Noriko Takaya

Well, after my first two days at Otakon, I am exhausted. I had a blast this time around and walked off with too much stuff. My three teen-age charges who I chaparoned also had fun, but I think I went a little overboard. Alright, back on topic... I loved the Gunbuster vs Diebuster film. It was really great seeing them on a big screen. Yes, you heard right. I actually liked seeing Diebuster. And the way they edited a lot of the goofier stuff from the original seemed to fit really nice, although when they started Gunbuster off with the prologue from episode two it kind of confused me. I was thinking "Are they bypassing episode 1 all together?" I will be buying this release when it comes out, and I may just try a little harder to give Nono and company another chance. One of the other things which made this con nice for me was they offered a Gunbuster badge this year. My scanner is down right now, so I will scan a copy of it and post it in this reply when I get around to it. And I'm also kicking myself for not buying those two Gunbuster cels of Jung and Noriko, but I did not have a grand to get them.

Well, the schedule for Otakon has been released and it looks like they will be showing "Gunbuster vs. Diebuster" Friday morning starting at 11:00 a.m. in video room 3. I'll probably be there to see this (at least the first part), so if any of you guys here on this site want to meet me, I'll be happy to wait for you. Keep an eye out for the fat guy with the black GITS messenger bag and the impossibly cute friend of mine who is attending with me this year. Mind you, she is not a fan of Gunbuster, so I may have to ditch her for a while.

It's the film that was released in Japanese theaters highlighting both series in a condensed version. There was even new footage added to Gunbuster for this release, featuring the original voice actors. Bandai will be releasing it sometime in the future.

I've seen the original MAPS as shown above. I prefer the remake a lot more.

Yeah, I know you were talking about the technical merits, but your reply also fit my statement in a way. I'm not debunking your liking the series either, but I guess I'm too old school now to not like some of the newer anime titles coming out and I really do give them a try, so it's not like I'm saying it stinks without actually watching it. However, this is a bit perplexing, but I do own a mini figure of Nono. Maybe someday I'll like Diebuster, but just not right now.

Been there, done that! I'm still going to go see it because I'm a sucker for mindless entertainment that rots out your brain and leaves you acting like Forrest Gump.

IMHO, I still think there is nothing special about Diebuster. I've rewatched this show at least twice, and have given the American release a chance after borrowing the DVD from my best friend's daughter. All in all, while it does have its moments, it is a mediocre anime series, does not live up to the original, and I still say it stinks.

Ha ha ha! He said the name of the movie which was stricken from the hallowed halls of Macross World! By the way, are the drop ships from Starship Troopers supposed to be Zentraedi landing craft?

I love this movie. I was ecstatic when I saw it sitting on Best Buy's shelf.

Move to the Gunbuster thread please.

This question is directed to those fans living in the United States. Of those of you out there who placed an order for the BOME Noriko Takaya figure, how many of you have received it? I pre-ordered one from a seller on eBay, and have not received it. I have been told that this figure has not been released yet, but checking through various sources and even from some members outside the states on this thread, they have gotten theirs. Anyone else having issues, or am I going to have to open a can of whoop-ass on this guy?

Oh, I'm a bad boy for thinking the thoughts I do...

Well, I guess the Defense Forces over there have to refill their ranks after all those attacks by Godzilla, Gamera, Gyaos, Legion, Mothra, Iris, Goldar, Silvar and Gamm, Ultraman, ecetera, ecetera...

Well, my statement above is now rather moot, as I have recently finished watching the series all the way through to the end of season 9 on DVD. I love the show. And I'm a little ticked off that Sci-Fi saw fit to cancel one of their cash cows, probably to make room for trash like Painkiller Jane. And while I can agree with some that the Ori aren't as engaging as the Goa'uld, it still beats almost anything on TV. O'Neill was also my favorite of the bunch, but I think Teal'c really stole the show sometimes. I'm kinda glad that MGM has agreed to make a few movies to tie up all of the loose ends that may be left over. I've also become a fan of Stargate Atlantis, so there is that to watch whe SG-1 is gone. The last episode of this season is really going to be depressing for us fans.

