part story?

rooboy

2006-07-04, 22:25

OMG! Froth Bite has released episode 27! I was just telling my mother about this series Saturday night when she came down to visit(she's a huge Agatha Christie fan). I'm going to have to go back and rewatch the whole series up until now again! :)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FROTH BITE!

rooboy

2006-10-02, 21:41

Not that anyone seems to care but me (apparently I'm the only person in the world who can't locate RAWs for this series - always late to the party). But Froth Bite released 29 recently ... which forced me to go back and realize that I'd missed the release of 28 (fortunately for me, as 28 and 29 are a two part story.

Thank you again Froth Bite! I know it probably seems like nobody cares, but I love this series and am very grateful every time I get an episode!

rooboy

2007-01-24, 21:32

Froth Bite has released episode 30!

Thank you again for sticking with this series! If no one else appreciates it, I do! :)

tenshisama

2007-04-03, 21:38

How closely do the mysteries and solutions map to the original novels?

Could this series be viewed as a Cliff's Notes guide to Agatha Christie?

basket

2007-04-03, 22:14

I've watched all the episodes that have been subbed so far, and from what I believe, they tend to be largely faithful to the storyline of the various novels/short stories. The only things that I can remember are that some of the (very) minor elements tend to be left out...

And of course, there's no Maybelle or Oliver in the novels. :p

Paranoia833

2007-04-03, 22:38

Hmm... well I haven't read the relevent novels in years, but from what I remember (and from watching far more recently repeats of the BBC/ITV adaptations, assuming they haven't been edited to heck) the basic jist is usually the same. If all you want is the victim, perpetrator and methodology of each murder it'll do fine.

There are occaisional details/subplots they'll gloss over, or certain characters will be changed slightly: Hastings being the most obvious example, he's portrayed as a young and inexperienced in the anime, whereas in the books he's older, a war veteren, and generally a very Watsonish character, although both the anime and ITV apparently expanded his role considerably in many of the stories featured, had too look that one up on wikipedia, which shows you how long it's been since I read them. Likewise they'll occaisionally gloss over certain cultural or background details, presumably to save time. Oh and they add a few extra maids here and there, completely with stereotypical victorian maids' garb. :rolleyes:

Additionally in some of the mysteries they'll replace an existing character with Mable, most notably in 'Sleeping Murder', where she replaces Gwenda's husband and in '4.50 From Paddington' where she replaces an associate of Miss Marple's, which also results in them using a character who I don't think existed in the original as a love interest (I guess since it would look wierd for Mable to be getting hit on by much older guys, although isn't she supposed to be 16? That's pretty much eligable by the standards of the time. Either way she's clearly supposed to be the stand-in for a young female audence so a middle-aged love interest is out of the question).

But yeah, the crimes themselves are, to my limited knowledge, completely intact. Just don't try to use them for any kind of character study.