Bri

All of this is further complicated because the SDSR is disappointingly vague on what exactly the UK is actually going to do. Are they buying all F-35Cs all around? Or is the C model only for the FAA while the RAF get's Bs. Or is the RAF getting out of the STOVL game all together and going for A model Lightnings? It's all damned confusing.

Think it's going to be F-35Cs all around. The SDSR mentions only one type and initial reports from early october mentioned that the Cameron government was planning to cut the F35 order from 138 to 50 aircraft in total.

They also planned scrapping the entire fleet of 120 GR4 Tornados. The RAF seems to have managed to save the Tornado at the expense of the RAF harriers. The RN managed to keep the surface fleet intact and secure the future of the carrier. The RN harriers and the Ark Royal might have been a fairly small price to pay. I've also read that the harriers performance at close air support in Afganisatan was under critism. Maybe all remaining F35s will go to the RN?

There's no need for that. The PS3 is region free, so the game will play on any console.

Thanks for the warning, but I'm importing it mainly for the backwards compatability with my DVD-collection which is mostly region 1.

*Sigh*, after seeing that video I give up. Time to import a region A PS3.

I have added soredemo machi wa mawatteiru to my lineup. After 1 eps I feel that this show has some heavy potential. Whereas Kaichou Wa Maid Sama is principally a Bishonen title with some modern tropes, Soredemo combines Tactical/Action Maid Espionage Action with the absurdist style of Arakawa Under the Bridge.

Sounds pretty good then. Kaichou wa Maid Sama exceeded my expectations and tho I haven't gotten around to see much of Arakawa, the humor did appeal to me.

You know I knew that 7 fared better in Japan but I honestly didn't expect it to be the second most popular Macross title. Then again it does explain how something like Gundam Seed was so damn successful over there.

It's near impossible to compare the popularity of 7 and Frontier, as conditions for anime have changed so much in the mean time. One could agrue in favor of any of the three TV series, imo it's sufficient to say all were pretty succesfull in their time. For example if you look at a recent Newtype pole on most popular characters of the last three decades. Minmay, Basara and Sheryl all made the top 3 of their respective decade.

Gundam Seed has more in common with Frontier then 7. Both use a strong focus on teen drama to apeal to a modern, less tech oriented anime audience. While 7 often draws events furter into the absurd, Frontier may be the less accessible title of the two as character behaviour is much more governed by current anime tropes and archetypes.

Oh sorry, yeah I guess it does. I guess I meant the branch of the continuity that was done by Big West without Kawamoris involvement, Macross II. Macross II is better than Zero, Plus, 7 and Frontier combined.

That's just personal opinion. While MII has it's fans it's certainly not a very popular Macross show. On suki it's actually used as an example to explain the term kuro-rekishi ("dark history") used for unmentionably bad shows. Again an opinion ofc.

Watched the second ep of Panty & Stocking, and I have to truly say, bravo Gainax. This show is successfully doing something that's so common place here, it almost seems trivial, until you take into account the source. This is Japan parodying America, and spot on at that. Style, story, content, I'm really impressed, and anxious to see just where they're going to go. Yeah, we may be used to doing tihs kind of things to our culture, but I think it's pretty awesome to see someone else do it for a change.

I'm not sure if they are just parodying American 90s cartoons but even more so taking the piss at the whole otaku obsession with pure and innocent female characters. Using a more cartoony format might just allow it to remain tongue in cheek without insulting fans. As it's such familair material I found it a bit of a chore to get through the first episode. Still Gainax deserves the benefit of the doubt to try soemthing different.

Started last season's Sekimatsu Occult Gakuin. Top notch animation with your token tsundere character and a time traveller guy working together to stop Nostradamus' predictions from coming true in the future....or something like that. Looks fun.

I found all three Anime no Chikara shows sofar to be quite interesting. They seem to have plenty of money to spend on these projects.

