sketchley

Did the two spies screw up? They successfully infilitrated the ship. They successfully gathered information. They successfully escaped the ship, and returned to report. Considering that the Zentraedi had no information whatsoever on human/micronian society, and they had no concept of a non-military class, let alone anything beyond that, there report was an invaluable success. I think this is a case of people not stepping into the shoes of the spies, and only looking at the situation from their own personal situation. The pre-SWI Zentraedi do not, afterall, know anything about anything but their strict, heavily militarized life of fast combat, and even faster death. In terms of this topic/thread - they brought back intelligence that could potentially be used to cause injury or distraction on their foe. It's true that they didn't use any of it until after the war - and even then, it was only Kamjin's taking Minmei as a hostage which could be loosely defined as using the intelligence in a useful manner.

Double interesting that it is entirely in Korean, and not Japanese! It looks like a licensed product, and not a bootleg.

Wasn't he a janitor? (Boothby?) Didn't he show up in Voyager as the mentor of Janey (the episode where they came across Species ###'s secret Starfleet training satellite)? (Wasn't he the mentor of virtually all the captains?)

I thought V-Gundam had newtypes in it - wasn't the colony/satellite weapon thingy at the end of the series powered by newtypes? Re: Macross 7 - I teach students here in Japan that are the age that the show targets/ed. It's given me a better understanding of a lot of the context of Macross 7. Though, I will admit that I am disgusted with Mylene's behavior in Macross 7, I can understand it, and the behaviour of the others. The show is actually, very, very Japanese and I do recommend it as a way to learn about Japanese culture (though without reference it may be difficult to determine what exactly is Japanese, and what is fictional.) There's no direct evidence for or against the VF-0 having that ability. What is known is that the VF-1 CAN fly to low orbit (first or second episode of the original series), and that Sara's and the birdman's combined powers were 'flying' his damaged jet. My guess is that Shin had a soft landing somewhere. The ending is bittersweet - sweet in that everyone (well, almost everyone) lives, and the irradiation of Mayan Island is prevented. Bitter in that both the leading men loose their loves. Hey, that sounds like an Ang Lee movie!!! What's there to argue? That humans didn't know about it for 50 years? Ok, but that's entirely IN universe. Obviously the creators are going to feel that their audience is smart enough to know what is happening, as there was enough exposition on the concept in a TV series that ran 5+ years beforehand. Too much exposition is actually a bad thing... (Lord of the Rings (the book) - need I say more about exposition getting in the way of the plot?) I fail to see the point. It was done in Macross II... DYRL... the original series... heck, you could even claim Sharon Apple did it in Macross Plus (turning everyone into zombies so you can steal the Macross... said zombies also go out and 'hunt' people... an incredible weapon all brought about by... singing.) Re: environmentalism - IMHO it didn't hog the show. Sure, it showed up a few times, but I saw it more as rounding out Sara's character more than anything else - which was contrasted with Shin's city ways... Didn't Emerald Force change their ways due to Basara? Anyhow - let me stress: Macross 7's demographic (and it's applicable to kids the world over) NEEDS constant reinforcing messages. Believe me, I know - teaching kids who forget the lesson the moment they walk out of class/the episode ends. Those kids grew up, and they are probably the people who purchased the most Macross Zero DVDs here in Japan. Those kids/young adults are entering a world where a few, to many of them will end up as freeters and NEETs. These same kids are used to entertainment being a certain way, and being 'educated' by entertainment in certain, shall I say repetitive, ways. So, to be fair, I don't think any discussion about the pros or cons of anything produced in Japan can be accurate without having an understanding of the Japanese, and the demographic that the production is aimed at.

I'm just guessing, but it might be the VF-1B. Aka: the 'half-S upgrage' to the VF-1A. It has 4 head-lasers like the VF-1S. http://macross.anime.net//mecha/united_nat.../vf1/index.html Scroll down to the variants for further details.

