Jump to content

The End of the Decade thread......


taksraven

Recommended Posts

OK, the end of the 00's is fast approaching. Its time for us to reflect on the best and the worst of the decade. I'll list some categories to get things started.......

* Best/Worst Anime (film/TV series/OAV) -

* Best/Worst Manga -

* Best/Worst SF (film/TV series) -

* Best/Worst SF Literary (Book/Short story/Comic) -

* Most annoying trend in Anime -

* Most annoying trend in SF -

* Best comeback -

* Most disappointing comeback -

* Best/Worst Game of the decade -

* Most consistent game developer -

* Best/Worst Game platform of the decade -

* Which product do you really wish had not turned out to be vapourware?

* Most Unnecessary *Remake

*Sequel

* Greatest addition to your toy/model/DVD collection -

* What is the piece of technology that you have now which was not available at the start of the decade that you cannot do without?

* Best/Worst Band/Album/Live performance -

* What do you think is going to be the most inaccurate SF prediction about life in 2010?

* Person of the decade (NO politicals)

* Where do you think you will be at the end of next decade?

* Complete the following sentence. "I will be much happier next decade if..........."

+ What have you been calling this decade? (The zero-zero's, the noughties, whatever)

Answer some, answer them all, whatever you want. Add your own categories, just have fun with it.....

Taksraven

Edited by taksraven
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Plus add in what are we going to refer to this decade... the oh oh's, the two thousands, the double oh's, the triple ohs, the zeroes... WTF??? 10 years and we still havent figured it out...

That is a sign of the best thing about this passing decade - namely the eruption of freedom in our world. In the XXth century, huge oligopolistic centers of information told us what we should call historical events, how we should categorize decades and years. Court historians and the mainstream media made up the words that defined complex events - and therefore, in the minds of human beings - made those events seem less complex and made everyone thing about the past in simple terms.

This new decade has seen the internet and a general decentralization of information destroy the old consensus about even simple things like "what should we call this decade?" (or "what should we call this economic crisis?").

It has led to the truth that there is no "we" - only lots of indviduals who often have different opinions and views - all of which can co-exist and show us something interesting and meaningful.

So - yay 2000-2010 for having NO common denominators and smashing the stale tradition of listening to elites who make them up for "us."

....

And now on to the list:

Best/Worst Anime (film/TV series/OAV) -

BEST ANIME - Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

WORST ANIME - Who knows? Shadow Chronicles isn't an anime in my book, so I can't nominate it....

Best/Worst Manga - Beats me...I haven't read any :(

Best/Worst SF (film/TV series) -

BEST SF - Umm...hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...umm...hmmmmmmm....Revenge of the Sith? Umm...I dunno...ok - yeah. Revenge of the Sith... :lol:

WORST SF - Umm...hmmmmmmm...I don't really have a candidate for this....I find even the worse SF enjoyable...

* Most annoying trend in Anime - NOT ENOUGH EROTIC CONTENT!! I mean - seriously! The Japanese are such mega prudes!! We wanna see Alto and Sheryl seriously making out!! Not this stupid touchy feely blushy crap.

Best comeback - Transformers (the first movie). Hey - it's a comeback - after the 1986 fiasco and the ups and downs of the TF franchise - love it or hate it - it was a big success and all told a decent flick. I'll give them props for that one.

* Most disappointing comeback - ROTF - after pride cometh the fall.

* Best/Worst Game of the decade - All I played was Go Fish with my girlfriend and her daughter on a train...so...I'm not in a good position to judge this.

* Most consistent game developer - Uhh...nice weather we've got today....moving on...

Which product do you really wish had not turned out to be vapourware? - The Transformers Movie toys - both 2007 and ROTF. A crushing dissapointment.

* Most Unnecessary *Remake - Batman 1 million? Sorry, but I liked Rocky Balboa and probably will like Rambo when I get around to seeing it...I never liked Batman except the comic books and the one with Arnold because I love Arnold in anything.