The World Only God knows....what's with all these otaku pandering anime getting really good production values? Story about some dude who is the "God" of eroge who can "capture" any 2D girl but one day is tasked to make real girls fall in love with him due to a pact with a demon.

Tell me about it...I think Giant Killing was one of the best shows of the year, but it had low production values. The total disinterest in terms of sales leaves a second season very much in doubt. Seems pandering to said tastes is the only way to get sponsors to invest.

Star Driver's first episode was pretty impressive. Nice art and animation but have to wonder what kind of drugs these guys are on...I have no idea what this episode was all about

Fall 2010 doesn't have much to offer me. Will check out the new Bones show Star Driver.

Found the first episode of Panty & Stocking disappointing. It's pretty much a Japanese version of Ren and Stimpy: The lost episodes meets Powerpuff girls, nothing new here.

In the current time line we are already 50 years in to the future. No idea what series placed after Frontier would be about. Maybe some kind of exploration mission outside of our own Galaxy with technology derived of the Varija.

Macross the first animated in the current era could be a very cool idea assuming it won't end up the same way as Gundam Seed.

As a side not, I'm a bit curious about the reception of Macross the First in Japan. Anyone know how well it does in the manga rankings?

Great to see Macross the First no.2 is out, been looking forward to it. Shame any translated editions seem out of the question here now. Few days ago I had a chat with a representative of Glenat who visited a comic store owned by a friend. He's a fellow anime fan and as they published M7 trash in the past I had to ask, but he considered the chance of them publishing it zero

Just owes to different "paths" of cultural development, I guess. Just have to look at it in the context of how the car cultures have evolved in America vs Europe and elsewhere, and why it's so centered around big, robust designs and V8's. Auto journalist Peter Egan puts it much more succinctly than I ever could, in his musings on the differences between old American cars and British (ever hear the joke about old English cars' miles are measured like dog-years?):

Culture has somewhat to do with differences in taste in regard to models, brands, interior etc. but I don't believe he difference in countries in terms size or weather conditions is as important to car culture as Peter Egan makes it out to be. In the end it's all about money: income, fuel prices and taxes. Post-WW2 British cars were poorly built and tariffs kept out the competition. Consumers had a choice between a bad car or no car. In the end this protectionism killed the UK car industry as the incentive to modernize came far too late.

Robust designs and over-sized engines are great when durability matters the most to a car buyer. But in continental Europe and Japan where cars are taxed on size and weight and where fuel prices have historically been 3 to 4 times as high as in the US, buyers will have different priorities. I'm sure car fans there love performance cars just as much anyone else but under those conditions a hot hatchback becomes more appealing then a V8 muscle car.

Can you imagine if Ford had stuck to the formula that made the original Mustang such a success, i.e. youth-oriented styling, based on the current economy car (then Falcon) platform? That'd mean: a performance-oriented coupe on the Focus(?) platform. *shudders* Oh sure, those cars have been hot-rodded by enthusiastic and resourceful folks. But it's a whole different animal. The RWD "sporty" coupe as we know it would almost certainly have been relegated to automotive history.

Hmmm, you'd end up with something along the lines of a Focus RS. Okay, it isn't RWD but it's about as a heavy as a first generation Mustang and a lot of fun. Which isn't all that different from the original formula.

Still have a soft spot for Manchu's space ship designs that introduced me to sci-fi as a kid. Probably his most well known work is the mecha designs for: Once upon a time...Space/Ginga Patrol PJ. There is also a connection with Studio Nue, who have adapted his designs for use in Ulysses 31.

Alliance of Omega: Cobra class cruiser

Cassiopeian warships

Alliance of Omega Battleship

Began watching Lucky Star the day before yesterday: the first episode was a bit heavy but the second one was funnier; I think I'll go slowly with this one...

