Dio

Apologies for the thread resurrection, but the discussion in the Newbie/Short Questions thread brought the topic up and I felt like responding to it with some thoughts I've had for a little while on it now (since recently re-watching Plus myself).

I know the 20-year debate has always been "did Guld rape Myung," as though the only thing getting much consideration is whether he went that far or not, but several things don't add up to me when I try to look at the whole situation critically, most pointedly the 3-way resentment between the characters.

Summary:
Guld's snapping was a major part of the split, but Isamu being a self-absorbed jerk was also a major part of it, and was actually what precipitated the event that triggered Guld's break. I do not believe Guld raped Myung, but he did have a violent outburst that shattered their friendship at a pivotal moment.


What we have to go on (the "evidence," including circumstantial):

Myung seemed shocked at first when she ran back into Guld at Star Hill (naturally, given a violent event took place at the assumed time of their split), and was especially startled when he put his hands on her shoulders, but seemed to have much more venom for Isamu when he showed up. She was also consistently rather forgiving to Guld through the rest of the series. In the dub (which I don't believe strays too far from the original spirit of the dialogue), she accused Isamu of "[leaving her] behind on this little planet," which I think has more significance than I typically see brought up in this discussion.

Guld, on the other hand, never seemed to show much outright romantic or lustfully competitive interest in Myung, instead demonstrating a fierce protective instinct toward her as the way to show his affection. He referenced a past vow/promise that he would "always protect her," and her song on the little player was his good luck charm the entire time. He showed some smugness over their romantic encounter after the concert hall fire, but even then his bragging amounted more to "she's (and the project is also) better off with me than you," rather than any kind of perceived accomplishment on his own part. This isn't to say he doesn't have serious psychological issues, but I do think it doesn't paint the picture of a rapist. He doesn't try to isolate her from anyone else possessively, doesn't fixate on her or stalk her, and instead it always seems more about his perception that Isamu ruins everything he touches. He has rage issues and suppresses his fighting instinct with drugs, but losing control seems like it would manifest as an outburst of violence to destroy what sets him off, rather than forcing himself on someone he harbors an affection for.

He, like Myung, holds an intense grudge against Isamu over something in the past - which doesn't add up if he was the sole offender in the split, because a blackout rage moment would be very hard to write over with a specific memory of Isamu doing something equally heinous. He very clearly blames Isamu for something he does remember.

Isamu is no angel himself, he's clearly and consistently a jerk who just wants to fly planes and live one minute to the next (even going back to stealing and crashing Guld's school festival plane). Guld + Myung doesn't bother him in the slightest, but he would have to be a special kind of uncaring @$$ to not have any concern over a sexual assault victim being that close to her attacker, just from a common decency standpoint.

Guld's flashback begins with him walking in on Isamu and Myung together. In the first still, Isamu is comforting a crying Myung, but then in the next stills: Isamu gets up and walks away, Myung follows and pulls him back, they embrace but still look very sad. Guld rushes in, punches Isamu as Isamu pushes Myung out of the way, Guld follows Myung to the floor and grabs her shirt, pulling it and tearing it before the image in the mirror snaps him out of his memory. Earlier on, we had also seen an aftermath flashback of Isamu holding Myung in a torn shirt, looking straight at Guld.

Why was Guld dropping by in the first place, and why were Isamu and Myung upset before he walked in? I think this was Isamu's farewell moment, and it broke Myung's heart. Guld, walking in at the moment where he saw the object of his affection in tears over being spurned and Isamu leaving them behind, lost control and attacked Isamu, and then tried to forcibly take Myung away from the situation to a safe, isolated place (similar to how he took her away from the concert hall fire to her hotel room, rather than a hospital). The shirt got torn as she fought back to resist the abduction, and at that point he came enough to his senses (and Isamu probably intervened as well) that he could be pushed off.

At this point he burned the image into his subconscious memory of Isamu holding a battered Myung in his arms, but was in shock at his own actions and still in the fog of the moment as he left. Isamu and Myung couldn't accept that their best friend had that kind of violence in him, and understandably severed ties, but Isamu also stuck to his plan and left the planet shortly after, leaving Myung heartbroken and alone, and Guld with no other means of confronting the amnesia. 7 years of simmering on the memory of Isamu hurting Myung's feelings and running away (since it's unlikely they talked after the encounter), and Guld came to perceive Isamu as a hurtful and selfish coward, unaware of his own actions bearing a significant portion of the blame for the split.

I know the artistry of the scenes leaves much to the imagination of the viewer, but to me this scenario explains Myung's resentment toward Isamu, as well as her caution-tinged-with-pity (and even some forgiveness?) toward Guld. It also explains why the incident would go unmentioned for so long, rather than trying to reconcile keeping a rape secret for 7 years, and why Guld would have such animosity toward Isamu. Isamu remains a jerk, Guld is pitiable but still seriously flawed as well. Myung gets her heart broken, but in a way that adds up with the actions in the present.

