Batou

Wasn't Gundam stuck in Japan for years due to licensing and distribution squabbles? Ditto for Dragonball? In the US, at least, you didn't see ANYTHING Gundam outside otaku circles up until a 5 or so years ago. Gundam Seed (shudder) playing on Cartoon Network was the first real exposure it got over here as far as I know. Robotech, on the other hand, introduced an entire generation to anime in the mid 80's (yes, I'm aware of Speed Racer and Gatchaman, thank you), and while most men in my generation may have no idea what "Macross" is, if you show them a Roy VF-1S, they'll immediately recognize it from Robotech (or mistake it for Jetfire, which is understandable). I think this has a lot to do with Macross' popularity in the west.

Don't think it's a Tenjin (not quite up to the standards of his more recent works), but it's pretty close. Very nice.

A little harsh, but so true. We can't help who we're attracted to, and Luca is in all likelihood overshadowed by his friends. It reminds me of a very good friend of mine ... Now I'm not a bad looking guy at all, and have dated plenty of really attractive and intelligent women. My buddy Bryant, though, looks like he should have been a male model and has this natural charisma that makes it so you just can't help loving the guy to death. We used to go out to bars a LOT a few years ago, and it would just drive you completely up the wall to see every woman in the joint throwing themselves at him, despite his obvious interest in one thing and one thing only. In his defense, he'd just gotten out of a 5-year relationship, so I can't really blame him for playing the field. He never lied to them, or anything like that - He'd be the first to let them know he wasn't looking for anything serious. So here I am, Mr Funny, sweet, intelligent, good looking guy, with every quality they'd say they were looking for in a guy, but I could hardly get a sideways glance whenever he was around. Inevitably, they'd always chase after the shiny pretty thing like a cat after a laser pointer. And then whine to me later on about how they never meet any nice guys. (sigh) I feel for ya, Luca.

I'm waiting for them to iron out the wrinkles before snatching up one, myself. I suspect there are a lot of people here doing the same thing. Besides, I already have a Roy in a plethora of scales, ditto for the Hikkie 1A. Show me a Hikaru 1S with the inevitable tweaks and QC improvements, and I'll bite the hook. An Enigma or Blue Roses scheme would do nicely ... I'm really hoping they're more willing to experiment with non-canon schemes with this series, but I doubt they'd appear until well after they've recouped their investment developing them, which might not be as soon as they (or I'd) like given the VF-1 glut of recent years. Beautiful, yes, and I'm sure I'll pick up a couple, but getting one of each like I did the first time around the 1/60 merry-go-round just isn't an option for me anymore.

It actually creates another button labeled "Show Vote Options" ... Which allows you to vote later if you wish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctEDHm0OKms...feature=related

Big Dick Bilrer. And I'd live like a king in my surveillance-shielded mansion, eating space lobster and hippocow steaks, afterwards doing unspeakable things to my army of french maid love androids.

Well it's a well know fact, sonny Jim, that there's a group of the five wealthiest people in the world known as the pentaverate, who run everything in the world, including the newspapers. And meet tri-annually at a secret country mansion known as, the Meadows. The Queen The Vatican The Gettes The Rothchilds and Colonel Sanders, before he went tets up. Oh, how I hate the colonel with his wee beady eyes, and that smug look on his face... Oh, your'e gonna buy my chicken, oh...

I agree. My take was that Sheryl just outlived her usefulness as a "failed experiment". As far as "fanning the flames of hatred" or whatever it was, I would guess Grace's intention was to stir up the hornets' nest, as it were, by setting off the dimension eater. Grace knew would trace the attack back to the Frontier fleet, who they would subsequently blame and attack. Sheryl getting blown to atoms was just killing two birds with one stone, possibly with the assumption that the Frontier fleet would blame her death on the Vajra: If no one had actually managed to survive that explosion (which, let's face it, the odds were very much against it), the Frontier fleet would only know that Galia 4 was blown to bits along with Sheryl, Alto, and the 33rd Zent Marines, see the Vajra immediately jump from there to attack the Frontier, and then things just escalate further. Grace and the rest of her mystery conspirators seem to be very intentionally playing both sides against the middle, the purpose for which remains to be revealed. I strongly suspect the Vajra will wind up being innocent parties in all this, all along acting in what they believe to be self defense. Still, Sheryl's survival may likely turn into an inconvenience for them, especially given whatever evidence her blood might betray (including, but not restricted to, the poison Grace was giving her). I would not be surprised if another manufactured "accident" or outright attempt on her was in the works, if only to clear up the loose ends. This would likely have to be pretty messy, as an autopsy might reveal some things the conspirators don't want out in the open, at least not yet. Despite the "clip show" nature of a lot of this episode, this is the most plot revelation I think we've had so far in the series. Those hints as to the stage being set now really make me eager to see where this is going.

