Hurin

These aren't adjustable like Sith Lord's. But I think some of these would really make a Valky look classy. The Acrylic Stand Shop Best Regards,

Before Isamu shows up, Guld grabs her from behind suddenly and pulls her towards him. Here again, she jumps as he grabs here, but then seems to accept his embrace as he draws her to him. It's difficult to tell. . . whether that is fear in her eyes or just conflicting emotions. . . Okay, this is the last image. . . I promise. I don't wanna get in any trouble. This is a composite of two seperate shots:

Of course, if posting those images is a problem, let me know and I'll edit them out. . . and/or remove them from my site (thus from here). Thanks!

Hi Roy. Nice to have you back. That was me. . . I thought maybe you'd mention the "jump" moment. I wondered if it was fair to post one and not the other. I even took a screen capture of the "jump" whem Guld grabs her from behind. Because I remembered your comment about it. But, I decided, and I hope you'll agree, that the point of the "loving" glance is still made. And the "jump" can be explained by either a rape, or "just" an assault. The "jump" doesn't necessarily exclude either possibility. As for her glance at Isamu. My personal interpretation is that, while Myung loves them both, she was actually rejected by Isamu. . . thus Myung's attitude towards him on Star Hill. (I think, though I can't be sure, that this rejection is what was happening as Guld came into the room and "the incident" ocurred seven years prior.) There seems to be some pretty bad blood between Myung and Isamu when they first see each other on Star Hill. They both blatantly play jealousy games. . .while Isamu's new girlfriend and Guld play unfortunate bystanders. Anyways, here's the shot(s)/sequence you refer to. . . Best Regards, Hurin

I love how Keith pops in from time to time to just scream: "This is a fact!" or "End of story!" There doesn't seem to be much room for debate with him. But, yes, I too think that Guld was probably taking some type of pill to control himself after seeing Isamu for the first time. My only point is that this does not constitute a "disability" or a discreet "medical issue" on his part. And, yes, it is possible that they might have been "standard issue" pills for anyone who needed the sublime mental acuity necessary to pilot a '21. But I find that less likely. However, the point still stands that there is no evidence that Guld had been taking them earlier, or that Isamu and/or Myung knew about it. In fact, there is no compelling evidence that any of them ever saw each other again after the incident. The whole asserted idea that Zentraedi are basically considered "disabled" or "mentally ill" in the Macross universe is a bit muddled. It's hard to tell if people are saying that all Zentraedi are held to a lower standard of behavior. . . or that Guld is a special case and has developed some form of mental disorder due to his Zentraedi blood that other Zentraedi generally don't develop. Either way, it doesn't make much sense in the context of the rape argument. . . If all Zentraedi are considered on the verge of committing rape and/or violent crimes. . . and can't really be held responsible for their actions. . . there would be no way that the two societies could co-exist over the last 30 years as well as they apparently have in Macross Plus. I mean, who in their right minds would befriend a Zentraedi child like Myung and Isamu did? Who in their right mind, if you essentially expected violent outbursts, would form frienships and romantic relatioinships with someone who might any day just explode and commit atrocious acts. . . but you'd forgive him because it wasn't really his fault. Bleh. If Guld is a special case. . . again, there is no way then that Isamu and Myung would have given him pity for being Zentraedi. . . cuz there is no evidence that they knew he was suffering from any sort of defined mental affliction. The Macross series are vague about just how different Zentraedi and Humans are, genetically. At one poing in SDF Macross, they are said to be identical. Shortly thereafter, a UN SPACY big-wig says "nearly identical." Obviously, humans are similar enough to Zentraedi to allow them to procreate. That says a lot right there. Beware: A lot of conjecture and theorizing ahead. This is just what makes sense to me. I wouldn't use this (and didn't) as a center-piece in the argument above. I think that when the doctor above refers to the "natural fighting instincts of his zentraedi blood", he's simply referring to the idea that Zentraedi tend to be more hot-headed and violent due to the way their brain is wired. But this "faulty wiring" falls within the norms of human psychology and brain-function. In other words, right now, in the real world, we've got mounds of evidence indicating that those prone to commit acts of violence actually have different brain chemistry and structure. However, they are not considered mentally ill. . . that's just the way their brains are. And we sure as hell don't dismiss what they do because they just couldn't help themselves. I think that Zentraedi are like those "prone to violence" people we currently live among today. They are "hard-wired" to be prone to violence. But that doesn't mean that they aren't responsible for their actions. If all Zentraedi were considered irresponsible violence machines, the UN would have shipped them all off to the moon by the time Macross Plus took place. IMHO. Best Regards,

