kazuo

Thanks all! Sounds like it's generally considered to be good, so I'll probably check out a few video reviews over the weekend, then decide for sure if I want to take the plunge. I should really just do it before I get stuck overpaying to resellers or secondhand toys... 🙃

12 hours ago, 26662 said:

We like what we like.  That said, do you mind detailing the YF-21's shortcomings?  Not inviting a flame war or looking to change your mind.  Just genuinely interested in your perspective since I don't find much fault in the figure.

You can like it - doesn't mean I have to. I was merely sharing my opinion and experience in a thread discussing the toy. Or is that not allowed around here?

I politely decline to enact the labor of reiterating the various shortcomings and production/QC issues with this $200 toy. If you've been following the thread, you're well aware of what's been going on, so you're either being disingenuous or you're trying to get me with a "gotcha". I'll pass in either case.

I wasn't laying bait, I wanted this thing to be good, but for this amount of money, no thanks. There's a reason there are stacks of these, NISB, sitting untouched at Amiami in Akihabara.

7 hours ago, brouken said:

I have the 4k Remastered edition pre-ordered from CDJapan. According to the description, this includes both the original Theatrical Release and the 2016 Enhanced version:

"4K ULTRA HD Blu-ray release from "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?" Includes two versions: the "1984 Theatrical Release Format" and the "2016 Complete Edition." Comes in a box with a newly drawn illustration. Comes with a 24-page booklet with interview(s)."
 

If this is accurate, then this is a must buy for any Macross fan. If I'm not mistaken, this would be the first time that DYRL will have proper official english subtitles on blu ray. 

That's an interesting point to bring up and something I will keep an eye on once it is released. If this ends up being true, I may try to pick up a copy after all - I'm not really pressed about missing out on preorder bonuses. Hopefully the "original Theatrical Release" isn't 1080p on a standard Blu-Ray disc.
 

22 hours ago, Duke Togo said:

I think the use of AI in these processes has been pretty well documented in the work James Cameron had done on his films, so I'm not going to argue this.

Neither am I, since I want to avoid derailing the thread. The last thing I will say (and the point I was trying to get across) is that the various processes used in these remasters predate the recent marketing jargon known as "AI"; color grading, digital noise reduction, and digital manipulation of film/video have existed for the better part of 20 years (or more, depending on the specific process).

None of this is "AI".

11 minutes ago, Duke Togo said:

They're using AI for the de-graining and the sharpening of certain shots. Not sure if they use it for the colors, too.

Perhaps this is pedantic, but digital noise reduction and similar filtering (which is what is typically used to remove grain) is not "AI"; it's typically doing something along the lines of nearest neighbor pixel comparison, either on the same frame or across a sampling of multiple frames. Regardless of how they're doing it, whether it is digital filtering, Skynet, or fairy dust, if the grain is gone, the detail is gone. And judging from the shared samples of the remaster, much of the detail is gone, so the grain is almost certainly gone.

The recoloring is almost certainly being done by a combination of manual work supplemented by software automagically filling in the intermediate frames. Again, not really "AI", even if we're to go by the current colloquialism of "Large Language Learning Model = AI".

I ended up bailing on this as soon as I got it. All of the various issues and some of the weird design choices really put me off. Unfortunate because I'd been hoping Bandai could hit a home run with this so I could put it on the shelf next to my YF-19.

Here's hoping they can fix at least some of this stuff with a renewal version?

Absolutely not shitposting or trying to start a fight, legitimately curious - was the original version of this generally considered to be a good release?

I love the VF-2, kept kicking the can down the road on buying this, largely because I wasn't super excited about Hi-Metal scale and I didn't want to take up the shelf space. With the 4K Blu-Ray remaster coming soon (which is why I suspect this is getting re-released!), my interest has been rekindled. This is still available for preorder at tons of shops, so thinking about grabbing one now.

Thanks all!

On 1/18/2025 at 11:37 AM, Shawn said:

From the restoration team

https://online.stereosound.co.jp/_ct/17743998

 

Wow-the negative of Reel 1!

Wouldn't be surprised if this is what they used during the screenings at Shinjuku last year. It looked incredible despite its age.

I canceled my preorder after catching up on what's been shared in this thread. Absolutely disappointing that these companies continue to butcher beloved films and shows by performing "restoration" work that isn't necessary. Really says a lot when 5 dudes blowing it up in their bedrooms can crank out better restorations that multi-billion dollar companies like Bandai (I'm talking about MediaOCD/AnimEigo here). What a frakking joke.
 

