Robotech Academy - You want a new Robotech series...?

[EXO]

Man 35k per day to succeed... that's more than their one most successful day... is it too early to call it? I think even the people running it are now just phoning it in.

lol... HG needs the "Coin"(kwan)!

[Seto Kaiba]

Man 35k per day to succeed... that's more than their one most successful day... is it too early to call it? I think even the people running it are now just phoning it in.

lol... HG needs the "Coin"(kwan)!

*impressed whistle*

$34,361 a day for eight days needed to reach their target. At this rate, 50% is probably a bridge too far for them and 40% is very likely to be a tough order to fill. Their daily take has actually improved, on average, by half in recent days, but it's still not even in the ballpark for what they need to actually succeed. The low end estimate is now a mere $201,758 and falling, and the high end projection, which I consider more realistic than the trendline analysis, sits at a mere $222,418. SideKick's projected chances for success trended upwards briefly from 0% to 1%, but have now returned to 0%. Their idea of a big promotional tease is to have another aging voice actor who also played a hilarious racial stereotype read some dialogue and beg for money...

Small wonder the Robotech fans are getting progressively more depressed about this one... the owners of the show that they're so fond of are attempting to morally blackmail them for money while also insulting their intelligence. Moderators on a number of the remaining Robotech web sites have given up trying to quash the increasingly vocal criticisms of the project (apparently they realized that "ban EVERYONE" is not a viable alternative), and the Kickstarter's own backers have largely given it up for a truly lost cause. I know I'm probably asking too much, but I really hope that heads are going to roll at Harmony Gold over this.

[Gerli]

My country just went into default, sorry HG, we can't help you.

[Perrych]

Part of me really believes that HG will pay out the remainder at the end, although that would be kind of dumb as they would be paying kickstarter to pay themselves. I think the biggest blunder was saying this might go forward without kickstarter.

[azrael]

Man 35k per day to succeed... that's more than their one most successful day... is it too early to call it? I think even the people running it are now just phoning it in.

I'm still taking bets on the final amount. Only 8 days left to make a bet.

[Seto Kaiba]

Part of me really believes that HG will pay out the remainder at the end, although that would be kind of dumb as they would be paying kickstarter to pay themselves. I think the biggest blunder was saying this might go forward without kickstarter.

Isn't that a breach of the Kickstarter terms of use though?

If it is, they'd get nothing even if they funded it themselves.

[skullmilitia]

I don't see why Kickstarter allows multi million dollar corporations access.

Isn't the whole point of Kickstarter for independents?

This whole thing seems like giant sharade.

Edited July 31, 2014 by skullmilitia

[Duke Togo]

I don't see why Kickstarter allows multi million dollar corporations access.

Isn't the whole point of Kickstarter for independents?

This whole thing seems like giant sharade.

Shady as hell, just like the business dealings of their owner.

Edited July 31, 2014 by Duke Togo

[Duke Togo]

So I've noticed this group of super-earnest Robotech "fans" posting on the KS and a few times on the RT forums, and well, they're clearly not fans. They're obviously mocking them, but the real RT fans aren't catching on. It's just beyond me how they cannot see what's going on.

[Beltane70]

I don't see why Kickstarter allows multi million dollar corporations access.

Isn't the whole point of Kickstarter for independents?

This whole thing seems like giant sharade.

I thought this whole thing was pretty unethical from day one!

On another note, I totally agree with Seto about Treiz. He's definitely rt.com's most delusional member of the boards that's not a moderator on the site.

[Seto Kaiba]

So I've noticed this group of super-earnest Robotech "fans" posting on the KS and a few times on the RT forums, and well, they're clearly not fans. They're obviously mocking them, but the real RT fans aren't catching on. It's just beyond me how they cannot see what's going on.

I wonder if they'll back out of the Kickstarter at the last minute to drive the total down... several of them supposedly pledged a tidy sum.

[JB0]

You know what's sad in all this; it didn't have to be this way.

Harmony Gold's abuse of my beloved Macross franchise, their litigious bullying of toy vendors, denying Macross fans what we wanted (the very thing Macek claimed he was doing with Macross in the first place)...if none of that existed, I might have been open to Robotech.

