What differences are there between the manga and anime version of Coppelion?

I've just watched Coppelion. Was curious about the manga, and according to the Wikipedia page... it is still going on? Apparently it has nearly 200 chapters, so I guess that the anime doesn't cover a large portion of the story.

The Coppelion manga is broken down into "arcs" (部). As of this writing, the manga is part-way through the fourth arc, while the anime finished up at the end of the second arc. So the anime covers roughly half-ish of the manga released so far.

  How faithful is the anime, so far?

The anime was generally very faithful to the manga. There are minor differences in the order in which things are presented, and there's a flashback featuring Naruse and Haruto in Mission.40 which I don't think appears in the anime, and some of the stuff towards the end of the second arc are kind of rushed, but all things considered, there aren't really many differences.

If you want to verify for yourself that the anime is highly faithful, see below for a table indicating which chapters corresponded to which episodes. Note that Coppelion has a strange chapter naming scheme, in which:

The first arc has 21 chapters, numbered "#1", ..., "#21", and not given names.
The second arc has 60 chapters, numbered "Mission.1", ..., "Mission.60", and given names.
The third arc has 99 chapters, numbered "Phase.1", ..., "Phase.99", and given names.
The fourth arc (in progress) has 12 chapters (as of volume 20), numbered "Act.1", ..., "Act.12", and given names.

Episode    Chapters
 1         # 1-# 3
 2         # 4-#11
 3         #11-#16
 4         #17-#21
 5         Mission. 1-Mission. 5
 6         Mission. 6-Mission.11
 7         Mission.12-Mission.15
 8         Mission.16-Mission.21
 9         Mission.22-Mission.25
10         Mission.26-Mission.34
11         Mission.35-Mission.47
12         Mission.47-Mission.53
13         Mission.54-Mission.61


No, he never killed anyone. The reason why he never kills anyone is that he is leaving them another chance to achieve their dreams. This was also stated by Oda in SBS vol. 4:

  D: How come Luffy never kills his enemies? Throughout "One Piece" manga so far, he didn't kill Mohji and Helmeppo, but Axe-arm Morgan was killed by Zoro, why is that?

  O: Hmm! That's a very good question. First, I have to announce that Morgan is still alive. He's currently in jail, where he was placed by his former subordinates. Why doesn't Luffy kill his enemies? Because in that era, everyone uses their lives to fight for their dreams. For an enemy, when their dream has been shattered, it is the same as losing a fight, and as painful as death. I believe, for a pirate not to kill an enemy, it's giving them a 2nd chance to fight for their dreams.


Where can I acquire a specific copy of Let's Go!! Love Summer?

This appears to be the cover of a fanbook for Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!, an anime and light novel series. The back cover specifically names the Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! LOVE! sequel to the original anime, so content may be specific to that part of the series. (As I am unfamiliar with the series and also no access to the actual pages, I do not know for sure.) The title "Let's Go!! Love Summer" is a reference to a character song in the anime.

Unfortunately, the fanbook appears to be out of stock, judging from a Google Translate copy of the webpage. It is possible that someone might resell it somewhere, but I am not an expert on where to locate such sales.


Like you said, her age hasn't been officially revealed yet. Judging from her physique and face, she could be anywhere from 16 to 24 years old, but until it is brought up in-story or Oda clarifies it in an SBS, her age will remain unknown.

EDIT: The Vivre Card Databook Vol. 4 finally revealed Marguerite's age; she is 16 pre-timeskip, and 18 post-timeskip.


Why did Izumo's familiars attack her in Blue Exorcist?

Familiars in the manga are actually tamed demons. If the user is not properly trained in controlling them or have a disturbed state of mind then the go out of control. Before Izumo was attacked by ghouls, Paku said she was going to quit the course. Hence she was in a disturbed state of mind. So the familiars attacked her.
According to wiki about her foxes

  White Foxes appear to be very proud, even willing to turn against those they've been raised with if they sense weakness.


Anime about a girl, who becomes an adult by using magic and starts modeling

It can be Fancy Lala

  One day, nine-year-old girl Miho Shinohara is given two stuffed dinosaurs by a stranger. The stuffed dinosaurs come to life and present her with a magic sketchbook and pen. Within limits, and subject to varying degrees of control, she can draw in the sketchbook and bring the drawings to life. Miho can also transform into a teenage girl, whom she names Fancy Lala. Fancy Lala is scouted by Yumi Haneishi, the president of the talent agency Lyrical Productions, and begins the long road to stardom.


What was the purpose behind the personification of certain elements in The Wind Rises?

The following is more an interpretation of the film, rather than a solid source of undeniable truth. Because of this, there is unfortunately a lack of sources.
I believe Hayao Miyazaki could have insisted on this feature. @krazer's comment on your questions backs this up:

Geoffrey Wexler, Studio Ghibli's "Chief Gaijin" who represented the company at the screening at the Toronto International Film Festival  [...]  answered an interesting fact about the sound production. He said Miyazaki wanted to do all the sound effects himself, but the staff denied him because he’s already too busy with all the other duties so someone else had to do it all.
He also let it be known that the movie has Mono sound, which apparently no one ever believes but that's another thing Miyazaki wanted and won out on.

Miyazaki mentions in an interview that he has always wanted to make an anime about planes - and being his last movie before retirement, this was probably a very personal film.
Miyazaki is a plane fanatic, although not a plane otaku, as he emphasizes in the documentary Kingdom of Dreams and Madness. In the documentary, you can see him playing with a model plane and making up his own sound effects. His autobiographies Starting Point and Turning Point feature planes as a secondary interest to anime too.

I imagine Miyazaki wanted to create The Wind Rises with a certain element of nostaliga and insight into the appeal of aeroplanes for himself, and other plane fans.
The film is somewhat about the beauty of planes and their unfortunate setting. Caproni appears in Jiro's dreams speaking of their wonder, despite humanity's ill use of them.
In this vein, I think Miyazaki wanted to show audiences the splutterings, whirrings and ka-puts that make the machines beautiful for him, even if they didn't sit right with the tone of the film.


Is Blue exorcist really based on a slush puppy?

In an interview with Animenewsnetwork, he said that he was inspired by a Grimm fairy tale:

What were your chief inspirations when creating Blue Exorcist?
Kato: It originally was inspired by a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, where brothers combat monsters.  Then, I tried to make the story flip several times, and settled down into a simple structure of demons versus an exorcist.

Source


What is the song when Usopp is defeating Sugar by using his Haki?

It is "The Straw Hats Gather and Head to Battle!" from the album "New World", track #44.

According to the OP's comment,

  Ah, the song I was looking for was the one that sounds after that. And since it was answered, here it is:
  youtube.com/watch?v=TBKUNyxItyM


Anime Movie with a floating island and robots

It's Laputa: Castle in the Sky.  The story starts off with a girl on a airship that's attacked by "sky" pirates. She manage to escape both the pirates and the people who held her captive on the airship by falling out of it. The girl's amulet saves her, causing her to float to safely to ground where a young boy find her.

Ultimately they end up on the floating island Laputa, which is old, overgrown, has a giant tree and is populated by giant robots. I believe the robots can fly.


What is the chronological order of the Sword Art Online (anime) franchise?

In Accel World S1E22 ~17:00, the main character is doing some research which references the NerveGear.
(English Dub)

NerveGear :  The first VR Machine of the 2020's

Therefore, the story timeline place Accel World after SAO.
Combined with various Wikipedia articles,  chronological order of the Anime is:

Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online Extra Edition (movie)
Sword Art Online 2
Sword Art Online : Ordinal Scale (movie)
Alternative Gun Gale Online (side story series)
Accel World
Sword Art Online : Alicization
Sword Art Online:  Alicization - War of Underworld
Sword Art Online:  Alicization - War of Underworld Part 2

A source of info is on Fandom.


Why All Might had to punch over 300 times Noumu to defeat him, if it was the last "plus ultra" punch what sent him flying high into the sky

I can think of a few reasons.

Out-Universe

Its a Shonen Anime. The supreme rule in Shonen is Rule of Cool. Other than this, tropes like Special Attacks, Limit Break, Finishing Move among others also apply.
As the flagship fight of the season 1, it was required to be longer than "1-Punch". (Though One Punch Man shows it can work. Lol)

In-Universe
Since it was the battle between almost equal opponents, the 300 punches were required because,

To put Nomu off balance so he couldn't defend against the final "Plus Ultra" Punch. If it were the first punch, Nomu may have successfully defended against it. If you look closely to the battle you'll see Nomu starts off matching All might punch for punch, than his frequency decrease as All might gets more hits and finally it becomes one sided as All Might pummels him around.
Since All Might knew that Nomu is not nullifying the damage and regenerating it, the speedy punches gradually chipped away his strength until it was down enough to finish in one blow.

All Might new he had a fixed amount of time until his "Super" form lasted, hence to make it count he went head to head with Nomu right until the last moment releasing all his power in the last punch.

If you go and read the manga (and hopefully in the current airing season) you'll see he does something similar

   When he goes against All for one, he uses the last embers of One for All in his body to deliver the killing blow. Does that mean the previous punches were meaningless? I think not!


Which god of Japan is actually portrayed by Yato in Noragami?

Kofuku is not the goddess of luck, and as explained in the series, she is the goddess of misfortune. She is not a part of Seven Gods of Fortune. The Seven gods are Hotei, Jurōjin, Fukurokuju, Bishamonten, Benzaiten (Benten-sama), Daikokuten (Daikoku) and Ebisu. Her surname, Ebisu is shared with the god of fortune as he will appear later in the series or you can just read the manga (which are raws) to find out more.

As for Yato, well, I think it's obvious that he is a fictional character based on the images of the gods of war in Japanese mythology.


Reading Order:

Grappler Baki - 1991 to 1999
Grappler Baki Gaiden - 1999, Grappler Baki Spin-off
Baki: New Grappler Baki - 1999 to 2005, Grappler Baki Sequel
Baki Tokubetsu-hen Saga - 2002, Baki: New Grappler Baki Side Story
Baki Gaiden: Kizuzura - 2012 to 2013, Baki: New Grappler Baki Side Story
Baki Gaiden: Kenjin - 2013 to ?, Baki: New Grappler Baki Side Story
Hanma Baki - 2005 to 2012, Baki: New Grappler Baki Sequel
Baki Gaiden: Scarface - 2005 to ?, Baki: New Grappler Baki & Hanma Baki Side Story
Baki-dou - 2014 to 2018, Hanma Baki Sequel


Is there any indication that Gon will get his nen back?

