Mercurial Morpheus

If we're using OPs as meters of intention, Grace was meant to be timid and mild, given that that's how she appears even after we know it's false. Not the fairest example admittedly, but OPs lie all the time (or give too much away), and I've seen OPs that feature supporting characters heavily. If she featured in half the episodes she's in it. Plus they could've easily animated the OP long after the changes were made, so it doesn't really prove anything. That, and most of the accusations are that the real changes came late in the series, and it is the end that feels odd (though I still feel the Sheryl was uneven in the early episodes, though I'm all but alone in this). Fan opinion can affect pretty early. Jeremiah Gottwald is a good example of how fan appreciation literally saved a character, as he was supposed to be killed, but word of his popularity reached the delayed production in time to save him. Sorry if I bring up Geass so often, but it is a great example of how stuff changes, and how quickly they can be made.

Simple concept, though the box seems rather bland to be honest. Just a bunch of CGI models superimposed in front of each other. Better than a simple spread of a oft used drawing, but very meh, and I like simple, elegant designs.The mecha focus does balance the character focus in the disc covers well though. Then again, I've never been a fan of worthless pieces of cardboard at an extra 10 charge anyway. I don't care how neat and pretty it looks on a shelf. Though I speak for the US version of the concept. "Is there space in the box for the movie disc?" If they're anything like the US makers, of course there isn't. How else will they get you to buy the new box when it comes out. Not to mention all the fans that feel pressured to buy the movie just to fill the hole. Just google the filename on the preceding page. You can't miss it.

I never knew that one. Certainly provides an interesting perspective on things. Thanks I definitely agree that when is important. A lot of this Ohnogi stuff does seem fishy, but it also seems plausible that something happened at one point, as the tone does feel like Frontier didn't go as planned (not as blatantly as CG R2 mind you, but it did feel like changes were made during production). That, and the last few episodes did seem like a bit of a departure in the character telling. Though maybe that was just the "We've got to wrap this stuff up so mehow fast" effect. Sheryl could also have been loving of Alto and not be a lead early on too, if you really want to stretch things. It's not a stretch to imagine her being a central figure early on and then leaving in some way. Frontier's just one of those shows that's awesome in motion, kind of blah when it's inert and you think of it too much. It's both deep and shallow at the same time. It all depends on what and how deeply you read into it. It's weird like that. Though I suppose that's true of a lot of things. Though I'm sure just one man, who may have merely influenced the show if anything, wasn't alone to blame. It's a veriety of circumstances that cause these things. Code Geass is an excellent example of how merely changing the timeslot can wreck havoc with the planning. So to say it's all Ohnogi, who may not have even done anything, is sort of like trying to find a scapegoat. That said, I do think FV makes some astute observations. Whether you agree with them or care about them in the same way if entirely personal. To each their own. Frontier is a fun show that could've been a lot better at times. Nothing unique about that, and no shame in liking or hating it for it. No amount of bad writing is also going to stop sales of scantily dressed Sheryl figures and transforming VF-25s. At least not for awhile. If they plan right they can really improve some things in the movie. Hopefully enough to make up for cutting so much.

