Dendrobius

Oh the humanity! PLEASE!! Won't somebody think of the children! In all honesty though, Fukuda as director means this is going to suck like a kid with a lollipop. Enough, stop beating the dead horse, SEED is as dead as Star Trek right now.

IIRC, the Patlabour Ingram Unit 1 is also going to be in this series. However, I can see that the articulation isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Look at the Dougram's thighs to groin connection. It literally cannot stand straight up. The angle between the thighs cannot be altered (ie it cannot stand with feet next to each other, it's always feet apart) It's like the earlier "monoshaft drive" gimmick...looks nice, but is actually very limited.

If you really must drag real world physics into Igloo, the way to rationalise exploding engines would have nothing to do with G, but everything to do with heat dissipation. In space, there is no temperature. The only way heat transfer happens is via radiation, you can't do it via convection as there is no air. Since MSs don't glow like lightbulbs, it's obvious they don't use radiation to get rid of heat. So a MS probably works just like the real life Concorde...use its fuel as coolant to cool down whatever needs cooling down, then burn the hot fuel, which actually gives you a fuel efficiency bonus. From the MS failures we've seen, it seems like if you run the engine hard for too long, it blows up. Which this theory would cover: you're simply generating too much heat, and your fuel flow can't take away the heat fast enough to prevent the temperature of your MS from increasing to the fuel's flashpoint, *boom*. It would also make sense with the last scene of 4x GMs pursuing the Zudah...they were still sort of ok on the dark side of the Earth, but soon as they get around to the sun side, bad things start happening. The first GM loses it not long after they get around to the sunny side, then everybody bar Captain Cadillac's MS starts blowing up. With the drop pods going boom when they "touch" each other, well, think of it this way. An airplane can go beyond the speed of sound, but if you bump one into the other just taxiing around the airport, bad things happening. Same principle. They'r not designed to be smacked into like that, and don't forget, this is space, inertia plays a huge role, it might not look like they're going very fast or anything, but those drop pods are probably hundreds of ton's worth of weight (one can carry 2 Zakus, each Zaku's at least 80...), that's a lot of mass going around. The impact would be fairly substancial.

Maybe they're going to make it so that Destiny is all just a drug-fuelled delusion of Raww's before he goes out to fight Kira in the final battle in SEED... Or maybe it's revealed that everything after Ep7 is just Shinn getting knocked on the head a bit too hard during reentry after the Junius 7 drop. ANYTHING just to make this mess go away!!

For those who think Bleach has fallen into the tournament shonen series...don't worry. The Soul Society arc which we're currently in and almost finishing is nothing but the very start of the overarching story. I suspect Bleach is going to do like FMP though, take a big break and come back as Season 2, because the manga which Bleach is based on has only really just started on the big story and the anime's almost done with the Soul Society arc, which means the anime will overtake the manga given about a month or two. Lots of surprises have already been popped in the beginning of this second arc, which I won't spoil for those who watch Bleach but haven't read the manga. Go to Animesuki's forums or download the scanlated manga to catch up on it, but yeah, seriously cool stuff has and is happening. DBZ it ain't. Apart from Bleach and Mai Otome, not much good new anime that people haven't already mentioned like FMP:TSR and Sousei no Aquarion. I'm looking forward to the Zeta II movie being put out on DVD soon though.

Well, those big big Kanji characters going down the middle of the page? "Heavy Assault Type, retail confirmation!" (In other words, this isn't a custom, it WILL be on sale, and very soon too hopefully) Top right corner "Sousei no Aquarion DX chogokin (diecast) release #2, 'Heavy Assault Type Aquarion', colour test model publically released" (This is their first colour test model, so looks like they're almost done) The rest are too small for me to read.

Oh ho ho ho...Heavy Assault Type Aquarion! I'm more tempted by this than by normal Aquarion, mainly because of the ludicrious amount of asskicking Glenn handed out in that thing to that idiot Sirius. Then he got plot nerfed. I wonder if it transforms into the cannon and GERWALK versions though? Also, is it compatible with the original Aquarion? If both of the above are yes, I'm so getting it. "YOU CANNOT BE FORGIVEN!! GRAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" "What power is this?!" *kablooey*

Oh, I sure as heck remembered THAT show, my favourite part of the day back when I was a kid! Sorry I can't help you though, the only cartoon I remember off that was Doraemon.

