Mog

Eureka Seven I'd say if you're not hooked after watching Ep. 20 ("Substance Abuse"), forget it. You probably won't like the rest of the series. For me personally, I think the series hooked me in after Ep. 9 ("Paper Moon Shine"). The first of what would be many Holland beat-downs of Renton, the big reveal about why Eureka adopted the three kids, and Renton finally officially becoming a member of Gekkostate. That marked the point for me where I went from "I guess I'll watch it; nothing better to watch" to "Hey, there might be some potential here."

My first reaction was "My God that's ugly." But actually that first picture from Kicker's post (for the FP/FB only set) isn't all that bad. Damn though, do we really need a box that big for 4 pieces of armor, the booster, and a Yang co-pilot/seat? [Remembers the MASSIVE refrigerator cube he got with the Stealth and FP set].......... nevermind. As for the box for the 19 and FP/FB set............... My God that's ugly.

Considering how tight a group all those wrestlers are (traveling on the road together and what-not), do you honestly believe a lot of them would be up to perform just hours after they were told that one of their own (and his family) were found dead? Plus, they were supposed to have that whole dumb Mr. McMahon(sp?) memorial tribute that night. If they had gone with that planned show instead, that would have been almost as offensive. Look I rip on the WWE for a lot of the things they currently do or put on the air. But for airing the tribute show? I'll cut them a little bit of slack, given all the circumstances and the timing of things. As for Benoit himself? WTF........You don't kill those you're supposed to protect and provide for. All I can do is shake my head at the whole thing (either in sadness, disgust, or disappointment).

Amen to that. I really hope they tampo all the red skulls and crosses.

I actually just turned on Raw earlier tonight as one of those spur-of-the-moment kinda things (and to catch a snippet of the latest PPV results). And the first thing that greets me is Vince McMahon telling me Chris Benoit, his wife, and their son were found dead. Frak. This just sucks. It's hard to believe that it was only a few years ago that both he and Eddie were celebrating as champions at the end of Wrestlemania. I know this don't mean squat. But even in passing, Benoit was still able to give back to the fans and get this stupid "exploding limo" crap off of the show. With everything still up in the air about the family's death though, I honestly don't know what to think (other than to give my condolences to the family and friends they left behind). Again, this just sucks...

Actually, I'm thinking more along the lines of any and all anime series. (SDF Macross was just the obvious first example to start with ). Sometimes an anime series starts off slow and then suddenly kicks it to another level after a certain point. Other times, the series goes from being just cool or alright to "Damn, f'ing good." Maybe it's a major plot twist. Maybe it's a big reveal in the overall story. Maybe it's a change in direction or style. Or maybe it's a nice string of consistently good and solid episodes. Whatever it is, there's usually some point where you say, "Yeah, I like where this is going. I'm glad I stuck with this series, and I really think this series is gonna pay off in the end." So, any and all anime series are open for discussion and debate!

^^I think a lot of us would be more ticked if they went the opposite way (showed us more of the gimmicks, but didn't show us how they're reinforcing the toy and making it less prone to floppiness or breakage). I know the latest Shin shoulder issue is a massive step back. But I really hope Yamato's taking our concerns about quality and build to heart.

So for any anime series, what was the episode or that "moment" that finally made you go, "Wow, this series is one of the 'good ones.' I'm sold: I'm watching this series all the way through to the end!" Sure, before that point, the series may have been interesting or something cool to kill some time watching. But what was the moment or the episode that finally made the series jump out to that "must see," "can't-miss-an-episode" level? When did the anime series finally have you commited hook, line, and sinker? Instead of just name-dropping the episodes, please make sure to briefly (or not ) explain why the episode stands out so much. And for those of you that say the first episode, make sure you have some strong arguments for your position. I'll start us off: SDF Macross - "Pineapple Salad" The death of everyone's favorite sempai was the moment that (for me) elevated Macross to the upper echelons. Sure, prior to this point, the series had already shown some crazy battles. And people dying was a fairly common occurance. But as a kid growing up on American cartoons, you rarely saw people dying. And you practically NEVER saw one of the major characters die, especially this far into a series. But all that changed with this episode. Roy's death is still one of the most vivid moments from my childhood cartoons. And just as important, it marks the point when Macross really kicked it up a notch storywise. So, what about some other anime series? What was the "moment" that finally sold you on the series?

"That was so wrong...."

There's still a few major issues CM's has to resolve. The look of the Legioss in fighter mode is just really off. And the Legioss-Tread connection needs to be improved. But assuming future prototype pics show some significant improvement, it could rule them all.