No.

There have been no blatant indications in the manga or anime to show that he will get his Nen back.

In most other shonen manga's you would expect a protagonist who loses their powers to eventually regain them stronger or in a different way.  This is best seen in Bleach where Ichigo and his allies does this many times. As Hunter x Hunter frequently is designed to subvert expectations, however, there is no reason to presume Gon will get his powers back.


Why didn't Naruto uses his full power that he demonstrated in `Boruto chapter 52` against Sasuke or `Kaguya Ōtsutsuki`

Because of the terrible after effects. Against Kaguya, they had better alternatives. And Naruto had many other cards up his sleeve too.


How is it that people in ALO didn't recognize Kirito?

ALO players
From Volume 3, Chapter 1, during the scene where Kirito first logged in into ALO:

Next I chose the nickname for my character. I didn't put much thought into it, but entered the name «Kirito».
This name was a shortened form of my real name, Kirigaya Kazuto, and there weren't many who knew that. Those who understood included only the rescue team from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and those with a close connection, i.e. Recto's president Yuuki Shoujou and that Sugou. Of course, that also included Egil, and Asuna, who had yet to wake. Even Suguha and our parents shouldn't know of it.
In the SAO incident, none of this information had been made public, especially character names. This was because in that world there was frequent fighting between players and the result was often a horrible death in the real world. If unrestricted publication of this information was allowed, it would not be difficult to imagine a large number of lawsuits being filed.
[...]
With a bit of trepidation I realized the name was known to Sugou Nobuyuki, and because it is a rather well-known name I changed it from its romanized form to its kana form. [...]

According to the cited paragraph, since character names are not made public, the name Kirito is only known to the rescue team from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Recto's president Yuuki Shoujou, Sugou, and fellow players in SAO.
ALO arc takes place 2 months after SAO is cleared. During this period of time, I would assume that it's unlikely for any SAO survivor to play another VRMMO when they had just been through a life and death experience.
Therefore, it would be natural for almost all players in ALO to be unaware of the identity of the person who cleared SAO and set all players free.
I guess that would clear the question of why no one in ALO ever questioned about Kirito's identity.
How about Suguha, then?
Suguha/Leafa
From Volume 3, Chapter 2, when Kirito crash-landed as Leafa/Suguha was surrounded by three Salamanders:

This voice with no tension came from a lightly dark skinned male player while standing up. His black hair stood in natural spikes, and his large eyes gave an impression of mischief. Behind him stretched dark greyish-blue wings that marked him as a member of the Spriggan race.

I guess Kirito's skin color and appearance is a great enough departure from his real life appearance that Suguha couldn't tell that Kirito is actually her onii-chan.
Apart from the appearance, there is also the fact that Kirito distanced himself from Suguha, after knowing that they are not siblings.
From Volume 4, Chapter 7:

Suguha's accusation that I had distanced myself from her because she wasn't my true younger sister was almost correct. I had searched the net for my family registry, but I had found the deletion notice, so I asked my parents about it. I was ten years-old. I began to put some distance between Suguha and myself, but there was no specific reason.
[...]
[...] By the time I was a 5th or 6th grader, I was already addicted to net games, without a side glance I moved straight forward. Finally I was imprisoned for two years, in that virtual world.

Due to Kirito keeping distance and the SAO incident, Suguha didn't have much chance to know Kirito, and there were many sides of him that she didn't know about, especially during the time Kirito was trapped in SAO. I think this contributes to the reason why Suguha/Leafa didn't realize that Kirito is actually Kazuto even after traveling together. She only caught on when Kirito blurted out Asuna's name after he failed to clear the Grand Quest for the first time.


The blonde is Nanako or Seven because her name is short for the Seventh Holy Scripture.

  The Seventh Holy Scripture was created from combining the horn of a dead Unicorn that, had turned into a nature spirit and the soul of a young woman, who gave her life willingly in order to achieve this.

Nanako is the spirit of that gun Ciel had in Tsukihime. However, she doesn't make an appearance in human form until Kagetsu Tohya in one of the side stories, Nanako-chan S.O.S. She is also mentioned by Akihiko himself on occasion

The girl with the bathing cap is Miyako Arima.

She is Tohno Shiki's cousin as well as step-sister when Shiki was adopted into the Arima family after the incident between him and SHIKI. She's mentioned in Tsukihime and Kagetsu Tohya but she doesn't make an appearance until Melty Blood, generally in the routes involving the Tohno family (as opposed to the routes dealing with Night of Wallachia).

She is also the main character in Hana no Miyako.


Is the Golden Den Den Mushi mechanical, or a living specimen?

In Chapter 386 Spandam is holding the Golden Den Den Mushi and mentions that it is a precious species, indicating that it is in fact, a living snail.


Are you sure you don't mean "Tama-ya!" rather than "Tagoya!"? It is very common for Japanese onlookers at a festival to loudly cry out "Tama-ya" and "Kagi-ya" when they see fireworks, instead of applause for the show. The words refer to two of the oldest, largest and most famous fireworks factories from the Meiji period (1868-1912).

I believe the plan is to so distract Eve with the fireworks and their surrounding customs that she'd be unaware of the changes being made behind her back.


What was the event that resulted in 2 episodes of Fumoffu being changed?

According to Wikipedia, A Hostage With No Compromises was not aired "because the plot involved child kidnapping and in Japan, real-life child kidnappings were making headlines at that time", and as mentioned in the question, A Fruitless Lunchtime and The Man From the South was aired as episode 1 on August 26th, 2003.

The Japanese article of Full Metal Panic! reports that Fuji TV made the change to the airing due to the kidnapping and murder case in Nagasaki that happens less than 2 months before the airing date.

Below is the summary of the incident, based on the ariticle:

  On July 1st, 2003, in Nagasaki, a 4-year-old boy was kidnapped and murdered by a first year middle schooler (12-year-old). The child was led by the middle schooler to the top floor of a parking building, where the child was stripped naked, then was punched and kicked in stomach and various places. Furthermore, the child has his genitalia mutilated by the middle schooler with scissors. However, when he realized that there was security camera, he decided to throw the crying child over the railing down the road 20 meters below, the impact of which killed the child 30 minutes later.

Looking at the summary of A Hostage With No Compromises (taken from Wikipedia):

  After Sousuke's encounter with a gang leaves its members disrespected, their leader decides to take Kaname hostage. Instead of giving in to their demands, Sousuke holds the gang leader's little brother hostage and proposes an exchange.

The story was quite similar to the outrageous incident, not just the kidnapping part, but also the part about a young man kidnapping a boy.


Why do the humans that can turn into titans kill other humans?

That's a really huge question here because to answer it you have to reveal a lot of the anime's secrets which would be really sad but if you really want the truth, I'll strongly summarize :

Explanations

This is a map of the actual world of Shingeki no Kyojin. The little island on the upper-right corner is Paradis : the land where the anime takes place. Its habitants are the Eldians. The huge continent is Marley, the land of the Marleyan people. In short, Marleyan and Eldians used to live on the same place, before an Eldian of royal blood, Ymir Fritz, made a contract with the Earth Devil to gain a power. The power of the Founding Titan.

After Y. Fritz

When she died, her power was split between her 9 descendants who were given the possibility to shift into powerful titans like the Female, the Colossal, the Armored or the Beast Titans. Because of that power, the great nation of Marley felt threatened and waged war against the Eldian. The Eldians became too powerful utterly and destroyed the Marleyan nation and obtained complete rule over the continental mainland.

After the War

Many centuries after Eldia's ascension to power, the 145th King of the Fritz family inherited the power of the Founding Titan, the greatest of all Titans. Rather than maintaining order in Eldia as his forebears had done, the King chose instead to relocate the capital of Eldia to the remote island of Paradis. In the King's absence, the surviving peoples of Marley rose up against their oppressors, starting the Great Titan War. At this time, Marley succeeded in obtaining seven of the nine Titans in Eldia's possession, drastically turning the tide of the war. Over an unspecified amount of time, Marley gradually gained control of the continental mainland that once was ruled by Eldia until only Paradis remained as King Fritz's undisputed territory.

Paradis

At this time, in the year 743, King Fritz used the Progenitor Titan to guide countless Colossus Titans in the raising of three concentric Walls, Maria, Rose, and Sheena, around Eldia's remaining territory. In order to force peace between Eldia and Marley, King Fritz gave the ultimatum that any further act of war against Eldia would be met with the releasing of the countless Titans hidden within the Walls. With this, the Great Titan War ended.

What really happened this day

Then here comes the answer for you question : the Titan Shifters who are standing against the Humanity are actually Marleyan Soldiers whose goal is to defeat Eldians because the King of Marley is looking for the resources that Paradis still have underground. Because of the King Fritz's threat, they act sneaky instead of sending a front attack with their advanced technology and incredible power.


Why was Ueno-san trying to have Tanaka to drink her urine?

Pretty much every episode is about Ueno's scheme to make Tanaka do some silly fetish-esque activity in the hope or either A) make Tanaka aware of her or B) have an opportunity to say some sort of comeback about how much of a pervert he is. It always fails because she either gets hyper-aware of the situation itself while he's always the straight man or she just can't spit it out.


Why does censorship level differ between manga and anime?

There's a Manga Censorship panel at Comic con that talks a bit about habits in Manga, of note:

  Fujimoto also pointed out the particular demographic stratification of manga into shonen, shojo, seinen and josei (boys, girls, men and women) genres, resulting in a product range that spans all ages. Each of the various manga magazines published in Japan is targeted to one of these specific demographics, resulting in about a 50-50 split between manga aimed at those under 18 and manga aimed at adults.

Additionally, where money made from manga is primarily sales as opposed to something like an anime TV series where there's both a considerable investment from the studio, sponsors, and in most cases licensing for products (like figures, T-shirts, etc.), the panel also noted that:

  Kanemitsu opened by saying that, despite the most idealistic wishes of progressive thinkers, Japanese publishers may not necessarily be fighting at full force against censorship. Other disconnects also exist between the definitions of obscenity and child pornography in Japan versus the United States, and also how the different cultures conduct business.

In anime, sponsorship and how much a TV studio has to play in anime productions is a much greater influence than the stores that sell manga has over mangaka and editors. Cowboy Bebop was originally taken off the air mid-way when it first aired because TV Tokyo said it was too violent. There were purportedly studio and sponsorship pressure on GAINAX during the original run of Evangelion.