Yep, have to agree with that last one. My 1S has a barely visible bump on his face. Only noticed it after I was told to look for it. The seam likewise didn't bother me until I was told it was bad. . . bad. Then it bothered me for about. . . a minute. . . until I realized it doesn't stand out unless you're right up close to it. And even then. . . it's a seam. . . no big whoop. In an ideal world, it wouldn't be there. . . but those complaining about these issues like they ruin the valk I think are a little nuts. Remember, we've got people here that don gloves before they will handle their valks. No kidding! And. . . the hands! The horrible, horrible hands! I have to say, aside from the "limp-ness" of them, I never noticed anything wrong with them. But suddenly, months/years after they were originally released, suddenly everyone hates the hands! I could be wrong here, but I just don't remember hearing so much about the hands until the Max and Low-Vis. Probably because people were too busy complaining about the earlier QA issues. It'll always be something. And we'll always enjoy the sweet refrain of: "For that kind of money, it should be perfect!!!" The only QA issue on the 1/48s that I do think was "out of bounds", but still not a spoiler. . . was the crooked skull(s) on the rear stabilizer. It took them two entire production lines to fix that! Just buy your valks and love them. They'll love you back. Sweet, sweet love. . . Best Regards, H

To say that they were "genetically engineered" to be superior soldiers doesn't necessarily mean that they were engineered well. Regular ol' sexual mixing and matching DNA could conceivably come up with a better "combat combination" of genes. Or, maybe those who "engineered" the zentraedi could have made pilots and soldiers as good as Max, but the genes that would do so also bring about emotional-ism or other side effects they did not want. So, they had to make trade-offs. Just some theories. . . H

I stand corrected. He does appear to pop a pill in that scene. . . and that scene only. I think I might have missed it when I looked down to jot a note. However, that hardly constitutes a certain "medical condition." Nor does it indicate that he has been taking medications prior to that occasion (you asserted both. Even saying that his friends probably knew about it too!). For all we know, they are just downers to keep him from walking over to Isamu's quarters and beating the living crap out of him. But, I do take Guld's Zentraedi blood into account. I just don't use it as a "erase most horrible crime against a woman possible card" for him. Yeah! I get to quote myself: Now, let's be clear, I think the "zentraedi-card" can come into play a bit in Isamu and Myung forgiving him for the assualt. But this whole thing about a "medical problem" and "medication" making them forgive him anything, no matter how horrific, just doesn't wash. Next. . . (you again) Yes. That is the crux of the matter. You have to believe they would forgive him. . . otherwise, no rape. How you can think they would forgive him for such a brutal, violent, horrific crime is beyond me. . . but that is your right. For some reason, I want to close this thread up with this: Are you aware of what a rape like the one you suggest took place would be like? It wouldn't be subtle coercion into sex like what happens in many "date rape" scenarios. In situations like Myung's, where a violent rape takes place, the woman is most usually horribly beaten until she submits to the man and allows him. . . uh, entry. . . for lack of a better term. It is vicious. You think this is forgivable in Myung's eyes because he is Zentraedi. Further, you think she would actually be capable of remaining in love with Guld (or at least sleeping with him) after enduring such a traumatic, horrific, brutal act at his hands. I don't know how you can do it. But, I think that sums up your view. So, I still think your initial conclusion is coloring your view of all the other aspects of the story. . . but I guess we're back to agreeing to disagree. Man oh man do we disagree. . . vehemently. . . H P.S. I'll work on my willpower and try not to post again.

