chrisk

The viral marketing has started and a pic of Bane is out: http://www.slashfilm...k-knight-rises/

Bring out the gimp. Tadadadadada....

I think sensible fans are afraid of how this sidequel may turn out. The only original "content" produced from the House of Yune was that horrible story treatment for the Shadow Rising sequel way back when. I'm not entirely sure how Yune can "wow" people with a "sidequel" that may not have the same budget of Shadow Chronicles. But who am I kidding? The majority of Robotech fans are so deprived of this stuff they'll eat ANYTHING up no matter how cheesy or mediocre it is.

Business as usual, then?

There's an upcoming con where the highlight is an autograph session with Steve "I'm kind of a big deal" Yun. For anybody in the "know", why would any fanboy want the web guy's signature on their Robotech merch?

Anybody? Please, someone enlighten me.

2012? That's a little optimistic don't you think?

Just in time to celebrate "25 years of Robotech"... 2 years after the fact!

The episode they made on how humans explain sex to the zentraedi is so wrong yet so hilarious.

I like the fact that Ben Dixon was very gung-ho about it.

Isn't that the entire point of this thread? And, while we're at it, I think this sums up that point, perfectly.

No need for the thread any more! YAY!!

Personally, I find the topic almost endlessly fascinating. Dare I say it seems to share similarities with the recent failed doomsday prediction and their ensuing backlash. How do the fanatics (who shall be nameless) cope with the disappointment?

QUOTE FROM DOOMSDAY PREDICTION FAILED ARTICLE: "If you have a strong leader, the group survives," DiTommaso told LiveScience. "Sometimes the group falls apart. Most often, the answer given by the group is that the prophecy is true, but the interpretation was wrong."

While Yun and McKeever are hardly the strong leader types, they have kept the "buzz" of the videogame, comics, animated and live action movie projects alive amongst the hardcore. We've also heard from that the problem has always been in the "interpretation" of their comments, and you shouldn't hold it against them.

A con artist would never set himself up for failure by giving a firm date.

Ooooh!! Anyone excited for the 2011 animated sidequel?

Robot Chicken, I have never seen a Robotech reference on the show, that says something about the actual cultural impact and popularity of Robotech I think.

Yep, I think the lack of Robotech on Robot Chicken is two fold - obscurity of the reference and crappiness of the merchandise. When people hear about my website they more often say "what's a Robotech" than "OMG I totally remember that show!"

Who cares about Robotech these days? That is the question. I remember dropping by a toy shop and seeing a 60 year old man asking the sales lady for one of those shoddy, overpriced Alpha/Legioss fighter toys. I know these shows are supposed to "transcend" age but on that day I. felt. old.

If you guys feel up to it, why not check out these crude, albeit funny and disturbing Robotech parodies on Newgrounds?

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/75811

This one is about Global... on drugs.

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/76372

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/76955

I like the fact that the author took the time to make a parody on Southern Cross.

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/79606

Um...Looney Tunes? The Flintstones? Scooby-Doo?

Ayt, lemme quote McKeever here then. What was it? "The greatest show of a generation"? Something like that.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Let Bruce Timm's current WB animated feature group have a go at the franchise. Let them do original character/mecha designs, and have their own completely original take on the story.

Fox should get Robotech license. Then we can see Seth MacFarlane's Robotech. Drug references to protoculture, aliens that never heard of sex.

Or wait... What about... Robotech Chicken? Get it? EH??

Oh, I totally agree. J.J. Abrams made his film where it doesn't violate the canon, by working the change into the story in a meaningful, clear-cut way. With Tommy Yun, the reasoning is never given. It's just rearranged for no reason, and with no regard for what fans take as core canon.

Never do you hear any of the the staff talking abut how much of their heart they poured into the project, or how much they tried to do the best they could.

Tommy Yun is NOT J.J. Abrams. J.J Abrams, at least to me, is a visionary. I've seen his TED Talks. Brilliant guy with loads of ideas and some modicum of respect for his audience. Tommy Yun? The guy who wrote a Speed Racer comic? Yeah... That's a great idea! Lets get that guy to take the reins of one of the 20th century's most loved cartoon series!

I highly doubt Yun devoted 10,000 hours working on short films or storyboarding prior to signing up to Harmony Gold so we can't really fault him for the mistake that is Shadow Chronicles. Looking back though, you can't deny that some of the plot points in that film are just embarrassing... Which happens if an awful director isn't answerable to anybody.

