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kajnrig

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Everything posted by kajnrig

  1. kajnrig
    I haven't watched the episode yet, but does the VF-1 transform, or is it a fighter-only CGI model?
  2. kajnrig
    Well, that's rather a bit of an insult, isn't it? If you don't feel like talking about this stuff, then by all means, say so and I'll drop the subject entirely. But I took the time to read the entirety of your opinion and consider the points you made. I'd have hoped for the same in kind. It's not like I don't get why you'd find it bothersome. I'm sure you must be as tired of discussing race as I am. But this is a discussion forum, and it certainly seemed like you, by virtue of posting, wanted to have a discussion. For instance, if you had read what I said, you'd have seen that I made much the same point as what you said here: Namely that casting actors of a different race/ethnicity than the character is done often out of pragmatic concerns, not so much out of racist intent. (Disregarding that in the early history of American cinema the opposite was true.) I went further by saying that this pragmatism, however, clashes against the industry's voiced support for diversity and representation. With regards to the GitS CGI bit, you had asked why the magazine was still maintaining its original stance when the studio had already directly refuted it. I answered by clarifying Dreamworks' response and the magazine's rebuttal, and from there I began discussing why they couldn't just have cast an Asian actress in the first place if they wanted Motoko to be an Asian character. So nowhere in there did I talk about whether I thought the character should be any particular race. I don't know what you're referring to by "that typical-anime-whiteface" so this might be unrelated, but I've read - I'm sure you must have, too - that Japanese audiences largely see any anime character, unless they are explicitly made to be exaggeratedly white/black/etc., as Japanese. And white people see those same characters, unless they are explicitly made to be etc. etc. etc., as white. No matter how exotic the hairstyle, no matter how un-brown the eyes or un-black the hair or even un-white the skin, anime characters are Japanese... if you're Japanese. And white... if you're white. For my part, whenever I've seen pics of the Major, I've always thought of her as having this exact kind of Anime Ethnicity. Perhaps more Japanese than not, if only because I know the source material is Japanese, but then I also know the source material draws from Western fiction and philosophy, so... yeah. EDIT: Forgot to respond to this, too: I'd say that while moviegoers can't create contracts, they could certainly put consumer pressure on the studios to do as much, partly because of exactly what you said about change from within. It's a bit of a tall order, admittedly, getting moviegoers to collectively work for a cause. One could also argue that it would unfairly place the entire community's responsibilities upon the studios, but then I don't know if that would necessarily be true. Hm... More to think about. The how of it all.
  3. kajnrig
    Can't cross your middle and ring fingers? Is that a genetic thing, like rolling your tongue? Well, I suppose you can always do the alternative.
  4. kajnrig
    Damn, beat me to it. lol If it were "realistic," it would have to be in white and fit along that black strip lining the canopy, right? That's TIIIINY. I'm so in love with this bird. So sorely underused. And the colors are spot-on, too. <3
  5. kajnrig