This is the first part where I think you're off your rocker. To even put these two scenarios in the same solar system of "forgive-ability" is so odd that it boggles the mind! Are you aware of what a rape like the one you suggest took place would be like? It wouldn't be subtle coercion into sex like what happens in many "date rape" scenarios. In situations like Myung's, where a violent rape takes place, the woman is most usually horribly beaten until she submits to the man and allows him. . . uh, entry. . . for lack of a better term. It is vicious. Really think about what you're saying. You're talking about Guld forcibly having sex, via vicious violence. And somehow you think that Myung would just as easily forgive this behavior as she would Guld for temporarily loosing his control, but stopping himself short of actually harming her physically. . . I just don't have anything other to say than. . . nothing. At this point, there's no reasoning with you. No, actually, it does show otherwise. You just want to believe there is more to it than what it shows. Further evidence and counter-arguments be damned. See above. Yeah. . . call me crazy, but I think it matters to a woman whether a man momentarily loses control and briefly assaults her. . . or brutally and viciously rapes her. Man, I must be insane! For the record, I have only watched the OVA (Japanese language, Subtitle 2), not the Movie Edition. So, if the Movie Edition contradicts what I'm about to say, my apologies Medical problem!?! Drugs!?! Where are you getting this from? This is where you really head off the deep end! At no point does anyone refer to Guld taking medication. Nor, actually, do they refer to any "medical problem." I know, because I just watched all four episodes at work (slow day). . . and paid very close attention to every damn line of dialogue looking for any reference to this, or any references to interaction between the three main characters after the "incident." But first, the "medical problem." I think this is what you are referring to: Doctor: "Analysis of Bowman's brain record revealed a suspicious Beta endorphin secretion. Somehow, he's been supressing the natural fighting instincts of his zentraedi blood. When that instinct manifest itself. . ." This is not a referene to Guld's use of medication/drugs, or a medical condition. It is a reference to his brain chemistry, and the fact that there is evidence that he has been supressing a murderous rage. All this signifies is that Guld has been repressing his urge to kill Isamu. There is no evidence that he has been needing to do this prior to Isamu's appearance. But, shortly after Isamu's arrival, they start showing Guld's hands twitching, etc. In fact, the very first sign of him repressing this violent impulse is while he's looking up Isamu's records on a terminal. Either way, I don't see why it matters a damn whether Millard was willing to let Guld continue to fly. I don't think he feels any fatherly concern for Guld or takes any pity on him because he is Zentraedi. He just realizes that Guld is a damn fine pilot. . . and his best chance at getting the '21 through trials. This point is moot. Now, let's be clear, I think the "zentraedi-card" can come into play a bit in Isamu and Myung forgiving him for the assualt. But this whole thing about a "medical problem" and "medication" making them forgive him anything, no matter how horrific, just doesn't wash. And using Millard (whose motivation and relationship to Guld is completely different) as an example is just silly. 1. In the "no rape" scenario, there is no need for Isamu to stop Guld. 2. Thus, the show does tell us. . . if you want to believe it. 3. By your logic, Isamu may actually have stopped Guld at any point prior to Guld actually raping her. Because, by your logic, anything could have happened after the "mirror scream." By your logic, the show doesn't tell us anything. Hence, My contention that Guld actually prepared and consumed a wonderfully tastey ham sandwich. Hey buddy, you might want to simmer down. You may notice a change in the tone of my post above. That's because I think this little comment of yours is both rude, and arrogant. I have been very careful to always address the substance of an argument before stating a judgement on it. I would expect the same courtesy from you. Care to tell me why my statement is uninformed!?! Wanna share with us any other rape scenes found in Macross? Didn't think so. This sounds to me like a guy who's losing the argument. . . and starting to lash out in frustration. Well, now that we've got that unpleasantness behind us. . . Let's go back to something both Roy and Gokurakumaru have alluded to: This is Roy's (edited a bit): I could be wrong, but this and other posts sorta obliquely and vaguely allude to Isamu, Myung (and even Guld) having contact with each other for a while after the assault "incident." However, there is actually no evidence that any of them ever saw each other again after the assault. . . until the events related in the show. The best evidence (such as it is) for them seeing each other prior to the show is this: Guld: "You knew the truth. . . what happened then. All of it." Isamu: "What about it?" (again, odd response if they're talking about a rape!) Guld: "You let me keep on calling you a traitor, a coward. . . and Myung. . . she knew it too. You both kept it from me. You both felt sorry--" Isamu: "About the school festival. . . I was the one who smashed your plane. . . Let's forget everything after that, okay?" Two points: 1. There are several points during the show where we see the main characters seemingly restrain themselves whenever Guld refers obliquely back to the "incident." And, Guld calls Isamu both a "traitor" and a "coward" that we actually see on the screen. Thus, no need for this to take place "in the past." Though, admittedly, I think he only calls Isamu a coward out of Isamu's earshot. Before I re-viewed the above-quoted scene, I wasn't sure whether they were consciously protecting Guld from the truth, or if their facial expressions were meant to convey confusion over just what the hell Guld was talking about. I thought that Perhap they believed Guld was referring to Isamu betraying Guld by "making a move" on Myung. But, in light of the quotes above, it seems that they may very well have been aware of how deep Guld's delusion went. . . 2. Again, this is a very friendly and cordial conversation to be having with a brutal rapist. And. . . let's take a look at Guld's "confession." Guld: "My God. It was me. It was all my fault. I must have blocked the memories out. . . made him the one responsible. . . instead of facing the real memories." This is an odd way to put it. "My fault?" A rape is never "your fault." You either "did it" or didn't. "Made him the one responsible" also doesn't sound right when we're talking about a rape. But, if we're talking about who is "at fault" and "responsible" for their friendship falling apart and the shattering of their lives. . . that fits just fine. Which brings us back to: "Why would Guld repress any memory other than that of a rape." Well, you've got Guld repressing several things. . . 1. The woman he loves choosing his best friend over him. 2. His assault on his best friend. 3. His assault (of a sexual nature) on the woman he loves 4. His knowledge of the monster underneath that was almost unleashed. Something only he is truly capable of knowing fully about. Thus, others can forgive him, but he can't forgive himself for what he knows he almost did. Well, he knows, until he flees from reality into his delusion. I've heard of people repressing memories of things that are less traumatic! Let's get one final thing clear: Myung is in love with Guld too. Not just Isamu. Something that, again, would be odd had Guld raped her. How do we know this other than Sharon saying bluntly (as Myung's subconscious): "I love Guld. But I love Isamu more." Well, why do you think Sharon summoned both of them to come rescue her at the concert hall during the fire? She was torn between them. Don't you think, if Guld had raped her, that decision might have been made a long time ago? And, finally, is this the way a woman looks at her rapist the very first time she seems him in seven years. . . most likely having not even seen him since the (alleged) rape? Sadly, the affectionate, melancholy eye-twinkle doesn't come through when it's unanimated. . . Best Regards, Hurin P.S. I know I've said this before. . . but I'm out. Civility seems to be breaking down. . . and I just can't imagine saying any more on this. I may type 90wpm. But even at that speed, this is taking up too much time.

