Mecha Talk 2.0

Gundamn! @ MAHQ Episode 015: "A Tale of Two Zetas" (80 kbps)
Standard Version - Unplugged Version
Also available in 128 kbps!

Segment Breakdown for this Episode:
01. Intro: Neo's News!
Runtime: 0:00:00 - 0:14:53
02. Issues with Ep. 14 Lead-in to Zeta Gundam Segment
Runtime: 0:14:54 - 0:16:08
03. Gundam Round-up!: "Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam"
Runtime: 0:16:09 - 0:51:00
04. Peep the Websites!
Runtime: 0:51:01 - 0:53:15
05. Viva La Rebellion!: "Code Geass R2" Turns 1 - 4 in Review
Runtime: 0:53:16 - 1:33:02
06. Florida Oriental Trading (Commercial)
Runtime: 1:33:03 - 1:34:54
07. Gundam Round-up!: "Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Runtime: 1:34:55 - 2:08:00
08. Next Time on Gundamn! - Preview of Ep. 16 -
Runtime: 2:08:01 - 2:08:31
09. Outro: Epic!
Runtime: 2:08:32 - 2:09:18
10. Ep. 14 Eulogy More into what happened with the episode skip.
Runtime: 2:09:19 - 2:12:22
Thanks to Areku for the Runtimes!

As it has been becoming a regular instance, this episode is inexcusably late. Or early, depending on how you look at it. As much as I wish I could joke about this, keeping you cats waiting damn near a whole month for what should be a bi-weekly podcast, is making the three of us that host it look terrible, when it is solely one person's fault.

But before I go on, I'm sure most of you are confused about why this one is episode 15 as opposed to 14, as natural progression would have it. That's a long sad story, but one I'll try to no to languish on for too long.

Already running behind schedule, episode 14 was pretty much finished on last Friday (ironically the 13th). All I needed to do was output the parts that comprise the ep and then compress it to MP3. Since I was running out of HD space on the main laptop we use to record the show, I decided to transfer the folder with all the files I had edited from that laptop to the other one. The Zeta segment that was part of the original ep. 14 that we recorded so long ago was edited and on the other laptop already, and since it had plenty of space on it, I'd chose to move everything else there to finish the job.

My biggest mistake in judgement was that I chose to "Cut & Paste" instead of Copy the folder. The files are huge before they're compressed into the final product, so it was going to take a few minutes before the transfer completed.

Halfway through the power went out, turning off my router. It wasn't off long, but the damage was done. Since I was too stupid to actually copy the folder instead of cutting & pasting, the files within the folder were completely trashed. There was an "image" on the destination laptop of what I was transferring, but no matter how many attempts I tried to salvage them, I failed outright.

By the time Sunday rolled around, I was pretty freaked, and decided to fill the void by putting out Ep. 15 instead, combining the Gundamn Roundups for Zeta & Double Zeta into the same episode with the Geass R2 segment inbetween. It doesn't make up for the grave mistake I made losing the 00 Halftime Report (again) & the Iron Man review (which was a blast to do), but everyone was wayyyy overdue for something, and I had to make due with what I had left.

What I described above serves as an well-deserved explaination for everyone as to what happened. However, I don't like to make excuses for my mistakes, and screwing the pooch to this degree is something I can't even forgive myself for, let alone ask you guys too. The hasty shortcut I did resulted in killing ep. 14, and for something that could have been so avoidable, I'm ashamed to have done it to the begin with.

All I can ask is that anyone has been annoyed by the delay, please don't take it out on Neo or Chris. This is far from their fault, and they shouldn't have to take the heat for something I've done. Matter of fact, Chris has been just as concerned about the holdup and Neo has rightfully peeved about the mistake and the slow releases as of late and I can't blame him at all.

If I've learned anything from life, is to take responsibility for one's actions, and this blunder falls directly on my shoulders. I screwed up and although you guys are listening to the new ep, I can't help but be reminded of how good 14 was before I lost it.

In retrospect, I think the core of the problem is that I take an extremely long time to produce these eps, and in order to combat this, there is something I should have done a long time ago in order to get them out far more promptly.

With Ep. 16, you'll see this new approach begin. Since there's already two versions of the same episode, the best way I could come up with a solution is to further differentiate the two. If this is kosher with the other hosts, from ep. 16 on:

Unplugged: A straightforward presentation of the show, with no filler in-between and at a low bitrate that can be quickly downloaded and listened to. Music will bookend the segments, but the production will be light in order to get the show out in a timely manner. No frills. Just show.

Standard: This will follow later, and will be the version of the ep in the regular format, plus at 128 kbps.

This takes a lot of the stress off, shaves off plenty of post-production time, and also cuts down on too many other versions of the show flooding the internet period. Simply back to Unplugged & Standard, with the former coming out before the latter. For the sake of timeliness, Unplugged will take priority, but I promise to keep putting out the Standard versions as well.

In the meantime, enjoy the episode. I'm going to crawl into a hole and get some sleep. Well, after work that is.