Thanks, that line made my day. I am a bit of an amateur photographer, one that's particularly diehard about film at that. I understand that digital has it's uses, and providing quick snapshots to update to the web is one of them. I'd never waste film just to provide the shots of my Max no one seems to care for anyway. I just like that the limitations of the format encourage better discipline in composing one's shot that's absolutely gone with digital. Digital's disposable nature makes one satisfied with posting over/underexposted, badly framed crap, simply because they can deleate it and try again, so one tends to stop caring and just mass dumps. This breeds mediocrity. It's not that I frown at such things fully, after all, not everyone cares about their picture skills like some do. Digital has allowed such people to take pictures that they probably wouldn't have. Though my biggest pet peeve is the dread of having to buy digital because "films dead" and people look at you funny when you say you don't like digital when it's "so convenient". Of course, there are plenty of bad film snapshots, you just don't find them on flickr. Basically I'm saying that a lot of the shots we see from Japan are from hobbyists and semi-pro that have a handle on how their equipment works, and in america we have access to a much larger pool, including the shutter bug that leaves everything on full auto, and has no idea that their pictures are dark because a window's behind them. I'm sure the Japanese have the same crappy shots, we just don't find them on 4chan. Quick shots have their uses though, and sadly even I'm limited to using my 2.0mp cell phone camera since my SLR is locked up, my point and shoot's latch is broken, I miss depth prevue when using dad's SLR, and no one will buy, let alone develop my film. So, I've been taking my own fair share of crap thanks to my current limatations, though no real photographer blames his equipment. As for "how to take better cosplay pictures" it's simple. Do what I did and learn by doing. Don't just delete your bad pics, ask yourself why they're bad. Play with the camera settings. I can understand an unwellingness to experiment with film, but with digital there's no excuse. Don't relay so much on flash and auto (though know when to use automation). Simply retaking the shot at different ISOs (if your camera allows it, my sis has a digital that won't allow flash in any mood but the auto ones which is messed up) and reading a little will help dramatically. It's like how I learned that my grainy night shots of Sleeping Beauty castle were NOT being helped by my then preference for 400 speed film, so I switched to 200. Though the biggest thing I can say is be aware of the lighting and fill the damn frame. I remember somewhere reading that a shutterbug takes a photo of a subject, a photographer takes a photo of light. It's very true. I've also seen people who never realise that they can hold the camera sideways (yet these same people love videotaping sideways). These are things one should figure out alone within the first 100 shots taken. Damn it, I want my real cameras back! I need to get them fixed somehow. I just hope none of my film has spoiled in the years since they've been exposed. I haven't seen a shot I've taken on film in ages. My skill's waning.

Simple answer, because we're not you. We all have our little, petty pet peeves.

Especially compared to the old VHS rips from before CA. Man were those awful. I should post screencaps to show how far we've come with this show in english.

No need to be so uptight about it Nexx. Putting it in it's own thread might make things all the more creepier. Like it or not, it's still news though I can understand someone's discomfort with the subject. It's not like anyone's going into detail or posting naughty images. Heck, we're not even discussing the T&A of it. Lighten up friend, we'll move on soon, I'm sure. Perhaps you have a concept for moving along the discussion?

Yeah but someone in the news thread will. Love the joke, Sharky. Though I swear I've heard it before.

"Truth is, while I was writing this I realized I've lost my interest in Macross Frontier" Wow, welcome to my world. I was starting to feel the same way around the time I started writing long posts like above around episode 18. Good to know someone else understands how retyping things can warp one's POV for the worse. Though speaking of long posts, I think you've outdone even me. WOW. I must admit though that I was rather disgusted by that interview you posted. I know a lot of that stuff goes on, but actually reading things like Kawamori loosing faith in his own work, Ohnogi's Sheryl bias (along with Kawamori's Ranka bias), and the effect chara polls have turns my stomach. So pardon me for posting this before reading your piece on it. It's an unavoidable situation though, as it's business as much as it is art. Reminds me of Bubblegum Crisis 6. The whole plot turn of Priss dying cut because it got leaked and the producers gave in to the threats that sales would diminish if they went through with it. Sadly, it was mostly animated, and you're left with an episode that ends with Priss and crew pretty much forgetting that she had a six inch combat knife thrust into her gut no less than thirty minutes prior. I think I even agree most with Maguskn's post about Ohnogi not being so much the saviour, especially if he really did come in that late to the series. Also, if he is responsible for Sheryl's character at that point, in the end, I thought the impending death line was rather cliched and ineffectual outside of giving her a reason to act weak, especially since it was resolved exactly as I'd guessed it would be from the second Ranka left (though having read FV's post now, that's apparently Kawamori's plan, and while I agree with the timing, it still seemed a tad "Guess What" anyway. It's a no win situation in writing). I also agree about the lopsided triangle. If he was indeed responsible at that point, I'd say he probably made it even more Sheryl biased. Though I disagree on the ending being improved had he continued on this path. I feel that the ending was perfect for what they had developed. I feel that it worked better as a relationship one rather than a love one. It was the ending it had built itself up for, and to so otherwise would have pretty much just been a generic handing off of the keys to the kingdom. For it to end differently I agree that many changes need to be made in the film, particularly Alto's character. Either Ranka gets more aggressive, Alto dotes on her more, or Sheryl becomes more passive. You just can't have a a triangle with a passive member AND an indecisive one. Edit: Having now read your opus, I must say that I agree with a lot of your observations, and disagree with others (like Hikaru's role in Love Drifts Away and the postwar arc). I have said that Frontier feels like one of the least character driven plots of any show I've seen recently, particularly Alto and so on. Though my annoyance with him was how easily he bought into Leon's bull when he should've known Ranka better than that. Instead of diving into detail on where I agreed and disagreed, all I can say is that this really makes me want to know the original scenario better. Some of the concepts you bring up just make much more sense. Like Sheryl's earrings. I too thought they were simply given to her. I was rather sickened when they added them to Zero's BD for no real reason. Interesting, if depressing read, Final Vegeta.

