ewilen

Welcome to MacrossWorld, by the way. You might also do a google search to locate the Valkyrie Factory, which has pictures of most of what's been released, with some exceptions among the newer stuff. Also try this thread: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=10208

I don't know how much I could have gotten it for locally, but since it's managed to entertain two people, it's worth twice as much to me.

Hrm? Their government is never spelled out clearly but all the evidence points to a military structure--and that's it. If you want to quibble, the Zentradi aren't totalitarian because even totalitarianism needs a society to rule over; the Zents are an army without a State. In this sense the other political issues fade further into the background and we're really talking about Militarism, which can be a characteristic of many different kinds of societies, including non-totalitarian regimes such as Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm. However, militarism tends toward proto-totalitarianism since a state based on military organization has no room for dissent or disobedience and assigns little value to individuals.

I got mine for about $23 shipped from CD Universe. Both my wife and I agree that it's great fun. Neat visuals and BGM, amusing concept, and entertaining gameplay. But it's a little too short--just when I mastered the first "really hard" levels, I came to the last level (which was fairly easy). There's still stuff to be done by way of improving on my scores and finding all the gifts, but I'd really like to have a couple more levels.

Cinematization is a real word. Recinematization is a natural coinage. There is a definite logical and conceptual (not to mention legal) difference between adapting a novel to film once, and then adapting it again, as opposed to redoing the film. I suppose Browning's Dracula is a remake of Murnau's Nosferatu. And "Lois and Clark" was a remake of the George Reeves "Superman". After all, both were live-action TV shows. This means nothing--it's their typical reaction to everything.

Disc One, four episodes: Booby Trap--Watching this for the first time, I remember being struck by the very different theme music. I don't remember what I was expecting, but I was used to Robotech. Countdown--For some reason, the scene where Hikaru saves Minmay in mid-air is very affecting. Is it because it's well done, or because I know that, in the context of the story, Minmay is the key to the future of humanity? Space Fold--So everyone on Prometheus and Dedalus died. Quite a shock! Lynn Minmay--I'll always remember the cryptic and slightly comical narration at the end, "What kind of girl is Lynn Minmay?" Which of course foreshadows all of Hikaru's angst but may also be another subtle hint about Minmay's importance.

The book is actually quite good. The first movie wasn't very true to it either, for what it's worth. Yeah, I forgot to mention that. But regardless of that, the Heston PotA is a genre-transcending classic.

Yes, besides, how many science fiction shows before and after Macross have portrayed aliens as cruel, unthinking, warlike beings lacking a sense of individuality or emotion? Practically all of them! The Zentradi are about totalitarianism, not about economic systems. I suppose, though, that if Japan had somehow won the war, or if Macross had been made before 1945, people might have regarded the Zentradi as Communists (Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1936) or as China. But I doubt the final victory would have been achieved through singing... [edit: I previously wrote "absolutism" for "totalitarianism"]

Bracketed info on the Compendium seems to be stuff that is no longer official. E.g., "Russia [soviet Union]" at http://macross.anime.net/story/chronology/1999/index.html Note that the dates of the PC calendar don't necessarily correspond to Earth years. PC 2871 may be a year after PC 2870, three years after, 10 years, 100 years...we don't know.

Planet of the Apes wasn't really a remake of the 60's movie...like this film, it was a recinematization of the original book. Not a very faithful one, apparently. Certainly not a very good one. Getting really sick of rehashes here. Spider-Man has been good, but I don't think it was ever done very successfully before.

I'm not getting out, but I've also been conservative in my purchases. Oh, wait, how does "conservative" = a couple dozen transforming Valk toys, half a dozen unbuilt models, a dozen artbooks, a couple dozen DVD's, 8 matchbox toys, and few dozen gashapon? Make that "relatively conservative" compared to some people. You know who you are! Anyway, I've always limited myself due to space constraints, personal cheapness, and the spousal annoyance factor. (To my wife's credit, she said the 1/60 GBP, which I finally got recently, looks pretty nice.) I have sold/traded a few items and I will probably cull a few more to make space and give myself karmic permission to spend money on other Macross stuff. E.g., I sold a 1/55 M&M set shortly before I got my 1/60 M&M pair. Some of the tenets of my toy collecting: I don't need more than one of each toy. Being an SDF Macross TV fan, I don't need all the movie versions. I concentrate on 1/60 scale since it's the most complete. I really don't need more than one of each general type of non-Yamato valk. E.g., I want to keep a 1/55 around because it's the best thing for demonstrating how transformation works, and it's a wonderfully well-built toy, but aside from that I'd rather pose and display the Yammies.

