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Where Does the Meat in Pokemon Come From: Our tendency to nitpick the oddest parts of shows

A certain type of fan has an odd tendency to fixate on a tiny, illogical part of a show, even when the premise of the entire franchise is utterly different from our world. It happens with Trekkies/Trekkers, when they discuss how exactly Chekov could be born years early in the new movie. (Some of the theories are actually quite interesting.) It happens with nerds who go see Wall-E and wonder why on earth all those people slide to the side of the space ship when it keels. (They’re in space! The gravity is artificial!) And it happens with anime fans, who wonder what Ash and his friends are eating when they have hamburgers. (There aren’t any normal animals; are they eating a Tauros or something?)

Now, probably not every group of fans does this; some are probably content to watch an enjoy a show or an anime without picking it apart. Or at least, they’ll pull apart the larger plot holes first, before getting to the tiny ones. (Like, anything involving Spock Prime. Instead of just sitting in a cave staring at the sky, why doesn’t he go find Scotty and tell him to warn Vulcan?) Still, most of the people I hang about with nitpick the small things. Why?

Because it’s fun, is my answer. Trying to find a logical reason for the tiny things is more fun than trying to find ones for the big holes, since the latter ones usually strain credulity and boil down to “the plot needed it”.

It’s a sign of affection, I swear; we care enough about the franchise to try and make the bloody thing make sense.

So, who wants to talk about Gurren Lagann?

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Gundam: the View from the Gateway

Now, hands up, who’s seen a Gundam series?

How many have seen Gundam Wing, Gundam SEED, G Gundam, and Gundam 00?

How many are girls?

Now, I’ve noticed something that’s a bit odd with the Gundam franchise. While for the most part, it seems to be a bastion of geeky boys (while I’m sure they exist, I’ve met few girls who make model Gundams), there are a few recent series that seem to have an audience and fanbase that is a rather hefty percent female. These series are Gundam Wing, Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, Gundam 00, and G Gundam. The other, older Gundam series – Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam – don’t have this demographic.

Did you ever wonder why?