Why ask for links? Plenty of info has been given allowing Google to be your friend, allowing one anonymity. It's the top hit if you know what to use. The amusing thing to me is the costumes in the pics, while quite nice, don't look half as good as what I saw in SF the other day... and I get a kick that the one of the girls' last name is Saotome. I also don't get the Alto, though what's new in AV...? It makes me wonder if this has pretty much the same setup as most doujins featuring the both of them. "Cosplay porn in my MacrossWorld?" Why not, we already have the obligatory, "Check out these cute cosplayers" thread as it is.

I think it's two things actually. One being that cosplay is marketed over there, making construction A LOT easier (like how one can buy SMS patches instead of having to make them like I did). Two is the photography. A lot of the pics seem either shopped in a way, or the Japanese really like messing with the exposure. Just looking at the Grace in question, one notices much higher color saturation, and interesting contrast balance. They look much more cartoony and manufactured, giving a somewhat more professional, if highly unnatural look. Just because she still has blemishes doesn'ty mean someone didn't futz with the levels and saturation. Either this is heavy post processing, a preference for an over-exposed "punched" look, or Japanese market SLR's are seriously out of wack. My money's on a combo of one and two. Particularly since this one photo blog I follow has a guy with a heavy preference for high ISO night exposues in with everything glows. It's both beautiful, and sickeningly unnatural. You're more inclined to see the "I have no idea what exposure compensation or what having a strong light source behind me does to a full auto point and shoot" over here. Not to mention the lack of theatrics in some (I've yet to shoot a Lelouch/Zero that didn't merely just stand there) and composition. It's the curse of prevalent digital technology. Anyone can upload a crappy cel pic and say here's my costume. Just look at the Klan. Great costume, but the photograph just doesn't "sell it". Which is why I'll never let go of my film SLRs for serious shoots. ;; Of course, there's also the fact that the Japanese are downright anorexic in comparison to Americans. Though to be honest, I've long been sick of the "Who should I cosplay based on my facial features" threads. The truth of the matter is that nobodies going to look exactly like the character, few who do it are the right proportions, and and people shouldn't have their costumes heckled just because they aren't as cute as an idealized anime character. This a a fandom hobby, not a damn beauty contest (outside of the Cherry Blossoms judging). Some are better than others, but it's the effort that counts. Nice one, Gubaba. Speaking of Cellphone pics, if anyone's interested in photos from Cherry Blossom, we had two Altos, two Rankas and three Sheryls (one Ranka and Sheryl are the two I've posted before, though Sheryl is in her third costume this time). I even wound up pulling camera duty for both Rankas (not surprising since I'm an acquaintance of one).

It's probably the massive amount of facial smoothing liberally applied by Photoshop. It's rather prevalent in a lot of these japanese photo sets. A lot of those are pretty nice. Though I still think my friend would pull her off wonderfully. Damn shame she stopped liking her.

I didn't notice the velcro from the pics. I find it interesting that it's a DYRL Misa to go with the TV Hikaru. Nice stuff. Any opinions on mine outside of awed silence.

I think your construction is a lot more interesting. I don't think we ever considered a zipper method (given our failures with them, not to surprising). Is your front flap held in place entirely by the belt and friction?! I know it can be done. If you notice the black marks on the shot showing the snaps, that's where they used to be. Grievously inaccurate. I believe I wasn't even using any of them in the v2 shots. I also find the fabric lining pattern an interesting choice along with the busy back panelling and creative turtleneck mod. The costume is 100% from scratch. Based on a Civil War costume pattern that was modified. The only thing we didn't do was forge the snaps personally. Moving them over did futz with the neckline a bit.

