Off the Cuff – Edition 12
By Eric Barrett
Comics, Cartoons, and all things related

*Let me start out with something a bit controversial. Well, not really, maybe it’s just not politically correct. But it’s something that has been bothering me for a while, and maybe we can get some answers.

Why is it that characters in anime often have ambiguous genders?

There are numerous shows that have a character that you can’t tell their gender by either looking at them or listening to them. Initially I thought it might be representative of a certain genre within anime, but as far as I can tell it covers them all. The best example I can think of right now comes from Cowboy Bebop. There is a character named ‘ Edward’ who looks like a 14-ish-year-old boy. In fact I thought Ed was a boy for almost the entire series (I missed the episode where Ed joined the crew). Well it turns out Ed isn’t a he at all, but a she. What tipped me off was the episode Ed wore a dress.

It’s only in a few episodes that they even mention it. So it’s not like it’s some clever joke. It isn’t even important to the plot of the show. They just seemingly wanted to have a gender-ambiguous character.

So is this a new trend? Is there some kind of traditional Japanese art that has this gender tradition? Did one popular cartoon start the trend, and everyone else is just copying? Does anyone even know why this has taken place?

*Thanks, I feel better now that that’s out of the way.

*A little comic book movie news? Sure.

- Sheldon Turner has been tapped to write the next (assuming there is one) Magneto movie. Rumor has it this movie will be a ‘beginnings’ sort of flick. It will cover the early friendship of Magneto and Charles Xavier.

My initial reaction is that this might be too confusing for the typical comic book movie fan. Most people who go to the movies have no clue about comic book histories. But I suppose a well told story is always a good story. So we will have to see.

- Ghost Rider is also being made into a movie. Despite some of my misgivings, about the increase of superhero movies, I’m kind of looking forward to this one. I’ve always liked Ghost Rider, and with today’s special effects, I think this is one that could turn out pretty well. Production is supposed to start in January, so we shall see how it goes.

One cautionary note: Rumor has it that Nicholas Cage will be in this movie, and that’s probably not a good sign.

*Something a bit off topic: I often use Yahoo Messenger to listen to music at work (I work in a building that isn’t kind to radio signals). Anyway, LAUNCHCast (the Yahoo music service) has started putting ads into their song broadcasts. There’s nothing wrong with that, after all, that’s capitalism. However, they are going about it all wrong. They offer the user (that’s me) a choice of what music to listen to. Well then they force you to listen to ads for music that doesn’t fit your selected genre. If I’m listening to rock music, I don’t really care if 2pac has another album coming out.

Yahoo is missing out on a perfect opportunity to use targeted advertisements (the most effective kind). And frankly it’s annoying listening to 2pac or Eminem tell me that I should buy their stuff.

*So Vegeta goes from a fully clothed Saiyan to a giant ape, and then finishes his transformation into a Super Sayian 4. Well, where did his pants come from? Or for that matter his gloves?

*In my last column I mentioned some games and toys from my childhood. Well TV Cream has kindly supplied us with a list of 100 top toys from our childhood. Definitely worth a look.

*And in case you are looking for that one last gift for yourself (because the long underwear just isn’t cutting it), might I suggest Other People’s Heroes? A great book that I highly recommend.

*Well I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and have some fun plans for New Year’s Eve. Until next time!

The opinions stated in here solely reflect the opinions of the author. If you would like to comment on some of the items in this article, please feel free to post in the forum or send an e-mail. All characters, titles, and etc. are owned and © their respective publishers and creators- the author and StillontheShelf.com makes no claim towards them. This column is intended as an opinion piece only. Off the Cuff is © Eric Barrett. Please report any broken links!

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