Sequel - ROTF

* Greatest addition to your toy/model/DVD collection - My (ex?) girlfriend. Never had so much fun and joy with anything else in my whole life! She made this a memorable decade!

* What is the piece of technology that you have now which was not available at the start of the decade that you cannot do without? -- My touch screen phone!! I LOOOOVE touch screen mobile phones!! They are just so fun!! And I love all the stuff my phone can do - the internet connection, the camera function, the tape recorder, the inter-acting with my laptop thing... It's all so superfluous yet helpful at the same time!

* Best/Worst Band/Album/Live performance - Hmm....Britney Spears Train Wreck "Let's Wiggle the Fat Slabs around our Tushes" ?

* What do you think is going to be the most inaccurate SF prediction about life in 2010?

That's easy: the notion that the economy will recover.

2010 will see:

1 USD = 40 JPY

US unemployment at 15%

The World abandoning the USD as a reserve currency (not clear as to what will replace it, if anything - probably there won't be a reserve currency as such - but that's a tougher call)

* Person of the decade (NO politicals)

I agree - no politician ever deserves to be "person of the" anything anyways

So...

I nominate GUBABA!

Why?

Because he translated My Fair Minmey and is now translating a book about Misa!

To me - that is enough to garner him Person of the Decade status!

* Where do you think you will be at the end of next decade?

Either I will be rich and happy in Poland or poor and happy back in the USA.

* Complete the following sentence. "I will be much happier next decade if..........."

If I continue to enjoy good health - which is the most imortant thing in life and makes all other wants and worries possible.

Pete

Edited by VFTF1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not quite decided if I will fill out this topic's questions. Nevertheless, the following deserves comment:

The World abandoning the USD as a reserve currency (not clear as to what will replace it, if anything - probably there won't be a reserve currency as such - but that's a tougher call)

Most likely the Remnimbi.

There was a featurette on one of the news channels here about how, in the past year or thereabouts, international trade with China is no longer using the double exchange of local currency >> USD >> CNY (or reverse) but is now local currency >> CNY. Which was also coupled with the CNY having taken primacy over the USD in markets (not sure if they were local or tourist oriented) in Vietnam. And the closeout of the featurette was how over the past few years, all the major currencies have been on a roller coaster ride of fluctuating rates, but the CNY has steadly grown stronger and stronger.

So, yeah. Take it with a grain of salt, and file it with the predictions the late '80's and early '90's predictions that the Japanese would rule... erm, own the rest of the Earth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Partial responses:

* Best/Worst Anime (film/TV series/OAV) -

Toooooo many to pick from! both good & bad.

* Best/Worst SF (film/TV series) -

Best Film: Disctict 13

Best Series: Battlestar Galactica

Worst Film: SW episode 2 & 3

* Best/Worst SF Literary (Book/Short story/Comic)

The Dark Tower books ... the ones that came out this decade

* Best/Worst Game of the decade -

Best: Counterstrike (:Source), still immensely popular after so many years!

* Most consistent game developer -

Bioware.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't like to pick 'worsts', so here is my list of favorites...

* Best Anime (film/TV series -

[film] Howl's Moving Castle

[series] Samurai Champloo

* Best SF (film/TV series) -

[film] Lord of the Rings

[TV] Doctor Who

* Best SF Book - Harry Potter series

* Best Non-SF book - Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux

* Best Magazine publication - Giant Robot

* Best comeback - Dinosaur Jr.

* Best Game of the decade - Legend of Zelda: Windwaker

* Best Game platform of the decade - Nintendo DS

* Greatest addition to your toy/model/DVD collection -

[toy] CM's Legioss/Tlead set

[model] Keroro Robo

[DVD] Down By Law & Night on Earth

* Best/Worst Band/Album/Live performance -

[band] Tom Waits

[album] Person Pitch by Panda Bear

[show] Tom Waits' Glitter and Doom tour

* What do you think is going to be the most inaccurate SF prediction about life in 2010? The misinterpretation of the Mayan calendar

* Person of the decade David Cross. no one else does more for humanity

* Where do you think you will be at the end of next decade?

in a shack in the woods with my wife, very happy just to be alive.

