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Mr March

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Everything posted by Mr March

  1. Mr March
    I've profiled plenty of blink-and-you'll-miss-them mecha for my website, which is fun regardless of how silly it may be. While I'm loathe to endorse anything Robotech, I admit I rather enjoyed that fan-made version of the three-cannon VF-1, just as a fun variant. It's not representative of the actual animation, but it looks kinda interesting for a minor piece of fan art and I kinda liked the rust-red color they used for it. Can't seem to find the image right now, but I was thinking of building a variant of it in high resolution just for fun
  2. Mr March
    Interesting work. I beleive one of the Variable FIghter Master File books featured a small section near the end of the book that had similar styled art of the SDFM-era aircraft in profile.
  3. Mr March
    Very nice work. It looks excellent.
  4. Mr March
    Hells yeah! Bring on season two!
  5. Mr March
    Nicely done.
  6. Mr March
    Ah, thank you Zinjobular Cluster! Not everyone can live in the fashionable part of the galaxy, lol! I do like that the setting is currently over two planets in different systems. I wonder if they will use that as a plot point. Curious to see how it will go down.
  7. Mr March
    It's just satire. The anime equivalent of The Onion, perhaps?
  8. Mr March
    I’ve seen Macross Delta and wanted a few days to let it sink in, to avoid any knee-jerk reaction. Having done so, I have to give Kawamori and Co. credit for changing up Macross despite the fact that I’m not really connecting with this new series. I see a lot of hate for Macross Delta online, which I suppose is just the reality of the internet. I certainly don’t think it deserves such a reaction, though given the demographics of the internet’s loudest, I can’t say I’m surprised. But I can honestly say that if Delta weren’t a Macross production, it’s not something I would seek out. Even for an eclectic viewer like myself, I’ve found the first episode of Macross Delta too far afield of my tastes. I wasn’t laughing when the show prompted, I wasn’t entertained by the music, I found the way the story was presented unengaging and sadly I’ve little invested in any of the characters, save perhaps Freyja and Hayate. And I have to say I find Freyja’s passion more compelling than Hayate’s apathy. Of course I'm committed to watching it all, but not afraid to say I’m a little underwhelmed thus far. What I did like in Macross Delta was the character animation. I never liked the blocky, stacatto character animation in Macross Frontier and Macross Zero; Macross Delta feels much more fluid and just more attractive. I think the CGI animation is in top form here in Delta (though the detailing and textures look rough) and I enjoyed the staging and motion of all the CGI work, especially Hayate’s Destroid Work-dance sequence (a clever way to show us he’s clearly talented controlling a mecha by way of a fun sequence that also introduces Freyja). For mechanical design, the show borrows heavily from Macross Frontier (not necessarily a bad thing), but the VF-31 Siegfried and SV-262 Draken III looked just as good as the promotional materials. Really liking those designs, but damn I want to see the Battroid mode for that Draken III J Looking critically at the first episode from a filmmaking perspective, I am somewhat puzzled by the script and production choices in Macross Delta. The first episode throws everything at you with almost no script economy, exposition or design. Both the setting/plot and all the mecha/idol/alien elements have almost no context to anyone who isn’t a Macross fan (or at least has a passing familiarity with sci-fi/mecha anime). Even as a Macross fan, I found many of the elements vague. Macross Delta has all the benchmarks that make Macross, but it feels lacking in sufficient context. Strange creative choices. I also find myself intrigued by the setting for Macross Delta, in what appears to be another galaxy entirely? I almost feel like this other galaxy could be an intentional production choice rather than a story choice. Removing the setting so far from the Milky Way, could this be a way of conveniently divorcing Delta from the main Macross stories? Could this also be the reason Macross Delta features so little context and exposition, to help it stand on its own and force the viewers to learn all the background anew? I’m curious the reasons.
  9. Mr March
    Yeah, I totally see that. Kawamori has often taken pieces and design motifs from all kinds of craft (even non-aircraft) and made them part of a valkyrie design. Those intakes are a dead ringer for sure.
