SFXB Forum

Firstly, I'd have to disagree and say that some of the characters do look Japanese (far more than Japanese anime characters usually do).And anyway, why *should* they all look Japanese?  Consider that some of the characters are of alien origin, and those that have human origins are probably meant to be from different races (a lot of them don't have Japanese names in the original series).  Plus the fact that it used puppets rather than live-action meant that they weren't tied to only having Japanese actors play the parts (it would be quite difficult for a live-action Japanese-language show to find non-Japanese actors, especially in the 70s)...you could compare it with the original Star Trek series, which went out of its way to have a multi-ethnic crew -- to my mind something that made it more "realistic".(I would have probably had a harder time arguing this one if it was an anime we were talking about...[Happosai](Edited by Happosai at 5:35 pm on May 20, 2002)

If you look at some of the Manga cartoons out there you will see a distinct resemblence between them and Shiro, Hally etc. Barry and Lee are obviously not structured this way but still think it has an oriental, almost Manga, quality about it.

It's anime (pronounced AH-NI-MEH)...not Manga cartoons!!! (>_<)[Happosai]

Steady, Happosai! Folks: Manga=comic, Anime=cartoon. Anime based on Manga, yes, but never Manga cartoon. Otherwise the Otaku (God I hope I've got that right!) will descend on you from a great height! Hence, also, their immense annoyance with a company calling itself "Manga Video". Noooooo!

Heh...thanks for that Andy (^_^)I could rant about how the words comic and cartoon often have very specific connotations in the West and can do anime, manga and animation/serial graphic art as a whole a disservice when described as such...and that a lot of Western anime fans don't refer to themselves (except in jest) or appreciate being referred to as otaku, since it does have a derogatory meaning...but I won't [Happosai]

I bow down in apology for my lack of knowledge. It is the "Manga Video" company that had me confused.

That's one of the reasons why many UK anime fans aren't particularly fond of Manga Entertainment, along with the low quality of most of their catalogue of releases...they are generally held responsible for the UK public's misconceptions about anime (both what it's actually called and what it consists of...)[Happosai]