Gubaba

My rule-of-thumb for any movie I saw with my parents as a kid is, if both they and I liked it, it's probably safe to watch again (e.g. Raiders of the Lost Ark). If I loved it but they hated it (e.g. Tron), it's probably unwise to see it again. As for the topic...I dunno. This year has had its ups and downs for me, but generally it's been a blast. But I guess it helps that I moved 5000 miles away...that always tends to shake things up a bit.

Oh, you're just jealous that David's more popular than you are.

Or getting picked up by The Asylum, edited, and being released either as ROBOT TECH: The Movie or Macro Plan.

Fortunately or unfortunately, it seems that negative votes are impossible to give, as well.

Enh. If that had happened in 1988, it would've been worth posting. Now, however...

Bah, she'll probably get knocked down by the bullets, and then get right back and slaughter all the gunmen, Megazone Part II-style.

*sigh* Can we quit with the whole "Kawamori is a troll" meme? It was annoying and untrue in 2008, it's annoying and untrue now.

Pretty much. The FAST Packs don't get introduced until after Hikaru gets the VF-1S.

I stopped by the book store today and picked it up. FAIR WARNING: I haven't attempted to actually READ any of it. Like, AT ALL. I've only looked at the pretty, pretty pictures. Basic Information: It covers both the Super and Strike Valks and the Armored Valk. There are several slight variants of the FAST Packs, including one that is just arm and leg armor. The Armored Valks all have the same GBP-1S system, but there are some rather nice color variations. There's also a section for the VT-1 and VE-1, and the VF-1X/P (???). The rest of the book seems like a grab-bag of stuff. Several narratives about Valkyries in action, a detailed description of the transformation system, a "reproduction" of the original VF-1 flight manual (listed as being for "VF-1A, B, and J"), and of course, more Squadron Markings. They also have a section on Valkyrie geneaology, 2011-2030, which shows a cover for Variable Fighter Master File: VF-4 Lightning III, VF-3000 Crusader, VF-5000 Starmirage...upcoming release or cruel joke? The art is, like before, something of a mixed bag, but generally nice. Simply put, if you got the other ones, you know what to expect here. And if you liked them, you'll probably like this. (And kudos to whoever designed the paint scheme for the Apollo Moon Base-based "SVF-124 Moon Shadows." Very striking!)

Would it help if you pronounced it the German way, like "No-tuung"?

From Macross the Ride Chapter 2: Again, the VF-19EF Caliburn... And the VF-19ACTIVE Nothung ("Nothung," or "Needful," by the way, is the magic sword that Siegmund finds in Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung. Clearly, there's a magic sword theme going on here...) The racecourse: Starting off with a pinpoint barrier gate, followed by a fighter area, a gerwalk slalom, and then a roughhouse game of "capture the flag." New chapter is up on the website, and will be updated every month on the 25th.

Well, he DOES have an interest in teenage girls, and he's easily three times more obnoxious than the rest of the cast...so, yeah...the resemblance is definitely there. Funnily enough, both the new episodes of Macross the First and Ecole du Ciel were mostly mecha. Maybe that's how he's managing both series at the same time... (That said, it looks like Ecole is building to a climax...so maybe it'll be over in a few months...) Huh...I saw the GM book at the bookstore today...I didn't realize it was new.

You know who the blond guy is, right? And...quite frankly...I don't think Mikimoto is doing the mecha art. I think that's something his assistants are covering.

Interestingly enough, that second vid backs up my theory that Bendo's 6000 lessoners don't actually lesson to him. A7 linked to that video some time ago, soon after it was uploaded, and the views jumped remarkably. Look at it: more than eight hundred views. Then look at the other vids uploaded before and after it. Some have as few as four views, most have a couple dozen. If there were really 6000 people lessoning to him, wouldn't his youtube uploads be more popular? So yeah, sure. He might get 6000 downloads per week, but the VAST majority of those people are downloading the free, illegally uploaded Macross Frontier songs. No one actually cares about his podcast, beyond a few like-minded nutjobs. Like I said, strictly small-time amateur hour. Why offer him validation when he's done nothing to deserve it?

Macross the First #7...

No fair! He only gave me 2:11:34!!

It's even lamer than that, actually. You'll notice that Doug talks a lot about how massively popular he is, with more than 6000 lessoners. 6000 is a lot, especially for something like a Robotech podcast, and it would certainly mean that his opinion, in one way or another, mattered. But yeah, it ain't true. Here's a simple game that anyone with the iTunes music store can play. Go to the store, and type in "dougbendo" in the search box. You'll end up with a screen that looks like this: Notice anything? Perhaps the fact that the podcasts are listed by popularity, and all but #9 in his top ten are Macross Frontier songs? Yes, a bit over a year ago, Bendo uploaded some Macross Frontier songs to his podcast. Illegally, of course. So people download the Macross Frontier songs, this adds to his download count, and he gets to claim 6000 lessoners. I'll go further: Notice that of the 301 podcast episodes on iTunes for bendo, only 28 have actually been downloaded by anyone. Of those 28, only seven are actually Doug Bendo podcasts. The others are the 21 Macross Frontier songs he uploaded. So anyone thinking that Bendo's got a big fanbase is...pretty gullible, I gotta say. I found this information out in a matter of minutes, and anyone with iTunes could do the same. So yeah...bashing Frontier while illegally riding on its coattails. He's a crackpot, yes, but a really small-time crackpot. If we're gonna bash someone, we shouldn't waste our efforts on the weak and tiny. Forget Bendo, and find someone who actually matters instead.

You can find translations of the Chinese "Lion." It's a parody, and pretty funny. "Shoji Kawamori is crying, 'Why do they all look like my designs!?'" "It's not plagiarism, it's a doujinshi!" Good stuff.

Nah, it's clearly a ripoff of the Archangel from Gundam Seed. But...it won the Oscar for best ADAPTED screenplay...adapted from Mugando.

That Aya and Megumi is gorgeous.

You're a little late...we have a thread about it that started almost one year ago. Enjoy! http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=32144&hl=astro%20plan&st=0

It didn't sound like a joke song, and I don't remember anyone laughing about it... I couldn't tell if it was 3/4 time or 6/8...it definitely had a loopy waltz feel to it, but it didn't strike me as terribly comical. Josue, Tochiro, Save...? What did you guys make of it?

A pic of me taken by Josue after the show:

Cover for Vol. 007:

It depends on how many Fold Faults are in the way.