Firearms and Anime?

[David4516]

I've been taking Japanese classes for the last couple of years now at my local community college. Since then I've also started watching a fair ammount of anime, and I've noticed something: In most anime the potrayal (did I spell that right?) of firearms is very accurate, much more so than alot of American TV shows/movies.

I find it interesting that most of the people who make anime have probably never even SEEN a real gun, yet they do such a great job in comparison to other forms of media.

Some examples:

Cowboy Bebop
Gunsliger Girl
Full Metal Panic
Gungrave

And several others that slip my mind at the moment...

Of course, there are some pretty "fake" guns, but even then they are somewhat believeable. My favorite example of this is the beefed-up 1911 in .454, from the anime "Hellsing".

Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Nothing like teenaged assassins....

...

 

[walking arsenal]

Nice pic.

Were did you find it?

 

[Hkmp5sd]

http://www.gunslingergirl.tv/

 

[Black Majik]

Super cool, the weapons they use are pretty neat.

VP70, CZ75, SIG P230SL, P239, AUG, 1897, P90.

Go to that sight and click on dossier. It'll show their weapons file and all the specs on it. Freakin' cool.

 

[TheArchDuke]

Jin-roh: wolf brigade is probably my favorite anime movie and it has GREAT gun animations. This movie is definitely for Mauser fans.

The main gun of the movie is the MG42. It shows close up shots of loading it, cleaning it, changing the barrel, and of course badguys getting their crap ruined by it.

The Character design is phenominal as well (well...atleast I think so anyway, because I'm in school to become an animator.)

Put all of that together with an incredibly sad story and you have a great quality flick. One of my favorite movies.

I'm not the biggest anime fan, I pretty much like 3 movies. But This one is definitely worth checking out.

Haha ok so my movie review is done.

 

[hksw]

Been watching them since the late '80s. The current stories and action I've seen lately, though, are not, IMO, very good. MADLAX, IMO, is pretty bad. Bought the FMP set but have only watched the first disc. Average, but it was only the first dics. Gunslinger gets and 'eh' from me. Only one I don't question the purchase on is the new Appleseed. (Although I've always been a big fan of Masamune Shirow so there was a big pull for me on that one.)

 

[CypherNinja]

I'm a HUGE Shirow fan, so Appleseed, Gits, Gits SAC, etc..... is an automatic, no-questions-asked buy for me.

That being said, firearms are banned in Japan so there's a lot of 'wishing' going on. (hence Airsoft) Since firearms are at a cult-like status and are NOT available, enthusiasts are reduced to debating points of design and other details endlessly on the 'net rather actually going out and SHOOTING.

So when they do show up in media over there, they're either crazy-nutso-sci-fi-guns or really accurately portayed. (I.E. The animators/director/producer was an enthusiast)



My theory, anyway.

EDIT: Cowboy Bebop, Jin-Roh, FMP (especially Fumoffu), Appleseed, GitS (both movies and both series) and Gungrave all rocked. Gunslinger Girl and Madlax (not near as good as Noir) were OK.

 

[AirPower]

I like Gundam's beam rifles.

 

[Firethorn]

This just makes me shudder...

That's a 454 Casull Auto he's cocking with his teeth there...

 

[Beetle Bailey]

What's with the long faces on the Gunslinger Girls? If I had all that weaponry, I'd have the decency to at least crack a smile or two.

BTW, there is also an anime called "Gunsmith Cats" which has some realistic guns. It's based on a manga (comic book) and the manga has realistic guns, too.

There are also a few "gun geek" references in the manga as well. There are quite a few car chases and some of the license plates read: KAR 98K,
WA 2000, and WIN 308.

Also, in a humorous bit of gun snobbery, one of the characters berates another for carrying a 9mm Glock, calling it a "cheapo Saturday night special."

Oh, and I guess I should mention that this stuff ain't for kids.

 

[spaceCADETzoom]

The reason why is simple.

The Japanese, probably moreso than any other culture on the planet, fetishize guns. This is because of the fact thier history and culture. Emasculated males, a severe history of obedience and submission, etc, all add up to the gun as a holy grail of phallic symbols--infinitely moreso than even overt 80s hollywood action movies... They dont have guns and theyre a nation full of geeks (not completely derrogatory--i'm a huge geek myself) who have never seen a gun before. Hence, they're counterstrike- type fanboys, and Jane's swilling info junkies. ask any las vegas gun store owner near the strip about the japanese.... or look at thier videogames (i.e. metal gear solid series), thier "anime," and airsoft. much of thier culture seems to stem from the japanese equivalent of fat-simpsons-comic-book-guy. Their anime is about schoolgirls in short skirts with guns and giant robots. ANd of course, some really effeminate boys. Odd, but japnese...

 

[Cosmoline]

The only one that really impresses me is Cowboy Bebop. It's the only anime I've seen with a coherent plot and realistic characters. And the animators don't use so many weird big heads with the silly faces. The big bad "Vincent" in the movie is one of the best bad guys in show I've seen recently. The fact that he uses a spot-on perfect Strayer Voigt 1911 is icing on the cake.

 

[spaceCADETzoom]

I agree with that about cowboy ebop. I'm not a fan of japanimation. And watching cowboy bebop was at first like pulling teeth...but someone bougth me the set...first few eps i was "eh"...but watching the whole series, its probably my favorite anuimated, foreiegn, or otherwise.

 

[Cosmoline]

This just makes me shudder...

