Macross World Podcast - feedback & comments

[Gubaba]

My T-shirt is awesome. Who cares about anything else...? Including Renato drinking Zima? That's just not important...

[Tochiro]

After an extended and unexpected delay - we present Macross SpeakerPODcast Episode 10 for your listening pleasure!

http://www.macrossworld.com/5732/macross-speakerpodcast-ep-10-macross-crossover-live-30/

I tried levellatoring it this time so if you have any feedback please let us know what you think!

[The Songstress Fairy]

Good cast! I appreciated the Toys excerpt the most and coverage of what was at Wonderfest. It actually aided in my decision to buy or not buy the Bandai kit (I ended up to buy...). I thought the magazine talk was good, I would love to see upcoming stuff announced in the paper media area as it comes along and fan project discussions.

The crossover was the major bulk of the cast which it was an awesome time to meet you guys! My favorite moment was when Mari came out in that sparkling red gown, I actually gasped when she stepped on stage. She was glowing.

A few things I loved and appreciated about Crossover:

-The 80 "gift" pack that came with the memories book, those effing brickbears that they cant rid of, the Durandal and vf-30 stickers, the t-shirt, and the program and the amazzzzing tapestry

-The atmosphere where people would come up and sing...mostly frontier songs though

-The food...not so much Basara!curry came back later with a vengance.

-I was about 22 rows back, center. It was blazing hot, but 4.5 of the 5 hours I was up standing and hopping up and down. I think the guy next to me got tired of my Chie and Fukuyama shouting. Though we were cheering together like mad when Kanno showed up.

I really appreciate the oppretunity to be on the show even though I was nervous beyond belief.

Suggestions:

While I love my Arcadia and Hasegawa talk, I would love to hear more talk about the Fig toys since that is starting to be more of a market (Ichiban Kuji, Figuarts Zero, Megahouse, Nens...etc)

The crossover talk at the end got a little silly and offtrack near the end with the Alto talk but at 2hrs and 27 minutes of delicious Macross talk, it can happen.

Whos opening soda cans so close to the mic?

Keep up the good work with coverage at M events! I cant get enough!

Looking forward to a lot more

[Save]

I wish Tochiro would stick to one F-Bomb sound clip for all the casts. Something like the classic Valkyrie gun pod sound or some kind of quick mechanical sound clip and not a voice clip. Using different F-Bomb clips for me personally is kind of more annoying than funny and I would imagine it confuses the listener.

What do you guys think?

[Marzan]

Hi guys

Cool podcast. Very enjoyable and informative. BTW, you really nailed the sound this time, could hear you all loud and clear.

[EXO]

Finally got to listen to it last night. Awesome recount of the concert. I like the fact that you guys all had to sit in different places and had different experiences. Despite the heat, it sounded awesome! In fact that's what's great about the podcast, different perspectives about each subject you guys tackle. Keep it up!

[VF-15 Banshee]

I wish Tochiro would stick to one F-Bomb sound clip for all the casts. Something like the classic Valkyrie gun pod sound or some kind of quick mechanical sound clip and not a voice clip. Using different F-Bomb clips for me personally is kind of more annoying than funny and I would imagine it confuses the listener.

What do you guys think?

Actually it amuses me to no end.

[Pterobat]

Great listen, as usual.

I love hearing about your concert experiences: sure, there's the heat and the crowds, but it still sounds awesome to be there, and reminds me of what a great franchise Macross can be. Lots of great music...I don't think I could pick a very favourite song out of all of them.

And a crossover concert with a storyline was beyond cool.

Cool to hear of another female Macross fan in NA, too.

Yeah, I don't hold out much hope for the fates of Alto and Sheryl to be ever resolved. That kinda sucks.

[Tochiro]

While still barebones, I've finally started a companion youtube channel for the cast. Half of the initial content is reposted from elsewhere (with permission), but the crew will gradually be adding footage from our Macross lives as we go along.

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrkG_wrDArqo-PvYo-1uLZA/videos

[Marzan]

While still barebones, I've finally started a companion youtube channel for the cast. Half of the initial content is reposted from elsewhere (with permission), but the crew will gradually be adding footage from our Macross lives as we go along.

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrkG_wrDArqo-PvYo-1uLZA/videos

Brilliant!

[UN Spacy]

Subscribed!

[Xard]

Thanks for nice and informative podcast (even if it was ********* long, jeez. Are podcasts typically this lenghty?). Especially liked the live show discussion. Even if it was that hot and sweaty I would've wanted to be there.

What's up with all those May'n stabs though? Lol. Since I've never been to any live nor do I live in Japan I don't know but does she act like aloof diva or something?

