Looking for Violations of the Single Parent Rule

[derobert]

In Dragonball, bulma goes off adventuring and her parents are alive and kicking.

Is she really a main character, or just a sidekick?

[LantisEscudo]

I'm not sure if being a magical girl counts as "adventuring," but Usagi's parents in Sailor Moon are both alive and show up frequently, as are Nanoha's in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.

[derobert]

Are you serios about this? seriosly, serios?

Yep. Naturally, I'm going to propose fixing these series I think I'm going to use Dragon Half, as I've seen it, and Lufia as my brother (who will be at Katsucon w/ me) has played that. He's seen Dragon Half, too.

[derobert]

I'm not sure if being a magical girl counts as "adventuring,"

Probably not, but I haven't seen Sailor Moon.

[Hitori]

Tenchi OVA/Movie 1? *hasn't seen it in a while..may not count..

[Kalium]

Tenchi OVA/Movie 1? *hasn't seen it in a while..may not count..

Tenchi's mother is, from his perspective, long dead and gone.

And dero's right about Golden Sun: it's technically a violation, but only technically.

[Rorschach]

Well, the player's parents in Earthbound (or Mother 2, as it was called in Japan) are both alive and kicking throughout his adventure, but I would have to admit that the father's a rather distant figure who's never actually shown, and stays in touch through by phone. At the end, when the cast is rolling by in the credits and they come to the father, they just show the phone! Also, though it's rather hard to classify Ghibli films, the parents in Spirited Away were both alive throughout the young heroine's adventures.

I think the widespread loss and/or absence of parents in anime is just part of a theme common to all kinds of stories. This makes sense in a way, since people who are living happy and contented lives are not usually the kind who have adventures.

If you read through the Grimm Brothers collections, for example, you'll observe that a lot of the tales are of evil stepmothers who take over when the real mother is dead, or they neglect to mention one or the other of the parents at all, leaving us to guess about what happened to them. In the tales that do have both parents present and living, the parents often throw their children out.

Another place that you can see this principle at work: try counting the number of animated Disney films in which the hero's family is intact. I can think of maybe two. American superheros also have all kinds of adventures. Did you ever notice how many of them have lost their parents?

About the only kind of adventure story I can think of that involves parents being alive and present is the kind in which the parents get cut off from their children and their children are trying to get back to them, or death is threatening one or both parents and the children are trying to keep them alive.

[madbunny]

Are you serios about this? seriosly, serios?

Yep. Naturally, I'm going to propose fixing these series I think I'm going to use Dragon Half

Stellvia: Both parents.

Rorschach mentioned Spirited away, but also Kiki's delivery service seems to fit the bill.

[Heero_Yuy84]

Aura Battler Dunbine.

While we don't see them for a while (in part because he gets pulled into Byston Well in the first episode) Shou Zama lives with both of his parents. They come back later in the series and, in a rare twist, don't die.

Now and Then, Here and There
Again, before Shu is transported, we see him briefly at home, with both parents.

[derobert]

Well, the player's parents in Earthbound

Knew about this one, but I don't think it actually violates the rule; as you mentioned, the father is a telephone... Not exactly there.

The Signle Parent Rule may be more widely applicable as you mentioned, but that isn't too relevant to Anime Parliament.