Aquila: This week we’re back into anime with Bullbuster, but first, we have another sponsor!

Kasumi: Somehow.

A: And this time I made absolutely certain that the piece of paper I wrote the details on made it into my pocket.

Kasumi: Wonderful!  So, who is our new sponsor?

A: Let’s see – it’s chicken breasts, ramen noodles, tofu, soy sauce...wait a minute, that can’t be right.

K: That's our grocery list.

A: I thought I gave that to Cap and the Blue Lotus girls this morning.  But if I’ve got this, then that means that they’re at the grocery store with...

K: Oh dear.

A: Um...so, I guess we’re sponsored by somebody, somewhere, who probably makes something.

K: And hopefully it’s edible!

A: Right...on to Bullbuster, then.  I really liked it!

K: It was a nice, realistic take on what it would be like to be a company doing pest extermination of giant beasts with mechs.

A: And the mystery about the giant beasts on the island unfolds really well.  It’s a great exploration of corporate negligence, in its own way.

K: I really liked how the show handled the islanders who were forced to flee the island once the giant monsters showed up.  It was a great look at a displaced community and its struggles to return home.

A: Indeed.  It’s a pity they didn’t see the opportunity staring them in the face, though.

K: What do you mean?

A: They’ve got an island filled with giant monsters – in Japan, home of Godzilla!  The possibilities for tourism are endless.

K: Are you sure you’re not thinking about the possibilities for tourists getting eaten?

A: Well, you don’t put the tourists right next to the giant monsters.  It’s not a petting zoo.  But, just imagine it, Kasumi – a zoo for giant beasts!

K: I am...and I’m remembering what happens in Jurassic Park.

A: Well, obviously you wouldn’t want to make the mistakes John Hammond did.  But there’s so much potential if you do it right.  There’s the admission fees, and then there’s merchandizing.  Giant beast t-shirts and stuffies, and there could even be video games and nature documentaries...Japanese towns and cities could even pay a license fee to get giant beast mascots – why, the islanders would just rake in the cash!  They wouldn’t want to go home anymore, because they’d all be living in mansions!

K: That’s all well and good, but how do you protect the tourists?  All of the giant monsters are hostile.

A: Well, that’s easy.  You keep them out of reach.

K: What, by building enclosures?

A: Heavens no – that’s the mistake Jurassic Park made.  Besides, you need to preserve the giant beasts’ habitat.  You put the tourists in a monorail high above the ground.

K: A monorail.

A: Exactly!  The giant beasts can’t eat people they can’t reach.  It’s the obvious thing.

K: And exactly how do you build a monorail on an island filled with aggressive hungry giant beasts?

A: Very carefully.

K: Right...and how do you maintain it once it’s built?

A: Even more carefully.

K: And what happens if somebody gets eaten anyway?

A: That’s what waivers are for.  I mean, you’re going to go to a zoo to look at giant monsters, there’s always going to be a risk of getting eaten.

K: And how do you keep the giant beasts from leaving the island?  Some of them can swim, after all.

A: You build a giant fence around the island.

K: Right...

A: You’d need lots of steel, of course.

K: I’m getting that.

A: If you think about it, it’s a win-win for everybody.  The giant beasts get the run of the island, the tourists get to see giant monsters, the islanders all get rich and move into mansions.  And then there’s all the work the construction companies will do, and they’ll need lots of steel and concrete, and security, so there’s lots of work for security firms...even the lawyers will get some work, because somebody has to write the waivers.  It’s a perfect economic revival program for anybody with the vision to see it.

K: For a certain definition of “perfect,” I guess.  Moving on, who’s your candidate for best girl?

A: Shiro.

K: What, you mean the pet dog that turns into a giant beast?

A: That poor dog goes through so much - it deserves a really big chew toy and lots of scritches!

K: Okay then.  To sum up, we liked Bullbuster, and the islanders apparently should be hiring zookeepers.

A: It’s the only logical way to benefit everybody.