Hell, a part of my heart STILL loves Robotech. One of my oldest memories is asking my mom for a "big blue robotech fighter" for christmas(and being mildly disappointed that I got an Alpha instead of a Cyclone, but what other outcome could I expect with a description like that?). I stomped a Robotech Phalanx... Spartan... the destroid with the missile drums! around the floor and flew a Robotech joke machine(iJ Max, whatwhat!) through the house.

Pretty sure the Robotech people and the Voltron people had grand adventures together too. (I ALMOST want to read that comic. Almost.)

I genuinely want to see Robotech become something deserving of more than mockery and hatred, and set aside this whole "we own Macross and will sue everyone doing anything even tangentally related" nonsense, admit they done messed up(repeatedly and colossally), and hire a competent creative staff to do something decent with the franchise.

And, you know, stop blocking the import of productions and merchandise they don't have rights to, and threatening everyone tangentally involved with anything. Robotech brought me to Macross, but I like Macross independently of Robotech.

It pains me to see all these shenanigans going on, really.

But Macek wasn't ENTIRELY off-base. How often do people here complain about loose threads and demand Kawamori write a story about the Megaroad-1 so we can see the continuing adventures of Hikaru, Misa, and Minmay?

The Sentinels is apparently what WE want as much as the Robotechies. Which is to say none of us actually WANT The Sentinels, but we all want something LIKE it.

Oddly, I think a continuation of the original story arc is MORE important to Robotech than Macross. The SDF Macross story is closed out cleanly, but Robotech launches the gang into a new adventure we never see.* We just see New Geneation come in from from the tail end of that new adventure.

There IS a big gaping chunk of unanimated plot there, and we know a lot of things happened to Rick, Lisa, and everyone else offscreen(and from the miracle of print, we know a lot of it was dumb).

*And yes, I do think there's a big difference between ending on "they left to start a colony on another world" and "they left to visit the Robotech Masters' homeworld and stop them from attacking Earth again."

Not that Macross hasn't had two colony fleets sail straight into adventure, but it was the stated GOAL of the SDF-3 mission, and New Generation clearly established on the TV screen that they FOUND an adventure, albeit not the one they wanted.

[Apollo Leader]

http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1381502542/robotech-academy/#chart-daily

This is may be gone before anyone sees this, but at this moment in time starting Thursday the pledge amount is MINUS $90. Did someone cancel their pledge at the start of the day???

And the pictures to back me up...

Edited July 31, 2014 by Apollo Leader

[skullmilitia]

See the problem is Robotech doesn't need anything more. It was fine before Shadow Chronicles, and it was fine after LLA.

They should just leave the story alone. It's done, those shows were written for something else. All Macek and team really did

Is change the names, and use Robotechnology to bridge the three independent stories together.

You have to understand, no one in the history of Harmony Gold has a credit if writing decent enough, to warrant a completely new story.

They are literally hacks, they hacked three shows to make one.

Direction, action, character interaction and emotions, done by other people.

The most irritating part.. They don't know what they have.. What they could do.

They could release Clash of The Bionoids, Hell have the Robotech voice actors do it.

If HG hadn't been huge assclowns with BW, they could be selling BR versions of the original

Shows, as well as doing it with RT. So much potential, yet they do nothing.

Instead we get god awful western cartoons, disguised as Anime.

Honestly, they could do SDFM with the voice actors of RT, but stick to the SDFM script, and people would buy it.

It so so soooo easy. It's either complete incompetence,

Or an entire company filled with incompetence.

[Einherjar]

So I've noticed this group of super-earnest Robotech "fans" posting on the KS and a few times on the RT forums, and well, they're clearly not fans. They're obviously mocking them, but the real RT fans aren't catching on. It's just beyond me how they cannot see what's going on.

Is the video guy one of them?

[Protoculture]

So it's gonna fail. Big deal. The fact that HG's no.1 man (Mr Frank Agrama) refused to sink his money to fund RT: Academy is particularly telling. TPTB simply forgotten the reason why RT fans keep buying their products are because they want a real honest to goodness conclusion to their favourite Hunter-Hayes-Sterling characters from Macross Saga.

