The 1992 OVA Framing¶
Non-canon
The OVA framing belongs to the non-canon one-shot Philosopher's Fist 3.J/2: Unchainable, not to the main campaign.
The 1992 OVA framing is the conceit that Philosopher's Fist 3.J/2: Unchainable is an anime original video animation, a show within the show, that Huell Kendrick watched on hotel cable TV during The Things in Appalachia.
| Type | Lore (framing device) |
| Aliases | Show-within-a-show; the 3.J/2 title |
| First appearance | Philosopher's Fist |
Overview¶
The one-shot was recorded as a separate session, with no agents of the task force in it. In the Appalachia recap, Andre explains that the team stays at the Smith Hotel, "which is actually pretty nice, and has cable TV," and that he decided, retroactively, "that the stupid fucking shonen arc we did was an OVA that Huell watched on the hotel's cable TV as he was falling asleep." (Appalachia 02)
Within the main campaign's 1992 setting (see The show), the one-shot is therefore an early-1990s anime that happens to be playing on a hotel television. The session itself never mentions the task force, the FBI or the year. It has no cold open, "previously on" or credits, and the player characters are not any of the campaign's agents. (Philosopher's Fist)
The title joke¶
Partway through the session, as Derk is talking to the president, Andre says, "Also, I forgot to mention it, but this is the title of the anime that we are in." Dante replies, "Three Point J over Two," which gives the show its name, Philosopher's Fist 3.J/2: Unchainable. (Philosopher's Fist)
Dub voices¶
At the start of the session, Andre asks Rita to do a "dub voice," as in an anime English dub. She says she has "only got the one old person voice," so Mirabeth keeps it. (Philosopher's Fist)
OVA conventions in play¶
The session plays with the conventions of tournament anime:
- the tournament arc, with a grand prize, judges and a doping-scandal plot trigger
- ki blasts, which Andre calls "pew-pews," and white fire
- a rival with a tragic past, Ovain, and a training mentor, Mirabeth
- an alien prince, Derk, whose name is a garbled fragment of a longer one
- over-the-top jumps into space
- the rival's salute and farewell ("I salute you... I'm going back home"), and the mentor's parting promise to meet "next year at the tournament"
- a cliffhanger ending, with Derk stranded in Wisukonshin
Matt compares Derk's backstory to Hunter x Hunter, and the rules the table uses are described on Game System. (Philosopher's Fist)
Trivia¶
- Mirabeth and Derk already have established protocols (jumping straight up as a signal, "follow the arrows"), suggesting a history before the session that is never shown.