  10. Mr March
    Just got back from The Force Awakens. It had a lot of the problems I feared it would suffer and was more than a little predictable. Like Abrams other work, it fails to take chances with it's plot and sticks far too close to the material from which it originated rather than blazing it's own trail. But something amazing happens in this movie that for me not only transcended it's faults, it became a great film; it's just pure Star Wars joy. Every minute of this movie beams with life. It has humor, heart and hope to burn across light years. This is an inspired piece of filmmaking, with everything hitting it's stride to make for an amazing whole. The characterizations are interesting and empathetic, the performances are lightining all across the board, the cinematography is mind blowing, the sets are otherworldly, the production design is vibrant, the creatures are creative, the action is thrilling and dynamic, the fighting was down, dirty, rough and real. the special effects were a wonder to behold, the editing runs like a race horse you just can't stop, BB-88 will melt your cold, dead soul. I am still reeling from the shock of how this movie grabbed me and wouldn't let go in spite of it's failings. There is more heart, character and life in the first 10 minutes of this film than almost the ENTIRE prequel trilogy. Bravo to the entire cast; Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson and Gwendoline Christie. These six actors just killed it onscreen and made the characters of Star Wars burst alive for the first time in decades. They have become the embodiment of a new and diverse generation in both the film and our own culture and I'm honored to see this play out in one of the biggest and most entertaining films in a year filled with great filmmaking. Surprised in spite of myself. What a treat!
  11. Mr March
    That's fine, but really that's all a personal perception issue and is not fair to have any bearing upon a critical analysis of what the whole show is trying to accomplish or even just the role of Global alone. One could examine any one character in a complete critical breakdown that questions' their worth. Luke Skywalker can be broken down into a religious fundamentalist terrorist and mass murderer if we do so outside of context (or some argue, even WITHIN!). Macross as a series is telling the story of other characters that DON'T have it all together, who aren't yet wise and experienced and are not on top of their lives and those around them. To be honest, the nuanced, young characters and their journey is what I liked about Macross. There's no shortage of stories with leading main characters being nothing but awesome. That wasn't Macross. Roy died and Global wasn't always there to save the day. Our three heros had to do it for themselves, and they had to take life more seriously than Kazkizaki to do it. Macross was made for young people, to give them confidence, teach them to become their own people, to avoid relying on older folks to do everything, to attain agency over their lives, to achieve what might initially look like the impossible, to inspire them, and to sell lots of toys while doing it, LOL! Write Global too strongly, and he undercuts the characters and their struggles, he undermines their agency and their independence. Writing him too strongly also shifts focus away from Hikaru, Misa, and Minmay. It becomes less Macross and more something else, perhaps the Space Battleship Yamato that you might want it to be. "These are the voyages of the starship SDF-1 Macross..." and so on. I think the Global character is definitely balanced right for the greater story of SDF Macross. Sure, some might like to see another Han Solo or Captain Kirk, but Macross is a different story with different characters. They need to tell their story, have their moments and that comes at the expense of the supporting cast. As it should be.
  12. Mr March
    Most seem to be playing nice with the spoilers. Slashfilm has some great spoiler-free reviews done by several of the staff. Worth checking out. http://www.slashfilm.com/star-wars-the-force-awakens-video-review/
  13. Mr March
    Easy, words like that and I'll be looking for dinner and movie from ya. Nothing wrong with having hope and being positive, but these tweets are a familiar story we've all seen played out before with the same BS ending, Star Wars or no. Any skepticism is as healthy as wishing for the best. As much as I love the film blogs and all the rest, this is way too premature to be hollering like Han at Yavin.
  14. Mr March
    Don't get all defensive and spoiling for a high school bout, Duke. No one wants this film to be bad. But these tweets aren't the holy grail folks are pinning their hopes to, and you're smart enough to know that.