Actually, it does not makes sense for them to make as many, or more FPs than they did Valks. Not everyone who bought a 1/48 valk will be buying the FPs. And, for sure, not everyone who has several 1/48 valks will be buying FPs for each one. That being said, I don't know how many they made. . . but it would not make sense for them to do the FPs on a 1-to-1 ratio with the 1/48 valk production line. They'd be swimming in excess FPs. The only way I can see there being as FPs as valks is if they are producing some with a lot of future valk releases in mind. Just my 2 cents. H

I have no idea what this means. But somehow it leaves me with the impression that someone named "Ryo" is running the show over there and wields incredible power. H

Sadly, that was all from memory. No matter how hard I try to purge it. . . Robotech will always be with me. . . like a bad case of jock itch. H

Welcome aboard the 1/48 Express to Bankruptcy! This will probably drive StealthLurker nuts. . . but I too am seriously considering dumping my whole Bandai collection. Possibly even my SuperOstrich (w/out FAST packs) and my GBP-1S armor. Those puppies would help pay for some more 1/48 goodness! But perhaps my childhood nostalgia will allow me to hang on to them. Best Regards, H

A-one, and-a-two, and-a-three. . . To be in love! My hero! he must take me where no other can! Where we will find. . . a brand new world! A world with things we've never seen before! Where silver suns have golden moons! Each year has thirteen Junes. That must be for me. . . to be in love! Thank you. Thank you very much.

Uh. . . bad news for the collectors? These have been out for only a year or two. The price increase has been negligable so far. If you're buying these for their investment value, I suggest you go to the stock market. Bad news for the 1J because it will be delayed? Why? It is entirely possible that Yamato is capable of putting out both at the same time. The reissues are already designed, sculpted, etc. All they needed to do was paint them. Who knows, maybe they have a new production line. Sorry if I sound bitter. I just hate unqualified assertions of fact when there is really nothing certain known. Either way, I think this re-release (if it pans out) bodes well for Yamato and the 1/48 line. Obviously, there is a large demand for them! Hmmmm, wasn't someone on the old boards saying that the 1/48s would bankrupt Yamato? H

