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F-ZeroOne

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  1. F-ZeroOne
    I obviously didn't grow up with these anime, but back when the internet was something that existed only in William Gibsons mind, I used to read about it in magazines like Anime UK. Thats given a fondness for all those anime that I never got to see at the time (at least, until the anime 'splosion and the internet escaped from Gibsons brain into reality) and its still my favourite period of anime. Plus: Ayakawa Madoka. sigh.
  2. F-ZeroOne
    In the UK, we've recently had broadcast a four-part series called "Wonders of the Universe", featuring Professor Brian "Even the guys want him!" Cox. I haven't seen "Cosmos", but from what I've heard about that series, "Wonders" is pretty much a modern day update.
  3. F-ZeroOne
    Actually, using models presents a bit of an accuracy dilemma in itself - do you match them against the aircraft that were available or authentic, period-accurate aircraft? Many of the "real" aeroplanes in "The Battle of Britain" came from many different periods of the war - a few were actually post-war marks or variants, including many of the "German" aircraft, which IIRC were mostly post-war Spanish built with Merlin engines! Its been a while since I've seen that film, but IIRC the model He-111s had been built with "Merlins" as well...! CGI can help in this respect but due to the limited availability of period-accurate aircraft unless you replace the "real" thing completely you might still be using an aircraft that isn't "completely" authentic (actually, there probably isn't a "warbird" flying today thats 100% authentic, due to the necessity or re-manufacturing parts etc - pretty much the first thing thats done with all re-built Spitfires is to replace the original fasteners, which were originally made from a metal that would start eating into the airframe over time!).
  4. F-ZeroOne
    There is indeed - Stephen Fry, the screenwriter, has commented to the effect that its an "unwinnable" battle; whatever they decide to do about it will annoy someone, though I have a suspicion at least some of those arguing in favour of strict historical accuracy are not in fact interested in strict historical accuracy but have some other agenda...
  5. F-ZeroOne
    Put another shilling on the tab for that, old chap. We do at least have the Peter Jackson produced/Stephen Fry written "Dambusters" remake coming up.
  6. F-ZeroOne
    You could try asking the experts at Alen Yens Toybox DX. Rumour is that they know their stuff. http://www.toyboxdx.com/
  7. F-ZeroOne
    Just a weird thought having just watched 2.22 - what if they Rebuild of Gundam?
  8. F-ZeroOne
    Gundam: Origin: I guess this way everyone gets to be happy, as long as they don't screw it up. Its nice that they're taking a shot at what I guess is essentially a remake of the original (who will they find to play Bright, I wonder?) but it will be interesting to see if the other announced shows are going to break a lot of new ground - Bandai is making the yen whatever, but will we see anything that pushes the Gundam boundaries as much as Turn-A anytime soon, I wonder?
  9. F-ZeroOne
    I'm willing to hold judgement until I've actually played it, but what does worry me a little bit is that Ace Combat is going to lose just a little bit of its soul. The storylines have never made a great deal of sense (before anyone starts, I never got the chance to play Electrosphere!), but we already have enough games where serious people give briefings to other serious people in grim Russian accents. If - as one of the games producers has said - the change is because the market doesn't seem to want games that aren't set in the "real" world, then the market can go dance with the angels!
  10. F-ZeroOne
    The current series has just taken its mid-season break with something of a blockbuster of an episode. According to text at the end, the next episode has the best Doctor Who episode title, ever (following title reasonably large spoiler):
  11. F-ZeroOne
    You beat me to it! Considering the obvious limitations, I enjoyed it immensely. There were some interesting ideas in there and it does highlight the advantages of animation over live action. You can watch Jon Pertwee kick ar - posterior, for example...
  12. F-ZeroOne
    Yep, "Time Crash", written by The Grand Moffat for the BBCs "Comic Relief" charity event.
  13. F-ZeroOne
    "The Doctors Wife" was written by that Neil Gaiman, which helps explain some of the fan response to it. It does have such a simple idea at the core of the story I'm frankly astonished no-one else has thought of it before. Its does have just a hint of very high-class fan-fiction about it, which perhaps helps explain some of the negative response. Ah, its all so different from the days when the BBC employed hacks like Douglas Adams to write scri - oh. David Tennant certainly does know what its like, because he married Peter Davisons daughter - who played "The Doctors Daughter" in the episode of the same name. I think that probably makes David Tennant the ultimate promoted fanboy. Theres been some comment recently that Doctor Who is too scary (and not for the first time). My basic reaction to this is that, if the kids aren't wetting themselves behind the sofa, then its not Doctor Who... [1] This weekends episode looks like another one for the damp carpet brigade... [1] I'm not a parent, and I can understand where they're coming from a bit, but on the other hand - merciless machine-clad space aliens who want to kill every other thing in the Universe? What did you think you were watching, Teletubbies?!
  14. F-ZeroOne
    Theres a rumour that Libya has forced a little bit of a re-think and a few Harriers (the number I've seen mooted is about twenty) might be kept around "just in case". However, as far as I'm aware, so far its just press speculation. A WAH-64 Apache flew over where I work today. Its always slightly un-nerving seeing one of those banking overhead, they really do look like giant alien predatory dragonflies.