Edited by eriku
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't like to pick 'worsts', so here is my list of favorites...

* Person of the decade David Cross. no one else does more for humanity

FANTASTIC call there. From Arrested Development through to his own stage work, the man is a true legend.

Taksraven

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Appending to my answer:

Most influential person: Steve Jobs.

Don't get me wrong, I hate Apple with a passion, and the only i-brand I own is an I-pod nano. However, I cannot ignore the indelible effects of its brainwashing good marketing and product development strategy.

Edited by Ghost Train
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not quite decided if I will fill out this topic's questions. Nevertheless, the following deserves comment:

Most likely the Remnimbi.

There was a featurette on one of the news channels here about how, in the past year or thereabouts, international trade with China is no longer using the double exchange of local currency >> USD >> CNY (or reverse) but is now local currency >> CNY. Which was also coupled with the CNY having taken primacy over the USD in markets (not sure if they were local or tourist oriented) in Vietnam. And the closeout of the featurette was how over the past few years, all the major currencies have been on a roller coaster ride of fluctuating rates, but the CNY has steadly grown stronger and stronger.

So, yeah. Take it with a grain of salt, and file it with the predictions the late '80's and early '90's predictions that the Japanese would rule... erm, own the rest of the Earth.

China will not allow the Remnimbi to be a replacement reserve currency because it will cause its value to rise I believe that the government of PRC position is a basket of currency to replace/complement the US$.

Edited by miles316
Link to comment
Share on other sites

* Best/Worst Anime (film/TV series/OAV) - Gurren Lagann for best...not sure about worst

* Best/Worst SF (film/TV series) - Best sci-fi TV series would definitely be the new BSG, film...hmm the new Trek or District 9

* Best comeback - definitely Star Trek, at least from an entertainment standpoint

* Best/Worst Game of the decade - That's a toughie, probably Mass Effect for best, I have no idea for worst

* Most consistent game developer - Bioware

* Best/Worst Game platform of the decade - I'm gonna say the Wii. It's a good idea, but the only games I've really found that are worth a crap are first party. It's just kind of become a dumping ground for lousy 3rd party titles in an effort to cash in on soccer moms and 5 year old kids.

* Greatest addition to your toy/model/DVD collection - probably this bad boy, just because of how rare he is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup. Regardless of the whole "year 0" issue, nobody would say 1920 isn't part of the 20's, or that 1930 is. "The 90's" was 1990-1999. The current decade is thus 2000-2009, regardless of any mathematical issues deriving from "the very first recorded year".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Plus add in what are we going to refer to this decade... the oh oh's, the two thousands, the double oh's, the triple ohs, the zeroes... WTF??? 10 years and we still havent figured it out...
The two thousands would get my vote. Next decade should be the twenty-teens. Has a nice ring to it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

* Best/Worst Anime (film/TV series/OAV) -

Best Anime: RahXephon

Worst Anime: Gunbuster 2

* Best/Worst SF (film/TV series) -

Best Sci-Fi Film: Star Trek (2009), The Dark Knight (tie)

Worst Sci-Fi Film: Jumper

Best TV Series: South Park

Worst TV Series: Knight Rider (2008)

* Most annoying trend in Anime - Anything related to Bleach, Death Note or Naruto.

* Most annoying trend in SF - Low-budget camcorder-filmed movies.

* Best comeback - Star Trek

* Most disappointing comeback - Guns N' Roses, Queen + Paul Rodgers (tie)

* Best/Worst Game of the decade -

Best Game: Guitar Hero

Worst Game: Robotech: Invasion

* Most consistent game developer - Polyphony Digital (Gran Turismo series)

* Best/Worst Game platform of the decade

Best Platform: PS2

Worst Platform: Nokia N-Gage

* Which product do you really wish had not turned out to be vaporware? - Duke Nukem 4Ever

* Most Unnecessary Remake - Any Hollywood live-action adaptation of an anime.

