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guyxxed

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Everything posted by guyxxed

  1. guyxxed
    Megaroad-01 should stay among the unexplained. Like JasonC, I'm fine with the name drop and giving hope that they're not all dead, but a new series or movie with centered on them drags the franchise backwards. Delta may not have gone the way I'd have liked, but it expanded the universe, gave us cool new stuff, and opened the doors on new possibilities. That's where Macross needs to go. It just...needs to do it better than Delta did.
  2. guyxxed
    In terms of the series, this was a decent ending. It didn't fix the mess of the last ten episodes, but it brought resolution to the main points of the plot. Hayate and Frejya make sense and them together is an earned conclusion that I'm happy with. I'm really disappointed that Mirage got sidelined as much as she did through the series, but I'm also pretty happy with her seeing Hayate as more of a brother/friend/partner than a lover. Delta took the Lost approach on its main mysteries, and that's frustrating, but I'm very relieved that we didn't have a last minute Lady M ass-pull cameo. At this point in the series, that would've been a much bigger disappointment than leaving it unresolved. The action was fairly low key, but I actually don't mind that. A big fleet battle with wall to wall dogfights would've felt like too much of a retread of Frontier. Since they took the hive mind aspect already, I'm glad they kept the focus on the character growth for what won the day. The Elysion looked good doing its thing and the action that we got was fun. Bogue being pissed off that he had to help Walkure was funny and fit nicely. It actually made me respect him a bit more (not a lot, but some) that he followed orders despite his personal feelings. I would have liked to get a Hermann/Mirage interaction to complete that circle (which started all the way back in the asteroid battle of episode 6), but you can't have everything. Does Delta go down as a success? Debatable. The missed opportunities in the story are pretty glaring and frustrating. That said, there were an awful lot of things it did really well (at least, most of the time). Frontier was a better story, but Delta has better characters and is an interesting departure from the Macross formula. Maybe too much of a departure, but I won't fault it for trying. A DYRL style retelling that trims out the exposition and brings Mirage out of the shadows would make this a damn good tale.
  3. guyxxed
    I typically wait for subs and will for the final episode as well. For most of Delta's run, I've read the spoilers while waiting mostly because it helps with my understanding of the episode (splitting my attention between reading subs and trying to watch what's going on means that I inevitably miss stuff). For the final episode, I'll be avoiding everything until I've seen the episode for myself. Delta hasn't quite earned it, but I'll give it every chance to impress me before I let everyone else's opinions in. :-) Just to be clear, I'm only talking about a movie in the hypothetical sense. I'm not counting on it or even really expecting it (although, Macross does have something of a track record here). Just fun stuff to speculate on. I'll stop now, though, until an announcement is made.
  4. guyxxed
    At this point, I would prefer the dangling ending, because it would at least show that they recognize the task ahead and have been stringing things along on purpose to set up the movie conclusion. A bad purpose, maybe, but not an unintended one. If, on the other hand, next episode is intended as a wrap, then I'm afraid it doesn't matter if there's a movie or not because the series can only be a disappointment and it will prove that the staff either had no idea how to go about making the show or, worse, didn't care. Then again, surprises happen. I highly doubt it will in this case, but I'll be watching on Sunday and won't write it off until Delta does it for itself.
  5. guyxxed
    Agreed, regardless of whether Delta is wrapped up well or not, I would much prefer to leave Megaroad-01 as the mystery it is. To throw any of that in now will just be a cheap cameo at best and character/plot/setting assassination at worst.
  6. guyxxed
    Hayate and Keith crash into each other while attempting to scissor, meanwhile Mirage finally unclenches her anus and she and Chuck become back to back badasses that trash the rest of the knights while Arad chokes on a jellyfish and dies. Johnson is fired and becomes a lounge singer with the stage name of Ernie Green The mercats kick everyone off of Ragna and finally reclaim their native world from all these Protoculture-made squatters that have been messing up the place for the last few dozen centuries. Finally, Kaname punches Lady M in the mouth for being a manipulative jerk this whole time, then quits and starts her own series called "Macross: Divide" where she leads a kickass squad of commandos (with air support led by the green haired pilot) that comes back and cleans up the mess everyone created in Delta. Valkyries fighting in battroid mode are freakin' everywhere.
  7. guyxxed
    So... what was the thing that appeared after Mikumo sang, and where did it appear? At first, I thought it was on top of the Sigur Valens, but then the very next shot showed the SV looking the same as always. Ancient Evil Engine of Destruction seems a good guess for what it is, but nobody else seemed to notice it at all.