Quote

That's a matter of personal preference. I myself also like to have a grainy feel. However, Director Kawamori is still working on new works, so I think he chose something that feels closer to current anime. I've worked on a variety of projects with other directors, and recently more and more of them have chosen less grain. It feels like it's closer to current digital anime, but I'm not trying to make it a modern anime, so I left it in to a degree that you can feel the graininess.

Maybe one of these dudes should've told Kawamori that this movie is OLD and was done with CELS, and it should look as such. I think the comparisons to Lucas are more than fair.

Also, can we please stop with the "AI" stuff? There is no "AI" at play here - this is not an upscale, and upscales do not use "AI".

There were no additional announcements made of any kind. It was just a normal movie screening.

13 hours ago, jenius said:

The folks who this matters most to are less and less involved in the franchise. Money is a powerful motivator and it's only a matter of time before someone reboots! 

This. I think some people are pretty naive about how long that whole "they will never put the original trio back on the screen!" thing will last.

My personal take? It may hold for future (read: continuations of) stories, but for a reboot (e.g. The First), nope. All bets are off. Expect everyone up to and including Hikaru to be recast.

To be clear, I'm not particularly excited about the idea of a remake, nor am I excited about the idea of continuining Hikaru's/Minmay's/Misa's story post-'82. But I'm also not particularly excited about Delta, nor whatever is next if it continues to follow the trend of Idolshit-in-the-sky.

Here's some reports from JP Twitter users (with photos):

This last tweet struck me as super odd, since there was a notice outside the cinema that the movie might need to be stopped if they had issues with the projector. Or did they simply post that in part of their grand scheme to hide the fact that it's just a digital film scan? Doubtful. I saw the photo earlier on Twitter, but I can't find it at the moment.

The theater it is being screened in is quite high-end, and provides complimentary (read: free) drinks and popcorn.

It looks like the DYRL film screenings may have ended (both the digital & 35mm versions); they have yet to announce the dates for the Plus 35mm film screenings.

Do we have any idea what the original source files were rendered at? I'm going to guess 720p max, but would honestly be surprised if it was higher than 480p.

I wonder if things like AstroRes can handle mixed 2D/3D content; otherwise, doing an upscale of something like this must be a tremendous pain in the rectum.

On 2/11/2024 at 4:54 PM, Beltane70 said:

I feel it’s a bit pointless to do so since it’s incomplete and looks like it will remain that way forever. 

You say that as if the story cannot be completed for some reason.

We all know how Macross ends. I imagine it wouldn't be hard to have HAL crank out a synopsis (assuming it doesn't exist already), and then finish his work for him.

On 2/12/2024 at 12:36 AM, Seto Kaiba said:

It's also probably not a real option under the global distribution agreement they struck a couple years ago. Apparently one of the concessions they made was that future Macross titles meant for the global market would refrain from using the original series characters.

They could just make it for the Japanese market. You know, like the Macross The First manga was made solely for that market. Aside from shows made for streaming platforms (Netflix), I'm not really sure you can make a strong case for "they totally made this show with the global audience in mind" for a lot of productions. So this doesn't really hold up as a strong argument against the idea.

On 2/27/2024 at 1:00 PM, Jeff J said:

I'm biased of course, but I think you'll like it.

I was digging into internet archives, and I had forgotten that AnimEigo had also released individual discs for $22.45 a pop, meaning collecting the nine individual discs or the three three-disc sets was going to cost twenty-something percent less than buying a boxed set. The $260 we early adopters paid for the boxed set was a marked up price. But hey, we got to enjoy it a year earlier, plus we got a box and the lenticular-motion picture! 🤣

Perhaps a better way to look at it is the pre-order group were the ones that made the release happen. Literally, as I recall.

Pretty sure Robert Woodhead said that without sufficient preorders, it was dead in the water. But it's possible I am misremembering. Too lazy to look. Maybe I'm mixing it up with the Zeta Gundam DVD boxset.

Zelle, Venmo, Cash App only. I have PayPal but I don't accept payments using it for various reasons; PM me if you'd like to discuss.

Asking $100 shipped OBO. The game is entirely in Japanese. The manual is a photocopy but everything else is genuine. Works fine. The battery may need to be replaced; if you want me to do it, I can do it for an extra $15 (includes the battery).

