First of all, I want to thank everyone that took the time to enter the contest. This was my first attempt at doing something like this, and I wasn't sure if it was going to work at all. Despite the fact that only six people entered, the results were encouraging enough that I plan to do another contest in the future. I realize that there were a lot of rules this time, and the contest entries took a lot of time and effort to create. I have an idea for the next contest, but it is a secret for now. It will take a lot more work on the part of myself and a few people I plan to enlist to help me to make the next contest a success, but hopefully more people will be encouraged to take part. That's all I'm going to say about the next contest for now.
Below are my comments on each of the contest entries. In a contest, not everyone can win, so I had to make some tough choices when ranking the entries. Please regard this as constructive criticism. The comments below appear in the order the entries were received.
'Old and New Alliances', Jan Dimon Bendtsen
I was really pleased when I received Dimon's entry, because I knew then
that the contest should be a success. This was just the type of thing I
was looking for: a creative take on the contest theme of a 3x3 Eyes TV
show. Dimon is an excellent fanfic author, and his entry is well written.
However, in the final analysis, the entry was not quite up to the level of
the entries by Daniel and Henrique. I don't want to say Dimon's entry was
too short, since length was not a requirement. However, it seemed a bit
incomplete even for its movie trailer format. Most of the text consists
of descriptions of the characters and setting, and very little actually
happens. I don't mind the detailed description of Benares, even though we
all know what he looks like, since it is done for artistic effect.
However, only Haan's name is given and he is not described at all, even
though not many people know who he is since he hasn't appeared in the anime
before. That's a minor detail, but it bothered me. I do hope that Dimon
does eventually finish his fanfic, though. I definitely look forward to
reading it.
[Henrique suggested I put a link to Dimon's fanfic Dark Soul War here, so here it is. Also, be sure to check out the Sazan Eyes Fanfiction Homeroom for more fanfics.]
'3x3 Eyes TV: The Search for Humanity', Dino James
This entry was based on a good idea, that the TV series would start at the
beginning of the manga storyline rather than picking up where the OAVs left
off. I personally agree that this is the course the producers would take
if a TV series is actually made. While some familiarity with the
characters can be assumed from the popularity of the manga, most Japanese
TV viewers have will probably not have seen the OAV series and will need
an introduction to the series. I also like the idea of Benares being
responsible for the death of Yakumo's father. It adds that extra bit of
personal conflict between Yakumo and Benares, and it provides more
motivation for Yakumo to help Pai (and vice versa) early in the series.
However, like Dimon's entry this one didn't go quite far enough, ending
with "story pretty much goes on like normal from there". A
suggestion for a season finale or some other plot twist is needed to
complete the creative vision, in my opinion.
'Undefined Destiny', Tae Yoon
This is a valid entry, but a bit too short I think.
'3x3 eyes: The TV series', Mike Kubes
I was hoping for some humorous entries, and I'm glad I received at least
one. I wish more people had been like Mike and taken a little time to
send in entries just for fun. Unfortunately, this entry didn't have more
to offer than the title. A good joke requires a proper setup. For
example, consider all of the anime shows that end with meaningless letters:
Cutey Honey F, Gundam ZZ, Street Fighter II V, etc. These letters often
stand for English words that nobody can remember. So, how about giving the
3x3 Eyes series a silly subtitle like "Three-eyed Valour", which
of course is abbreviated as "3x3 Eyes TV"! (If you think that's
bad, then you'll want to avoid my joke contest entry below.) But I
digress. Thanks to Mike for making me laugh when I read his entry.
'The Vengeance of the Resurrected King', Daniel Jackson
(Grand Prize winner)
I knew something big was happening when I got Daniel's huge Word document
in my mailbox. At nearly 50 pages, his entry is more of a novella than a
typical fan fiction, and it dwarfs the other contest entries. Simply
writing lots of text does not make a winning entry, though it does provide
more opportunities to communicate a creative vision. In this case the size
was a bit of a disadvantage, since once I read the whole story I was
reluctant to take the time to do it again when doing the final judging (but
I did). The primary object of the contest, though, was creativity, and in
this the entry succeeds. My main criticism of the entries above has been
their lack of a complete creative vision; they start off fine but fall
short at the end. While 50 pages might be a bit much, Daniel made sure his
creative vision was fully explored.