I think I know a few VF-0 owners that wouldn't mind this sort of plastic.

If they throw in: * a nicely sculpted and articulated Zent' figure, * some good leg articulation on the Regult itself, * some nice little add-on accessories (like everyone else has been saying), AND * keep the price reasonable. ...I could easily see myself buying some of these pups. Heck, our Valk squads need something to shoot at!

You all know I'd love to see the Beta/Tread get made and wake my Mog avatar from his almost year-long slumber. But no firm release date and no nice little tidbits on the prototype's new features don't exactly fill me with confidence. I know I should be more optimistic. But the sign on the bottom right-hand part of this picture is a strong reminder about how good Toynami's promises are: Link. Last I checked, we're in June of 2007. Just understand guys, I keep kicking Toynami down, because I want them to get pissed and motivated. I want them to prove me wrong and start delivering some much better products. Is that too much to ask?

Sorry jenius, but I really hope you're wrong about Toynami doing "a slight repaint to match up to the Aoshima product." The last thing I want is a color-mismatched Alpha and Beta. And I absolutely REFUSE to buy another one of these particular Alpha/Legioss just so I can have a matching Alpha/Beta combo in that bright blue metalic color. Does Toynami really want to give me yet another reason NOT to buy their products? But then again, until we get a firm and definite date/announcement, I'm taking anything I hear from Toynami and/or HG with a massive grain of salt.

Part of me is bummed by this news. But part of me is hoping for the best next season. Here's hoping that next season will be all killer and no filler!

Shin <thinking>: "Don't look down!! Look her in the eyes........CRAP!! Don't look at her chest!! Look at her eyes. Look at her eyes."

That is one shiny, reflective table. Nice effect with the pictures there!

If these pics are any indication, that'd be an "Oh yes!"......Link. BTW, since I haven't mentioned it yet, I definitely do like how that VF-2SS looks. Is it heresy to say that I like the VF-2SS's design more than the VF-4's design?

WOW!!! That variable Tread is dead-sexay!!

We might as well wait until we see trailers of this Joker in action. It'll be interesting to see how they balance the psychotic, evil killer with the criminal who has a flair for the dramatic. Till then, I don't think we have enough to pass judgment just yet. But so far, Nolan's been treating fans of the comics with a few nice homages here and there (like that awesome scene with the bats taken straight out of Year One ). Let's just keep our fingers crossed.

Well, time for me to chime in with my own 2 cents. As many of you have already pointed out, we still haven't seen if the Aoshima Legioss has fixed any of the issues in fighter mode. However, there is one thing I'm almost completely certain about: these things are gonna suffer from floppy arm syndrome. Look at all the pics we've seen so far. Not one of them shows the Legioss' arm parallel to the ground. And it doesn't look like they've made any improvements to that shoulder/swivel joint. I probably wasn't gonna buy these Legiosses anyways (since I already have the Toynami versions). But the arms are definitely a deal-breaker for me. As for the updated Tread/Beta, I honestly don't mind how it looks. I can live with the cockpit folding down the way it does in soldier mode, especially if the trade-off for an inaccurate soldier mode means a detailed cockpit and pilot. I also really want to see what type of joints they're using on the Tread/Beta. Because if they aren't rachet-joints, I fear for how the Tread/Beta will look in bomber mode. As for the hips, I really wish Toynami/Aoshima would use ball-joints ala the 1/48 Yammy Valks. Assuming the joints can hold the legs up in bomber mode and they DON'T put any die-cast in the legs, it would give the Tread/Beta the A-stance we all want. Well, let's see how things pan out. Design-wise (and only in regards to design), I actually give the slightest of edges to the Toynami/Aoshima version (over CM's version). However, unless they do a hell of a lot more impressing, Toynami's still in the sh*t-hole for the way they've handled this whole Beta situation.

If there's one thing all of the Batman films have been severely lacking in, it's the whole Batman the Detective aspect. Not sure how much of that side of Batman we'll see in this film, but I'd like to see it emphasized more somewhere down the line.

I saw this on another board I lurk on. I didn't "get" the tag line at first, and the picture didn't really do much for me. But fans of The Long Halloween (especially the very last pages), prepare to wet thy pants.....Link.

Just for "gits and shiggles" , here's a pic of the original Toynami Beta prototype that premiered at AX many moons ago.....(for comparison purposes): [attachmentid=42574]

I wouldn't be so sure. It doesn't have the curviness that the CM's prototype had. We've been speculating that it may be a revised version of the Toynami Beta over on this thread.