Crap. . . I hate this "collector's gene" I inherited from my dad. If wanted to get another 1A because I have modified my first one quite a bit (the nose gear gap fix). I figured it would be cool to have one in the box as "mint". . . especially since I might panel-line my current one and do other mods. But now, that they might be releasing an updated one, I'm bitter cuz I'd rather have the better-quality one out of the box. . . but the one that has been "fixed" can't be considered "mint." So, of course, now I'm thinking about buying 2-3 more! One of the originals to keep in the box. And two of the re-releases. Don't worry, I'll come to my senses before I do that. But I hate fighting the urge. No, I don't have the money to do it either. I mean, I do. But I should be spending it on other things. . . like paying off my credit card! Finally, is it possible that we're confusing "re-issue" of the 1A etc. with the release of the 1S Hikaru. Doubtful. . . but I'm just curious just how clear this newsletter is about what will be (re)released. Best Regards, H

What is all this about "missing out" on the Hikaru 1A. I've been debating getting a second one because I'd like one to keep in the box. Right now there are plenty mint/un-opened ones on Ebay. And Keven even still has some over at VE. H

The TakaToys stickers come with FAST Pack decals. I don't have a set yet, so I can't test the fit. But they are definitely there! You can order some right now from Twin Moons Anime. . . http://www.tmpanime.com BTW, these stickers are much better all-around than the Yamato ones that ship with the Valks. One of these days, i'll finally finish outfitting mine and post some pics. Best Regards, Hurin

I'd like to spend a bit more time on this: Let me clarify. . . If you are someone who believes that Guld stopped himself before he raped her. . . the rest of the story makes a lot of sense without having to contort, distort, or otherwise re-interpret the other aspects of the story. You don't have to say that the mirror "wasn't really there" and that Guld "never really screamed as he stopped himself." You don't have to somehow explain Myung or Isamu's later behavior. Things just fit. To you they don't. . . but I think you're forcing square pegs into round holes because you've already made your conclusion. . . further evidence be damned. I find it hard to believe that when you saw the flashback sequence, you thought to yourself: "Oh. He raped her. That is why Myung slept with him. And the rape totally explains why Isamu seems to be so friendly with him now. And of course, it makes sense completely that Guld raped her while Isamu was in the room." Rather, after the initial (in my opinion) mis-interpretation of the scene, you then bring your pre-determined judgement about the flashback scene to the rest of the evidence brought up by those who don't think Guld raped her. Your belief regarding that scene colors your view of all the other issues brought up by those who would try to change your mind. In other words, instead of letting the facts lead you to a conlusion. . . you're contorting, dismissing, and otherwise re-interpreting the facts to support a conclusion you already made. It's all rather backwards. The "he raped her" argument is all based on very shakey, conjectural, "it could mean this. . ." sort of evidence. Not to be too blunt, or arrogant. . . but it's a house of cards. It just does not fit what is on the screen or in the narrative as well as the more conventional view that Guld stopped himself as he did on the screen. To put it another way, the "he raped her argument" always seems to be on the defensive, because there is very little in the actual anime to support it. While common sense (women sleeping with their rapists, etc.) and what is on the screen tends to discredit it. Yes, you can believe Guld raped her, but only if you willfully apply that mental "filter" to every piece of evidence to the contrary that you come across. But when you find yourself trying that hard to maintain your position, maybe it is time to change your position. Best Regards, H

