First Time Mospeada Watcher Impressions.

[Macrossmaster]

Loved Robotech the New Generation when I was a kid, and decided to see if Mospeada was better than New Gen (as in Macross is better than Robotech.)

Here are my impressions as of episode 4:

Theme song: Wow, a soulful Japanese guy? Who the hell is this dude?

Yellow Belmont: Yeah, I'd buy the whole chick thing a lot more in Mospeada. RObotech was just a little obvious. Even if it is Cam Clarke!

Rei: Wow, what a jerk. He must be the typical American stereotype.

Stick: Not changed much, but why do they call him Stig? Even the TOYS say Stick for cryin out loud!

The Legioss: Damn this thing is MUCH more important in the show than in RT. They're always concerned with where the thing is.

Fuke – A little more rough around the edges than I thought.

Inbit – I can just hear the animators saying "Running low on budget/time? Throw in some more Inbit POV scenes!"

One thing that strikes me is the HUGE difference that the music makes. New Generation has the pall of hopelessness all the time – due to the masterful work of Arlon Ober and Ulpio Minnuci. Mospeada here seems to be less of a constant "everything is depressing" because of the more light hearted music, though the theme song captures the spirit well.

[VF5SS]

I thought all the music in Robotech was just bad synth orchestra crap.

[Macrossmaster]

Thank you for your well though out reply which adds to the conversation. Do you have anything to say about the subject at hand?

[danth]

I thought all the music in Robotech was just bad synth orchestra crap.

I always thought it was really good synth orchestra crap. Reba West ruined the Minmei stuff, but the BGM was wonderful.

[Totoro242]

Cool review.

I recently lent my Mospeada DVD to a friend who had only seen Robotech. He actually liked Yellow Dancer better than Yellow Belmont. Overall he thought Michael Bradley and Cam Clarkes voices were a good match and the female vocalist used for Yellow Belmont did not compliment the male voice actor and did not come across as believeable.

[VF5SS]

[url-http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1675]I did a show on Mospeada[/url] lol

I have never seen the Robotech version of Mospeada so I'm kinda at odds with picture Mospeada as being dire for any length of time when the show seemed to consist of a lot silly episodes. Like when they visit the Lost World full of dinosaurs. Or the episode where they steal HBT using balloons and almost get caught in a castle trap (sounds like Lupin). Or the FLASH DANCE episode. And what about Rei's dream episode? For me, the show started grim and then got goofy for awhile and then got grim again only to end on a happy note.

Rei is not an American so much as he's a Japanese mountain boy, which is basically a hillbilly. Stick is just a space racist. He hates space crabs and will RAAAAAAGE when he sees them. Houquet is Tsundere (cold to others and then warm), which isn't surprising since she's voiced by Mika Doi just like Misa from Macross.

[jenius]

I think Robotech handled Yellow Dancer's voice better than Mospeada did Yellow Belmont. The switch from guy voice to girl voice is just too extreme in Mospeada and it's obvious it's not the same person's voice. Also, Yellow Dancer sings songs of rebellion where in Mospeada the music (like it or hate it) is just music for the sake of having music in the show.

As to Ray, isn't he an Argentinian or South American of some sort? Yes, he's definitely a hillbilly and in Mospeada, unlike RT, he's somewhat special (he's more in tune to the world due to some side-effect of Inbit occupation but I can't really remember the details... ).

There are all sorts of problems trying to get the names from the show right so don't bother fighting it. Stig sounds better than Stick, Houquet makes more sense than Fuke, and Ray makes more sense than Ley.

It definitely has some silly episodes. I don't really see the dinosaur episode as all that silly as it's pretty well explained but the people who worship a dam? That's a silly one. The flashdance episode is just horribly dated and I think RT handled it better when it was another attempt at Yellow trying to inspire people while simultaneously make a big display of things. It does have a tendency of getting very serious (everyone trapped and unravelling in the subway of that one city, Houquet's probable gang rape, the dude who sends people to their death on the mountain pass, the town mob out to kill all soldiers, etc.) and it seemed to attempt to circumvent any criticism that it was too dystopian with some silly episodes.

[VF5SS]

There are all sorts of problems trying to get the names from the show right so don't bother fighting it. Stig sounds better than Stick, Houquet makes more sense than Fuke, and Ray makes more sense than Ley.

