Case #2: The Heroic Sacrifice

This was by far the most difficult scenario, because we had to, y'know, sacrifice somebody. Although we considered the use of bullets, swords, or an Eva unit, eventually we decided on a kickball as the tragic implement of death. We needed to bury our experiment in a realistic scenario, so as to make the death seem more "realistic." So, to allay suspicion, Evan and I dressed as bondage slaves* and then led our unknowing "friends" by the hand in front of Josh's camera. Evan "held" the kickball and, in mid-pose, hurled the ball right at the test subject. I immediately threw myself in front of the ball, thus creating a "heroic sacrifice" moment. Quivering eyes as best I could, I cried in a pathetic little voice, "(Insert-name-here)." The reactions:

Katie: Romina!
Romina: Um, what?

Katie: Elizabeth!
Elizabeth: ^cough^ ^cough^

Katie: Nina! Emily!
Nina & Emily: Ok, um, what?

Obviously, not very bright test subjects. Here's how it should have unfolded:

Katie: Jai!

Jai: Katie!

*Our ensembles were purely for the gathering and were in no way part of the experiment. And yes, that bed sheet is meant to be a cape.

Case #3: Audience Reaction

We used two Gamma Semi-Morons for this, Josh and myself. We quivered our eyes as best we could without looking retarded, and said each other's names at long intervals. We oozed underlying tension while Jai and Evan looked on, silently recording reactions with the camera.

In the elevator of a local office building, we rode up and down the floors, eyes quivering (well, we tried at least. It probably was more reminiscent of an epileptic attack.)

Josh: Katie!

Katie: Josh!

At first no one said anything. They looked a little annoyed actually. Then, after about twenty minutes, people began to notice that we weren't getting out of the elevator, and that we didn't work there. And - let's just say - the security guard wasn't very responsive to our emotional moment as he escorted us out of the building. Not even a last ditch, "Guard!" won him over.

Final Thoughts

Does the name syndrome exist in the average US citizen's real life? No. Another dream shattered by your friends at the Live Action Anime Experiment. But I think I've found a solution for the new age that will suit us all well - I just recently got my hands on the "Inu-Yasha" fansubs. (Good stuff, good stuff. I really need to @&#!#* "Inu-Yasha", but that's an experiment for another day.) One thing I noticed was the heavy use of unilateral name syndrome. It has the same effect on the viewer (weepy emotion) and serves the same thematic function (to dramatize an inextricable link), except only one character says the name of another character. It usually goes unnoticed or is said in an aside, but it lends the same dramatic power to a scene. The downside is, it's one-sided, and so the connection is between the speaker and the viewer, not the two characters in love. Since there's no one staring back at you sitting there, alone, watching anime on your living room couch, you're not supposed to feel that connection. However, there's nothing stopping you from deluding yourself. Sighing like a schoolgirl and saying "Inu-Yasha!" may actually bring you emotional fulfillment.

*Before you scream and run away, let me explain. In the first episode, Kagome, our heroine, falls down a magical well into the feudal era. There she sees a hanyou (half-demon) asleep against a tree, pinned by a magical arrow (that's "Inu-Yasha"). Now, if I saw a really hot guy with fuzzy ears (fuzzy ears!) unconscious and restrained, what would I do?