Ask and thou shalt receive. A few notes, I can't find the belt buckle for some reason at the moment. Also, naturally the lines will be a tad different when I wear it. I'll start in order of production. If you wish to view the near-finished product first, feel free to jump ahead. it still needs some final stitching. I'm also unhappy with the puckering in the back middle collar. After the hell we went through redoing the collar, it peeves me that the underlayer appears to be warping it. Though whether I'll ever get my friend to finish it up is unknown. He held onto it for months, yet never finished the hand stitching he claims would take less than a day. Any wonder the frustrations this brought about? Apologies for the extremely long post, but there's a story to tell. Here's the Raider3 Hikaru. What I like to call the version 1. He did this himself with no imput from my end outside of the idea. I believe it's made entirely out of trigger poplin. One interesting note is the seperate collar pieces. Not a good choice as that, combined with their short length, really caused a problem. The slightest wind causes it to rush forward. We actually bought extra material to redo his (good thing too). Next comes what I call the v2. This was the debut edition. Raider 3 was given almost full construction reign. Though I insisted on a near complete redesign from the v2. Pockets would be functional, the neckline more intune with the lineart, and a major overhaul to the collar. The costume was made concurrently with Dick Hunter's Roy costume. Construction began a paltry one month before Fanime 2007. The goal was completion in time for Mari's concert that Sunday. Communication breakdowns caused much frustration and we even signed off in San Jose on getting them while Raider3 finished them in Modesto. We literally didn't know they were finished until he called mere hours before the show, saying he was on the way. We quickly fashioned temp belts out of foam and spray paint, and received them literally as the concert started. Unfortunately, the final rush was apparent. A lot was right, but the sleeves were too long, more snaps would be needed, mine was a tad baggy, the shoes straight black, and the pants and shirt unaccented. The worst though was that in his rush, Raider three had somehow swapped materials. The collar material became the accent and vice versa. I was supposed to be Max, and yet it was more cannon fodder colors. The blue was actually more in line with Misa! ;; Materials used for mine are offwhite twill for the mine jacket. The accents are linen chosen after scrutinizing the DVDs and Perfect Memory. The collar main was a deep grayish navy Moleskin gotten on sale. I loved this fabric, as it changes color depending on lighting from a deep blue to a dark gray, just like the show (multiple references defended both colors). These pics were taken a month later, at Saccon. No work had been done, so this is the raw v2. Note the overlong sleeves, the bunching collar, the popping flap, and the lack of accents. And of course, the incorrect color sheme. Though I will admit to liking it a bit. Though that the moleskin for you. The concert itself was fun though. Quite memorable too if not the huge Gala Rob Miles had promised us. We apparently got quite the reaction from Mari. She was in full swing by the time we made it in. I didn't catch it slightly, but my friend swears that the second Mari caught sight of us, she gave off a total "Dear God, WHY?" look that she quickly covered up. It amused the heck out of him. I did notice, however, that when she sang the obligatory "Do You Remember Love?" she seemed to constantly gravitate to our side of the stage and I swear she spent a good part of the song staring directly at us. It made it pretty much worth it. She said afterward that she liked them, and got that I was Max despite it. She did sign the temp belt buckle for the heck of it. I did get favorable reactions from other fans, mostly Robotechies though. One guy was even trying to test me by asking how my daughter Dana was? "I don't have a daughter named Dana..." Work preceeded slowly on the costume. Tensions were stretched so much that I sort of let it go for awhile. Eventually it was bumped to 2.5 status. The sleeves were shortened and the stripes on them fixed to the proper color. Accents were added to the turtleneck and pants, and the shoes were painted. More snaps were added. I have no photos of this version to my memory. Here's the v2 collar though. It's part disassembled by Raider3 for template use. It wasn't until the lead up to the San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival Grand Parade 2008 that we tackled the collar and shorten the sleeves some more. Not only would we correct the colors, but it went through a design revision in an effort to minimize bunching, taking a 3D form into consideration. It was a good thing we had bought the material to redo Hikaru, as R3 had decimated my alotment for the stripes. This means his is still the crappy v1. Redoing and redesigning proved nightmarish, as simply getting the stripes to curve correctly was a royal pain. A lot of bad memories swell from the nights to get it done, stemming from my stubborn perfectionism and Raider3 own stubbornness and lack of confidence as well as third parties. A lot of problem were caused by communication breakdowns, misunderstanding, and a want to do it ones own way and following. We worked so long as to the point of final sewing being done the night before. Hours before the event it still wasn't even sewed in. I wore it mostly pinned on. It shows in these pics. Still, the new tapering design laid much nicer, the switch to the heavier moleskin kept it at bay from the wind, and the whole thing was finally in the right colors. I used Raider3's belt buckle for the event. Eventually the collar was properly affixed for Fanime 08. Yet still now it sits without final touch up work, in need of dry cleaning. Like i said, the collar appears to need a little touchup as well. It truly is the hardest part of of a TV UN Spacey uniform. I'd also like to line the sleeves at least. Sorry for the long post, though as you can see, it has a long, sordid history. I'm still peeved that it's almost two years old and still not truly "done". It's like how my current project with R3, a Herbert von Kuspen Zeon uniform missed both ConXTremes and is hopefully going to be done for this year's Cherry Blossom on Sunday. It was started right after Max. Still, for all it's faults, I think it came out pretty well. it's not as polished as Jasonc's, but I'm proud of the material choices, and colors. I'd like to think I got it as screen accurate as possible. Perfect Memory was a huge help there. Thanks to Raider3 for helping make it, despute all the setbacks. I'm sure I'll continue tweaking it. I my even rebuild it one day. As for Roy, it's sleeves have been shortened and lined, and the snaps better placed (it's biggest initial flaw). The shirt and pants need accents, though the shoes are painted. I have no pics of it currently. His collar may be redone to v3 status, but the material on his seems to work better, so it may not be needed. Here's Max as of tonight. The current v3.5. These are the most finished. Sorry for the cellphone pics.

