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sketchley

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  1. sketchley
    Correction: UN Spacy. Alas, despite no native English speaker ever coming up with that, its got a kind of charm to it. It also doesn't tend to set off alarm bells, force whispers in polite company or cause snickering, which I think is what names like "Full Frontal" tend to do.
  2. sketchley
    Complete: Mechanic: F SMS 08A: EX-Gear (Extender Gear): http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRmechanic/Fsms08aEXGear.php - cleaned up the translation (revised some terms, proofread, etc), and surprise, surprise, I actually missed a caption the first time through (yew-gawds). On the flip side, it means there's new content The best way to summarize the sheet is in 2 words: Sports EX-Gear.
  3. sketchley
    Kobo Daishi threw it from China and it landed in the center of Mount Koya - which just happens to be shaped in a lotus blossom - and the Vajra landed right in the middle of it... ... or so the story goes.
  4. sketchley
    ER/RM++ Project: Timeline 11A: Kamjin's Raids: http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRtimeline/Timeline11A.php - slapped up in PHP with some tweaks and notes on the changes with the revised edition. Drat... also finished proofreading the EX-Gear sheet. No time to php-ize it before work. >.<
  5. sketchley
    Let's not forget our favourite Macross witticisms when it comes to names that don't work well in English: ASS-1 (Alien Star Ship 1) NUNS (New UNified Space Forces)
  6. sketchley
    As such information hasn't been made available in Japanese, there's no way to answer that. From anecdotal information we can glean some answers: - old VFs are still used AND produced in limited runs (VA-3M in the Galaxy Fleet, VF-1X++ in the Frontier Fleet) - old VFs are only replaced when a) the performance of a newer model is needed and b) when there are the finances to back that replacement up (although the 7 Fleet had the VF-17, they produced not more than 5, despite it being newer and better than the VF-11. And lets not get started on the VF-19 (not more than 5) and the VF-22 (not more than 4), DESPITE the clear need for them in the face of the Protodevilun threat! - the older VFs are continuously updated with the latest technological developments (akin to what happens in the real world). They may not be cutting edge, but their specs are definitely more advanced than when they rolled off the production line. Also, to keep things in perspective: The F-15 was introduced in 1972. Its slated to be operated until 2025 by the USAF (and that's despite the introduction of the F-22). The B-52 was introduced in 1955. Its slated to be operated into the 2040s (despite the introduction of more advanced craft such as the B-1 and B-2). If a real world 4th generation fighter can have a service length of 50 years and a bomber with one of 85 years, it's no stretch of the imagination that a fictional 3rd generation VF could still be used 30 years after its introduction (referring to the VF-11 here).
  7. sketchley
    I tend to be more successful using Google to search these forums... ... ah well, at least it keeps the MW's server load low.
  8. sketchley
    ER/RM++ Project: Episode: 708A: Macross 7 Eps. 8 "Virgin Bomber": http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRepisode/708ABeps8.php - Mylene's fashion parade, gets a Topics? Nevertheless, the sheet provides a bit more insight on some of the cultural significant things that may be lost on non-Japanese viewers. Episode: F05A: Macross F Eps. 5 "Star Date": http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRepisode/F05ABeps5.php - Interesting that the dialogue also mirrors that of the earlier series...
  9. sketchley
    I believe if you think of it in terms of having to arrange licensing with each and every individual artist you may start to get an idea of why its expensive. But this is neglecting the root of the issue: anime and their respective soundtracks are not produced out of the same budget like a Hollywood movie is. Maybe thinking of it in terms of product placement might be better.