The last 3 were pretty heavy on the CGI, too, which can't be cheap at this quality. It's a welcome breath of fresh air after the recent intensity, and appears to drive the plot forward at least (I'm assuming - will have to wait for the subs to appear, for me at least). The sing off was a blast. I loved seeing Sheryl primping herself before Alto entered ... even more when she got all catty and jealous when she saw Ranka was with him. Altogether, it shows that she has a vulnerable side underneath all that bravado, and made me appreciate her more. I'm fully rooting for her at this point: Ranka just seems too lolicon and unsure of herself to me, whereas Sheryl, despite her faults, is very human and likeable once you get past the thick skin she puts up. And she at least looks like a grown woman, fer chris' sake. Given Ranka's connection to the Vajra, I think she's going to ultimately get the guy (assuming he doesn't get himself killed or vanish a la Shin before the end). At least Alto's seen both their goodies, so no surprises there. (Me: Ponders whether Ranka's a natural green-head or not ). Very eagerly awaiting subs for this one. Yeah, it's a clip show, but I suspect Grace and the other voiceovers during the clips (at least early on) will shed a lot of light on all the sneaky sneaky we've seen so far. And beg more questions, I'm sure.

Doh! Why did I go and verify that? I think you get the next Nanase pillow. If I had to guess, I could see ... Ozma (as you pointed out). I remember hearing somewhere recently (in a movie, I think), that "parents have to die before their children truly come into their own". This may be the same, where Ozma has to go for the rest of the boys to step up and become men. Then again, "Goodbye, Sister" could just be there to screw with our heads, knowing we're all expecting the pineapple salad. Brera going out in a blaze of glory after redeeming himself in some way (from being a major d-bag for the first half of the series) a la Guld. His sacrifice will ultimately save Ranka, Frontier, or maybe the whole shebang. I'm guessing last episode, or very near the end. Either Luca OR Michel: One or the other has to go, if only to hammer home the cost of war, a la Kakizaki. It seems natural to point at Luca here (he's less skilled in combat, the recent near-confession to Nanase seemed to set it up, etc), but I wouldn't count out Michel yet, either. His connection to Klan could lend itself to the story and character development there, and if Ozma's going, I would be very surprised to NOT see Alto leading Skull Squadron by the end (in a shiny new red VF-25S, no less). Michel has to be out of the way before that would play out. If so, Skull is going to need some new blood soon if so ... 2 remaining valks does not a squad make. Maybe SMS has other squadrons we haven't seen with personnel ready to fill in? As "small" as the Quarter is, it can clearly fit a larger complement than the handful of valks, q-reas, a Konig and the destroids for close defense we've seen so far (Mr March's Mecha Manual mentions "many x VF-25 variable fighters", "many x attack craft, bombers, reconnaissance craft, transport craft, liaison craft", etc - not sure of his source, but would assume it's reliable), and the flight deck was crawling with people when we saw Alto first visit it with Ozma (just prior to getting smacked in the face ). Hell, maybe Sheryl straps in and goes "Bomba!!!" Leon, just because he's clearly begging for it. If nothing else, for that haircut. Sneaky bastard. Grace, because she's a duplicitous bee-yotch, and in anime, they always get theirs in the end. Tell me I'm wrong. Bilra, because I just know he's going to be revealed as a massive jerk before the end. You know how I know? Look at how his eyes shift back and forth. (Simpsons fans will know what I'm on about )

Oh wow ... I'm honestly glad I'm not the only one. Macross was huge to me as a kid ... as soon as Star Wars tied itself up, I discovered Robotech (around age 10 or so) and just went ape. It's very easy to get caught up in the escapism and nostalgia, coupled with animation Kawamori could only dream at when making the original. Rediscovering it through M+ years later brought all that back, and it's just one of those silly things that never gets old. I enjoy other anime, but Macross is something very special and unique for me, which makes it very personal. Frontier is to me what all the Star Wars nerds were hoping the prequels would turn out to be ... fortunately no Jar Jar as yet. Anyway, it's not just you. I've jumped out of my chair and yelled "Ye-aww! Take that, emo douche!" when Alto rushed out of that explosion to take out Brera's 27's leg. I even teared up a little this past episode when Ranka's mom starting singing Aimo ... (yeah, yeah, make all the fun you want). You're in good company.

I shudder to think ... All told it must be several grand by now, I'm sure. All I have to do is go look at my two bookcases crawling with the little guys, and it's all worth it, though. The problem is sadly space and not money these days.

Which makes her like every other woman: Nary a clue what she really wants herself, but still gets in a huff when you fail to read her mind. Oh, and hung up on the one guy who shows her nothing but disinterest. (Ha! Sorry - do I sound bitter??? )

Hell, I can't even wait for the fansubs to come out and catch the raws as soon as they hit the rss feeds ... first series EVER that prompted that. This is the only one I'm not capable of waiting for any longer than I absolutely must. I admire your patience.

The beancounters and guys in provisioning may feel a little different about it ... Those things don't look cheap.

