AnimeSuki Forums

Clarste · 2008-08-03, 00:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slade xTekno

I want to give this anime a shot. Can anyone explain the difference in translation quality between the groups fansubbing it?

Actually, we can't talk about fansubs here because it's an MFI produced anime. Sorry.

Slade xTekno · 2008-08-03, 03:30

Thanks for the info.

Zoe · 2008-08-07, 19:53

Episode 20 title + summary

Spoiler:

Ox and Kirikou have been added to the official site <3

lmd_84 · 2008-08-08, 08:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoe

Episode 20 title + summary

Thanks, Zoe.

I do so love how literal the titles are.

So wordy they're funny.

duckroll · 2008-08-09, 18:00

http://anime.webnt.jp/program/index....ail&detail=882

The summaries and staff for ep19-23 are up on the Newtype site now. They're still pretty much following the manga 1:1.

Zoe · 2008-08-09, 22:26

Hopefully they find some way to keep the pacing smooth :\

Seems like they're aiming for a clear break with the third season.

Zoned87 · 2008-08-10, 05:52

I think following the manga is a good thing.

Zoe · 2008-08-10, 11:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoned87

I think following the manga is a good thing.

It's nice to be faithful to the source, but the pacing of a manga doesn't always translate well when put into motion.

v1cious · 2008-08-11, 18:37

is there an actual list of Excalibur's rules? someone posted like 100 of them on 4chan.

Mr. DJ · 2008-09-01, 01:15

I really like all the throwback references in the series

Friday the 13th - when Maka and Soul defeated Somson J, he had a 13 on his shirt, had a bag over his head (like when Jason originally appeared) and wielded a large knife of some sort

Blair Witch Project - c'mon, a witch and her name just happens to be Blair

then of course Frankenstein

The Real Nemo · 2008-09-04, 15:47

I hope this is the right place to post this, I noticed something weird about ep 22 that relates to events in the manga...

Spoiler:

lmd_84 · 2008-09-05, 08:51

I noticed that too. Could either be a hint of future changes, or just an error and inconsistency compared with the manga. I suppose we'll have to see how

Spoiler:

solomon · 2008-09-12, 01:46

It's been a while scince I've commented.

Overall BONES did a great job so far, with the little peppers of great animation throughout.

I wonder what direction the story will take scince the manga is still running though.

Shiroth · 2008-09-12, 05:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by v1cious

is there an actual list of Excalibur's rules? someone posted like 100 of them on 4chan.

I sure hope there is. I'd love to have a read of them all.

solomon · 2008-09-14, 19:01

Anybody seen sites where they have staff/cast interviews?

It's a friggin shame Newtype isn't in america anymore

ellifeedn · 2008-09-15, 17:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Real Nemo

I hope this is the right place to post this, I noticed something weird about ep 22 that relates to events in the manga...

Spoiler:

On another topic, I found this series called Franken Fran and read it. The main character shared several similarities with Stein (including bolts in the head), but I'm not sure I can call her a knockoff. But other than that, it was... an interesting read, one I'm sure Stein would have at the top of his reading list.

Clarste · 2008-09-15, 21:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by ellifeedn

On another topic, I found this series called Franken Fran and read it. The main character shared several similarities with Stein (including bolts in the head), but I'm not sure I can call her a knockoff. But other than that, it was... an interesting read, one I'm sure Stein would have at the top of his reading list.

They're both obviously based on the classic mad scientist story Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Although the bolts were added by the director of some film adaptation, and technically they were on the monster, but... Whatever. Anyway, homage.

Clarste · 2008-09-29, 18:15

So, as you've probably noticed, most of the character names in Soul Eater are references to something. Some are obvious, some less so, and of course some of the obvious ones are only obvious if you're familiar with the right things (like all the Japanese puns are meaningless if you don't know Japanese). Being a kind of obsessive person, I've sort of made a goal for myself to figure out all the references.

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with everything, so I've missed some, and maybe misinterpreted some others. So I'm gonna list all the characters (using the romanizations that are on wikipedia, except where I disagree) along with what I think their references are, and maybe some of you can fill in the blanks or correct me. Hopefully it'll be fun and educational for all involved.

Weapons

Soul Eater
The first thing that I thought of was that Scythe in Phantasy Star Online. I guess that fits, but it seems a bit obscure, and it's a bit more likely that they're both based on the same thing rather than one based on the other. It could just be a generic Grim Reaper reference.

Tsubaki Nakatsukasa
Tsubaki is a kind of flower (referenced within the show itself), and I have very little idea what Nakatsukasa means ("within duty" or something?). Considering most of the other weapons are actually references to weapons, I'm unsatisfied with leaving it at that.

Elizabeth and Patricia Thompson
Thompson is probably referring to the Thompson Machine Gun (also known as the Tommy gun, Chicago typewriter, etc). I've also heard some other guns described as Thompsons, but I'm not a gun nut so I don't know how accurate that is.