Bionic Woman, a reimagining of the classic series focusing on a woman in today's world? Seems to me that the original series wasn't all that good to begin with. Other than Lindsay Wagner of course. I wonder what job she will have. She was a school teacher who had a parachuting accident, and the only way she survived was from intervention by her lover, Steve Austin. They got lucky with Battlestar Galactica. And face it, if it wasn't for the 6 Million Dollar Man, the Bionic Woman would not be around. Childhoods really are getting raped here.

I second that motion. Good pictures, but God, I hate having to turn my head cock-eyed to see an image. Rotate them next time. Please!

Just to let you know, Bandai announced today that they will be releasing Diebuster on May 22. There will be three DVD volumes with two episodes each, and SRP is estimated at $39.99 a volume. If that is the case, that is pretty expensive for what the going rate is for DVD's here in the States for only 2 episodes. That brings to mind the bad old days of anime when titles such as Bubblegum Crisis and even the original release of Gunbuster were around $40. Diebuster will also be released as Gunbuster 2, which for the life of me I don't know why. The only die-hard reference made to the original is the appearance of the Gunbuster at the end of episode 6.

The front image on Gainax's page this week is from this series. Here it is for those of you out there to see:

OMG!! The thread lives! By the way, I'm changing my vote to Myuu Azama. Seems Chisaki Hama is a has been.

Let me say, that while this is a nude girl, they have posted pictures just like this in mainstream magazines like Sports Illustrated which a 2 year old can buy, so I don't realy see the problem with posting it here, but others may disagree. If this image is deemed too graphic, remove it and I will place a link to go see it. I found this rather intersting image while surfing around the internet. I'm thinking of getting a tatoo and came across this rather bizarre image of a Japanese girl painted up all anime-like. I don't think this is a full fledged tato, just one of the body paint sessions like you see nowadays with models like Laetitia Casta, Tyra Banks and others. MOD EDIT - Please don't post nude images in the open forum. Even though she is painted over, she is still a bit too nekkid for our rules. MW Forums do not have an NSFW precedent. Link to see image: http://toponeraegunbuster.com/aida_thx_barjo.jpg

Damnation Alley rules! Love those flesh eating roaches! I haven't seen this movie in ages. Need to look it up for a nostalgic viewing.

Yo, belongs in the Gunbuster thread.

Roots Search was not that bad of a title, even though it was a blatant knock off of the movie Alien. I even own the VHS myself. I don't think it was ever released on DVD; Central Park Media may have lost the license to that jewel. Affair on Nolandia is another title I own. I have both the original Streamline Pictures version (IMO it was a fair dub.), and the recent update put out by ADV Films. I wish they had used the voice actresses from the original dub, as I felt they did a good job. I'm also a fan of 3 X 3 Eyes, which seems to be another title that is obscure. Great stuff.

Well, if you would keep up... The background music was removed from the scene in episode one where Noriko begins her training under Coach Ota. The music was replaced with another track of music from the series, "Start Of Military Operations" M-13, which is track 11 on disc two of the Sound Collection Of Gunbuster 3 disc set. It was felt this piece of music too closely resembled the theme from the film Chariots of Fire, so instead of starting a whole controversy over a lawsuit, the music was cut. Mind you, this was just for the R1 American release. Everyone else in the whole world gets to keep the original version. Bandai did release a R1 version of the original Japanese remastered set, which was intact. Questions arose why that wasn't edited as well, seeing as how it was made for sale for the R1 market. When Bandai was confronted with the music change, they stated that if they wanted to have the original scene, then they could buy the other set. What a way to treat your fans, eh? And, in addition to the music cut, the sound quality for this particular episode was also degraded, as you can tell while watching. Compare it to the original uncut scene and you will see for yourself. I hope this clears things up for you. By the way, my Bome figure is on its way! Ordered one late, but getting it regardless.