As simple as that. Countless polls on RT.com showed that over and over again.

Which means, the new RT animated production should focused on RT: The Shadow Rising, not the half arsed RT II: The Sentinel's reboot. RT: Academy regressed back to Sentinel's era to cash in the Macross-nostalgia, from redesigned uniforms of Rolf Emerson and that SDF-1's booms on the Takeru vessel up to the obvious in your face the 'Tougo Gun' inspired logo for the Academy.

I could accept RT: LLA as it is. A recap fest and a somewhat deserving conclusion to RT: New Generation's cast (much like LLA to GC Mospeada). But after shoving to our throats literally with the RT: The Shadow Chronicle, we the fans deserved a satisfactory conclusion to that arc (Shadow Rising), not going back in time to salvage the failed project, RT II: The Sentinels.

Moved on, darn it. This is an RT fan in me talking. If HG want to do a KS, RT: The Shadow Rising would've more chance of getting made the target and not the RT: Academy.

But then again, using KS to fund RT: The Shadow Rising sounds like a smack dab of desperation on HG part .... I digress.

Frak it all. By the time Patlabor's The Next Generations L.A series and movie make 'em debut, and new Macross series (I can't wait) runs its course, RT would still languished as a franchise.

[Negotiator]

Honestly, they could do SDFM with the voice actors of RT, but stick to the SDFM script, and people would buy it.

I would buy that as I honestly can't listen to the adv dub even if Mari redid Minmay (I couldn't hear any chemistry with that love interest)...now on the other hand just leave the original songs in japanese with Mari's voice.

[Mr March]

My country just went into default, sorry HG, we can't help you.

I'm really sorry to hear that Gerli. I've been reading all about it. Anyway, can't get into the politics on this board, but I hope for the best for your nation.

Hell, a part of my heart STILL loves Robotech.

I genuinely want to see Robotech become something deserving of more than mockery and hatred, and set aside this whole "we own Macross and will sue everyone doing anything even tangentally related" nonsense, admit they done messed up(repeatedly and colossally), and hire a competent creative staff to do something decent with the franchise.

And, you know, stop blocking the import of productions and merchandise they don't have rights to, and threatening everyone tangentally involved with anything. Robotech brought me to Macross, but I like Macross independently of Robotech.

It pains me to see all these shenanigans going on, really.

I don't have the kind of nostalgia for Robotech that you have JBO, but I certainly understand it. That's why I don't think people should be so hard on Robotech fans. In spite of all the bad blood and the misplaced animosity toward Macross fans (we all acted out our fair share of arrogant haughtiness too, which doesn't make friends), they are just fans that fell in love with an edit of Macross. They just want to enjoy their beloved anime the way we all do our own Macross. That's not a crime.

When I got into Macross now 15 years ago, I'd never been interested in any Robotech after that...but I could have been. All it would have taken was the opportunity to buy Macross AND one fun, entertaining Robotech production. If I had my Macross, there wouldn't have been any worry, guilt or anger preventing me from enjoying Robotech. As long as the quality was good enough.

The real reason Harmony Gold legally denied Macross is because they couldn't profit from it. It was selfish, petty greed mixed with a little bit of American jingoistic entitlement and a LOT of obsolete, old school business arrogance. The reasons they shared publically for their actions (fear of a diluted market for the Robotech brand by allowing a product too similar) were always bullshit. Even at it's height, both Robotech and Macross were niche markets internationally. The consumer base for niche markets don't need to be told or sold about products; they inform themselves and actively seek out the products they want. If niche consumers wanted to be easily informed and catered to buy, they'd be mainstream consumers.

I agree a significant portion of Macross fans want more SDF Macross story, but that's not me. But you're right, it is a different situation for Robotech fans. There is no Robotech DYRL or Robotech 2012. No Robotech Plus or Robotech 7. No Robotech Zero or Robotech Frontier. And Shadow Chronicles didn't have half the impact on Robotech fans as the worst Macross sequel. For them, "The Macross Saga" is all they have. And the tragic part; Kawamori has forever closed the book on SDF Macross, but Robotech could have ran with it. We Macross fans could have enjoyed a continuation of the SDF Macross story through a Robotech sequel that we'll never have from Kawamori...for those of us that want it. Seems like a missed opportunity to win over Robotech fans AND Macross fans. That would have been a good kickstarter project.