* Most Unnecessary Sequel - The Matrix: Reloaded & The Matrix: Revelations

* Greatest addition to your toy/model/DVD collection - Yamato 1/60 YF-19, Transformers ROTF Leader Class Optimus Prime (tie)

* What is the piece of technology that you have now which was not available at the start of the decade that you cannot do without? - Facebook

* Best/Worst Band/Album/Live performance -

Best Band: Iron Maiden

Worst Band: Jonas Brothers

Best Live Performance: Iron Maiden, Nightwish (tie)

Worst Live Performance: DragonForce

* What do you think is going to be the most inaccurate SF prediction about life in 2010? - The release of another Robotech title.

* Person of the decade - Manny Pacquiao

* Where do you think you will be at the end of next decade? - Antarctica

* Complete the following sentence. "I will be much happier next decade if..........." - Harmony Gold went bankrupt and disappeared off the face of the Earth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Worst Platform: Nokia N-Gage

Rather than just call the N-Gage the worst overall, I would give that accolade to the N-Gage QD. It solved two problems (easier memory card insert slot and goodbye to side-talkin') but it had the wonderful technological innovations of goodbye to stereo sound, hello mono, and goodbye to USB connectivity. Great stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

* Best Anime (film/TV series/OAV) - TV Series = Macross Frontier. OVA = Macross Zero. Film =

* Worst Anime (film/TV series/OAV) - TV Series = Gundam 00. OVA = Votoms Pailsen Files, Movie = Steamboy.

* Best/Worst Manga - Don't read Manga, so no comment.

* Best SF (film/TV series) - Film = District 9 . TV Series = RDM's Battlestar Galactica.

* Worst SF (film/TV series) - Film = Terminator Salvation. TV Series = Dr. Who (started good, but turned crap).

* Best SF Literary (Book/Short story/Comic) - Best comic, without a doubt is '2000AD, the galaxy's geatest comic'. For books, GRRM's A Song of Ice & Fire series & an honorable mention goes to the first 2 books in Peter F. Hamilton's 'Void Trilogy'.

Don't reacll any memorable short stories.

* Most annoying trend in Anime - Whinny, angst-ridden heros. Thankfully, Frontier bucked that trend.

* Most annoying trend in SF - overuse of CGI for spaceships. Bring back models.

* Best comeback - Dunno.

* Most disappointing comeback - Dunno.

* Best Game of the decade - Macross Ultimate Frontier (of course)!

* Most consistent game developer - Dunno, don't play that many games.

* Best/Worst Game platform of the decade -

* Which product do you really wish had not turned out to be vapourware? -

* Most Unnecessary *Remake - All of them. Never seen a remake that is bette than the original.

* Greatest addition to your toy/model/DVD collection - Toy = Yamato's 1/60 scale VF-11B. Perfection in toy form. DVD = Macross Frontier TV series. Models = don't buy models any more, but Bandai's 1/72 scale VF-25 models were damn good, so get my vote.

* What is the piece of technology that you have now which was not available at the start of the decade that you cannot do without? - Err.......MP3 player.

* Best Band/Album/Live performance - Live performance = Muse - Black Holes & Revelations tour. Album = Muse Black Holes & Revelations. Best band = Muse.

* What do you think is going to be the most inaccurate SF prediction about life in 2010? - Err.......still no personal jetpacks, or cities on the moon!

* Person of the decade (NO politicals) - My wife, for staying with me, despite all the crap and stupid stuff I do.

* Where do you think you will be at the end of next decade? - Hopefully retired on a beach in Thailand, but I'll settle for still alive and in good health.

* Complete the following sentence. "I will be much happier next decade if I get a BJ ever night."

Graham

Link to comment
Share on other sites

* Best Anime (film/TV series/OAV) - Persepolis/Venture Brothers/Macross Zero

* Best Manga - The Pride of Baghdad (comic)

* Best (film/TV series) - Old Boy/BSG (or maybe Lost)

* Most annoying trend in Anime - Mega Boobs (Anything more than a handful...)