Blue-rays 2 & 3 just dropped on my doorstep, I know how my afternoon will be spent now!

Disc 3 had a "2nd Live" sticker on the packaging, and both had Bandai Visual Club codes enclosed, are either of those good for anything promotional?

Part man. Part machine. All sith.

ManBearSith!

Finally saw it over the weekend, and was a little disappointed. Overall it was good, but there was too much shaky-cam so the action scenes didn't measure up to Winter Soldier for me. Also, given my limited experience with comics, I went into the movie just knowing what the Wikipedia site said about the Civil War comic run... I know the movies follow a different track, but this version didn't seem to grasp the issues as seriously as I hoped it would.

Please forgive the euphemism, but going in, I was firmly prepared to be "Team Cap" with a possibility of changing my mind ("Team Iron Man") depending on how the story went. Instead, it felt like watching a messy breakup, and I think I have to say I'm "Team Spidey" coming out of it.

My 2-year old constantly asks to watch "Topia," begs to hear the theme song on car rides, and today we even played it on the tablet to keep him calm during a haircut. He has a themed t-shirt for it, loves to ID animals he sees, dances to the music...

For me and mama it's a good flick as well. We love cop shows, the humor is all-ages appropriate (with a few innuendos that fly past the kid radar), and the movie's obvious moral lesson is delivered quite tastefully rather than being heavy-handed or simplistic. I don't mind having to watch it about once or twice a week, though I am still trying to get the little man interested in How to Train Your Dragon, for a little more variety.

Got my Fortress Maximus yesterday, and having never owned one of the originals during G1, it definitely checks that bucket list item nicely. Cerebros is pretty cool, even in light of also owning PE Warden, and despite the blocky appearance FM is quite posable.

Overall it feels like a well-done kitbash of Metroplex rather than a remold, but that isn't really a knock against it, just an observation based on all the vestigial features that were just left in place and not cleaned up.

I do plan to get the 3P hand upgrade set for both FM and Metroplex, as the originals leave much to be desired, but aside from that they make great decorations atop my office bookshelves (and my 2-year old can't resist triggering their electronics).

I finally got a chance to take some photos of my touch-up job on Blurr, using mostly silver and a little gold Sharpie marker to highlight the vents and other features molded on the figure. I think it really perks up the Hasbro monotone deco, though I still have a Legends Blurr on order for the more cheerful cartoon deco.

Showin' off those abs!

Gotta say, after thinking on it more, I think my biggest shock from these teasers/trailer was that "Rogue One" may not necessarily amount to "Rogue Squadron." It sounds like a callsign for sure, but if I let go of that association and just try to enjoy it for what it looks like, I'm much more optimistic.

Also, the AT-AT getting knocked sideways by the rocket was awesome enough to make me overlook the impracticality of the shot.

So, just thought I'd plant the bug of an idea... how cool would a VF-31 Kai Fire version look? In the same vein as all the special color versions of the YF-29, I think it could totally be done.

Everyone, thanks for all the help.

Yes, we need the SANKYO presents 戦術音楽ユニット ワルキューレ 1st LIVE in Zepp "Walkure Attack!" voucher number only.

Thanks again.

Dang it, I am so sorry I didn't track this thread and send it to you! I didn't get any responses initially, and assumed it was one of the codes to get a retailer incentive after getting the whole set that folks were discussing. I hope everyone got one that was looking for it.

Right now we're in Daylight Savings Time. So if the PO time is 4pm in Japan, then it's 12midnight for US Pacific Standard Time.

...making it 2:00 AM Central Standard Time. Y'all have fun with that one, I'll wait for Delta 04.

Well it worked for The Force Awakens....

What in particular are you referencing for TFA? The lead characters in that movie were a mystery Force user with a decade plus of salvage experience (and implied hereditary gifts), an elite pilot acknowledged as the best in the Resistance, and a conscript with years of training/knowledge of the Starkiller base.

The rap sheet in the Rogue One trailer (and the back-talk to Mon Mothma) makes the lead seem like a "punk teenager with authority issues" archetype. The supporting character "could you continue to fight? What will you become?" tagline sets this up like an origin story, but there's only one movie to work with. No chronologically appropriate sequels or spinoffs planned, no character reuse outside of EU content. In keeping with this being a Macross forum, it would be like compressing half of the original Macross series into a single movie about Hikaru's rise from disobedient stunt pilot to squad leader and undertaking a critical mission, a growth story that really needs some time to set up.

I think "captured former spy now working for us" would have been a better fit. Again, good writing may surprise me and bring it all together well, but I'm skeptical.

I would like to state for the record that many Bothans died obtaining information on the SECOND Death Star, not the first.