It's like Seinfeld with Japanese school girls, can't go wrong with that

Some, not all... I'm pretty hit-and-miss when it comes to stuff that's only recently come out. Prior to that I was on a bit of a retro kick, catching up on old stuff I hadn't seen yet (Heavy Metal L-Gaim). My tastes are pretty broad, but I avidly dislike fanservice for fanservice's sake (like Queen's Blade, Strike Witches), and I'm not too fond of shows where the protagonist does an excessive amount of whining (e.g. Neon Genesis Evangelion, Eureka Seven). I don't really thrill to excessive moe (K-On) either. Other than that, I'll try pretty much anything.

Been on kind of a comedy kick of late, what with Seitokai no Ichizon, Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou, and my buddy Talos urging me to start watching Seitokai Yakuindomo, so some more serious robot-y goodness wouldn't hurt my feelings any.

Serious robot goodness? Oh boy… that has been in short supply the last decade. Decent examples other then the Sunrise/Satelight/Gainax works I can think off are Flag, Raxephon, FMP:TSR, Gunparade March and Rideback. Heroic Age isn't that bad either. None of these are very recent though.

Sci-fi had it a bit easier. A few recent shows I’d certainly recommend: Eden of the East, Canaan, Dennoh Coil, Gunslinger Girl, Ergo Proxy, Real Drive, these are near future, cyberpunk type shows. Bonen no Xamdou, FMA: Brotherhood, Last Exile: Alchemy/Steam punk. Birdy the Mighty Decode and Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari for some light hearted fun.

Fantasy: Seirei no Moribito, Kemono no Souja Erin, Haibane Renmei . None of these is particularly fast paced but the character development is excellent.

Mystery/Suspense: Kara no Kyou Kai, Durarara, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Shikabane Hime, Mushi-Shi. The darker side of life.

Comedy/Romance: Kannagi, Bakemonogatari, Toradora, True Tears, Spice and Wolf. For visual novel adaptions: either Clannad or Kanon (2006) if you’ve seen one nakige/crying game show, you’ve seen them all. So it’s probably best to have seen the best of the genre first.

With respect to the actual topic of the thread, I've been taking a break from mecha with some comedy. Finished watching Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou a while ago. Not a bad show, though not something that will stand out in the crowd as far as harem comedies go. I'm open to any suggestions for other shows to pursue if anyone feels like putting an idea forth.

I'm sure we could recommend a few shows but a few likes/dislikes would help. Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou is fairly obscure title from the spring season, can I assume from that you've seen most of the more popular titles of the last few seasons?

Good news, the movie just got even easier to import. NCS now has it up.

http://www.shopncsx.com/gekijoubanmacrossf.aspx

And they have international shipping too, nice link.

[...] I still don't get why every series has to have a high school setting at some point??

Probably because their main target audience is in high school or right after... Something like that

It's a bit different, the main audience is a bit older then the high school age, it mostly consists of young professionals/uni students (17-35ish) with plenty of disposable income (read: without spouses, kids and/or mortgages). It's not a cheap hobby.

In anime you never see characters in high school go through puberty, in essence they are adults placed in an idyllic setting. Individuals are not jaded by experience so friendship and romance are not affected by things like financial/career interests or social standing. Off course the setting bears little resemblance to the real world but it allows the viewer to escape from their daily lives to a glorified time of their past. College is less suited as only part of the audience would have these shared memories.

Started watching Code Geass. The character designs really don't appeal to me, but it get's consistently high review everywhere so I have to check it out and see what all the fuss is about

The character design are by Clamp, a group of female mangaka which are famous for their bishonen style commonly seen in manga aimed at girls. It's not my cup of tea either. The series targets a relatively mainstream/casual anime audience as it has a bit of everything, it mixes school life, mecha, magic, drama, romance and comedy. In many ways it's Gundam Wing/Seed on steroids estrogen as it's extremely popular with the yaoi crowd and shippers. As far as I can tell the show is less popular at forums that focus on mecha then with mainstream anime sites.

The high ratings follow from it's popularity and says less about it's quality. It one of those shows that fans love to push up the rankings as if it were a contest. And it certainly is popular:ANN recently announced that a third season will be made.

