There's one example maybe of that which I've never really understood. In one episode of first season of Vandread, the Japanese sound track features a really good performance of the English-language song "What a wonderful world". It's sung by a woman, and I don't know who it is. Her accent is perfect, and from the timbre of her voice I'd guess she was black. But I've been fooled before, and she could be Japanese.

It's an important scene, and the music -- and lyrics -- are important to it. But for the English dub they got rid of it and put something else there. I don't remember what it was, but it wasn't anything remotely as good. It just sounded like background music, not like a message.

I always assumed it was a licensing issue -- except that when it was distributed here, the Japanese language sound track still had "What a wonderful world" in it. So if they could distribute that, why couldn't they do it in the English dub too?

Somewhere online I found a zip file which contained all the still images that someone managed to rip out of the game, more than a hundred. It isn't too hard from those to deduce the general nature of the story.

The folks who did the anime made a good decision when they jettisoned it all, including the player avatar. It really was scuzzy.

We really enjoyed the series; the game looks awful.  My wife likened the series to the old TV show Quantum Leap, what with the unstuck in time/does doing good deeds matter?' angle. 

She did once wonder aloud about why they take baths all the time.  Being more of a Cynic than a Skeptic, I'd guess that's how the show was sold to mgt.

First minute of “Escapement” sounds a bit like Philip Glass.

You're close there.  It's the only live-action I've watched in almost a year (Castle being the only other).  Steven, the "Gene Hunt Show" is better than 75% of all anime out there.  Criticize not what thoust not knowest.

If only there was a way to have Gene wander onto the set of Spice & Wolf.... hmmmm.

Err... is there a spoiler warning tag...?  Too old and drunk to find it,so don't read this!  Oh!  That's where it was!  Anyway --

Ashes 2 Ashes, and its predecessor, Life on Mars, is a Brit take of Haibane Renmei..   The protagonists are much like the parrot in the Monty Python "Bolton" sketch.  Which may or may not be a palindrome of Notlob.

In both series, as in HR the main character acts within a limited environment to come to terms not only with their own death, but also with their place in this great throbbing web of mucus we call the universe; desu.

It's an open question as to whether Gene Hunt knows what's going on (as if he were a hero/servent ala Fate/Stay Night or whether he's just taking history's backwash as it comes.  Nevertheless, if law enforcement is the question, then DI Hunt is certainly the answer.

Echoing P.M., I speak only to the Brit version; the US rip-off is dead to me.

Did you know about this? Australian tax rebate on computer equipment

Maybe it might apply to you.