VFTF1

I would like to comment on the picture of the ARMD-1 bastardization for Robotech "Source" book that Anime52K put up for us:

My main gripe with it is the "bridge/building" - here's the problem:

The original ARMD-1 has the bridge/control center in the front - it all fits in that bulging protrusion. Now - given that said buldging protrusion is probably the size of a very large building...then the vertical "building/bridge" they put up in the "aircraft carrier" spirit has got to be HUGE. I mean - unless this version of the ARM is proportionally scaled down...but then that would limit the space on the landing platform...

I dunno...

In any case - what size is the SDF-1? Because I think that without the answer to this question, there's no way Warner can get the LAM off the ground.

Pete

I've decided, the next thing you need to see is absolutely the Galaxy Express 999 movies (Galaxy Express 999, and Adeiu Galaxy Express 999: Final Station Andromeda). Those movies are the archetypes for what evolved into Gurren Lagann, not so much the super robot side, but the epic tale of passionate men side.

Well... where can I buy the DVD? Lately I've been on an anti-download kick; mainly for utilitarian reasons - namely - I periodically get computer viruses which require me to reboot via partitions or whatever it's called and erase everything but the basics... and I guess I could have burned some DVDs...but I think someone made me realize that would take lots of them...

In any event, right now I'm going to focus on getting the second season of Haruhi Suzumiya - Japanese DVDs which apparently have english subtitles.

Can you get Crunchyrool in Poland, Pete? They're currently streaming both the original Gundam and Zeta. Sadly, they're the dubbed versions, though.

Nope. No Hulu, no Crunchyroll.

Pete

Well I'd love to see Zeta - but for some inexplicable reason it's unavailable to me on DVD...and I also can't find anywhere where it can be downloaded! Why is Zeto so hard to get a look see of?

Pete

If I ran this place, I would can rule 1, rule 2 and rule 3.

Actually, the most tyrannical oppressive inhumane rule on this forum is Rule 5, point 6. Just point 6. I once fell afowl of that rule and had my thread closed because of it...

As for Dragonar....

HEY BOYS - why don't YOU get him and tell us all about him? I was kind of thinking about getting him too

Pete

Is that the newest Dragonar? Or am I confused... in any case - I haven't seen anyone around here showing their off - but I'm sure someone MUST have it

As for working out and eating the same things at the same time each day... I really admire you guys with your diet plans - but I just can't do it. I do work out, and I feel great - but I can't change my eating habits. I like to eat. I do try to just also drink more fresh orange juice and grape fruit juice, have generally tried cutting down on fast food ... but... I dunno...I just like eating... I don't want to give that up... kind of like smoking...I already had to basically give up drinking because I can't drink and drive - so now I only drink when I KNOW I won't be getting into the car until the next day (and not early in the morning either) ...

I dunno... I'm trying to be conscious of what I eat... trying not to over do it... but ... dag...going cold turkey ...I dunno... I need to find the time to read up on it... it's just I really really love eating...

Pete

Everybody knows Macross is just a Yamato rip off anyways, and the SDF-1 is 1500 feet long.

So why is this thread 36 pages? Beats me.

Pete

Well, just got done with the second film and am going to watch the third - but first some impressions:

1. I'm so thankful this has english subs. The Haruhi DVDs ONLY have Polish subs, and my Polish is not good enough to be able to read the subs fast enough to also then actually WATCH the anime... so actually, most of the time I don't really read the Polish subs in Haruhi - I just go by memory of what they were saying from my old downloads. Since I watched the episodes like a million times, I pretty much remember...quick glances at the Polish subs give me the gist and that's enough...

Thankfully with Gundam this isn't necessary since the english subs are there.

2. Oh..boy... this "movie" sure had a LOT to compile...I mean...Ramb Ralh, Kai's spy girlfriend, Amuro's EMO-trip, the love/death of Matilda, the battle and Jamblow... thus, this movie felt REALLY like it was all over the place, and sometimes rushed. I guess there was no other way to do it...but...

That said - I'm PISSED that they left out the SALT. The reason why the White Base diverted in the desert was because the cook told Bright that they ran out of salt and everyone would die in a few days from salt deprivation. I always thought that was some great writing and for me - that was an important scene. They could have put it in...

Also - by this point the civilians-on-White-Base arc has totally been abandoned. I mean... they could have showed them going somewhere...or something...

