alindasue

I'm just underlining two truisms:

1) Being naked with another person usually is sexual, or at least sexually akward, bar sharing a bath with your baby.

2) The well documented Lolicon trend in anime.

So sure, sometimes a cigar is just cigar, but I'm confident in my judgement. The act is not inherently dodgy, but the fact they actually animated and spent time on it looks suspicious. Any scene in an anime which features prolonged nudity (baring the baby in the bath scenario above), is almost always fanservice. I little surprised people are having difficulty with this concept.

I'm having difficulty with the concept that being naked with a person automatically implies sexuality... bringing it back to the very innocent Totoro bath scene that animators also took the time to draw and animate. The fact is that people do not generally bathe with clothes on. It's as simple as that.

Besides, Basara's tastes generally run toward older, much bustier women like Rex or Emilia. He doesn't even show any remotely sexual interest in Mylene, despite Mylene's crush on him (and fans' attempts to pair them).

Now the attempted rape scene with Mylene... from what I can see, it can be agreed that that was nothing but (rather wierd) fanservice. It wasn't perfectly normal behavior, like bathing naked is, and unlike the bath in the healing hot springs, it did nothing to further the story.

peace

Fanservice literally means a service to the fans, its not tied exclusively to the gainax bounce or the panty shot. Given that both the scenes in Dynamite 7 don't really add anything to anime, and are of a vaguely sexual nature, you could argue that these were of a fanservice nature. The only question is which fans, but I think we don't need to go there.

I still fail to see where that bath scene could be considered even vaguely sexual... and I'm looking at it from the point of view of a pretty conservative mother who has several teenage and young adult daughters. Heck, the girl's father is even with them and is not bothered by it. If it were even remotely sexual, her hot-headed father would not be so calm about it, eh.

peace

One of the things I liked about Dynamite 7 is the slightly different version of Basara that we get. He seems slightly more at peace in this one and less abrasive than he did in M7

I agree. Basara grew up quite a bit during the course of the series... and he's not trying to crack through the whole military mindset in this one. Just the police this time...

The whole Zolan mystery doesn't bother me too much. Perhaps THEY are Proto-culture Although, being marsupials, do the Zolans have pouches? I can't remember.

If you listen to the radio dramas going on throughout the show, you'll hear that the Zolans do, in fact, have pouches also. I didn't notice one on Elma during the split second we could see her fully naked, but that may be because she's still immature...

Speaking of Dynamite OVAs, I'm watching the Electric Fire 2007 DVD - again - Fukuyama-san is singing "New Frontier".

I really like the Dynamite OVA music. I think it's a bit closer to Fukuyama-san's Humming Bird sound than the other Macross 7 music.

I have not watched this yet. I have, however, watched yuo youtube amv of the Minmey/Basara Angel Voice duet and it is the most beautiful song in the galaxy and their duet is lovely - although the AMV is structured in such a way that DYRL is also used.

I've seen it. I've favorited it. ^^b

That duet is a very well done fan compilation that mixes the Dynamite OVA version with the version that Mari IIjima did for the Macross Tribute album. Fukuyama-san also did a great version of the original Macross theme on that same album.

And I totally agree with you about Elma's bath/Mylene's assault. The former didn't feel much different to me than, say, the bath scene in Totoro, whereas the latter was...well, a little sleazier than I would've liked.

I agree. I really couldn't see a point in adding that particular Mylene scene. It did nothing to actually add to the story. The only thing I can think is that possibly they were showing that Basara wasn't there to watch over her that time like he had been when Bobby pulled his stunt during the series... but even that's stretching it a bit, eh.

"Elma's bath" wasn't just Elma's bath. It was Elma and Basara and Graham's bath. They were all just as naked for the same reason. People don't generally bathe with their clothes on - just like in the Totoro scene.

By the way, I really loved how the opening credits became more and more detailed each time through. I loved the ending credits too. They seemed to have a lot of fun animating them.

peace

Hmm so Basara would vote for Obama?

Basara's not really into politics, but I think if he were to vote at all, he'd more likely vote for Kucinich based on his anti-war stance and calls for a multilateral nuclear disarmament. During the show, Basara openly showed his disdain when they resorted to the use of such weapons to try and solve a problem.

