Mecha Talk

After taking so long and with everything that's happened this month (especially the technical difficulties with Ep. 13) I'm just glad that I've lived this long to finish this episode. My deepest apologies for the delay, and I'm already cranking out the next one as we speak.

Gundamn! @ MAHQ Episode 013: "All Noa" (80 kbps)
Standard Version - Unplugged Version
Also available in 128k! Subscribe to the "Hi-Fi Feed" in the Links below!

Segment Breakdown for this Episode:
01. Intro: Info on Delay of "Lucky Number 13" and Neo's News!
Runtime: 000:00 - 012:17
02. Florida Oriental Trading (Commercial)
Runtime: 012:18 - 013:54
03. Frontier Bound!: Reviews of "Macross Frontier" Eps. 1 - 4.
Runtime: 013:55 - 044:06
04. "Last Rites" - Garma Strikes! (Interlude)
Runtime: 044:07 - 047:28
05. Captains Courageous: Discussion about some of the Greatest Captians of Mecha Anime!
Runtime: 047:29 - 078:10
06. Peep the Websites!
Runtime: 078:11 - 080:16
07. Gundam Round-up!: We kick-off our trip down memory lane as we wax about the series that started in all, "Mobile Suit Gundam"!
Runtime: 080:17 - 112:48
08. Next Time on Gundamn! - Preview of Ep. 14 - "Halftime!"
Runtime: 112:49 - 114:08
09. Outro: The Wind-down, "SBR's Roses of Gundamn!", Etc...
Runtime: 114:09 - 120:39

For what it's worth, this episode was aptly numbered. I'll get to sleep one day. Maybe when I'm dead. ~_~

Soul Bro Ryu
sbrmahq@gmail.com

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Main RSS Feed:
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Hi-Fi Episodes Only RSS Feed:
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Looks like 13 was an unlucky number after all, but I'm glad it turned out all right in the end. Also liked the "preview" at the end, nice touch. Was that just a fortunate byproduct of the delay, or is this something you plan to use from now on?

Jamil Neate was the first to come to mind when I saw the topic on captains, so props to Neo for being the one to mention him. For all the reasons mentioned, he's probably my favorite anime character ever. He just seems so authentic and believable, but at the same is a bad-ass fighter and a competent, father-like commander. And he (almost) does it all without his New-type powers, which just makes him more endearing.

Can't say that I've seen (or even heard of) everyone you guys discussed, but I am glad you guys covered Makabe, Yurika, and Bright (of course). Can't really think of anyone you guys missed.

When I first watched MSG (fairly recently), it almost started to feel like a chore. I liked the story, but it started to feel very repetitious (monster of the week, combining... everything you guys covered), so having heard that most of that was removed from the movies, my interest has gone up dramatically.

Here's looking forward to episode 14 of Gundamn!

Another good episode despite the production problems you seem to have had.
The Captains segment I really enjoyed (Misato commanded a ship that didn't move.) and in addition to Chris's honorable mention of Daitetsu, I personally have to mention his XO on the Hagane, Tetsuya Onodera as I have seen him as a sort of what if for Bright if Paolo Cassius had not died and ended up commanding the White Base with Bright as the XO.
Granted things are a bit different with the OG cast as Ingram handled things with the pilots where in Gundam there was no one in that position, but I think it's close enough to be a valid comparison.
Like Tetsuya, Bright would have learned a lot about command from Cassius and grown in a different way than he did in the series to the point where he would eventually be able to take command on his own and be an effective leader.

Also on Jamil, I agree that he is one of those that sometimes gets overlooked, but he is just as good as any of them really. We have like a dozen Char clones in the various shows, but only Jamil really comes close enough to be considered a sort of Bright clone. Their backstory is vastly different of course, but the way they run a ship is very much the same.

On the original Gundam, I have to agree and say that the biggest difference between the series and the movies is the flow of both of them. The movies do it a lot better even if all the stuff like the G-Fighter and MAOTW were left in. The series is a bit tiring to sit through all the way compared to the movies.

As for Soul Bro's apology segment, well let's just say it could single handedly debunk the saying that there are no girls on the internet, let alone any who watch mecha anime. Unless they are yaoi fangirls, I say the more the better.

Careful, Bandai may have something insidious planned for your soul if you do sell out.

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The Gundam wiki

"Reality makes a crappy special effects crew." - Adam Savage

As per usual, great show guys, and I'd also like to shout out as an honorable mention, Teleta Testarosa from Full Metal Panic! for exemplary captains.

