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Seto Kaiba

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Everything posted by Seto Kaiba

  1. Seto Kaiba
    Ah, my mistake... thank you for the timely correction. Eh... that's from the video game adaptation of Macross: Do You Remember Love? for the Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation. It was the mail-in gift for the game that originated the whole "black hole" thing, though it's pretty much guaranteed not to be canon to either official Macross continuity. Macross's main continuity regards DYRL? as being an in-universe historical drama/propaganda film that debuted in 2031, and Macross II's parallel world continuity doesn't recognize that game as a part of its continuity. Uh, there's a problem with that theory. Specifically, the problem is that the game doesn't belong to Macross II's parallel world continuity, and that the Mardook (correct spelling) don't exist in Macross's main continuity. Also a problem is that Ishtar believing the Macross was the Alus had nothing to do with its appearance (and mind you, it looks NOTHING like the Alus that appears in her "visions" or the Megaroad-01) but rather what Hibiki and his friend Mash told her about the ship's history after she saw the ship's early warning systems triggering its main gun to fire. Another slight problem is that the Macross wasn't unique in Macross II's timeline either, except in the obvious historical capacity. The UN Spacy built several Macross-class ships for its colonization program, as outlined in the continuity materials from Macross II's creators, and were launching them as late as the 2050s. That premise is ENTIRELY Robotech's and has nothing to do with Macross... ... and to be honest, it doesn't have a whole hell of a lot to do with the official Robotech continuity either. The business of having Robotech's "SDF-3" go back in time was a plot device concocted for the finale of the non-canon Robotech novel series by James Luceno and Brian Daley. It was never part of the canon Robotech continuity.
  2. Seto Kaiba
    Eh... there are in-universe explanations for some of the most obvious changes, like the DYRL VF-1 being a newer production block of the VF-1 (the TV series version being Block 5, the movie version being Block 6+), and having Exsedol return to his former size and realter his body makeup because he was afraid of losing his memories. In Macross Frontier we also see material from the TV series and DYRL being used side-by-side... the Zentradi in the 33rd Marines use a mixture of TV series and DYRL uniforms. By the opposite token, we see Milia using the same type of pilot suit from the original series in Macross 7, and in that same series seeing an actor playing the DYRL version of Britai standing next to a TV series version of Quamzin, and IIRC there's a TV series ARMD that shows up in Macross VF-X as well. On the whole, they just seem to like the DYRL designs better... and so use them instead of the TV series ones when they come up.
  3. Seto Kaiba
    Macross Chronicle's timeline sheets do consistently favor the series/OVA version of events over those of a movie version for continuity purposes.
  4. Seto Kaiba
    But isn't that in keeping with Harmony Gold USA's core values? Something along the lines of "Never tell the truth when a lie will do." or "Dishonesty is the best policy." sounds about right. I'd try... but I can't shake the feeling that envisioning yourself as a clueless prat with no common sense and no pattern recognition skills to speak of is the kind of thing that lands you a seat on the short bus. If it weren't for those clueless fanboys who'll buy anything with the Robotech name on it and breathlessly wait years for a weak Mospeada knockoff, there would be very few Robotech fans in the world. Harmony Gold deliberately cultivated a fanatic mindset in what remains of the Robotech fanbase specifically because that way they have a loyal repeat customer base that will cheerfully buy anything they make, regardless of quality. It keeps the franchise alive, if you can call it "alive", and it ensures that Tommy and friends still have their phony-baloney do-nothing jobs at the end of the day.
  5. Seto Kaiba
    Didn't realize what game you meant at first... but yes, the Playstation 2 version of the Macross: Do You Remember Love? video game was developed by Sega AM2 (Sega Amusement Machine Research and Development Department 2), the same developer that did Virtua Fighter and Shenmue.