Well...

Whatever... it's ok. It's hard to cram 41 plot thick episodes into compilation movies - but these do all right!

Pete

In that case I have both. The DVDs give me the option of selecting "Japanese" and "Japanese 5.1"

I selected Japanese...I think...or maybe 5.1 ? Hell.. .I dunno... but in any event I have both versions....

Pete

If Pete manages to convert a Polish copper to Haruhism I will put a picture of him in full SOS brigade outfit as my wallpaper!

I think the best I could do would be to ask my girlfriend to dress up in a sexy police officer uniform and put ony my Danchou badge... But not now. In March, it's both Women's Day AND her birthday - so out of the question for me to make such requests.... If business goes ok, and I manage to treat her to something special, then she MIGHT just be inclined to do it

Pete

I am happily watching the Gundam compilation movies. I'm 2/3 of the way through the first one. Gonna make India Curry and watch the remainder up through the third one tonight. I am loving it. It's the series with a few short-cuts. I kind of miss the scenes the cut - mainly the death of the original Captain of the White Base. Seeing him just wheeled off on Luna 2 diluted from the tragic nature of the narrative.

But they did a great job picking the trully important parts. The epic shots are still there - foremost Amuro's wheeping mother as the White Base takes off - wheeping for what her son had become...

This is really a masterpiece show. Seriously. Ideon compares well, but all the future Gundam series have just fallen so flat on me. I'll get them, of course... but... this is the best.

Poland is pretty good in terms of what Gundam anime is available here. F91, the entire SEED series (10 DVDs I think), 0083 (or something like that)...

But I'm not expecting much of those. I watched the CGI rendered Igloo 2, I suffered 20 episodes of Turn A Gundam, and I made it through Gundam SEED Destiny the movie just because it was so god-aweful...well...ok - only the first movie... I didn't have the heart for the rest....

And - Char's Counter Attack - I slept through that; though the mecha animation is amazing - I'll grant that.

But this Mobile Suit Gundam is simply the best - because it's so basic and raw. Scenes like Frau Bau's mother and Grandfather dying. The drunken soldiers in Amuro's mom's home. The despair of Amuro's mother.

Char's honor-killing/dupping of Garma. The grief of Garma's fiance and her father's stoic resolve that the "situation" has handled itelf to his desire. The intramural competition between the Zabi family....

It's all so very very basic - no super crap. Just WWII with space ships and giant robots.

Speaking of which - I love the sound effects. When jets get hit, we hear the metal sheered open by the blasts. It's far more haunting than the sanitized battle sound effects of Star Wars where it's just zip zip zip! lasers and wweee booom!!

Here you can feel the armor giving way and the dread of the pilots as they die.

I think that the sound effects are actually the BEST that have ever existed in ANY anime - because so much care was taken to make them realistic, which enhances the viewing experience.

And the animation itself is also simple and down to earth - only Gurren Lagann, with its' retro-animation style, comes close to matching this.

A brilliant brilliant achievement.

And Macross does a great job picking up and enhancing the themes in Gundam - albeit more operetically...

Anyways - I'm a happy duckling.

Pete

I'm going to be the proud owner of all three Gundam Compilation movies within a few hours - and will watch them and rave about them shortly.

Pete

Just a few days prior to receiving that cease and desist letter, their advertising account on RobotechX was proclaiming the first "episode" of the project was going to be complete and rolled out in about one month's time. Assuming that he wasn't giving an optimistic estimate, they were pretty close to having something tangible out there. Now, what actually got shown over those six years were a few entirely unimpressive stills of their ugly mechanical designs and two or three trailers that made the designs look even uglier than the stills.

Lots of promises and nothing to show for except some designs and ugly stills?

No wonder HG came down hard on these guys!

They were stealing the HG business model hook, line and sinker!

Pete

There's a simple solution, get some red material, and a sharpie, and make some extra armbands to keep in your car. Next time they pull you over, offer them one, along with a pamphlet preaching the gosphel of Haruhi-ism. If that doesn't get them to leave you alone, nothing will.

Oh My Goodness! You're right!! I TOTALLY forgot about the pamphlets! I need to make those!! Good call !

But does anybody have a full translation of the pamphlet? Is it in the episode?

Pete

Move to the US. They can't search your vehicle without your permission or due process.

