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Two big releases coming for Macross fans in the upcoming months; Yamato's all-new 1/60 scale VF-1 series and Bandai's Chogokin DX VF-25 series from Macross Frontier.Yamato's new redesigned 1/60 scale VF-1 line starts off with the VF-1S, available both with or without the Fast/Strike Packs. It's a great looking toy and looks to be a considerable improvement on the original 1/60 scale VF-1's, as you can see in the pictures here. In September the VF-1A will be release, again packaged with or without the Fast/Strike Packs. To go along with these new variable fighters, the 1/60 Destroid Tomahawk will be released in September. This new push for the 1/60 scale by Yamato is great, as it means you'll be able to have toys from the original Macross series, Macross Plus and Macross Zero all in the same scale.
Next month Bandai will be releasing it's first Macross Frontier toys, the VF-25S and VF-25F. I'm not a huge fan of this design, but I'll admit they look better as a toy than they do in animation. It'll be interesting to see how they shape up compared to Yamato's offerings.
Bandai is also re-releasing the classic 1/55 scale VF-1 toys under the new name "Origin of Valkyrie." Bandai re-released these back in 2002 during the 20th anniversary of Super Dimension Fortress Macross, but sadly only released a handful of them before giving up on the line. Here's hoping they stick with this and re-release some of the classic 1/55 designs like the Ostrich or GBP. The VF-1J Hikaru and VF-1S Roy will be released this month, while the VF-1A Hikaru and VF-1A Max (both with Fast Packs) will follow in August.
PATLABOR
Kaiyodo is set to release another Patlabor 2 model kit, this time based on the Hannibal labor design that was scene in the film's opening. The kit looks incredibly detailed and it looks like it will be released in November.Yamato has also posted new pictures of it's upcoming 1/24 scale AV-98 Ingram, it looks big and detailed. Good to see.
MOSPEADA
The upcoming 1/10 scale VF-052F Mospeada ride armor might be the Mospeada toy yet. We won't know for sure until it's released in November, but for now the pictures look exceptional. Right now the price is uncertain, but it's heavily rumored to be around 20,000yen.Both Megahouse and CM's will be releasing their own versions of the Blowsuperior ride armor. Fans opinions are split on which company's version of the Mospeada ride armors is superior (har), but for me it would be Megahouse. Pictures of Megahouse's version, to be released later this month, can be seen here. CM's version can be seen here.
There's also been some buzz regarding upcoming Inbit (Invid) toys released by an as of yet unknown company. The exact units and scale have yet to be determined, but there's a good chance we'll soon see some Inbit toys to go along with all of these Mospeada releases.
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS
Yamato's recent Bubblegum Crisis release, Priss Hardsuit with Motoslave looks to be a big disappointment. Commanding despite being very small, it looks like it will only be worth picking up for the most diehard/desperate Bubblegum Crisis fans. On the other hand, this review is generally positive so their might be some merit to the figure after all. Arguably the most disappointing part of this release is that Yamato is offering a poseable Boomer and two non-poseable AD Police figures as a limited mail-away offer. Unfortunately, these will only be available to people who purchase all four Harsuit/Motoslave figures which might be too much to ask.
Categories: Anime1 feedback » •Walking out of the theater after seeing Ghost in the Shell 2.0, I was confused. Confused as to why somebody would think it was a good idea to make this. Confused as to why somebody would actually approve the project and allow money to be spent on it. Confused as to why it was allowed to play in theaters.
The problem with adding new computer graphic elements to the Ghost in the Shell film is that it simply doesn't need them. At the time of it's production it was made it was one of the highest budgeted anime productions, this impressive budget and wise use of computer graphics ensured that even 13 years later it is not a movie that looks dated. So why bother trying to "update" it?
Most of the offending scenes occur early on in the film. The opening scene with Major Kusanagi jumping off a building, has been completely redone in 3D. The same designs and shots are used, it's just been redone entirely in 3D. That's the fundamental problem with Ghost in the Shell 2.0: there's no reason behind all this tinkering. It's still the same movie shot-for-shot, just now with featuring new 3D graphics.
Other changes include getting rid of the original credits (which would later inspire the Matrix's "digital rain" effects) and replacing every helicopter in the film with a 3D model. Other vehicles stay the same, but every helicopter has been given a 3D makeover. In some instances this new 3D model is used with the original 2D background, other times the scenes have been entirely redone in 3D.
The worst change is the coloring changes throughout the film. The original version was a very green movie; every computer display and almost every shot had a green hue. They've now adjusted it so that everything is red-orange, seemingly for no other reason than to be different. For most of the film, this color shift is the only visible change but it's a considerable one.
Otherwise, it's the same movie. I didn't notice any scenes that had been cut and the "new" scenes are basically identical, just redone in 3D. For this reason Ghost in the Shell 2.0 stands apart from the Evangelion remakes or even the Star Wars Special Editions; all of the changes are minor and cosmetic, but entirely unnecessary and unneeded. The original version remains superior because it doesn't have the awful red-orange hue and lacks the 3D models that don't fit with the 2D animation.
