The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Greetings, and welcome to the first in a series of TV/Book/Film reviews by the Silver Wolf, or Lumpum Argentum in Latin. Over the coming weeks, I shall review likely (like Blade Runner and Neon Genesis Evangelion) and unlikely (like Wizard of Oz or As Good As It Gets) media material on their merit as works of art, and their usefulness as gaming material.

Without Further Ado, here is my first review, the hilariously funny yet deep and meaningful Romantic/Sci-Fi/Comedy, Sabre Marionette J.

The Spoiler Free Summary of the Story

Saber Marionette, like most anime series out there, is an easily digestible twenty-six thirty minute episodes, so GM's (and players) out there will take very little time to digest it. It begins in the 22nd century, when Earth sends fleets of ships filled with cargoloads of it overpopulated people to uncolonized new worlds. One such ship, the Mesopotamia, ejected its six sole survivors, all male, onto the world of Terra 2. Needing a few pairs of extra hands to help establish their new domain, the six men created clones of themselves, with genetic variances to set individuality. The trouble is, everybody knows that no female clone can come out of a male¡¦s cells.....

Cut to Three hundred years later, the six men have each established a nation based upon the classic age of their nationalities, specifically Japoness (Samurai Japan) Gartlant (Nazi Germany) Peterburg (Leninesze Russia) Xian (1890¡¦s China) and Romana (Medieval France). Each nation is peopled with the cloned descendants of the first six men. The role of women have been taken over by Marionettes, who are androids that resemble women in almost every repect, except for their circuits, super strength and speed, and complete lack of emotion. Slightly above talking tools yet far below free slave labor, to treat a marionette like an equal is to be considered an eccentric.

This is the attitude of Mamiya Otaru, a struggling teenage martial artist trying to hold a job in the city of Japoness, which is the first target in the hungry eyes of the expansionistic Gartlant. One day, while attempting to hold off the unwanted affections of the local spoilt millionaire¡¦s son Hanagata, Otaru fell into a river that led to the ruins of the Japoness Cultural Database. There he unwittingly awakes a Marionette sleeping within a casket, called Lime.

Lime turns out to be one unusual marionette. For although she resembles a wholesomely beautiful 15-something girl, she possesses the mental capacities and emotions of an 8 year old child. Lime takes and immediate liking to Otaru and becomes his surrogate baby sister. What immediately strikes Otaru is the fact of her emotional capability, which makes her unique amongst her stoic kin. After stumbling into the paths of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the ruler of Japoness, and saving his life from Gartlant¡¦s Marionette assassins, Otaru awakens two more emotional marionettes: the elegantly adorable Cherry, and the exuberantly sensual bloodberry. And thus a romantic tale of discovering humanity, set upon the epic backdrop of a planet on the brink of war.

As a work of art¡K

Thoroughly entertaining. The artwork of Saber Marionette is detailed without being overly realistic, thus not distracting from the fantastic nature of the show. The animation quality starts out excellent (no doubt to attract audiences), then drops (probably because of budget constraints) slightly, then rises drastically towards the end of the series. Though several of the cast member¡¦s proportions will make Lara Croft seem like a normal woman, the basic character design is clean and innocent, allowing you to grow fond of them. The voice acting, however, is the jewel in the crown, and will be discussed below in the Roleplaying section.

Systems suitable for the setting

Unless you are setting your campaign in Romana, don¡¦t even try to use AD&D. Champions (no, not the Fuzion version) is more than appropriate, though the simplicity of GURPS would possibly be more suitable to Sabre Marionette¡¦s lighthearted atmosphere. The almost steampunk nature of the setting would make Castle Falkenstein a possible choice. Big Eyes Small Mouth is spot on, as usual, and even Aberrant would work beautifully with a little house rules.

The Show¡¦s value as source material.

The Setting

Possibly one of the most original and challenging for a role player. Sure, in the past there have been archaic worlds with steam technology, but the world of Sabre Marionette is one of an archaic world with futuristic technology (short of space travel), which sets up for a refreshingly new atmosphere. Also, the superheroic nature of combat within this series would be more than enough to satisfy the ignorant hack-and-slashers within your troupe.