  10. sketchley
    The pages on their own are a bit vague, but if you include information from other sources, it begins to make a bit more sense (but there is one overriding thing that we all cannot forget: each show essentially rewrites the universe. In this case, the VF-19 was supposed to be the next main fighter, but because it looked too similar to the VF-25, Kawamori-san thought the VF-171 would be much more visually distinct. The changes to the adoption (or lack thereof) of the VF-19 and VF-22 were created later. Thus Macross F rewrote Macross Plus/7). Late 2040's: The VF-19 (and its derivatives) and the VF-22 were disseminated to fleets, but the main factor that stopped their mass adoption was cost (this is something new to me. Not saying that it hasn't been mentioned before, but its the first time I've come across that reason). Early 2050's: The unmanned Ghosts were jointly deployed with the VF-171. The Vajra are encountered and development begins on the YF-24. Mid-2050's: The YF-24 Evolution succeeds in implementing ISC and functionality reduced versions of the technology are sent to the Emigration Fleets. The Frontier Fleet develops EX-Gear, and the Galaxy Fleet develops Cyber-grunts to compensate for the lower performance ISC/YF-24 technology received from Earth. 2059: The VF-25 and VF-27 are completed. Both have manoeuvrability performance similar to Earth's YF-24 (pending on your source, the Super Pack equipped VF-25 and VF-27 have similar performance, only the VF-27 has similar performance, or they both have lower performance than the YF-24).
  11. sketchley
    ER/RM++ Project: Worldguide 04B: Earth Unified Government: http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRworldguide/04bEarthUnifiedGovernment.php - this one is all about the Unified Forces. AND it does explain the re-branding from "Unified Forces" to "New Unified Forces", though not very precisely. (I'd define it as a loss of political power in line with returning it to an armed force under civilian control - the caveat being each Emigration Fleet's civilians, and not mankind as a whole).
  12. sketchley
    ER/RM++ Project: Worldguide 04A: Earth Unified Government: http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRworldguide/04aEarthUnifiedGovernment.php - some interesting things, alas nothing on the rebranding of the Unified Forces that occurred between VF-X2 and MF. Maybe the B sheet will have something on it? Or maybe it's only a real world thing (creative or legal)?
  13. sketchley
    ER/RM++ Project: Technology 010: Variable Fighter: http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRtechnology/01oVariableFighter.php - maybe it should be subtitled "and this is what really happened to the VF-19/22"?
  14. sketchley
    I think one approach may be to mirror how the Japanese present subtitled translations to English movies into Japanese. I'm doing this from memory on a Japanese show (in Japanese!) about it, but basically it is something along the lines of: what can the viewer read and digest within approx. 0.5 second and not more than 2 lines of text deep (it's irrelevant that the text may be on screen for 2, 3, 5 or more seconds)? As nice as it would be to do more, with more accuracy, that's the limit. On occasion, I practice my Japanese reading skills by attempting to follow the translation, and believe you me, most of the time they're not as accurate as I'd like. But the average layman viewer is satisfied with getting the gist of the dialogue. The one example coming clearly to mind is the translation of "He's just a grunt", which was rendered, "He's only a ground soldier". It got the main point across, but completely misses the nuances of grunt (specifically the derogatory aspects). With voice actors, it's readily apparent that they're "adapting" the intent of the script, and not reading a translation. This is most apparent in films like "Toy Story" or "Nemo". Those jokes are in the spirit of the original, but not the original ones per se. Which reminds me of something a friend once told me about the same joke in English and French: the punch line in each version is the exact opposite! Speaking of Harry Potter - lots of the students I teach love the story. They're absolutely blown away by the additional subtext when I talk about what the names of the characters imply. Weasely = weasel, the mort in Voldemort suggesting mortality or death (pending how strong you are in the Romance languages). Things like that. On the flip side, how many of use English speakers are getting the implications of Japanese character names? Shinji = believe in/place trust in, Rei = zero, cold; things like that. Translating is no easy task, but perhaps its best to approach it, especially when it comes to dubs and (to a slightly lesser degree) subs, that the script that you're hearing is an adaptation of a translation (somewhat akin to a movie adaptation of a novel), as a true literal translation wouldn't make very much sense, nor fit into the time constraints of film.
  15. sketchley
    In short, the Unified Government/Anti-Unification Alliance division is broadly painted in terms of the 1980-1983 world view. In short: East vs. West. HOWEVER, when one looks at the finer details, sections of each country supported either side. So, it's not as simple as East vs. West. Throw onto that the political/economic/religious/etc implications of confirmation of the existence of aliens, and one gets a 10 year war on an unheard of scale (think Germany at the end of WWII on a global scale). So, it's not anywhere as simple as "the UN as we know it morphed into the Unified Government" or "existing/current (as of 2013) political divisions morphed into the Unified Government/Anti Unification Alliance division".