Man, now I'm both motivated and reluctant to post my Max uniform. Especially since all the photos I have are it incomplete. It's got a very long and sordid construction history involving sewing mishaps and communication breakdowns. I once attended an event with the collar merely pinned in place. The collar alone was a nightmare, involving a two week long redesign and still puckers a bit. I joke that it's at version 3.5 at least right now (vs. Mike's v1 Hikaru which preceeded all, and Dom's v2.25 Roy)I still don't get how my friend's Roy, which has the original version 2 collar, came out so well. It's straight cut for crying out loud. It's probably the materials involved. Nice one though. Easily the best I've seen outside of my own. Can we get a back shot. I'm curious to see how your collar fared. I see that it's lined in red and the top bar was made into a pocket. I still would like to at least line the sleeves of mine. We lined the Roy (hence the .25) and it really helped in getting the arms in.

Yeah, the one I last posted was among the last postable here.

I for one have always taken a guilty pleasure in hearing Inoue do non-Sugar and Spice roles. She's so synonymous with Belldandy and the other goodness and light characters that it's always delicious when she plays the bitch. She does it so well too. Especially for someone who "only 17".

Except Misa is not that old. Don't Robotechize her again!

Okay, that quote just made my day. Though sadly it's more that some people just don't worship the ground Sheryl walks on like apparently everyone else does, or on the flipside, thinks Ranka is all that cute.

"I think Alto should be with X because I like X more than Y." Usually with, "and you suck if you disagree. Y is a terrible character." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_(fandom) Don't forget the extreme cases of "Die for our ship". I've literally seen people wish Ranka dead so Sheryl and Alto becomes a given. Besides, we've had how many polls on this? It's not that I mind logical, thought out discussion, but thats the exception, not the rule. It usually degenerates into "Sheryl's so Sexy", "Ranka's cuter", "Ranka's a Moeblob", "Well Sheryl's a ..." You get the picture.

Who? Nice Misa by the way. I like that it's the TV version too. I agree that more variety would be nice, but cosplays tend to stick to what's in, and Frontier is in. Welcome aboard.

No, just no. We went through this garbage for enough months while the show aired. We don't need it now. One can draw a consensus in the other Frontier threads. Leave stupid shipping stuff to the experts on Asuki and other menial forums. Please? Sorry, not trying to be rude, but threads like this serve no purpose outside of citing painful and pointless debates based entirely on opinion.

I have a new found interest in M7 now.

I still haven't seen that far into 7.