The problem with Stig vs. Stick is that Stig is just wrong. His name in Katakana is SUTIKKU and not STIGGU. That's like calling someone named Matt, Mark or something. Ley is an acceptable translation of REI, and Fuke is just the Katakana for Houquet. The problem is that the FU sound is also the HU sound. You kinda have to be loose when going through the HA HI FU HE HO line of the alphabet.

[Gubaba]

I've watched up to episode twelve (and will finish it soon)...It really doesn't seem very different so far from Robotech (although I haven't seen the RT version in more than twenty years, so my memory may be flawed). The biggest difference I've noticed is the lack of a narrator in Mospeada, and MUCH more mystery surrounding Aisha. In RT, didn't they come out and say she was a spy? Here (and again, I'm only at episode 12), it seems like she's just a human-shaped Inbit who was accidentally dropped.

That, and Yellow Belmont isn't a covert agent...he just seems to enjoy being a girl.

[misterryno]

Cool review.

I recently lent my Mospeada DVD to a friend who had only seen Robotech. He actually liked Yellow Dancer better than Yellow Belmont. Overall he thought Michael Bradley and Cam Clarkes voices were a good match and the female vocalist used for Yellow Belmont did not compliment the male voice actor and did not come across as believeable.

Oh hey....can I borrow that? I have not seen anything but 1 disk of the Shadow Chronicles. I watch RT when I was young but that was FOREVER AGO!

[JsARCLIGHT]

The problem with Stig vs. Stick is that Stig is just wrong. His name in Katakana is SUTIKKU and not STIGGU. That's like calling someone named Matt, Mark or something. Ley is an acceptable translation of REI, and Fuke is just the Katakana for Houquet. The problem is that the FU sound is also the HU sound. You kinda have to be loose when going through the HA HI FU HE HO line of the alphabet.

I remember when the domestic sub Mospeada came out I kind of fumed about it in the same way. I "justified" it in my mind in that "Stig" was an actual name, whereas "Stick" was only a name if you count the Burt Reynolds movie... and even then it was a nickname (short for "Stickley"). "Stick Bernard" is kind of like someone being named Shaft McKenzie or Branch Devenue... come to think of it the name "Stick Bernard" would fit right in in today's empty brained teen angst high school shows that are on the cable channels.

[jenius]

I've watched up to episode twelve (and will finish it soon)...It really doesn't seem very different so far from Robotech (although I haven't seen the RT version in more than twenty years, so my memory may be flawed). The biggest difference I've noticed is the lack of a narrator in Mospeada, and MUCH more mystery surrounding Aisha. In RT, didn't they come out and say she was a spy? Here (and again, I'm only at episode 12), it seems like she's just a human-shaped Inbit who was accidentally dropped.

The dropping of Aisha has to be one of the silliest aspects of the Mospeada plot line. In Robotech she is "planted" using the same animation that shows her being carelessly dropped. The offending idiot who does the dropping goes on to become Batra (AKA Corg). In both series it should be immediately obvious to the viewer that Aisha is an Inbit (they show an egg dropping and then a woman emerging from yolk). In Mospeada though it seems like much of the crew starts to realize she's an Inbit and they just choose not to talk about it (especially to Stick). In Robotech the crew seems to honestly believe she's just a human survivor of a horrific battle up until the point she bleeds green.

[eriku]

Regarding the names in Mospeada, I just thought of them as "futuristic space names!". Stick, Ley, Yellow, Mint... who knows what people will call themselves in the future? Perhaps "Toilet" will replace "John" and people will be voting for Senator Candybar.

[Gubaba]

In both series it should be immediately obvious to the viewer that Aisha is an Inbit (they show an egg dropping and then a woman emerging from yolk).

Not quite...I just watched that episode a couple of days ago; they don't show her emerging from the egg. They DO show some slimy placenta-like stuff that Ray and Houquet find right before finding Aisha, and lots of ominous shots of "Inbit-cam" focussing in on her. It's still pretty obvious, but not as much as having a narrator come and say something like, "The Invid are dropping their simulagent..."

The last episode I watched was the one where they blow up the radar brain thing, and so now it's clear that Aisha can "hear" the Inbit, but they still haven't put two and two together.

[Gubaba]

Regarding the names in Mospeada, I just thought of them as "futuristic space names!". Stick, Ley, Yellow, Mint... who knows what people will call themselves in the future? Perhaps "Toilet" will replace "John" and people will be voting for Senator Candybar.

I say THE FUTURE IS NOW! That's why I'm going to legally change my name to "Wildstar" and name my kids "Andromeda," "Comet," and "Superstring Theory."