About the story itself, I think its few problems are easily overlooked in
comparison to its strengths. The problems stem from the fact that Daniel
had only seen the Manga Video dub of the anime, and was not aware of
differences from the manga (Jake MacDonald's Australian accent is a dead
giveaway). Now that his prize of Japanese manga volumes 3-8 are headed his
way, this shouldn't be too much of a problem if he chooses to write more
fanfics, which I hope he does. A few other problems aren't really problems
at all, on further reflection. I was surprised to see multiple Wu near the
end of the story, since I thought that wasn't possible. However, a day or
two later I was reading the translation of the manga (volume 8?), and in
that volume Steve Long mentions they still don't know if a Sanjiyan can
have more than one Wu. (I'm still inclined to say they can't, but I don't
have any proof yet.) The means of converting the Wu back to normal was
too simplistic, too. However, even Takada-sensei is guilty of deus ex
machina at times, most notably with the fate of Pai Ayanokouji and the
end of the recent anime. This confused a lot of fans, and I love the fact
that in Daniel's story even Yakumo didn't understand what had happened.
After all, Yakumo isn't exactly the brightest guy in the world.
Now for the good stuff. The entry stays fairly true to the themes of 3x3
Eyes, and adds a depth of emotion that is sometimes missing from the anime
and manga. The story introduces an interesting original character and
features the return of many old faces. Despite the length, the story
moves a long at a fast pace and is certainly action-packed. In fact, the
violence seems a bit overboard at times, but 3x3 Eyes is not a series
for the squeamish. I would love to be able to compare this story with
the official 3x3 Eyes novels (if I could read them). I could go on, but
I recommend you read the story for yourself.
'3x3 Eyes ~Return of the True Seima~', Henrique Holschuh
(Honorable Mention winner)
Henrique decided to try something different with his entry, and he almost
deserves the Honorable Mention prize for that alone. I was really hoping
to receive different types of entries, such as artwork, rather than just
having a fanfic competition. Henrique delivered with is cool idea for
an interactive fiction game. I know he spent an extreme amount of time
getting the entry as complete as possible for the deadline, and I have
to wonder what he would have come up with given a few more months. (This
is why I limited the time; I didn't want to have to judge huge entries.)
The thing that disappointed me a bit about this entry is that the plot for
the interactive story is pulled directly from the manga. While this
probably gives Henrique the inside track on having the entry that will be
closest to the actual TV show should it be made, it places all the burden
of creativity on the mechanics of the interactive fiction game rather than
on the storytelling. After all, if someone submitted an entry that simply
said the TV series would follow the manga plotline exactly, that's not very
interesting. Perhaps I'm being too critical, since the interactive nature
of the entry does allow for some creative storytelling where the plot
diverges from the manga. However, most likely due to lack of time, that
only happens in one place in this game. That one event occurs near the end
of the story, so it becomes a simple win/lose situation anyway.
At this point I have to confess. I've never really been a fan of text
adventure games, since inevitably I get stuck someplace and spend hours
trying to figure out what to do next. I finally figured out I needed
to find Yakumo's wallet to be able to buy a train ticket to get to class.
Also, I'm not a big fan of typing "unlock door, open door, walk
outside, close door, lock door" every time I leave my apartment in
the game. I'm sure if Henrique had had the time to polish the game, this
wouldn't have been a big issue, but I had to judge the entry based on
what I received and not its potential. Overall it was a very impressive
idea and a big challenge to complete by the deadline, but for sheer
creativity it couldn't overcome Daniel's entry. Henrique still gets a
copy of the 3x3 Eyes no Himitsu for his work, as soon as
I can find a copy of the book to send him (I've finally got a lead on
one though, so it should be soon).
OK, this is kind of lame, but here is my joke entry to my own contest. Actually, it is very lame, but it only took me a few hours to write so I'll post it anyway. The reason I didn't post something like this when I announced the contest was that I didn't want people to feel that they had to match this format, and just insert their own idea. I was really hoping for some good parody entries, but no such luck.