A good news for all those all bloke gaming groups out there who wants to introduce their disinterested girlfriends to roleplaying is the nature of female characters in the setting. To play a female in this setting is actually an advantage, as you have super strength, speed and endurace. However, the other side of the coin is that you are cosidered to be nothing more than a walking-talking toaster by most people around you, which sets up for great role playing sessions. Plus, if you don¡¦t take the so called ¡§Virgin Circuit¡¨ advantage (which I suggest should cost at LEAST 250 points in GURPS) you would have to be a emotionless dummy (which is still and interesting roleplaying opportunity). Despite all this drawback, a marionette who earns her humanity often gains a corresponding amount of affection and even respect, especially if it is earned through acts of heroism. For mixed gender groups, the world of Sabre Marionette should be a breath of fresh air within a largely chauvinistic hobby.

Roleplaying opportunities

For those of you who love social observations, Saber Marionette provides an interesting opportunity to explore the themes of sexuality. The comic relief of the series, Hanagata, constantly tries to earn the love of Otaru, to the initial disgust of the audience. However, what is heterosexuality in a world with one sex? The marionettes are essentially sexless, but are loved nonetheless for their warm hearts. This setting would be the best way to set a distinction between sex and love for all those horny PC¡¦s who try to ruin your romantic campaign.

Innocence is more hard to roleplay than any other aspect of humanity, despite the fact that we were all once children. Which brings me to the Marionette Lime, the selling point of the series. For once the moronic female lead is not an irritating and pretentious bimbo (Like Mihoshi of Tenchi Muyo), but a genuinely innocent child in a grown up¡¦s body. Hats off to Hayashibara Megumi, the voice actress who also portrays Anayami Rei (a terrible waste of her talents). She convincingly portrays an ignorant yet pure person who screws up not by acting like a damsel in distress, but rather a lack of understanding. Lime is and excellent study of genuine innocence for stupid roleplayers who want to portray laughing idiots instead. The final (and most important), roleplaying opportunity in this setting is to explore the theme of emotions and humanity. Although Marionettes do have emotions, they lack true knowledge of morality at first, save their unquestioning love for their masters. They only grew as individuals as they learnt the value of life, and to appreciate the emotions of others. This provides a priceless opportunity to roleplay ¡§children¡¨ who feel, but do not know why they feel. Faust, the ruler of Gartlant and villain of the series, enslaves his marionettes by programming them to love him and then abandons them because of their failure. At first he is cruel, cold, and utterly despicable. However, as he realizes the pain he causes upon his three servants, his shred of guilt is reignited, and redeems himself by learning to return their unnering love.

This is an excellent indicator of White Wolf¡¦s folly in their so called ¡§humanity¡¨ system in Vampire the Masquerade. A lack of humanity does not necessarily mean a lack of emotion, but moreso a lack of morality. Sure, Hitler may have been a callous devil, but he was also a vegetarian who was faithful to his wife. As long as one has love for somebody, redemption is never impossible, unlike the nihilisitic ramblings of Vampire The Masquerade.

Overall¡K

Do NOT miss this series. The originality and the exploration of society¡¦s values in this series is a goldmine for GM¡¦s and PC¡¦s alike, and will provide material for dozens of campaigns. Even if not used as a gaming source, Sabre Marionette is a hilarious and heart warming anime series that will make you feel good after dozens of viewings.

(Please excuse any inexperienced remarks as a reviewer as 1) this is my first review ever, 2) I¡¦m 19 and Taiwanese so my English is a little rusty 3) and that the tertiary entry exmas of the past two years have prevented me from actively roleplaying for that time.)

Thank you very much for reading my review. Remarks and comments can be posted at lupum_argentum@yahoo.com

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

What do you think?

Visit the above forum to let us know!