I take it works like "2001: A Space Odyssey," and "Neon Genesis Evangalion (TV series)," and others with ambiguous endings aren't your cup of tea either? In the case of Shin's damaged VF - it's him riding out into the sunset. Was he dead? No. Would what happens next be interesting? No. (Rescue, probably court martial, and imprissonment, along with being endlessly questioned by intelligence officers - stuff that is outside of the point of the series.) I hope that the smilie means that you are saying it in jest. Kawamori gave them their proverbial ride into the sunset with Flashback 2012. They weren't killed off. It's not magic, it's called spiritia. See Macross 7 for further info. I also fail to see the difference between SES technology and the "black boxes" of full-metal panic. If I remember correctly, the "powers" in Macross 7 came about precisely because of SES technology. As for Gundam - there are quite a few Gundam series that have nothing to do with newtypes or anything metaphysical. Gundam 0083 is the first that comes to mind... A couple of things to consider: in most every anime, does the hero get hurt or damaged very often? Usually it's only when a plot point wants to be made... and Basara did get hit a few times. If it weren't for Emerald Force, he'd probably have been creamed a few times. Nevertheless, the point with Basara isn't so much that his singing makes him unbeatable, but that your enemy isn't necessarily what you initially think your enemy is. But you're right, Macross 7 isn't Macross plus for a very good reason - it was aimed primarily at, and marketed to a younger audience. An audience probably very prone to violence and in need of the positive message that 'violence doesn't solve problems.' With that last thought in mind - back to Macross Zero: it was produced for and marketed pretty much exclusively for the Japanese market. Environmentalism is still only just starting. IMHO, I don't think that you've seen the last of it in anime.

The only complaints I have for episode 5 are: truncated story with monologue at the very beginning to 'fast forward' the story and when the birdman unfolded it's wings, the action, camera angles/movement, and sound effects didn't match the music.* * What, you say, shouldn't that be the other way around? No. IMHO Macross Zero is the operatic piece of the Macross series. We've had J-Idol, techno-pop, rock, snd now opera. I think a question is begging to be asked: what musical genre will be the theme of the next Macross series? Blues? Country & Western?

OK... I like both names. Going by the descriptions we have: Aegir - Ruler of the Sea. Njord - God of Sea, wind, fish, and wealth. By this and some of the extended information I was able to find off of the wikipedia link from above, I'm leaning towards Njord. Why? It fits/describes the role of the VF-5 better, IMHO. The role being, of course, air-superiority over heavily-watered planets; in addition to exploration; and the protection (or development) of wealth (both by colonists, and businesses.) Which, if I understand my religious basics, is the role(s) the god Njord would undertake.

I like Aegir because it sounds like auger. As in, "we'll put the screws on them!" when the VF-5 is called out to battle. Though Njord also sounds cool - slightly remeniscent of Fjord. What's the meaning of Njord?

OK... after some thought, I've come up with a nick-name for the VF-5: Aegir. Norse god/ruler of the sea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Norse_gods This fits into the Norse motif established with the VF-1 Valkyrie.

That's not exactly what I said - the intent is: this is a pro-Macross website. There are a lot of new members (myself included,) who have less, little or no experience with Macross (myself not included,) who are forming their opinion based on commentary herein. I humbly suggest that they be allowed to build their own opinion without having a background of biases against portions of Macross - as it is one big whole story. Anyhow, let's bring this thread back to its topic: Macross future. I want to see more Macross in animated form - not more in video game form. Let's face it - video games require investment. Investment in a compatible platform to play the game.

To be honest, they should've hired Ang Lee instead of John Woo. John Woo is great, but Ang Lee is that much better. He does kick-ass fighting*, but even better - he does much, much better characters and pathos! * "Hulk" was ok. I'm mostly referring to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

Have to point this out: 4 of your 5 posts until now have mentioned Macross 7. If you don't like it so much, DON'T MENTION IT. It'll naturally be left behind as the conversation progresses. Zinjo - Re: the VF-X games: the timeline in the Macross Compendium mentions some of the events of the games. VF-X(1) gets all of one mention (basically the same thing as one the cover of the game: the justification for the story,) whereas VF-X2 has, I believe, every chapter/episode mentioned. Macross M3 also has a bit mentioned on every chapter/episode. I think that timeline is as 'official' as anything else is going to get on those 3 games. The timeline is also good, because it puts things into context and shows the time spaces between the missions (sometimes hours, sometimes months, sometimes years!)