Well, the reason is, TSR only animated one of the three or four follow on novels to the original FMP. Heck, FMP is still going with Sigma...as in the comics/novel, so yeah. Even if you're totally up to date with the comics/novel the question of who and what Leonard will not have been answered yet. Same goes for what Amalgam is, etc etc. I don't mind them doing this...short but very, very sweet vs something like Destiny that was just...*hurls*

What I'm wondering about is the rocket he'll be on. Will it - be painted bright red? - have the Commander's Type antenna on it somewhere? - and most importantly, will it then go 3x as fast as a normal Russian rocket?

It's saying that there are always people who have amusing over-the-top knee-jerk reactions, just like how there were Japanese UC fansites that had polls where people were voting the original Gundam SEED "Worst Gundam series ever". Destiny's a pretty low point, but it ain't that low. 333910[/snapback] You sure Destiny's not quite that low? It's getting damn close to the same league if you ask me: no plot worth mentioning, no character growth worth mentioning, and all those damned recycled fight scenes. No real redeeming characteristics. I'd say equal to G-Saviour, but not worse. Nothing can be worse. Back on topic though, GOUF going down because of Destiny is a pity. GOUF was a decent secondary resource for info on models and MSiA, and even though their inane and occasionally insane "engineering" section sometimes hurts me because I'm laughing too hard (being an aerospace engineering undergrad and reading some of that stuff...oh god, the humanity), overall it really didn't deserve such an ignominous end. Damn you Fukuda for closing GOUF! (When in doubt, blame Fukuda)

I defy anybody to find me a single person who was satisfied with Ep50. What a waste of a series.

I don't know about the Japanese ones, but the Chinese forums are basically up in arms over the ending to Destiny, and, well, the entire series itself. The savaging I've been reading has been pretty harsh, although not altogether unfair. Destiny is going down as the worse Gundam series in history, and personally I agree. First seven to ten episodes kicked ass, but thereafter, it just checked out of Hotel Quality and booked into Hobotown... I mean, when there are people in the forums who rate G-Saviour HIGHER than Destiny, that's saying something, and it ain't anything flattering for Fukuda either.

Yes, Solar Aquarion can use all four of its arms, go watch the final episode for more details.

Dude, you must be blind if you think that's Testament Gundam.

From top left Top Row - Aile Strike Pack - Adaptor pack and utility arms for Out Frame - Shield for Out Frame - I don't know what that Gundam is... Second Row - House pack for Out Frame (literally where Jesse Rabble lives when he's on assignment) - Out Frame - Red Frame - Blue Frame 2nd - What looks to be Destiny Impulse! W00t!!! MAHQ listing for Destiny Impulse

I must agree with Renato, Ep25 cranked it on. Unexpected deaths, backstabby goodness, and what's shaping up to be the fight to end all fights in Aquarion. Oooh yeah. Glen's Guld Goa Bowman moment was actually pretty sweet, except he seems to have taken a major nerfing in power level this episode. I mean, geez, he was absolutely pwning (I make no apologies for using pwnage, it really was) Cherubim Mars, but now against Moroha he's not much more than a punching bag? I don't buy that. Especially as Cherubim Mars was stated later in the episode to be an even match for Solar Aquarion, and Solar Aquarion had already pummeled the crap out of Moroha before... Moroha < Solar Aquarion = Cherubim Mars < Heavy Assault Type Aquarion < Moroha??? Definitely wasn't expecting Otoha to get caned, and when it's by Silvia De Alisia in hand to wing combat, now that's really out of the blue. Really looking forward to the final episode.