Did Tommy Yun have a grand design for Shadow Chronicles? Maybe not. I've always felt that film was an experiment so they could get Hollywood's attention. The problem was that Tommy didn't see the recession, superheroes and the decline of the American anime industry back in 2005...

What's next for Robotech? Anybody have any answers??

Look, whether you hate it, love it, or are completely indifferent to it, if they did a web comic, they'd have enough material if they simply did the Sentinels, joining Macek's vision of it with the Yuniverse version. That way, fans of Carl, fans of Tommy, and all those in between can get some filler story. I doubt they'd do all that now, especially since people like us at Macrossworld have come up with it before he did, but they could've done that on a monthly basis at least, and then put it up on iTunes as a download, or you can read and download it as an option for paid subscribers to the site. Had they thought of that, then they'd knock 2 birds out with one stone. They'd be generating money, would be supplying the fans with new content, and the staff would actually be working instead of pretending to do so. Wait, that's 3, so even better.

This is something I've been reading a lot lately... The old generation of executives and directors in the entertainment industry that can't get to grips with the power of the internet. (It's even more suprising since Yune and McKeever aren't that old to begin with)

The want to give the excuse that printed comics are dying? Then why not go the webcomics route? Valve, masters of viral marketing, released a wonderful prequel comic to their Portal sequel. They think nobody is interested in the larger universe of Robotech, and that is should only be available in that pen and paper RPG? Really? Then make a comprehensive one on the internet. Who cares about the convention contests they hold? Who cares about Mystery Boxes of old rehash merchandise? Why not hold contests online? Have people talking about Robotech again.

The model of "convention exclusives crap" and boring retrospective panels is passe. It shouldn't be their only way to monetize this silly piece of nostalgia. They give excuses that they don't want to make aggressive marketing pushes and waste their money. Um... aren't you guys trying to sell to the fanboys this 25th anniversary bullcrap? How about that promised "sidequel" to be released this year?

McKeever is an idiot. Horray for Macross

That's because Adult Swim is for stoners..........that's why most of their shows don't make sense..........but yeah I can totally see them tripping out to STAGE FRIGHT

trip to protoculture flowers.

Southern Cross was never on the level with Macross, Orguss, or even MOSPEADA. If it was a manga done in Japan, from what I've gathered, it would be too risky to do. Depending on the price, and shipping and all, it'd probably be last on a list of wants for me. It's not really worth even discussing, as it's not going to happen. Not only that, even amongst Robotech fans, it wouldn't be a high priority, as they don't even really buy the featured merchandise. Just a bad idea all around.

Alright, I'll admit it. I kinda like Southern Cross. Even the slapdash Robotech version. I like my exposed-cockpit hovertanks, flying green-haired songstresses and blonde afros, you dig?

I do find it quite funny that http://norobotechnews.blogspot.com has more followers than Banky's blog...

This blog is summing up very well how I view the franchise. Maybe someone should link this to the Facebook group?

In regards to the Japanese yen/dollar ratio, and high gas prices, if what Kevin said was true, then why does he keep pushing the conventions if the conventions are going to be hurting? Isn't he contradicting the point of his job in scheduling these conventions? Why market to something that is supposedly going to be hurting so bad?

Lets not forget the convention panels he usually hosts every year about how "anime cons are dying" or are not sustainable! Bloody ridiculous. I guess they have to keep showing the world (and Warner Brothers?) Robotech is still alive even though they're pretty much on autopilot to oblivion now...

I'm so irritated that Obama will be the one taking credit for this.

At least he's dead, right?

It has nothing to do with the licensing or all of the Robotech debate... yui1107 is basically just a spammer and Wikipedia vandal.

Awww...

All HG had to do was work their license with a decent production company full of young people with new idea's. They refused and instead tried to build thier own production crew from scratch. All they wound up with were a bunch of lazy fanboy's sponging off the company without actually producing anything. This is why you don't let fanatical fringe actually become involved with something. Despite their obsession, htey have no idea how to create anything. It's like handing the keys to a fanfic writer, all they're going to do is rehash everything that came before, but even more stupidly. Good job HG, good job!

Keith, and all the fans who are frustrated with the system. That's why I want to propose something... I want you to try to be a devout, blind Robotech fan. Just for a few days or weeks. Try it! As I've mentioned in the past, doing this might lower your stress level. Stress = Death.