If ever there was an argument for the creative bankruptcy of the Japanese animation industry, this would be it.
1 feedback » •Colony Drop is a group blog started by some friends and myself, it might be a general nerd blog or just focus on anime. We haven't decided yet. We're just getting started but a few great articles have been posted, including my recent piece about going to the Gundam Bar in Akihabara. So check it out, put it in your RSS reader and tell your friends.
Categories: AnimeSend feedback » •There's some nostalgia for me with Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell movie as it's release was a very big deal back around '96, right when I was beginning to get into anime. It also happened to be the first anime movie I saw in a theater, so despite it's flaws I'm very partial to it.
The recent announcement of Ghost in the Shell 2.0 caught me a little off guard, a new "updated" version of the film with added special effects and new 3D models. I'm at a loss as to why it would need such an overhaul, as the film had a huge budget when it was made over 10 years ago and still looks really good. Only a few before-and-after screens have been released, so it's hard to tell how much of the film is being replaced by 3D models and how much is just enhancing the old animation. Either, seems very unnecessary!
The teaser doesn't do much to shed any light although it does show how the opening scene of Kusanagi jumping off the building has been worked into 3D... for what reason or purpose I have no idea.
No DVD or international release information has been provided yet, just that it will be opening in a handful of theaters in Japan on July 7th, which is a month before the release of Oshii's new film, The Sky Crawlers.
Categories: Anime, 80's Anime1 feedback » •Makoto Kobayashi gained notoriety in the 1980's for his work on Zeta Gundam and ZZ Gundam, but among hardcore otaku he was best known for his comics and impressive scratch-built models and dioramas that were often published in model magazines like Hobby Japan and B-Club Magazine. His mechanical designs had a chunky, organic feel that made them standout from the more commercial mecha designs of the era.
ARTMIC's 1988 production Dragon's Heaven combined Kobayashi's talents as a mechanical designer, model maker and a director to create this 25-minute OAV based upon his manga of the same name. OAVs with short running times were common in the late 1980's, targeted at fans of the source material and designed to make some quick money rather than properly converting a story into the animated format. Most of these short one shot OAV's suffered from lack of character development and coherent plot as a result of trying to cram a much larger story (these were often based off popular long-running manga) into a 40-minute format. Dragon's Heaven avoids much of these problems by keeping the plot simple and introducing only a few main characters. Despite the paltry running time, Dragon's Heaven delivers more with it's visual design and detail than a complex plot or substancial character development.
The first six minutes of the video actually features no animation at all, the story background and credits play over video of highly-detailed scratch build kits based on the designs from Dragon's Heaven. The most impressive of which are two very large models based upon the antagonist and progagonist of the OAV. There's a lot of smoke and ridiculous camera angles, but the models feature some impressive details like lighting and limited animatronics. It comes off a little chessy, but when you consider that most of the target audience probably built models or at least thought they were cool, it makes sense.
The story follows a young adventurer Icool who discovers an ancient cydroid named Shaian who has been buried for over 1000 years, following an epic battle with his enemy, the evil cydroid general Elmedine. Upon being reawakened by Icool and learning that Elemedine is still around being a jerk, Shaian decides to take get ready and fight him one last time. The catch is that Shaian can't fight without a human operator, a role Icool readily accepts. And so they set off to settle Shaian's 1000-year old robo-grudge.
What follows is a big battle, an explosion and then the credits roll (which incidently, play over behind-the-scenes footage of the construction of the giant model kits from the intro). Dragon's Heaven isn't a particularly great or complex anime, but then it doesn't pretend to be. It's an excuse to have some cool mecha designs run around in a desert and beat each other up, a fact which thankfully the creators realized.
The most noteworthy aspect of the whole production is the visual design, which does an amazing job of capturing Kobayashi's half-Japanese, half-European art style. While still being distinctly anime, it looks unlike any other anime production I've ever seen, as if Jean Giraud animated it himself. Kobayashi's mechanical designs are wonderful, everything from the giant airplanes to the tanks and the robots look suitably worn for equipment thats been used for hundreds of years. His robot designs have odd proportions and a unqiue, almost organic look to them.
It's little wonder why Koabayashi has never achieved the mainstream success as other mechanical designers, because his designs are entirely unsuitable for toys or regular model kits. Although it should be noted that a substantial number of garage kits have been based on his various designs, including more than a few for Dragon's Heaven.
Approached more as a short art piece than a traditional OAV, Dragon's Heaven becomes infinitely more watchable. Visually it stands apart from any other anime title, with the short running time and simple story making it hard to feel like you've wasted your time. If you have an interest in older anime or mecha, it's worth watching.
Recommended.
Dragon's Heaven
ドラゴンズヘブン
43 Minutes
1988Never commercially released in the U.S., Dragon's Heaven was released on Japanese DVD back in 2002. Fansubs of it do exist, although it's easily watchable without subtitles.