Yes. The only thing those events really prove, is how terrible a battle tactic the Daedalus Attack is! As a means to quickly dispatch your enemies: terrible! As a means to invade and possibly capture your enemy's ship: possibly ok, if you could sneak in really close without getting spotted (and shot) first.

Thanks. That's one of the reasons I included them - the other being the coolness factor. I didn't know the Su-35/37 had thrust-vectoring. I'm basing the idea off of the 3-D thrust-vector nozzle that was tested on the F-15 ACTIVE, F-16 VISTA, and the F-18 (sorry, can't find a link nor image - saw it once on a NASA website.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-15S/MTD http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16_Fighting_Falcon Thanks. It is all hand drawn (.50 to 1.0 nibs on 81.4 g/m² Nakabayashi printing paper - neither the worst nor best,) scanned at 300 DBI and "hand painted" in Photoshop. In having completed what I have to date, I am tempted to say that the above submissions are a 'work in progress' and that there is some tweaking needed - especially to the battroid mode. I'm also currently thinking about what accessories it will get (gun pod, FAST pack, etc..) Sadly... work...

Actually they did. They let the SDF-1 punch the nose in one of the latter episodes, and had a bunch of Regults and Gluags waiting to storm the SDF-1 through the open Dedaelus front door. I believe that that was episode 22. Thanks for clarifying the Factory Satellite attack. Though it doesn't really clarify things either way - as the justification for NOT using the main cannon is that they wanted to capture the satellite and destroy the defenders - not destroy both.

I do agree that Macross II was probably intended to be longer and/or better (there is a noticeable drop in quality for the last OVA.) Nevertheless, for what was produced and what it is... see my comments above.

Without the human factor (people brought along with the technology,) I think it would have been lost on the Zentraedi - too little, too late. This is, of course, based on the Factory Satellite episode where, after retrieving it, they comment on how it is partially broken down, non-functional and in need of serious repair.

Then what is the weapon being fired by the ship when they go to capture the factory satellite?

Flashback 2012 - Hikaru, Misa, etc., ride off into their 'sunset' and "disappear" near the center of the galaxy after following some music filled transmissions from that direction. Mac Plus - portrayed a multi-layered colony world quite deeply, as well as pointing the direction of 'Macross future.' Mac 7 and Zero were great, with great themes. Perhaps they were lost on you?

That's humanity as a whole, and not the heroes in particular. Same show, but a different point of view on the story, I guess. I guess I like stories about people who are up against things that truly challenge them, and in the end, force them to change and grow into something else (hopefully a better person.) (Ex: Luke Skywalker, Neo, Erin Brochavitch.) Macross II just doesn't do that for me.

Doodled this up last night. It's the transformation sequence of the VF-5 that I've been whiping up. It looks like it *may* be able to do a gerwalk mode... but it's not going to be a very stable mode on the ground. Perhaps that's why it's so cheap? EDIT: the artwort is available here: http://studiootaking.deviantart.com/art/VF...mation-62766890

NVM - no delete feature !.!;;;;;;

Yes. That's the pre-tax sticker price. Part of the reason is the low print run due to the low demand. Given that I was able to get a new copy from a store that was discounted, you can guess that even the print run was greater than the demand... Some comparison prices: Macross Zero: 5,000 JPY/episode. Star Wars III: 3,990 JPY (w/ tax) Star Trek movies 2x: 2,500 JPY (w/tax) I'd give a ballpark figure of between 2,000 and 4,000 for the average new release. With DVDs that hangout too long in the shop, they get an easy 10 to 50% discount off of those sticker prices.

The 'big plot holes,' so to speak, are the post SWI to the Macross Plus/Macross 7 era. That 'hole' was partially filled with the backstory of both Macross Plus and Macross 7. In addition, Macross M3 went back and did an extensive story taking place in those 'missing years.' Another way to look at is - nothing interesting happened during those years. Well, nothing interesting enough to make it into animation or a video game. Sure, they have ongoing mass cloning and colonization, but is that really enough to keep the viewers interested? Heck, it was the backstory to Macross 7, the justification of being where they were, and it was only briefly dabbled on. IMHO, if we are to see more Macross series, it'll be in opposite directions. Given where Macross Zero took us, I'm not even going to attempt to guess where and what any new series will be.