* Most annoying trend in SF - Quantum Physics as an exit point to correct plot holes

* Best comeback - Batman Begins (maybe Macross: Zero)

* Most disappointing comeback - Superman Returns

* Best Game of the decade - Unreal Tournament 2003

* Most consistent game developer - Valve

* Best Game platform of the decade - Quad Core PC

* Which product do you really wish had not turned out to be vapourware? Beagle Mospeada Bartley

* Most Unnecessary *Remake - My Sassy Girl (Haven't seen it, don't need to)

*Sequel - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

* Greatest addition to your toy/model/DVD collection - 1/48 Varkyrie/Beagle Mospeada/The Orange Box collection

* What is the piece of technology that you have now which was not available at the start of the decade that you cannot do without? nothing, my i7 if I have to choose

* Best Band/Album/Live performance - Royksopp/Boxer (or 5:55)/Natalie Merchant

* What do you think is going to be the most inaccurate SF prediction about life in 2010? - 'Avatar' will change cinema history

* Person of the decade (NO politicals) - Steve Irwin

* Where do you think you will be at the end of next decade? - long dead

* Complete the following sentence. "I will be much happier next decade if..........." it's better than the 80's.

+ What have you been calling this decade? (The zero-zero's, the noughties, whatever) - "crap" - they were 'nothing' to me... (ok, the 1/48 / 1/60 Valks and the 1/10 Beahle Mospeadas were good).)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On a related note, which decade do you guys like the best :p ?

I was born in '81, so I kind of remember the 80's.... I still think the late 1990's was the most awesome part of history.

- The DJIA broke 10,000 for the first time

- The dot-com era was in full swing and a lot of new (fake) wealth was being created, but it laid the foundation for our current internet infrastructure

- Winters were cold & summers were hot

- Everyone was pimpin around in their massive Esss-uuuu-veees.

Perhaps I'm influenced by personal bias, but 1999 was the most awesome year ever. I just received my acceptance to one of the best public Uni's in the US (University of Michigan Ann Arbor), so I could just chill and relax during my last semester in high school - and I even placed as a quarterfinalist in the State debate tournament. It was just a very relaxed, successful, and care-free time for me.

Aside from that, this was also the console gaming revival era. I had a blast playing games in PSX, Dreamcast, and N64.

Most importantly of all... it was around this time where I was re-introduced to Macross through Macross+ and 7.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On a related note, which decade do you guys like the best :p ?

I was born in '81, so I kind of remember the 80's.... I still think the late 1990's was the most awesome part of history.

- The DJIA broke 10,000 for the first time

- The dot-com era was in full swing and a lot of new (fake) wealth was being created, but it laid the foundation for our current internet infrastructure

- Winters were cold & summers were hot

- Everyone was pimpin around in their massive Esss-uuuu-veees.

Perhaps I'm influenced by personal bias, but 1999 was the most awesome year ever. I just received my acceptance to one of the best public Uni's in the US (University of Michigan Ann Arbor), so I could just chill and relax during my last semester in high school - and I even placed as a quarterfinalist in the State debate tournament. It was just a very relaxed, successful, and care-free time for me.

Aside from that, this was also the console gaming revival era. I had a blast playing games in PSX, Dreamcast, and N64.

Most importantly of all... it was around this time where I was re-introduced to Macross through Macross+ and 7.

Bah. The 90s were terrible. Crappy CGI popping up everywhere, grunge music, Digital Millennium Copyright Act, The Phantom Menace, Star Trek Voyager, boy bands, the Spice Girls, ravers, etc.

The 80s were where it was at. Metal, Nintendo, awesome toys (Transformers, etc), awesome cartoons (Thundercats, He-Man), the Voyager Missions, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Empire Strikes Back, Saved By the Bell, Knight Rider... it was an awesome time to be alive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

* Best/Worst Anime (film/TV series/OAV) -

Best - Macross Frontier (but I have not seen much else)

Worst - Take your pick of some lame crap with Ninjas and/or monster fighters

* Best/Worst Manga

- pass

* Best/Worst SF (film/TV series) -

Best TV Series - Stargate SG-1. A landmark SF series. The true successor in spirit to the original Star Trek.

