guys....I think you all are forgetting something.
The sample Boktai sprite is not the size Popeye would be, Django (the blonde kid) is still a child, while popeye is a grownup...so there's no reason to midgetize Popeye to make him Boktai style, there ARE adults in the Boktai series, and they are not the size of Django, they are more like.... around the 48x48 range
Dhaos: Man, I think you shouldnt worry so much, from what I gather of the rules, the normal sprie should be all out crazy and the best you can make him look (while being popeye), whereas the boktai one should conform to the style as much as posible, therefore they each have their own separate pallete and they probably should differ so that you can really show your most creative in the normal sprite.
I also really like your stance, it's the one with the most personality out of them all