Null vote from me. I was first attracted to Macross because Robotech came on before Voltron and suddenly there was this sci-fi cartoon with an actual, interesting plot and characters who seemed to have lives of their own. If I'd seen some other good-quality, semi-mature anime before that, I probably would have had the same reaction, but my only previous exposure to Japanese TV culture had been Astroboy, Speed Racer, Voltron, and Ultraman--all of which have things to recommend them, to be sure, but at least in their American incarnations, they were pretty juvenile. Macross managed to break through that even in the Robotech version.

It would be nice if Flash Back 2012 had subtitles, if not romanization and/or translation for the song lyrics, at least for the few bits of dialog, some of which is (IIRC) new. But you're right that it's not necessary, since there is at least one translation out on the net. I'm guessing the bootlegs are copies of the R2 DVD, but since I don't know, I suppose it's possible they're based on the laserdisc.

I'm a Mac person but the info in my sig might be of assistance even if you use Windows or Linux. I've been told that VLC (which I often use on the Mac and for which I have a link in my info post) is cross-platform.

I had set my ReplayTV to record GitS whenever it finally came on, so I was able to watch it this morning. Since the only previous GitS I've seen was the movie (subbed), I can't compare to the DVD version of the series. In general I dislike dubs (not "subs" as I originally wrote) but once I got used to it over the first 10 minutes or so, I thought it was okay. I also enjoyed the episode (speaking as someone who really doesn't know from GitS), which I think was titled simply "Section 9". If my ears aren't mistaken, the guy who did the voice for Batou is the same guy who does Jigen in the CN Lupin III episodes. While watching the show I saw the commercials for FMA. It looked interesting. Any quickie comments the series, like what's it about, why it's good, etc?

That's not what I said. (And yes, the resolution in SDF M is in ep. 36.) I'm saying it's more dramatic in DYRL. You can say it's cliché (I personally don't think so) but the fact that everything comes to a head, i.e., the fate of mankind, Hikaru's duty, his choice between Misa and Minmay, Minmay's narcissism, and Minmay overcoming her narcissism and nihilistic impulses to recognize her own destiny and duty to humanity--it makes for an extraordinarily dramatic moment. Unfortunately, in the TV series, they had to postpone the final resolution of the Hikaru/Minmay/Misa drama until well after the climax of the series. I don't completely regret how they did it--for one thing, I really like the added dimension of Kamjin and Laplamiz in the final episodes, and I think it's necessary that that part of the story occur after the destruction of Earth and the victory over Bodolza. And in order to maintain overall integrity, the fundamental personal issue of Macross--which is Hikaru growing up and dealing with Minmay and Misa--had to be prolonged to the very end.

When I was looking to buy the UK Ultimate edition, I contacted Manga UK by email and inquired if they would do direct international sales. They said they would. But then I found it on eBay for even less. If anyone is looking for it, note that the font on the cover sometimes leads sellers to list it is "Macross Plug" or "Macross Plugg".

Yes, now I'll be able to sleep tonight. Also explains where those "Space Gandam" Valkyrie bootlegs got their name.

I'll say this--the climactic decision by Hikaru in favor of Misa, combined with him convincing Minmay to sing for the final battle, is a better dramatic moment in DYRL compared to SDF Macross. (I wonder if they ever were going to do it that way in SDF, but had to change things at the last minute because the TV show was renewed for another 9 episodes.) But, again, most of the characterization which gives weight to the scene is carried over from the series; the movie itself does a poor job of showing why Minmay is so hooked on Hikaru, and why he should be so conflicted between her and Misa. All IMO, of course.