Spirit Albarn
I get the feeling that his name comes from the word "soul" being looked up in a thesaurus. Also his name is Albarn because he's Maka's father, and she was probably designed first.

Masamune Nakatsukasa
Masamune is the name of a famous Japanese swordsmith. Commonly used in Final Fantasy and other games as the name of a powerful katana.

Ragnarok
Ragnarok is a Norse word for the battle of the gods that will end the world, as described in prophecy. A popular name for weapons in video games.

Excalibur
The name of King Arthur's famous sword (one of them anyway).

Mira Kniges
This is Sid's partner, if you don't remember. Miira means mummy in Japanese, referencing the fact that she's covered in bandages. Kniges sounds kinda like knives, I guess.

Vajra
This is Asura's weapon (the Kisshin). Vajra is the name of Indra's weapon in Hindu mythology, and has various symbolic meanings that I'm not too familiar with. Presumably Vajra has a human form that Asura's not letting him/her revert to, but who knows?

Justin Law
Justin means just (as in justice), and Law means law. Clearly there's a theme here.

Mary Mjolnir
Mjolnir is the name of the Norse god Thor's hammer. Since Thor is the god of lightning, this probably explains the lightning bolt on her eyepatch. Also, I'm kind of wondering why people like to spell her name as Marie. I guess it's equally valid, but is there a reason why that's more popular?

Azusa Yumi
Yumi means bow (as in bow and arrow), and Azusa is a kind of tree they make bows out of. This hardly a reference at all, but I guess you wouldn't get it unless you spoke or read Japanese.

Spoiler for manga; characters who are not yet in the anime:

Witches

Angela Leon
This is the little kid that Mifune protected from Black*Star. I guess her hat looks like a chameleon?

Medusa
Medusa was character in Greek mythology who got cursed to have snakes for hair and stuff. Medusa is the snake-themed witch in Soul Eater, so yeah.

Eruka Frog
Eruka is an anagram of kaeru, the Japanese word for frog. Frog is frog. She's a frog.

Mizune
Mizune is an anagram of nezumi, the Japanese word for mouse or rat.

Spoiler for manga stuff:

Other

Maka Albarn
No clue. It's possible that she was designed before the author started naming his characters after stuff.

Black*Star
No clue. See above. Possibly a parody of people who insist on spelling their names extremely oddly.

Death the Kid
Well, he's the son of Death, obviously. Also, probably referring to the nicknames of Western gunslingers like Billy the Kid.

Jack the Ripper
That guy from the very beginning of the first episode. Jack the Ripper is a famous English serial killer.

Blair
Since she looks like a witch, probably a reference to The Blair Witch Project (a movie)

Sonson J
This is some random Kisshin egg that Maka kills. Considering his mask, he's a reference to Jason, of the Friday the 13th series of horror movies (Son J is Jason phonetically reversed). In the manga he was actually named Jason, but I guess they changed it for copyright issues.

Rasputin
Another random guy Maka kills. Refers to the famous Russian mystic.

Mifune
The samurai that Black*Star fights in his introductory episode. Toshiro Mifune was a famous Japanese actor best known for his samurai movies.

Sid Barret
No clue.

Franken Stein
Refers to the mad scientist in Mary Shelley's famous story, Frankenstein. Deep in my heart, I kinda wish his peers (the Death Scythes) called him Frank instead of Stein, because that would be hilarious.

Ox Ford
Oxford university. Ox is smart, so yeah.

Kirikou Lunge
Kirikou is the title and main character of a animated movie based on an African folk tale. That's all I know.

Free
He named himself in-show, I doubt it's a reference. If we ever find out his real name it probably will be a reference to something, but maybe he just doesn't have a name.

Krona
Many people call him/her/it Chrona, but the evidence for that seems dubious to me. Also, Krona is the last three syllables of Ragnarok pronounced backwards.

Asura
Asura are a kind of demon in Hindu mythology.

Spoiler for manga:

So, that's my big list. Does anyone have anything to add or did I just waste my time? :P

Zoe · 2008-09-29, 19:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clarste

Mary Mjolnir
Also, I'm kind of wondering why people like to spell her name as Marie. I guess it's equally valid, but is there a reason why that's more popular?

Because it's pronounced as Marie rather than Mary

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clarste

Maka Albarn
No clue. It's possible that she was designed before the author started naming his characters after stuff.

Albarn is likely a reference to Damon Albarn, the guy behind Gorillaz.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clarste

Sid Barret
No clue.

Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clarste

Spoiler for manga:

Spoiler:

[MTT]Kamikaze · 2008-09-30, 17:51

For the Sid Barret thing, in Final Fantasy 7 there were characters called Cid and Barret. Considering the sponsorship by Square-Enix I wouldn't throw that thought away.

