Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2014 August 31

= August 31 =

name confusion connection
I remember watching an episode of FBI: The Untold Stories. That one had someone who was a USMC veteran-turned-child killer. TV Guide credited the performer as Jason Adams. But I'm confused as to which one. Was it Ash Adams or Jason Leland Adams? Anyone know what I'm talking about?158.222.166.199 (talk) 07:56, 31 August 2014 (UTC)
 * According to IMDb, it was Ash Adams, but IMDb is not an official reliable source. This particular reference is a "Mini-biography by Anonymous", so is likely to be less reliable than usual... Tevildo (talk) 08:54, 31 August 2014 (UTC)

Thank you so much.158.222.166.199 (talk) 11:54, 31 August 2014 (UTC)
 * They're both around, so to find out for sure, maybe you could contact them and/or their agents? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 15:38, 31 August 2014 (UTC)

philippine mermaids
i was fumbling around when i saw the template for philippine mermaids and i was just wondering why there were so many what provoked this interest? hank  ~Helicopter  Llama~  16:23, 31 August 2014 (UTC)
 * The primary source article for Template:Philippine Mermaids is Dyesebel, a popular comic-book character in the Philippines. The references in the template are to her, and similar characters in films and TV series. Tevildo (talk) 16:49, 31 August 2014 (UTC)
 * so the other mermaids are derivative works of dyesebel basiscaly? ` ~Helicopter  Llama~  16:00, 1 September 2014 (UTC)

Using fans to disarm people with swords
I have seen several scenes on TV/film that involve people disarming swords with fans. One example involves Mulan, where Mulan uses her fan to disarm Shan Yu when he attempts to attack her with his sword on the rooftop of the palace. Another example involves Detective Conan, where, in one episode, Shizuka (Heiji's mother) uses her fan to disarm a criminal attempting to commit suicide with her sword. Is this a realistic technique in real life? 69.120.134.125 (talk) 17:39, 31 August 2014 (UTC)


 * See Japanese war fan and Tessenjutsu. According to the latter article, "Some [practitioners] became so skilled, in fact, that they were able to defend themselves against an attacker wielding a sword", but this statement isn't cited, and the examples given are more legendary than historical.  So, to answer your question - possible, yes, realistic, no. Tevildo (talk) 17:56, 31 August 2014 (UTC)


 * I certainly wouldn't expect that, in two people of equal skills with their weapons, the person with the fan would ever be likely to win, because the sword out-ranges the fan. However, since an unarmed person of great skill could probably defeat an idiot who doesn't know how to use his sword (let's say he can't even get it out of the scabbard), then certainly somebody with a war fan could do so, as well.  The advantage to the war fan, I would think, is that it doesn't appear to be a weapon, so could be used where weapons are forbidden, with an element of surprise.  StuRat (talk) 19:38, 31 August 2014 (UTC)


 * Our article on Sasaki Kojirō (1585? – 1612) says "The first reliable account of his life states that in 1610, because of the fame of his school and his many successful duels, including once when he fended off three opponents with a tessen..." Alansplodge (talk) 19:54, 1 September 2014 (UTC)


 * You know which fictional fanned character was annoyingly hard to beat? Kitana. But that was mostly because she could fly, and make you float. If you're a swordsman, you'd better also have cheap powers. But in the real world, sword beats fan. Like StuRat says, the draw of the fan was in its sneakiness. Once the fight was on, the woman who used it would be wise to run (unless she had another, better weapon). InedibleHulk (talk) 07:44, 3 September 2014 (UTC)


 * According to the tessenjutsu article, some tengu may be able to teach you to use a fan effectively. InedibleHulk (talk) 07:48, 3 September 2014 (UTC)