ACT I
"the so-called ARM": Derived from Larry Niven's "Ringworld" novels. It
is meant to refer to the UN's area of control.
MATTISE DALCASSIO: An original character, intended as a satire of the
attitudes of Marco De La Cruz (M-O D-L-C-Z, instead of M-Z D-L-C-O),
author of such high quality works as "Teenage Wasteland" and "Nemesis".
"transmat tech": This idea was stolen from the Star Trek: TNG episode
"Relics". I'm assuming that sometime between 2142 and the time that the
Angels went missing, transmat (teleportation) tech was perfected, at least
on a small scale.
"Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal": From Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's
Guide ot the Galaxy".
SHEILA TENKAI: An original character. She is the daughter of Erica
(Haruka) Ten'ou and Michelle (Michiru) Kaioh, and the reincarnation of the
Solnoid soldier Rabby, who died c. 300,000 BCE. She also contains within
her character similarities to Eiko Megami of Project A-Ko, Hikaru of
Magical Knights Rayearth, and Gabrielle of Xena: Warrior Princess. Like
all children of the Sailor Senshi, she ages slowly after reaching
adulthood, and is physically only 20, despite having been "alive" for over
40 years (ignoring the nearly nine hundred years she spent in cyrostasis).
Sheila is a formidable martial artist, roughly equal to Tendou Akane in
her prime, with a better temper, and similar levels of chi-derived
superhuman strength. She is also gay.
CATTY: This is a "reincarnation" (this time a technological one) of the
Solnoid android Catty, whose personality was based on that of Solnoid
soldier Catty Nebulart (who was in her turn reincarnated in the twentieth
century and became a popular idol singer). Just before the launch of a
probe containing the sum total of Solnoid knowledge from the doomed Battle
of Sigma Narses, Catty downloaded a copy of her "brain" onto the probe,
which entered the Sol System more than 300,000 years later, in 2050.
The current version of Catty was constructed in 2061, combining the
Solnoid android design with elements of the Bu-33S androids (aka
sexaroids) incorporating neither hypnotic eyes nor tear glands (due to
the new designer's odd sense of aesthetics.) Catty was liberated from
captivity by the Sailor Senshi within a few years of her creation, and
became a loyal ally. Her status as a boomer is not exactly public
knowledge; while she does not try, as a general thing, to hide her nature,
she does not advertise it either.
"`What A Fool I Am'": The EP music of AD Police Files volume one, "The
Phantom Woman". It was actually written and performed by Fillipino pop
star Lou Bonnevie in the early 1990s.
"Sappho": One of the greatest poets of antiquity, called the Tenth Muse.
Most of her poems are about lesbian love, and it is generally believed
that she was, at the least, bisexual.
"Yumeno Yumeni": A painter in the Sailor Moon series (known as Lonnie
Lennai in the dub), who painted an image of Princess Serenity and Prince
Endymion.
"similar hairstyles and eye colours": Which are to be expected, since
both Ayeka and Ryouko were designed to have similarities to Priss.
(Tenchi Muyou! was originally created as a potential sidestory for Bubble
Gum Crisis.)
"`no da'": This stereotype can be seen in the series "Fushigi Yuugi".
"1996": This year marked the first meeting between the Sailor Senshi and
the casts of Ranma and Tenchi Muyou, along with several others. But
that's a story that will be told in "Together Again: 1996 Chapter"
"`I have inside me blood of kings! Yeah!'": From the Queen song "Princes
of the Universe", well known as the main theme of the film and television
series "Highlander". It is immediately preceded by the line "I am
immortal". (And succeeded by "I have no rival.")
"Great Bard of your species advocated the death of the legal profession":
William Shakespeare, in The Second Part of Henry VI, (Act IV, scene ii).
It is interesting to realize that many attendees of the Globe Theatre were
law students.
"BAT": Officially, British Aerospace Technology. Unofficially, British
AnimeTech.
"JURAI MUYO!": `No Need for Jurai".
"a young girl in a sailor fuku carrying a large glaive": Sailor Saturn.
"a startlingly similar looking young girl in a battered trenchcoat and
skintight body suit.": Gally/Alita, from Gunnm.
"FEMALE VOICE": Nobody commented on the fact that there isn't any mention
of "O.S." or "V.O.", meaning that the individual speaking is visible in
the shot. Yes, this is cause for concern.
