I WANT TO EAT A NUT OF LAERMA!

I worked very hard translating this list in this thread, on the Anime Nation forum, so I want to put it in a place where I can easily find it, for future reference:

Studio Pierrot ranking... (set browsers to Japanese...)

Hmm... someone pointed out to me that Studio Pierrot, one of the top individual animation studios in Japan, was celebrating its 25th anniversary, and, to help celebrate, there was a ranking of Pierrot shows based on some sort of poll. Please note that this is *just* Pierrot shows, so no "Where's Evangelion?", "Where's Cowboy Bebop?", or "Where's Gundam?" I know some of these titles, but not all of them, so I translated some titles here, otherwise, use "View -> Encoding -> Japanese -> Auto Select."

1 �H�V��?� (26,436) Yuu Yuu Hakusho
2 �q�J���?�� (24,432) Hikaru no Go
3 ���?����I�����W�??[�h (8,646) Kimagure Orange Road (I'm happy about that one...)
4 �T�??w���p (8,358) Detective Academy Q
5 ���z���`??�V�L (6,731) Saiyuki
6 ���?�~���E�~���E?i6,434?j Tokyo Mew Mew
7 ?w?Z�?�?�k?i5,996?j Gakkou no Kaidan (Ghost Stories in School)
8 ���z�??q�G�X�e�o��?i4,727?j Taiyo no Ko Estaban (Mysterious Cities of Gold)
9 ?\�??��L?i4154?j Juuni Kokki
10 ?�?e?m�r�X�}���N?i3,587?j Seijuushi Bismarck (Star Musketeer Bismarck)
11 ?�?�p?S�_?i3,473?j Kaze no Yojimbo
12 ���@�?�V?g�N�?�B�~?[�}�~?i3,412?j Creamy Mami
13 CLAMP?w���T�?�c(2,750) CLAMP Campus Detectives
14 �p�??[�X�g?[��(2,528) Power Stone
15 �f�s�n(2,495) GTO (duh...)
16 �??C?�?c(2,219) Nankai Kio Neoranga
17 ???o���?�v(2,173) Marude Dameo
18 �?�?�?�?(1,794) Flame of Recca
19 NARUTO(1,719) Naruto (double duh...)
20 ����?���?��(1,536) Urusei Yatsura (sniff... I wanted it to be number 1).
21 �E�?(1,489) Ninku
22 �?�����V�Y(1,447) Fushigi Yuugi
23 �j���X�?�?�����?��(967) Wonderful Adventures of Nils
24 ���@�?�X�^?[�}�W�J���G�~(695) Mahou no Star Magical Emi
25 ���@�?�X�e?[�W�t�@���V?[����(688) Magical Stage Fancy Lala
36 ??�?�?�?�?�l(658) Aka-chan to Boku
27 ���?�A���_?[�O���E���h(612) Tokyo Underground
28 �E?????m�?�e(547) Ninja Senshi Tobikage
29 ���@�?�d?��y���V��(537) Mahou no Yousei Pelsia
30 ���@�?�A�C�h���p�X�e����?[�~(453) Mahou no Idol Pastel Yumi
31 �?�?�?��b�L?[�}��(448) Tottemo Rakkiman
32 �X�v?[�����?���?(434) Spoon Obasan
33 OH!�X?[�p?[�~���N�`����(429) Oh! Super Milk-chan
34 �d���?�Z���X(424) Ayashi no Ceres
35 �?�?��?�}�L�o�I?[(400) Midori no Makibao
36 E'S OTHERWISE (396) E's Otherwise
37 ���f�`�k�r!??��(386) (Super) Gals!
38 �V?g�?�?���?�??I(373) Tenshi ni Narumon! (I'm Gonna Be An Angel!)
39 �m���^���?���?���?(333) Nontan to Issho
40 ����?��?p(328) Ore wa Chokkaku
41 �?���??[�?�肷(315) Hyperpolice
42 �����₫�}���g�}��(302) Takoyaki Mantoman (Man-to-Man?)
43 �R����!���Z���?(298) Moeru! Oniisan (The Burning Wild Man)
44 �?����(215) Yoiko
45 ����?��_�?(214) Oso Matsu-kun (?)
46 ?����?�??l�~�N�?�}��(214) Chiisana Kyojin Microman (The Small Giant, Microman)
47 �?���?�?�?���}�`�R???�(209) Maiichingu Machiko Sensei
48 �V??�o�J�{��(207) Tensai Bakabon
49 ����_�茕?��`���T�V�??[�h(204) Kagakuri Kengou Den Musashi Road
50 �?���??l??�S��(202) Hajime Ningen Gon (Gon, the Stone Age Boy)
51 �?��_��_�?(192) Norakuro-kun (N.B. This one actually pre-dates Studio Pierrot... I guess "Tele-Cartoon Japan" was a direct precursor of Studio Pierrot.)
52 �?�?�?��!�L�b�J?[�Y(180) Ganbare! Kickers (Fight! Kickers)
53 �_�?�?�?�P(179) Anmitsu Hime (Princess Sugar)
54 ���邮��^�E���?�?�?��_�?(179) Guru Guru Town Hanamaru-kun
55 �?�?����h�N�^?[(178) Dokkiri Doctor (Startling Doctor)
56 ?]�?�??q�{?[�C�?�?�?�?��?�(178) Edokko Boy: Gatten Taro

I must say that, although I'm delighted, I'm also quite astonished that Kimagure Orange Road ranked so highly on the poll, as I found out a while back that VAP in Japan seems to have no interest in putting Kimagure Orange Road on DVD (yes, it is one of those series that is available on DVD in Region 1 but not Region 2), so I assumed there series was largely forgotten by the overall general Japanese public. Well, maybe it is just that the people who still care already have the LaserDiscs, and, since the animation quality is very simple, there's no pressing reason for them to buy it again on DVD.

Well, there is a huge drop-off in votes after Hikaru no Go... Kimagure Orange Road is really just the highest-ranked "also ran" here.

I'm still peeved that Urusei Yatsura, pretty much my favourite anime series overall, didn't rank higher than 20, but, still, Kimagure Orange Road ranking 3rd was a very pleasant surprise. Both series can be ordered on DVD (subtitled only) from AnimEigo... or DVD Box Office here in Canada.

Also, I wrote this message, elsewhere on the Anime Nation board, but no one seems to have gotten the joke.

Since Sega's no longer in the console business, my dream system would be... whichever one Maxy owns. Because, damn, I want to play Manholes of Venus. I don't know what that game is exactly, but it's got to be so much better than the games which impress Maxy's pig-faced friend ("Pac-Man! Centipede! Defender! Donkey Kong!").

The joke's about this Atarisoft ad (image found on this page), which I recall seeing in really old issues of Power Pack and Transformers... I guess that ad is nowhere near as legendary as the "Johnny Turbo" campaign.

posted by Steve Brandon @ 3:19 AM