2008-08-07, 19:53	Link #1323
Zoe Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Austin Age: 42	Episode 20 title + summary Spoiler: Black Blood Resonance! ~The large struggle of the small soul striking back at the terror?~ It's the battle of the second line of defense underneath Shibusen. Maka attacks Chrona with everything she's got, but as long as the Witch Hunter isn't passing Chrona, she's completely overwhelmed. (ugh, can't make that sound good in English) Ox and Kirikou have been added to the official site <3

2008-09-04, 15:47	Link #1331
The Real Nemo Senior Member Join Date: May 2007	I hope this is the right place to post this, I noticed something weird about ep 22 that relates to events in the manga... Spoiler: When Ragnarok shows up after Maka and Chrona become friends in the ep he's already been reduced in size, and it's even commented on. But in the manga he doesn't become smaller until after the arc is over when Shinigami-sama removes all the souls he took. Could this be a sign of future changes to come?

2008-09-05, 08:51	Link #1332
lmd_84 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Reading, England	I noticed that too. Could either be a hint of future changes, or just an error and inconsistency compared with the manga. I suppose we'll have to see how Spoiler: they tackle the end of the arc and Chrona's 'trial run' in Shibusen.

2008-09-29, 18:15	Link #1338
Clarste Human Join Date: Aug 2004 Age: 37	So, as you've probably noticed, most of the character names in Soul Eater are references to something. Some are obvious, some less so, and of course some of the obvious ones are only obvious if you're familiar with the right things (like all the Japanese puns are meaningless if you don't know Japanese). Being a kind of obsessive person, I've sort of made a goal for myself to figure out all the references. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with everything, so I've missed some, and maybe misinterpreted some others. So I'm gonna list all the characters (using the romanizations that are on wikipedia, except where I disagree) along with what I think their references are, and maybe some of you can fill in the blanks or correct me. Hopefully it'll be fun and educational for all involved. Weapons Soul Eater The first thing that I thought of was that Scythe in Phantasy Star Online. I guess that fits, but it seems a bit obscure, and it's a bit more likely that they're both based on the same thing rather than one based on the other. It could just be a generic Grim Reaper reference. Tsubaki Nakatsukasa Tsubaki is a kind of flower (referenced within the show itself), and I have very little idea what Nakatsukasa means ("within duty" or something?). Considering most of the other weapons are actually references to weapons, I'm unsatisfied with leaving it at that. Elizabeth and Patricia Thompson Thompson is probably referring to the Thompson Machine Gun (also known as the Tommy gun, Chicago typewriter, etc). I've also heard some other guns described as Thompsons, but I'm not a gun nut so I don't know how accurate that is. Spirit Albarn I get the feeling that his name comes from the word "soul" being looked up in a thesaurus. Also his name is Albarn because he's Maka's father, and she was probably designed first. Masamune Nakatsukasa Masamune is the name of a famous Japanese swordsmith. Commonly used in Final Fantasy and other games as the name of a powerful katana. Ragnarok Ragnarok is a Norse word for the battle of the gods that will end the world, as described in prophecy. A popular name for weapons in video games. Excalibur The name of King Arthur's famous sword (one of them anyway). Mira Kniges This is Sid's partner, if you don't remember. Miira means mummy in Japanese, referencing the fact that she's covered in bandages. Kniges sounds kinda like knives, I guess. Vajra This is Asura's weapon (the Kisshin). Vajra is the name of Indra's weapon in Hindu mythology, and has various symbolic meanings that I'm not too familiar with. Presumably Vajra has a human form that Asura's not letting him/her revert to, but who knows? Justin Law Justin means just (as in justice), and Law means law. Clearly there's a theme here. Mary Mjolnir Mjolnir is the name of the Norse god Thor's hammer. Since Thor is the god of lightning, this probably explains the lightning bolt on her eyepatch. Also, I'm kind of wondering why people like to spell her name as Marie. I guess it's equally valid, but is there a reason why that's more popular? Azusa Yumi Yumi means bow (as in bow and arrow), and Azusa is a kind of tree they make bows out of. This hardly a reference at all, but I guess you wouldn't get it unless you spoke or read Japanese. Spoiler for manga; characters who are not yet in the anime: Justin Law Yeah, I already listed him, but I couldn't go into too much detail. He's a guillotine, which is a tool for executing criminals. Yeah, that's it. Giriko He's a chainsaw, and nokogiri means saw in Japanese. So it's an anagram, except the 'no' got thrown out (maybe it's in his last name?) Harvar D. Éclair Harvar D. is obviously a reference to Harvard university. Eclair is French for lightning. I have no idea what this has to do with spears. Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder Kirikou's weapons. I haven't the slightest clue. Are those even their proper names? Incidentally, there are 3 lightning based weapons. Kind of odd. Jacqueline O. Lantern Dupré Jack-o-latern. Ha. Ha. Also apparently there's a musician named Jacqueline du Pré. Witches Angela Leon This is the little kid that Mifune protected from BlackStar. I guess her hat looks like a chameleon? Medusa* Medusa was character in Greek mythology who got cursed to have snakes for hair and stuff. Medusa is the snake-themed witch in Soul Eater, so yeah. Eruka Frog Eruka is an anagram of kaeru, the Japanese word for frog. Frog is frog. She's a frog. Mizune Mizune is an anagram of nezumi, the Japanese word for mouse or rat. Spoiler for manga stuff: Medusa Gorgon The Greek Medusa was one of three Gorgon sisters. Arachne Gorgon Arachne was a woman in Greek mythology who was turned into a spider because a goddess was jealous of her weaving skills. Other Maka Albarn No clue. It's possible that she was designed before the author started naming his characters after stuff. BlackStar* No clue. See above. Possibly a parody of people who insist on spelling their names extremely oddly. Death the Kid Well, he's the son of Death, obviously. Also, probably referring to the nicknames of Western gunslingers like Billy the Kid. Jack the Ripper That guy from the very beginning of the first episode. Jack the Ripper is a famous English serial killer. Blair Since she looks like a witch, probably a reference to The Blair Witch Project (a movie) Sonson J This is some random Kisshin egg that Maka kills. Considering his mask, he's a reference to Jason, of the Friday the 13th series of horror movies (Son J is Jason phonetically reversed). In the manga he was actually named Jason, but I guess they changed it for copyright issues. Rasputin Another random guy Maka kills. Refers to the famous Russian mystic. Mifune The samurai that BlackStar fights in his introductory episode. Toshiro Mifune was a famous Japanese actor best known for his samurai movies. Sid Barret* No clue. Franken Stein Refers to the mad scientist in Mary Shelley's famous story, Frankenstein. Deep in my heart, I kinda wish his peers (the Death Scythes) called him Frank instead of Stein, because that would be hilarious. Ox Ford Oxford university. Ox is smart, so yeah. Kirikou Lunge Kirikou is the title and main character of a animated movie based on an African folk tale. That's all I know. Free He named himself in-show, I doubt it's a reference. If we ever find out his real name it probably will be a reference to something, but maybe he just doesn't have a name. Krona Many people call him/her/it Chrona, but the evidence for that seems dubious to me. Also, Krona is the last three syllables of Ragnarok pronounced backwards. Asura Asura are a kind of demon in Hindu mythology. Spoiler for manga: Kim Diehl No clue. Eibon Eibon is the name of a sorcerer in the mythos of writer HP Lovecraft, best known for Cthulu and all that. Buttataki Joe No clue. So, that's my big list. Does anyone have anything to add or did I just waste my time? :P