  8. guyxxed
    I think that it is just the consequence of Recycled Footage Syndrome. To take it at face value, though, and play with in-universe speculation, I think that it's meant to be metaphorical, just like the 'naked in the sky' moments that everyone keeps having. There aren't actually any glowy light effects following people around, but they feel it and others have ways of perceiving it (through their runes or pendants or 'love's true knowing' or whatever), and so it gets represented onscreen as a viewer notification. In the case of the footage review, everyone present was aware of what had happened at the time through one means or another, and so 'saw' it even though there wasn't actually anything 'really' on their screen either.
  9. guyxxed
    Enjoyable as always, you guys always do a great job. Also congratulations and thanks for your involvement in the subtitles, nice work. It also speaks well of the Macross franchise that they would look for and accept input from fans in putting the product together (I understand that you are all involved in the industry to differing degrees, and so are not exactly outsiders to the process, but still...) I will say that I was a bit disappointed that the discussion about the production change (13 episodes and a movie to 26 episodes) was cut short, I would have liked to hear more thoughts on that, especially why Adrian was so adamant that it was not to fault for the change in pacing and coherency that we've been seeing in the later episodes. The change is becoming quite a focus in most of the discussions I've seen and your insights, as insiders of a kind, would be helpful. Thanks again!
  10. guyxxed
    Yes, I know. The point was that Frontier did dumb things, too, and that some of them were easily on the same level of dumb as what Delta has done. Delta's first half was arguably stronger than Frontier's, and while it's second half is winding rapidly toward disappointment, that shouldn't negate the things it got right. I'll vote better, but only because I'm an incurable optimist. ;-)
  11. guyxxed
    I'm definitely feeling the frustration with how Delta has gone off track, but I can't agree with this. The first half of Delta had some very strong episodes and did a very good job of setting up great character dynamics. The fact that it is failing to develop or pay off those setups now doesn't negate what it did right before. Don't get me wrong, overall Frontier was a better package and I think that regardless of how it wraps up, Delta will ultimately go down as a missed opportunity, but the high school high jinks and Brera wrestling the purple winged lion were pretty freaking stupid. Delta hasn't given us what it should have, but it's been good at staying above that level of juvenile crap for the most part. In my opinion, anyway. ;-)
  12. guyxxed
    Agreed. Frontier was a much more balanced package than Delta has so far been. It's ironic, since Delta has (imho) a much better constructed premise and cast so characters than Frontier did. Too bad they've failed to do much with them so far.
  13. guyxxed
    That was awesome. It seems like the worse Delta gets, the more entertaining the podcast becomes. ;-)
  14. guyxxed
    Also, did anyone notice that the medic/servant/whatever in episode 19 (the one that tried to talk to Keith, but then chickened out) had truncated or stunted runes? Or maybe excised? Is this a Windermerian eunuch?
  15. guyxxed
    I want to see literally ANYONE other than Hayate or Keith kicking ass. I'm really tired of every fight focusing only on those two. That's really my big complaint against Delta. They've got a great team, and absolutely no teamwork. Frontier did a great job at showing combined arms fighting and everyone having a role to play. Delta mostly shows one on one duels while everyone else circles in the background (both the fighters and the singers). That's annoying.
  16. guyxxed
    I think Hermann cares, but is too entrenched in being a Knight. Cassim is still young enough (and has enough to lose) that he's wondering if it's worth it. Also, it looks like we might be heading toward Hayate and Freyja's connection starting to be a bad thing. The way he's been affected the past two episodes by her singing and then the craziness of this episode, I wonder if their synchronization might actually turn out to be a danger and an ultimate negative (at least until the inevitable conclusion when they learn to bulldoze through it with the power of love, etc, etc, blah, blah...). Would be an interesting angle that would give Mirage an opening. I'm starting to think that the only part of a Draken that can be damaged is the accessories. Other than the drones and gun pods, I don't think our heroes have manage to hurt one (Drakens piloted by red shirts don't count, they're probably pre-damaged and primed to explode before take off).
  17. guyxxed
    Agreed. His statement (in the Forbes interview, I think) that he wanted to do away with the love triangle aspect altogether also helps explain (or, at least give context to) how casually it's been handled up intil this point. Which, actually, I like. The slow pace gave the early character episodes a more natural, comfortable feel that I really enjoyed. I've got nothing against a good romance (I am a Macross fan, afterall), but it was refreshing to have people being friends and comrades first. I don't know if I would want to do away with war entirely (the military always has the best toys), but would absolutely welcome more variations to the formula.