Categories: Video Games, Arcade1 feedback » •
Gundam fans have long become accustomed to accepting decidedly average Gundam video games and not making much of a fuss. With the sheer number of games based on the franchise being made, it's inevitable that some will be pretty good. Yet none have been truly amazing or represent the value of the insanely popular (and lucrative) Gundam series. You would think that with all the Gundam games in production at any given time (keep in mind that there are currently no less than four recent Gundam games currently in Japanese arcades, not to mention the console and handheld markets), Bandai could figure out how to throw enough money at the right people and get a really fantastic game.2001's Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation Vs. Zeon was the franchise's first respectable 3D game, orders of magnitude beyond all the crap that was shoveled out on the Saturn and Playstation. Federation Vs. Zeon was a solid 3D arcade fighter that took a lot of cues from other 3D mecha fighters and wrapped it up in a classic One Year War package.
The fans liked it and starting with the slightly tweaked and upgraded Federation Vs. Zeon DX Bandai began shoveling out sequels with a fervor. The problem is that while Federation Vs. Zeon was a good game and the sequels were just as good, none of the follow-ups managed to be a worthwhile improvement. Rather than taking a solid game and using it as a foundation to make an insanely excellent game, like Gundam deserves, Bandai took the easy way out and only bothered to include minor tweaks and new features. This kept the fans coming back and dropping 100yen coins in the machines, but it didn't do much else.
Cut to 2008, with the recent release of Gundam Vs. Gundam, the latest addition to the Vs. family. Rather than focusing on a specific series like earlier games, Gundam Vs. Gundam throws nearly every major titular V-fin into the game along with a few other mobile suits to balance things out. It's as good as it ever war, because it still hasn't changed.
I will say the wide selection of playable Mobile Suits is really nice and there's enough variety in the selectable units to make for some diverse combat strategies. You can fire off nuclear warheads with the GP-02, beat up on terrible Gundam Wing and Gundam SEED Mobile Suits with Zeta Gundam and drop colonies on your opponents.
Yeah, you can drop colonies.
That right there is the one big difference in Gundam Vs. Gundam; specials that allow you to launch huge, devastating attacks against your opponents. Each special attack is series specific, meaning every unit from the original series drops an O'Neill Colony, the Nu Gundam and Sazabi drop Axis and the guys from 0080 get giant exploding Santa's. While these huge attacks are cool and create enough mayhem to severely cripple the framerate, they rarely occur more than once per match. This means that for the rest of the time it's still the same old Vs. game.
The variety of units is the game's strongest point, as it allows fans of just about any of the Gundam series to play as some of their favorite mobile suits. This eliminates the problem of the earlier titles where I never bothered to play Zaft Vs. Alliance because Gundam SEED sucks. There's also a lot of fan service at at work here, because seeing V-fins from disparate series matched up against each other is a lot of fun for your inner fanboy.
The bottom line is that it's still a good game, but then, it's always been a good game. It's fun to play in arcades and it'll be fun to play it at home, more so if Bandai is smart and includes online multiplayer. Taken on its own it's a solid game; it won't blow your mind, but it will be enjoyable for just any Gundam fan. I just wish it wasn't the same game we've been getting for the last seven years, a;beit with a new coat of paint and some colonies falling from the sky.
Send feedback » •I'm no Transformers fan by any stretch, but Trans Funket sounds kind of nuts. Female Transformer fans outnumbering male fans, lots of Transformers boys-love (er, robot-love) doujinshi and custom Transformer toys on display.
More bizarrely, this happened not two blocks from where I live. Unfortunately, I didn't find out about it until today. Lots of pictures of the custom toys in the link, but no pictures of the robot-love doujinshi.
2 feedbacks » •
+ Hisashi Tenmouya's RX-78-2 Kabuki Mono 2005 Version recently sold for over $600,000 at auction. This piece was displayed at the Gundam Generating Futures art show last year (which you can read more about here or here). From what little I've seen of the works shown at Generating Futures, Tenmouya's was not the most interesting piece there, but I guess somebody liked it! In other anime-related art news Takashi Murakami's My Lonesome Cowboy (link potentially NSFW) recently sold for $15.1 million. Ouch.+ Famitsu has new pictures of Bandai Namco's Mobile Suit Gundam: Operation: Troy for the Xbox 360. The game is starting to look really good, although that could just be my inner fanboy salivating at the prospect of a Battlefield-style Gundam game. I'm sure they'll figure out some way to ruin it! The game comes out in Japan next month.
+ I've recently been spending a lot of time in arcades with the new Gundam vs. Gundam game and the slightly older Spirit of Zeon lightgun game. I'll be posting up impressions of both those games in the near future, as well as what may be the only english language account of a trip to Akihabara's Gundam bar. Stay tuned!
+ Something non-Gundam related; prototype pictures of new Macross gashapons popped up on Toys Daily. Looks like the focus will be on the VF-25 from Macross Frontier, with some VF-1 and VF-0 thrown in for good measure. I'm not a big fan of gashapons as they always end up being disappointing, but the tentacle-like missile trails are kind of hilarious. In person with poorly done paint jobs, I'm sure they'll be quite underwhelming.
Send feedback » •
Clothing store in Shimo Kitazawa.
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