Big Eyes, Small Mouth has done quite well for itself, and, in the summer of
2000, managed to print up a full-color second edition. BESM 2e condensed and improved almost every aspect of the first edition rulebook. Thankfully, they managed to combine nearly all of their generic sourcebooks (those not tied to a specific anime title, such as
Sailor Moon or
Tenchi Muyo!) into this single reference, making it one of the rare
role-playing games that can be played entirely out of one book.
One of the best things about BESM is that the character generation system is balanced, which is often hard to do in multi-genre games. A game where mecha pilots team up with magical girls and streetwise gumshoes is entirely within the realm of mechanical possibility.
Guardians of Order proved that their system can extend beyond anime simulation when they released an rpg based on the movie Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and Hong Kong Action Theater!, based on the ultra-action films of John Woo and others. There are also gamers out there who have constructed a Buffy the Vampire Slayer rpg using BESM rules.
If BESM has a fault, it is that, being a multi-genre game, the GM has to do a little bookkeeping before a game can start. Questions like the nature of magic, what a basic mecha is, &c. must be worked out personally in advance. This means that BESM isn't the best thing for a quick pick-up game between campaigns of your group's regular setting, but it can be a nice departure from the run-of-the-mill D&D or World of Darkness game.