sketchley

I think it is the seriousness that Oshii bring's to Patlabour that makes his additions the better ones. Of course, the original is really, really good too. I see it as a light-hearted, semi-un-serious ensamble character show. Watching it just for the characters is, well, the reason why I continue watching and purchasing the manga. (First English, than Korean, and now in Japanese. ) I think that once a viewer understands the characters, the 2nd movie makes a lot more sense, and at the same time, is a lot more disturbing/riviting to the viewer. The great thing about the 2nd movie is it wraps up a lot of the dangling threads about the characters. The sad thing is, is that it kind of concludes their stories. Thus, the 3rd movie isn't focused on them at all - despite the fact that they are front and center in the manga story arc about the mutant alien monster...

Please keep in mind that: a) this is a list compiled in Japan, by the Japanese marketplace, for the Japanese. b) it is compiled in colaboration with Tsutaya. What is Tsutaya, I believe it is the equivalent of what you guys call Blockbuster (or your local, nationwide video/DVD rental chain.) In other words, the list is compiled by a shop that hosts the most popular anime, not necessarily the best*. c) it is a collaboration of votes by customers who frequent Tsutaya. These customers are generally people who want to go to the most convenient rental shop, as opposed to searching (or as the case may be, hunting) down their favorite anime. d) lastly, who has time to go and rent videos, let alone fill out questionnaires (or vote cards)? It certainly isn't Joe-salary man, or "soccer" mom, who grew up on the pre-'90's shows. Again, I sense I squewing of the results (as Akilae pointed out.) If people like my wife, who did grow up in the pre-'90's era did have the time to vote, you'd see a lot more of "Sazae-san," "Chibi-maruko-chan," and "Heidi of the Alps." So... take the list with a grain of salt and it means little more than... well, Akilae beat me to the punch here, a list of what the 20 somethings, and less than 20 somethings currently like. * This in itself should speak volumes. A nationwide chain does not tend to cater to small interest groups. Instead, they cater to whatever they think will sell in the marketplace. To me, I take that as meaning the results are already squewed.

This isn't something new. It's an ongoing process in the global economy. The production companies will either shift their factories (again, for the nth time) to another country that has low wages, and poor labor laws... or maybe they'll finally face the bullet, and start paying higher wages (like they should.) Please also note the source of the article - CNN. I have yet to hear or read anything on the BBC, or Japan Times. Also, take note of where your toys are being made. My Hasegawa and Bandai model boxes say, in English, 'Made in Japan.' What does it say on the Yamato ones? Also, aren't Macross toys made for fans who don't mind paying a little more for the 'toys'? I don't think this "situation" has much if anything to do with those who purchase Macross Toys. In fact, I think PM Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine will have a bigger effect...

the metal version of cardboard? Light, flexible, but at the same time rigid, and the dual (or triple) layers also provide a kind of armour protection - a distant relative of the reactive armour on tanks (or is it the process of how spacecraft defeat micrometeorite hits?

FYI: the coffee is read as "Deep Presso", as in a mix between pressing strongly, and expresso. Here's the actual product info page: http://www.georgia.jp/product/deep/index.html Here's a product line-up from the company (scroll down to find the Deep Presso.) Note the main company (Coca-co...): http://www.cocacola.co.jp/products/lineup/georgia/ The last one (yellow shirt with sharks) is for babies...

I am of the mind that the Active Stealth is more akin to a radar absorbing energy field, than a radar canceling one. Truth be known, we know next to nothing about it... what is known is that it 'erases' the radar return of the vehicle using it, but little more. It could be a waveform cancellation, but my limited knowledge in the subject is making me think that the radar broadcast to do that, could be detected by other nearby units using passive detection means; in other words, defeating the purpose of active stealth.

You're right! I must be going blind in my old age...

You missed the point. John Williams does not equal manufactured boy (or girl) bands, does he? Yes, I did a no-no - I generalized. However, please take it with a grain of salt. There are exceptions to every rule, after all.

http://ir.eol.co.jp/EIR/3791?task=download...=330052&a=b.pdf This here lists it as a "Original Long-animation Pay-per view videogram." It's going to be in Highvision*, with Dolby Digital 5.1., and is planned to be about 100 minutes. * Highvision, or HV, is what I believe the Japanese are calling high definition digital TV.