That disdain was also shown towards the whole military mindset. He really hated the fact that the military leaders didn't understand what he was trying to do and instead saw his music only as a "weapon" against the enemy, instead of the weapon against war that it was intended to be.

I notice in these threads that we sometimes get dangerously close to the forums rules against political debate. I believe that's because, more than any of the other Macross series, Macross 7 itself is a political statement on the part of the creators.

peace

Hi, Alinda, long time no see. You are probably the most passionate Fukuyama fan online, but there ought to be many more. He just does not get enough recognition...

Part of the problem is that through all of Macross 7, his name only once showed up once in any of the credits, as the composer for "Dynamite Explosion!" A lot of people know who Fire Bomber is but not who the voices and musicians of Fire Bomber were. Even now, the only "Fire Bomber" musician I can tell you for sure is Fukuyama-san.

Anyway, I was wondering about this DVD, in fact I was thinking of making a new thread about it. I already have that Fire Bomber 2005 DVD he brought out a couple years back, which is really good, but of course the songs are almost all the same as this new one. Of course the performances are different, but this one is really pricey.... Do you have both? This is yet another one of these things I pointlessly debate even though I know I will end up buying eventually.

I also thought about starting a new thread about the DVD, but I don't know where to post it. It's not a model or toy and it's not one of the TV series...

With all the music in the Macross franchise, what this message board really needs is a section just devoted to the music. ^^b

Yes, of course, I have both concert DVDs. ^-^

The "Electric Fire 2007" DVD was quite a bit pricier. Actually, it was only 1,000 yen more, but between the weak US dollar, shipping, and added taxes, I ended up paying $91.00 for it. >.< ouch!

I'm glad I did though! Some of the songs are the same, but a good half of them are duet version this time. Chie Kajiura also has several solos, although Fukuyama-san is still onstage during most them as part of the backup band and harmony. Kajiura-san adds a ereathrall quality that plays against Fukuyama-san's energy quite well.

The difference in styles between Fukuyama-san alone with his band vs Kajiura-san and Fukuyama-san together make it well worth owning both concerts. Both are excellent for different reasons.

peace

Thanks! I'd order it from Kinokuniya (here in L.A.), but I have nothing to play it on...I'm going back to Tokyo in the summer, though, so I'll try to get it then. (And I have to pick up "Gift 25" while I'm at it...)

Try this: http://www.dvdidle.com/dvd-region-free.htm

It's what I use. The program tricks your computer into ignoring the region coding on the disc. It loads when you open your media player - and if your media player is not on it's preset list of programs to work with, you can add it to the list.

It's perfectly safe. I've been using it for a few years now without any ill effects to any of my computers. The only drawback I've ever seen with the program is that you pretty much have to register it ($39.95) if you want to watch more than a half hour of a show at a time.

ComicKaze, about English Fire... I've heard some of it. It's ok... however, although it's still Fukuyama-san's guitar playing, the vocals pale in comparison to the original. If it were a standard $14.00 American CD, I'd probably be tempted to buy it, but I don't consider it worth the $40+ I normally pay for import CDs.

peace

You lucky, lucky thng...any chance you could do an audio rip of it for us...?

No, but I can give you a few links to uploaded videos from it:

Feel Universe

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3090292

Light the Light (duet version)

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3085661

Totsugeki Love Heart (duet version)

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3081811

Angel Voice (duet version)

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3081425

Planet Dance (duet version)

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3077924

The site these are on is Japanese. You may have to register to view them, but the registration process is pretty simple.

To see it all, you will of course have to buy the DVD. I ordered it through the Kinokuniya up in Seattle, but a friend in Puerto Rico ordered his copy through cdjapan - http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=GNBA-7510

btw, I just found a Fukujin recording! It's on the same site as the above links. Fukujin, for those that don't already know, is Yoshiki Fukuyama and Nobutoshi Canna, the two men who voice Basara. They got together this last year and did a few concerts.

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/nm2958952

Enjoy!

peace

I first saw Robotech during it's first run on TV back when I was in college in the early '80s. I liked it, but it didn't impress me like Star Blazers had. Later in the early '90s, I saw some Macross, which did impress me, but it wasn't really until about '95 when a friend of mine handed me a couple fansub tapes of Macross 7 that I really became a fan. I was hooked from the first couple episodes!

Now, over a decade and several hundred dollars later (import CDs are not cheap!), it's still one of my favorite anime.

peace

They have the same glasses, and similar voices.