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    kajnrig replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    Do NOT get my hopes up. Do. NOT.
  6. kajnrig
    I'm sure third-party decals will pop up soon enough. Right? Right? No, but more seriously, I suppose an alternative would be to cut up the stickers along the panel lines. Lots of tedious work, but then so would be applying the stickers/decals in the first place.
  7. kajnrig
    My sentiments as well, save for the shudder. Probably they're operating on how well he seems to work with Freyja. Sync ratio, compatibility, etc.
  8. kajnrig
    Time to put on our Race Studies cap for a moment, but only a moment. Is there reason for them to NOT maintain their original statement? The studio only partly refuted the allegation - specifically that the test was done on ScarJo - and the rag's "sources maintain Johansson’s character was specifically the focus of these tests, though they were done without her participation or knowledge." But whether ScarJo was the subject or the end-goal (or even unrelated to the test), I think what's more problematic is that this test was conducted at all. Instead of using CGI to "yellowface" a Caucasian actor, why not cast an Asian actor to begin with? And if ScarJo WAS the subject and/or end-goal of this, then does that not indicate that the studio DID want Motoko to look Asian, in which case, again, why not cast an Asian actor to begin with? The pragmatic answer is that there simply aren't any Asian actresses in Hollywood who share ScarJo's qualities, and so you have to necessarily lower race as a priority for casting... which becomes a problem when, on the other hand, you SAY that representation and diversity is a top priority, and in fact congratulate yourself for being representative and diverse. What's more, it isn't even that there AREN'T any Asian actresses in Hollywood who share ScarJo's qualities. It's that Hollywood CAN'T FIND any Asian actresses in Hollywood who share ScarJo's qualities (or even any who can potentially share her qualities, as I'd posit Rinko Kikuchi can do). They're paying lip service to a social cause, but not putting in the actual work to further said social cause. What work would that involve? Well, I don't know the ins and outs of Hollywood, but I think this interview with Trevor Noah and Lupita Nyong'o by the NY Times sheds a bit of light on the matter: So if Hollywood really wanted to diversify its pool of acting talent, it would have to, along with the rest of the entertainment industry, invest heavily in methods of finding and recruiting diverse talent, and in many cases groom talent from a young age the way it does with white talent. Contact actors without agents representing them. And while it's taken steps to do as such, there's still significantly less infrastructure in place allowing for it to reach Asian(-American) talent in particular, and minority talent in general. The laws and public sentiment have changed, but the institutions in place are still heavily skewed in favor of white people. And so since they have to deal with this very pragmatic concern that they can't get Asian talent to fit the role but also want to appeal to calls for diversity, they resorted to this "ignorantly racist" technique. I say "ignorantly racist" because I don't think they were consciously thinking "Oh yeah, those things that white people did back in the early days of film that was super racist? Yeah, let's do the 21st-century equivalent of that because I'll die before I let those gooks take our jobs." I think they were thinking "Okay, how do we make this White actor/actress look more Asian?" which in itself isn't racist. If you ignore the history of race in this country, it's not racist. But put into context, it becomes super super racist. I mean, kudos to them for recognizing it for the colossal mistake it was and canning it (so far as we know; I wouldn't put it past them to try and slip it back in because Hollywood does dumb crap like that). In another time, they would have looked at the results and said to themselves, "Ah, that's even more convincing than Charlie Chan!" and been done with it. How so? I legit don't understand your meaning here. You say that Motoko is so pale, so white, as to be unsettling, so I would think that the manga portrayal is more of her as something other than human, not something other than a specific race. Is your statement Scenario 1: Casting an actor of a specific race to play a race-less character because the show is of the same race as the actor is racist. Actor = Race A Character = n/a Show = Race A or Scenario 2: Casting an actor of a specific race to play a character of a different race because the show is of the same race as the character is racist. Actor = Race A Character = Race B Show = Race B You're assuming that Taiwanese and Japanese are two different races. Your assumption isn't necessarily wrong, but it's also not necessarily right, either. You're equating race with nationality, when even in the States, nationality plays little to no role in defining race. I mean, think about what nations "Asian" encompasses: China, Japan, Korea (East Asia); Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia (Southeast Asia); India, Pakistan, Tibet, Sri Lanka (South Asia); and/or the Phillipines (Pacific Islands). While there's overlap in everything from skin color to cultural practices, there's also way more that sets all these countries apart from each other. And yet they're all considered "Asian." (And you might even be able to fold in Middle Eastern countries as well.) This racial group is categorized not so much by skin color or cultural practice or nationality or anything else so much as shared experiences in/by (white) America. A shared "orientalism," a shared hyper- and de-sexualization. And so on and so forth. You're oversimplifying race, which leads to an oversimplification of racism, which leads to your second statement there: "It's only racist if a white person does it." You say it sarcastically, because it comes from this oversimplification of race, but if you were to study the history of race in America, you'd realize that the statement is closer to true than not.
  9. kajnrig
    Well, the fragility is a given. It IS a model kit, after all, despite its many concessions to playability. So it's more or less the same as the toys? I had asked because it seems like a more sound proposition to buy the model instead of the DX. It's a smaller scale and requires paint and construction, but all said and done it would seem to do everything the DX does for far less. You could even commission someone to build it for you and I'd wager the final product - built and painted and fragile areas strengthened - would still cost you less than the DX.
  10. kajnrig
    The -D is a two-seat trainer, right? (Basing this on the Hasegawa "The Ride" kit. I'm also guessing it first appears in Macross The Ride.) And the -MAXL the pink feminine one from M7? Good to know, thanks for clarifying that.
  11. kajnrig
    Hm... I've been debating what to do with my own YF-19's canards. It seems you decided to simply slot them in. Would others agree that's an accurate representation of those wings? The sight of gaps there perturbs me even though I know that's accurate to the design... I almost want to putty mine into place, but what have other people done? Perhaps I should just leave it as is? Either way, great job on this huge bird. It's definitely something else to behold in person.
  12. kajnrig
    This got me wondering, and excuse the slight detour: How does the Bandai model kit compare to the DX toys, either V1 or Renewal? In terms of sculpt, gimmicks, etc. It seems from a cursory glance that the model does everything those do sans a full paint application.
  13. kajnrig
    What are the VF-11 variants, and which of these were in the M+ movie? And in the M+ OVA (since I don't remember much of it)? Which variant is most associated with the Armored pack (and that big gatling)?
  14. kajnrig
    I dunno, I thought Thor was the best of the Phase 1 movies. Classical storytelling, hit all the right story beats, building up to a climactic finale instead of the... not exactly a whimper, but a middle-of-the-road nonetheless endings of the other Phase 1 Marvel movies. Anyway, I'm not exactly looking forward to this, but best of luck to them. They haven't had a lot of that since Spider-Man 2.
  15. kajnrig
    Oh. That basically says what I said, then. ProdIG aren't involved in this. Ishikawa is, but the studio itself isn't payrolling this or doing animation work (at least not yet).
  16. kajnrig
    I have next to no interest in this, but a friend of mine, who is infinitely smarter than I am and also a fan of the series, has had misgivings about this from the very beginning. Me, I don't plan on watching it anyway, so it's no loss to me personally. Still, it does seem to show all the signs of being yet another disappointing but not surprising anime to Hollywood film adaptation. All I've heard them being mentioned is as the studio behind the anime. Where are they said to be involved in the movie?
  17. kajnrig
    http://dalong.net/review/etc/mf08/mf08_i.htm#m
  18. kajnrig
    I think a large part of that had to do with lack of space, ie there's not much sky to fly around in. There's lots of space, sure, but I guess they still place a priority on operating under gravity.
  19. kajnrig
    Definitely stickers. The backing sheet gives it away. Anyone who's built a HGUC kit knows what those look like.
  20. kajnrig
    Or do they?
  21. kajnrig
    Speaking of the holotech, is it purely visual or does the projection technology provide some form of force feedback, too? Characters constantly act aware of their outfits, and I wonder if it's because the holograms have physical presence or it's all just for dramatic effect.
  22. kajnrig