[ruskiiVFaussie]

Good news for me i got my Mospy dvd set coming to me tomorrow! So i will be able to add what i think of it too.

As for the dubbed version it will always hold value for nostalgic reasons and it really was fitting for the anime i thought.

Nothing wrong with Yellows (dubbed) songs either. I like it. Can't wait to hear what Mospy original will be like.

Be good to see it as it was originally intended with absolutely no trace of the original macross story at all. yay!

I thought it was depressing with them mentioning Rick and the crew, but now it's not an issue.

Edited March 26, 2008 by ruskiiVFaussie

[VF5SS]

Aisha being a spy sounds kinda stupid. That would make her the worst spy ever. I don't think the Mospeada crew had any idea she was an Inbit, just that they had done something to her. Well, maybe Yellow but that's only because he has his feminine intuition. And what's with the knocking of his original voice? That's Captain Bright you guys are bashing.

[jenius]

Aisha being a spy sounds kinda stupid. That would make her the worst spy ever. I don't think the Mospeada crew had any idea she was an Inbit, just that they had done something to her. Well, maybe Yellow but that's only because he has his feminine intuition. And what's with the knocking of his original voice? That's Captain Bright you guys are bashing.

RT speak: Ariel was meant to be a spy... but it doesn't work.. she gets amnesia instead. Corg, Sera, and the Regis all keep trying to check in on her but it never works and she doesn't communicate telepathically with Sera like Aisha does with Sorji in that snow episode IIRC. I don't think anyone is bashing Yellow's voice actor, we're more bashing the fact it suddenly flips to a clearly female voice during some songs and it seems impossible that guy's voice could possibly become that girl's voice. Yellow almost certainly knows about Aisha and hints are dropped by the rest of the cast but it's impossible to say they definitely knew. They certainly do seem to suspect it much more than in Robotech.

[Gubaba]

I don't think anyone is bashing Yellow's voice actor, we're more bashing the fact it suddenly flips to a clearly female voice during some songs and it seems impossible that guy's voice could possibly become that girl's voice.

There's also the fact that his body completely changes as well...

[bsu legato]

There's also the fact that his body completely changes as well...

Anime magicuuuuuu! Mospeada is chock full of it, I tells ya.

[VF5SS]

That's because he has two modes like a robot. Or he may be Amaterasu no Mikado in disguise.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

I should be watching Mospeada soon. The one thing I like about the plot is that Stick has a good reason to be pissed, and that it doesn't seem like he will be able to accomplish his deeds easily.

[eriku]

I should be watching Mospeada soon. The one thing I like about the plot is that Stick has a good reason to be pissed, and that it doesn't seem like he will be able to accomplish his deeds easily.

That's what I liked about Stick, he was an @$$hole but with good reason. I typically hate a-hole characters but it made sense for Stick, he had a lot to be pissed about, not the least of which was the hunting memory of his dead fiance. I think Ley with his more carefree behavior was the perfect balance for Stick.

:edit: Apeface is not an acceptable substitute for @$$hole.

Edited March 27, 2008 by eriku

[nhyone]

Yellow almost certainly knows about Aisha and hints are dropped by the rest of the cast but it's impossible to say they definitely knew. They certainly do seem to suspect it much more than in Robotech.

I've watched Mospeada very carefully and only Yellow and Stick suspected her.

Actually, Aisha herself knew she was an Inbit in one of the episodes, but she still gave a hysterical reaction a few episodes later when it became known to everyone.

[Gubaba]

Anime magicuuuuuu! Mospeada is chock full of it, I tells ya.

Yeah, I'm beginning to notice that...the dark specter of Anime Friend thrusts itself once more upon an unsuspecting world...

[Gubaba]

That's because he has two modes like a robot. Or he may be Amaterasu no Mikado in disguise.

Did you know that "Yellow Belmont" is actually "Ladios Sopp" spelled backwards?

[Keith]

Man, I'd kill for mp3's of the Love Live Alive soundtrack...

[Alex]

My first experience of Mospeada was "Love, Live, Alive!!!". Boring as hell.

I love the "This is for the fans" that they flash on screen. What's for the fans? The big 'ol slap in the face?

Edited March 27, 2008 by Alex

[Gubaba]

Man, I'd kill for mp3's of the Love Live Alive soundtrack...

I'm still trying to track down "Live at Pit Inn." It appears to be on none of the internets, except for in long-dead torrent I found...

By the way, did they actually make a Love Live Alive CD, or was it just a fan work?