  15. Mr March
    People would sell their first born for Star Wars...and sleep well that night. I learned of that religious furvor during the prequel era all too well. All the film reviewers I thought learned their lessons are still walking around blind without a cane for this film, so damned needy that this be the return to Star Wars greatness they're all praying for. Sorry, but I'm not trusting a damn word any damn person has to say about this damned film. I've had my ticket for over a month and I'll see it first thing Thursday. And THIS time, nostalgia will not compromise me. Praise is EARNED, not "given" away and I won't post it without merit. And I can promise this: if the Force Awakens plagarizes one more finale from the originals in some Abrams I'll-eat-choad-for-nostalgia special, I am done. Another "Into Darkness" and I won't pay for another of his films for the rest of his career. I want to see a new Star Wars film, not "A New Hope - The Abrams Edit".
  16. Mr March
    Maybe a little of the VF-19 Nothung too?
  17. Mr March
    It's like Star Trek's sophisticated elder statesman father died, leaving the IP to his barely-there frat-boy son, the idiot who thought that embarrassing, nerd-dump would work if only it had more Fantasy Football, Maxim Magazine and fist-bumping to the "good music" they used to play when he was a 90's teen
  18. Mr March
    Hahahaha, yeah there was really too much content for the update. It probably should have been separated into at least two separate updates. But the more material I built, the more I wanted the entire site to look like it was getting an upgrade. Which of course only made me want to build EVER MORE content. Had to finally step back and force myself to release this year, whether it was "finished" in my mind or not. Now post update, I'm REALLY happy it's all finally posted online
  19. Mr March
    I've long since discarded the rose-colored glasses through which I used to gaze at ID4, divorced from the nostalgia that tried carrying that lousy film for over a decade now. So to me, this sequel trailer seems like a very typical Hollywood blockbuster without much to distinguish it. I'm not really feeling it. However, I will say that it didn't look awful. The trailer is actually better than a ID sequel has any right to be. I suppose that's saying something.
  20. Mr March
    Whoa, first episode of Gundam Thunderbolt online! That was great! The animation is of course superb as it would be for the budget. However, I don't want to sell it short on style, because that is a big part of what makes the visuals so interesting thus far. Loving the character design, which reminds me of Amano's work in some respects. The mechanical design is also really fun; a detailed refinement of many of the classic mobile suits. The story is intriguing and like so much of Gundam, has already setup a tale to tell two sides of the war story. The music - which I loved in the trailer but wasn't sure I'd like in the show - has proved an indispensible part of the narrative and for setting the tone of the series. It was strange the numerous wounded soldiers shown with missing/replacement limbs Well, I was excited for this one before and now having seen this episode I'm fully on board. This first show is already far superior to Gundam Unicorn and has setup a much more interesting story with more nuanced characters. I can't wait to see more.
  21. Mr March
    Make sure to go through the whole site, because there's plenty of new content to see. Thanks for visiting.
  22. Mr March
    There are pilot safety devices shown in Macross, although they are often so brief i suppose folks can't be blamed for missing them. In SDF Macross, there was several sequences scattered throughout the series that show the lap belt used in the VF-1 Valkyrie. There is a brief but rather detailed sequence in Episode 9 showing Hikaru strapping into the GBP-1S Armored Valkyrie cockpit during launch from the CVS-101 Prometheus aircraft carrier. I've built a little collage of that short sequence and an animated GIF, showing Hikaru belting up his belly.
  23. Mr March
    The HD versions of the various Macross series have revealed a lot of things I never noticed before. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say it's simply enhanced the existing details to the point where these previously foggy details can be much better appreciated and understood. These scenes in Macross Plus really popped out once I saw them in high definition.
  24. Mr March
    Missed this one the first time around. It's actually much smaller than a first generation micro-missile like those on the GBP-1S (which were 28 centimeters in diameter or 11 inches). A 2 kilometer range seems really impressive for something so small. I'd be very curious about the explosive yeild on this weapon.
  25. Mr March
    I've read through the entire article. It's a really great interview. Most of the stuff has been established before, but there are some new revelations (at least to me) that really made for an informative reading. It's also a fine summary of Kawamori's work over the years. Well worth reading!
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