Parallel Storytelling

What any person versed in either the so-called Leijiverse or Tezuka's lifework is that, sometimes, you should enjoy the art and philosophy instead of trying to reason with the incorrigible timeline conflicts that are so prevalent in both of these great pieces of anime storytelling. And in fact, one cannot help noticing that their author's did not only not avoid these inconsistencies but also went out of their way to introduce anachronisms, character reversals to well-established roles, and many other elements that are considered anathema.

Having played Astro Boy: Omage Factor and finding myself looking up the apocalyptic ends proposed to the World of Darkness yet again rather recently, all the while contemplating writing something about the reemergence of Captain Harlock's figure, and many, many more, I feel that parallel stories offer many good, but also difficult opportunities for competent storytelling. Reaching that goal, however, is an entirely different thing, not that much different from reconciling fantasy with science fiction, for that matter, and it's very common in all of these works to do just that.

It's a brave new world for authors out there; will the hunt be successful?