Jump to content

Dark Champions the Anime Series


Susano

Recommended Posts

If you're an anime fan, and you want an interesting take on the DC genre (guns, violence, chases, two-gun killers, organized crime, and so on), try and find something called Black Lagoon. Four people run a courier service out of Thailand using an old WWII PT Boat, the Black Lagoon (also the name of their company). They are smugglers, pirates, killers, and more.

 

Check out the Church of Violence, a nunnery that smuggles guns. Hotel Moscow, the Russian mafia. Mr. Chan, who's Hong Kong Triad, and is Chow Yun-Fat in all but name (he has the same look and the gunfighting skills). Revy the psycho two-gun fighter from hell. Dutch the Vietnam vet and the brains behind the company. Benny the electronics op. Rock the... salariman. The world's cutest killer in a high-cut cheong sam. Roberta the Terminator. Car chases, boat chases, gun fights, explosions, foul language, fist fights, blood, bullets, babes... just another night in Thailand.... :thumbup:

 

I am so buying this once it comes out commercially here in the States. I've seen 15 episodes so far and am hooked!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 300
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

I remember thinking Dark Champions when watching the first episode of Madlax.

 

And there's no reasons you can't add mecha to a Dark Champions campaign and get something like Patlabor. Or, for that matter, The Big O.

 

Lose the "comedy" pieces and Full Metal Panic could be tweeked into a DC game. Shift the game away from the "protect the highschool girl" and just make the story about the mercenaries and it becomes DC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

Lose the "comedy" pieces and Full Metal Panic could be tweaked into a DC game. Shift the game away from the "protect the high school girl" and just make the story about the mercenaries and it becomes DC.

 

But the "comedy" pieces are often a large part of the fun. And there's no reason not to do a romantic-adventure DC campaign if you have players who are so inclined.

 

If you do, Fujishima's You're Under Arrest! might be a good model -- particularly the unfairly-maligned movie (which stands on its own as a darn good techno-thriller in the high-tech Assault on Precinct 13 vein.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

But the "comedy" pieces are often a large part of the fun. And there's no reason not to do a romantic-adventure DC campaign if you have players who are so inclined.

 

If you do, Fujishima's You're Under Arrest! might be a good model -- particularly the unfairly-maligned movie (which stands on its own as a darn good techno-thriller in the high-tech Assault on Precinct 13 vein.)

 

Don't get me wrong. The comedy parts are just fine in the anime. I was just thinking of a grittier DC game along the lines of Madlax or Noir. If you like to keep a bit of humor in the games more power to you. I like to toss the occasional bit into my games too. But I have to admit my games tend to lean to a more serious feel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

Other anime series that have the Dark Champions feel:

 

Gunslinger Girl (as extremely dark a concept and world-view as one can get)

Serial Experiments Lain (might as well check your sanity at the door, because you will no longer need it)

Licensed by Royalty

Monster (an innocent man caught up in a massive conspiracy at the height of the Cold war)

Master Keaton (a man with mysteriously-acquired and deadly skills teaches school as a cover)

Detective Academy Q (gifted-but-not-supernatural youngsters at a school for future master sleuths are up to their armpits in mayhem)

Perfect Blue (one of the most Hitchcockian movies not made by Hitchcock -- an actress begins to question her sanity as a vicious stalker pursues her)

Sanctuary (a dashing young gangster claws his bloody way up the political and criminal ladder in an effort to reform a decadent Japanese society)

FAKE (gay cops in New York)

Golgo 13 (The greatest and most infamous assassin in all of manga)

Legal Drug (two pharmacy clerks get into all kinds of trouble)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

I remember thinking Dark Champions when watching the first episode of Madlax.

 

And there's no reasons you can't add mecha to a Dark Champions campaign and get something like Patlabor. Or, for that matter, The Big O.

 

The Big O is more superheroes (IMO). Stylish, film noir, supers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

Other anime series that have the Dark Champions feel:

 

Gunslinger Girl (as extremely dark a concept and world-view as one can get)

Serial Experiments Lain (might as well check your sanity at the door, because you will no longer need it)

Licensed by Royalty

Monster (an innocent man caught up in a massive conspiracy at the height of the Cold war)

Master Keaton (a man with mysteriously-acquired and deadly skills teaches school as a cover)

Detective Academy Q (gifted-but-not-supernatural youngsters at a school for future master sleuths are up to their armpits in mayhem)

Perfect Blue (one of the most Hitchcockian movies not made by Hitchcock -- an actress begins to question her sanity as a vicious stalker pursues her)

Sanctuary (a dashing young gangster claws his bloody way up the political and criminal ladder in an effort to reform a decadent Japanese society)

FAKE (gay cops in New York)

Golgo 13 (The greatest and most infamous assassin in all of manga)

Legal Drug (two pharmacy clerks get into all kinds of trouble)

 

We seem to have missed the classic DC manga:

Crying Freeman (a story of yakuza action and intrigue and the assassin who doesn't want to kill any more)

 

also

 

Gunsmith Cats (tales of a bounty hunter who works in Chicago)

Hyper Police (police/bounty hunter action/adventure in a world of magic and monsters)

Battle Royale (alternate timeline Japan holds death sports to keep the population under control)

Jin-roh (alternate timeline where it seems Germany won WWII. Story of the "Wolf Brigade" armored cops in Japan.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

What about Hikaru No Go as a DC campaign?