All we know now about how the first Death Star's plans came into Leia's possession is that rebel spaceships striking from a hidden base have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. We also know that during the fighting rebel spies managed to steal plans to the space station and then transmitted said plans to the Tantive IV and Princess Leia who was under the cover of a diplomatic mercy mission.

My bad, I stand corrected. Still serious business, regardless of the casualties not being a future point to conform to.

Many bothans died correcting this information. We used to know that mercenary Kyle Katarn shot up an entire base in the process of securing those plans. But he isn't real anymore.

Yeah, the one-person army works for video games, but not really in space opera.

That trailer makes the movie seem less like an espionage story, and more like Jyn Erso's story, and not in a good way. I don't have any issue with the lead being female, but the archetype they chose for her just feels overdone these days with all the YA novels getting adapted to film.

Considering the point in the series story, and the serious tone of the content, I would have expected the main protagonist to be someone more elite and experienced (e.g. a squadron leader or pro spy), not a rebellious young loner getting thrust into an unfamiliar situation and saving the day. The writing and acting may totally vindicate the choice, but I am concerned the "snarky troublemaker" lead could weaken what's essentially a story about one of the franchise's historic, and very costly, acts of espionage. It was a serious point that many Bothans died to obtain this information.

I realize my criticisms could just as easily be leveled at ANH (farmboy saves galaxy), and I do feel it reflects some simplistic writing from decades ago, but would expect the characterization to be more appropriate to the content in this story. TFA did an excellent job with its characters, but Rogue One is worrying me a little.

Hasbro, please give me a TR Voyager class Jetfire next, and name the headmaster "Hunter" just to twist the knife

Any way we could petition the developer to include an English subs/text option? That would have been relatively low-impact but could have made a huge difference for Macross 30.

Got mine last night and finally got to see Mission 03! Now begins the 2-month wait for the next pair I pre-ordered...

The package quality is amazing, easily the nicest box on my shelf. It also came with a 16-digit code thing I don't think I am likely to redeem, any idea what it's for?

Mike, did you have to do the tab trim fix on Vulcan to get it to lock together for torso mode?

I'm amazed/impressed they got anything even at all resembling the FOC Nemesis design out of the WFC dino mode. Would prefer a much more city-ish/G1-ish "fortress" mode though.Not sure about the 3rd "different jet" mode. Would rather effort/parts have gone into better city mode.

Yeah that is an odd difference, basically making him a Duocon - the "different jet" is just missing the leg-scorpion half. It doesn't compromise the other modes, and may be a necessary (and cleverly forgivable) concession to make them all work.

The city/base mode reminds me more of the Pandinus "temple" than a more conventional cityformer, but given the canon alt modes are "Nemesis" and "giant nondescript orbital kill-sat," I just consider it a bonus.

Hopefully the other companies rumored to be working on Trypticons will show their hand soon, but this is a hard design to top.

Too much TFCon news to post, other than:

My budget for next year is already gone, to buy PX's WFC Trypticon.

Ditto. PX Trypticon is the one figure speculated about in the last few years that I vowed to pre-order on sight if it happened. The slides of the design confirm every ounce of faith I had that the company would do it right.

A silver Sharpie marker can work wonders on Hasbro Blurr. I'll try to get some pics uploaded tonight, toddler willing.

Still have the Legends version on pre-order though, I don't mind getting both since the figure is awesome design-wise.

Despite the politics around this movie and how much those turned me off to it, I actually found those clips pretty entertaining. Now I wonder if I might really enjoy the film despite the early hesitation, similar to the new live-action(ish) TMNT movies.

Also, they discuss whether or not to include the crawl in the offshoot films.

Been wondering about the crawl myself. Personally, I like the idea f leaving it out and only using it for saga movies.

Chris

I'm kinda leaning that way, myself. Or perhaps do something new and different with it.

We had this discussion over lunch a couple days ago, and decided they just need a Top Gun-style intro with X-wings. Highway to the Danger Zone!!!

In Macross 30: Voices Across the Galaxy, numerous NPC escort/protection mission objectives are privately owned Valkyries of various makes and models. Hunter's Guild head Mei Ririon also has an apparently privately owned VF-27γ Lucifer.

I was just going to say, relative cost and performance between Valkyrie models can be easily tabulated via the Macross 30 parts-to-build scale.

VF-22 Gamlin version still dominates all others.

I am anxiously awaiting the first volume, and (like the Frontier movies) will buy the entire set. It's a small way to vote with my wallet for the future of Macross, and it doesn't hurt that the set is gonna be gorgeous.

Now the only tough call is do I order multiple volumes at once to save on shipping, or individually so I get new eps every month? I've only watched the first 2 online and am holding out for the blue-rays for further episodes (though I do listen to the spoiler-cast... may stop that too at some point).

Mikumo is going to remote control Messer's VF-31 via slave mode, and avenge him while simultaneously revealing her androidism next episode. The foreshadowing was there from the beginning, first the boomerang drones and now a full Valkyrie.

Next, Elysion.