  6. Seto Kaiba
    Tricky question... y'see, it was originally assumed that the change from "UN" to "New UN" was the result of the 2051 coup attempt depicted in Macross VF-X2. Kawamori then kind of torpedoed that idea in an interview when he said that the change from the UN Government to the New UN Government was more of a gradual affair that resulted from the UN Gov't's inability to effectively govern the increasingly spread-out masses of humanity, and the growing discontent with the centralized government... making the coup attempt more a symptom than the cause. So, at some point in the early 2050s, a combination of factors including the attempted coup and having the government reorganize itself somewhat resulted in the military reorganizing and changing its name too. Mind you, there's a little confusion as to when the names changed, for two reasons. 1.) Macross Frontier sources slip a few times and refer to the "New UN Spacy" or "New UN Government" in the early 2040s, even though neither term was used in the shows from that period. 2.) The original Super Dimension Fortress Macross series referred to the re-established UN Gov't as being the new UN Gov't (with a little 'n'), though the "new" got dropped fairly swiftly and the UN Spacy never picked the "new" up in its name either, so they just kept calling themselves the UN Spacy and UN Government. The official bio information for Isamu, Gamlin, et. al. as belonging to the "UN Spacy", not the "New UN Spacy".
  7. Seto Kaiba
    More on the "have become" side... but yes. It originally just meant the thermonuclear kind, but the "modern" usage of the term in Macross also covers pair-annihilation weaponry.
  8. Seto Kaiba
    Nope... reaction weapons started out with the full name of thermonuclear reaction weapon and antimatter ones were developed later on, as per the Compendium and later Macross sources. It's a broadening of the term as technology advanced and new forms of reaction weapon were developed.
  9. Seto Kaiba
    The PSP games aren't canon... so there's part of your problem right there. It's not the first time a Macross game accidentally identified reaction weapons as "nuclear" weapons, it happened in Macross VF-X2 as well. There's a definition of reaction weapons available on the Macross Compendium, and Macross Chronicle describes them as being pure fusion bombs that use charged particles to initiate the fusion reaction, thus eliminating the residual radioactive material left behind by conventional nuclear weapons... though some forms of reaction weaponry in later years (2040s+) also used antimatter warheads.
  10. Seto Kaiba
    Having thrust-vectoring main nozzles doesn't eliminate the need for verniers, since the nozzles can move only so far in any given direction... especially since most VFs only have two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles (they only move in one axis). All VFs have vernier thrusters scattered across the airframe for attitude control in space, and the vernier slit approach to attitude control appears to be something that's advantageous for space-optimized VFs, as it keeps cropping up on VFs that've been optimized for maximum performance in space. Master File's explanation of diverting exhaust would indicate that their advantage is partly maneuverability in space and partly a fuel savings, since they offer full-360 degree coverage and draw on engine exhaust rather than having a dedicated fuel supply or tapping the main engine tanks, leaving that much more fuel to run the reaction engines and extending its range in space. IIRC, that's the thrust reverser mentioned in the stats.
  11. Seto Kaiba
    Just imagine how much fun he must have had fulfilling his fatherly obligation of terrorizing their boyfriends... most dads can't use the threat of a standing army, unlimited access to heavily-armed giant robots, and a huge stockpile of thermonuclear weapons to make sure nobody tries anything funny with their daughters.
  12. Seto Kaiba
    Vernier slits... well, they're basically just a cluster of vernier thrusters arranged around the fighter's exhaust nozzles. It appears that they were a relatively late development in VF design, as they first appear (chronologically) on the VF-14 Vampire (either ver.) and then it appears to have been adopted by several other space-oriented VF designs (VF-17 Nightmare, VF-19F/S Excalibur, VF-5000G Star Mirage, VF-171 Nightmare Plus). Earlier designs wouldn't have them, and later designs meant for all-regime or atmospheric service (VF-11, VF-19A, VF-25) likely wouldn't use them either. The (non-canon) Variable Fighter Master File VF-19 Excalibur book describes them as diverting exhaust from the main exhaust nozzles to operate, eliminating the need for a separate fuel source for those verniers.
  13. Seto Kaiba
    Figured it was... To be honest, I couldn't tell ya. Audio dramas aren't really my thing, so I've never really bothered to go looking for a copy or a translation thereof. What little I know about the show is gleaned from print sources.