    Bandai DX VF-31

    kajnrig replied to UN Spacy's topic in Toys

    Parts-swapping, maybe? Has Kawamori finally designed a design too intricately-designed for toy designers to design?
  23. kajnrig
    You can still Continue from any mission, even completed ones. So pick a space mission, pick the Super Valk, and Continue at the end of the mission. It'll start you up on the next mission with Super parts. Source: Emulating the Gamecube version on Dolphin yesterday and today . I think it starts you from the earliest available incomplete mission, though I never tried that. So it's possible to use the cheat codes to unlock all levels and all Valks, beat the first space mission (chapter 1, mission 3) with Super Valk, then "Continue" to start from the very beginning. Now all I need is AR codes to force the Super parts for any mission. Or the Armored Valk. Or even the Q-Rau, god willing. I've never played the game without using the weapon reload cheats. I did for about three missions and got bored with how much downtime I had to sit through. Faster missile and gun reloads allows for some actual Macross-style circus-ing. What a fun game. (Though jesus, there really were a whole lot of escort/tower defense/"protect the thing" missions, weren't there? A direct sequel - not that Mospeada-era one - with some more polish and variety would have been awesome.) EDIT: So nope, it doesn't start you at the earliest available incomplete mission. I beat chapter 1 mission 3 and continued and went straight onto chapter 2 mission 1. Wah wah waaaah.
  24. kajnrig

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    kajnrig replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=43607&p=1267317 A link to my Gerwalk(?) transformation post in the episode 2 thread in case you're interested. I kind of like the idea of a two-mode-only Valk, with this being a combination Battroid/Gerwalk. But a traditional three-mode works, too. I'm fine with either idea, really. This one already looks good as it is.
  25. kajnrig
    It's not like doing implausible things isn't without precedent... ESPECIALLY involving surfing. (I'll be honest, that clip was what got me to watch the Frontier movies.)
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