I dunno. I'd still imagine Kawamori runs the show here, and he makes new Macross shows whenever he damn well feels like it and not a minute before. Once the story of Frontier is told, I doubt he's going to want to revisit it, even for the promise of massive merchandising sales. He's had the opportunity to milk the Macross cow for decades now, but hasn't gone the way of Gundam yet (i.e., new show every year, most of them crap, but cranking out merchandising tie-ins ad nausea). I somehow doubt he's going to do that now. I would (obviously) absolutely love a new Macross series after this, whether something completely new or a continuation to Frontier. Given the Froating Head's past actions, though, I just don't think it's going to happen. There will be more Macross, but I'd be very surprised to see it before 2010-2012 or thereabouts. As long as the gap btwn Zero and Frontier, at least. I do hope I'm wrong. And for the record, I'm going to go through a minor bout of depression about a week after the Frontier finale ... just as soon as it sinks in that there will be no new Macross goodness to savor for what will seem an interminably long time ... It's been one heck of a ride so far, at least.

Isn't that exactly how it happens in war?

I don't know about pre-painted (maybe check local hobby shops, esp those that sell trains), but there are injection kits of deck crews and such at HLJ: Crew Sets Support Teams Fuel trucks, tanks, accessories General diorama stuff There's precious little in the way of anything 1/60, and most of the really cool 1/48 stuff is discontinued and hard to get ahold of.

Just to play devil's advocate ... I don't think anyone would argue the classics are "better" simply by pre-dating anything. Compare Britney Spears or Green Day to Mozart, Chopin, Stravinsky, Beethoven. "Pop culture" must cater to the lowest common denominator by definition, and as a result the lack of sophistication in comparison is startling. It's like a McDonald's cheeseburger: A pre-packaged product designed in a corporate boardroom, intended for mass consumption. Just because they're popular and they've sold billions of the god-awful things doesn't make them fine dining, nor does it make them good for you in any way. (Mark my words, you'll see "Ow! My Balls!" on Fox before the end of the next decade). As much as I love Macross, I somehow doubt it's going to be held on such a pedestal and force-fed to high school seniors 400 years from now. It's just not fair to compare them. Just so we're clear, I don't lump Macross in with "pop culture", anyway. Sure they have musical numbers and they merchandise this stuff in the hopes or selling collectibles and such, but it's hardly in the mainstream. Doesn't it air at like 3 AM in Japan, even? Other than for obsessive otaku (like us), this stuff is pretty far removed from the pulse, guys.

Out-frickin'-standing episode. Bravo. Waiting for subs before I open my mouth more. It's going to be a hard wait ...

Yeah, mine shuts all the way without having to remove anyone's head, no problemo. You must not have her in there all the way.

"Phased out" implies they would be replaced with something. Recall that there are just a handful of Glaugs left because all the factories that built them got blown to atoms and the Zentradi don't know how to make more. Zentran are fighters, not engineers, not designers, not lovers. Satan's Dolls and all that. The ones that joined with the UNS/NUNS after SW1 clearly learned and developed these skills and others from their interactions with humans, but I don't think we've seen anything indicating that any of the Zentradi are actually designing new mecha to replace their old designs, though. I always assumed that the PC created all the mobile factories, and the Zentran/Meltran had essentially been fighting a war of attrition ever since the PC died out or disappeared. As the factories get destroyed (as they would be highly valuable military targets), their ability to replace lost arms is lessened each and every time.

My $0.02 ... I think it's just a little too convenient for that eyeball thingie to have gone off just prior to Alto's flight controls going dead and subsequent emergency landing. They landed within walking distance of what appears to be the ruins of the SDF-1 where - as far as we know, at least - it's tens of thousands of light years from where they remember seeing it parked (Dude! Where's my Macross? ). Also, since it was so close to their crash site, someone explain how they didn't see something that big when coming in? Even if Alto was struggling with the controls to try and land it, he how could you miss that? (I thought the valks were all fly-by-light ... the electronics go, I don't think it would matter at all how hard he pulled on the stick - it's going down like a rock). Wild speculation: The eyeball thingie is somehow related to the protoculture (that's right, not Vajra), and the WTF-1 was obviously created for the benefit of Alto and Ranka. It wants to communicate with them, either directly or indirectly, and this would certainly get their attention. It has to be a fake, an illusion of some sort, or a fabrication created by some sort of higher intelligence. Maybe it's the birdman's cousin Larry. Perhaps a "booby trap" left behind by the Protoculture should any of its progeny come calling, or at least the more "desirable" progeny: Surely the Zentradi stationed on this planet would have performed recon sweeps and scanned the planet from orbit at some point. Britai could detect the Macross parked on South Ataria Island from nearly past the moon's orbit, so I have some difficulty believing that they'd somehow miss a replica of the Macross sitting out in the open like that. Good episode. Very good. ( Zentran! Zentran! Zentran! )

I dug the AiA versions because they translated so very nicely to dvd with Nero. The visual quality was just a few hairs better than Shinsen's, which showed some mild hints at compression when viewed on the big screen for me. AiA's were very sharp and crisp, and looked just about like an original dvd transfer until you get very very close. Well crap. I'm very sad to hear they've dropped this, but as long as Shinsen is around I guess we'll survive.