[Shun]

Yellow almost certainly knows about Aisha and hints are dropped by the rest of the cast but it's impossible to say they definitely knew. They certainly do seem to suspect it much more than in Robotech.

jenius - dunno where u get that idea...

in the original Mospeada story, everyone thought that Aisha was a human. up till the snow episode where Yellow witnessed the connection between Aisha and Sorji, and even then, everyone else did not know. It's true that at first they suspected her because of her ability to 'hear' the invid, but after sometime they totally trusted her and believed her to be a human.

That's what I liked about Stick, he was an @$$hole but with good reason. I typically hate a-hole characters but it made sense for Stick, he had a lot to be pissed about, not the least of which was the hunting memory of his dead fiance. I think Ley with his more carefree behavior was the perfect balance for Stick.

:edit: Apeface is not an acceptable substitute for @$$hole.

Stick-in-the-mud was really very stuck-up in his mind... remember in one town, he blamed invids for the dirty streets and Rey corrected him that it was the people who chose not to maintain the cleanliness. that's just one example that Rey gives us a more balanced and rational view. These two guys are complete opposites...

even at the very last episode, Stick could not accept Aisha but everyone else, even Shinobu the camera girl, was able to accept Aisha for who she is. But i agree, can't really blame Stick though, its quite impossible to forget and very hard to forgive.

Only in the OVA did Stick and Aisha got together, and they didn't even explained what happened in-between.

BTW, regarding the 'weird' (?? ) dinosaur episode, its about invid studying lifeforms on Earth, which has really a good explanation and blends in completely with the whole storyline and theme of the invids - that they want to live on earth and for that they have to evolve to the most suitable lifeform, and their conclusion is the human is the best lifeform, thus Aisha was created. Dunno why u would consider it a weird episode?

[Shun]

I'm still trying to track down "Live at Pit Inn." It appears to be on none of the internets, except for in long-dead torrent I found...

By the way, did they actually make a Love Live Alive CD, or was it just a fan work?

i only have 11 songs supposedly from the OVA, but none with that title

Mind Tree

Midnight Rider

Clap!! Clap!! Clap!!

Devil's Eye

Blue Rain

Fire!

Dream Road

Crystal Moment

Heart Wave

Love is Free

Horizon

And how many CDs are there for the TV series?

[VF5SS]

My first experience of Mospeada was "Love, Live, Alive!!!". Boring as hell.

I love the "This is for the fans" that they flash on screen. What's for the fans? The big 'ol slap in the face?

You have to remember this is Tatsunoko we're talking about. Even if they love the fans, they're not gonna lay out the cash to show their appreciation.

[Gubaba]

My first experience of Mospeada was "Love, Live, Alive!!!". Boring as hell.

I love the "This is for the fans" that they flash on screen. What's for the fans? The big 'ol slap in the face?

I haven't seen it in about twenty years, but I remember liking it. Flashback 2012 puts it to shame, but it makes a nice epilogue to the series.

It's a pity ADV didn't include it on the box set...

[Gubaba]

i only have 11 songs supposedly from the OVA, but none with that title

Mind Tree

Midnight Rider

Clap!! Clap!! Clap!!

Devil's Eye

Blue Rain

Fire!

Dream Road

Crystal Moment

Heart Wave

Love is Free

Horizon

And how many CDs are there for the TV series?

Hmm...as I said, it's been a long time since I've watched LLA, but IIRC, Yellow's concert opened with "Yatsukeru!" ("Stop!"), which I don't see in your list. And (also IIRC), most, but not all of the songs were sung by Yellow in his "guy" voice, so it should be easy to tell if they're from LLA or not.

For the TV series, the made three albums (Vol. I, Vol. II, and Vol. III - Live at Pit Inn). Later they collected the first two on CD and called it the "Super Collection" which is what I bought. Still later, they managed to coax all three albums onto a two CD set just called "Mospeada Vols. I~III" (which I don't particularly want to buy, since I already have two-thirds of it).

As far as a Love Live Alive soundtrack goes, I don't think they ever made one. I could be wrong, however.

[Shun]

I can find Stop! in my CD1 folder, i suppose that's vol 1. This song appeared in the tv series, so its correct to find it here.

Mind Tree, Midnight Rider and several other songs only appeared in LLA so i'm quite sure that is the ova soundtrack.

after some googling i believe "Live at Pit Inn" is the title of the vol 3 album? Do u have a list of the soundtrack titles?

Edited March 27, 2008 by Shun