sketchley

I think a healthy assesment of what has happened and what will happen as a result, instead of speculation and dismissiveness towards what has happened, is in order. Fact: An individual brought concealed items into the convention, and succeeded in making a premeditated attack against a specific target. Immediate effects: the attacked VIP comes out looking extremely good the attacker comes out looking extremely bad the attacked VIP has a cleaning bill. Pending on what was used in the attack and what clothes were being worn, the cleaning bill could be in the thousands of dollars.* the convention organizers look bad as their security was breached and a VIP guest of theirs is a victim of a premeditated attack. Long-term effects: With some thought, I came to the conclusion that the convention that the attack occured in will see the most drastic changes, whilst most every other similar convention will see lesser changes. Nevertheless, ALL similar conventions will be changed by this event. the amount of items not permitted will be increased baggage and body checks (or at least the scope of the checks) will be increased security will be increased the ticket price to attend the convention will go up to offset the costs of increased security fans will have a tougher time to get close to the VIPs who attend conventions (or may have to pass through additional checks and security) VIPs may become unwilling to attend such conventions, as we all know that fans don't specifically target the convention, but the VIPs in attendance. In conclusion: costs will go up, security will increase, the hassle people must go through to get close to the VIPs will increase, and there will be less VIPs in attendence, or less of the "better" or more "demanded" VIPs in attendance. So yes, I agree that the weapon used isn't that lethal, however the fact that such an action took place means that a motivated individual could bring much more harmful items into similar conventions. Not to mention that the attack resulted in damage (monetary.) * Famous people tend to wear expensive designer goods. Some of them cost more than the average worker in a first world country makes in a year. This is not claiming that the VIP was wearing such items. However, given that the VIP would want to look his best, he'd probably be in something expensive. In other words, something that most likely doesn't react well to the substance used in the attack.

Having subtitles or even an entire soundtrack on English doesn't get around any countries copyright laws. However, it allows the manufacturer and original property holders to create a master, or control release of their proprty in English, in addition to allowing non-Japanese speaking, non-Japan residing purchasers to aquire a legal copy of the property, without having to resort to fan-subbers, or worse, pirates, and allow some of that money to head into the pockets of the original property holders. I have one additional movie to add to the list of domestically released DVDs with an English track or subtitles: Ghost in the Shell (movie, 1st one.) Sadly, the 2nd one doesn't have English subtitles... Re: Macross Plus - it's entirely probable that Manga video paid for the translation, voice actors and studio time, and due to a clause in the licensing agreement, Big West acquired the recording(s), and then proceeded to release the Macross Plus: International Version before Manga Video did. Why the difference? Manga Video had to embark on an advertising compaign to raise awareness. The Japanese market was already well aware of Macross Plus, in addition to Macross in general, as Macross 7 was airing on TV on a weekly basis. There may also be something to do with lead times with the manufacturers and distributors in the English (UK, USA, etc.) market. The lead time for comics and other magazines is about 3 months. No telling if bottlenecks at the manufacturer increased the delay or not.

And this is good, how? I mean, seriously, that kind of behaviour isn't good for the community, and drives away the very people that could provide a lot of answers to the hard questions being asked by the community (ie: can someone translate the article about the new Macross series? etc..) Let me put it in different terms: I belong to another forum about a video game. The website has a civil atmosphere, and any mention of pirating the game is immediately cencored. Yes, spammers occasionally crop up. Yes, people make the occasionaly rant. The next generation of the game is currently being developed. The producers of the game actually frequent that forum, and have asked both directly and indirectly about the direction of the game and what the fans of it want out of it. Compare that to here, where we have "fans" of Macross, who whine and moan and complain about the next, long awaited production in the series, sight unseen. Is it any wonder why the producers don't bother asking MW for what they would like to see in the next production? Is the behaviour exhibited herein that of true fans of Macross? I fully understand that this post will fall on deaf ears, and that it may very well garner negative, anger and hate filled responses. Which again makes me question: are you guys fans of Macross? Let's stop with the negativity. Who knows, maybe a positive, enthusiastic response, and especially some money coming from people actually buying the next Macross production (as opposed to illegal theft of it) will get the attention of those that own Macross, and they will take steps to clarify the legal status of Macross in North America, and actually release anime tailored more for the North American market. Wishful thinking? Possibly. But you must understand that the Japanese mind is one of positive energy, and cheers for those that make an effort to accomplish something, whether succeeding or not.

More fun: I heard one of the image songs from the Appleseed movie in the background on a TV show a couple of days ago.