Back on topic, now that I have been Haruhi-ized, I am downloading some songs to listen to.

Songs from Haruhi are great! I have a CD of J-pop from Gurren Lagann, Macross and Haruhi that I listen to sometimes in my car. From Haruhi, I have Mikuru no-detsu, God Knows, Lost my Music, Super Driver and the opening to season 1. All of them rock.

As to the car searches and due process...yeah ... well... to quote Obi Wan: that was back in the "Days of the Old Republic, before the Dark Times, before the Empire."

Nowadays anybody can pretty much do whatever they want to you.

I think if the brigade chief saw it, she'd end the world and create a better one - but that's just me...

Pete

Oh I have no doubt that his being disgruntled is for a legitimate reason and there's a perfectly good reason I never tried to bother participating over there... their forums looking like ass don't help, either.

My avatar begs to differ... Not all asses look the same!

Pete

Makes me wonder if you ever watched the English Dub of Batman the animated series.

Anyway Hamil is one of the few actors that knows he doesn't have the looks he once had, realizes it and then capitalizes on his other talents.

Hm... well... ok - I'll admit I didn't know he looks like THIS now.. BUT...

This isn't as bad as it looks. First of all - those wrinkles on his forehead? Zap 'em with botox. I mean - come on. On principle, there's nothing wrong with having a beard, but he just looks unkept here. His hair is a mess and he dresses like a honkey.

His nose is slightly disfigured - maybe residue from that car accident? But in a man, that could be attractive and it could give his face a gritty character. In other pictures, his eyes look like they're not doing too well - but again - gritty gritty gritty.

He needs to hire that guy ...what's his name? ... the one Bruno interviewed...the big shot Holywood image man...whatever - ANY image specialist will do.

In these pictures - he looks like he doesn't care what he looks like.

He looks like ME when my girlfriends break up with me.

I remember when my Misa wasn't seeing me for months on end, and suddenly she called me and we went to have chinese food. I looked as I'd looked for the previous few months - baggy smelly drab sweater, hair totally out of wack...tired look in the eyes, unevenly shaved ... basically like Mark Hamil - it's the "I have no more beautiful girlfriend so why should I shower?" look.

Dig it! Mark Hamel could look better. But either his girl friend dumped him (that picture was 2002) or his wealth has made it so that all he does is drink and not sleep.

Or - god forbid - he had health problems?

In either case... a little bit more time at the gym, a nice girl and a good stylist would do wonders for him.

And I STILL am a big Mark Hamil fan nonetheless - just because he was in Star Wars Like I said...that's enough.

Oh - and no - I didn't recall him being Joker - although I did watch the WB Batman... but I think I watched in with a Polish dude dubing over it...talking over it...

errr...

and...

Robotech sucks!

Except the part where Mark Hamil says something.

Pete

I think the thing is that nobody in Japan gives a flip about whether Macross Frontier will be legally available for the barbarians to consume (aka us). From what I know, and my humble experience, and what little birdies have whispered in my ear, Japanese anime companies, be they the toy makers, or the actual anime makers and their respective sponsors - basically "the Japanese anime industry" don't give a crap about anywhere but Japan. All other markets are secondary.

And if you think about it, it's pretty much the same in the USA. Hasbro makes GI Joe and Transformers primarily for the American market - international sales are big, but ultimately secondary in terms of the marketing strategy.

And this is no surprise. Anime has a strong tradition in Japan. It has no such tradition in Europe. The French seem to love certain anime and are generally fond of it, but beyond France - most of the rest of Europe isn't.

At least not to the level where it would seem normal for them to build 1:1 Gundam statues in the middle of their cities.

Even most of the legally distributed anime DVDs are usually hard to come by. You need to go to specialty shops or hunt on line. If you find them in a video store, they're usually in disarray and incomplete.

The Japanese anime industry is never going to get serious about marketing their stuff to a global audience because the demand isn't there, and it's hard to do with marketing what 50 years of organic culture have done - that is to say... it's the same with "classic Americana" stuff. People who didn't grow up with American pop culture won't adopt it on the basis of a quarterly marketing campaign. Seriously. At least not the same extent as Americans.

You just have to accept that not all markets are the same and that diversity is here to stay - and just because a strategy works in one place, it doesn't work everywhere.

Of course there will always be niche markets and niche demand - but it's never going to be big enough to make sense to bring it over the way that people like me or some on this baord would imagine.