  15. F-ZeroOne
    This isn't in any particular order (except perhaps for the number two and one positions). And, er, yes, I do like the classics. Aura Battler Dunbine. Attack attack attack! Cats Eye. Magic play is dancing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBElu22oQuM&feature=related Gundam Wing; never did like the series overly much but I can't fault the music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsoqf_5k4TQ Kimagure Orange Road, "Night of Summerside". AYAKAWA...! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZaW9FcG7-g Mazinkaiser. Only the finest violence! Read or Die OAV. The Paper... Kodomo no Omocha/Childs Toy. Texas! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE1nGCtDlww Gundam 0083. The winner is Kou Uraki, unless it involves carrots! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKkzsxymAbs And now we wheel out anime musics big gun in a straw boater. First, Turn-A, Turn-A Turn, TURN-A! And finally - trilingual BONUS! Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex: Extra Plus content unlocked! Believe in a sign of Zeta? So does this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03pcfgX5Dwg
  16. F-ZeroOne
    Turn-As standing in Gundam continuity is a bit of an odd fish. It is a standalone series, and I feel its quite possible to watch it as a standalone SF series without knowing about the original Gundam series. However, "Turn-A" is derived from a mathematical symbol which, IIRC, means something like "includes all". It was also created by the original series creator, Yoshiyuki Tomino [1], which makes it about as official as anything in Gundam gets, and it includes a lot of nods to the Universal Century Gundams, with some stuff grabbed from the other continuities as well. Its also set so far in the future as to make the previous Gundam continuities "ancient" history. So. Er. Yes. And no. And maybe. [1] It also transformed Tomino into "Happy, balanced Tomino", replacing the "Depressed, kill everything! Tomino" of Gundam Z or the "Happy, what-the-hell-is-he-taking!" Tomino of Gundam ZZ.
  17. F-ZeroOne
    "Goodbye, Mistress."
  18. F-ZeroOne
    I saw Turn-A about the same time I saw Gundam SEED. I also remember the reaction when Turn-A was first announced and the first images of the mecha designs emerged. Like everyone else at the time, those coloured my impressions of the series way, way before I ever saw it. It was therefore a wonderful surprise to discover just how excellent Turn-A is generally - arguably the best Tomino-directed Gundam, one of if not the best Gundam series, and a fairly strong contender for one of the best SF - not just anime, but genre as a whole - series ever. One of the most interesting aspects to the show is the way that it embraces its past whilst at the same time forging a completely new path without feeling like a blatant - ahem - "homage" to earlier Gundams like SEED does. Its also a great adventure series in its own right, full of daring escapades, dashing heroes, devious villains and plucky heroines. And those weird mecha designs? They work. Boy, how they do work. And they're still going to be interesting in fifty years time. Its not perfect - Tominos trademark narrative jumpiness is still there, and as a whole the series lacks a recurring villain of the calibre of Char, but as a whole, I would argue you're doing yourself a disservice not to see it. Music by Yoko Kanno is simply the cherry on top of a pretty impressively-iced Gundam cake. Please note that it although sounds like I'm being a little bit harsh on Gundam SEED here, I enjoyed that show a fair bit, but in comparison with how I feel about Turn-A its always going to rather outshone.
  19. F-ZeroOne
    I wouldn't say Unicorn is the most original slice of Gundam I've ever seen (at least, going by the first episode) but for the treat-starved Universal Century fan, its like having all the strawberries you can eat.
  20. F-ZeroOne
    Tomino had homicidal tendencies? Funny, it doesn't seem to show in his work.
  21. F-ZeroOne
    They used to let anyone write Doctor Who back in the day, you know: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/videos/p00fm3w5 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/videos/p00fppzf Hope he found a better day job... (iPlayer, so may not be accessible from all regions).
  22. F-ZeroOne
    Yep. What he said.
  23. F-ZeroOne
    Well, the Royal Navy often refers to RAF personnel as "crabs", mirelurks are mutated crabs, and RAF pilots have flown from her, so... Only other incident I can think of is fictional, in Tom Clancys "The Hunt For Red October". I also recall reading some time ago that the A-10 could use a version of the Maverick with a different blast warhead for use against shipping.
  24. F-ZeroOne
    If you've got the caps - I mean, if you've got the money, you can now buy Rivet City - I mean, you can now buy the former HMS Ark Royal from the Ministry of Defence. Mirelurks and water purification system extra.
  25. F-ZeroOne
    Possibly a reaction of sorts to World War II, where ships of the line proved vulnerable to aircraft attacks (substitute Mobile SUIT attacks). Of course, sometimes you still needed a lot of firepower to sink one. In Gundam, it does serve to highlight the superiority of Mobile SUITs and particularly in 0083, where the Federation building more and more non-MS carrying space battleships is showing how the Federation became all stagnant and OldType compared to those awesome space Nazis!
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