I want you guys to try to live in the World of the McKeever. I want you all to follow his Robotech twitter accounts, the popular Facebook group, and support the Robotech.com and XTREME message boards.

I'm serious. Maybe this will get over your fanboy frustration with how things are being run.

Okay, lets begin. Have you read these latest tweets?

#Robotech comics is top seller in its category at Amazon.cn! (China)

Good news, right? Yes, Robotech is doing swell in the land of Astroplan! Here's another tweet:

#Just showed footage to the new #Robotech project to the fans. Fans really like it.

Do not react with sarcasm. NO! DO NOT! STOP! Good. Goooood. Calm down. Here's another tweet during their latest convention.

#Discussion of the #Robotech live action movie producers and writers working with Warner Brothers and Harmony Gold.

That's great news! See? If you follow the twitter alone, you'll start to believe that actual progress is being made with everybody's favorite 80's cartoon property turned live action hollywood blockbuster! Here's one more tweet. If you read this without saying something snarky to yourself, then you past the test!!

#Robotech TBP's Love and War & Invasion U.S. released has been canceled by DC Comics due to declining overall comic sales.

Wait for it... Okay. Now, did you read that tweet without thinking that the only reason they did not reprint Love and War was because it sucked and wasn't worth the paper it was printed on? DID YOU? Very good! I'm very proud of you!! You may be a calm, well-adjusted, hardcore Robotech fanboy just yet! Isn't that what we all strive to be in the first place?

Now, if you can follow this routine for a month, I assure you you will never drop by this thread to complain about the way things are being run. Ever. Good luck.

Prolly old news, but this is cool:

http://www.originalprop.com/blog/2009/08/25/twitter-arnold-schwarzenegger-tweets-about-conan-movie-prop-sword-from-the-governors-office/

BTW, the new Conan movie makes me want to cry. It should have been done entirely in CG with Arnie's likeness

I'm hearing that epic Basil Poledouris soundtrack in my head!!!

Oh, and Governator looks awful.

Well, Frontier 1 movie certainly has it's problems. The main one of which is that it's too middle heavy that could certainly be more economical with it's structure. Now, does Frontier 2 has the same problem? I think it'd be good to prepare of it beforehand for people like me who still haven't seen it yet.

Well, it's not underperforming. It is doing as well as an anime movie can be expected though. The fact that it didn't drop over 50% in it's takings in the second week is a good indicator of it's popularity and staying power in the box office. The third week's takings was unfortunate but understandable under the circumstances, but the subsequent weeks after that showed that it certainly is still reasonably successful since it not only improved from the 3rd week takings but remained stable in ticket sales thereafter.

Thanks for the info! Would be very interested how this movie will perform in the near future...

Didn't this picture appear on these forums?

http://norobotechnews.blogspot.com/2011/04/this-is-how-da-hg-dispenses-tough-love.html

I could've sworn it was here! Anyone remember?

Yeah, I could've sworn I've seen that image before...

Do companies have the ability to close down satire/parody sites like this of they don't like what you're doing?

If those uniforms get any tighter or that Invid's V-neck drops any farther, it might as well be a porno...

Why do you think they haven't issued a Cease and Desist letter to that live action fan film coming out?

Tommy sent me a pretty condescending email, and after reading it 15 times I was able to understand what he was saying (he can't give a direct answer even when he wants, apparently). He basically said my trailer could get confused for something official, and "don't overestimate the intelligence of some people on the internet." even though there was a disclaimer at the beginning and end of it. He also got mad at me when I posted a fan poster for Shadow Chronicles in RDF-HQ's Fan Works forum, saying it was a "very bad thing" for them.

Tommy Yune = arsehole

It's a really good, straight-up, entertainment movie, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a good time. And I pretty much thought the first installment was a boring disappointment, even going in with low expectations. After the hype of Avatar, and other forgettable crap I saw last year (aside from maybe Toy Story 3, I guess), it feels weird to "enjoy" a movie again.

Very good to hear, though the first flick does have some good points... How much better is the 2nd movie in a nutshell though? And based on the current Japanese box office for this film, are these movies making money or underperforming? Might be a bit broad, but how big is Macross perceived in Japan?

They're both bastards I tell you as you will see in the all new episode 15!