Then you have late-night and satellite TV anime series which show nudity and violence, or OVAs which, as long as properly labeled, can be borderline pornography. The former has lax studio pressure and the sponsors already know their demographic. The later is not much different from how manga is sold and distributed, at a store where titles that would normally be censored are labeled appropriately or are in their own sections.

As quoted above, because of the way manga is distributed, there's a 50/50 split between manga produced for under 18 and those for adults. So you have a lot more content that's risque or violent in manga because of the split. A few decades ago when most of the distribution of anime were straight to video, a lot more shows contained nudity and violence, even ones that weren't necessarily aimed at adults. But because of the distribution method, the animation studios themselves had a lot more control over what they could write and animate. Around the mid-to-late 90's, TV studios started airing more and more shows, and they had their own guidelines on what they would and wouldn't air so even the incidental nudity and blood were taken completely out if animation studios wanted to produce a TV show that aired on a national station during the day. Note that when a show that aired on TV, that needed to be censored so the stations would air them, makes it onto physical media like DVD's and Bluray's, those white/black washes, glares, steam, etc. are all removed and are uncensored.


How was Zetsu able to identify the Asura and Indra transmigrants over the years?

Zetsu was created by Kaguya. Essentially, he was her will, ensuring her revival. The Uchiha and Senju clans originated from Kaguya. So I'm pretty sure he'd be able to tell.


If anything, anime adapted from a manga, light novel, or visual novel should cost more to make because there would be costs associated with working with the owners of the original. But make no mistake, studios do only want to release anime that make money.
Why are so many anime based on existing properties?
The focus on anime based on existing properties is not about production cost; it's about risk management.
Whenever you're selling creative work to a mass market, you're taking a huge risk that it won't catch on and you won't make back what you spent on it. If you're selling cola or toilet paper or office furniture, it's relatively easy to do some research, figure out what consumers want, and make that. It's well understood what consumers want out of these products, and you can distill your consumers into a small number of profiles that you can serve by a line with two or three varieties of your product.
But this is much harder when it comes to creative work. You can get together a focus group and give them surveys on what they like about Naruto, One Piece, and Dragon Ball Z, and then try to make an anime series based on that knowledge, but it will fail. Audiences can tell when you're making a creative work based on market research, and they will hate you for it. Well, to be fair, this isn't always true. You can sometimes get away with cloning an existing series, especially with properties aimed at children. It always boggled my mind that Beyblade became so popular when it was such a transparent knock-off of Pokemon, Digimon, Yu-gi-oh, and Monster Rancher. But you can only get away with this for so long; children will grow up, and even the least discerning audience will notice after your third clone of Naruto that you're just repeating yourself. Audiences want certain comfortable tropes to stay in place, but they also want a certain amount of novelty. And no focus group will ever lead you to true originality.
But originality is risky; there's always the chance that audiences won't respond, and your sales will suffer. As one example, consider the two concurrent yonkoma manga of Satoko Kiyuzuki, Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro and GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class. Both are seinen yonkoma series that started in 2004, which means they were expected to be schoolgirl moe slice of life cuteness. GA is; it's a conventional moe yonkoma about five high school girls having fun at art school. Kuro is not; it's a dark fairy tale with only the lightest of moe elements. Guess which of these two got an anime adaptation?
However, if Kuro had turned out to be a massive breakout success, I'm sure it would have gotten an anime adaptation, because that's why so many anime are based on existing properties: the anime studios let sales of the original work tell them what kind of potential an anime based on the property has, and if the numbers tell the right story, they'll pull the trigger on an adaptation. This is why there are anime based on Oreimo, Oregairu, and One Piece, but none based on The Circumstances Leading to Waltraute's Marriage, The Zashiki-Warashi of Intellectual Village, Guru Guru Pon-chan, or Enmusu (despite the first two being written by A Certain Adjective Noun series author Kazuma Kamachi).
Why are original anime still made if they're so risky?
A lot of us older fans like to focus on the business side of anime, because younger fans tend not to understand how much the business side influences the creative side. They tend to think that anime is always made with the creative impulse at heart and the creative people are in charge, and thus struggle to understand why certain artistic failures happen. I definitely thought this way when I was a younger fan.
But while there is a cutthroat business side to anime, and there is a lot of cynical, money grubbing behavior in the industry, the creators do still have some control, and sometimes, after they go out and rake in the cash for the studio with stuff based on existing properties, they want to exercise their creative muscles a little. Take Cowboy Bebop: if you believe director Shinichiro Watanabe, he was pretty much given free rein to do whatever he wanted with it after the toy companies pulled out, and he made something experimental and original which wasn't a massive financial success, but is beloved by fans. Bandai Visual trusted Watanabe to deliver based on the strength of his premise and his previous successes with Macross Plus and Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. Madoka? Similar story: director Akiyuki Shinbo, who had just recently finished reaffirming his value to Shaft with Hidamari Sketch and Bakemonogatari, pitched his plan for a new magical girl series to producer Atsuhiro Iwakami, who trusted Shinbo enough that he consciously decided to let Shinbo build his own original work instead of tethering it to an existing property. Iwakami himself says that after helping assemble the team of Shinbo, writer Gen Urobuchi, and character designer Ume Aoki, he purposely stood back and let the creative people work:

ANN: At the Q&A you also mentioned that you had asked Urobuchi specifically to write something "heavy." How much guidance do you offer on the creation process?
AI [Iwakami]: I was the one who said "let's do a show using these creative talents." But after that I don't matter much; it's up to those talents to do their work. If something comes to a stand-still I might intervene, but they did an excellent job and I was very happy seeing the results in episode one. When I saw the character designs that Aoki did, it was exactly what I was hoping for, so everything was in the hands of the creative team.
From Anime News Network

Original anime are riskier to make because there's always a chance they won't catch on with audiences and the studio won't make its money back. But they can also pay off in a huge way. If every single anime that comes out is based on an existing story, there are people who will stop watching anime altogether; they'll either read the original work instead, or they'll move on to an entirely different medium where originality is more prized.


It's a horse's head eating a carrot, with crossbone in the background.

"Uma no Hone" (Horse's Bone) is a parody of the popular real-life chain of doujin shops under the "Tora no Ana" ("Tiger's Den") name. ("Mikan Books" is a parody of "Melon Books")


Which years/chapters of the manga is based the Gintama anime series?

My apologies, after being sought out I believe I didn't answer or read your question to the fullest.

You asked if any of the managa for Gintama was based on the anime. As I had to re-read your question, the answer to your question is none of it as far as I have read. You said the anime has been done for 15 years is false, the anime(assume your taking about the first to third season of said anime) started in 2006 then ended in 2009.

The manga that show is based on only came out about two years prior in it's initial Japanese release. The manga to anime followed this trend for awhile, with some arcs being dropped or switched out.

More episodes of the anime have came out in recent years with Gintama. Shirogane no Tamashii-hen having aired in January.

So re-state what i am trying to say in less words.
1. the anime has not been done for 15 years, it has continued with the latest airing of a new anime being in January.
2. the anime and manga have taken a break or two over the years due to various factors (artist health being one of them.)
3. None of the manga has been based on the anime, considering the manga chapter the anime is based on dropped two years prior to the anime episode being released.


How can two pucks be used at the same time in air hockey?

A typical air hockey match consists of using two pushers and one puck. And as @jphager2 suggests in his comment, there's no need for a net in an air hockey match, hence, it could be a multi-purpose table.

So what's the deal with two pucks? Now, in that Chapter, Raku and Chitoge had a lot of fun in the arcade. And the bill had to be a decent amount. So instead of someone willingly agreeing to pay the bill, they keep a match on condition that the loser has to pay for all the games.

Since the the stakes were high, it is most likely that they used two pucks to increase the difficulty of the game.

Edit:

Like @mirroroftruth says in their comment, the two pucks could also be a symbolic representation of Raku and Chitoge themselves. No matter how much they try to distance themselves, they always end up coming together.


Was Vegito SSJ1 or SSJ2 when fighting Buu?

SSJ or (SSJ1 as you called it). Vegito should have the capacity to become an SSJ2 since a fused fighter does retain the capability of both fighters but he never used that against Buu.

As quoted below according to the wiki linked here:

  Vegito then decides to turn things up a notch, by increasing his power by transforming into a Super Saiyan, and calling himself "Super Vegito".

It is further quoted:

  Vegetto is able to transform into a Super Saiyan,[3] calling himself "Super Vegetto" (or "Super Vegerot" in the English manga) in this form. But because of Vegetto's naming for this form, some fan says that this is like a combination of Goku's Super Saiyan 2 (there are the blue electricities when Vegetto first transforms into Super Vegetto) and Vegeta's Super Vegeta. As Super Vegetto, he gains a slight increase in muscle mass (probably from power of Super Vegeta), bluish-green eyes, very defined golden hair and eyebrows and a golden aura. Once transformed, he his power soared to unimaginable heights: Vegetto was well beyond Buu's abilities to defeat and absolutely dominated Super Buu (w/ Gohan, Goten, Trunks, Piccolo absorbed) in battle. He hardly exerts himself in battle. Vegetto's power in this form alone makes him is undeniably the most powerful character in Dragon Ball Z manga. It is implied by Old Kai that Super Vegetto could have destroyed Kid Buu with little effort as he did with Super Buu (w/ Gohan absorbed).[6] In Dragon Ball Heroes, Super Saiyan Vegetto is seen with sparks in-game just as shown in one panel of the manga.

Vegito is in fact the strongest character in the Dragon ball universe (excluding super) due to his existence being the combined power of Goku and Vegeta but amplified many times over with both of their techniques plus his own.

Long live the King of all Saiyans.


Could Naruto's shadow clones transport jutsu?

The chakra is equally divided between all the shadow clones, so when one dies or disappears, the original will get the chakra they had left back (with all their memories). It's another thing with jutsus, when he generates a Rasengan, for instance, it is used, it is there. When the shadow clone then disappears, the jutsu is released and it will disappear to.


Who is being addressed at the start of the first episode?