 

High-stakes rivalries resolved by social combat rather than physical combat. Hard fro HERO to model, but potentially fascinating.

 

Hikaru's partial-possession would be interesting to model. The ghost of the Go master has goals that are frequently in conflict with Hikaru's desires and, having been dead so long, an utter lack of concern for the consequences of what he does. This makes him capable, on occasion, of astonishing cruelty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

Is Hero still planning a separate Cyber HERO genre? If not, I would put some of those series in a category like this, mainly because most of the story concerns are Dark Champions style, differing only with the addition of technology that normal DC doesn't have. (In fact, you could describe the advent of Gibson and Stirling as the moment when the mainstream of literary SF essentially turned its back on space, realizing we're not really going there).

 

Which reminds me -- what sort of campaign would Planetes be for most of you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

Having just watched the first ten episodes of Black Lagoon on YouTube.com, all I can say is this series rocks. Any GM of the cyberpunk or modern action genre can get all kinds of ideas for an aquatic nomad / pirate campaign. My only issue is a proper time frame for the series. The feel is late 70's to early 80's, but the technology is too modern. Oh well, it's anime -- things like that happen.

 

Matt "Wondering-if-I-can-find-specs-on-a-PT-boat" Frisbee

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

I think one of the things I like so much about Anime, is the "doesn't fit into just one genre" thing most have going for them. I only "discovered" Anime a couple of years ago, before that is was "kiddy cartoons". I find I really like the different approaches to story lines taken by the series, and being an avid and long time reader of SciFi/Fantasy, the majority of books seem to be stogy and conservative when speaking about "mixing" genre's. Only in the last few years (IMO) have we really seen any genre benders in pure print. Don't get me wrong I still read a lot. But the Japanese perspective which is then translated adds some real interesting things especially in the mixing of Tech and Magic. I tend to lean toward more tech, less or no magic. But all the stories/shows are great and very very very handy in sparking RPG plots. :sneaky:

 

{rambling babble mode off}

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

High-stakes rivalries resolved by social combat rather than physical combat. Hard fro HERO to model, but potentially fascinating.

 

Hikaru's partial-possession would be interesting to model. The ghost of the Go master has goals that are frequently in conflict with Hikaru's desires and, having been dead so long, an utter lack of concern for the consequences of what he does. This makes him capable, on occasion, of astonishing cruelty.

 

Maybe TUSK has something neat about elaborate skill vs. skill contests to make things a bit more interesting (I assign my Go skill levels to defense!) but as for Hikaru himself, probably a number of skills bought limited with an activation roll, to symbolize having to cajole the information out of Sai, combined with a short term personality-loss multiform for when he lets Sai play altogether. Of course, things change as Hikaru accumulates XP...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

+1 for Gunslinger Girl. I just found that series a few weeks ago' date=' and was hooked. I'm sorely disappointed it's as short as it is (c'mon, three disks?! Argh!). Top notch stuff.[/quote']The trend in Japan seems to be toward half-season shows now. More 12 & 13 episode stories rather than 24-26 episode seasons. A trend which disappoints me but I can see how it is the financially safe play for the studios.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

Very cool series (I own it). I would call it Star Hero' date=' specifically early-era Solar Hero with hard science.[/quote']

 

The manga was really good, but I felt the anime messed with certain elements too much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Dark Champions the Anime Series

 

lso

 

Gunsmith Cats (tales of a bounty hunter who works in Chicago)

 

Gunsmith Cats is a somewhat darker story in the manga than the anime would indicate -- it's kind of hard to read Minnie-May's background without shuddering.

 

But it's classic Dark Champs fodder: a woman with an inordinate love of high-powered weaponry takes on the Mob.

 

You will also want to note its companion series Riding Bean, the story of Rally's rival Bean Bandit, the greatest getaway driver in Chicago.

 

(The GC anime also features one of the most unintentionally hilarious political speeches in media, in which a candidate for office claims he will "ban illegal drugs and guns." Doesn't their being illegal mean they're already banned? Isn't that like saying "Vote for me, and I will outlaw crime!"?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...