There. I did it.

And if Lennon was right, the Beatles were bigger than Jesus. So if Basara and John Lennon are alike, then Basara is more than 1/4 the size of Jesus.

(I'm trying to kill this thread by wrapping up all the loose ends into a neat little bow. Can you tell?)

When Yoshiki Fukuyama, Basara's singing voice and guitar, came out with his first solo album a few years back, one of the reviewers of the album started hisreview with something that translated as "if John Lennon were Japanese..."

Comparing Basara to John Lennon is not that far off. ^^b

peace

Plus Yoshiki Fukuyama can and will own everyone in the world, ever.

True dat.

I am AMAZED by this guys' talent.

VFTF1

Amen to that! I say as I sit here watching the "Electric Fire 2007" DVD (GNBA-7510) for the third time since I got it yesterday...

What I like about Macross 7:

1. The music. I like the Fire Bomber music (especially Fukuyama-san's vocals and guitar work). I like the way they included songs from the other Macross series. I like the fact that music was a constant element of the show.

2. The message. I like the fact that Basara was quite capable of handling himself in hand-to-hand or valkyrie fighting, yet he chose not too. He chose instead to try to spread peace with his music. Ditto for Viffidas and Ray.

3. Elma from the Dynamite OVAs. She reminds me so much of myself as a child.

4. Max and Milia's family issues, including Mylene

5. Flower girl.

6. The fact that Basara was born on my birthday Just had to include that (heehee) - but seriously, the fact that Basara's birthday is officially on August 15th, End of War Day in Japan, underscores the purpose of Basara's character.

peace

Remake Macross 7?

I think not.

It's a good series as is - it took me a while to fall in love with, but Basara's music does ultimately win you over in the end - and after the somewhat monotonous first few eps; a really interesting story line explodes and I do care about the cast.

Sure; I have pet peeves - and sure, I have NO pet peeves with SDF M TV...so in that respect M7 is a "step down"...

Macross 7 is one of my all-time favorite series, but even with my favorite shows I find pet peeves. My pet peeve with Macross 7 is that even though there are literally dozens of excellent Fire Bomber songs used in the series, they feel the need to focus on "Planet Dance" so much.

My pet peeve with the origional Macross - actually, it's with Robotech (i've only seen a little actual Macross) - is that they keep intoducing Minmay's "new song" and it's always the same flippin' song! Did they only make a couple songs for the dub version?

I also think it would be fun to see a cameo or two by Basara and Fire Bomber in the new series.

It's not beyond the realm of possibility. There's been a lot of "Fire Bomber" activity this last year in honor of Macross's 25th anniversary. Even outside of that, Yoshiki Fukuyama and Nobutoshi Canna (Nekki Basara's singing voice/guitar and actor respectively) have been singing and creating "internet radio" broadcasts together as "Fukujin". Their web site is at: http://blog.goo.ne.jp/fukujin2007/

Such a cameo would be cool to see...

peace

I voted to keep it as-is, only for lack of a "Remaster it!" option on the ballot.

Mac7 is easily my favorite among the sequels available (though Frontier may depose it in the next several months).

It's been remastered and released into two box sets that came out last September (BCBA-3049) and October (BCBA-3050). Unfortunately, I haven't had the $300+ needed to buy either of the boxes. T-T

But, I think you will enjoy it. I have a friend who bought them and he says they did an excellent job with it. ^-^b

peace

Added. ^-^

I'm in Tacoma, WA, USA

peace

Does anyone know what the second song on the VF-X2 Get Free CD is? It's by Fukuyama I know that much.

Actually, Get Free and the other song, Atarashii Kaze, were sung by Humming Bird. Fukuyama-san was a member of Humming Bird from 1988 until the group split in 2000.

I ordered the set and am looking forword to getting it, mainly because of Atarashii Kaze. I really like the song, but it's one of the few Humming Bird songs I don't have on CD yet. I have an mp3 of it, but that's just not quite the same, eh.

I discovered Humming Bird just about the time they broke up and missed getting the singles at first release. This rerelease set makes me quite happy.

peace

Yes, there is a lot of scene and music cycling going on, but at the end, it's a beatiful series.