Is there anyone with links to a higher resolution trailer? I did some searching, and I found the following: More real/anime car comparisions: http://clappa.jp/special/003/special_003_04.html some line-art: http://clappa.jp/special/003/special_003_03.html (the axe looks lethal) And, on the Japanese wikipedia for GitS: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%94%BB%E6%...d_State_Society It's not listing this in the movie section. In fact, it's listing it there as Gits: SAC 3rd gig! It also has the following: 2006å¹´11月24æ—¥ã«DVD発売。 (2006/11/24 DVD sale start) 2006å¹´9月1æ—¥ã«ã‚¹ã‚«ãƒ‘ー!パーフェクトãƒãƒ§ã‚¤ã‚¹160PPVã§æ”¾é€é–‹å§‹ã€‚ (2006/09/01 PPV on Skuba! Perfect Choice 160, starts.)

Part of it may have been that there is actual combat and flight data for the airframe. It would be easier to anticipate the characteristics of the finished product based on the existing knowledge. Maybe they even knew going in that the design may not have been the best, but it would still meet their needs.

I have an X-acto brand self healing mat on my desk. I've had one since the late '90s... I suggest googling it.

Wasn't that big production at the launch ceremony their big introduction? Until that time, they were 'secret,' right? And we all know that it is difficult to impossible to keep an aircraft secret, if it ever takes to the air. Also, their transforming abilities weren't shown (I'm not sure if they were planned to be shown or not) at the launch ceremony. Personally, I see the launch ceremony as more of a glorified airshow - the VFs are doing little more than the standard airshow tricks. In a way, it's just a celebration for the years of hard work put into the projects (VF, SDF, etc.,) and just a taste of what they can do (VFs, in particular.) So, I'm going to modify my original stance slightly - keep it secret from the manufacturers that were sourced for parts in addition to what was said before.

I think Max may have upgraded his - something to do with him still being in the military. Millia, on the other hand, was civilian, but as the mayor, she probably 'abused' her position to keep a fresh supply of ammo at the ready. Of course, it may be standard operating proceedure in the UN, what with the converted-for-construction use Destroids also having ammo at the ready. Maybe it has something to do with civil defense or the last line of defense when the colony (fleet) is attacked?

I think, as far as the YF-21/VF-22 goes, we should seriously consider it to be "anime physics." The best example would be from Transformers: where does Optimus Prime's trailer go (or appear from?) when "he" transforms? The same applies to the YF-21/VF-22, Y/VF-19, etc.: parts are altered when they transform. For example - the nose of the Y/VF-19 loses length in battroid mode; so too do its wings. When they fold up, they loose some of their length and a lot of their depth. So, in my book, the YF-21/VF-22's shoulders are the same as the legs: the just somehow fit in, without interfering with the engines and air intakes, and it is best if you don't think about it.

I think Kawamori would have included them (the horizontal stabilizers) if he had figured out where to put them in battroid mode. After that, it became VF convention to *not* have horizontal stabilizers. The funny thing is that with thrust vectoring (ret-conned into the VF-1 ever since the PS1 game "Macross: DYRL"), vertical stabilizers wouldn't be needed, and the existing ones on VFs could be turned into horizontal stabilizers to provide more lift. As for his robot-came-first, I can see that. I've designed VFs of my own (see the VF-5 thread in the fan works forum,) and the process I usually use is a combination of both how it looks in battroid and fighter modes, and working out where and how the different bits and pieces fit together. Therefore. it's entirely plausible that Kawamori started with the battroid, made the jet mode, decided it looked like the F-14, and then added F-14 and jet elements to the battroid.

Yes, the arms (and shoulder/head support assembly) literally form the center length of the jet. The engine nacelles/legs do the same thing as the VF-1. And the kicker... the wings fold over and around themselves to form the chest and belly of the battroid. Now to clarify, my meaning of step-by-step is the clear 12-14 breakdown that we get for the VF-1, VF-11, etc.. The VF-9 is like the transformation of the VF-19: three pictures and a bunch of arrows... confusing as heck!

I believe you'd be able to see it in the Macross M3 game. Otherwise, there's the line-art in Kawamori Shoji's Valkyrie (Macross Design Works) book. Sadly, from what I have seen to date, there doesn't appear to be a step-by-step breakdown of its transformation. EDIT: clarifified the book title.