What could have been...

[Perrych]

I'm really sorry to hear that Gerli. I've been reading all about it. Anyway, can't get into the politics on this board, but I hope for the best for your nation.I don't have the kind of nostalgia for Robotech that you have JBO, but I certainly understand it. That's why I don't think people should be so hard on Robotech fans. In spite of all the bad blood and the misplaced animosity toward Macross fans (we all acted out our fair share of arrogant haughtiness too, which doesn't make friends), they are just fans that fell in love with an edit of Macross. They just want to enjoy their beloved anime the way we all do our own Macross. That's not a crime.When I got into Macross now 15 years ago, I'd never been interested in any Robotech after that...but I could have been. All it would have taken was the opportunity to buy Macross AND one fun, entertaining Robotech production. If I had my Macross, there wouldn't have been any worry, guilt or anger preventing me from enjoying Robotech. As long as the quality was good enough.The real reason Harmony Gold legally denied Macross is because they couldn't profit from it. It was selfish, petty greed mixed with a little bit of American jingoistic entitlement and a LOT of obsolete, old school business arrogance. The reasons they shared publically for their actions (fear of a diluted market for the Robotech brand by allowing a product too similar) were always bullshit. Even at it's height, both Robotech and Macross were niche markets internationally. The consumer base for niche markets don't need to be told or sold about products; they inform themselves and actively seek out the products they want. If niche consumers wanted to be easily informed and catered to buy, they'd be mainstream consumers.I agree a significant portion of Macross fans want more SDF Macross story, but that's not me. But you're right, it is a different situation for Robotech fans. There is no Robotech DYRL or Robotech 2012. No Robotech Plus or Robotech 7. No Robotech Zero or Robotech Frontier. And Shadow Chronicles didn't have half the impact on Robotech fans as the worst Macross sequel. For them, "The Macross Saga" is all they have. And the tragic part; Kawamori has forever closed the book on SDF Macross, but Robotech could have ran with it. We Macross fans could have enjoyed a continuation of the SDF Macross story through a Robotech sequel that we'll never have from Kawamori...for those of us that want it. Seems like a missed opportunity to win over Robotech fans AND Macross fans. That would have been a good kickstarter project.What could have been...

Macross zero could have worked in the robotech universe. Heck, we kind of had a live action robotech zero on youtube until HG stepped in.

[coronadlux]

I enjoyed zero's story, for the most part. I didn't quite like the witchcraft and the birdman. There was no connection to macross to either of them after in any sequels.

If a KS from HG was introduced to tell about the anti unification wars, or their own back story to the masters and incident wars, then I'd back it. Obviously, given that they plan it out better than this Academy.

[Seto Kaiba]

Macross zero could have worked in the robotech universe. Heck, we kind of had a live action robotech zero on youtube until HG stepped in.

Perhaps before Tommy Yune did the From the Stars miniseries, which would torpedo practically every part of Macross Zero's continuity and story.

I enjoyed zero's story, for the most part. I didn't quite like the witchcraft and the birdman. There was no connection to macross to either of them after in any sequels.

If a KS from HG was introduced to tell about the anti unification wars, or their own back story to the masters and incident wars, then I'd back it. Obviously, given that they plan it out better than this Academy.

... so, you haven't seen Macross Frontier then, eh?

[Agent ONE]

Has anyone mentioned THIS??: (A MACROSS COMIC BOOK AUTOGRAPHED BY CARL MACEK'S WIFE!!!!?????)

WTF!?

Can she sign my Return of the Jedi VHS tape also?

[Seto Kaiba]

Has anyone mentioned THIS??: (A MACROSS COMIC BOOK AUTOGRAPHED BY CARL MACEK'S WIFE!!!!?????)

WTF!?