Worst Film - Star Trek 2009. Listen. I knew Star Trek. Star Trek was a friend of mine for almost 40 years. Star Trek 2009 is NOT my Star Trek.

* Best/Worst SF Literary (Book/Short story/Comic) -

Best - DC Comics New Frontiers

Worst - Whatever crap Frank Miller is turning out nowadays

* Most annoying trend in Anime

-More Ninjas less Mecha

* Most annoying trend in SF -

Remaking classic as crap popcorn movies. Star Trek, Willd Wild West, Day the Earth Stood Still, etc. ad nauseum

* Best comeback

- Macross Frontier!

* Most disappointing comeback

- Star Trek 2009

* Best/Worst Game of the decade -

Best - City of Heroes - Who doesn't want to fly around and fight bad guys?

Worst - I dunno Robotech Invasion?

* Most consistent game developer

- Bioware

* Best/Worst Game platform of the decade -

Best - PS3

Worst - Original Xbox

* Which product do you really wish had not turned out to be vapourware?

-pass

* Most Unnecessary *Remake

- Star Trek 2009

* Greatest addition to your toy/model/DVD collection

- Art Asylum Phaser II / Lego Star Destroyer

* What is the piece of technology that you have now which was not available at the start of the decade that you cannot do without?

- iPhone

* Best/Worst Band/Album/Live performance -

Best - The Police: Certifiable - Live in Buenos Aires

* What do you think is going to be the most inaccurate SF prediction about life in 2010

- Flying Cars

* Person of the decade (NO politicals)

- Bill Gates

* Where do you think you will be at the end of next decade?

REDACTED FOR SECURITY REASONS

* Complete the following sentence.

"I will be much happier next decade if future Macross project get a wide release in North America"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best/Worst Anime (film/TV series/OAV)

Best film: Appleseed/Appleseed Ex machina

Best Series: Gundam SEED

Worst Anime film: Shadow Chronicles

Worst Series: Naruto

* Best/Worst Manga

Best: Gundam Seed Astray

Worst: Bleach

* Best/Worst SF (film/TV series) -

Best film: Star Trek

Best Series: V

Worst film: Pandorum

Worst series: Warehouse 13

* Best/Worst SF Literary (Book/Short story/Comic) -

Best comic: Nova/Annihilation books

Worst: Spider man

* Most annoying trend in Anime

Poor animation, stupid names for rediculous Kung fu attacks

* Most annoying trend in SF -

Special effects over storyline

* Best comeback -

Macross Frontier

* Most disappointing comeback -

Vampire Hunter D

* Best/Worst Game of the decade -

Best: Resident Evil 5 or MGS4 (too close to call)

Worst: Silent Hill 5

* Most consistent game developer -

Surprisingly, not Konami. Toss up between Eidos or Capcom.

* Best/Worst Game platform of the decade -

Xbox 360. What a piece of sh*t...glad I junked it for a PS3.

* Which product do you really wish had not turned out to be vapourware?

N-gage

* Most Unnecessary *Remake

Bewitched the movie...if that counts.

*Sequel

Alvin and the Chipmunks (not sure if it's out yet, but I know we don't need it)

* Greatest addition to your toy/model/DVD collection -

Greatest toy: My first 1/60 v1, VF-1S. Still have it, and I'll be buried with it.

Greatest model: PG Strike Gundam

Greatest DVD added: DYRL

* What is the piece of technology that you have now which was not available at the start of the decade that you cannot do without?

My big ass 1080p TV and Blu-ray.

* Best/Worst Band/Album/Live performance -

Best Band: Boom Boom Satellites

Best Album: Boom Boom Satellites - Full of Elevating Pleasures

Worst band: Panic at the Disco

Worst album: Bloodhound Gang-Hefty fine

Best live performance: VNV Nation, Chicago 2005.

Worst live performance: Powerman 5000, 2009.

