justvinnie

That's a really nice ideological distinction that I haven't given much thought. While I'm not a pacifist, I certainly would rather avoid violence if possible since the ultimate outcome inevitably is loss on both sides. I have rarely encountered a violent confrontation where one party was able to walk away completely unscathed. Someone brought up Kamina from Gurren Lagann as a point of comparison to Basara. While it is true that neither changed during the course of their own storyline, I feel that the comparison is invalid from an ideological standpoint and is a false analogy. Kamina's action was towards the pursuit of an objective through physical violence. Basara worked towards an ideological objective through nonviolent means. Specifically, Kamina represents a "might makes right" ideology and ultimately the suppression and domination of his adversaries, while Basara worked in a different framework where the only real change one can make is a persuasive one, thus reconciling former adversaries. One could argue that both are the products of their environments (within universe as given by the back story), and thus have different outlooks on the world, but as a third party viewer, Kamina's actions represent the more generic and less interesting path for me.

As a member of the boat generation people, my ship was raided by pirates who took all the food, fuel, and valuables we were carrying as we escaped persecution. They then left us floating on the high seas without killing anyone. It is a form of psychological torture because we have to watch each other die of starvation. Those that survive have to resort to cannibalism. It is a fate worse than death. This is not an exceptional incident. Many boat people have similar stories. This is why I do not subscribe to pacifism. Is that interesting enough?

Indeed, stories can be placed on a continuum between character and plot driven. A story with a well executed plot is just as enjoyable as character pieces. Character development is but just one way for stories to develop. An early life encounter with pirates has left me biased against pirate based entertainment. While I am peripherally aware of Captain Herlock and Matsumoto's status within the anime subculture, I choose not to partake. That is my own shortcoming, and I am sure that your assessment is correct.

Congratulations, you have demonstrated that you know how to use the internet. So how long did it take you to craft this “witty” response? I love the fact that you quoted Wikipedia (which you forgot to cite, by the way). I am going to guess that none of your teachers have taught you that Wikipedia is never an appropriate reference source. I also love your attempt at slyness, underhandedly attacking my academic background, which you are completely ignorant about. Indeed, I do pity the educational system that produced you. Fortunately, I am actually doing something about it and educating whole new generations that there is a difference between having information and critical thinking about it. By your own assertion (via Wikipedia), a moral “is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event.” If you continue reading the entry, you will see that, “Throughout the history of recorded literature, the majority of fictional writing has served not only to entertain but also to instruct, inform or improve their audiences or readership.” Indeed, a moral is meant to instruct and/or enlighten the audience through the lesson or message it conveys. I imply that I do not need art that is trying to force its message down my throat or try to enlighten me because I am an independent thinking human with my own world view. Instead of addressing my point, you created a straw man by implicating that I somehow meant to say that morals and morality were one and the same. A semantic debate about morals and morality, while possibly entertaining, is not something I have any desire to engage in. I mince no words to make my position clear with regards to how I view the general masses. It amuses me that in attempting to chastise me from your moral high ground, you have rendered judgment on me and thus are no better than I am from your own moral code. Since I have no problems with my own world view, I have no problems with your judgment, though your own hypocrisy should force a re-evaluation of your world view. This is a perennial problem for people who subscribe to a slave moral code. The masses are mediocre (rightly so by definition) and if a member of the masses wishes to garner my respect, they will have to earn it through their own merits. I need not and seek not the acceptance of people who are not my intellectual equivalents. Furthermore, you operate on the assumption that all opinions are equivalent, when there are in fact not. I also noted how you chose to ignore my argument regarding aesthetic appreciation of the product without the benefit of witnessing the process. Have you ever considered going to college so you don't embarrass yourself so much? Maybe you can even register for one of my classes. As a source of personal entertainment and diversion from my daily routine, you have run dry. I have no need nor desire to prove myself to you. Therefore, you are now nothing to me.

You've been on this board for as long as I can remember. Your posts have always been reasonable so I don't know if you missed my point or have instigated a straw man attack. My premise is that the use of nontraditional story elements in M7 is genius. Basara as a pacifist is of no relevant issue to me nor does the manner in which he expresses it. I myself do not subscribe to pacifism. What interests me in Basara is that he is a protagonist that defies the common role that many protagonists take one: reluctant anti-hero, quest of self discovery, etc... Basara has already developed and is settled in-universe such that there is no reason for him to change. This sets the stage of interesting interactions between him and his peers. That he does doubt himself at all due to peer pressure is realistic he ends up exactly where he started. He is a hero for the fact that he holds steadfastly to his belief system. He represents extremem individualism and is what I consider a relevant version of the traditional Greek hero achetype. That M7 stirs both people's ire and adoration is proof enough to me of its creative genius.

Oh please, your condescension is weak. Stories need a moral? I definitely need more proselytizing in my life. I love it when people shove their morals in my face because I'm a nobody with no independent thoughts and beliefs of my own. Stories need a main protagonist that goes on a journey? So I guess you only like stories that are formulaic and trite. A well done room is just as enjoyable as a watching the process of it becoming such. If you can't go into a room and enjoy it for what it is, then I pity you and your need to see the process. Besides which, most processes are boring to observe; an understanding of process is just as useful as witnessing it. That is unless you really do enjoy watching paint dry or grass grow. Whatever, if you want to subscribe to the whole "everyone's opinion matters", then that's up to you. I consciously chose to deride and disdain banal opinions harbored by the mediocre masses. If you (or anyone else) want to take offense to that, then it is ultimately your problem and not mine. M7 (and by connection Basara) is genius stroke of creativity in terms of setup and concept. It's execution could have been better.

Didn't realize there were so many people who subscribed to submissive mediocrity. If you're right, then you're right. Who gives a damn about what everyone else thinks? Basara is by far my favorite Macross character because he's not emo, doesn't need to grow up. He's got his crap together. Just because M7 uses an unconventional dramatic perspective from conventional stories does not diminish its merits. Besides which, Basara as a character does undergo change though out the show. He engaged in a journey of self-discovery that ultimately led him back to the starting point. His beliefs are ultimately justified. If you are looking at end points, then yes, there is no change, but if you are looking at the path he takes then you realized he made a full circle.

Hahaha! Nerd alert! Oh wait, I understand and agree with what you are saying...

I haven't seen Prime, but I can say that I have never liked any squishie characters in any TF incarnation. It's call Transformers not Squishies. The fact that the squishies are kids makes it ever so much worse because what does it say about the Autobots when they allow kids to be in mortal danger? At least G1 squishies were adults (Sam was a construction worker, etc).

I love M7 and Basara Nekki. Back in grad school, I was in a depressive bout because I was unsure of what I was doing with my life. I thought cancer research would be personally fulfilling, but it wasn't what I truly wanted and was passionate about. M7 helped me through the depression, and I changed majors and am now doing what I am truly passionate about. I understand why people hate M7 and Basara, but I disagree with each and everyone of them.

Every other site I use does it and I keep closing out MW because it loads in the parent window. vinnie

If may look different than the YF-21, but that design totally reminds me of it

Think of it as a theme in 24. Kinda like how every Macross series has transforming planes. Every 24 season has a mole. vinnie

Haha.... I once tried to do a coastal bombarment of a city with my battlleship in Civ 1 and a phalanx destroyed it. That's when I knew the unit mechanics were off. vinnie

Wow... Carl acted liked he created the story from scratch as opposed to using the stories created by someone else and limited to the existing animation. "What we wanted was a show that would talk to children in a way that was not demeaning. It empowered them. We showed what war was all about. We saw characters die. We saw characters fall in love. We saw life in a way that no kid could experience in cartoons before." vinnie