08th MS Team Novelization = Holy Laziness Batman!

[Deacon Blues]

So in bringing utterly useless information to the masses via my website, I compiled a (somewhat) complete listing of the characters that appear in the novelized version of the OVA. Well, this author (Ichiro Okouichi) is either an avid movie and music fan or is just plain lazy. What do I mean? See if you can spot the sheer number of nods in this character list:

PRINCIPALITY OF ZEON
【ジオン公国軍】

Aina Sahalin
Ginias Sahalin
Norris Packard
Yuri Kellarny
Karl Bohm
Isley
Alida Valli
Alf
Walter Kohler
Walter Janowitz
Emile Gineste
Gunter
Kurt Landen
Glenn Stensel
Joseph Sirola
Joe Di Reda
Cynthia
Dee Pollack
Heinz Sadler
Heinrich
Patrick Michenaud
Hans Difflip
Bill Harlow
Milton
Lyle Bettger
Ron Stork
Kort Falkenberg

EARTH FEDERATION FORCES
【地球連邦軍】

Shiro Amada
Terry Sanders Jr.
Karen Joshua
Eledore Massis
Michel Ninorich
Ethan Ryer
Alan Baxter
Vic Morrow
Ed Tierney
Eric Braydon
Ellen Willard
Keenan Wynn
Canter
Clark
Sheldan Jacobs
Jidan Nickard
Joyce
John Crawford
John Milford
Ted
Ted Knight
Barton Heyman
Peter Camlin
Frankie
Frank Behrens
Mike Krempels
Luu
Robert Carricart
Rolfe Sedan

CIVILIANS
【民間人】

Kurt
Clegg
Cowley
Colt
Jeanne
Susan
Dean
Ted
Tony
Ned
Pamela
Baresto Rosita
Kiki Rosita
BB
Pierre Jalbert
Fred Harris
Ben
Matie
Lili Valenty
Ray Fullmer
Reggie
Leonard

I must say it's quite distracting when your mind starts to drift to actors and musicians when you're reading this :/

[DuelGundam2099]

See if you can spot the sheer number of nods in this character list

I see 0.

[Fritz Ashlyn]

^^^^^^ ...C-congratulations?

Lotta German names there with Zeon. When can we just start calling him Führer des Großzeonen Reiches Gihren Zabi?

[AmuroNT1]

I recognize a couple.

Vic Morrow is best known, tragically, for being killed along with two children in a helicopter accident while filming the Twilight Zone movie. This lead to stricter safety procedures for practical effects (as well as ensuring that real helicopters are very rarely used for close-up shots; nowadays they usually add the blades in post-production).

Ted Knight is the actor who played the full-of-himself Ted Baxter on Mary Tyler Moore and the antagonist Judge Smails in Caddyshack, as well as being the dulcet-toned narrator of the Superfriends cartoon ("Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice...")

Joseph Sirola sounds familiar, but I wasn't using Wikipedia unless I already knew who the actor was.

Also, this is apparently a common occurrence for 08th Team, since the UC Hardgraph Briefing Set has Shiro, Karen, and Eledore speaking to a portly, blonde captain with beer in hand named "H.J. Simpson"...

Also, Ichiro Okouchi? As in, "co-creator and head writer of Code Geass" Ichiro Okouchi?

[wielder]

Google confirms it, but I didn't recognize the vast majority of the names at a glance.

To be honest, that sort of thing doesn't really bother me. Whenever Japanese writers have to come up with names in English or Western languages on their own, they often produce either terrible or hilarious results, so I guess this was just a quick and easy alternative to that. Not worthy of praise, but still a small complaint.

More importantly...I'm curious about the novel: is it actually any good, despite the lazy naming scheme?

[Deacon Blues]

Well, one of the huge points in this particular novelization is what happens to Kiki amongst other things.

Spoiler

While the OVA and novel share certain points, scenes like the one where Topp's team takes over Kiki's village and what not are just one example of the atrocities of war. The novel shows even more sadness and gloom from the war. The most extreme thing that was done was by the Federation Forces soldiers to Kiki. They raped her and I believe she committed suicide later.

As for whether it's the same person (of Geass and Turn A Gundam fame), I guess?

[JoeD80]

Yes that's the same Okouchi.

[Android raptor]

I'd kill for a translation of the 08th novels. I know they explain Ghinius's illness as a side effect from an explosion that happened when he was 12. I think it also has the Sakhalin kids parents committing suicide instead of the mom running off and the dad having a fate unknown like in the OVA.