VF-15 Banshee

Well here we are with the second episode of Gundam AGE, though it’s getting close to time for episode 3 as I write this. I been slackin’! Don’t have to go into too much elaborate detail with this episode, as a lot of background things were explained in episode 1 and more will be in future episodes. This episode seemed to be just continuing the colony attack from the first episode, although there are some important elements here. First the assumed captain of the new Federation warship Diva is jerk and a scumwad for wanting to abandon the people of Nora and rightfully gets owned by Commander Grudek (DAT BEARD). Maybe the reason why the Federation is losing to the Unknown Enemy is because they have a lot of buttheads like this guy in their ranks? Emily and Dique overhear this so I’m willing to bet dollars to yen that this’ll come up later. Flit, whilst transporting the Gundam Age-1 to the ship, runs into a young girl named Yurin L’Ciel who seems to be a Newtype. Now I know it’s presumptive to assume that but she was acting all precognitive and whatnot and the only times we see that are when Newtypes/Innovators are around. (And Quatre from Gundam Wing, sorta) Considering that ever since SEED we’ve had more staples of UC Gundam creeping into the AUs, I wouldn’t be surprised if yet again we get Newtypes, unexplained Newtypes or what have you showing up here, especially if my personal theory that this show is, like Gundam X, an alternate far-future of the Universal Century. Anywho, Yurin is certainly mysterious and only time will tell who she is, what she wants and what her role to play is in the grand scheme of things. The plan to gather the nameless civilian masses of Nora into the colony’s central core and tow it away is definitely unique but considering that this is Gundam, tragedy is almost sure to strike and set the erstwhile Gundam pilot on a firm path to conflict with the UE. Also, the AGE Builder deserves a prominent mention. At last we discover what probably is the major reason why the title Gundam is said to “evolve” during the course of the series. It’s essentially a large, egg-shaped mobile factory that uses principals similar to a 3D printer. Combined with the AGE System (the exact workings of which we still aren’t fully aware) it is capable of analyzing battle data and manufacturing new weapons and upgrades for the Gundam Age-1 (and possibly other suits as well). In this episode it builds the DOTS (or DODS) beam rifle for the Gundam, which results in awesome destruction. Speaking of the Gundam, I’m still not cool on the overall design, but at least the Age-1 gets to do awesome things. Last episode it was the Beam Shank and in this episode we have PREPARE FOR RAMMING SPEED!!! Overall I’m now much more into the series than after the first episode and if interesting things keep happening, I’ll definitely stay with it. One thing I would like to know is the episode count. I still don’t know what this is, but given that every full-length Gundam series since 2002 has run for 50 episodes, I would imagine the same would be done for AGE. It’s been suggested on certain forums that the storyline might shift back and forth between the three generations, but given the narrative pace of the first two episodes, I don’t think this is the case. If they are going to do one generation after another then I would imagine them doing 17 episodes for the first generation and Flit, 16 episodes with Flit’s son Asemu, and wrap it up with 17 episodes concerning Flit’s grandson Kio. Or, and this is big speculation on my part, since Gundam 00 was split into two 25 episode seasons, they’ll do the same with AGE, but instead of two seasons, it’ll be three 16-25 episode seasons. If that were to happen, AGE might just knock Victory Gundam off its perch as longest Gundam series (though only by virtue of having 51 episodes.) Now THAT would be interesting. Also, I give this episode 4 out of 5 stars.

I read a fanfic where Ranka gave Ozma a CD of her singing all his favorite Fire Bomber songs and Ozma got all teary-eyed and was like, "This is the greatest gift EVAR."

Hmm, my favorite band SCANDAL did some music for K-ON I think.