Macross is just a special case where it's made even harder than usually due to the legal problems.

Pete

Well...I checked the fuses. At least - I pulled them out and did indeed see the prongs. Some of them were a little brownish. Not very. But a little. The fillament...oh crap! It must be the fillament because the fuses themselves are fine... I even interchanged soe of them (all of them say "15" on them so I assumed they were interchangable) and everything works...

Oh well - whatever. Tomorrow morning I'll swing by the local mechanic...hopefully he'll fix this up fast! I hate being carless!

Thanks for your help!!

Pete

Re: Alien Prequil -

To paraphrase Ash:

What's the point? ... I mean by the...I mean we'll know...by the time it takes to get there...we'll know if they've found something?

Translation:

Alien is an excellent movie on its' own merits. Leave it be.

Pete

I'm confused, so your low beams don't work, and your high beams work but they're from the same projector? From your picture, i would've assumed the outside lights are turn signals the middle lights are low beam and the inside lights are high beam. In any case, light bulbs don't cost much, i would buy one and replace the light bulb first, and if it doesn't work, you can check the fuses. If you open your fuse box, typically they provide you a fuse tool (it's a pair of plastic plier looking things), you can use these to pull fuses out of the box and see if the filament is still intact. What you'll be looking for in the fuses is if the filament is disintegrated; when you pull the fuse out, you will see two prongs, and connecting these two prongs is a plastic colored shroud with a thin filament that connects the prongs closing the ckt. If the filament is disintegrated then you can assume it's bad and replace it, if the fuses continue to burn out after replacement you likely have a wire grounded out somewhere.

Hi,

Thanks a lot for the helpful info! I guess I need to fish around for the fuse tool. I did open the fuse box, but saw nothing like it...

Anyways - yeah - the high beams are the lights that seem not to be working. The reason I find it inconcievable that it would be the bulbs is that it's wierd for both the right and the left to burn out simultaneously...

anyways - ok - off to find the fuse tool! I guess I can also look for some plastic plyers in the basement too...

I'm assuming I should have my engine turned off when I start pulling fuses out

Pete

I'd love to hear what the Polish police though of your explanations pertaining the above said material!

I'm sure they're still piecing it together, since I told them I wouldn't talk to them and refused to open my trunk until I called a lawyer who told me that, unfortunately, they apparently have the right to search my car at will...

When the guy asked me about my Dan-Chou arm band and why I wear it, I pointed to his badge and said "why do you wear that?"

This is my second time getting pulled over by cops... somehow given my attitude - I doubt it's my last

But - yeah... the Arm Band has gotten me some stares. I think it's just because it's a red armband with something in black on it - and so I'm sure that sub-consciously people think I'm a Nazi wearing a Nazi armband...then they see the Japanese and feel kind of cheated out of their righteous rage which must therefore subside... so the next thing that comes to mind is "maybe it's some radical terrorist symbol" - I'm sure. Or maybe it says "Heil Hitler in Japanese?" ...

I find it stupid mainly because if you look around at how people dress in these modern times, T-shirts say the craziest things on them - often erotic/sexual content or profanities or vaguely "counter culture" rebellious...

But most of these symbols are well known in the popular mind - therefore, they are no longer truly rebellious or sub-versive and they don't raise eyebrows...

But the Haruhi armband -- that gets stares and looks because it's so out of the ordinary and it's RED! and vivid red always gets looks....

Oh well. Whatever...I got ticketed (again) - not for speeding this time, but for driving without my headlights on... apparently they're busted...or maybe not...I'm still in the process of figuring it out...

They also wanted to ticket me for not having a fire extinguisher -- but after tossing around all the crap I have in my trunk (rotting murder victims, sacks of cocaine, latest 12 year old boy that I was taking home to rape and canibalize - that kind of stuff), I finally found the bloody fire extinguisher and saved myself from being fined for not having one

Thank God they didn't ask me to OPEN the first aid kit ... all my heroine is stashed there!

Pete

Question to the greese monkey inclined:

My headlights seem not to want to turn themselves on. The short lights and all the other lights and everything else works fine. Long blazing lights also work (but only from the short lights, not the head lights) - it's a Mazda 626. I've drawn an MS Paint below to show you what I'm on about:

I'm thinking it might be the fuses. I find it hard to believe that two bulbs have simultaneously just burned out? ...

