ron5864

Watching Re:Zero right now, on Ep 17. Also, I'm trying to finish Prison School OVA episode.

We always read complaints that U.S. legislation has watered down numerous European and Japanese performance cars. In the case of the new Mustang, it's the other way around.

The funny thing is that the hood vent deletion in the Euro Mustang is for pedestrian safety. Oh...the irony.

I'm back! Just got a ticket. Hopefully I will be there in the afternoon.

And at the end of the day, the Evo costs more than its competitors, (including the Focus and Fiesta ST, both of which stole Evo market share) and can't compete with a new STi and the new Focus RS. The Evo X is too old and not very profitable, even as the most expensive car of the bunch.

To be fair, I would buy a Mazda. I would also buy a Subaru. Not a lot of new cars can put me in that position. If Subaru gives us a manual Levorg in the US, I will buy a new Subaru.

I just noticed the 2015 Mitsu EVO Final Edition has the 5-speed manual and gets 17 city/ 23 highway MPG. That's retro 1998 equipment and MPG numbers. Even the Subaru WRX ditched the 5-speed for 6-speed manual. And the starting $39,000 price tag does not help its cause. That's thousands more than the Sti or Focus RS, both which offer more performance, equipment, and value.

I do have a 1st gen Mazdaspeed3 and it has zero problems after 8 years of ownership. Zero! So I have high hopes for the long rumored AWD Mazdaspeed3 with the new 2.5L Skyactiv turbo. Whether that is going to happen or become vaporware like the diesel Mazda 6 remains to be seen.

What happen to you Mitsubishi? The only cars available are I-MiEV, Mirage, Lancer, and Outlander in the U.S. No Montero, EVO, Galant, or 3000GT successor. Those were your bread and butter. Don't end up like Suzuki!!!

I just looked at my local Mitsubishi dealership (Puente Hill Mitsubishi) and there are 41 brand new Evolutions for sale. That's right FORTY-ONE EVOs! Are people not buying these cars? Did Subaru WRX and Sti took all their customers?

I love the Top Gun style camera angle we get to see, with the camera mounted on the side of the X-wing for some combat scenes. You can almost hear Iceman yelling in the comm background.

Looks like Boddole Zer brought his main Zentradi fleet with him this time.

Sad to hear that Miyu Matsuki, voice actress for Anna in Shimoneta and many others, had passed away on October 27, 2015.

Here's a thought: What if each team of fighters merged into a giant gestalt? What a twist!

A handful of fighters merging into a giant....wait a minute....sounds familiar.

Yamada kun to 7 nin no Majo.

This is actually a pretty hilariously entertaining show. A guy in high school gets the power of the seven different witches and gets into really weird situations.

Soon? 2014 was the last model year for the Lancer Evolution. You can't buy them anymore.

2015 Evo X is the last year. They are still for sale at a local Mitsu dealership for $35K-$42K. But that money might be better spent for a Subie STI, Focus RS, or something used with lots of mod money to spare.

Those 2 have the most fantastic chemistry imaginable. It surpasses reason.

Hana, Kiyoshi and Chiyo are probably the most insane and complicated love triangle this season. Hana is crazy dangerous, like Anna from Shimoneta. One serves sliced mushrooms, another serves cookies with love.

Watching Prison School.

Hana and Kiyoshi seem to get into the most ridiculously awkward situations ever.

At first, I though this was a re-run of the old Imai SDF-1 kit. And then I realize the Imai kit was 1/5000 and this is in 1/4000 scale. So it must be a totally new design.

I miss cars with those pop-up headlights, like the original Acura NSX, Mazda Miata, Mitsu Eclipse. They look so sleek compare to the chunky front end of today's cars with gigantic bug-eyed headlights with industrial size grills. Ahhhh...the 90's.

So I got one of those new 1960's style (yellow-on-black) license plates that California DMV is reissuing. I was surprised to learn that it was made from the original 1960' dies. The only thing different is the yellow paint for the letters are now reflective.