2008-08-03, 03:30	Link #1322
Slade xTekno Tekkaman Blade! Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bakersfield, CA, USA, Age: 36	Thanks for the info.

2008-08-09, 18:00	Link #1325
duckroll 綺羅星★！ Join Date: Jan 2004 Age: 42	http://anime.webnt.jp/program/index....ail&detail=882 The summaries and staff for ep19-23 are up on the Newtype site now. They're still pretty much following the manga 1:1.

2008-08-09, 22:26	Link #1326
Zoe Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Austin Age: 42	Hopefully they find some way to keep the pacing smooth :\ Seems like they're aiming for a clear break with the third season.

2008-08-10, 05:52	Link #1327
Zoned87 Mr. Awesome Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Underpants Gnome Factory Age: 36	I think following the manga is a good thing.

2008-08-11, 18:37	Link #1329
v1cious Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004	is there an actual list of Excalibur's rules? someone posted like 100 of them on 4chan.

2008-09-01, 01:15	Link #1330
Mr. DJ Schwing! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Central Texas Age: 39	I really like all the throwback references in the series Friday the 13th - when Maka and Soul defeated Somson J, he had a 13 on his shirt, had a bag over his head (like when Jason originally appeared) and wielded a large knife of some sort Blair Witch Project - c'mon, a witch and her name just happens to be Blair then of course Frankenstein

2008-09-12, 01:46	Link #1333
solomon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Suburban DC	It's been a while scince I've commented. Overall BONES did a great job so far, with the little peppers of great animation throughout. I wonder what direction the story will take scince the manga is still running though.

2008-09-14, 19:01	Link #1335
solomon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Suburban DC	Anybody seen sites where they have staff/cast interviews? It's a friggin shame Newtype isn't in america anymore

2008-09-30, 17:51	Link #1340
[MTT]Kamikaze Mental Twist Team Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Poland Age: 34	For the Sid Barret thing, in Final Fantasy 7 there were characters called Cid and Barret. Considering the sponsorship by Square-Enix I wouldn't throw that thought away.