  16. sketchley
    Complete! Heroine Gallery: Sheryl Nome x VF-19Kai / Kuran Kuran x VF-25G: http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRheroine/HeroineGalleryMF.php#SherlNomexVF-19Kai - The Klan Klan one was nice. The Sheryl one? Well, it certainly captures the mood of Nekki Basara. ER/RM++ Project: Timeline 10A: Macross, First Transformation: http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRtimeline/Timeline10A.php - basically the same partial translation as before with some tweaks, and a handful of sections that were revised in the Revised Ed.. This time, those revisions are a mixed bag. On the one hand, there are a couple of spots that are clarified. On the other hand, there are a couple of spots were information has been removed or kanji has been rendered in kana. Simplifying for the masses?
  17. sketchley
    Do you mean the 3 back rocket motors, or the large rockets in the dorsal FAST packs? In both cases, they're chemical rockets. In the latter, the VFMF series indicates that they use a hydrogen/oxygen slush for fuel.
  18. sketchley
    ER/RM++ Project: Technology 10A: Beam Weapons: http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRtechnology/10aBeamWeapons.php - nothing too unexpected, and I really like that they clarified what the Zentraadi impact/liquid plasma guns are. (I'd like to say some of the untranslated sections look tempting, but they appear to be recycling content from other sheets). Episodes: M05A & B: Super Dimensional Fortress Macross Eps. 5 "Transformation": http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRepisode/M05ABeps5.php - I was looking at the Nyan-nyan Restaurant section with some trepidation - and it turned out to be the most interesting! If you ever wanted to know what happened to Yo-chan. On a related note: does anyone remember if the original edition referenced any of the drama CDs? Plus 02A: Macross Plus "Episode 2": http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRepisode/Plus02ABeps2.php - some interesting stuff. Kudos for giving props to the screenplay writer!
  19. sketchley
    ER/RC++ Project: Mechanic: F SMS 05A: RVF-25 Messiah: http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRmechanic/Fsms05ARVF-25.php - no ER/RC on this one, just the stats block and the QF-4000 stuff. Nothing really unexpected... History 7 03A: The Drifting City 7: http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCRhistory/703aDriftingCity7.php - the sheet per se isn't that interesting, but it does underline the slow pace of Macross 7 and highlights how many of the story beats in the series aren't directly stated or shown (or if they were, how subtle they were). Thumbs up!
  20. sketchley
    Curious: how does pointing out the lack of a certain someone as the motivation for the relocation of Minmei's parents in any existing source material, and using sarcasm to point out that fallacious stereotype, fall foul of the no politics rule?
  21. sketchley
    [sarcasm] Didn't you know? All Chinese who ever left China, like ever, did it to flee Mao. Even the ones who left before 1949 and after 1976. [/sarcasm]
  22. sketchley
    Nope. See image here: http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Statistics/VF-11/VF11.php#OPTIONAL_SYSTEMS
  23. sketchley
    That Guraaji, she's got legs, and she knows how to use them ♪ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nZniMYCZp4
  24. sketchley
    There's not too much else, but keep in mind that they weren't just the owners of the pre-crash Macross - they were using it in fleet battles with the Zentraadi up to the point that they directed it to crash on Earth* - as the reason why they told it to fall to Earth was due to battle damage. Anyhow, more sources of info: - timeline http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Statistics/Sourcebook/Timeline.php#protoculture (note GREEN is official.) - read the Chronicle? http://sketchleystats.webatu.com/Trans/MCindex.php (Worldguide and History are the best places to start. Specifically the ones about the Protoculture, Zentraadi and Varohta Forces.) * I'm tempted to add that maybe some of them suicidal piloted it to Earth as its not directly stated either which way, but as this is an SF show, it's a safe bet to say that the ship was on autopilot.
  25. sketchley
    FYI: the VF-4 was based on the SR-71... http://nomansland.site.nfoservers.com/MRG-Active-Archive/forums/index.php?topic=2385.msg35718#msg35718
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