This is the only new license plate from CA where the state name "CALIFORNIA" and tag locations are embossed into the aluminum. All other new plates have the state name and tag location points just painted in red for cost efficiency. For a car enthusiast, this is kinda nostalgic, even though I wasn't alive in the 60s.

Agreed. Unless you have knee problems, It is the only way for me since i was 14. Every car i have owned has been a manual. With that said many of my friends drive auto, and they are excellent drivers.

My current cars are both 6-speed manuals. It just makes the driving experience so much more livelier and engaging. It also keeps me paying attention more to the road and its changing conditions, like down shifting right before going up a hill or around a sharp curve. But I have nothing against automatics since I have owned a pickup and a Land Rover with automatics. With more cars being hybrids or electric, manuals will be extremely rare reserved for high performance cars and some work trucks.

I do wish that car insurance companies would give a slight discount for manual transmission cars. In the US, there has been numerous stories of car thieves giving up on the vehicle after not knowing how to use the 3rd pedal. So now a manual = thief deterrent device.

Mazda's current platforms are hit or miss with me. I like the overall designs of the Mazda 3 and 6 but with cars like the 3, I thought they overdid it on the front-section. I don't know why they designed the hood to be so long and it's one piece that bothers me about the 3rd Gen Mazda 3 as opposed to the 1st and 2nd Gen. The 1st gen Mazda 3 in my opinion is still probably the best looking compact car Mazda has made yet. I agree on the Miata. I'm mixed on the looks but like the direction they took technically. Just need them revive the RX-7.

That's the reason I bought a 2009 Mazdaspeed3. The design was very clean and functional, like the Honda S2000. The long hood with the current Mazda 3 made the car longer overall without creating more interior space. Function was sacrificed for the sake of design.

It looks like modern designs are going for the dramatic look, or "emotional" look as Toyota calls it. That's why there are so many deep sweeping lines all over the car that ends up looking busy. The ND Miata has more curves than its predecessors, but other manufacturers are over doing it. The new 2016 Nissan Maxima and the Lexus NX are good examples of busy body lines in the design.

So you may have noticed, every car today has a really tall grille and hood, and it's kind of ugly.

The new ND Miata resisted this trend, and Mazda actually came up with a car that has a lower nose than the original NA. Hopefully the partnership with Toyota will not dilute the Mazda bloodline.

So one of them didn't die as a hero and live long enough to become a villain?

For some reason, the scene with the downed X-wing and Star Destroyer reminds me of the scene in Macross SDF with a wrecked VF-1 and Zentradi ship on the surface of the post-war Earth.

lol to even call it average is too generous. Full of fanservice and cliches.

Yeah, you might be right. It seems Unbreakable Machine Doll was using all the episodes to set up for season 2 or something. There was no resolution to any plot lines. While I was not looking for Steins;Gate level of writing or clever plot twists, the Machine Doll writers should have aim for at least making the story understandable for the viewers.

As for fan service, Maken Ki which I'm currently on, seems to be over doing it.

Just watched Machine Doll wa Kizutsu Kanai.

It's OK, like 7.5/10-ish OK. An unbreakable artificial human girl named Yaya is controlled by her master, Raishin. The story seems to be straying at times with lots of unfilled gaps. It doesn't explain a whole lot about Yaya and why she is so attached to Raishin. And then it didn't explain why Charlotte looks completely different in certain scenes. Overall, this show was a bit average with not much of a wow factor. I'm not trying to be harsh, but it is what it is.

Man, the price of this is some what steep at almost $300. Is this a limited run like the VF-4G?

When its time to retire my 1st gen Mazdaspeed3, the Focus RS is going to be on my watch list. I think the cost will be similar to the now discontinued Subaru STi hatchback. Hopefully Mazda will release the new 2017 Mazdaspeed3 with awd at around the same time.