Props to you guys for this podcast! Been listening to a few episodes and already I'm hooked

You'd better hurry, as of this moment they only 1 left in stock!

ROBOTECH = Dead franchise walking.

The aging Robotech fanbase must be getting pretty agitated by the fact that they're getting left behind by the "competition". No thanks to Harmony Gold's continued laziness and inaction, of course. Harmony Gold's entire business model is based on bad quality photos of their yearly convention tours, mystery boxes of rehashed merchandise, and the staff having a merry old time. How is this supposed to be compelling? What possessed the marketing director to even think a showing a picture of a harddrive, and "implying" they have stuff in the works is a good thing? Are these longtime Robotech fans' standards that low?

I guess people were mistaken to think Shadow Chronicles was supposed to set a new bar or something and that was almost half a decade ago.

Not entirely sure how much excitement another Robotech Documentary is supposed to be, compared to say, a full-fledged OVA, new concept art or illustration or an announcement for a brand new animated series. It would be nice as a farewell to Macek, but this seems like something they should have cobbled last year in the actual 25th anniversary. Besides, do they have access to Macross footage? Every time they do these stunts, I wonder what new assumptions they'll make, and what they'll do to demean the Japanese Macross side of things.

Bah. If people want to waste their money on a made-in-China wallet, let them. It just shows how low the standards the diehard fanboys have to contend with these days. In the meantime, I'll be spending my hard-earned money and mindshare elsewhere.

RANT OVER.

I found that you don't need to have ever seen anything to do with Macross to enjoy this movie. Or even anime.

That might just be me, though. Also, I've seen everything Macross so I'm not even sure that's a valid opinion.

Wow. That is a pretty high compliment sir! Can't wait.

All this talk about Mass Effect got me thinking

I shall give you props for the effort

Ahhhh, incoherent, under pressure internet ramblings. They usually seem to get worse when put on the spot, and maybe that's a way of unconsciously covering up the party fouls. Who the hell knows. It's a character trait that is not so uncommon. Some people just become incoherent when exposed. It's like not having a poker face. You just know when they should be putting up the white flag.

I've always been curious to know why some poeple would rather look be proven a dumb@ss, than be proven wrong? It's not like everyone is right all the time, but once you make yourself out to be a moron, that's more of a character issue than just messing up facts. Like I've said, that's why it's fun to watch it unfold.

I was listening to Adam Carolla's podcast last night and he ranted about TV execs never admitting fault and when they are wrong, they blame the audience, the set design, whatever. I think it has more to do with insecurity... ego, and all that. I would if I were someone like MEMO I suppose.

That's why when you hear anyone even remotely connected with Robotech being upfront or truthful about a situation, it's like a breath of fresh air. You're almost not sure what to make of it!

In case you cared:

Ex-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his return to movies Monday, saying a 3D film version of his much-publicized cartoon project The Governator is in the works.

“First will come (The Governator) comic books, then a (cartoon) TV series and after that we will develop the games and then a movie,” Schwarzenegger told a packed room of international journalists at global TV market MipTV in Cannes. “Maybe then we'll be back in Cannes for that.”

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/arnold-schwarzenegger-announces-3d-governator-174327

In private conversations, exec after exec expressed doubts about the viability of a 2D traditional cartoon aimed at young kids from the man behind The Terminator and Total Recall. “I was hoping he’d be back with an action series or another film — that’s what the market wants,” one veteran European buyer says. “But a cartoon? That’s a hard sell, especially since it’s not even in 3D.”

The Governator trailer Schwarzenegger screened in Cannes did little to reassure buyers. “It was action, action, action and nothing we haven’t seen before,” says Claude Schmit, head of Super RTL, Europe’s top children’s channel. “It looked like a lot of stuff out there at the moment. Lego, Hasbro, Playmobile — they’re all producing cartoon series now, and all of them are very action-heavy. There’s a bit of a glut of this stuff.”

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/arnold-schwarzeneggers-governator-cartoon-fails-175668

If he had an audience, those might cause migraines. Since he doesn't, they don't.

Was "Triangular" one of dougbendo's most popular episodes? Or was it "Don't be late"?

Then when I posted Cary's response to my ...you see a change of tune faster than a DJ on Friday night! And you're right Chris, this GUY will NEVER admit he was wrong......unless Tommy tells him so.

I'm glad to know MEMO has zero integrity. Just like everyone else running the property!