Saber Marionette J
Author: Toei Category: Anime Series Company/Publisher: Ad Vision Line: Sabre Marionette J Page count: n/a Capsule Review by Lupum Argentum on 02/11/00. Genre tags: Science_fiction Historical Far_Future Space Comedy Anime Conspiracy Post-apocalypse Superhero	Greetings, and welcome to the first in a series of TV/Book/Film reviews by the Silver Wolf, or Lumpum Argentum in Latin. Over the coming weeks, I shall review likely (like Blade Runner and Neon Genesis Evangelion) and unlikely (like Wizard of Oz or As Good As It Gets) media material on their merit as works of art, and their usefulness as gaming material. Without Further Ado, here is my first review, the hilariously funny yet deep and meaningful Romantic/Sci-Fi/Comedy, Sabre Marionette J. The Spoiler Free Summary of the Story Saber Marionette, like most anime series out there, is an easily digestible twenty-six thirty minute episodes, so GM's (and players) out there will take very little time to digest it. It begins in the 22nd century, when Earth sends fleets of ships filled with cargoloads of it overpopulated people to uncolonized new worlds. One such ship, the Mesopotamia, ejected its six sole survivors, all male, onto the world of Terra 2. Needing a few pairs of extra hands to help establish their new domain, the six men created clones of themselves, with genetic variances to set individuality. The trouble is, everybody knows that no female clone can come out of a male¡¦s cells..... Cut to Three hundred years later, the six men have each established a nation based upon the classic age of their nationalities, specifically Japoness (Samurai Japan) Gartlant (Nazi Germany) Peterburg (Leninesze Russia) Xian (1890¡¦s China) and Romana (Medieval France). Each nation is peopled with the cloned descendants of the first six men. The role of women have been taken over by Marionettes, who are androids that resemble women in almost every repect, except for their circuits, super strength and speed, and complete lack of emotion. Slightly above talking tools yet far below free slave labor, to treat a marionette like an equal is to be considered an eccentric. This is the attitude of Mamiya Otaru, a struggling teenage martial artist trying to hold a job in the city of Japoness, which is the first target in the hungry eyes of the expansionistic Gartlant. One day, while attempting to hold off the unwanted affections of the local spoilt millionaire¡¦s son Hanagata, Otaru fell into a river that led to the ruins of the Japoness Cultural Database. There he unwittingly awakes a Marionette sleeping within a casket, called Lime. Lime turns out to be one unusual marionette. For although she resembles a wholesomely beautiful 15-something girl, she possesses the mental capacities and emotions of an 8 year old child. Lime takes and immediate liking to Otaru and becomes his surrogate baby sister. What immediately strikes Otaru is the fact of her emotional capability, which makes her unique amongst her stoic kin. After stumbling into the paths of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the ruler of Japoness, and saving his life from Gartlant¡¦s Marionette assassins, Otaru awakens two more emotional marionettes: the elegantly adorable Cherry, and the exuberantly sensual bloodberry. And thus a romantic tale of discovering humanity, set upon the epic backdrop of a planet on the brink of war. As a work of art¡K Thoroughly entertaining. The artwork of Saber Marionette is detailed without being overly realistic, thus not distracting from the fantastic nature of the show. The animation quality starts out excellent (no doubt to attract audiences), then drops (probably because of budget constraints) slightly, then rises drastically towards the end of the series. Though several of the cast member¡¦s proportions will make Lara Croft seem like a normal woman, the basic character design is clean and innocent, allowing you to grow fond of them. The voice acting, however, is the jewel in the crown, and will be discussed below in the Roleplaying section. Systems suitable for the setting Unless you are setting your campaign in Romana, don¡¦t even try to use AD&D. Champions (no, not the Fuzion version) is more than appropriate, though the simplicity of GURPS would possibly be more suitable to Sabre Marionette¡¦s lighthearted atmosphere. The almost steampunk nature of the setting would make Castle Falkenstein a possible choice. Big Eyes Small Mouth is spot on, as usual, and even Aberrant would work beautifully with a little house rules. The Show¡¦s value as source material. The Setting Possibly one of the most original and challenging for a role player. Sure, in the past there have been archaic worlds with steam technology, but the world of Sabre