MrDisco

if i had the money and it had an english sub track no question i'ld get it. but alas i dont and it doesnt.

i'm curious are SOC toys considered expensive in Japan as well?

expensive yes. cheap plastic? no. never have i picked up a toy that had such density and heft. it feels as though they took a block of metal and carved the toy out of it. i dont see any piece on here that is not fully painted.

now that's a box set. as for the contents..its a show from the 70s with a tv sized budget. I don't think it should be judged too harshly also if it looks as though the red eye does not light up but is of a lenticular variety (ie. shift the box slightly and it will 'move').

advance word is that its a decent release (the manga) but there are some inconsistancies in the translation. also i'm not sure about Osaka's Brooklyn accent but oh well. can't wait for this (and the dvd) to ship here.

BBTS is accepting preorders, Kevin at VEX said he plans on carrying it, and HLJ will be accepting preorders in the near future. don't forgot blastotys who is also taking pre-orders

hmm guess i'm going to be the lone nitpicker on this one. compared to all the other TF toys this does look mighty impressive. i do not like the yellow head, i much prefer the other colour combo (maybe its for the japanese issue?). also from that angle his neck looks a little strange. going by that ebay auction are we to assume that the matrix will light up? thats pretty cool if it does (mmm mini blue leds). i can definately see this toy calling out for die cast.

I just finished watching the anime series 'Spiral: Bond of Reasoning' and once again i'm left disappointed. The story starts off with an attempted murder and from their we're thrown into a world of conspiracy, secret factions, intrigue, and suspense. our reluctant hero, Ayumu Narumi, is thrown into this world as he tries to locate the whereabouts of his older brother who vanished without a trace leaving his wife behind. along with his ever helpful classmate they slowly peel away at the larger mystery as Ayumu is thrown various 'tests' to see if he is the chosen one who can bring salvation to the 'Blade Children'. The Blade Children are a cursed group of kids who are hunted by the 'Hunters' (natch) who in their eyes view them as an abomination. Ayumu is part action hero, part sherlock holmes as he cooly disects his environment using the 'bond of reason'. oh and he's an accomplished ex-pianist who can never live up to his older brother's shadow. ok so far it sounds pretty good. If you like the X-Files (for its intrigue, suspense, and smart plots) or the movie 'The Game' then like me you'll probably get hooked on this series. it is a little far fetched in how Ayumu is able to pass the challenges thrown at him, and there is an over abundant use of bombs that it becomes to get stale in the later part of the series. i was willing to over look this as i wanted to know was what happened to his older brother, what exactly are the Blade Children, and why are they being hunted by various members of society (including police agents)? suffice to say the viewer is left in the dark. in the end we're left with a whiny anti-hero who is racked with self-doubt and some mumbo-jumbo about fate and the ability to change one's destiny. thats it. HUGE LETDOWN. why? why must anime series do this? are the japanese that averse to a proper ending? is closure a difficult thing to animate? i do not know. all i know is i wasted a weekend anticpating a truly mind bending climax and instead was given some pseudo-happy-non-ending. animation wise it was average. no cgi, typcial character designs. the OST was pretty good as it bordered on creepy (again in an X-Files way) during the suspensful parts, kicked into a techno groove when the action heated up, and during those moments of introspection we're given some nice piano scores. runs for 25 eps, 1 of which is a recap. rental at best.

if we didn't speculate then there wouldn't be much to talk about.

i always wondered why i stopped collecting SW figures (and at one point i had nearly all the new stuff that came out). seeing this reminded me of how stupid that toy line has become. congrats lucasarts...the SW line needs to die a horrible death along with ST.

i dont think ADV has a budget big enough to properly support a film like this. the last thing i want tos ee is second rate CGI, poor casting, and a butchering of the plot. if its going to succeed they need a cast that can properly play the neurotic (and lets face it all the principal characters in EVA are seriously messed up in the head).

if one of the suggestions is to put it on extended hiatus then i ask whats the difference? what will significantly change in 5-10yrs that will make ST viable then as opposed to now? the only thing i can think of is writers. so to me the solution is simple..get new creative blood into the franchise and dump the leeches who are in it for the cash cow. i think the interest is there for a good sci-fi series (b/c i cant think of anything good on tv right now that fits that bill). 1. no old characters. let them die a peaceful death. no cameos, no passing references, nothing. the ST universe is mature enough now that it doesn't need old characters to establish the plot. 2. personally i'm not a fan of prequels. they're too limiting. once you've setup future plot lines you can't go back and try expand those boundaries..not easily anyway 3. i like the idea of basing it on a lesser known section of Starfleet. they may not have the best equipement, or the brightest people but they still can get the job done. 4. expand on elements like section31, those aliens from earlier season of TNG that infilitrated itsway to the top of Starfleet command (and one of the grossest eps of TNG i've seen imo), etc. or failing all that kill the franchise and never bring it back. ever.

its too bad..they look cute but those costumes and wigs make them look like freaks.

no i stopped following GS since it was dropped

so is anyone fansubbing it?

naw i skipped these. too many bigger and better toys to buy.

also as an fyi one ep was removed due to recent events in japan and will be later added to the r2 dvd release.

i bought the series and regret it. its too crazy for my tastes and i dont find it particularly funny.

bleh thumbs down for this series. i tried watching it over the weekend and was disappointed by the crappy animation, the nonsensical 'plot', and the unfunny humour.

as mentioned the renewl project corrected alot of the jitters

i disagree. the remaster corrects alot of the jitter, sharpness, and color balance. putting the 2 side by side and right away any eva-nut will want the remaster. plus the box is hellacool only for r2 though..pity.

here's one implementation of it: http://roeder.goe.net/~koepi/xvid.shtml ok i can see why it was called FMP? as opposed to !. on the one hand ep1 was really funny - think Loony Toons only with our favourite FMP characters. on the other hand its a bit of let down for those hoping to see more of Whisper and the mechs. if it can maintain the humour and rapid pacing of the eps through out then i would give this a very favourable recomendation.

haha nicely put. Green Green is just as squishie.

i saw UdC quite a while ago but i think i was entertained much in the same manner. what do you think of Green Green or Popotan?

have you got the newest xvid codecs?