At last the new Gundam series, Mobile Suit Gundam AGE has debuted! There’s just one problem. The video stream with English subtitles is only available to south Asia! Why do I get the feeling that Sunrise was watching all the [CENSORED] comments from the [CENSORED] fanboys on YouTube and decided that Americans don’t get to watch it? Fortunately if one pokes around the internetz enough these days you can [CENSORED]. Anyway, I thought this was a very good first episode. It definitely is aimed at a younger audience I think, but it holds up and is definitely Gundam to the core. I liked the main character Flit, he definitely gets a pass on the accidental civilian pilot trope. Can’t say I’m fond of his character design though. Emily might have a little bit of Fraw Bow syndrome; we’ll have to see. Most of the other characters seem interesting, especially the pilot for the Genoace mobile suit. Largan I think it was? We’ll have to see the next few episodes for me to really get a handle on the rest of the cast. There were a couple of stand out scenes in this episode that I liked. The first was the scene where Flit’s mother dies in the first attack by AGE’s Unknown Enemy. Very Batman-esque. She gives him the AGE Device, which is certainly not the cell phone those damn fanboys were complaining about. I also like the scene in the classroom where Flit tries to explain about how it’s just so logical that the space colony they’re on, Nora, will be attacked by the UE next and how the teacher doesn’t want to hear it. Seems little Flit may be a child-genius but he doesn’t understand how a lot of people’s heads work. Seems like he might be a bit of an outcast at school too, as Emily and this kid named Dique seem to be his only friends. I also like how Flit isn’t obsessed with the Gundam to the point of being stupid. There’s a flashback scene to his home on the space colony Orvan where Flit is being shown a painting of a Gundam (one that looks a lot like the classic RX-78-2) and is told that the Asuno family have been involved with the legendary Gundams for years. But when the time comes that the UE invades the colony, Flit initially wants the trained military pilot Largan to fly the Gundam before he tries piloting it himself. Lastly, while the Gundam AGE-1’s debut fight is kinda similar to stuff we’ve seen in First Gundam and SEED, what makes the fight stand out is the way that Flit quite literally shanks one of the UE Gafran MS. It’s actually kinda hilarious. The other two Gafrans blow up their injured comrade and then retreat. I guess this is why the UE are still unknown if they won’t let their tech fall into enemy hands. What else? I can’t say that I cared much for the opening song of this series. It’s not that it’s a bad song, I just don’t think it fits a Gundam series, even one that’s aimed at a younger audience. But since this is a Gundam series, we’ll have at least two to three opening and closing themes in total, so we’ll see. I also think that this series might be pulling a Gundam X. What I mean is, Gundam X was depicted as sort of an alternate history of the Universal Century. I think they might be going with that here with all the talk of the Earth Federation, O’Neill Space Colony cylinders and stories about legendary Gundams from the past. We’ll have to see. I’m still not cool on the design of the Gundam AGE-1. I think I could safely say that this is the first Gundam series I’ve seen where I like the grunt and enemy suits more than the Gundam. Hopefully the AGE-2 and -3 will look cooler. All in all, I’m liking what I’m seeing so far. I give this episode *** out of five stars.

I have a much longer history with Gundam so Destiny felt like a personal insult.

Alrighty then. But just so everyone knows, there's no way anyone can make me watch SEED Destiny.

Gundam AGE is being simulcast on the GundamInfo channel on YouTube tomorrow at 4 PM EST, I believe. I'll check and make sure. English subs too. CORRECTION: LIVE SIMULCAST AT 4:00 AM EST! HTTP://en.gundam.info

Funnels in the Gundam sense?

Very well but I'm skipping the Macross episodes.

Did the VF-4 have any FAST Packs available for it?

I made these as one of my early forays into AMVs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIMnDcE_2fY&feature=related

Hey I never said Robotech was crap, I just don't want to watch it. I AM curious as to what people say about it and so far it's been... enlightening.

Seems the poll is almost even so people are still pretty divided on Basara. How about this: Basara is cool even Sheryl wants to sing with him.

Then I stand corrected. I had assumed that the pic I saw of the comics was reflecting something that happened in the series but I guess not. ...wait a minute. I thought there were these three mound things in the series and they were supposed to be the remains of the SDF-1, 2 and Khyron's ship?

I dunno, something about those sketches is decidedly off.

