There is a Japanese animation currently running of Alexander Dumas' great work, 'The Count of Monte Cristo." Both of the last two movies made of the story (1975 and 2002) distort the story to the audiences of their times, usually by cutting whole characters and scenes out, and although I don't know if they cut out stuff in the anime, I -CAN- tell you the original story is nothing less that a feast! There is a recent English translation by Buss completed in 1996, and you can get it in SOFT cover at Powells for $5.98 - easily best entertaiment value I spent ALL last year!
OK, got my breath back.
ANYWAYS, -"SINCE"- the story is now an anime show, here's the fun part: CAN WE COSPLAY as Dumas' characters? If so, how important is it to appear as the character is drawn in the anime, if the original writer (Dumas, 1844-45) describes him or her otherwise?
What about if a character is in the novel but cut from the anime? (This would be like going to an SF/fantasy con as Tom Bombadil, who was in the books but cut from the LOTR movies...)
OR, If ever a Japanese animation studio decided to take on the story of Gettysburg, or Vicksburg, or Shiloh, would that 'legitimize' basic/generic/authentic US Civil War costuming?
What do you guys think?