I found the fuse box under the hood - the helpful diagram clearly indicates which fuse is for the Long Head lights.

But...

How do I check the fuses? What do I do now?

Tomorrow's monday and I will take it to the car mechanic - but today he's closed, and I'm pissed and impatient - so if there's anything I can do now to try and fix it - lemme know

Also...I found some kind of cable with a plug-type ending just fricking dangling around under the hood... doing nothing... I THINK it's the car alarm which I had de-activated last year after it randomly came on in the middle of driving...

But maybe it's not?

Anyways...I can take a picture of what's under the hood if somebody wants - but if you can just lemme know how to check the fuses or any other advice - that would help.

Thanks!

Pete

Oh... this I did not know This makes it sound fascinating! I need to get season 2 and watch all 8 Endless Eights in that case!

In other news - I just got pulled over by cops who searched my car and asked me probing questions about my Dan-Chou armband and my SOS-Dan t-shirt....

They fear us!!

Pete

Re: Mark Hamil:

You know... the thing is - his role in Star Wars is enough - it was enough. All else can be forgiven. I even agree that his acting in Star Wars was "poor" -- but...whose wasn't? I mean, actors like Harrison Ford and Obi Wan Guy had to tone it down to fit into the movie. ..

I dunno - I don't think Mark's fame is undeserved - and even in his capacity as a B movie actor - there's a reason to be sentimental for him. I'm a big Mark Hammil fan and genrally tend to be open to watching movies with him in them - just to see him, and even if he does a "bad" job - he does a Mark Hamil job - and that's enough.

I regret him having a part in Shadow Chronicles because I think that people should think twice about taking part in HG projects - but on the other hand, it's just another piece of Americana/arcane reference... Fine...

It's like Mari Ijima voicing Minmey in HG's dubs...

You can hate the company - but that doesn't mean that their janitor is Satan - and it certainly doesn't mean Mark or Marii are evil. They are just making a buck the only way they can. Fine.

All this just to say that I will never complain about Mark Hamil's acting because I don't expect MORE from him than what we got in Star Wars.

However - I do think sometimes that HE had certain delusions about his skills. I remember watching an interview with Mark and Harisson Ford. The lady interviewing them was asking about the (then) upcoming Empire Strikes Back - what would happen to the heros Luke and Han - and one of the big questions was "who would end up being with Lea."

I remember in the interview Harrison Ford was very VERY humble about his role in the films and very demure about himself as an actor. He was certainly not enthusiastic, but he WAS professional and measured.

Mark Hammil on the other hand was like "I was contracted to do three films, I was made very well, I am set for life, I am just that good, I am the best, My character will have an epic moment in the upcoming film, I am the main attraction, I am a star, I am the most popular man in the universe" ...

It was funny watching it in retrospect because maybe at that point and time Mark did imagine that Star Wars was the begining of his decades spanning career track that would make him one of Holywoood's biggest CONSTANT names - names that keep getting noted for the films they do.

Every actor has this phase - I remember when Brad Pitt was "popular" ... now Brad Pitt is actually a GOOD actor. Not necessarily always at the top of the charts - but certainly he keeps popping up in lots of good movies in various rolls.

If an actor can survive the phase of "famous fad" that comes with a popular popcorn flick roll and not get type cast into the "moment" - then they're set for life, because they will keep rolling up credits.

Mark apparently just couldn't do that - and all that was left to him was to be the Bold Print on B-movies that would get people to think "hey - let's watch this otherwise crap looking film, b ecause since Mark Hamill is in it - then MAYBE it'll have the Star Wars magic?"

And that's why people use him today - his name immediately makes people think "Mark Hamil did Star Wars - so maybe this movie will also be just as good?"

But to me - personally - that isn't reason to put him down. He's a B-actor, and Star Wars was a B movie that went A list and shocked the world.

Pete

The thing is - I think it's impossible to replicate the rage now that everybody "knows" ... I mean - part of the rage was the you at least expected that maybe each episode would have some kind of minor variation....some easter egg...some subtle difference...also, people didn't believe they'd do 8 whole repeats.... they'd sit down to an ep/download and have an expectation for ANYTHING or than another repeat...and they'd get a repeat...

Replicating that rage now would be nigh impossible...IMO.

Pete