Having progressed a lot further in my rewatch of Serial Experiments Lain, it seems that the "correct" answer is along the lines of the comment by user1306322. At the beginning of most episodes (with the exception of 10, 11, and 13), someone says a few short lines, such as the one above, or such as:

  You've heard of a girl named Lain, right? Lain of the Wired. (Episode 3)
  I don't need parents. Humans are all alone. They are not connected to anyone else at all. (Episode 4)
  If you want to be free of suffering, you should believe in God. Whether or not you believe in Him, God is always by your side.
  (Episode 9)

An exception is in episode 12, where there seems to be an exchange instead between what seems to be Lain and possibly either her mother or the doll figure she was addressing a couple episodes earlier.

Given this and the fact that the question at the opening of the first episode is somewhat similar to those "opening lines" in later episodes, it seems most reasonable to conclude that the question in the beginning of the first episode is meant to set the atmosphere, and that the addressee of the question is, as pointed out by the comment, anyone who hears it (the viewer, people in the Wired, Lain, etc.).

I still can't quite identify the speaker of the question in the beginning of the first episode, but it seems worth noting that the speaker of the "opening lines" seems to vary by episode. (I'm not completely sure about this since this could well be the same voice actress/character speaking the lines, but with a different inflection).


Are all humans in Naruto universe mandated to admit in the shinobi academy?

Is it mandatory to for all to take admission in the academy and learn the basic elementary jutsus and experience the initial life of a ninja before becoming something else?

Most probably yes. Everyone must know the basic jutsus. Then, it's upto them to clear the exams to be a full-time shinobi or quit the academy to be something else.

We see quite some non-shinobi professions, for e.g. Teuchi becoming a
Ramen chef. [...] did he once admitted in the academy in the childhood
but choose to become a ramen chef?

YES. He would have known basic jutsus but didn't progressed that far in the Shinobi world. Maybe he was a pre-genin academy student or had acquired genin stature before quitting. Since he is a chef, he might be skilled in Kenjutsu and talented with Kunai and shuriken. He would probably possess an Earth and Water Release affinity, possibly Fire Release but the Chakra Reserves was probably averaged sized and ultimately run out of chakra fairly easily. He doesn't know a whole arsenal of jutsu but knows quite a few of them.
Now, an image circulated quite a bit which spread the fact that Teuchi might have been taught by Jiraiya but it was never confirmed.

Teuchi could've been the team member of Jiraiya team-7 since they would be around the same age group and it would explain why Teuchi wasn't afraid to scold Shinobi for nonpayment, because he was a retired Shinobi himself. It would also explain why he never shared the same resentment as the rest of the village towards Naruto as a kid and genuinely accepted him, giving him free food sometimes and treating Naruto as a valued customer. He does this because he was teammates with Naruto's father and knows that Naruto is Minato’s son. He can see the resemblance in Naruto and knows something great will come of him. This would also explain the respect that he has towards Jiraiya.
Source: https://www.quora.com/If-the-ramen-guy-from-Naruto-was-ever-a-shinobi-in-his-youth-what-kind-of-jutsu-would-he-have-and-why


I believe the armor is worn more as a uniform and possibly a form of attire allowing Saiyans to fight comfortably rather than the aspect of protection simply because, their abnormal levels strength would be too difficult to provide protection from with armor comfortable enough to wear and fight in If you were to consider Vegeta who still wears armor, it is obvious he doesn't wear the armor for protection based on his level of strength and the kind of enemies he fights. Hence, it can be considered to be more like a uniform instead of something worn for the purpose of protection.  I do understand that Vegeta has been a Saiyan Elite and he is absurdly strong at the present and a regular Saiyan's strength is significantly lesser in comparison. If you were to rewatch the Sayan Saga, this particular scene here, we see a Simple Slice of a sword from someone as weak as Yajirobe, strong enough to penetrate through Vegeta's armor and hurt him.Saiyans are a naturally aggressive warrior race primarily focused on battle and striving to be the strongest in the Universe and I personally believe wearing the armor seems more as an outfit choice rather than focusing too much on the aspect of the protection it provides.


You're most likely looking for Cyborg 009 which is about:

  Nine regular humans are kidnapped by the evil Black Ghost organization to undergo human experiments which resulted in nine cyborgs with each one having super human powers. The nine cyborgs band together to fight for their freedom and to stop Black Ghost. The evil organization's goal is to start the next world war by supplying rich buyers with countless weapons of mass destruction.

In 2012, Production I.G., in association with other studios, produced a reboot of the series, called 009 RE:Cyborg, consisting of a 3DCG movie (written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama) and a manga series by Gatou Asou.


How did Kiba learn the shadow clone jutsu?

The jutsu sealed in the scroll is the Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu which allows Naruto to create multitudes of clones. The shadow clone jutsu that he is using is the regular version and is commonly known throughout the leaf village.


Why didn't Netero use vows and limitations like Kurapika?

Simply put, one can't just add a Limitation or a Vow to an ability.
Specifics of developing a Nen ability are left a bit vague in the story, but it's rather clear that Vows and Limitations are inherent part of each ability that are added to them as they are created. And since Netero didn't create any new abilities to fight Meruem, those would have needed to be already present.
Also, most hunters dislike adding Limitations to abilities. The enhancement of power they provide is inconsistent and the conditions need to be very severe for the benefit to be significant. Kurapika is able to use as severe Vows as he does because hunting the Phantom Troops is literally his life's work. He's willing to sacrifice a lot of the general power of his abilities to make them really powerful in specific situations.
Now, there is one powerup that Netero could have perhaps used. General emotion of risk. This is sort of the basis of where Limitations and Vows get their power in the first place, but more primal. It is the risks that Limitations impose that give them their power and it is possible tap into the same source without imposing a formal Limitation. Shoot used this when he covered one of his eyes while fighting Youpi, sort of imposing a temporary limitation on himself. It could also be argued that Gon's Jajanken gets a bit of a powerup from the risk that its long windup and general vulnerability present.
Of course, Netero was already going to fight possibly the strongest living being on in the known world, so I'm not sure how much of an extra risk there could be.
Side note: I haven't read the Dark Continent Expedition arc or the Succession Contest arc, so if there are any exceptions to these, they'd be there.


Why does Last Order state her name twice?

To understand why she speaks like this, we need to understand the grammatical rule for "wa" in Japanese. I'll admit that I do not understand Japanese fluently and I am a beginner, if anything, but let's take a look at what it can mean. For reference:

http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa051301a.htm

The first one implies that the "wa" is a subject marker and she using herself as the subject. She has emotions unlike her sister clones and her having emotions mean that she can feel a variety of human characteristics. What I'm saying is that it is possible she repeats her name in this manner to draw attention to herself, to show that childish selfish characteristic. And we can see that she sometimes has no consideration about what other people feel, like how she (seemingly) unintentionally refers to Yomikawa as an old woman in one the bathroom/shower scene. Although this can be explained as her being playful, but I believe this still reflects her childish selfish nature, not that she's actually incapable of feeling empathy.

"Wa" can apparently be used as emphasis for the subject at hand, so this gives more credence  to my theory. From my reference:

"Beside being a topic marker, "wa" is used to show contrast or to emphasize the subject."

Although I can be wrong on this one.

"Wa" as a contrast does not work well as it does not explain much.

So it may be that she repeats herself in this manner to grab and draw attention to herself much like a child would. Aside from her being just a child, perhaps she does this to distinguish herself from the other clones.


Why would VAs that have many memorable lead roles take lesser roles?

Recently, voice actor has been idle reduction.
So, maybe television stations and offices is made to use the young voice actor.

----- Postscript -----
Although it is not a story that was only to Noto's,
in Japan, as the number of years that has been active as a voice actor is longer,
rank increases and salary will be higher.
So that, the request side want to reduce the production costs,
want to aggressively hired short activities years young.

It also is might cause.


Is Non Non Biyori's location based on a real one?

The town of Asahigaoka is not explicitly based on any single real location. Of course, some location scouting in the countryside was performed for the sake of realism.1 Most anime these days engage in this activity (called "location hunting" / ロケハン) when appropriate - e.g. when they are set in modern Japan or something that looks like it.2

That said, the school the students in Non Non Biyori attend is apparently based on a real school: Ogawa Elementary's Shimosato Branch School3 in Ogawa, Saitama.4

1 See this blog post (JP), and in particular this image (JP), taken from an interview with people on the production staff.

2 Of course, some shows do use full-on model cities, e.g. Ano Hana and Ano Natsu de Matteru.

3 I believe I translated that well enough, but school nomenclature confuses me at times - the name in Japanese is 小川町立小川小学校 下里分校, lit. "Ogawa-machi Municipal Ogawa Elementary School, Shimosato Branch School".

4 For details and comparison shots, see e.g. this blog post.


How are Rikka's and Shichimiya's powers being affected?

Rikka's imaginary "powers" are a reflection of how she perceives herself. The events of the series had begun to make her question whether it was time for her to "grow up" and give up on chuuni games; this internal doubt "manifested" itself as "weakened" powers.


This is a really long shot based on the similarity to the Ghibli aesthetic mentioned above:

Could it be Tree of Palme?

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=928

It's from 2002, so it's a little earlier than you specified, and I would be amazed if this was ever shown on broadcast TV. It did get a dub and a DVD release though, so who knows?

Mushroom structures - check (sorry for the angle - I couldn't find much on google images)

Girl with cables everywhere - check

woman AND boy who merge, transform into a monster and are engulfed by tentacles (it's complicated) - check

So, do any of these characters ring any bells?


Is there a reason for the child of Maria and Mamoru to be called Messiah?

It's because Messiah is the savior or the Messiah for the Queer Rats, not the humans.

It's implied that Squealer found out (through a False Minoshiro) that the Queer Rats

   are actually genetically altered humans (mixed with the DNA of mole rats as Saki speculates at the end)

and for all intensive purposes, slaves to cantus users much like that of the Slave Dynasties (where non-cantus humans were slaves to the ruling class of cantus users). Any attempt of rebellion against the humans would be slaughter because the Queer Rats can't fight against cantus powers in the end.

Supposedly from the same source Squealer learned about the Death Feedback (and possibly what an Orge is) in which cantus-users of the 4th group have genetically altered themselves to be unable to kill other members of their own speices. we even see earlier in the series that something that looks human but isn't (like a Queer Rat in the distance) can trigger the adverse reactions of the Death Feedback.