  14. Seto Kaiba
    Honestly, you kinda are... you did say that you don't consider being unable to read the book a valid excuse from fans who are asking/looking for scanalations. Only the most die-hard Macross fans would buy a book they can't even read just to to look at the pictures, and like as not Macross the First has changed a bit from the TV series it was based on. What I'm saying, and what you seem to have missed, is this attitude is counterproductive to the growth of the fandom and the franchise. If we didn't have the helpful fans translating Macross stuff for the fans who ordinarily wouldn't be able to read or understand it, we wouldn't have the fandom at all. The only choices you're positing here are buying it only to look at the pictures, which isn't going to sell many copies, or buying it and teaching yourself the language so you know what's going on. Tell me, which is more likely to cause Macross's owners to say "Gee, there's a big market out here we're missing out on, maybe we should try to exploit it instead"? The ten people who don't speak Japanese buying Macross the First just to look at the pretty pictures, or ten thousand people reading an unofficial scanalation of Macross the First in English and discussing it energetically on forums and chatrooms?
  15. Seto Kaiba
    Okay, since Talos is too nice to say it... I'll say it. You're not going to like what I say, but hey, that's your hard boo-hoo. Telling someone who's interested in Macross the First to go buy a copy and then go teach himself the Japanese language is beyond asinine. You know as well as I do that with Harmony Gold actively preventing Macross fans outside Japan from gaining access to Macross shows, there would be no way for the people who don't have the time, the money, or the ability to learn a second language to enjoy Macross at all. Were it not for fansubs, most of the people on this site would've never been able to see DYRL, FB2012, 7, Zero, or Frontier. Hell, even you've done fansubs before... 'cept what you're doing is infinitely worse (and far less legal) than what you're griping about since you're fansubbing one of the few shows that IS available outside Japan. Were it not for scans and fan translators, we wouldn't have resources like the Macross Compendium or the Macross Mecha Manual, which sketchley hotlinks rather a lot of images for his own site from, and most fans would never have seen or read a single page of Macross 7 Trash or Macross Dynamite 7: Mylene Beat... Macross's fandom outside Japan is built on the idea that the fans who can read and speak Japanese making the shows and manga and magazine articles accessible to the fans who can't. Without that, most of us wouldn't be here. Without that, this site almost certainly wouldn't exist. Would these people support the franchise and buy a copy if they had any legitimate way to get it in a language they can understand? You bet they would. Saying that you don't want to distribute scans or translations while a publication is in progress is one thing, and I can say that I support that to a certain extent... but when you start using it as an excuse to justify a condescending attitude, I think you've crossed a line. If someone asks you for scans, then just say "I'm sorry, but I don't do scans" and leave it at that.
  16. Seto Kaiba
    Generic would suffice... their titles are just Macross II: Lovers Again and then a volume number, five volumes in all. I haven't had a chance to go through them all, since I'm not that fast a translator and that's well over a thousand pages, so I can't speak to how far they go past the events of the OVA, but they definitely do go past it, so they kinda straddle the line between Official Setting and Expanded Universe.
  17. Seto Kaiba
    One other title comes to mind that we should consider... Kawamori's "VF-Experiment" stuff printed in Character Model magazine back in '02. I'd be inclined to classify them as "Other" even though they're Macross mechanical designs by Kawamori himself and have in-universe design histories, because Kawamori-sensei has said they're not part of the official Macross continuity for the time being. Let's not forget the Macross II novels, of which there are five... they're somewhere between official setting and expanded universe, since they retell the OVA and go beyond it as well.
  18. Seto Kaiba
    Personally, I would guess that he means Macross Generation, the radio show/audio drama from 1997. It's set on Macross-9, and events from it are mentioned in the timeline posted over on the Macross Compendium... possibly the Macross Frontier drama CDs as well, tho I've heard nothing about the canonicity of those either way. Incidentally, in terms of the "articles in:" part under Official Setting, you might want to include B-Club Magazine, Animage magazine, and possibly also the Monthly Bandai Making Journal, since all three were used to publish official setting materials (production art, concept art, creator interviews, stats, setting descriptions, continuity information, etc.) for Macross II: Lovers Again. You should probably also add the "Entertainment Bible" series under Official Setting publications too for much the same reason. The official manga adaptation of Macross II: Lovers Again could probably go under Official Setting, if that's where you're lumping Macross 7 Trash and Mylene Beat too.
  19. Seto Kaiba
    Dunno about that... at the very least, Macross Chronicle uses the SDF Macross series as the "correct" version of Space War 1 for continuity (timeline sheet) purposes, which is why I'd be inclined to place it in the "Official Setting" category.