Hmm I always thought that whole "becoming one in all of space and time through the Vajra" was more of a side-bonus to Grace and what she really wanted was revenge against the Vajra.

Had moe even been invented by 1992?

Sorry about that, don't know why spoiler tags slipped my mind.

Now another one! A short hand term for the OverTechnology of super-light-velocity spatial displacement. Fold travel allows a spacecraft to enter super dimension space and traverse vast interstellar distances nearly instantaneously. A fold first swaps the location of the spacecraft with super dimension space and then swaps super dimension space with the space at the destination, depositing the spacecraft in the process. During the events of Super Dimension Fortress Macross, First Lieutenant Misa Hayase describes the passage of time during a fold as an hour passing in super dimension space equivalent to the passage of approximately ten days in normal space. When initiating a fold to super dimension space the term "fold in" is used. When a spacecraft arrives at the destination by departing super dimension space the term "defold" (or "fold out") is used. Space craft typically measure space folds in light-years, such as the 1,000 light year fold conducted by the Macross Frontier fleet to reach the Vajra homeworld in 2059. This is the M3's Macrosspedia entry on space folding. The question I have is about the discrepancy between folding being near instantaneous and the thing about 1 hour in fold is ten days real time. So... how long does it take to get from Eden to Earth? To go 50 LY? 100 LY? 1,000 LY? I know, I know, I'm thinking about it too much but when I'm writing I like to have details.

Yeah but isn't that just one of the many wonderful uses of Protoculture?

Also, I was wondering what information there was on the colony fleets. This is all I know so far. Megaroad-01 [MIA-2016] Megaroad-02 Megaroad-03 Megaroad-04 Megaroad-05 Megaroad-06 Megaroad-07 Megaroad-08 Megaroad-09 Megaroad-10 Megaroad-11 Megaroad-12 Megaroad-13 [Fleet lost, crew became Protodeviln slaves] Megaroad-14 Megaroad-15 Megaroad-16 Megaroad-17 Megaroad-18 Megaroad-19 Megaroad-20 Megaroad-21 Megaroad-22 Megaroad-23 Megaroad-24 [Destroyed on Earth] Megaroad-25 [Destroyed on Earth] Macross 1 Macross 2 Macross 3 Macross 4 Macross 5 [ships destroyed on Planet Lux, 2045. Crew recovered by Macross 7] Macross 6 Macross 7 [Engaged the Varauta and Protodeviln in 2045] Macross 8 Macross 9 Macross 10 Macross 11 [still on-mission in 2059, had a brief encounter with the Vajra] Macross 12 Macross 13 [Fleet status unknown, Battle 13 carrier destroyed in 2051] Macross 14 Macross 15 Macross 16 Macross 17 Macross 18 Macross 19 Macross 20 Macross 21/Macross Galaxy [Fleet status unknown, Battle Galaxy carrier destroyed during Vajra Conspiracy] Macross 22 Macross 23 Macross 24 Macross 25/Macross Frontier [Encountered the Vajra in 2059. Landed on Vajra home planet]

Yes and Macross Frontier describes this so well. Seriously though, it's nice to know the score. I'll have to make the appropriate modifications. I was also thinking, as part of the social commentary in my fic, I'd have a lot of mainly Zentradi characters grumbling about how a lot of humans have this attitude that they're the best race in the universe because they brought culture to the poor barbaric Zentradi. Do you think that's something that could work? Also, I got caught up on your fic Frothymug and I'm impressed as usual. Solid writing all the way, Lastly, I recommend reading A Frontier Anew. It takes place a year after MacF and even though its one of those "Sheryl becomes a VF-25 pilot fics," it takes a very interesting turn when Skull Squadron figures something out concerning the fate of the Megaroad-01...

You want I should write an essay? Incidentally I was cooking a beef roast in my slow cooker today and Protoculture is great stuff to let that baste in.

Ooh, ouch. You don't happen to know a guy in south Florida by the name of General Hate do you?

Virtual idol Sharon App-I mean, Hatsune Miku singing 'Information High' from Macross Plus. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd9GxVlx3wc