Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!paloalto-snf1.gtei.net!news.gtei.net!newssorter-2001.public.lawson.webtv.net!not-for-mail From: Tokusatsu1@webtv.net Newsgroups: alt.tv.sentai Subject: alt.tv.sentai Introduction & Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 12:51:11 -0700 (PDT) Organization: WebTV Subscriber Lines: 161 Message-ID: <20097-3DAF14AF-177@storefull-2295.public.lawson.webtv.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: localhost.webtv.net Mime-Version: 1.0 (WebTV) Content-Type: Text/Plain; Charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-Printable X-WebTV-Signature: 1 ETAtAhUAyuEBp9jWd9jLhzDCz7Epkcp5FccCFH0lY0hvDNNBFypQe+LHw/TlL4Vw Content-Disposition: Inline Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.tv.sentai:32500 Archive-name: tv/sentai/intro-faq Alt-tv-sentai-archive-name: intro-faq Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: Sat, Mar 27, 1999 Version: 1.3.3 FAQ-maintainer: Joe Sewell What's New: - =A0 =A0 =A0 Corrected the URL for the Tokusatsu (formerly Sentai) home page. - =A0 =A0 =A0 Corrected the note on "For Sale" posts. Q: =A0 =A0 What is "sentai?" A: =A0 =A0 According to Ben Dunn, editor of Antartic Press' now-defunct magazine, "Sentai," Sentai is Japanese for "task force." The formula involves an evil group (demons, monsters, "space aliens," or whatever) who want to conquer the Earth. A group of teens or young adults, who also happen to be skilled in the martial arts, is empowered to stop them. They get their clocks cleaned, see their nemesis -of-the-show grow, and summon the obligatory giant robot, which destroys the evil monster. For example, the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers is a sentai show (obviously). =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Sentai can also be used as a catch-all term to refer to any Asian live-action SF/Fantasy show. This is the definition that inspired alt.tv.sentai. (Thanks to Ben Dunn, editor of Antarctic Press' =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0"Sentai" magazine, for this inspiration.) According to Eugene Glover (mailto:gridman@primenet.com), the correct word for this genre is "tokusatsu" (or "Special Effects"). Q: =A0 =A0 What is alt.tv.sentai? A: =A0 =A0 alt.tv.sentai is an unmoderated newsgroup created for discussion of sentai/tokusatsu shows. These shows include originals, such as Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Gridman, Metalder, and Zyuranger, plus =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0"modified imports," such as TNT's Ultra 7 [based on the original Ultra Seven], Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad [Electronic Warrior Gridman], VR Troopers [Metalder& Spielban/Spielbal], and Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers [Zyuranger/Juranger et al]. Related features, such as The Ultraman (which was animated) and Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (also =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0animated), can be included here as well (note that these are "related" in that they are related to live-action shows). =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Animated sentai shows, such as Battle of the Planets [Gatchaman] & Voltron [Go Lion & Dairugger XV] are probably also fair game, but you may want to post these to alt.tv.sentai and to rec.arts.anime, to get the most interest. (Heck, it's unmoderated, so anything goes ... but I hope we're all adult enough to leave flames & other junk in Email, if we must indulge in them at all.) Q: =A0 =A0 Waitaminnit, Ultra 7 is a "modified import?" A: =A0 =A0 It's halfway between the Ultraman (the one with Hayata) shows, which were relatively direct translations of the original, and Syber-Squad, which mixes Japanese footage with American footage. Ultra 7 (using the number, as TNT does) replaces a lot of dialog, probably so it fits with the mouth movements, rather than the original story. A net.friend of mine who has seen the original tells me several stories were drastically changed, even ruined, by the substitute dialog. (Details =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0from someone involved in the translation are given in Sentai #5; basically the company that did the translation was given no firm direction on what to do.) Q: =A0 =A0 Can we post binaries? A: =A0 =A0 NO! =A0 =A0 Binary postings should be left to the alt.binaries.