VFTF1

That really adds an amazing interpretive dimmension to Neon Genesis Evangelion...unless - is this common in Anime? Was it a ... wait... see you in the EVA thread! Pete

This month, I will finally become the proud owner of the Haruhi Suzumiya "Danchou" armband!! How much you wanna bet people will acuse me of being a NAZI when I wear that thing? They'll just see the red armband and think "nazi!" At least that's what I'm afraid of... My hope, though, is that by wearing Danchou on my arm, I will immediately command respect! as for Macross items - I'm expecting a 1/72 Lucifer and Alto with Ranka deculture decals to come my way. Other than that, Victory Gundam, Guntank (finally!) and a string of Figma Haruhi Suzumiya figures to round out my collection! then it's on to Feburary... my BIRTHDAY!! Gotta get something special for that... hmm...any suggestions? Pete

Shinji Ikari is voiced by a woman??? that's actually kind of awesome Pete

CALLED IT BEFORE YOUR REVELATION!! Am I good or what? Pete

*takes closer look* I know!! It's Macross and the Mob - when Minmey acquires the ...protection of the Gambino family on the Megaroad 1. Mess with this broad and you got a problem bub. Give this dame a chance to sing, or find a horse's bloody head in yer bed mack. I got an offer you can't refuse jack. Minmey sings - or they'll be playin' the church organ with yer ribs. Pete

May I just say that I adore that Super Robot Wars picture - although other than Katsugari and Minmey...I'm not sure about the rest of the girls - help? And Gubaba... underappreciated is right!! Is that...I dunno...flashback 2012?? Who are they?! Pete

Emperor Palpatine put it best when he said of the Dark Side: "Some consider it...un-natural" ...well...he said this before he was Emperor Palpatine... But yes - I agree wholeheartedly. Well...actually..half-heartedly... Science and magic both purport to do the same thing: bend the universe to man's will. But science does so by understanding the universe in order to control it, while magic is by definition super-natural...if it exists at all. But yes - on the face of it - to the untrained eye - magic and science can look indistinguishable. Pete

Yep. That seems to be the general consensus on Wing Zero custom MG - that it's better than the PG. I sold mine - but it was crap anyways. The Wing Zero MG was the first gundam I ever built in my whole life. I broke the yellow crown taking it off the sprue. I also think I assembled something wrong on it - or maybe not... but I didn't panel line it, didn't put the markings on... it was so....well...not well done This is one I must reacquire and build, along with the Wing KA. I remember watching Endless Waltz on Anime night or whatever the hell cartoon network had running at night when I was in college. We would also watch Tenchi Muyo which was fun. Pete

Good point. Forgot about this. Dag- so complicated Pete

"H-how do you pilot this [eight story super robot that can change between five different modes going at mach speed, survive nuclear explosions, and as many complex moving parts as the human body and needs to be perfectly synched and coordinated with the pilot]??" "Just grab that stick and make manly noises! Yaargh!" Pete who actually likes this aspect of anime...amongst others... you know...this whole list is kind of dubious since I'm sure deep down we like these word we don't wanna hear

Thanks for the review Renato! And do call it that - content is what makes a review, not whether you call it one So you focused on Gamlin - fine. Everybody's got their own angle, and the more the merrier. I still haven't watched it (again) and honestly...even though I actually DID watch it...I think ...is this the episode with Honey? I'm not gonna comment until I re-watch it.. Although I KNOW I saw this episode like a month ago...and already I can't really remember what is what and where...and didn't I miss the riveiera episode too? In any event... I will be back with some coherent thoughts this weekend I hope! As for the pentagram on Gabil's hand - I'm with Renato on this one: Of course - none of this means that it's "black magic" in the strict sense... it's just symbolism, and very likely it's all exotic to the Japanese while it makes us think of Satan and wonder about black magic. But these are all scientific creations - not magic. Pete