By raising Maria and Mamoru's child as a Queer Rat (via imprinting) he/she (in the anime it's a girl, in the manga it's a boy, not sure about the novel) would not be affected by the Death Feedback when killing humans (because to Messiah he/she is a Queer Rat or that Queer Rats are human and actual humans are something else) and as described by Tomiko Asahina when she was telling Saki about when the village was in danger from an Ogre it took deceit and mutual destruction to kill a single Ogre (the doctor who killed the boy who was the Ogre ended up dying). This is even more evident when Shisei Kaburagi faced against Messiah where despite being the stronger cantus user he was weakened and killed by Messiah.

Now to my understanding Messiah as a name is never used by the humans and it's the Queer Rats, mainly Squealer, that refer to Messiah as their Messiah, their savior. Most of the humans refer to him/her as an Ogre while Saki refer her to as Maria's (and Mamoru's) Son/Daughter


In what order should I watch the Death Note movies?

There are actually 3 movies, and all 3 were released in chronological order.

Death Note

This is the first movie in which Light finds the Death Note. However, it ends before Light and Misa meet, and deviates slightly from the manga.

Death Note: The Last Name

This is when Misa and Light end up meeting and...

   L finds out Light is Kira by writing his own name in the Death Note, making him immune to Rem killing him. Thus, his death scene in front of Light was an act.

L: Change The World

This one is a spin-off set just before the end of the second movie...

   where we see L die in the last scene. The movie takes place during the time L had left before his life was to end because of him writing his name in the Death Note. This movie is also where we first see the live adaptation of Near when L takes a boy he meets to Wammy's House and names him Near.

As for the Anime Movies Death Note Relight: Visions of a God and Death Note Relight 2: L's Successors, these are in chronological order as

   the second movie is when Near and Mello appear; they only appear when L dies.

However, while they are feature-length, these are more of an abridged version of the anime, much like the first 2 Puella Magi Madoka Magica movies (though the difference is that while the 2 Madoka movies cover 12 x ~25 minute episodes, the 2 Death Note anime movies covers 37 x ~25 minute episodes).

But unlike the live-action movies, the anime movies can be considered a continuation from the anime as Ryuk is actually telling another Shinigami about his experience in the Human World when he was with Light,

   and there is a fan theory that says that the Shinigami is Light. However, the rules of the Death Note invalidate this theory.


Why did Apollo want Bell Cranel for his familia?

Based solely on what was shown in the anime, the suggestion that comes from the banquet in episode 1 of DanMachi II is that:

Back when the gods still lived up in their own world, Apollo tried to woo Hestia and she turned him down.
Apollo says he is definitely not still holding a grudge about being turned down.
Everyone knows that Apollo holds grudges forever, and tends to take disproportionate retribution against those who did him wrong.

From that, the assumption is that Apollo is still annoyed that Hestia didn't go out with him, and in response he's waited all this time for Hestia to have something that she loves dearly, so that he can take it from her.


I believe that the tricycle belonged to a child of the lvl 5 gastrea when it was still a human hence sensing the child through the tricycle itself


What does Kyon mean by a classified information that can't be said on TV in episode 13 (the 2nd day of Endless Eight)?

Rather than an in-joke, I saw this more as Kyon making a connection to the common phenomenon of television networks censor bleeping out inappropriate words, most commonly with that 1000 Hz tone sound.

Television programs can also use euphemisms to censor content—for example, in the Breaking Bad episode of Mythbusters, they used "special sauce" to refer to a key chemical ingredient that they didn't want audience members knowing. I guess Kyon observed that the way Asahina uses "classified information" is similar to how TV networks censor certain things.

The anime and the written material don't seem particularly different in their presentation of this scene. For comparison:

Novel ("Endless Eight" chapter of The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya):

  I should mention that Asahina at least tried to explain. To the accompaniment of intermittent sobs.

  "Sniff, um...I normally use <classified information> to contact the future...sniff. But after a week without <classified information>, I was starting to wonder if something was wrong. And then <classified information>... I was so surprised that I tried to <classified information> in a rush, but there wasn't any <classified information>...sob. Hic. What do I do...?"

  I have no idea what you should do, but does that <classified information> work like some kind of censor?

Anime (episode 13):

You've gotta watch what you say on television, eh... This question reminded me of Kaguya-sama episode 4.


This would be the Nine Tailed Fox Cloak that Naruto learned to control just before/during the Fourth (I believe) Great Shinobi War.


What is happening at the end of the Another manga?

Well from my understanding of the anime, the Calamity is only stopped for that year. It will occur again, so the figure could be who will become the next Extra in the class.

Apart from that, my only other basis is the top left frame, if the seating positions are the same in the manga then figure where is sitting in Mei's seat which the class uses as a counter measure to make someone non existent and, I think it is also the same seat of the first student who died, but was allowed to graduate which caused the Calamity to begin the year after.

of course take this with a grain of salt since

   the anime ends with 2 people of the class re-recording the message in how to stop the calamity as a means to prevent the insanity that engulfed the class when the original recording was made public

i've no idea how different the anime is from the manga or the Light Novel


What song is played when Ace is questioning why everyone came to save him in episode 468?

Medwyn Goodall - Inside the Dragons Lair -
A Wooden Door Opens onto the Balcony That Overlooks the Monks at Service.


In Japanese schools, typically they have set of outdoor street shoes and indoor shoes called "Uwabaki." Inside, there are typically individual shelves or lockers for everyone's shoes. These shelves/lockers will occasionally have a space for students to put and swap their outdoor shoes for their indoor shoes. This is typically done to keep the floor from being marred by outside elements and maintain its polish for a longer period of time.

The general idea (depicted in anime and manga) of bullying is to either steal them (and toss them away or place them in an inconvenient place) or fill them with tacks or garbage (sometimes also defacing them). The purpose is usually humiliate them and/or cause them distress without actual confrontation. The sandals she wears are probably her indoor shoes, and the idea is probably to take enjoyment in humiliating her by making her walk home without shoes or in her indoor shoes. In essence, the idea of this is to shame the bullied victim (who typically react passively), who loses dignity/"face", which elevates the ego/status of the bully or bullies.


Name of the song that plays in episode 6 and 21?

episode 6 around 12:20

The title is School Festival!

  episode 21 around 13:02

The title is Alone, sung by Hitomi.

  Where can I obtain this song?

Well both song included in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Original Soundtrack 2, you can purchase the copy in some online store, such as this one in Amazon. Or if you mean where you can hear it online, hard to decide the legality of the source, so I don't think it can be put here.


Why does Nana have to eat bananas with their skins on as a condition to use her powers?

Every character in Banana no Nana has a "Risk", some kind of condition they have to fulfill in order to keep using their powers. (Most of which, by some odd coincidence, seem to involve fan service.) Nana's is to eat bananas with the skin on. Her friend Ringo, the one forcefeeding her the banana in the above scene, has to wear a miniskirt in order to keep her leg powers. (This allows us and Nana to see her panties every time she uses her kicking attacks.) The first chapter's villain, in exchange for water powers, has to stay in the bath almost all the time, so she has a pair of thugs who carry her around in a bathtub when she goes out.

The only explanation up to the point I've reached is that these conditions are imposed by God in return for the powers. God also puts limits on the strength of powers, but some people, including Ringo, can break these limits under certain conditions. (Ringo's is getting angry.)


If there's only one of each fruit, how could Blackbeard recognize the "Dark Dark" fruit?

I can't recall exactly when this was said during the series, but as the WIKI says here, when the user dies, the fruit he ate simply regenerates inside the closest appropriate fruit the same place where the user died and their ability is reborn into another fruit of the same kind instead of growing from a plant.

It's only my assumption but maybe CP9 did not know what the capabilities of their new fruit were because they were not so rare.

I think Blackbeard followed the progress of the user of Dark Fruit, so he knew when and where it is.


Spoilers for the second half of Fate/Zero:

   After the defeat of Caster in episode 15, Kayneth goes to the church (in episode 16) and asks Kirei's dad for a Command Spell as a reward for having helped defeat Caster (not that he did a damn thing; that was all Lancer). Kirei's dad agrees and gives him a Command Spell. At more or less the same time, Maiya abducts Sola-Ui and also cuts off her arm with the Command Spells. Lancer returns to Kayneth at this point, no longer able to locate Sola-Ui now that her Command Spells have been severed.

 Saber (with Irisviel) happens upon Lancer at this point and they start dueling. Meanwhile, a bit away from the duel, Kiritsugu shows up with Sola-Ui's body and proposes a geis to Kayneth - Kiritsugu will leave Sola-Ui with Kayneth and shall nevermore harm either of them, provided that Kayneth uses up all his Command Spells and orders Lancer to commit suicide. Kayneth agrees, since that appears to be the only way out of the situation, and compels Lancer to kill himself. Kayneth breathes a sigh of relief, since he and Sola-Ui are now safe from Kiritsugu and Saber.

 Of course, Maiya is lying in wait with a sniper rifle, and kills Kayneth and Sola-Ui immediately thereafter. She wasn't bound by the geis, after all. Sucks to be Kayneth.

 In any case, only a few minutes at most pass between the geis taking effect and Kayneth/Sola-Ui being assassinated by Maiya (which renders the geis moot). The geis emphatically was not in effect at any time before that, and as such did not impact Kiritsugu/Saber's previous fights with Kayneth/Lancer.


What is the difference between Shonen'ai, JUNE, Yaoi and Boys' love?

Shounen-Ai
Literally translated means boys love. However, in these type of series, it usually represents an innocent, non sexual nature of homosexuality.
Ex- 7-Ghosts.

(Taken from wikipedia)

  The term shōnen-ai (boy love) originally connoted ephebophilia or pederasty in Japan, but from the early 1970s to the late 1980s, was used to describe a new genre of shōjo manga, primarily produced by the Year 24 Group of women authors, about beautiful boys in love. Characteristics of shōnen-ai include exoticism, often taking place in Europe, and idealism. Jeffrey Angles particularly notes Moto Hagio's The Heart of Thomas (1974) and Keiko Takemiya's Kaze to Ki no Uta (1976-1984) as being groundbreaking, noting their portrayal of intense friendship between males, including jealousy and desire.

June- This name actually comes from a specific manga magazine and it cannot be said as a genre or demographic per se.

(From Wikipedia)

  A manga or text story with male homosexual themes for women written in an aesthetic (耽美 tanbi) style, named for the Juné magazine.