ACT II
"The kata she performs are eerily familiar (especially if the viewer has
seen "The Road We Walk" or "Apotheosis")": The basis of Raye's style is,
in case it's not obvious, the unique synthesis of kenjutsu and western
style swordfighting developed by Aethan DeGales. Raye's troubles with the
style are due to her continuing guilt over what she did to him, but she is
too stubborn to admit that she can't quite master it.
"the Mano clan": A lineage of female demon hunters. Their representative
during the time of the Sailor Scouts was Mano Yohko, better known as
Mamono Hunter Yohko.
"Mobile Suits": The principal differences between a Labor and a Mobile
Suit have to do with scale. A typical Mobile Suit is three to five times
as large as a typical Labor. The difference could be compared to that
existing between a minivan and an APC ... if the APC also carried enough
weapons to take out a tank platoon.
"datajack under her ear": Let's forget for the moment that the datajacks
that Adam Warren (great art, not so great writing) gave the Angels were
very large and conspicuous and located at the base of their skull. If you
want, you can just chalk this up to technological advancement. About
seven years passed between those stories (assuming that they happened as
recorded) and when the Angels were lost.
"one of whom resembles Tenchi": It is Tenchi, who was responsible for
shutting down the Central Computer. It needs to be emphasized, the CC was
*not* insane. It was operating according to different logical principles
than humanity can comfortably live with. In many ways, the Central
Computer reflected the personality of its creator, Hakubi Washuu,
emphasizing her more eccentric personality traits.
"Oh shut up, Smithers.": Don't read too much into this, okay?
"Do you sabotage weather control devices before parades?": This is a
high-tech version of the question "Why are you raining on my parade?"
"the so-called Nanoclysm": Unlike Adam Warren's Nanoclysm, described in
"Dirty Pair: Sim Hell", the events of the Nanoclysm only affected Earth
and the moon, as well as the orbital habitats. Also, the nanoids didn't
develop altruism (whatever the heck that means) and leave -- acting in
accordance with their mixed Paranoid and Boomer heritage, they fought
until the very end (c. 2086).
'"Bubblegum Crisis: Megatokyo 2025-2045" by K. Shonnora.': An injoke.
Keichi Shonnora is the real name of artist Kenichi Sonoda.
'Romanova's Grimoire', etc: As revealed in "Apotheosis", Nene became a
magician in the late 2030s. As with Albertus Magnus, in the centuries
following her death, several compilations of magical theory and practice
were published claiming to have been written by a sorceress named
Romanova. (Whether any of these works were actually written by Nene is a
subject of debate.)
"Inverted Wizard": This may or may not be Lina Inverse, I haven't
decided yet ...
"shinobi techniques": A blanket term for any mystical or paranormal
abilities possessed by ninja (or shinobi, as they were also called). The
problem is, many of these techniques involved pacts with the denizens of
various Asian underworlds.
NURIKO: This is either the character from the anime "Fushigi Yuugi" or
someone who has patterned hir life on that character. I haven't decided
yet. In any event, `Nuriko' is male and possesses superhuman strength
while in the presence of a concentration of magical energy -- such as is
present in Crystal Tokyo. S/he is bisexual, but has a strong preference
for males. (In "Fushigi Yuugi", he fell in love with a certain female
mid-way through the series ...)
"TC technology": Thought Control technology. Very experimental in the
Crystal Realm, although much more advanced than it was in the early 21st
century. Approximately 60% of the Mobile Suit battallion of the Crystal
Tokyo Defense force is equipped with Thought Control. The system requires
special training, and much of the talent required to operate it is
believed to be either inherent or absent in human beings. (It is also
believed to be related but not necessarily connected to the various
psychic faculties, such as telepathy and psychokinesis.)
"the other option": An alliance with one of the major houses of Mihoshi's
homeworld (which she represented) would have been almost as good a prize,
in Azusa's eyes, as Washuu's alliance with Jurai. However, he would have
insisted that Washuu immediately leave the galaxy to prevent her knowledge
from falling into the wrong hands.
MICHAEL ORDENE: An original character, the primary spokesperson for the
anti-monarchy forces on Earth. He is said to favor the current system
with an elected president, but the majority of his allies either want a
republic or (the more honest ones desire) a corporate state. Ordene is
also well-known as a philanthropist, and has repeatedly spoken out against
certain terrorists who claim to share his views. This needs to be
emphasized -- Ordene is NOT an evil person.