Let me answer your thought with the following piece: The MOVIE TIMES June 25th, 2013 ROBOTECH FAILS AT BOX OFFICE: LATE TO THE PARTY by John D Critic Robotech the Movie would have been a box office hit...5 years ago. That was when Transformers Return of the Fallen peaked and brought in the most money that any 80s revival movie ever did in the history of the genre. But that was then; this is now, and all of the nostalgia is dead and gone because everybody has gotten their wish. Everything the 80s generation wished to see on the big screen, and wished to have brought back from their childhood has been brought back. They've outgrown their desire to return to their childhood and feel that justice has been done - for better or for worse - to that portion of their lives. They're now more interested in totally new concepts and unique science fiction movies and dramas rather than remakes of cartoons they watched as kids. And while Robotech's creators seemed aware of the risks they were running in coming to the 80s revival party so late, they still couldn't come up with a concept unique enough to save the movie from its' self. If you think about it - this isn't actually a surprise. Robotech the movie was advertised on the one hand as an exciting, action packed space opera that would utilize all of the advances made in CGI story telling since Phantom Menace to bring us the ultimate cinematic science fiction experience with transforming robots, romance, aliens - everything you could think of. But on the other hand, Robotech was also - despite its' claim to uniqueness - based on the 1980s cartoon of the same name, which happened to also feature transforming robots, space aliens, romance and everything you could think of. And whenever there was any occasion to hype Robotech as another in the long line of great 80s revival films - Warner Bros. took it. They stuck with the formulae blazed by Transformers with heavy web presence at Robotech.com and lots of interaction with dedicated fans. But while Transformers managed to retain its' dedicated fans and expand to a mainstream audience by having just the right blend of the familiar and the novel, Robotech alienated the few fans it had left by not even showing or mentioning their hero, Rick Hunter, by name (replacing him with someone named 'Stick' - which might have been a nod at 'Rick' although my sources tell me that apparently Stick was some lesser character in the Robotech cartoon...hey...whatever...it was thirty years ago and I can't find it on google!), while also not catching fire amongst mainstream viewers who seem to have adopted a "been there, done that" attitude. Aliens? What science fiction movie hasn't had them in the recent past? Transforming robots? After FIVE Transformers movies, the last of which ended up direct to DVD, the market seems to have had enough for now and this has ceased to be a drawing point. Romance? Guys - if you want to take your girlfriends out to a romantic movie, then despite the adds in Variety and Cosmos which Warner Bros. purchased to try to get women interested in the film as a romantic movie - we advise that you take them to see this year's romantic block buster The Hollow Wind Blows Through the Heart, or even the independent film Friends and Lovers. Both are romantic movies that women love without the hassel of trying to wedge romantic moments in between big slimy slug like aliens fighting transforming tanks and helicopters for control of Robotechnology. Yes - Robotech had everything right going for it: everything right, that is, for a movie of this sort back in 2007 or 2009 even. But by 2013...it's just old hat. One wonders why Warner Bros. was so late to the game, and it seems that inside sources say part of the problem was that there was apparently a huge legal mess to untangle, since although Harmony Gold owns Robotech and sold the film rights to Warner Bros, the intellectual Property rights belong to some company in Asia and myriad legalities limited the scope of what could be done with the movie. In any case - nobody seems to have been satisfied by this film. The best that could be said was that nobody seems to have been dissapointed either because, judging from the boxoffice numbers and Harmony Gold's subsequent bankrupcy - nobody saw the movie either. Pete

Actually the hip kibble isn't that bad - it can be hidden prettty well on all three of them. It maneuvers well. I think the Seeker moulds are fine as they are. The only downside is a bit limited range of articulation in the legs and hips - but over all it's fine and the stand really compensates for lots of that by letting you do a lot of dynamic poses. did I just say something positive about Transformers? but then - I was talking about Masterpiece... It's MEGATRON who needs a remould. The complex transformation is just such a pain in the butt... Grimlock is a great prospect for the future - simple transformation, not too heavy, decent gimmicks... the shining hand kind of sucks... but...whatever... Pete