That's a 454 Casull Auto he's cocking with his teeth there...

It's an interesting idea, but made in England??

http://crimsonsguns.tripod.com/joshua

I love this one!

http://crimsonsguns.tripod.com/sheet19.jpg

 

[Firethorn]

It's an interesting idea, but made in England??

What's wrong with England? Other than maybe price...

That alterverse england has some issues. Besides, for a totally custom gun, I'd tend to think that the weaponsmith is more important than the country it's made it.

Besides, don't they still make some of the better top dollar rifles?

 

[akodo]

as mentioned, no firearms in japan. Here in the usa, we are exposed to guns much more frequently, so that even if someone really doesn't know anything about guns, he sure thinks he does. Hence a lot of us animators won't bother checking, 'because they know what a gun looks like!' This is why you see guns that have recongizable parts and features, but are often out of size or messed up in other ways (like a double barreled pump shotgun)

The anime in it's earlier forms, the japanese artists would get actual pictures of guns to base their drawings on. The current generation of anime artists grew up watching anime with carefully and accurately drawn guns, and they follow suit.

That's also why you have relatively realistic looking fake guns, yet make very odd mistakes, like that cocking a gun with your mouth, or frequently depicting a character using a very low power firearm, something were you really wonder why he doesn't drop it and pick up something better off the ton of guys he just killed. A walther PP in .32 just isn't very awe inspiring, except if you have no real concept of how different a .32 and a 9mm or 40 is.

Side note, what is with constantly seeing Jerichos in anime. Lots of times when gun noobs who get most of their gun info off of the tv or movies will list the jericho in with guns they'ed like to get when i talk em up. Glock, Beretta, Desert Eagle, Jericho, Sig. Jericho didn't make that TV influenced short list 5-10 years ago

 

[David4516]

Oh man, how could I have forgotten about Noir and Gunsmith Cats? :banghead:

TheArchDuke, I have to agree with you. I don't normally like anime movies (most of what I watch are TV series), but Jin-Roh was awsome. I wonder if there will be a sequel.

like that cocking a gun with your mouth,

Isn't that possible though? I've never tried it, but I bet it can be done. I'm not sure WHY you'd want to. In this case the character is a crazy vampire so that might explain why he'd do it...

 

[GunnySkox]

Yeah, you can't really talk smack about a vampire doing something we mortals would find silly with his gigantamongous handgun. If he wants to rack the slide with his teeth, he can, and he will, by God. Or he might just, y'know, drop a train on you. If he freakin' feels like it. GOSH.

~GnSx
I totally slid right out of Anime-Nerd mode and straight into Napoleon Dynamite mode. I win.

 

[Cosmoline]

What's wrong with England? Other than maybe price...

That alterverse england has some issues. Besides, for a totally custom gun, I'd tend to think that the weaponsmith is more important than the country it's made it.

Besides, don't they still make some of the better top dollar rifles?

The People's Parliament no longer allows any handguns to be made in England. Webley & Scott was reduced to making pellet guns after WWII and is now bankrupt. Also, the idea of anyone in the UK making a custom 1911 with Dick Casull's cartridge is pretty silly. It would more properly be custom made in WYOMING. Though I doubt anyone in Japan knows where Wyoming is. The confusion between long dead British gunsmiths and the .454 Casull reminds me of the conventional wisdom in Japan that Santa Clause and Jesus are the same person.

There are still some outfits in the UK making hugely overpriced double rifles, but it's only a matter of time before they are also torn apart and tossed into the furnaces for the good of the masses.

 

[zahc]

Jin-roh: wolf brigade

Well I just bought it, it better be good. I have a hard time finding time to watch TV shows unless they are really good (like bebop, not only for the guns, the music rocks).

 

[TheArchDuke]

TheArchDuke, I have to agree with you. I don't normally like anime movies (most of what I watch are TV series), but Jin-Roh was awsome. I wonder if there will be a sequel.

There is a sequel. Infact there might be three. I'm not sure. There are also two live action movies but I heard they were slow and boring.
But if you're interested they're called "The Red Spectacles" and "Kerberos panzer cops" (I think).

I'm personally not going to see any other movie from the series because I heard they weren't great and I don't want them to ruin Wolf Brigade for me haha.

 

[Firethorn]

Yeah, you can't really talk smack about a vampire doing something we mortals would find silly with his gigantamongous handgun. If he wants to rack the slide with his teeth, he can, and he will, by God. Or he might just, y'know, drop a train on you. If he freakin' feels like it. GOSH.

Or an aircraft carrier. In the manga he just finished moving an aircraft carrier into port without the assistance of it's engines.

It's not really a smart idea, hard on human dentition. But the vampire in question is insane and vain, and felt like looking cool racking the gun with his teeth, seeing as how he hadn't bothered regenerating his other arm yet.

Gunsmith cats, now that's a cute show. I have yet to get gunslinger girls.

 

[Tom Servo]

In Gunsmith Cats, Rally totes a pre-B CZ75. You can even see the serial number in some frames. She even runs a gun shop, and in an early scene, she admonishes a police officer for turning over a weapon for service with a round still in the chamber.

In Neon Genesis, one of Misato carries a USP. Spike in Cowboy Bebop carries a Jericho, while Faye has a Glock 30. What's interesting is just how painstakingly authentic the drawings of these guns is.

 

[Doug b]

My daughter recommends trigun.Just google trigun.