* What do you think is going to be the most inaccurate SF prediction about life in 2010?

We'll be living on the moon

* Person of the decade (NO politicals)

George Mitchell, for exposing all those dope head steriod popping millionaire baseball players, and not being afraid to name names.

* Where do you think you will be at the end of next decade?

Dead or doing the same crap.

* Complete the following sentence. "I will be much happier next decade if..........."

I finally realize that having a decent job and family doesn't necessarily mean I have my sh*t together.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On a related note, which decade do you guys like the best :p ?

I was born in '81, so I kind of remember the 80's.... I still think the late 1990's was the most awesome part of history.

- The DJIA broke 10,000 for the first time

- The dot-com era was in full swing and a lot of new (fake) wealth was being created, but it laid the foundation for our current internet infrastructure

- Winters were cold & summers were hot

- Everyone was pimpin around in their massive Esss-uuuu-veees.

Perhaps I'm influenced by personal bias, but 1999 was the most awesome year ever. I just received my acceptance to one of the best public Uni's in the US (University of Michigan Ann Arbor), so I could just chill and relax during my last semester in high school - and I even placed as a quarterfinalist in the State debate tournament. It was just a very relaxed, successful, and care-free time for me.

Aside from that, this was also the console gaming revival era. I had a blast playing games in PSX, Dreamcast, and N64.

Most importantly of all... it was around this time where I was re-introduced to Macross through Macross+ and 7.

I totally agree with your memories of Michigan in 1999. I was finishing College and we probably lived an hour away from eachother back then. "Relaxed, successful" and "carefree" are all words that I would use to discribe life in Michigan back then. It was AWESOME.

Bah. The 90s were terrible. Crappy CGI popping up everywhere, grunge music, Digital Millennium Copyright Act, The Phantom Menace, Star Trek Voyager, boy bands, the Spice Girls, ravers, etc.

The 80s were where it was at. Metal, Nintendo, awesome toys (Transformers, etc), awesome cartoons (Thundercats, He-Man), the Voyager Missions, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Empire Strikes Back, Saved By the Bell, Knight Rider... it was an awesome time to be alive.

I agree with the comparisson. While I have sentimental fond memories of 1999 like Ghost Train up there - in general, I agree that the 80s were better.

GT - I was born in 1979 - but I remember the 80s perfectly. First, I remember the contrast of bread lines when I was a really little kid with living in America when my family immigrated and therefore having food on the table. And then there were all these sweet cartoons on TV and all the great toys in the stores and life was good. There were heroes on TV. Not just the cartoons - but I remember watching things like the Incredible Hulk with Bill Bixby in it - that show was so awesome. I even remember when Lou Feringo was on Mr. Rogers.

The 1990s sucked as a decade in terms of culture. They were all about rejecting the 80s - rejecting tv shows and movies with heroes for tv shows with environmentaly friendly multicultural characters.

Case in point: GI Joe. Does anybody remember Eco-Warriors or what ever that was called? I'm not even gonna mention Captain Planet, which had to be the stupidest garbage in the universe - but GI Joe is a good measure of what started happening back then. Lots of TV shows tried realy hard to show how conscious, hip and trendy they were and they stoped being interesting because they got too political.

But then again ....

I was actually lucky.

I spent most of the 1990s outside of the USA, living in Poland and in Switzerland. In Poland, especially, the 1990s were like America in the 1980s. All of the stuff that was popular in America in the 1980s came to Poland in the 1990s - but it was all fresh and new. Also, since the whole government system (not just comunism - but the state in general) pretty much collapsed in the 90s - there was sooo much awesome freedom.

The center of Warsaw looked wonderful - there were thousands of outdoor street markets and street merchants selling stuff from every where in the World.

Then Poland became "European" and "respectable" and now the center of Warsaw sports some hotels, a big shopping mall, and traffic jams. I miss the street vendors - they were cleared out to make room for "orderly" society :(

And of course - you can't buy jack in the stores now - I have to import everything because stuff here is taxed to death.... grumble...