  18. guyxxed
    Every episode of Delta has had good stuff in it, and there's still plenty to like in it. I think the negative feelings (or, at least, my own) are coming from the fact that it could easily be much better than it is, not that it's actually bad or anything. For the amount of time we've spent with the bad guys, we really still don't have a clear idea of their motives or goals, and have very little details on their background to allow us to sympathize with them. At the same time, we've been given a well balanced group of good guys with interesting backgrounds, but then spent most of the time shoving them to the side and making this the Hayate & Freyja show. Mirage, at the very least, desperately needs more moments to shine. She's a great character, but for an experienced combat pilot, she's somehow become almost a sidekick to amateur Hayate. I like the fact that there is supplemental material to expand and flesh out the Delta world, but Ghostbear is correct, the existence of that should never take place of development within the show itself.
  19. guyxxed
    Delta was on a good course up until episode 13. I felt that in a lot of ways it was improving on the Frontier model with its character work (though Messer's death was rushed). I'm glad that the triangle is finally in motion, but they desperately need to bring more depth to the villains and the Windermereian people in general. I have no idea at the moment how the civilian population is viewing their leaders or what they think of Roid and his war. Overall, I'm still liking Delta, but they've lost a lot of the rhythm that they had built up in the first half and are falling short in building tension.
  20. guyxxed
    Great podcast! And I agree with Jason, the back and forth between everyone was very entertaining and made for a fun listen. Two thoughts: First, on Hayate's pendant. It appears to be what allows him to resonate (he always grabs it whenever he's feeling the connection), so that makes me wonder what would happen if he gave it to someone else? If he let Mirage wear it, would she now resonate with Freyja? That might be too much 'midichlorian-izing' of the whole thing, but it's what came to mind. Second, on Arad and Kaname. I don't think Messer has come between them, I think it's their own putting up a front that's come between them. Their relationship was always comrades-in-arms in previous episodes, and only through the eyes of others was there ever any romantic angle to it. Karice pointed to the jellyfish snacks as flirting, but I honestly think it's just a comfortable friendship forged over spending lots of working time together. I like the idea that Kaname is offended at what Arad and Johnson knowingly did with Messer, and that's part of it, but I think that a few episodes back after Messer's death, when Arad and Kaname asked each other how they were doing and both basically said "Fine, never better", that inability to actually talk to each other is what is now producing awkwardness between them. They both know there's more, but now that they've both put a lie out there, they can't easily back down from it, and because of that what used to be easy and comfortable is now awkward and distancing. My two cents, for what it's worth.
  21. guyxxed
    Bogue has been very pro war to date, but his personal hero is also Hermann, who has been less than excited about Roid's pronouncement. Maybe the older knight is rubbing off on him? Hard to say since we get only such a short sequence. To me, the biggest significance of this episode is that it seems that we finally have an actual triangle. Hayate appears to have finally noticed Freyja as something other than a friend and doesn't know what to do about that just yet. Meanwhile, everyone else seems to be on team Mirage. I do like that he's been truly oblivious (even Chuck and Makina call it out) and not just badly written. It's fitting for his character to see things at face value only and be needing more of a push to see the things people aren't saying. Ironic that it's Mirage that gave him that push with Freyja. Now, back to the action and plot, please.
  22. guyxxed
    While all the theories that tie in to past series are fun, I don't think that's where Delta will go. Pretty much all Macross series to date have been pretty well self contained, with the tie ins more as just easter eggs than critical plot points. My theory: Keith and Roid are the ones that dropped the DE bomb, possibly with backing from Epsilon, and have been conspiring to usurp the kingdom out from under Gramia through his death and the manipulation of Heinz. Up until this episode, I would have said Roid was doing it for power and Keith was doing it for revenge (bastard son and all that), but Roid's declaring war on the galaxy seems counter to that, so who knows. I definitely second the thoughts that the villains are so far underwritten. Their motives are murky, their plans are unknown, and their personalities are thin at best. Grace was maybe not as developed as she could have been, but her actions were all clear and built a strong image of someone with a purpose, which was enough to successfully carry the story. The Windy's so far, not so much.
  23. guyxxed
    Agreed. Wasn't Roid the one saying that they'd gone far enough a few episodes ago and that they should start negotiations? Now in this episode he's the one refusing to talk and yelling 'death to the galaxy!' His character has gone back and forth a few times now between being the puppet master and being the reasonable, cautious one, with no real impetus for the change. It's starting to feel like a poorly written character. Still have hopes that they'll pull it all together well enough for a satisfying finish, especially after a nice strong start to the series, but it's increasingly looking like Delta is unraveling. Too many unanswered questions, too many ambiguous motives, too much repetition, too much 'superpowers > skills'. On a separate note, though, I wonder if the "We were supposed to do this together" talk between Roid and Keith is actually referencing a plot by the two of them to usurp the kingdom by manipulating Heinz until Gramia kicked off, rather than just executing the 'reclaim the cluster' plan. It would explain Keith's coldness toward Heinz and his insistence on pushing his little brother to his limits. Declaring war on the galaxy wouldn't seem to tie into that very well, so maybe not, but it would fit with everything else we've seen prior to the current episode.