The interesting thing is that with all the music cycling going on - especially the excessive use of "Planet Dance" - there still managed to be a good two dozen Fire Bomber songs used in the 49 episodes, plus another dozen or so more songs used in the four M7 Dynamite episodes. The fact that even with that many songs they were still able to manage repeating a few to excess AND borrowing songs from the other Macross series demonstrates just how much music there was in the series.

peace

I really tried to give Basara and macross 7 a chance, but then I watched macross 7 encore: "the fleet of the strongest women" (even the title sounds stupid!) and the final scene was like a slap in the face! Then I realized that M7 is actually a show 'for kids only' and because of that a necessary evil for the franchise.

Basing your opinion of Macross 7 on "the fleet of the strongest women" is like basing an a opinion of Star Trek on the "Spock's Brain" episode. Both are classic examples of the writers of a normally great series having a stupid moment that unfortunately made it to production. I like Macross 7 a lot. I hate that encore episode and generally prefer to pretend it doesn't exist.

If that's all you've seen of Macross 7, then please watch some of the regular series. I won't guarantee you'll like the series - especially if you prefer Valkyrie battle stats to non-conforming pacifists - but you'll at least see the series for what it really is, eh.

peace

I don't hate or worship Basara. I admire his spirit as an individual and iconoclast. Many people think Macross7 is "lame" - now imagine how much lamer it would be is Basara was a conformist cookie-cutter pop idol.

The important question about Macross7 is not whether you hate Basara or even that you agree with him. The question is whether you understand Basara's POV.

I agree. From the first episode, I understood Basara's point of view - and in many ways share it. I think it is because I share much of Basara's point of view, that I found myself enjoying Macross 7 from the very first episode.

There was a quite a good discussion thread about that awhile ago. People were arguing whether he was a Christ figure or a Buddha allegory. Not your usual flame war.

Basara is neither a Christ figure nor a Buddha allegory. He's more a Bob Dylan or a Michael Franti. Probably even more Michael Franti than Bob Dylan because, like Basara, Michael Franti uses his music to go into war zones and spread the message of peace to all sides of a conflict. Some people may not like him, but he has no enemies.

I fail to understand why people feel the need to flame Macross 7 or its characters. Yes, it is different than the other series, but why create more of the same? There is a little bit of pacifism throughout the Macross series. In Macross 7, the authors were just more blatant about it.

It's no coincidence that Basara's birthday (and mine, btw ) is August 15th. August 15th is the date Japan surrendered in World War II and is often referred to by Japanese people as "end of war day".

peace

EDIT2: That's it, I'm checking Macross.co,jp on a daily basis!

I've been watching the Macross.co.jp site. I haven't seen anything about a new series yet, but they started rebroadcasting the entire Macross 7 series last week.

peace

Count me in as another one of the "few people" who was drawn into Macross 7 from the very first episode. ^-^

If it takes a series 12 episodes to get "good", there's something wrong. I just didn't care for it...the animation wasn't that great and most of the character designs and costumes looked rather goofy. Any of those could be forgivable if the character they chose to focus on wasn't so damn annoying. It seemed targeted at a young audience and felt more like Voltron than Macross.

I don't think that Macross 7 was aimed at a young audience at all. If that were the case, perhaps it would be easier for most people to understand the message of the show. The "fighting is not the answer" message that the show conveys is actually a very mature point of view.

Basara is "annoying" because he is determined. Just as Gamilin found him a bit less annoying as the show progressed and he began to understand what Basara was doing, those of us who understand Basara's motives don't find him nearly as annoying as those who don't understand do.

The target audience of the show is more likely Japanese young adults. In the lessons learned after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the general feeling is that "never again" should they let something like that happen again... anywhere.

It's interesting that this topic should come up today. I don't think that it is a coincidence that Basara's birthdate is August 15th. It fits right in with the message of the show. According to a couple friends of mine in Japan, who along with me share an August 15th birthday, today is the day that commemorates the end of Japan's involvement in the war.

BTW, I agree with Radd. The series itself was just the right length, but I would love to see more shows with the same characters and themes similar to the Dynamite OVAs.

peace

(edited to correct spelling)

I find it interesting that a lot of non-Japanese Macross 7 viewers prefers Gamlin while in Japan, people like Basara. I had an old issue of Newtype Magazine and Basara was listed as #12 in the list of favorite anime characters at the time behind #1 Heero Yui, Gamlin is nowhere to be seen..