Before we get back to M0, I just want to say that the pro-SDF Macross faction is giving away a little too much in the "quality of animation" department. There's a lot of crappy animation in the TV series, but there are also some great sequences, such as the TV version of the Milia/Max fight. Moreover, there are scenes that may have lacked technical flash but were still very effective visually. And overall, the character and mecha designs were already great, even if they often weren't animated (or even drawn) very well by AnimeFriends/StarPro. Beyond that, cartoons are about a lot more than visual technique. They're a medium in themselves; as many here have commented, there are things that simply come across better in cartoon form than in life action. So, just as there are great black and white movies which will always be considered classics (Casablanca, It's a Wonderful Life; even silents, like Chaplin) because they wrung the maximum story out of the existing film technology, SDF Macross stands as a great cartoon regardless of the fact that it's made with early-80's Japanese TV-quality animation. So...I've finally watched the whole of M0 in one sitting, and I'm now convinced--of all Macross productions, the only one I'd put ahead of it is SDF Macross. DYRL and M+ are still great but DYRL doesn't have the same depth while M+ doesn't have as much heart. I enjoy M7 but I'm with those who think it has pacing problems and an overall tone which is somewhat juvenile.

Funny...but I don't have enough anime-lore to completely appreciate the joke. What are the sources? Those VF pics look too much like authentic dated cartoon art, yet they're too much like the real VF-1... I never saw Sentinels, BTW.

Both the Infusion sub and the crappy HK DVD sub actually has Aries saying (about 13 minutes into ep. 1) that the actual age is classified but it's estimated to be tens of thousands of years old. I'm not in a position to say if this is exactly what the original Japanese says; also, it could be that Aries has been ordered to give a fake age in her presentation. In any case, your explanation makes sense. I just confirmed that e.g. radiocarbon dating has an upper limit of 50,000 years before present. (In the subs, Aries makes reference to "magnetic properties" or something like that, and the DNA of the plankton, but--whatever.)

There's just one point when ANBU has Ivanov's name as "Daisy" (at least in eps. 4-5; I generally watch the Infusion subs of 1-3 because they're the ones I have on disc). I think it's probably a case of the translater mishearing "DD" as "Daisy", but it could be a pun by the character (Roy, I think) or, yes, his real name. Ivanov isn't Roy's sempai. He's his old instructor. I don't remember hearing if he calls him "sensei" at any point. The Infusion sub has Roy referring to him as "Lord Ivanov" early on. 1/1 Lowviz--basically what Keith said. Apologies in advance if I'm barking up the wrong tree, but perhaps your thinking is influenced by Robotech, in which the Zentradi chased the Macross to Earth because it had something special on board. In SDF Macross, they chase the ASS-1 to Earth simply because it appears to be a fleeing enemy ship, and it's standard practice to pursue an apparent kill and make sure it's dead. http://macross.anime.net/fallacies/errata/...aq/5/index.html Keith, the Chronology has work on the EVIL series beginning in PC 2865. PC 2868 is when the sub-universe is discovered. Protoculture intervention in Earth evolution is PC 2870. Protodeviln war starts in PC 2871. Personally I see problems with the notion that portions of the experimental EVIL technology were put into widespread use for survey ships and colonies, but weren't used in an active civil war. But there's also a problem with the fact that the AFOS is only supposed to be "several tens of thousands of years old" (according to M0 and and entry in the Compendium Encyclopedia), all of these events from the Chronology are more than 380,000 years ago. More trouble for those who are trying to create a strictly consistent narrative and chronology out of the various official Macross productions and data.

The anti-UN undoubtedly had spies and fifth-columnists working for them inside the UN. However, there is simply no way that the anti-UN could have built and maintained large-scale armaments like the the Octos, the SV-51, Mig-29's, and the Auerstadt without having at least one industrialized nation as part of their alliance. Even if you ignore M0, prior to M0 (basically as part of SDF Macross continuity), it's known that the anti-UN had at least one nuclear attack submarine and a whole class of advanced fighters (the Karyobin).

Another vote here against the orange tube cement. It's always been a source of endless frustration for me. The last time I did any modelling I used something called Weld-on. It was great, easy to use, but extremely volatile. It all magically disappeared from the (supposedly sealed) bottle went I put it away for a few years.