Any questions? Send a PM.
Thanks!

I watched '82 over again a few years back. Honestly didn't age super well. Lots of stuff in the plot didn't make sense, inconsistent animation quality (even for that era), and you can really tell when they got the news that they were getting more episodes added to the schedule. I still like it though, but I probably wouldn't recommend it to people.

DYRL also has a decent number of "huh" moments with the plot, but it's just so amazing to look at that most people I've shown it to don't really think about it until way after the fact.

Adapting "The First" Manga into an anime probably isn't the worst idea, honestly. Especially if they get WIT & Clover Works to do it.

Sorry if I missed the thread, but I didn't see one anywhere obvious...

https://macross.jp/news-detail/24847/

Of particular note is the Basara mini-live concert, and DYRL & Plus screening on 35mm film.

On 1/11/2024 at 10:14 PM, tekering said:

I've tried telephone enquiries before, to no avail.  Online preorders are the only option I'm aware of. 

In fact, I remember seeing a sign at the customer service desk at BEST Denki turning away any customers trying to order a Metal Structure Sazabi. 

Appreciate the info!

We found out the hard way that none of the shops were doing in person pre-orders... got turned away or told to try the site (which were already sold out). Unsure if any of the stores will have NIB stock on-hand on release date.

10 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Btw, @tekering. Out of curiosity. Do you participate on these preorders online over there or wait on the release day and get it from the store directly? Thanks!

Curious about this as well. I may have an opportunity to have someone preorder for me in person, but unsure if local shops in Tokyo/JP are still accepting preorders.

A lot of the polling is obviously recency bias, let's be real. Delta is terrible. Frontier is also fairly recent and something that a large number of the polled populace likely grew up with. Color me shocked at the result.

If you put me on a desert island and I could only watch one show out of the following for the remainder of my life: Delta, Frontier, 7, Witch, I'd pick the Witch 100 times out of 100. You guys are absolutely crazy if you think I want to listen to Planet Dance one more time, or see AKB48 in the sky, or Ranka. Witch is far from high art and it has a lot of flaws, but I stand by what I said about it being better than anything post-Plus.

I actually think Frontier is the best of the post-Plus shows without question, but it has its own flaws: bad CG that doesn't really hold up, Ranka, silly folding alien MacGuffin nonsense, flimsy antagonists, a largely dislikable main character, and Ranka. But it does have Sheryl, so there's that.

Macross The First would actually be the best case scenario in terms of a new series, but then we have the issue of Hikaru's voice to contend with.

Anyone know anything about the Frontier Pop Up Stage? Tempted to check it out, but not interested in dropping 4K yen on a ticket if it's PS2 models.

https://bandainamco-am.co.jp/am/vg/cgslive/program/popupstage.php

Witch from Mercury is better than anything Macross since Plus came out. Facts.

I'm not expecting much from the new series... expecting the worst, hoping for something decent. The less Kawamori is involved, the better, quite frankly.

It was an extremely small booth in the "Character Street" section of Tokyo Station. I struggled to find it since I expected it to be a shop.

The merchandise is basically all acrylic stands of not very good art, and nothing else. They did have the new Frontier Bluray but neither of those things interested me. Very disappointed and not at all worth the effort+train fare.

Does anyone know if there's anything else on display besides the toys and the SDF-1? Any original HAL artwork, for example?

I was in Japan recently and decided not to visit the museum because it was too far out of the way for me for something that I didn't have much information on, and I was skeptical that it'd be worth it after the disappointing pop-up shop in Tokyo.

I wouldn't expect any of this to be dubbed. That is just grasping at straws, let's be real. Same with 4K. Isn't going to happen, nothing else currently exists that has been scanned/mastered at that resolution. I'd love to be wrong about 4K, maybe Anime Limited can surprise us. That'd be amazing.

Imagine thinking Plus is "uninteresting" though, yeesh. 🥴

Jungle is probably one of the more well-known shops in this hobby. They've been around for literal decades. Surprised you have never heard of them.

Even with shipping cost, the savings if you buy high value items can be massive due to the weak yen. Take advantage while you can. Japan will not be fully reopening to tourists this year most likely so this is probably going to be your only chance to get deals.

You can easily avoid import duty/tax if you're shipping to the US by simply using the USPS (via EMS) and avoiding private carriers like UPS.