Marionette is one of an archaic world with futuristic technology (short of space travel), which sets up for a refreshingly new atmosphere. Also, the superheroic nature of combat within this series would be more than enough to satisfy the ignorant hack-and-slashers within your troupe. A good news for all those all bloke gaming groups out there who wants to introduce their disinterested girlfriends to roleplaying is the nature of female characters in the setting. To play a female in this setting is actually an advantage, as you have super strength, speed and endurace. However, the other side of the coin is that you are cosidered to be nothing more than a walking-talking toaster by most people around you, which sets up for great role playing sessions. Plus, if you don¡¦t take the so called ¡§Virgin Circuit¡¨ advantage (which I suggest should cost at LEAST 250 points in GURPS) you would have to be a emotionless dummy (which is still and interesting roleplaying opportunity). Despite all this drawback, a marionette who earns her humanity often gains a corresponding amount of affection and even respect, especially if it is earned through acts of heroism. For mixed gender groups, the world of Sabre Marionette should be a breath of fresh air within a largely chauvinistic hobby. Roleplaying opportunities For those of you who love social observations, Saber Marionette provides an interesting opportunity to explore the themes of sexuality. The comic relief of the series, Hanagata, constantly tries to earn the love of Otaru, to the initial disgust of the audience. However, what is heterosexuality in a world with one sex? The marionettes are essentially sexless, but are loved nonetheless for their warm hearts. This setting would be the best way to set a distinction between sex and love for all those horny PC¡¦s who try to ruin your romantic campaign. Innocence is more hard to roleplay than any other aspect of humanity, despite the fact that we were all once children. Which brings me to the Marionette Lime, the selling point of the series. For once the moronic female lead is not an irritating and pretentious bimbo (Like Mihoshi of Tenchi Muyo), but a genuinely innocent child in a grown up¡¦s body. Hats off to Hayashibara Megumi, the voice actress who also portrays Anayami Rei (a terrible waste of her talents). She convincingly portrays an ignorant yet pure person who screws up not by acting like a damsel in distress, but rather a lack of understanding. Lime is and excellent study of genuine innocence for stupid roleplayers who want to portray laughing idiots instead. The final (and most important), roleplaying opportunity in this setting is to explore the theme of emotions and humanity. Although Marionettes do have emotions, they lack true knowledge of morality at first, save their unquestioning love for their masters. They only grew as individuals as they learnt the value of life, and to appreciate the emotions of others. This provides a priceless opportunity to roleplay ¡§children¡¨ who feel, but do not know why they feel. Faust, the ruler of Gartlant and villain of the series, enslaves his marionettes by programming them to love him and then abandons them because of their failure. At first he is cruel, cold, and utterly despicable. However, as he realizes the pain he causes upon his three servants, his shred of guilt is reignited, and redeems himself by learning to return their unnering love. This is an excellent indicator of White Wolf¡¦s folly in their so called ¡§humanity¡¨ system in Vampire the Masquerade. A lack of humanity does not necessarily mean a lack of emotion, but moreso a lack of morality. Sure, Hitler may have been a callous devil, but he was also a vegetarian who was faithful to his wife. As long as one has love for somebody, redemption is never impossible, unlike the nihilisitic ramblings of Vampire The Masquerade. Overall¡K Do NOT miss this series. The originality and the exploration of society¡¦s values in this series is a goldmine for GM¡¦s and PC¡¦s alike, and will provide material for dozens of campaigns. Even if not used as a gaming source, Sabre Marionette is a hilarious and heart warming anime series that will make you feel good after dozens of viewings. (Please excuse any inexperienced remarks as a reviewer as 1) this is my first review ever, 2) I¡¦m 19 and Taiwanese so my English is a little rusty 3) and that the tertiary entry exmas of the past two years have prevented me from actively roleplaying for that time.) Thank you very much for reading my review. Remarks and comments can be posted at lupum_argentum@yahoo.com Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!) What do you think? Visit the above forum to let us know!

Saber Marionette J

What do you think?