ACT III
"the Centauri Republic": A confederation (which verges on being an empire
at times) consisting primarily of the governments of the inhabited worlds
orbiting Alpha, Beta, and Proxima Centauri, and several other worlds. It
includes non-humans as citizens, but they are almost all "second-class"
citizens. Political power is concentrated in the hands of several families,
generally called "Houses".
"the Cult of Serenity": A religion born in the Dark Ages, which views
Neo-Queen Serenity as a goddess. As Serenity is not permitted, under her
laws, to force anyone to believe something, she cannot compel the Cult to
disband, despite her basic disapproval of it. The Cult is believed to
have a global membership of roughly eight hundred thousand.
"`alien ancestors'": Kei's great-grandmother was Kuramitsu Mihoshi of the
Galaxy police. Her youngest daughter married a human.
"`psi-detective'": Yuri's grandfather was one of the last of the Kasuga
family to bear that name.
MORISATO MEGUMI: Sister to Morisato Keiichi, she was also the first cousin
(and lookalike) to Tsujimoto Natsumi, Priss' mother, which explains why
Priss found her so familiar. In the Crystal Tokyo era, her clone has
become the Chief Mechanic for the Patrol Labor Division.
GOTO KIICHI: Captain of the Second Unit of the SV2 Division and a
naturally occuring immortal -- essentially, he just doesn't age. His
exact age at the time of Mobile Police Patlabor is unknown ... for all we
know, he *is* in his mid-forties. In any event, following the Second
Kanto Earthquake, he became aware of Genom's dirty dealings, and began a
covert movement to topple the corporation, which went public during the
last boomer uprising of 2041. He is believed to have died during the
final act of the uprising, when Sylia Stingray nuked Genom tower. (The
concept of immortals just "naturally occurring" is taken from the "Brief
Lives" arc of Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" stories.)
"Lethbridge-Stewart": A false lead, intended to indicate that Goto is
actually Gallifreyan; he did know Brigadier General Alistair
Lethbridge-Stewart, but this version of the Brigadier was never the
commanding officer of the (non-existant in this timeline) United Nations
Intelligence Taskforce.
"Earthscreamer": Essentially, these nuclear weapons were intended as
Quincy's final suicide attack -- they were intended to basically drill
down to the Earth's heart and detonate, causing untold geological damage
if not actually shattering the planet. They were based on a design
developed nearly a century before this by a Professor Challenger.
"'It's a kind of magic'": Another false lead, intended to indicate that
Goto is a "Highlander"-type Immortal; he was actually just quoting the
film.
"'I shall turn aside from any action or inaction which would bring about
the untimely end of any being's life.'": Taken from the Hippocratic Oath.
"the Dark Crystal": This artifact appeared to have been created by the
Dark Kingdom General Nephrite using astrological magic. In reality, it
was given to him by an as yet unrevealed force. After Nephrite's death,
it was taken by his rival Zoisite, who tapped its power to a greater
extent than Nephrite had. Kunzite disdained the crystal, however, and
cast it aside. It was eventually recovered by Jadeite when he was freed
from his imprisonment just before the Dark Kingdom self-destructed.
Jadeite discovered what none of the others, even Beryl, had realized --
this artifact is the antithesis of the Silver Empyrium Crystal, and gains
power as its counterpart does. It was used by Jadeite in his campaign of
revenge against Sailor Mars, and recovered by Sailor Pluto following his
ultimate death. Since it is probably the most dangerous magical item in
existance, it is kept under very tight security in Crystal Tokyo.
KUONJI GENNOSUKE: An original character, the only daughter of Saotome
Ranma and Kuonji Ukyou. She was raised by a member of the Nu Ucchan's
staff after her mother's death some months after she was born, and
instructed in the Okonomiyaki School of Kempo. She became a vampire under
unknown circumstances (rumors persist that she made a blood pact with the
legendary Count Magnus Lee, making her a potential heir to the other title
he bore, Voivode of the Bloodline.) She largely avoids Earth and the
inner worlds of the Sol System, mostly because of the intense sunlight
that they recieve. She is not so much evil as she is, like her mother,
obsessed with achieving what she believes to be an important goal ...
namely bringing her mother back to life.