But back in the 1990s - it was awesome. There were no taxes really - not like today - and you could buy ANYTHING. I mean - ANYTHING. And there was revolution and rebellion and a sense of adventure in the air.

So - I had it good - the 80s in the USA rocked. The 90s in Poland rocked.

the Decade That Dare Not Speak Its Name, however... namely 2000-2010... well..... I spent some of this decade living in the USA - and it's like I was on a different planet than the one I remember - like I was in Honduras or something.... Just felt wierd - everything seemed unfamiliar :(

I also spent a good chunk of this decade living here in Poland...and actually - that was awesome again because I spent 5 good years with a girl, forgeting about the outside world and just being in love....

But in general - I will say that I agree with Time Magazine naming this "The Decade From Hell" - so much bad stuff across the board happened.

I want it to be over - and I want to have a good decade again!

Pete

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, the end of the 00's is fast approaching. Its time for us to reflect on the best and the worst of the decade. I'll list some categories to get things started.......?

* Best Anime (film/TV series/OAV)

movie: Spirited Away/T: Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya/OAV: Macross Zero

* Best Manga

Jiro Taniguchi - Hare Yuku Sora

* Best SF (film/TV series)

Film: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorow/Cloverfield TV: BSG

* Best SF Literary

Book: GR Martin Song of Ice and Fire/ Erikson - Malazan book of the Fallen

* [Most annoying trend in Anime

Ill fitting inclusion of High School Life in way to many anime.

* Most annoying trend in SF

Forgetting to include a plot

* Best comeback

Apple

* Best Game of the decade

World of Warcraft/Mass Effect

* Most consistent game developer

Bioware

* Best Game platform of the decade

PC

* Most Unnecessary Sequel

Matrix 2 and 3

* Greatest addition to your toy/model/DVD collection

Toy 1/48 VF-1J Millia

* What is the piece of technology that you have now which was not available at the start of the decade that you cannot do without?

Google

* Best Band/Album/Live performance

Band: Audiotransparent/ Album: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - Flaming Lips /Live performance: Muse - Rock Werchter

* Person of the decade (NO politicals)

Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page

* Where do you think you will be at the end of next decade?

A place with a tropical climate hopefully

* Complete the following sentence. "I will be much happier next decade if..........."

I could go to work out of choice instead of necessity.

+ What have you been calling this decade? (The zero-zero's, the noughties, whatever)

The two-thousands

Link to comment
Share on other sites

* Most annoying trend in Anime - Anything related to Bleach, Death Note or Naruto.

* Complete the following sentence. "I will be much happier next decade if..........." - Harmony Gold went bankrupt and disappeared off the face of the Earth.

Could not agree more that with those 2 statements!

My take>

Movie of the decade: Lord of the Rings (all 3 of them)

Now that's how you adapt complicated source material in an adult manner that yet can appeal to anyone (Hollywood why didn't you pay enough attention!)

Man of the decade: Usain Bolt

Anyone who runs that unbelievably fast and then celebrates in such ridiculous fashion deserves to be rewarded with this accolade.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

* Best/Worst Anime (film/TV series/OAV) -

Best: Ghost in the Shell SAC 1 & 2.

Worst: No answer.

* Best/Worst SF (film/TV series) -

Best: Children of Men

Worst: Bayformers 1 and 2...or anything Michael Bay touches. Honorable mention to Indiana Jones, if that counts as Sci-Fi.

* Most annoying trend in SF -

Over-usage of CG. I just watched I am Legend for the first time, and it would've been a pretty decent movie if they used live actors for the infected zombies instead of CG. Indiana Jones was killed by the CG, too.

* Best comeback -

Star Trek

* Most disappointing comeback -

Transformers

* Best/Worst Game of the decade -

For me, it's gotta be Half-Life 2 and the expansion episodes.

* What is the piece of technology that you have now which was not available at the start of the decade that you cannot do without?

My PVR. And file-sharing software.

* Best/Worst Band/Album/Live performance -

Best band: Protest the Hero

Worst: Too many to choose.

Edited by Vic Mancini
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...