Having not seen the movie versions of 0079, I can't really comment on them; however, as I am currently collecting the series dvds, I can safely say that they did not tire me out the first time though. Besides, salt is very very important

Also about the G Fighter, I have two things to say in its defense. First off, it makes one hell of a unit in Gundam video games. Also, the way it was used in Sleggar's death was, for me, one of the shining moments of the whole series.

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Taka Tora Bata

http://nihonreview.com/

AWESOME! I'm really glad to hear you guys again. I was getting worried to be honest. I'm in the process of listening now (as I build an MG RX-78-4, go figure) and I just had to jump on and give props for the Zeta medley after the Macross section. That was incredibly well done. As an Emma fanboy, that almost brought a tear to my eye.

Anyway, listening to the Captain section now, I'll drop in when I'm done with more thoughts.

Again, good to hear you guys again!

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Hey, given how many mecha show references there are in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, would Lindy Hallaoun count as a mecha show captain?

You already mention some of my favorite captains but these are a few that I would add

Teletha Testarossa,(Full Metal Panic) after all she designed her own submarine, is a bit of a klutz, and is involved in a love triangle.

Captain Bulge,(The Galaxy Railways) a father-figure type captain that puts his duty before personal feelings.

Alex Rowe,(Last Exile) a Harlock clone but he was still cool in his own right.

Holland (Eureka Seven) He could be a jerk but he had his moments.

Yang Wen-Li (Legend Of The Galactic Heroes) In way he was the ultimate slacker, he liked to win by doing as little as possible!

Reinhard Von Lohenngramm (Legend Of The Galactic Heroes) I liked him for being as skilled and cunning as Wen-Li and looks like a pimp!

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Again a nice show guys, despite the problems you've had recording and editing it.

I liked your coverage of the original MSG and pitching the show against the movie. I hope to see a future comparison on Zeta (series vs. movies) in the upcoming podcasts.
The captain topic was interesting. I have to admit I've never though about the subject that deeply, but it was welcome to hear your thoughts on it.
Though, I have to agree with Hyakushiki on Yang Wen-Li. How come you omitted LoGH?
Still, it was a very entertaining podcast.
Props for the show guys! Looking forward to ep 14.

This is something that keeps coming up over and over again, so I'd like to put it to rest. Every time we have a topic, people always say "how you didn't mention this series/mecha/person?" I want everyone to understand that we're not perfect. We're not going to mention everything that's out there on every subject that could be applicable to whatever topic. That's just the way it is. LoGH is not a mecha series, and the topic is about mecha ship captains (even though Adam snuck Misato in there). That's all there is to it.

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"What did catch my eye, however, was a podcast named Gundamn!. At first I thought it was a podcast about firearms and [rednecks] discussing their collection, but after looking at the episode titles I was sold." - Xhavalor

PSN: amuromsz006

Another excellent episode guys. Though, there's one thing I have to ask:

Near the end of the Macross frontier discussion, when Sol Bro mentioned the blonde haired girl with the lines on her face, was he referring to Brera Sterne? Because Brera's a GUY.

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She's actually the one I would have mentioned.

Though technically she's an Admiral, not a captain.



That had me laughing, cuz they were all talking about the same person, but didn't realise it because Sol Bro thought he was a chick.

Good show guys. It was a bit weak out of the starting gate, but you managed to pick it up.

You should totally have me on when you guys do Double Zeta. Chris'll tell ya how much I love that one.

Just curious, but will G-Saviour be included in the segment? I'm probably the only person actually willing to defend that movie.

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"A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting their coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hasn't ended."

I didn't mean to rub you the wrong way, though it sounds like I did, Chris.
I was just wondering why you didn't include LoGH and you answer satisfied my curiosity. My question wasn't meant as critique, so I hope you don't take it that way.
I thought "mecha show captains" included LoGH since "mecha" can cover anything mechanical and not strictly piloted robots. And I've read you waxing lyrical about LoGH before, so that's why I wondered you why omitted LoGH.
However, you've made it clear that you are sticking with the "piloted robots" definition for the nature of the discussion, and didn't simply forgot about it.
Which is all fine by me.
Of course you don't ow us an answer/reason/excuse to any (possibly silly) question we might ask, but it's still okay if we have a question, right?
Isn't that what the talkback topic is for?
I just like to know if I'm missunderstanding things here.