A friend of mine was getting Newtype on a regular basis for a while and he would let me read it. During that time, for several weeks, both Basara and Mylene were regularly in the top 10, with Basara actually making it to #1 for a few weeks.

As popular as the main characters were in Japan, I'm really surprised no company has tried to release it here in the USA. Then again, after hearing what they did with "English Fire!" I'm kind of glad they haven't. I'd really hate to see Macross 7 as a screwed up dub. They should only dub it if they are going to take the time to do it right!

peace

But even though I'm a fan of Macross 7, I don't think it "fits in" as Keith claims it does. I just liked the music. Well...except Basara. I kept wishing he would die througout the whole damn thing for being such a liberal pinko commie who flew into battle futily singing songs (remember no sound booster at first) while the real soldiers and pilots DIED defending City 7.

"liberal pinko commie"? Since Basara doesn't have any use for political affiliations, I think it would be more accurate to just call him what he is, a "pacifist" or "war protester".

By the way, if you like the music of Macross 7, you might want to check out Yoshiki Fukuyama Official Website

Fukuyama-san is the singing voice (but not acting voice) and guitar of Basara. He's also done a good deal of other music both anime related and not.

If you can't read the Japanese, a fair amount of his information has been translated and posted on my home page. (see sig.)

Except for the fact that those pilots would have died irregardless, and he actually "DID" save both their lives, and the lives of the pilots that were captured into fighting for the Protodevelin. Considering that "singing" was the only way to defeat the Protodevelin (as the 7 fleet was vastly outgunned to the point where not even reaction weapons made a difference), its entirely idiotic to call it "futile."

As Basara put it during the Dynamite OVAs, he didn't "defeat" anyone. The military saw Basara's music as a weapon. Basara saw it as a communication tool. Remember, Basara agreed to participate in "Sound Force" only as far as it suited his motives.

Basara did however actively save several people during the show... only once using weapons. His usual methods were either to use himself as a shield or to draw the Protodevelin away, allowing people to escape... and he did help out in non-combative ways such as helping Gamilin with repairs during that one episode where they had gotten too close to a sun.

Back on the topic of Macross II... I remember enjoying it when I watched it, but that was several years ago. I don't remember much about the actual show...

peace

.... Macross 7 is definitely my favorite.

peace

So ya like the teletubbies?

Don't know... I've never really seen teletubbies and I refuse to judge something sight unseen.

peace

I just buy the macross 7 dvd, and i seen the 5 first épisode.

I love it.

If the entire series is so cool, it will become 2th in my macross top

(1/ macross 2/macross 7 3/ macross 2 4/ macross zero 5/ macross plus )

I don't know if i am strange but i dont like macross +. It is very different that the other macross.

Personally, I loved Macross 7 from the very first episode. I suppose, like Gamilin, some people just don't understand until later what Basara was thinking.

I've seen a lot of people use the reason you don't like Macross Plus as the reason they don't like Macross 7. It's different. They both are.

Macross and Macross 2 are war stories with love tension elements, plain and simple. They are good stories with good character development, but they still follow the basic war story formula.

Macross Plus and Macross 7 are both issue based. Macross Plus deals with the issue: Should we replace real entertainers with computer imaging? How far should we take it?

Macross 7, in my opinion the deepest story line in the Macross series, deals with the issue: peace through better communication.

In the real world, not just in the Macross world, it is a well establish fact that music is the ultimate form of communication. That's why teachers use songs to help kids memorize; world leaders use battle marches, political anthems, and so forth to pursuade the people.

Basara wanted to communicate peace, not just to the protodevilin but to the UN Spacey as well... and he did it where they couldn't help but hear him... right in the middle of the battle... even if it did mean risking his life to do it.

Of course, anime being what it is, there is still the usual love triangle... but in the case of Macross 7, even that's different. This time, it's all in Mylene's head. Gamilin loves her. Basara thinks of her like a kid sister... and is totally oblivious to the fact that she loves both of them. Instead of the usual "who gets the girl?" story, we get to watch Gamilin patiently wait for to her grow up and beyond her crush on Basara.

I haven't seen Macross Zero yet, but of the four Macross stories I've seen, Macross 7 is definitely my favorite.

peace

Nice to see some true M7 fans and fans of Basara. Of course, there are alots of Basara + M7 haters out there and reflects the same thing in real world.