Yaoi

  Yaoi (/ˈjaʊi/, Japanese: [ja.o.i]), also known as Boys' Love (BL), is a Japanese genre of fictional media focusing on romantic or sexual relationships between male characters, typically aimed at a female audience and usually created by female authors. Although yaoi is typically aimed at a female audience, the genre also attracts some male readers; however, manga aimed at a gay male audience (bara) is considered a separate genre.

Boys Love

Yaoi and Boys-Love are basically the same thing and can be used interchangeably


How much did the Re:Zero anime adapt the light novel and did it skip any content?

They skipped a particular loop in the anime when Subaru went to the mansion to warn about the incoming witch cultist attack.

In this loop,

   Subaru tries to convince the mansion residence to evacuate. When he tried to convince Beatrice to move out, he failed and learned a slight clue about who Beatrice really is. Then he was killed by the witch cultist later on and restart again.


Why does Sasuke have 6 dots on his Rinnegan

The dots you're mentioning is actually called Tomoe, like you said, it is usually formed on Sharingan. Rinnegan are usually characterized by light purple irides with a ripple-pattern that spreads over the eyeball, a few well-known wielders are Pain (not really though), Nagato and Madara.

Back to the question, recall that Sasuke received half of Hagoromo's (aka Sage of Six Paths) chakra, thus awakened the Rinnegan. The Rinnegan Sasuke has is quite unique, it has 6 tomoe split between its first two ripples, this doesn't mean nothing, it indicates the Rinnegan is fully charged. What's the difference between a typical Rinnegan and a fully charged Rinnegan you ask? Well, it's simple. Fully charged Rinnegan wielder like Sasuke gains abilities typical Rinnegan wielders don't have. About the abilities, I bet you knew it already.

Sasuke cannot use the Rinnegan full abilities if he overuses it. At this point, the tomoe will disappear, preventing him from using its full power. Sasuke will keep his left eye closed until it is fully recharged. Sasuke is still able to use the powers of his Mangekyo Sharingan with his Rinnegan, but cannot use or form the Mangekyo in his other eye when it is recharging. (See the image, the Mangekyo doesn't form on his right eye when he loses Rinnegan's charge, and it is formed again when the Rinnegan is fully charged. This is also stated on Narutopedia.)

Here you can see it happen in the manga.


What determines the Abilities of a Contractor?

It seems to be randomized as to what kind of power you get. If you could "pick" your power, every Contractor would logically choose things like shooting giant laser beams. Same with the remuneration, although it sometimes seems to be things that the Contractor hates, like the woman who hates smoking who had to eat cigarretes.


What is the reference in the scene where the husband says "I don't mind at all"?

By searching for the phrase that the husband is saying 私【わたし｝は一向{いっこう】に構｛かま｝わん. This image turns up in the search:

From http://diarynote.jp/data/blogs/l/20081228/75450_200812280302078062_1.jpg

The striking resemblance in the style of jaw muscles is enough to confirm the reference.

These entries on Japanese Wikipedia article and Nico Nico Pedia confirms that he is Retsu Kaioh （烈海王） from Baki the Grappler （グラップラー刃牙）.

Regarding his habit of saying "I don't mind at all!" (わたしは一向にかまわんッッ), from the Japanese Wikipedia article:

  劇中の登場人物の中でも、自己鍛錬や強敵との戦いに対する執念の度合いは屈指のレベルを有し、傍目には無謀な挑戦を持ちかけられても「わたしは一向に構わん」と返答するのが口癖と化しているが、これは彼自身の性格や性情のみならず、まだ「海王」の称号を頂く以前に起こった出来事にも起因している節がある。

Rough translation:

  Even among the characters in the story, he possesses an extreme obsession for self-training and fighting against formidable opponent. Although it has become a habit for him to recklessly reply with "I don't mind at all" when approached with a challenge, objectively speaking, this does not only comes from his own personality and nature, but also comes from a principle he started before he got his Kaioh (海王 Sea King) title.


Is there a difference between Clones and Shadow Clones?

Long story short clones does not have any chakra release and cant attack someone whereas shadow clones have chakra release and can attack.Thats why it is easy for Byakugan to distinguish between clones but hard between shadow clones.


Did Death know Blair was a cat and not a witch?

From what I remember, the 99 souls were not actually confiscated. Because the 100th soul he ate was a cat's, he had to repeat the whole process of hunting 99 red souls again.

Think of this as a "soul-meter", the goal is to fill it up to 100 (99 being red souls and a soul of a witch). Initially, he had 99 souls already eaten, and he had one more soul to go.
He then mistakenly ate a cat soul, thinking it was a witch. This caused the gauge to drop back to zero.


Why is Gintama considered a 'Sci-Fi' genre anime?

As mentioned on the Wikipedia article on Science Fiction:

  Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel universes and extraterrestrial life.

Hence, Gintama is a Sci-Fi anime based on its:

Futuristic Settings & Extraterrestrial Life:

  Gintama depicts Edo after it had been conquered by the aliens, and how it looks after they brought modern-day technology into a samurai country of ages past.Source

Inusei Amanto have been around in the Gintama world for over 20 years and have brought with them modern technology and led to new laws being enforced such as the ban on swords. Many other races of Amanto (aliens) have been introduced throughout the series such as Yato tribe, Shinra tribe, Royal tribe, among others.

There are even floating mobile cities in the series such as Dragon Palace City (before it descended into the sea and remained there forever).
Futuristic Science & Technology:

  The items featured in Gintama range far and wide from traditional japanese items to incredible sci-fi machinations.Source

Most futuristic of the items shown in Gintama series has to be the presence of fully functioning maid-robots like Tama. While robots do exist in our time, they are not yet available on sale for household-purposes, and none are as functional as Tama.There was even a robot named Saburou which was built by Hiraga Gensai.

Another aspect of futuristic science and technology is seen in making of space shuttles, which are a very common occurrence in the Gintama series and enable space travel as mentioned below.
Space Travel:

While only shown a few times in the series, space travelling is common throughout the series with Amanto, along with some humans in space travelling all the time from one location to another. It's so common that there even exist "Space Pirates" Harusame

Hence, while Gintama does not revolve around the Sci-Fi genre like other Sci-Fi anime such as Steins;Gate, the elements of Sci-Fi are present throughout the series. As put here:

  Being based in ancient Japan after its invasion by aliens, the series manages to mix more historic items such as katana and traditonal style architecture with modern ideas like convenience stores, mopeds and television, not to mention the rather liberal application of science fiction, primarily Edo's terminal station which features high tech design, numberous airships nearby and some form of teleporter system. Over all, Gintama somehow manages to bring together these three styles into the working world of Gintoki and his friends.


Does Adolf Hitler have a counterpart in Fullmetal Alchemist 2003's Amestris?

I think its Roy Mustang, he wants to be the Führer, and turn Amestris in a "Democracy", but we dont know what is a democracy to Amestrians and what kind of Democracy is it. It can be a "Aristocratic Authoritarian Democracy" like one of Gottfried Feder´s (creator of the National Socialism and the first economist of the Reich, a genius) possible State system planned to Germany, that Would exist an One Party Parliament, and the Candidates for Führer would be selected for capacity and competence (technical evaluation), and the people would vote for the best candidate, and the chosen one would turn into Führer of Germany. Thats an advanced mode of democracy in my vision, and it can be one of the possibilities of "Roy Mustang´s Democracy".
Ok thats only a theory (and a mad one XD), but would be interesthing XD
I know the age of Mustantg and Hitler are not the same, but Some characters dont have the same age, so... whatever, thank you for reading.


What chapter of the light novel does the anime Mondaiji-tachi end on?

The animation covers vol. 1 and 2 so you can safely start from Vol. 3 onwards. Though it would be in your best interests to start from the beginning since as any adaptation, there's a lot more world-building in the novels and it can help explain some of the stuff that was a bit dodgy in the anime adaptation. But all in all, it was quite a decent adaptation with very little pacing issues in my opinion so you can safely start from Vol. 3, I started reading from there back then but it was more of a compromise since they didn't translate the first 2 volumes until later on.


What changes were made to Shirobako episode 6?

I've watched the original (now pulled) and the edited version (currently on CrunchyRoll). The only change I noticed was with regards to the dialogue in the play which Shizuka attends, about 11 minutes into the episode. The original dialogue was clearly taken from Samuel Beckett's famous play Waiting for Godot. This play is still copyrighted. To make things worse, as is described in the Wikipedia article linked, Beckett was strongly opposed to having female actors cast in the play, which the episode has. While the amount of the original it used was quite small (there's only about 15 seconds of dialogue), Japanese copyright law has no fair use policy, and so this could still be an issue.

The modified version only changed the dialogue during the play. Rather than taking lines from the original, the new dialogue is a noticeable reference to Waiting for Godot, but not taken directly from the play. The animation did not seem to have been modified, so the characters' lips didn't exactly match the new dialogue; this will likely be fixed in the final DVD version.

The references to Space Runaway Ideon seem to be unchanged. Both the original and new version called it "Idepon". While many initially suspected that these were the source of trouble, the Godot references seem to have been the bigger problem.


Does Drachma play any role in FMA beyond being what Briggs defended against?

In-universe, Fort Briggs exists because of Drachma; they are the only line of defense keeping the Drachmans from breaking the non-aggression pact.

Out-of-universe, it's the exact opposite: Drachma was added so that Fort Briggs had a reason to exist and to house one the toughest army around. Considering the allusion to Russia (Drachma shares many similarities), it is likely that it was to be seen as a powerful force. In order to have a powerful Amestrian army which was still isolated from Central, they had to be given their power from an outside, independent source: Drachma.

Drachma does play a further role, though. Starting at the end of episode 42 (Brotherhood), they launch an attack against Fort Briggs.

   Kimblee, doing what he does best, leads the Drachman army into a trap, claiming that Fort Briggs is weakened by the absence of General Armstrong and that he has men inside who will bring down the army from within.  The latter is a lie and the former is not a weakness, and Kimblee knows this; Kimblee, assisting Father indirectly, is creating a blood seal as one of the main components of the Nationwide Transmutation Circle. In this way, Drachma is necessary; the soldiers that die here are crucial for creating the blood seal, just as they were in the other major wartime conflicts that Falman explains to Ed.

Aside from justifying the Briggs fortress and army, and creating this wartime conflict, Drachma has no direct role in the events of Fullmetal Alchemist.