By the way, if you dislike horribly bad jokes, stop reading now. And no, if this were an entry for someone else's contest I would not consider this a winning entry, though I might hope for the "most likely to make the audience groan loudly" award. If anyone actually laughs while reading this, let me know.
===
My idea is to have 3x3 Eyes TV series start soon after the end of the
latest OAVs, as shown in vol. 6 of the manga. At this time Pai is
still gone, and Yakumo is waiting for her in Tokyo. While he waits he
has enrolled in a cooking school. At this point I would depart from the
canon 3x3 Eyes storyline, and focus on Yakumo's cooking exploits. The
show would be called
"3x3 Eyes: Sanjiyan Soul Food"
As you can see, the show will be a comedy (and a cheesy one too). There
are dozens of cooking shows on Japanese TV, so this will be a parody both
of these shows and of 3x3 Eyes. Yakumo will be the star, and the other
characters will be his cooking school classmates (including the beautiful
Sakuko from the manga), his teacher (a Japanese Cajun cook who learned his
trade, not to mention his bad English, in Louisiana -- picture a Japanese
Justin Wilson), and other established 3x3 Eyes characters who show up
occasionally.
Here is an outline of the long-term plot for season 1:
Sakuko has a crush on Yakumo, but Yakumo still only thinks of Pai. Pai
will return in an early episode, ruining Sakuko's chances, so Sakuko
will be constantly trying to break up Pai's relationship with Yakumo.
Of course these attempts will fail, and airheaded Pai will think Sakuko
is her good friend. Meanwhile, Yakumo discovers he has a real talent
for cooking soul food, and the teacher takes him under his wing. This
makes the #2 cook in the class (a new character) jealous, and so he is
constantly trying to sabotage Yakumo's cooking, and discover Yakumo's
mysterious secret.
Of course, demons and other evil creatures are always appearing and
causing trouble. Yakumo has to use all of his powers as a Wu to avoid
the traps set by monsters and his classmates, while still completing his
cooking assignment for each episode. The season finale would be when
Yakumo's rival, with the help of some demons, uncovers Pai is the secret
behind Yakumo's power. The demons kidnap Pai, and Yakumo is challenged
by his rival to a final contest. The winner graduates, and the loser has
to give up cooking forever! Yakumo is forced to agree to save Pai, and
thus begins a supernatural cooking battle between Yakumo and the
demon-assisted rival. In the end, Yakumo is victorious.
Rival: How can this be? No mortal can make blackened catfish better
than me!
Yakumo: But you see, [takes of headband] I am not mortal.
Yakumo makes a dramatic pose.
Rival: Wu?! So that is your secret! I give up...
- Ling Ling emerges from crowd with a recently rescued Pai.
Ling Ling: That's right folks, it's the Immortal Chef Yakumo Fujii. As
his employer, I will negotiate with anyone who would like to
hire him for catering jobs.
Pai: Yakumo!!!
Pai (softly): Chou kakkoii, te kanji. (He's, like, majorly cool.)
- Pai runs to Yakumo and they hug.
Yakumo: Pai, kimi wa... suki da. (Pai, I like/love you.)
- Starry-eyed, Pai kisses Yakumo.
Sakuko (holding back tears): So romantic...they were made for each other.
~The End~
If the show were renewed for a second season (yeah, right) Yakumo would
travel the world with Pai and their Yogekisha friends. Yakumo would use
his magic cooking powers to right wrongs while they search for the Ningen
no Zou. In the second season finale Yakumo and Benares would have an
epic cooking battle for possession of the statue.
"In the name of Yakumo Fujii I command you, come out, soy sauce!"
David Park, dpark@writeme.com
===
Thanks to Jeff & Pat Hansen for introducing me to Japanese cooking shows, and to Henrique Holschuh for inadvertently encouraging to write more than the title of this entry. I'm sure they all regret it now. ^_-
3x3 Eyes story, art, and characters Copyright © 1987-1998
Yuzo Takada/Kodansha.
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Last updated:
March 1, 2011 3:36 AM UTC