  20. Seto Kaiba
    I'd agree with most of what's in here... though really, Tenjin's Valkyries books aren't narrative material, so I'd be disinclined to put them in with official setting materials like the shows, the canon games, the manga side stories, etc. that actually contain narratives or official material relevant to them (art books). Japanese sources appear to be treating Macross the Ride as canon, so I'd tentatively put that under official setting too. Canon titles from officially-recognized alternate universes (Macross II: Lovers Again and its prequels) belong under "Official Setting" as well. I'd put the manga retellings of certain portions of Macross in here... while the ones that don't mess with their parent title's setting and story go under Official Setting. So, I'd place Macross Dynamite 7: Mylene Beat here, and probably Macross the First as well. Stuff that's just blatant contradiction, like Macross VOXP, belongs with non-canon stuff like fan-fiction, kitbashes, etc. Japanese fans consistently list the Master File books and their unique variants as non-canon, and the books themselves explicitly rule themselves out of the Macross setting, and thus I'd lump them in with "other". I'd put novelizations under "Expanded Universe" with the caveat that they're quasi-recognized alternate universes of the shows and relevant only to themselves for the most part. Macross Hobby Handbook and such are clear instances of kitbashing, so I'd lump them with "other", same with Design Works (barring the noted exceptions in Chronicle), Macross 3D, and the Ace/Ultimate/Triangle games. I would also lump unofficial side stories and sequels (esp. those produced outside of Japan) like Macross II: the Micron Conspiracy and Macross II: the Role-Playing Game as "other" and non-canon, for the obvious reasons. Well, Kawamori once said something to the effect of neither DYRL nor the series was an 100% authentic representation of Space War 1, and that the differences depended on the format in which the story was told... Macross Chronicle used the TV series as the basis for its timeline, so I'd be biased towards that, but figure that Macross the First might enjoy the same "Schrodinger's canon" status as DYRL and the TV series.
  21. Seto Kaiba
    Okay, I like these books as much as the next guy... getting deep into the nitty-gritty of the history of all of these planes and how they've been used over the years goes a long way towards making them feel more real. All the same, if the books don't jive with the confirmed-for-canon information and the books themselves say they aren't even part of the official Macross setting, then there's no room for debate... the Master File books are not canon. Even the Japanese fan-sites and wikipedia entries acknowledge that, and keep info from the Master File books and Master File-exclusive variants separate from official Macross setting variants and information. Yes, we may think the books are awesomesauce (I sure as hell do), but we shouldn't confuse matters by trying to force the material in those books into the official setting where its own authors say it doesn't belong. Just because Kawamori-sensei agreed to let them put his name on it in the non-specific capacity of "supervisor" doesn't mean the book's contents are canon either. Almost as a rule, SF series tech manuals aren't. Just look at the Star Trek: the Next Generation tech manual... written by Mike Okuda and Rick Sternbach, and it's absolutely not canon. (Yes, late post was late) I'll jump into the VT-1/VE-1 thing in just a bit... I loaned my copy of Space Wing to a friend, and he hasn't returned it yet, so I'll go have a look at sketchley's translation of that section.
  22. Seto Kaiba
    2059: Memories says he's part-Zentradi, the novels make him out to be part-Zolan... it's still kinda unclear IIRC.
  23. Seto Kaiba
    Nah, I doubt they'd even try... Harmony Gold can't even make Robotech a competitive title in America, where its primary fan constituency is supposedly located, they wouldn't stand a chance in Japan. Especially not since the best they've shown they can do is a short movie with an awful script and animation that would've been sub-par over a decade ago.
  24. Seto Kaiba
    Dude... you'd have to be blind not to pick up on the complete lack of enthusiasm in that audience. 'course, you'd also have to be blind not to notice that, despite the caption, NOBODY in that meager audience is queuing up excitedly for Tommy's autograph either.
  25. Seto Kaiba
    Personally, what I love about that picture is how it's captioned "Fans line up for autographs..." when the photo in question not only doesn't show anyone in that mostly-empty room queuing up for Tommy's autograph, it also shows an audience completely bereft of interest or excitement about what that two-bit hack has to say. Looks to me like another wonderful guest appearance by Tommy where most of the audience is just hoping to hold a good seat for the panel that has that room after him. Probably still in hiding, because that's clearly a picture of Speed Racer... this picture, to be precise.
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