[Save]

Xard thanks for listening. The May'n jabs are just jokes for the most part. We all (maybe aside from Renato) love her singing and her stage performances. The reality for us is we don't really see her as sexy or hot. I always talk about Megumi's thighs on the cast since she kind of gets played down due to people seeing her as Ranka. I also think most of us on the cast see Aya Endo as Sheryl the character and not May'n.

As far as the length of the cast......... take that up with Tochiro.

[Renato]

For the record, I do think May'n is a great performer!

Regarding the episode lengths, this is the way I see it: there is little that can be done about length unless we completely change the format from a "people talking in a room" to "people talking on skype" scenario. The latter would allow us to do shorter episodes, once a week or every two weeks. However, I believe we all feel that the Skype format would make it into a different thing entirely, and so we don't want to go down that road. Unfortunately, because we cannot arrange our schedules to meet in person every week (and because we wouldn't want to burden Tochiro with giving up his every weekend editing), one episode every two months is the only doable thing. Unless there is something else which I haven't thought of (like splitting the episodes up into chunks and releasing them once a week? I don't know if Tochiro would be interested in that).

[Tochiro]

The length of the cast is something thats been brought up a few times and Renato nails most of my thought process in a nutshell. But I've also found that most of the comments regarding length are possibly from newer listeners not used to podcasting as a medium.

Personally, I listen to 4 or 5 podcasts a week, averaging 1.5 to 2 hrs each. So each of those casts is pumping out a minimum of 6hrs of content a month. Given that we only get the chance to do an episode every 2-3months, I don't feel that 3hrs is all that much content but the problem is we deliver it all at once. I played with splitting the news from the main topics in previous casts I worked on, but that usually just meant we had a short podcast and a long-ish podcast. Also, the news-only got a lot less repeat-listens and traffic in general.

But for what its worth, we do provide timestamps so that listeners can skip together to what they want to hear most if they like. Or, alternatively, listen to some of it and then come back and listen to the rest later. Thats the beauty of digital media :-)

For anyone wondering, the latest episode has been recorded and will go up in a couple of weeks (once I get multiple work and star blazers deadlines out of the way ^^; )

Edited December 10, 2013 by Tochiro

[Mr March]

Just a comment for what it's worth, I've been listening to film and critical podcasts for most of this last decade and the format has definitely been streamlined by adoption and popularity. The many early years of podcasting did produce numerous podcasts with long intros and outros, extensive overall length and plenty of wandering conversation. While it's true podcasts remain broad and varied, it's been my experience the most successful podcasts have trimmed down non-conversational time, move with some momentum/pace and have assumed the 1 to 1.5 hour length. I know I don't listen to long form podcasting anymore and have been able to increase the number of podcasts I can follow as a result. There is a lot to be said for expediency.

Now having said all that, in the case of this Macross podcast, you already have a small viewership anyway and long time between casts. So I think long form should be okay.

[Tochiro]

March - thanks for the comments. Feedback is something I always appreciate.

It's interesting - it seems we have been into podcasts for a similar amount of time, yet our experiences are apparently diametrically opposite. If anything, I've found that the average running time of podcasts (that I listen to) has actually increased over the past 5 years or so as streaming/networks became better and youtube relaxed their rules regarding length of things being uploaded.
Having said this, it could be that the genres we listen to are different. The only casts I've ever listened to regularly that clocked in at, say, an hour or less were news, current events, and sometimes movie/literary reviews. Things that were more frequent and 'mainstream' I suppose.

Those that I normally listen to however - ie, gaming and anime - tend to be 90-120mins/week. Maybe that's why they call gaming reporters the 'enthusiast press' because they get too damn enthusiastic about what they do! lol. (and dont even get me started on GotY discussions in January, when the guys from place like Giant Bomb pump out 6 hrs or more of discussions in a single week - that's gotta be utterly exhausting).

From my own experience however, based on feedback from my old podcast (Japanese gaming), if new content was posted less frequently than once a month, I'd get bombarded with complaints if it was less than 2hrs in length because it wasnt enough. Now, that was when I was covering topics (vidjagames) that were covered in dozens of other competing/similar podcasts. In the case of SpeakerPODcast, however, we are covering stuff that, in many cases, literally no other English-speakers have attended. This is one reason (apart from the fact that we only do one cast every 2-3 months) I'm fine with them running long. As has been mentioned, the banter that comes with having everyone physically in the same room also tends to blow running times out when compared to a skype-cast. But this is exactly the chemistry I'm trying to create/capture with these. It's kindof like a bar-chat more than a strictly structured 'show' as such.