  24. guyxxed
    I like Delta and am enjoying it, but in some ways it's in spite of itself rather than because of what it's giving us. The biggest issue so far (in my opinion) has been a poorly defined and motivated antagonist, and this episode actually made that worse.
  25. guyxxed
    Half way through, time for a quick mid-season review: Overall, I'm enjoying Delta and think it's a good addition to the Macross universe. It's exciting, it's interesting, and it's fun. I'm in it for the long haul and can't wait to see where it goes. That said, there are some things that it does well, and some things where...well, not so much. Good: Worldbuilding - Delta has given us some very nice locations and additions to the universe. I really like Thomas Romain's work in creating Ragna and Al Shahal as unique places, and really like the little technical details that get worked into many of the episodes (like the load out scene in ep 6, or the brief discussion of live vs. recorded music in ep 4). I like the maps we keep getting and I really like that this series is seemingly going to look closer at the legacy of the Protoculture and what it means to those in the present day. Cool stuff! Animation - The series is gorgeous, very well made and obviously going out of its way to give us more than it has to. This is a quality visual product, no matter what one thinks of the story. Tone - 'tone' might not be the right word, but what I mean is that Delta does a good job of keeping a balance of light and dark moments as well as being more mature in its overall thrust than some previous entries. Despite some of the choices in character design that appeared to be for pure titillation, the fanservice has been very minimal, and the characters have been pretty well left to stand as themselves rather than as objects or cyphers. Mecha - almost a given for a Macross show, but I like the new entries. The VF-1 was a hard act to beat, but Macross keeps giving me new Valkyries to love. I really hope we haven't seen the last of the new Zentradi mechs, too. Not so Good: Villains - I'm all for mystery and playing things close to the vest, but we're halfway through the show and I still don't really know what the bad guys' goals are. Push NUNS out and establish control of the sector, but what does that mean to them? Is fully enslaving the entire population the endgame, or is the Var just a means to an end with something else to follow? They clearly didn't know about the bomb, so did they know about the structure? If so, what was their plan to make it show up? Or was it all just a happy accident and they're just winging it? I have theories and suspicions, but the show hasn't given us anything to really tell us. This isn't a show killer, but it does reduce my engagement with the conflict because the stakes aren't clear. Which leads to... Action - Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of action in the story, and the choreography of the action sequences is really good. But I'm feeling almost like I'm watching G.I.Joe in that only faceless nobodies get shot down and I'm half expecting to see everybody parachute to safety. The Knights should have taken a loss by now. Alpha and Beta squads should have gotten some face time so that their losses meant something. I don't want dark and gritty with deaths in every episode, but I want to feel tension during battles, and right now I don't. Characters - This one could honestly have just as easily been a 'Good', because I actually really like the characters that we've been given. Hayate and Freyja are big improvements over Alto and Ranka in terms of complexity and agency, I really like that Walkure aren't just idol singers but also have other dimensions and values to them as well, I like Mirage and her self-doubt and pressures, I like that we have a broad ensemble that all have roles to play and fit together in interesting combinations that play well off each other. Which is why I'm a bit frustrated in some of the combinations we're getting. Mirage is a veteran pilot with actual combat experience, yet she's had to be rescued by Hayate (the green rookie) twice already. Arad has been hinted as being on Messer's level, yet we have yet to see him do...anything. There is a huge potential here to show Delta squad coming together as a team to save the day, where each of them balance out the weaknesses and strengths of the others, to be something more than any of them would be on their own, yet what we've mostly gotten is Hayate going from amateur to superstar in record time. Mirage is competent and tough, please show that side of her more. Chuck and Arad didn't get on the team because there were empty seats to fill, let's see what they contribute. I want less special snowflakes dominating the story and more of a team ensemble coming together to work as a unit. Frontier actually did a pretty good job of this, and Delta has all the pieces in place, it just needs to move the spotlight every now and then. Again, overall I really like Delta and am looking forward to seeing where it's going. There's a lot to love here, and I am loving it. No show is perfect, and my negatives above are just my opinions on where it could be doing better. It's a lot of fun, and I'm enjoying the ride. Hopefully most of you all as well.
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