A quick Google search led me to this page, where you can find a full list of mechas from the Macross franchise (a quick browse through some pages there showed me that not all mecha have schematics there). For example, this page in particular has all the details for the "Centinental/Kransmann MBR-07-Mk II Spartan Main Battle Robot", along with some perspectives and schematics.

Searching Google for "anime mecha schematics" also shows a lot of results (many of them are from the website referred above):

Some of them even seem to be rather detailed, like this one (despite its small size):

You can always follow the images to their source, and possibly find some more results that may interest you.

I also found this other site where you can find some other drawings of mecha from some series, including Gundam. In this one, p.e., you can find schematics for the cockpit (in the bottom):

I also found this forum, where you may find something if you have some time and patience (I didn't). For instance, in this thread I found this drawing from Gunbuster.

For Escaflowne in particular, however, I was not able to find anything.


How popular is the light novel of Mahouka Rettousei Koukou in Japan?

In terms of light novels, it seems to be the best selling series of 2014. Based on sales surveyed from November 18, 2013 to November 16, 2014, it ranks #1 with an estimated 1,599,614 copies sold.

However, if you look at individual volumes, Mahouka Rettousei no Koukou volume 13 ranked #5 with 226,371 copies sold. In comparison, Kagerou Daze V -the deceiving- ranked #1 and sold 398,038.

Hope that answers your question.

Sources: Anime News Network Top-Selling Light Novels in Japan by Series: 2014 & Anime News Network Top-Selling Light Novels in Japan by Volume: 2014


Why didn't Minato make himself also the Yin-Kurama jinchuuriki?

Naruto chapter 503, page 17:

Minato decided to seal Kurama into Naruto, primarily because of Jiraiya's words about the "Child of Prophecy", thinking/knowing that Naruto could utilize the Tailes Beast's power to be the saviour of the ninja world.
Minato tells Kushina that sealing the complete Kyuubi was not physically possible and they had to split the beast into the Yin and Yang halves for the sealing. Also, the entire Nine Tails' chakra was too immense to be sealed into an infant.
Kushina was dying because of the Tailed Beast extraction and therefore she wasn't capable (or wouldn't survive) of becoming a Jinchuriki again.

Due to the aforementioned reasons, Minato decided to seal the Yang half into Naruto (so Naruto could harness the power for good) and the Yin half into himself (as sealing the entire Kurama wasn't possible).

EDIT:

Minato and Kushina decided that Naruto could become the said child of prophecy with the power of the Kyuubi. Since the entire Kyuubi couldn't be sealed into the infant Naruto, Minato had to use the Reaper Death Seal. So the Kurama's power could be brought down to seal him into Naruto. Also, the Reaper Death Seal allowed Minato to choose which half of Kurama should be sealed into Naruto.

So essentially, Minato did become the Yin Kurama's jinchuriki and remained that way. But the loss of using the Reaper Death Seal is that, it seals the user's life too. Minato sealed Yang Kurama into Naruto by becoming Yin Kurama's jinchuriki and at the cost of his life.


What artbook is this image of an angel girl from?

According to imageboards Zerochan and E-ShuuShuu the artist is Tinkle (possible under the alias of Tinkerbell).
It was published in "Angel Ring" which seems to match with the text at the bottom of the pages you posted. Toranoana still has the sale page for it up despite it being sold out, and one of the pages you posted is part of the preview.
*=You can click on either button to view the page. There is no NSFW content on that specific page, but the site does also sell 18+ stuff. Since this page is SFW, it doesn't matter if you say you are over/under 18 on the prompt page.
My translation, based on the higher quality text that Krazer posted:

An angel girl. I went for the image of someone wearing a costume for a photographer rather than the image of a real angel. I love her baby doll features and semi-transparent clothes.
This is a devil girl. Since she's a bit older than the angel girl, her clothes are also a little more revealing. ...But I guess they're not so different anyway.


The meaning of "Project-118" is the sum of the name of the staffs in the planning stage converted to numbers.
It was explained in the "Nagi no Asukara" Special Staff Talk Show (凪のあすから　汐鹿生大宴会 ―「凪のあすから」スペシャルスタッフトークショー) on April 19, 2014. Some tweets from it:

澤村・スク水・英梨々 @nanoexpTS2
Project118の意味。辻さん 凪のあすからの企画段階のメンバーの名前を数字に変換して足したら118だった。検索してみたら、海上保安庁の番号だった。[...]
The meaning of Project118. Tsuji (ed. the Animation Producer) said that if the name of the staffs in the planning stage of Nagi no Asukara is converted to numbers and then summed, the total is 118. Searching about it, it is the number of Japan Coast Guard. [...]

しらこ @srcsn
Project-118の118の意味は、製作決定当初のスタッフさんの名前をあてたものを足して118になったとか。[...] …ちなみに118は海上保安なんたらの番号らしく、海という共通点が偶然にも。
The meaning of 118 in Project-118 is, when the name of the staffs at the beginning of production decision is "matched"(?), the sum is 118. [...] ... By the way, looks like 118 is the number of Japan Coast Guard something, having "sea" as a common point is a coincidence.
(emphasis mine, archived from togetter (Japanese))

However, they didn't explain further about the conversion and who the staffs are.
It might be possible as nhahtdh's comment to calculate the kanji strokes of the name (example: 辻充仁 is 5 + 6+4=15), but it's also possible to use goroawase (example: 辻充仁, Mitsuhito Tsuji is 3+2+1+10 + 2+10 = 28 [or any other possible combinations]). But at this point, both are only speculation though.


When does episode 9 of one punch man air?

According to

LiveChart.Me and opm_anime

  Today's broadcast of One Punch Man has been cancelled due to the French Open. Episode #21 will air next week on June 11t

  「全仏OPテニス2019」編成により、本日予定していた「ワンパンマン」# 21「最強の悩み」放送配信は休止となりました。次回の放送予定は6/11（火）25:35～です。申し訳ございませんがご了承ください。錦織圭選手×ナダル選手を応援しましょう！ #onepunchman


What is the connection between the Cowboy Bebop anime and the movie?

Nothing that happens in the movie is essential to what happens in episodes 23 and 24. In fact, the movie came out over 2 years after the series was finished, so there wasn't really room to add more plot before the ending. Since the ending of Cowboy Bebop is deliberately ambiguous, there was no room for a movie after the events of episode 23 began, so putting it before episode 23 was necessary and the simplest choice is between 22 and 23.

I would argue that the placement of the movie in the chronology isn't all that important, though. Cowboy Bebop is pretty episodic for most of its run, and the stories could be reordered without seriously affecting the feel of the show. Chronological order is mostly irrelevant for the series as a whole (with a few notable exceptions). Likewise, the placement of the movie doesn't make a big difference. There are a number of places it could be placed in the chronology consistently, but putting it before episode 23 was the simplest. In fact, a few people I know watched the movie after episode 24, which obviously doesn't work chronologically, but they didn't think they missed anything by viewing it in that order.


I'm promoting my comment above to an answer. What she says in every instance she talks is 「まじひくわー」, or majihikuwaa.

Here, maji (まじ) means "really" or "seriously". It's a very strong, almost superlative way of modifying whatever follows, so it's literal meaning might be closer to "profoundly" or "incredibly", but it's far more colloquial than those.

Hiku (引く) is a common verb which has several possible meanings. The meaning here is a rather colloquial one, which literally means something like "to reel back in disgust or fear". The use of the verb in an unconjugated form here is rather casual, and would not be done in polite speech.

The sentence ends with waa (わー). wa is a feminine way to end a sentence (see this question on Japanese SE). It's relatively uncommon in real life. It doesn't add much meaning here. Making the vowel long at the end just emphasizes the statement while making it less polite.

So in all, 「まじひくわー」 is a slang phrase which means something to the effect of "That's seriously gross". I'm simplifying things a bit here as the meaning could change a bit depending on context, how it's pronounced, etc., but it's always going to be a rather strong, course slang expression of disgust.


Why do Japanese live-action adaptations appear to have extremely similar artistic direction to their manga/anime source material?

I probably have not watched enough live-action drama TV series and film adaptions of manga to verify whether or not they do, for the most part, bear extremely similar artistic direction to their manga/anime source material; however, this is not surprising if it is indeed the case.

The reason it is not surprising is that Japanese culture values sticking with tradition and establishing traditions. This is why their traditional arts such as tea ceremony, ikebana, kimono manufacture, and sumi-e painting are not interested in "innovation" but rather pride themselves in remaining unchanged in technique and materials/tools.

Most Japanese companies follow a tradition of doing things procedurally as they have been done up until now; they are generally averse to streamlining, experimenting, and risk-taking (this is the launching point for the plot of the TV drama 「フリーター、家を買う。」 [Part-Time Worker Buys a House]: Take Seiji quits his job after only 3 months because his company will not allow any newbies to suggest improvements to make operations more efficient).

The Takarazuka Revue all-female theatre company has adapted a number of manga titles into stage musicals. Once they create choreography for the musical, it becomes tradition and every single performance of the same show must be danced using the exact same choreography as the first production. A prime example is Versailles no Bara, which has, arguably, very out-dated, over-dramatic and poorly-choreography dances and battle scenes from the very first production in 1974, but despite adapting the manga into a variety of perspectives (i.e. Oscar and Andre version, Oscar version, Andre version, Fersen and Marie Antoinette version, Girodelle version, Alain version, Bernard version, etc.), no dance moves can be revised for the revivals (when the company stages the show again for a new run with a new cast).

In this vein, for live-action adaptions of manga to attempt to replicate with live actors the scenes and "camera angles" that the mangaka made and which the fans already love matches Japanese tradition. Another way to think of it is loyalty. Japan has a solid history of respect for doujinshi and other doujin works, so if you want to take someone else's work and adapt it liberally, you are free to do that (some professional mangaka do draw doujinshi of manga by others); if you want to make an official adaption, it makes sense to be true to it and meet fan expectations and hopes.

Another aspect of Japanese culture is the concept of accuracy, meticulousness, and painstaking attention to fine details. Although Japan does not invent as many products as some other countries do, they have a tendency to take someone else's invention and greatly improve upon it in small details (for example, the automobile) and have thus gained a global reputation for quality technology. This penchant for aiming for precision and correctness would also lend itself to depicting a beloved work as respectfully and exactly as possible.


Does the Rinnegan have different abilities depending on the user?

Madara's eyes were the first to awaken the Rinnegan. He then transplanted them into Nagato. Obito took one of the Rinnegan eyes and transplanted into himself.