"wearing a red jacket over a tight black dress": Jupiter's clothing in
this scene is a reference to the usual attire of Katsuragi Misato of Neon
Genesis Evangelion, just as Mercury's clothing is a reference to the usual
attire of Dr. Akage Ritsuko of that series.
"Prettyboy Warrior Tuxedo Mask": Approximate translation of Bishonen
Senshi Tuxedo Kamen.
"'psychic interrogation'": One of the more formidable techniques that
Ranma has developed over the centuries, a natural outgrowth of his ability
to guess what his opponent in a combat situation is about to do.
Essentially, he possesses a limited telepathic ability -- very short
range, and requiring considerable start-up time.
"YOUNG WOMAN with long blue hair": Mizuno Ryouko, of the Special Forces.
She has considerable martial arts training, although not of the unique
Hibiki School, and much of her mother's genius as well. She is generally
thought to be one of the two or three best battlesuit pilots in the
Crystal Tokyo Armed Forces. Ryouko also has a long-standing adversarial
relationship with Sheila Tenkai. She is not close to her mother or her
half-sister. Her personality has similarites to that of Biko Daitokuji of
Project A-Ko and Umi of Magical Knights Rayearth -- she is cool,
calculating, and generally jealous of anyone who displays greater ability
than she does.
ACT IV
"Ellen DeGeneres.": This chapter was released on May 1, 1997, the day
after Ellen DeGeneres' character on the sitcom "Ellen" admitted that she
was a lesbian. It was BEGUN on the day a few weeks earlier that I read
her interview in Time where Ms. DeGeneres admitted that she is a lesbian
in "real life", whatever that is. One was a gutsy move, the other was an
effort to save a show that has been sinking in the ratings ... which was
still a gutsy move.
"mermaid's flesh": According to the "Mermaid" stories by Rumiko
Takahashi, anyone who eats mermaid's flesh will either become immortal or
a monster. In one of the stories in the "Mermaid's Scar" series, we learn
that there is a ritual involving a mermaid's liver that can bring the dead
back to life, turning them into beings that need to eat livers to survive
but live forever until killed.
"Graviton City.": A Project A-Ko reference. In both the Project A-Ko
universe and this one, Graviton City was created (or more properly
recreated ... in both cases) to serve as a base for space defense. It is,
by 2937, possibly the largest city in the Solar System, with close to 25
million people, and has control over the Utopia Planitia shipyards in
Martian orbit, which gives it a greater degree of power in Martian
politics than would be expected of a single city.
Mars is divided into several dozen "Principalities". The rulers of these
states tend to act as warlords, ruling by dint of military power. Some
seek to curry favor with the Crystal Realm by posing as benevolent
dictators, and some actually *are*. Mousse, formerly of the Joketsuzoku,
is generally considered to be one of the most powerful of the Princes.
TRAKAL: Trakal is a very minor character in the movie "Tenchi Muyou: In
Love". This is not the same character, but they are almost identical in
personality.
"'Allegiance or death!'": A Giant Robo reference. In that universe as
well as this one, the motto of a secret organization -- in this universe,
the Centauri Intelligence Division.
"'I have conducted my own investigation, and discovered the truth behind
the affair.'": Actually, Sylia didn't discover the truth, but a
complicated web of lies that kept her from discovering the truth: that
Priss' lover *had* stumbled onto something about Genom, and that he was
assassinated by Brian J. Mason.
"'Uh ... full name, Sheila Ten'ou-Kaioh, born 12 September 2001 -- Virgo,
blood type AB. Height 170 cm, weight --'": This sequence is meant to
parody the way that female anime characters are often described in
character guides -- so-called "vital" statistics before anything about
their personality. If Sheila had gotten past her weight, she might have
started talking about her three measurements ...
"'There was this crazy woman. I forget her name.'": It was Kunou
Kodachi.
FUJIKO: Yes, this *is* the associate of Arsene Lupin III. No, the Wolf
himself won't be appearing.
ACT V
AETHAN DEGALES: An original character, whose history of interaction with
the Sailor Senshi has been partially told in "The Road We Walk" and
"Apotheosis". These scenes are mostly from "Together Again: 1996
Chapter".