Yes and: a) Japanese users are more gentle with their purchases. (Or they transform and play with them less.) b) the oil used is designed for the humid SouthEast and East Asia climate. It breaks down faster in different climates. (I'm not sure how much, if any, oil is used in the products, but this is known to happen with personal electronics bought in East Asia and used in a different climate.)

I believe he's a guy walking on the street just outside of Studio Nue when Hikaru's VF crashes through it. In addition, in DYRL he's the guy trying to ask for Minmei's autograph in the emergency shelter when the Zentraedi bust in, and crush him with collapsing concrete.

The image is good. However... "tree" people? Do you mean "three" people perchance?

Well, the hope is that the remaster of Macross Plus and Macross 7 include English, or at least English subtitles, on the Blue Ray (most likely) or alternative high vision release. English subtitles are rare though, on Japanese domestic releases of DVDs though...

Copyright laws are different in different countries. That said, I have no idea how it applies to music being used in different features here in Japan, though I suspect it has something to do with the derivative use clause of the copyright law. Anyhow, it's pretty common to hear music and sometimes even soundeffects from other motion picture (TV, movie, etc.) properties being used in TV shows, variety shows in particular. There was one popular show last year that continued for a long time to use a one or two second music sample from Macross Zero! Other MW members have pointed out a sound clip from Ghostbusters used in Gunbuster, I've heard the Terminator "theme" on more than one occasion, and the theme song to Iron Chef is the theme from Backdraft. (If you're a fan of Iron Chef, watch Backdraft again. When the theme starts when they show the end credits, it's a really wierd feeling! "If memory serves...")

The animators strike again! (Beer can missiles, etc.)

Well, apologies for trying to instill ethics into this website. Why the call for ethics? Especially in regards to Macross 7, there is a wide discrepency of view towards the series between two parties. The two parties being those who have seen the entire series, and those who have only seen parts of the series and base their opinions on the series from what little they have seen in addition to comments from others, whom invariably have not seen the entire series either. This is where your line comes into play: "It's also pretty easy to draw some conclusions by simply reading discussions on this forum." If those conclusions are formed on opinions formed on only a partial experience of the totality of something, then those who are stating their uninformed opinions are acting unethically; because they know intrinsically that others will be reading their misinformed opinions and basing their conclusions on it. We do not, afterall, trust a movie reviewist who has only seen small parts of a movie. I say this here, because there is a lot of this going on about the new Macross TV series. We know next to nothing, yet people are posting that there will be mascots, it's set in a high school, the next VF will be based off of the technologies in the VF-22, and there will be transforming capital ships. An uninformed reader, or someone skim reading this thread, will take those speculations as fact. Lastly, I do agree that Chrono did the right thing in his statements after the second quote ("In nearly every episode I've seen, (...)"), but not the right thing for the statements after the first post. (The way it's written means the totallity of Basara for the entire series, and not the Basara as seen in the episodes seen to date.) I also find the comment on native culture being highly humorous, as it's pretty much applicable to all characters in all pop-culture from all cultures.)

It's not clear either way. Based on what's presented in the compendium (mixed names of UN and Protodevlin manufacturers,) it's highly probable that the Varuta VFs were upgraded or converted, and not built from scratch. Why not Q-rau's? SDF:M proved that the technology inherent in all VFs is greater than the centuries old technology in the Zentraedi and Supervision Armys' arsenals. (Keep in mind that the Supervision Army was/is composed of Zentraedi and Protoculture elements, thus implying a similar technology level.) The other angle to look at it is the pilots of the VFs: they are all brainwashed UN Spacy citizens, born and trained to pilot VFs. Piloting VFs requires little to no additional training.

Spot on or not, it's still bad to comment on the entirety of something without having experienced the entirety of it. After all, didn't Isamu Dyson make a similar point to Myung in the 3rd episode of Macross Plus?

Who knows what will come of this. Remember: a) Ridley Scott is a good, if not the best movie director. b) there have been a lot of successful and good movies based around board games or off of amusement park rides. (Jumanji and Pirates of the Carribbean are coming to mind.) I'm going to reserve further comment until actually seeing more of what this movie might look like.

It closes the intakes. The same way it closes them when it is in battroid mode. Technically the VF-0 can only operate underwater for a few minutes (or seconds, can't remember specifically.)

Please refrain from commenting on an entire series until you have seen the entire series.

It was a colony fleet that was absorbed by the reawakened Protodevlin to form the Varuta. Therefore, those companies were active and present in the colony fleet. Through a combination of the existing technologies in the fleet and the uber technologies possessed by the Protodevlin, the Varuta (most likely mind controlled technicians from the colony fleet) upgraded the existing VFs in the fleet. The upgrades resulted in what is known as the Varuta variable fighters.