I think we've said this before regarding this. . . we just disagree. If one of my friends ever even came close to physically harming my girlfriend. . . there would be hell to pay. But, the point here is that the event broke them all apart. And, rather than take responsibility for it, Guld projected all the horrible truths he refused to acknowledge about himself onto Isamu. In other words, Guld hated himself and probably thought he deserved to die for the horrible things he is capable of doing. . . but he transferred all that hatred to Isamu. I think we're at an impasse on this point. "Nothing more done to her than had her clothes torn?" I just think assaulting a woman in the manner in which he did is inexcusable. He's already a monster for doing just that. He's also a monster for what he intended to do before controlling himself. He's Just not a monster that actually raped her. To say what he is, and what he did doesn't warrant his cracked behavior. . . well, I just don't see it. Again, this is convenient. You concede my point, but then just say: "Eh, but I think they would have forgiven him in either case." And, I would point out that Guld never sexually assaulted Millard. That's apples and oranges my friend. That scene sorta washes over you. But what stuck out in my mind the most was the mirror-event. At that point, I thought to myself, clearly: "Okay, he stopped. . . but what the hell happened before he stopped." That's why DVD players have rewind. This is not the first time a big deal has been made of how they transpose the screaming young Guld with the screaming older Guld in the cockpit. But, for the life of me, I can't see how this proves your point. This is, to my mind, very clearly a classic use of transposition that we see all the time in film when a character is reliving something and/or having a flashback. Guld glances up and sees the horrible monster he has become and screams. . . Guld in his cockpit is reliving that exact moment in his mind. . . so he screams as well. The transposition of faces is an artistic touch. Nothing more. . . unless you have an agenda. Let me say that again: Nothing about the artistic use of transposition indicates that Guld was remembering any more than what they showed us in his flashback! They show us his flashback. . . he screams in his flashback. . . and then they bring us back to the present by transposing his young screaming face over his older screaming face. That's it. Again, unless you have an agenda. I just don't like it when people make unsubstantiated assertions. I often pop up in threads when people say stuff like: "Yamato will go broke if they keep making 1/48s!" Actually, I usually like my films and TV to be pretty "dark." Thanks for asking! I hate happy endings. My favorite movies are Braveheart, Glory, Gladiator, and Patton. Funny thing though, we're not talking about the ending here. Never seen Evangelion. But I sorta side with those who say that Kawamori isn't the type to actually include rape in his work. I believe that someone mentioned earlier that there is another near-rape in Macross 7. Again. . . near. Enjoying a ham sandwich right now! H

Hey, if the fastpacks are so hard to get off. . . think of it this way. . . No more crooked-skull tailfins! H