"Minovski field": This ultimate form of Electronic Countermeasure was
created by Tomino Yoshiyuki, as a rationale for the close combat employed
by Mobile Suits. Essentially, it is a perfect cloaking device. The
version used by Tsunami also causes the sensor disruption to appear to be
a natural phenomena.
"a single stationary Mobile Suit ... noteworthy not for its arnament ...
but for its exclusively gray color and for a large red gem mounted in the
center of the torso.": This MS is meant to be both an homage to E.E.
Smith's "Lensman" stories and to the Japanese "sentai robot" tradition,
especially Ultraman.
NAGISA: This is yet another incarnation of the Nagisa of the ICZER stories
... whose title character, I'm convinced, was one of the sources for
Ryouko's design.
Du Sho: In accordance with the traditions of giving Joketsuzoku names that
sound like bathroom products, she can also be known as Douche.
"When I can no longer stand by myself will be my time to fall.": This is
the "hillman's code" of Robert E. Howard's Conan stories ...
"'I miss you. I wish you were he-ere.": A quote from
the song "It Can't Rain All the Time" by Jane Sibbery.
"a red-haired woman in a slinky red dress": Kisaragi Ayaka, from "Yuugen
Kaisya", or a reasonable facsimile therof.
"a rather androgynous younger dark-haired woman in a bizarre description-
defying outfit": Sumeragi Hokuto, from "Tokyo Babylon", or a reasonable
facsimile therof.
"a pair of swordsmen ... one with flowing blonde hair and cleanshaven,
the other with dark black hair and a full beard and moustache": Alen
Schezerl, from "Tenkuu no Escaflowne", and Inigo Montoya, from "The
Princess Bride", or reasonable facsimiles therof, respectively.
JOHNNY RAIDEN: From The Gundam Project FAQ: "Though he's never appeared
on-screen, Johnny Raiden is nonetheless one of the most famous Zeon ace
pilots. He was created from whole cloth for the Mobile Suit Variation
(MSV) line of model kits, and you'll find kits of the MS-06R-2 High
Mobility Zaku and the MS-14B Gelgoog in Raiden's red-and-black color
scheme. Raiden and his fellow mystery aces serve to add some spice to the
MSV line, providing some back story and a variety of personalized
markings. Raiden himself is said to have been an affable young man, and
one of Zeon's top test pilots. Though often spelled as "Ridden", his name
is most likely an homage to the thunder god Raiden, and indeed this Zeon
ace bears the nickname "Red Lightning". His whereabouts after the end of
the One Year War are unknown, and a favorite subject for speculation by
fans."
RITSUKO URAWA: Original character, daughter of Amy Mizuno and Greg
Urawa. A visionary scientist, though of a more mechanical bent than her
mother, and responsible for many of the Crystal Realm's advances in mecha
technology. She is patient, kind, and generally rather shy. Visually,
she is a combination of her mother, Akagi Ritsuko of Neon Genesis
Evangelion, Dr. Maria von Braun of Kishin Heidan, and Fuu of Magical
Knights Rayearth.
"psychcommu": Term used for thought control systems in Mobile Suit Gundam.
Venus: Venus was colonized in the 2060s, and terraforming began almost
immediately after planetfall. The planet is effectively a corporate
confederacy, with several megacorporations -- many of them formerly part
of Genom -- sharing power in an uneasy truce. For most of its history,
Venus has pursued an antagonistic course against Mercury's corporate
state, which flared up into war in the 29th century. The Crystal Realm
has been requested to act as a peacekeeping agent since the end of the
war.
USHIO: From "Ushio To Tora". He is speaking to Tora, his demonic ally /
best friend / nemesis, who is perched on his shoulders, invisible.
"Admiral Tailor": The commanding officer of the First Fleet of the Royal
Space Force of the Crystal Realm of Earth, Justy Ueki Tailor.
SAKI: Saki Asamiya, from Sukeban Deka, or a reasonable facsimile therof.
HONEY: Honey Kisaragi, from Cutey Honey, or a reasonable facsimile
therof.
"'That's what your wings were made for.'": A quote from "Cruel Angel's
Thesis", opening music of Neon Genesis Evangelion.
"'Am I supposed to transform to Great Saotomeman and fly using my immense
chi?'": A Dragonball GT reference.
"little arrows": A Fifth Element reference.
RHEANNION: Serenity's opposite number.
"'kathilicide'": That should be pronounced, "kath-ee-lee-side"