Other names for the enemy fighter in VF-X and VF-X2 are: Enemy Valkyrie Pheyos Valkyrie

I agree with Ginrai, but would like to add that Gamlin is also a focal point for the audience. As much as Mylene is the "everyman" for the girls in the audience, he is the "everyman/hero" the boys want to be. He is the Hikaru Ichijo for us old farts who grew up watching (and getting our minds blown away) by SDF:M or it's Robotech incarnation.

I think Macross 7 took that Zentraedi/human animosity a step further - the all Zentraedi fleet, specific weapons of war built for them, etc. (Capital ships in Macross 7, the Variable Gluag in Macross Plus Game Edition, and Macross M3, for starters.) I think that there is a lot not being stated. However, do we, and the Japanese audience that Macross is created for want to watch an anime about racial seperation and the strife caused by it? Touching on the transforming capital ships issue here: the series has transforming jets. Why not transforming ships? There are already 2 different ones that the camp that is complaining about them in Macross 7 are accepting: the SDF:M and DYRL versions of the SDF-1. Count 'em, 2 baby. Let's all keep in mind that Macross is a) unrealistic fantasty originally intended to be a spoof of the genre (I think that's what the creators said), and b) transforming mecha are one of it's gimmicks to differentiate it from other anime. Capital ships fall under the broad category of mecha, BTW. The other gimmicks are the love triangle, music, and the flying circus. You can expect all 4 of those in this upcoming Macross series.

There's three versions: 1 piloted by UN Spacy micron pilots 1 piloted by UN Spacy Zentraedi macron pilots 1 piloted by AI (like the Ghost in Macross Plus) - this one can't transform into battroid mode.

Removing the Protodevlin and the Varuta from the equation (justification of a transforming capital ship,) and the conclusion I arrive at is: a humanoid mode was created to maximize the ability of the fleet led by the Battle carrier. There doesn't have to be a need at the unset of the project, but simply the potential need for it. We've seen this (the potential need for something justifying it's existance) in real life, especially in certain countries military procurements. Why shouldn't the same be true for a fictional military? Also, if memory serves, the cannon section of the Battle carrier is capable of operating as an independent ship. At the very least, it provides it's own power source, and doesn't cause a drain on the power supply of the Battle carrier. I think that one, or both, are a good justification for creating a self-contained cannon, whose use doesn't effect the operations of the (Battle) carrier. If I remember correctly, the use of the SDF-1's cannon DID negatively effect the SDF-1 at times (I'm including the cannon's not working here as well.) If anything, the Battle carrier is an homage to the VF-1, in that the VF-1 transforms, and the main armament is a self-contained, disposable weapon carried in hand.

I think that the people looking at this in terms of "what was taken out of the move to get a lower rating" are mistaken. Simply put: the mores, and opinions of the people who create the ratings have changed. They no longer deam what appears in the Die Hard movies as deserving of a higher rating or warning. The movie is most likely exactly the same as what has been seen in the previous three movies. Since the release of the first movie (or the first three movies) there has been a relentless barrage of movies that equal, or are more extreme in content than the first movie. To prove this (same content deserves a lower rating) I suggest that you rewatch the original Die Hard movies. Do they come across as violent and extreme? Or do they come across as run-of-the-mill action movies? If your impression is the later, then rest assured that the newest film in the series will most likely have a similar content.

Agreed. My personal opinion is that Hollywood went bad as soon as they started giving budgets (and there was the technology allowing it) for movie makers to make the first idea that comes to their head. I do miss the style of movie making were people had to rethink their initial ideas, and come up with a (usually) better idea that was able to be produced. Of course, there are exceptions, like Robert Rodriguez, who use creativity (aka rethinking the initial ideas) to create movies for less.

I don't have time/energy to answer the other questions aside from: 3) Yes. The music contains English, French, Japanese, and Zentraedi. It's not so much Zentraedi gibberish, as the written language was created for SDF:M, and some words and the syntax was created for DYRL. (They also had foreign, aka non-Japanese speaking English speakers read the Zentraedi lines to give it a more "alien" feel.) The French used is really, really butchered. It's basically someone transcribing French words into a semi-incompatible phonetic language, and then getting non-French speaking singers to sing/read those lines. (Quelle := Ke-re) I quick look at the booklet(s) that comes with the CD(s) will confirm the lyrics and the language(s) used.