Japanese Animation
One especial joy this year was watching the Japanese animation. I got to see the final episode of a Ranma 1⁄2 story, where Ranma takes part in a rhythmic gymnastics martial arts competition. The opponent is Kodashi, the Black Rose, who is undefeated because she ambushes her opponents before any competition, and had done the same with the team from Ranma’s high school. The team pleads with Akane (Ranma’s girlfriend (Sorta)) to replace them, but when she stumbled and twisted her ankle Ranma has to take over. Last year they showed the first few episodes of the story but didn’t have the final episode which had the actual fight; this year they did. A most stirring example that Cheaters Never Prosper and of the superiority of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts.
I also got to see the first couple of episodes of “Slayers”. This is a seriously warped and funny fantasy series, with a terribly cute little redheaded sorceress who’s way too powerful for her own good, the blonde swordsman who “rescues” her from a gang of thieves she was preparing to take care of, a mystical artifact she has, and the people who want it. The redhead’s asides to the audience are hilarious.
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