Warning: Massive Spoilers for those who have not seen up to Ep23 The "Mass Production" model Aquarions (yes, multiple!) are manufactured by the Earth military in cooperation with DEAVA. They're formally called the Heavy Assault Type Aquarion (that's the best translation I can come up with), and have weaponery out to the wazoo with lots of big guns and lots of missile (Macross missile storm is back with a vengeance), not to mention its version of Getter's Mach Flash (?) dodge (disassemble and reassemble incredibly quickly) The only one we have seen in action at the moment can be controlled by one person only, with the other Vector machines being controlled by an autopilot system. They're "powered" by the feathers snipped off the captured Futaba. Arguably more powerful in a straight up fight than the Aquarion itself, it handed the defector Sirius in Cherubim Mars (Vector Mars combined with a Cherubim soldier) his ass. Fudo is not very impressed with them though. Looks like Aquarion's going to be a 26 episode story, we're up to 23 now, and it's showing major signs of the final battle coming up. Kick ass.

The opening sequence with Van opening a can of whoop-ass on the airship remains one of my favourite katana-fighting sequences of all time. Fast, brutal, no fancy stuff, just slicey and dicey goodness. Except for the way he arrived on the airship, it's one of the more "realistic" depictions of swordfighting I've seen on anime in a long time. As for the story itself, it's dramatically different from the TV series, but enjoyable on its own. Just don't compare it to the TV series.

Legend: I watch the Chinese subs which come out pretty quick, I gave up on the English subs ages ago when they started lagging seriously. I mean, I don't think anything beyond Ep12 is out in English, when the series and the Chinese subs are up to 22 already? I ain't waiting that long! Sorry if you can't read Chinese...but if you do, get eMule, just search for Aquarion, and download like crazy. The quality of the subbing is surprisingly good. FV: Hehehe, that ain't long enough...

Ep22 just came out. It looks like we've just broken a record. The plot is finally getting started, a lot of loose ends are being tied up, and finally Aquarion's got a story that goes beyond one or two episodes at a time, as 23 will be carrying on the story from 20 and 21. Major changes have happened, but the series doesn't look like it'll end anytime soon. I'm definitely happy I stuck it through the past episodes where it was all character development, it really is starting to come together now.

Starship Operators. If you like your sci-fi anime to actually obey Newton's Laws of Motion, and have a kick ass story to boot, that's the one I'd recommend. Although I'm not sure of the subbing situation with it, I've got half the series in English and the remaining half in Chinese. Still, 13 episodes, it's fairly short but very sweet.

Androids, check Powerloader, check APC, check Pulse Rifle, check Erm...is it time to start running for the hills yet? The only thing we're missing are Xenos and WY, and I'm sure whatever company Microsoft absorbs next will qualify it for Weyland-Yutani... Back on topic though, that thing really reminds me of the Stryker's concept...more mobile, easier to maintain, etc etc, however less well armed and armoured. Is it back to the battle taxi/APC concept like the M113 and not IFV like the Bradley?

Looking at those photos...the Luna Aquarion's shoulders are WAY too boxy, and Mars just looks like crap, I think it had the worse of the all the compromises done to it in the name of "perfect gattai transformation" However, Solar Aquarion looks pretty much spot on. Why am I not surprised? Although Aquarion's done in CG, there's still quite a bit of anime magic going on to make the transformations "work". Aquarion Mar's proportions here compared with the official look Aquarion official page look just don't jib. Shoulders, and also the distance of the arms from the body, are really obvious. Oh well, the curse of the gattai robots, but hey, we still love the show. Now where's my Mugen Punch accessory??? I DEMAND A MUGEN PUNCH ACCESSORY to scale!!

Well, after yet another few character building episodes, Aquarion's plot is finally getting under way with Ep20. I was afraid the storyline would only kick in 3 episodes from the end or something silly like that. Spoilers One of the Fallen Angels gets captured and de-winged, which pisses off Touma like there's no tomorrow, and interestingly enough sets off bad feelings with the three stooges (Apollo, Sirius and Silvia) He's on the warpath with a bitching black and neon Cherubim soldier and there's a showdown slated for Ep21. Also, quite a bit of "history" was covered in Ep19 and Ep20 Can't wait to see how the rest of the story plays out, now that the background's well and truly set out.