I noticed that. I can accept the fact that there are people who do not agree with me about the show... although I've seen an unfortunate tendency on the BBS to shut down (lock) Macross 7 related forums due to flaming by the haters. It's really sad because most of the hate comments and flaming I've seen have been extremely childish. Given that the different Macross series are generally intelligently written programs, it surprises me to see some of the fans stoop to such levels.

There are a lot of intelligent things to say about all the series... however, Macross 7 is definitely my favorite. I can really relate to Basara and what he is trying to accomplish. ^-^

War is always a means to achieve temporary peace through total domination. But never really solved any problems, we know Israel and Palestineans are fighting for thousands of years.. war never solved their differences.

There are those who delude themselves into thinking that war brings peace, even if only temporary. However, the only way waging a war can bring "peace" of any kind is if one side is totally wiped out (giving the side that is left "peace") or everyone is wiped out (no people left to wage war = "peace")... or if both sides finally agree that war wasn't the answer after all.

In every fight, there is some responsibility for it on both sides. That's why Basara sang to the military as well as to the protodevilin...

Well the iraq war can be that one thing that America started to bring temporary triumph in that area but also the start of new hatred..

enough of politics..

I agree. This forum is not a suitable place for it. However, if you would like to continue this discussion, you are welcome to do it in the "General Discussion" area of my home page's BBS. Even people who disagree with my views are welcome, however, I do reserve the right to open (no flames!) debate. ^-^

Alinda Sue's sites BBS

The main language of the BBS is English, but Japanese is equally welcome there. If some of the writing there looks like gobbly-gook to you, set your encoding to "Japanese Auto-select" and it should clear up. Also, it's set up so that guests can post without logging in, but there's a few more features available to you if you do log in.

By the way, back on topic, the singing voice of Basara, Yoshiki Fukuyama, seems to be as much of a peacenik as Basara is. One of the main reasons I like listening to his music (aside from the incredible singing and guitar work ^-^) is the fact that so much of his music carries a positive or thought provoking message. If I had to pick between the voice actor or the singer to appear at a convention as "Macross 7's Basara", I'd pick the singer.

peace

I don't think I'll be reporting anything for a while... I was supposed to give a presentation today (my birthday, of all days) and all the damn Powerpoint file decided to go walkabout last night. So, like Fukuyama, my data is gone, and I have to reschedule for next week, which means that by now, when I should have sighed with cathartic relief, that feeling shall have to be postponed...

Happy Birthday... a day late.

I hope today, at least, is better for you and your computer. Just out of curiousity, how old are you?

Me? I'm a month older than Fukuyama-san.

As for the Bikini song, yeah, in the Acogi (Acoustic Guitar) Tour he did, there was a trio of songs with the "sadness/anger" theme, and this is how it went:

Hachigatsu Muika

Bikini no sora no kienai hi

Galapagos

Galapagos really was an awesome performance, with improvised, long guitar solos here and there (each time the lighting changes to pure red), almost nothing like the record. He's really good at that, I think he needs to do that a lot more in his shows.

"akogi"

Some of the hardest to figure Japanese words are the ones that consist of two English words that have been shortened then stuck together. I saw "akogi" a lot on Fukuyama-san's BBS, but couldn't figure out what it meant until one day I saw the word used in a caption for a pic of someone holding a guitar...

I love watching Fukuyama-san play guitar! He's just absolutely amazing!

At the Tetsuro Morita concert I went to, it was a last minute decision to have Fukuyama-san join him for the second stage. During that stage, they were doing requests... totally unrehearsed, and Fukuyama-san didn't know most of the songs very well. That didn't stop him. He just improvised... and boy can he improvise!

About halfway through, Morita-san turned to him and said (in Japanese) "You really can play anything, can't you?" ^-^

Welcome to MacrossWorld AlindaSue.

You'll find alot of M7 lovers and detractors around here. Hope you enjoy your stay.

One last thing, no pics are allowed in sigs. It keeps the boards uncluttered. I'll wait awhile before I do any 'moderating'(yes, I'm feeling magnanimous today.  )

Hello, Moderator-san. Hajimemashite. ^-^

Like Basara, I have no enemies. I see the detractors a lot like Basara saw the military... they just don't understand - yet. ^-^

Is this signature better?

peace