Marshall's still exists?? Amazing! I remember them from back when I was still a kid. Pete

Hm. Judging from the Overdrive pics...they haven't painted any of the details on the AMRD 1 or 2 carriers. Lots of details missing. Lots to be desired. That said... People who did shell out the 2 thousand bucks for it ought to be praised. Calling them crazy or stupid fails to take into account how they helped the greater good of Macross fandom - namely - by showing Yamato that projects like this do make some kind of financial sence even on the small scale that they did on this... Anyways - I hope they keep at it and finally make an affordable mass produced awesome product... Something along the lines of Bandai's 1:350 Yamato model would be good.... Pete

Samurai swords? I never read that anywhere. I do realize that Soundwave and Megs flew with no stabilizers or any other remotely aerodynamic stuff on them...but I think in the instructions themselves...I will have to dig those out to check...but doesn't it say something about rear stabilizers? (talking about the original MP version intructions here) Pete

I think I do have a multi-region DVD player on my laptop... I am seriously considering buying anime on DVD... There is only one thing I need... Money! Edit: How could I forget to comment on this: Thanks for the info - I kind of figured it wasn't anything more than this...but oh well. Pete

This is exactly the irrational rationality I love about all of us anime hobbyists. "I couldn't drop TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS on that big piece of plastic representing a brick like space ship that turns into a brik like robot that barely moves at the elbows UNLESS it came with some flashing lights and maybe a slide-open bay door with small 1:2000 plastic goop vaguely reminiscent of destroids coming out of the Deadelus...and maybe a sound chip that had Misa saying "Daedelus Attack!" Pete

No need. I've seen and revered the Holy Froating Head - I just didn't understand the shorthand HFH... And that was really Kawamori's design choice? Was it because he figured it made more sence to give them those things as stabilizers for when they wanted to glide in robot mode? I dunno...wierd... Pete

HFH? ? Pete

I was also wondering if I should watch Icky Toes End... I like softcore porn (although prefer hardcore), often really love ridiculous dialogue... but I've never heard of the romance of 3 Kingdoms...so I wouldn't know if I like a bastardized version of it or not? Also - is Queen's Blade an anime or manga...or is it just a game that apparently got popular enough to have poseable milk spilling figures made for it? I'm kind of trying to figure out what to watch this year... Still haven't seen K-On either.. Man..I wish I could just walk into the damn store and BUY this stuff. I swear - watching anime is like so kind of frickin' search for the Holy Grail or something... first you wonder if/when/where you'll even find the stuff...then the time spent downloading.. ... then (in my case) the constant "oh my computer died" ...or at least seemingly constant...3 times in 3 years ain't bad I guess..but still... gotta finally burn this stuff onto CDs...seriously... I walk in to the anime section of movie stores in Poland and all I see - that I recognize - is Gundam (mainly SEED movies), Ghost in the Shell (which I even bought out of desperation) and...the rest of it..beats the hell out of me what it is...I dunno... Oh well...I need to stop procrastinating and just get to it! Pete

Yeah, besides - if we hadn't taken this detour, Gubaba might never have learned that he walked down the wrong crosswalk in Tokyo way back when Pete

The original mold had the things on the hips placed on the bottom legs. I don't know why they put them on the hips instead. Pete