If I'm not mistaken, the UN has NO Armed Forces*, and any military deployments are composed of the countries who join any UN military action (bringing their own equipment with them, whatever the source and source country is.) Also, the F-14 wasn't the most modern (USA) fighter in the early '80's. The F-14 made it's service debut in September, 1974**. I'd say that the F-18 was the most modern at the time, being designed and making it's debut from Feb., 1978 and in Jan. 1983, respectively.*** Perhaps the closest in-service fighter would have been the F-16, which made it's service debut in Aug., 1978. I don't claim to be a fighter fan, so I don't know what other fighters from the era Kawamori may have looked at - though given the close relationship between the US Armed Forces, and the Japanese SDF, the USA produced fighters would probably have been the most visible at the time in Japan. I don't disagree with Kawamori being an F-14 fan. Also, the engine layout allows for a fairly simple transformation sequence**** - which may ultimately be the reason why he chose it. *I'm talking about reality here, not the Macross one. ** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-14 *** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F/A-18_Hornet **** He went nuts with the Sv-51. That thing is rediculously complex in it's transformation and how the bits and peices go together.

Keep in mind that development on the VF-1 started within a few years of the "discovery" of OTEC. OTEC itself shouldn't be considered as one big technological advancement, but a series of much, much smaller advances. You could go so far as to say that by the 2050 era of Macross, they still haven't unravelled all of the secrets of OTEC. Think Macross 7 and the developments of spiritia technology - technology that is a part of OTEC, but humans weren't even aware of it for 40+ years. The major leaps forward in small fighter craft technology were after the end of SWI. You could even go so far as to say that there were a lot of lessons learned from the use of the VF-1 in combat, and they show up in the later designs. The biggest being the steady switch of VFs from general purpose designs to more mission specialized ones. Anyhow, you hit the nail on the head for the most likely reason for using the VF-14 frame: "(it) could be put into wide service without anyone knowing about it's variable abilities as well as it's roll to protect against possible attack by giant aliens." It's even possible that the deliberately made the design more boxy, less aerodynamic, and less sophisticated, pricesily to keep it's vizibility low - are you going to look at the boxy new jet that's a look-a-like to a 20+ year-old fighter, or the latest sleak MiG, Su, EU, etc. fighter?

If you like that kind of stuff, you should check out the *real* Japanese musicians. To be honest, music in anime is sometime little more than the voice actors doing an image song. I am, by no means attempting to lessen the musical worth or value of the artists mentioned (I too went out and purchased an original of the "Appleseed" OST to get the music by Boom Boom Satellites and others.) Nevertheless, anime music isn't the only music coming out of Japan. Looking through the Appleseed OST, the songs are by: CD 1 (techno/dance/rock/etc. songs) Boom Boom Satellites (Japan) Paul Oakfield (the UK) Basement Jaxx (the UK) T. Raumschmiere (Germany) Ryuichi Sakamoto (Japan and the USA) Atom (Chile) - His name is written as Atom(trade mark symbol) Carl Craig VS ADULT (the USA) Akufen (Canada) That's a pretty international group if you ask me... CD 2 (the OST composer) Tetsuya Takahashi (Japan)

I think back then, things were different. At that time, stuff from outside of one's country was generally free of a copyright (especially in foreign language situations.) So the whole Battletech/Robotech thing may boil down to two different companies using designs taken from Macross, and one of the two companies getting legal protection faster than the other. Or something like that.

It's not an option available in the game, if that's what you mean (ALL VFs available to the player are limited to the 3 'base' modes.) I think that extra gerwalk mode of the VF-17D is pretty funky - it gives it a more aggressive feel. Nevertheless, it doesn't appear very often in the games or animation...

The VA-3 first appeared in 1995's "This is Animation Special: Macross Plus", on pg 72-73, 94. The book is also noteable for the first appearance of the VF-5000. The VA-3 later appeared in Macross 7 Dynamite, as the VA-3C/VA-3C Kai. In a sense, it wasn't original to VF-X2. (Though the water landing and submarine capabilities are - as it is the VA-3M in the game - the wing pods are modified into pontoons, and it looses it's BFG gun pod.) Believe you me, it's not a fighter, but a bomber type plane. If it ever gets produced as a toy, it'd probably need the least amount of 'redesign' to make it work (unlike the VF-19...)

Didn't someone do a VF-4 as well (from VF-X)? There's a few pictures available here in Macross World in the model section.