Closing, I'd like to reitterate that you, Neo and SBR are doing a great job entertaining at least me with your musings on various things mecha related.
I sure find it entertaining to listen to you guys and I appreciate the effort you're putting in.

If Misato counts, then I'm going to say that Captain Goto from the Patlabor series counts as well, indeed, I was hoping he'd make the list. But you DID mention Harlock and he blows all other Captains out of the anime ocean, even Bright Noa and Jamil!

It wasn't you specifically that did anything wrong. I meant it more as a general statement because every episode that sort of comment comes up, and it can get a bit tiring after awhile.

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"What did catch my eye, however, was a podcast named Gundamn!. At first I thought it was a podcast about firearms and [rednecks] discussing their collection, but after looking at the episode titles I was sold." - Xhavalor

PSN: amuromsz006

You don't even realize how hard it was to get it out of the starting gate. Now I understand why there aren't 13th floors in buildings.

Don't think G-Saviour will be included. It may be covered in some aspect in the future, but I can defintely say it won't be covered in Gundam Roundup.

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Wanted: 1,000,000 hits on YouTube for Bernie's Lament.

Lelouch is and always will be dead.

B.A., M.A., PhD,
The Yoshiyuki Tomino School of Film.
"You draw'em, we kill'em!"

neomahq@gmail.com

PSN/XBOX Live: NeoLorroke

Hate to sweep the rug out from under you, but we have to cover it. Even if it is complete crap, it's still Gundam.

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"What did catch my eye, however, was a podcast named Gundamn!. At first I thought it was a podcast about firearms and [rednecks] discussing their collection, but after looking at the episode titles I was sold." - Xhavalor

PSN: amuromsz006

I can't count how many times that has happened to me in anime. Damn bishonens. It's funny though, the first scan I ever previewed of Loran Cehack in "Turn-A Gundam" (albiet, a very bad one), I thought homey was a chick. Didn't help that Akira Yasuda drew him to look like the male, natty-dred version of Elena from "Street Fighter III". ^_^

Of course, soon afterwards I learned the truth. Then when I watched the show, I couldn't help but lose my $h!t when they forced him to cross-dress.

God, I love irony.

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Thanks for the shout-out and the congrats on my PhD. I'm not a yaoi fangirl, I'm happy to say. I'm into these shows for the politics and the personal stories, although over the past couple of years I've developed a love for the mecha.

For classic captains, you mentioned Harlock, which was cool, and Admiral Okita (aka Captain Avatar) as the Old Wise Captain par excellence. By the way, did I hear correctly that there's a mecha in 00 called the "Albator"? Because that's what Harlock is called in the French translation.

I'm in agreement that the original Gundam series was benefitted by being cut short. I think you pretty much spelled out the weaknesses in Tomino's original plot. It's worth adding, though, that Char's fate in the original outline was likely death; he did run into Amuro and Sayla but said they had to go on without him. Mark Simmons said it was unclear if this was because he was pinned under a support column or if he just could not go on out of shame.

Thanks for the episode; it's what I listened to at the gym today and on the bus home.

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Techno-Viking does not dance to the music; the music dances to Techno-Viking.

Admittidly, I too also think the conclusion of the series as it was is better than the planned version, but I would've loved to see Bright hunting down Kusko Al, Amuro destroy the Solar Ray.

Also, having the Gigan destroy the Gundam, while the idea does leave a pretty bad taste in the mouth and doesn't have the great 'feel' as the Gundam vs. Zeong battle and 'the Final Shot'. I think it does lead to the idea that even the most powerful suit around can be defeated by... a piece of crap that got lucky.

Great episode, I'm sorry to hear all your work on the halftime show was lost, but any Gundamn is better than no Gundamn.

I'm glad to hear Jamil getting a mention, he's my favorite captain by far. I'll never forget when they're in a space battle together, Jamil is in his element (having been the only one besides Paula who fought in space before) while Garoud and friends are having all sorts of trouble. It seems like they showed this footage of Jamil dodging lasers for like 5 minutes.

Oh, and the segment where Chris explained the changes made to the original plan was great. Soul Bro is completely right that having Giren's fortress set to explode is really 'James Bond-ish", and Chris is right that the military people should be kept separate from the political people. Char was military, but he had his whole agenda with the Zabis so it would have made more sense to have him take down Giren than it would Amuro.