Actually, that kinda makes sense... y'see, that's a cover from the old Robotech comics published by Comico, which included art by Svea Macek. It's the memetically terrible art, but at least Svea Macek has a reason to sign it.

Edited July 31, 2014 by Seto Kaiba

[coronadlux]

Seto - I've seen frontier, I do remember the movie they filmed. But what I'm talking about is that there is no connection to the birdman and/or witchcraft outside of retelling the story.

In the other series, there is no birdman appearances or a witch with supernatural powers.

The AI in Plus or the technological special effects don't count.

Agent- the signed print is a poster on canvas not the comic. I can get a high quality scan of it, clean it out and have my wife print it on canvas and sign it myself. Hahaha

[Agent ONE]

Actually, that kinda makes sense... y'see, that's a cover from the old Robotech comics published by Comico, which included art by Svea Macek. It's the memetically terrible art, but at least Svea Macek has a reason to sign it.

Ok, makes sense then.

[skullmilitia]

The Birdman was just an ancient protoculture weapon, it wasn't actually magic. It was just the beginning of the understanding, of the power of a songstress. The whole Birdman/fish people thing was the ancient natives way of explaining the protoculture.

But I digress, it's still a better story than anything given to is by HG in decades.

[Agent ONE]

The Birdman was just an ancient protoculture weapon, it wasn't actually magic. It was just the beginning of the understanding, of the power of a songstress. The whole Birdman/fish people thing was the ancient natives way of explaining the protoculture.

But I digress, it's still a better story than anything given to is by HG in decades.

Yes.

[Seto Kaiba]

Seto - I've seen frontier, I do remember the movie they filmed. But what I'm talking about is that there is no connection to the birdman and/or witchcraft outside of retelling the story.

Er... you might want to rewatch it then, because Sheryl Nome's fold quartz earrings are in the blu-ray edition of Macross Zero, and you see the same birdhuman-shaped totems that Sara was singing in front of on the surface of the Vajra planet in the last episode of Macross Frontier. Brera's VF-27 lands next to one.

There's no witchcraft in Macross Zero, though... so its absence later on isn't really surprising.

Whatever its sins, Macross Zero is still a much more solid story than Robotech: From the Stars was... since th From the Stars comic's chief story goal seems to have been "make Roy look awesome" (something the man needs no help with) and "make Leonard look like a dick" (something he doesn't need help with either).

Edited July 31, 2014 by Seto Kaiba

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

how come the rt kickstarter doesn't have any more updates? you would think they would be pumping out stuff in the end and posting another call to arms to pledge this final week. and blah, blah, blah

did they give up already?

[Seto Kaiba]

how come the rt kickstarter doesn't have any more updates? you would think they would be pumping out stuff in the end and posting another call to arms to pledge this final week. and blah, blah, blah

did they give up already?

They've got one more convention scheduled before the end of the Kickstarter period... one has to wonder if they're saving stuff in a misguided effort to stir up attention at the convention, instead of putting it out on the Kickstarter.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

this reminds me of 0083 where both sides are watching the colony pass the point of no return.

http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/Assault_on_the_Point_of_No_Return

[EXO]

Too soon?

[505thAirborne]

Too soon?

Just in time.

[Agent ONE]

They've got one more convention scheduled before the end of the Kickstarter period... one has to wonder if they're saving stuff in a misguided effort to stir up attention at the convention, instead of putting it out on the Kickstarter.

Maybe there will be more people at the convention than there are visiting their web page.

[Seto Kaiba]

Maybe there will be more people at the convention than there are visiting their web page.

Odds are they'll simply encounter the same problem they ran into at SDCC... nobody who isn't a Robotech fan (or a stealthy troll) is going to pledge money to this Kickstarter, and anyone who gives enough of a damn to attend the Robotech convention panels almost certainly already knows about the Kickstarter and has either pledged or decided not to support it. They might as well just present their slideshow to an empty room instead of just a mostly empty one, because the result is ultimately the same.

Doing one more ill-advised, poorly planned, absolutely underwhelming convention panel presentation will accomplish the square root of f***-all for the Kickstarter.