I don't recall anywhere that it was officially announced as a mass produced toy with an affordable price point. The 500$ price point that we kept talking about was our speculation only.

In any event, I passed on the Quarter to get this and I'm more than happy with how the whole thing turned out. The only way I'll buy this is if they sell it.

Iirc Graham mentioned in the first thread that originally the 1/2000 SDF-1 was a prototype for a toy not a model. But for some reason Yamato cancelled it and created the ABS do-it-yourself kit in an attempt to recoup the development costs. I would need to look up his post to find his exact words if your that interested. As the basis for a toy the 1/2000 certainly did not deliver. I would use the world failure to describe that even if the ABS kit sold beyond expectation.

I'm pretty impressed the way Yamato salvaged the SDF-1 project. The 1/2000 SDF-1 ended up as a failed prototype. Instead of shelving it entirely they pushed ahead with the expensive self built kit which now has lead to a smaller mass production versions. Well done, curious what price it will end up at. A bit taller then the Quarter it shouldn't be that much more expensive. I guess a price tag between 20,000 and 30,000 yen would make it accessible to most Macross toy collectors.

The money in anime these days is in moe not mecha. So I would bet that any relaunch of SDFM would end up as a high school drama, even more so then Frontier. (More then enough reason never to consider it!)

So if we're aiming for the hit title of the year, what would this monstrosity look like? With a little help by Frankenstein:

Set up: Most of the cast will be high school seniors living aboard the SDF-1:

Misa: tsundere class rep (think Kyou from Clannad)

Minmay: Hikaru's childhood friend, moe blob with music talent, loves Pineapple cake (Yui from K-on!)

Hikaru: harem lead (pick any random rom-com, they are all the same)

Milia: emotionless quiet girl (Tenchi, Angel Beats) and will fall for Hikky (they don't call em harem lead for nothing)

Max: Hakaru' classmate, computer nerd and smitten by Milia.

Kakizaki: military otaku and pervert. Butt of all jokes.

The bridge bunnies: random female classmates. Together with Misa and Vermillion squad they form the schools computer club specializing in flight sims(the boys) and RTS-games(the girls).

Lin Kyle: evil exchange student, aims to seduce Minmay with pine apple cake, will stop at nothing to get Claudias recipe

Roy: former pilot now teacher in aviation, sometimes GAR, most of the time a lecher. Shares Minmays love for pine apple cake

Claudia: the class's ICT teacher wants to domesticate Roy, eternally annoyed by his antics. Master cook of pine apple cake

Plot: Zentradi arrive decade after crash SDF-1 as per normal. The rebuilt ship is understaffed as only a skeleton crew was aboard during the launch ceremony. After the emergency fold to Pluto the laws of Gundam will ensure that the class will end up in the military. UN Spacy adopts sailor uniforms as standard military outfits. The main attack of SW1 will happen at the same time as the annual school festival. Minay and the music club give their first performance there, broadcasted live to boost the ships morale. Zentradi warchine overcome by waves of moe-ness and fatal nosebleeds...

There we go, wonder if there are any modern anime tropes missing?

I felt so too but only because I watched the 1s season thinking that there wasn't ever going to be a season 2. It felt like no closure and pacing was off. How does season 1 compare to the manga?

They are quite different. I've only read part of the Retsu Tateo manga. The manga is more like Fumofu, the humor is somewhat edgier. Haven't read the original light novel by Shouji Gatou.

At the suggestion of a friend, I'm watching 'Full Metal Panic!' (Yeah, I know... I'm still playing catch-up), and I've got to say that it's better than I thought it would be.

The first FMP is okay, but it got a lot better when Kyoani did the sequels instead of Gonzo. I think that both FMP: Fumofu and FMP: TSR are really good.

Haven't bought a YF-19 yet, mainly because of the bad reviews. I found the YF-21 a pain to transform and from what I have read the YF-19 is worse and is fragile. Would only pick one up if it's on sale.

A new more user friendly YF-19 would be an immediate buy for me.