Disagree about HG's sin here. What HG does to its' own fandom is really no skin off my back. Check out that one guy who dressed up as Sailor Moon in the Live Action Yamato thread in our Anime/Sci Fi forum - look what Sailor Moon did to him. (Although I personally actually LOVED the idea!) ...so maybe that's a bad example... But my point here is to say that ... wait - lemme start over... Different franchises have to varying different levels "screwed around" with their fans - and realy, some people sometimes forget that while it's all good and fun, there's also a business/corporate angle to all of this - and you have to maintain a bit of healthy distance and not become a fan drone because otherwise you will set yourself up for dissapointment on a number of fronts... Now - as someone who isn't a Robotech fan, I'm only passingly and mildly interested/amused by the shenanigans that HG has pulled on Robotech fans and continues to pull. It's like - if My Little Pony fans are crying that they didn't get a live action movie...I don't really have a personal beef with Hasbro for it. I've got no monkey in the fight, or horse in the stable, or race in the car...or car in the race...or however the hell that one adage went... The real sin that HG has perpetuated is that its' little mess with Robotech keeps seeping OUT of the Robotech fandom and into other fandoms that have NOTHING to do with them. Suddenly Mechawarrior fans are denied some fun because of the HG/Robotech mess. Bigbadtoystore gets told what they can and can't sell because of the HG/Mechawarrior mess (or at least an attempt is made), Macross fans can't watch their favorite anime on DVD in America because of HG (Plus, Zero, 7, etc etc etc).... there's the whole "issue" with Yamato USA not being able to officially formally distribute its' superior Macross products... And then there's just the whole fan war - and let's please openly call a spade a spade because that's what it is - there's the fan war between Robotech fans and Macross fans. It's not a particulary intense or nasty war - certainly no where near as nasty as the barrage that Keith had to deal with on that old yahoo group that someone once kindly linked to me - but it is there. Part of what makes it a low intensity conflict is the fact that the Robotech side can't spell. It's kind of like meeting the enemy on the battle field and finding that they don't know which way to hold their rifles, or they keep pointing their artilery straight up into the sky and their shells keep falling back on them. This kind of enemy is pretty pathetic. However - that said - its' one bad effect, and truly poisonous effect - is that it's an enemy which purposefully promotes willfull blatant ignorance. We tend to laugh at newbies who don't know squat or who keep using Robotech terms interchangeably with Macross terms - but it's a sad ever present reminder of the general culture's lack of knowledge which is something that ultimately can be traced directly to HG's lasting misinformation campaign - also known as "Robotech." And misinformation is all it is. For people who started with the noble aim of giving Americans a taste of the awesomeness of Japanese anime, they are now at the forefront of perpetuating the "Japanese anime is pedophilia" meme and of effectively keeping Americans ignorant of any major cultural distinctions between American sci-fi and Japanese anime by continuing to conflate and compare Robotech to things like Star Wars, Star Trek etc etc and by basically denying the very existence of Mospedea and Southern Cross. I mean - jeez guys. At least Macross is the BASIS of all of Robotech. But imagine - what would have happened if say...Mospedea was first? Macross second. Or what if Macross was last? It could have happened. Imagine the mess then. Imagine what kind of twisted bastard of a story would have had to make the workable, and how many folks would to this day be utterly confused and f-ed up in the head because of it... coming to SDFM TV they would be like...that's the planet Stick Bernard liberated from the Invid - it's not Earth. And that's Stick's son - Rick (the blond one) and Roy's son - John (the black haired one)... and that girl who sings? She's half invid actually -which is revealed when the Invid's green cousins - who are now fully evolved into mutated giant humans - come pay a visit... screwed up completely. And independent of whether or not the LAM suceeds - the very fact that they are trying means that they are trying to CEMENT the damage they've done and forever close the minds of the great mass of American and some segment of the Global audience from Japanese anime by bringing Robotech to the big screen and forever enshrining the bastard for at least a generation to come. If you like Japanse anime and you would like Japanese anime to become more acceptable to mainstream America, or to the mainstream of the culture in whatever country you're living in - then HG's efforts with Robotech LAM don't help. And that's their sin. If it was just a bunch of dudes who happened to worship their old 80s bootleg - then fine. But it's a bunch of dudes who are doing damage to the fabric of the pop culture in America and to some extent the world by spreading misinformation and a fake view of a story that's very interesting on its' own right - a story which people ought to at least have the chance to watch in its' own right. Pete

I'm gonna watch it in the original off course! I keep getting outlaw star confused with star blazers... what was the original Japanese name of Outlaw star...or was that it? Pete