Robert has made an accidental mistake with this week's topic (Week 108)

[Houndozer]

Simplified bgs and bgcs are usually done when they're really not the focal point. Like they're important but irrelevant to the scene. You usually get the nice ones in establishing shots where the objective is to have you grounded, or where the surroundings play an active role like destructible environments. It can also be more of a directorial decision when they're just worried that it would draw the viewer's attention away from what they wanted to show. That, and it saves a few $ in production.

[Houndozer]

I love the closed eyes, lol. Always thought it meant the character was a hiding something or just rather shifty. Tvtropes has an article on it called EyesAlwaysShut where they explain it a little more.

As for animes based on an incomplete manga, its synchronized hype. Its more viable to capitalize as much as you can on a name during it's peaks of public interest as opposed to stretching its longevity by basically attempting to reboot it. Hence, when Pokemon came out, you had everything Pokemon.