  The Rinnegan offers a vast array of techniques:

Absorption Soul Technique
Amenotejikara
Animal Path
Asura Attack
Asura Path
Banshō Ten'in
Blocking Technique Absorption Seal
Chakra Receiver Manifestation
Chibaku Tensei
Demonic Statue Chains
Deva Path
Flaming Arrow of Amazing Ability
Genjutsu: Rinnegan
Human Path
Indra's Arrow
Limbo: Border Jail
Naraka Path
Outer Path
Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique
Preta Path
Shinra Tensei
Six Paths Technique
Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal
Six Paths of Pain
Six Paths — Chibaku Tensei
Six Red Yang Formation
Summoning Rinnegan
Summoning: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path
Tengai Shinsei

First we look at Nagato's case.

Nagato inherited both the eyes through transplantation. Meaning: those weren't his original eyes. He was capable of using several of the above mentioned techniques.But not all. From Nagato's wiki article (emphasis by me):

  Though he was not the eyes' original owner, being an Uzumaki allowed him to use the Rinnegan to their full potential

Obito took one of Nagato's eyes as a replacement. He was seen using several techniques too. From Obito Uchiha's wiki article (emphasis by me):

  Although he used only one eye and was not its original owner, Obito nevertheless gained a great deal of power from it. He is capable performing all of the Six Paths Techniques with the Rinnegan, but he is only ever seen using abilities of the Outer Path: he can summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, create chakra chains to restrain targets, and use Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to revive the dead in exchange for his life.

Obito and Nagato were seen to have almost the same set of Rinnegan skills (Rinne-Rebirth, Six Paths of Pain Techniques, etc.), although Nagato was better experienced with their use.
From the above, it is safe to presume that the Rinnegan's abilities don't have different set of Rinnegan-based skills. Since Nagato and Obito aren't the original owner(s) of the eyes, there is a certain degree of extent to which they can use the Rinnegan eyes.

From the Rinnegan wiki article:

  The various abilities of the Rinnegan remain intact upon being transplanted into another individual, but only when both eyes are wielded by the original owner can their full power be accessed.

Hence Madara-

  Because Madara was the eyes' original owner, only he could use them to their fullest power.

This also explains how he was able to use Limbo, as he was the real owner and knows techniques of the Rinnegan better.

Coming to Sasuke's Rinnegan, it is practically the same as the standard Rinnegan .

Conclusion: The Rinnegan abilities don't differ from shinobi to shinobi. It is kinda like, the original owner has the complete mastery over it whereas the ones who borrow it have a piece of the action.

Note: Rinnegan and Rinne-Sharingan are not the same.

Sume-mase's answer is wrong because :

Kaguya and Sasuke's dojutsu aren't the same. Kaguya has the Rinne-Sharingan while Sasuke has a Rinnegan (evolved from a Sharingan).
Sasuke having the tomoe pattern on his Rinnegan has nothing to do with Kaguya. If it had been like that , Madara's Rinnegan would also have the tomoe pattern.


What is the song playing in Naruto Shippuden episode 121 when Itachi and Kisame are walking together?

The song you're referring to is Itachi's theme song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXLfg2ry_F4


To simply answer your question. No he cannot sleep. I found the below referenced in the fma wikia here.

  Additionally, his armor body has several combat advantages including - strengthened offense and defense, imperviability to bullets, inexhaustible stamina, invulnerability against extreme temperatures and an exemption from needing to breathe, eat or sleep.

Although, it only states that there is no need for him to sleep. I am 100% sure that in the anime, Alphonse explains Elric about the horror of not able to sleep and the pain he suffers in solitude. It is a very sad situation that almost makes you want to die.

EDIT:

Found the below content here

  During the night, after Edward's emergency surgery was completed successfully, Alphonse discovered the true tragedy of his new body. Incapable of physical sensation and sleep, he began to feel detached from others and lamented the long solitude of restless night.

This clearly states his disability to sleep.


What is being shown in this Bleach panel?

Rotate the image around and it's a bit clearer how things must be oriented.  Note that left-right has been reversed in this rotation, but it preserves the chronological order of the strips and puts them in the correct vertical orientation.

The ground must be the white bit we start with to explain the position of Orihime's knee/hand and how the tears (possibly blood) are falling and impacting the initial white surface.  Ichigo would be on his side on the ground, or on his back or chest with his head turned to the side.  The second strip shows one of her spirits and the initial activation of Soten Kisshun.  In the third and fourth strips Soten Kisshun is fully deployed.  Since we can't see the corner/spirit anymore, Ichigo has probably tilted his head to see what's going on.  Possibly the second panel is very early in the activation, in which case the spirit may still be in transit.  But given the curvature in the third strip and how the maximum is obtained to the right (in the mirrored directions), it seems more likely that Ichigo has tried to move/tilt his head.  In the third strip you can see Orihime's knee as she kneels by Ichigo to try to heal/protect him.  Possibly it is her hand, as the blood/tears in the fourth strip seem more plausible to me if she is leaning forward on her hand a bit and her head is just off-screen while most of her body is behind it.

The next page makes it clear that, yes, Ichigo is on his chest with his head to his side.

The page after that makes Orihime's position a little less clear: yes, she's on her knees (not leaning forward on her hands) and crying, but the orientation of things makes it seem like Ichigo is (well) behind her, such that it's hard to explain how Ichigo sees her apparently being close and also behind Soten Kisshun's effect.  She even turns her head to look behind her when Ichigo gets up in Hollow form.  Possibly this is just an issue with perspective that Kubo and the artists overlooked.


Is it possible for a genin to become a jonin?

In the Road to Ninja movie, Naruto tried to get a recommendation from Iruka for promotion to Jōnin, but was refused.  Iruka said that Naruto had to become a Chūnin before he could become a Jōnin.

  Iruka: so, what did you want to talk about?

  Naruto: Um, Iruka-sensei, uh, listen, you think you can submit a Jonin application for me?

  Iruka: What?

  Naruto: It's just that all of my other classmates are going to have their parents fill out applications for them, and, well, I, uh...

  Iruka: Nope, sorry. I won't.

  Naruto: But why not?

  Iruka: Because that step is supposed to come after you become a chunin. Sure you saved us from Pain, and everyone calls you the "Hero of the Hidden Leaf", but I can't give you special treatment.  I mean, even your Dad worked his way up through the ranks - from Genin, to Chunin, to Jonin, to become Hokage. Then he went on to became a Hero.

  Naruto: hmm, to become just a face carved into a rock.

Update: In the Naruto Shippuden anime, Episode 413 - Hopes Entrusted to the Future shows that it is possible for a Genin to be promoted to Jōnin under special circumstances.

Lee, Tenten, and Negi did not complete the original requirements of the second Chūnin Exam.  They returned with 2 "Heaven" scrolls instead of "Heaven" and "Earth" scrolls:

  Lee: [places two heaven scrolls on the table] Please accept these.

  Proctor: Two "Heaven" scrolls are not acceptable!

  Lee: Oh, but that's--! [slaps table]

  Proctor: No, no, no!

  Lee: I can't reveal any details, but there were extraordinary circumstances that prevented us from collecting scrolls!  Please ask Lord Kazekage!

  Proctor: It doesn't matter what circumstances there were. No means no!

Gaara later rescinded that requirement when he cancelled the Third exam after he and Fū were attacked in an attempt to steal their tailed beasts:

  Temari: Cancel the Third exam?

  Gaara: I'm sorry. I can't go into details, but this is a domestic matter within the Sand.

  Shikamaru: Then how do we determine who passed the Chunin Exams?

  Gaara: We've prepared detailed reports about each team's performance in the Second Exam.  I'd like the respective villages to use them to decide whether their participants should be promoted to chunin.

  [later, when addressing the exam participants...]

  Gaara: Therefore, I deem the Third Exam unnecessary... Furthermore, I am rescinding part of the requirements for the Second Exam... For each of you standing here right now, a detailed report of your performance will be sent to your respective villages.  Your Kage will make the final decision on your promotion.

Based on that report, Lady Tsunade "double-promotes" Negi to Jōnin:

  Tsunade: I've gone over your Second Exam reports. And... Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Choji, Ino, and Sakura... You six passed with flying colors and are promoted to chunin!

  [cheers]

  ...

  Tsunade: [looking at Tenten, Negi, and Lee] Finally, although they did not collect two scrolls, they performed admirably... and are more than qualified for promotion.  Lee and Tenten, you are now chunin.

  Lee: Lady Tsunade!  Team Guy is one for all, all for one!  How can Neji not be included...?!

  Tsunade: Just let me finish!  Neji Hyuga is given a special double promotion to jonin!  The Kazekage himself noted, "In particular, Neji's performance was most impressive and due consideration has been given in this report."  He's already proven himself to be more than capable as a chunin.


What happens when a devil fruit eater is asleep?

As far as I know Oda sensei never clarified this topic so we can only speculate until he does. Anyway, I found some related answers in Yahoo! Japan Chiebukuro that discusses it and would like to share.

Difference between sleeping and being unconscious

  If Sugar is the DS console and the people turned into toys are the software, then I think "sleep mode" is sleeping and being "switched off" is being unconscious.

DS above refers to Nintendo DS of course. So basically the answerer is guessing that the effects of Sugar's powers are not cancelled if/when she sleeps as she is only on standby and not entirely "switched off".

Why was Sugar's power undone when she fainted?

  It's not just Sugar whose power became undone after fainting. It was true with Moria and the others too. The bodies that Law switched using Shambles, would probably return to normal too if he fainted. Sleeping and fainting are different. Probably it's that kind of system.

The answerer is guessing that sleeping and fainting are probably treated differently in One Piece.

Personally, I think it's also possible that some characters in One Piece do not need to sleep at all! Anything is possible in that universe. :)


What are the origins of Naruto's stomach's double tetragram seal?

I can't seem to find any official information as to where the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style originated or was based on.

However, here's a theory.

As you may know, Naruto has many influences from Buddhism and Hinduism: the Multiple Lotus Nonself Connected Cannons, The Six Paths of Pain, Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes and the Chakra, to name a few, were based on Buddhist and Hinduist beliefs.

With that, I say that it's possible it might be inspired from the Dharmachakra or the wheel of Dhamma. A comparison of the seals are shown below:

According to Wikipedia, it is connected to the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, both of which are teachings to help a person escape the painful cycle of rebirth, if I understand correctly.