For the sake of variety (theres always enough news and events in any given 2-3 month period that we end up not having time for any less-timely topics) I'm thinking of doing a few in-betweeners that are an hr or so in length each, possibly without the full crew, but this will depend on what topics/guests people can bring to the table.

Anyways, sorry for repeating myself. I just found it interesting that we have had such different experiences with the same medium. Most listeners (mostly gamers) I know wont give casts that are an hr or less in length the time of day (maybe because they dont cover the length of their commute/workout/plastic model making session?), so the differences are certainly interesting.

Edited December 11, 2013 by Tochiro

[Mr March]

Now you're going to make a liar out of me; I do still listen to a long form podcast, the Giant Bombcast. GB is my primary video game website. Though in my defense, I do find the Giant Bombcast length a chore, I don't listen to every episode and more than once I've not finished an episode. So I guess that's telling of my listening habits

I'm not sure I'd change anything about your podcast, I just thought I'd chime in for a different view. As odd as this may sound coming from a guy that operates an anime site like the M3, it's very likely I'm not your target audience. So the length may be fine given the size of the audience and the subject matter. Perhaps there's also an off-the-grid podcast listener base for the more obscure hobbies that demands these massive podcasts. But just thought there might also be fans like me who would tune in more given a tighter format. Not sure if that's even a valid concern.

Anyway, when I do listen it has some good stuff and is entertaining. I'll try to tune in more often.

[Tochiro]

Oops, didnt mean to out you like that sorry! lol. For the record then, other than Giant Bomb I also listen to Weekend Confirmed (Garnet Lee), Game Critics, and sometimes the 8-4 cast. Anime-wise, I do the ANN cast, Anime World Order, occasionally MAHQ (I find the Gen-Y attitudes more difficult to get over than the length sometimes) and also give anything Macross-related a try, no-matter how bad (and the bad Macross podcasts are usually REALLY BAD...and always get passed on to Save, as he will no doubt attest).

Out of curiosity, apart from the length, is there anything you want/are interested in content-wise?

[VF5SS]

Please sing the jingle bell song from the Christmas album.

[Renato]

Please sing the jingle bell song from the Christmas album.

Totally serious -- I find myself humming/whistling/singing that very frequently indeed.

[Renato]

As odd as this may sound coming from a guy that operates an anime site like the M3, it's very likely I'm not your target audience.

That's a shame because I believe we're defining our "target audience" as simply English-speaking Macross fans, regardless of age, gender, nationality, lifestyle, etc...

So, Mr March, I don't mean to single you out, but just so I can understand your perspective a little more -- and anyone else who wants to share, please do so, too! -- can I ask about your listening tendencies? That is, are you doing something while you listen to podcasts, or do you sit back with a drink, are you driving, etc?

For me, I only listen to podcasts on the commute. I'm either on the train or on my bike. I will stop the MP3 when the commute is over and restart it from that point when I'm on the move again, I tend not to listen to one in a single sitting. On Sunday mornings I tend to watch the Collection DX guys on Youtube while I have my breakfast at a leisurely pace. That is one hour on average and once that's done I will go off and get on with whatever else I need to do. I think a lot of it depends on the situation in which we listen, for most people.

[Mr March]

Tochiro

Hahaha, no worries. Wow, you're busy fella. Hats off to you!

It's funny that you should lament Gen-Y attitudes. I kinda get off being in a perpetual state of pop-culture rediscovery, especially for film, music and literature. So I tend to get along well with younger people as much as those my own age. But I acknowledge the rarity of my personality type

Your's is the only Macross podcast I've listened to. I wasn't even aware of any others. I imagine that's a good thing, hahaha. I think content-wise your podcast is great and covers plenty about Macross and anime. Although there's not enough mention on the podcast of that one Macross fansite. Can't remember the name. Some guy that colors the Macross drawings. Phenomenal website. Worth more praise, more worship, donations, Nobel prizes, free shawarma delivery, etc

Renato

Have no worries about asking, so long as I'm not bothering you guys. I just don't want to be a pest, at least no more than usual

So podcasts and habits.

Regarding podcasts, I listen to many podcasts and I'm also an avid viewer of YouTube commentators. By no means an exhaustive list but I listen/listened to Slashfilm Podcast, IFC Podcast, How Did This Get Made?, Totally Rad Show, Venture Beat, Filmspotting, SpeakpodCast, CollectionDX, GiantBombcast, ANNCast, Calgary Flames Podcast (no wise cracks about this), series-specific podcasts (A Cast of Kings, A Cast of Ice and Fire, The Ones Who Knock, etc), AV Club, NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour, Savage Lovecast, and A Life Well Wasted. I also try to sample some of the "best of" lists at the end of the each year, surfing the Podcast Awards for content to try. Lastly - and I'm not proud of some of these - I explore podcasts which I don't necessarily enjoy but try once to expose myself to the "funny little worlds of other people". Catholic Insider, Bend Over And Take It!, Ardent Atheist, Al Jazeera, etc.

