Big Eyes, Small Mouth: A Universal Japanese Anime Role-Playing Game [Paperback]

Theodore Serafica (Illustrator), Sean McLeod (Author), Aimo (Author), Mark Mackinnon (Author), Theodore Serafica (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1997

Big Eyes, Small Mouth is a multi-genre RPG, inspired by the dynamic characters and stories found in Japanese animation. Comedy or horror, fantasy or science-fiction...if you can imagine it, you can play it! Part of Guardians Of Order's Tri-Stat System game line.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark C. MacKinnon is the President of Guardians Of Order, which operates from Guelph, Ontario. He has a Masters Degree in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Guelph.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Guardians Of Order (July 1997)
• ISBN-10: 096824310X
• ISBN-13: 978-0968243107
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,750,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed, but fun, August 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Big Eyes, Small Mouth: A Universal Japanese Anime Role-Playing Game (Paperback)

Fun, easy to learn, with lots of good advice. Role-playing Anime turns a lot of usual role-playing conventions on their head; for instance, a good anime character is probably two-dimensional with an outrageous name, and doesn't act any more consistently than the flimsy plot demands. This is a great game along the Teenagers From Outer Space, Ghostbusters, or Tunnels and Trolls line of thinking. Roll up a character, add some tags to give them form, and start acting up.

I do have a couple of criticisms. First, the combat system is surprisingly deadly for a game based on Anime; it's very hard to portray the slapstick martials arts of Ranma 1/2 with a rules system that doesn't allow for knocking out opponents. Psionic combat is unnecessarily complex. In the character creation department, some of the mechanics are a little vague; a few pronouns and articles would vastly improve the Special Attack and Special Defense rules.

The artwork is cute and entertaining. The in-betweener demi-comics are good illustrations of the genre. The book itself is durable, owing partially to its small size.

Not the best game ever made, but...

1) There isn't another game I've seen that genuinely competes in this genre. 2) It is a fun read. 3) For the price, it's really hard to say you can go too wrong.

I say: buy it.

love, kitten

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-presented, affordable, and flexible. Great game!, October 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Big Eyes, Small Mouth: A Universal Japanese Anime Role-Playing Game (Paperback)

Big Eyes, Small Mouth is a very big roleplaying game in a small book. The size of the product makes it affordable (and portable!), as well as a great gift or introduction to role-playing. The art is excellent throughout, featuring some terrific fan artists from all over the world. The rules are simple and laid out in a logical format. Character creation is quick and easy, but still very flexible, allowing any sort of game to be played, from futuristic giant robot battles, to high fantasy, to high school romantic comedies. The game is also well-supported with supplements and larger books that cover specific anime titles.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cheapest, The Easiest, The Simplest, The Greatest!, March 8, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Holland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Eyes, Small Mouth: A Universal Japanese Anime Role-Playing Game (Paperback)

I originally picked up a copy of this book on a whim. It was incredibly cheap (for a commercial RPG), and almost pocket sized, negating the need to carry around huge tomes of rules and resources. And here I am, a year later, still playing this game like there's no tomorrow! The system is so basic it's genius! Although you will find expansive lists to help you design characters and settings, the rules allow you to modify to your hearts content! Finally, the most important aspect of this game is how it captures the flavour of the anime/manga genre, which many other systems cannot boast! --Cheap, easy, excellent. Buy it!