Okay. . . I went away for a while. . . and came back to see you guys still going on about this. . . Mind if I add my two cents one more time? It looks like Keith is going way too far in the opposite direction. I don't think you can seriously argue that Guld's motivation wasn't some type of sexual assualt. The debate (so far) really hasn't been about his motivation. . . but rather, how far did he go? In my humble opinion, there is just way too much conclusion-jumping and faulty logic here. Things are being twisted and facts ignored when they are inconvenient. But the worse part, to my mind, are the personal opinions, boldy asserted as incontrovertible facts. First. It seems that some believe that, if Guld did not rape Myung, then Guld could not believe that Isamu raped Myung. This is just plain faulty logic. There is no law stating that Guld's delusions have to be based entirely on what Guld himself did. . . but with Isamu in Guld's place. In other words, Guld may not have raped Myung. . . but he can still believe that Isamu did so! It has also been said that Guld would not be distraught enough about simply losing the woman he loves, sexually assaulting her, punching out his best friend, seeing her cling to him in fear, and breaking up the most important friendships of his life. . . he had to rape her. That is the only thing that could make him snap. I'm not sure how to respond to this other than to say that, in my life, I've seen people snap over a lot less. Guld comes to the realization that he is a monster. . . that he came within a hair's breadth of doing something truly horrific. Rather than face this terrible truth about himself --and face the self-loathing he has already struggled with due to his Zentradi heritage-- his mind conjures up delusions that shield his fragile pysche from the trauma of the truth. It has also been asserted by some that his friends protected Guld from his memories by not telling him the truth. Wouldn't they be less likely to do so if he raped her? And, conversely, wouldn't they be more willing to give him some benefit of the doubt and protect him from himself if he did not rape her because he did get ahold of himself and stop himself? There has been a lot of talk about how Isamu and Myung protect Guld from his own memories. I would have to watch the whole thing again to comment intelligently about this. But I really don't remember anything that directly stated this in the dialogue. But, either way, I don't see how Guld raping Myung makes his friends more likely to protect him. Man, I'm tempted to go on forever here again. . . so I'm going to forcibly stop myself. . . and only say this one more time: While Roy has modified/clarified his prior posts and now sounds more "it could go either way"-ish than others, I'd like to address the mirror issue one more time. I think Roy's interpretation of the mirror is interesting. . . and shows a lot of thought. But, it also smells a bit to me like reverse-logic. In other words, it isn't the most likely interpretation of the scene. Rather, it only becomes a feasible interpretation if you first think: "Okay, let's assume he did rape her. Now, how can we reconcile the fact that he raped her with the visual evidence that Guld stopped himself after he saw himself in the mirror?" But, the problem is that just fixing the "Well, they show him stopping. . . so how could he have raped her?" question still leaves all the other questions un-answered. Such as: Why would Myung sleep with her rapist later in life? Why would Isamu be so forgiving of Guld after his memory of the events returned? How could she be raped with Isamu still in the room? And all the rest of the questions brought up throughout this thread. I think it is clear to anyone without any pre-conceived desire to interpret it differently that the animators put the mirror-event in the sequence specifically to show that Guld stopped himself! That is what is so frustrating about the other side's argument. They're essentially taking that bit of animation that was intended to say: "Look audience! This didn't go any farther! He didn't rape her!" and twisting it all around until it doesn't mean anything. And, it's all based on the assertion that this particular memory --and this memory only-- is faulty. I've said it before, but I can think of innumerable ways that the animators could have made it clear --while still remaining socially/politically palatable-- that Myung was raped. Further, I can also think up tons of ways that they could have made it murkier, so that we would all feel totally free to interpret it however we wish. Yet, they chose to put that mirror event in there for a reason. . and that reason was to show us that no rape took place! In summary, having now found that earlier flashback where Guld sees Isamu and Myung crouched on the floor, looking up in apparent fear. . . here is how I see it happening. Please note that I don't need to insert "missing time", ignore/re-interpret images, or otherwise mangle the narrative to do this: Isamu and Myung are talking as Guld watches through the doorway (the door is slightly ajar). Eventually, they end up in a semi-intimate embrace. Guld barges into the room. Isamu and Myung stare, agape, as Guld enters the room, Isamu (apparently realizing that Guld is in a violent rage) shoves Myung aside and takes a puch from Guld, and falls to the floor. Myung stands and stares in shock. Guld then approaches her and Myung falls (or is pushed) down against the dresser. Guld reaches down and (amid resistance from Myung) tears her shirt as she stares back in terror. Guld then looks up from Myung and catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror above the dresser. . . and screams in horror at the monster he now realizes he is. At this point, I'm taking some liberty by inserting the flashback image that was shown a few minutes earlier --of Isamu holding a distaught Myung as they both look up a the "camera"-- into the mix, with a bit of conjecture to get us to that image. As Guld screams and gets ahold of himself, Myung scrambles to Isamu's side on the floor where he embraces her protectively. Guld turns to see the two most important people in his life looking up at him as though he is a monster. At that point, I re-enter pure conjecture. But please note that there is plenty there. . . and I didn't have to conjure up any convoluted, complex, and unsubstantiated stuff. I just followed what the story-tellers are showing me. From that point on, I assume Guld just flees the scene. Too ashamed at what he almost did to face his friends. In closing (and then I'm leaving this thread again for a looong time, hopefully never to return), the scene was, --to my mind-- specifically constructed to show that no rape took place. I don't know why some people are so adamant about asserting an interpretation that is not on the screen and that is actively discouraged by what is on the screen. Yes, a rape is suggested by the torn shirt. That was the intent behind showing the tearing shirt! They wanted to show us Guld's horrible intent. But, they also show Guld stopping. . . thus suggesting that. . . Guld stopped. Unless, of course, you can come up with a way to dismiss that. . . which some people have worked very hard to do. Oh, and Guld also made a ham sandwich. Best Regards, Hurin

Yeah, I discovered that too on my Animeigo. If I had a larger group of friends who liked Macross and who had decent voices, I'd be all for doing that. Of course, you wouldn't be able to really release it anywhere but iMacross servers. . . lest ye be sued. H

Yep, and those comics were valuable for a while. My brother and I collected comics back then. . . and we bought as many as we could (we were idiots back then. . . wait, I still am!). They got up to like $50 a copy I think. I'm pretty sure they're only good for toilet paper now. BTW, Issue #1's artwork was much better than the following issues. It had an almost watercolor quality. And the character designs were dead-on. The rest. . . uh, sucked. H

Hi, If you don't mind, I'm gonna add the front landing gear to my order and, if possible, ask you to move me into the "official order" category. Cuz I definitely want to do this! Lower Half of Fuselage and/or Cockpit Seat & Floor / BD6 / 1/48 / Hikaru VF-1A Lower Half of Fuselage and/or Cockpit Seat & Floor / BD6 / 1/48 / Roy VF-1S Front Landing Gear / BD7 / 1/48 / Hikaru VF-1A Front Landing Gear / BD7 / 1/48 / Roy VF-1S I'm assuming the part #s are the same for both toys. Though If someone with the Roy manual could confirm, I'd appreciate it. Mine is in storage. I'll PM you too. Again, I'm very grateful to you for taking this task upon yourself. And thank your friend as well! Best Regards, Hurin