Regarding habits, I don't have a commute (yes, I know that's strange to hear from a citizen of one of the worst traffic cities on the continent). I listen to podcasts during work, while cooking and especially while coloring content for the M3. There are times when podcasts are so interesting/intense that I must direct all my attention on doing just that, but to be honest, most podcasts are not good enough for that, LOL. I try to listen to a podcast all in one sitting, but it's not always possible, especially with long form (which might be why I shy away). I don't think I've ever finished a GiantBombcast in one go

Not sure if YouTube is relevant but since you mentioned it I listen to a lot of short form (~10 mins) commentators speaking about video games. LevelCapGaming, TheRussianBadger, and others are my regulars for Battlefield commentary, tips, guides and strategies. CGP Grey is always informative and a bunch of others

Hope that all helps.

[VF5SS]

On Sunday mornings I tend to watch the Collection DX guys on Youtube while I have my breakfast at a leisurely pace.

those guys makes Sunday so surly.

[Falconkpd]

Probably one of the most entertaining podcasts I've listened to. I personally like long podcasts, so while I'm doing homework or something, I can have that in the background. Keep it up!

[Tochiro]

Well, the gang is back with Episode 11!

Episode 11, Part 1

http://www.macrossworld.com/5904/macross-speakerpodcast-ep-11-the-hyogo-hammer-part-1/

Episode 11, Part 2

http://www.macrossworld.com/5921/macross-speakerpodcast-ep-11-the-hyogo-hammer-part-2/

-SAVE visits Arcadia

-Sheryls birthday

-The 1:1 Valkyrie cockpit

-FirebomBAR!

-Hidetaka Tenjin talkshow!

….and more!

(bear not included)

Edited January 4, 2014 by Tochiro

[jvmacross]

It was good to hear that Arcadia was interested in what foreign customers were interested in from them.

Just refer them to the several polls and wish-list threads that are found on Macross World!

[skullmilitia]

Sad parts is almost all of the Arcadia Answers were already given on twitter.

Someone should have given Save a list of new questions lol.

Good show though guys! Very entertaining!

[Vepariga]

Great podcast guys and gal, had a laugh and quite informative as usual. good stuff

[Falconkpd]

I do have one question about the cockpit. Most aircraft cockpits have enough clearance between the control panel and the knees for the ejection system to pull the legs in when the seat goes rather than have them get smashed into the panel. The VF-1 cockpit looks REALLY small in comparison, and it makes me wonder if they made it so you would indeed be able to clear the panel in the event of ejection.

Kind of a weird question, but hey, I'm a technology nut and stuff like that interests me >.<

[VF5SS]

Maybe the whole thing just comes out during an ejection like the panel and all so that everything falls away from the pilot. I know in Macross 7 they just brought back the idea that the entire nose section works like an escape pod.

[Falconkpd]

Gotta love Marty and Beck!

[EXO]

Plausibility is one of the more interesting stuff in entertainment... look at mythbusters. Did Tenjin say how plausible the newer designs are since most of it is done in CAD? Not just the valks but are the stuff they're fitting in the Macross Quarter and Frontier more realistic than say having a giant stadium inside the leg of the Macross? Cuz that DYRL Macross has to be 5 times the size for something like that to fit in there. The Focker thing... the more amazing thing is the fact that he's 7 feet tall. lol.

Great job guys... that was a fun one.

[sketchley]

I do have one question about the cockpit. Most aircraft cockpits have enough clearance between the control panel and the knees for the ejection system to pull the legs in when the seat goes rather than have them get smashed into the panel. The VF-1 cockpit looks REALLY small in comparison, and it makes me wonder if they made it so you would indeed be able to clear the panel in the event of ejection.

Kind of a weird question, but hey, I'm a technology nut and stuff like that interests me >.<

I don't think we should think too much about the realism of the cockpit mock-up. I feel like it was optimized for pre-teens - just big enough for adults to squish in, and small enough for kids to be able to look over the dashboard be photographed sitting in the hot seat.

What I remember most about it was the edges of the headrest pushing into my shoulders. Definitely not an adult sized seat (nevermind the legs).

[thenoyb]

Gubaba

Someone named Roycommi already translated "The Lost Two Years" and "Plundering Fleet."

Check out

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=3705&page=2

If you were talking about something else, then nevere mind