* hierarchy. It may seem a small thing to some folks, but some sites just don't have the storage space to handle binary postings; with all binary articles in alt.binaries, it's much easier for a site to filter out binary postings. If you want to post a picture or a sound, put it in one of the existing binary groups, or propose an alt.binaries.tv.sentai group in alt.config (but read the FAQ on proposing alt groups first ... I did it right, so can everybody else). Q: =A0 =A0 Can we post items for sale? A: =A0 =A0 Absolutely. In fact, I'd encourage folks to cross-post items for sale or items wanted. Other groups which may be interested are rec.toys.misc, rec.arts.anime.marketplace, and =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0rec.arts.sf.marketplace. (I've been informed that rec.collecting is NOT a good place to do this; they expressly prohibit "For Sale" postings. Check with the group's FAQ before cross-posting.) Q: =A0 =A0 Where are the FAQ files for this group? A: =A0 =A0 Right now, this is it, as far as textual FAQ's go. The Ultraman FAQ is now available on the Web only; point your browser to =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0http://users.aol.com/joes1= 0/FAQs/Ultraman-FAQ.html to see it. To the =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0best of my ability, I'll be following the standard guidelines for USENET FAQ's for the text-only FAQ's, so it'll be posted to news.answers & alt.answers (and alt.tv.sentai, of course), and archived at rtfm.mit.edu & the equivalent sites elsewhere. (Since the Ultraman FAQ is HTML only, it will not be regularly posted. Due to =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0its size, I have decided not to make a textual version to post here.) =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0This FAQ, and others that I may submit, will be posted automatically by the automated FAQ server maintained by the news.answers moderators. Posting will be every 30 days, or roughly monthly (though, obviously, it may skip a February once in a while). Check the Last-modified and Version lines at the top of this message to determine if it's a new version or just a repost. Q: =A0 =A0 How can I contribute to the FAQ? A: =A0 =A0 Emailing me is your best bet. If you want to start a FAQ yourself, let me know. (You can do it yourself, if you wish, by following the guidelines published in news.answers.) If you've got a FAQ =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0idea that doesn't need to be archived anywhere, post away; otherwise, follow the news.answers guidelines, or Email the FAQ to me (mailto:jsewell@iu.net) and I'll take care of the rest. Some FAQ's may =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0be archived elsewhere, for example on the Tokusatsu home page (http://www.primenet.com/~blackrx/toku.htm); this wouldn't necessarily =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0affect posting/archiving via news.answers. Q: =A0 =A0 What's the distribution for this group? A: =A0 =A0 The default, which is world-wide. The standard bit about limiting the distribution of individual messages applies here (for example, mentioning a fan club in New Jersey is probably best done with a Distribution: line of nj,ny & perhaps other nearby areas). Discussion of the "modified imports" may be best distributed to "usa," but perhaps not. (It depends.) =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Please note, though, that since this is an alt group, not everybody will carry it. Some newsadmin's refuse to carry the alt groups in general, while others carry all of them. It depends. Q: =A0 =A0 Will there be any "celebrities" here? A: =A0 =A0 We've had a few already. Ben Dunn of Antarctic Press has shown up in the past, and we've had King Wilder, director of Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero. Q: =A0 =A0 These Japanese shows sound great! How can I get videos? A: =A0 =A0 This has become one of the most frequently asked questions. Unfortunately, this is one of the most frequently asked questions for which I have no answer. Previous versions of this FAQ had two companies listed; for various reasons, I have removed mention of =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0these companies (one, according to some Email letters, has had difficulties fulfilling orders, while the other has requested removal). =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0The best thing to do is to check out Web search engines, such as Alta Vista (http://www.altavista.digital.com) and Yahoo =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0(http://www.yahoo.com), to find companies who will market & distribute videos. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Individuals may also have videos of the various sentai shows. Why not ask in the newsgroup? =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D This FAQ is copyright 1994-1999 by Joe Sewell. This FAQ may be distributed freely, provided the entire contents are provided, including this notice and all headers. Individual questions & answers may be quoted with attribution (e.g. "from the alt.tv.sentai Intro FAQ"); the attribution does not need to include the author's name (but I won't argue if you do include it ). Distribution via CD-ROM or other computer-readable media is permitted, regardless of the sale price of the product; I would appreciate a free copy of any CD-ROM on which it is distributed (one is sufficient, although I would appreciate copies including revisions to this FAQ ... I won't argue against copies of all updates, of course ). Information provided in this FAQ is not warranted to be at all correct, for all legal purposes. The author's best attempts at accuracy were performed prior to releasing this FAQ, however inaccuracies may creep in.