With my sincerest apologies,

Soul Bro Ryu
sbrmahq@gmail.com

Peep The Websites:
GundamnMAHQ@gmail.com
www.MAHQ.net
http://GundamnMAHQ.Blogspot.com
www.MySpace.com/GundamnTheShow
http://GundamnTheShow.Podshow.com

"Gundamn! @ MAHQ" on iTunes:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSt ... =266989185

Main RSS Feed:
http://www.podshow.com/feeds/gundamntheshow.xml

Unplugged Episodes Only RSS Feed:
http://www.mevio.com/feeds/gundamnunplugged.xml

Hi-Fi Episodes Only RSS Feed:
http://www.mevio.com/feeds/gundamnhifi.xml
(Currently hosting Episodes 12 & 13 @ 128 kbps.)

Garma Strikes! - Featuring "Gundamn! @ MAHQ - The Soundtrack":
http://www.MySpace.com/GarmaStrikes

Other Shinjuku Station Podcasts
Flip the Script!: http://www.myspace.com/ftsshinjuku

The Weekly Cocktail: http://www.myspace.com/ladyjthegooddoctor
Premiere Episode is Up! New Slice of Life Podcast by Lady J & FTS's own Dr. Enclyclopedia Black!

_________________
"Coffee & milk foam is not a meal. No offense Mr Chino. I'm not a fan of your beverages but I sure do love your pants. Thank you & good morning."
Some Dude, "Denny's Commercial"

Soul Bro Ryu
www.Gundamn.net
www.Twitter.com/SoulBroRyu

Its ok Soul Bro Ryu, you, as everyone else in the world, are only human. Thank you, though, for the episode. If you are afraid of any of the fans of the show forming a mob to force you to make more episodes, I promise I won't be part of it and can be patient.

_________________
The sun sets for us and rises for others, but it will come back to gaze upon again. Though it will not be the same, we will love it and remember the sun even more in the hard futures we face.

Indeed, all of us make mistakes and losing a podcast episode is one of the least harmful alternatives I can think of. It's not good, admittedly, yet I understand these things can regretfully happen. Better not to dwell on them, just make some changes and continue onward.

That aside, I'm really looking forward to this episode, and all future ones, as I do think the overwhelming majority of listeners will appreciate your efforts, regardless of everything else.

_________________
Soul Eater, the True Rune

Listening to the episode now, loved the HOWARD MASON!!!!-Shout out in the first 5 minutes.

_________________

Great episode, I've got to check out some of that Code Geass fighting game-move stuff hahaha.

I finally saw Char's Counterattack, so I'm looking forward to hearing that segment, keep up the good work!

I would launch ye olde digital boulder at you for the delay, but seeing as the catapult it's on is made by Acme there is at least an equal if not greater chance of it doing something bad to me as there is of it working properly so I'll not bother with that.

Still, the show itself was up to the usual quality standards so no worries on the quality of the final product.

I too liked and tolerated ZZ, though I agree with you on how they could have done the ending a bit better than how they did with Glemy's rebellion and all.

Still early on there were many many times when I just wanted to take a gun, reach through the screen with it and shoot Beecha and Mondo. Those two were the Argama's worst enemy for far too long and for seemingly no good reason either other than they wanted to save their own miserable hides no matter what it did to anyone else.

They were worse than even Katz at that point which is saying quite a bit. Mondo eventually redeemed himself, but Beecha was still a schmuck for most of the show even late when he was put in command of the Nahal Argama.

_________________
The Gundam wiki

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

Listening to the ep now, but something caught my ear. During Neo's news, specifically while describing Athrun and the gears-be-gone Savior, is that a song from Dragon Quest VIII playing in the background? If so, it fits pretty well as a bgm, but I'm surprised by the source.

Contrary to most people, I not only liked ZZ, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I mean it is my least favorite of the full length UC TV series, but that is saying more about the other three than Double Zeta itself. Personally, I never thought it became like Zeta, but rather became its own series that was surprisingly funny by the middle, while still being powerful.

About Zeta, even if the intent was to save him during A New Translation, it really does kill what was the ultimate high point, which was that in the end Kamille couldn't save anyone, not even himself. Though what really killed the movie (as I think Soul Bro said) was the lacking of Char's epic speach. I first heard it while playing Gundam vs Zeta Gundam, and from hearing that on the Dakar level, I knew I was going to like Zeta.

One last thing, what Chris said about Gurren Laggan, if it happens, would be the greatest thing to happen to anime in America in a long time.

_________________
Cyclone...Jokaaaaa!

http://nihonreview.com/ Latest Reviews:
Kadian1364: Porco Rosso
Buttercup: Liar Game (Live Action)

Thanks to all who participated.

For all those interested, we will broadcasting the caning of Soul Bro on the internet this weekend, as payment for his transgressions....

JUST JOKING!

Soul Bro's being much too hard on himself. Mistakes are learning opportunities and this one is no exception. For everyone out there, we already have put in procedures to ensure something like this doesn't happen. The three of us are far from being professional podcasters, so each new situation is a learning experience. But, I will tell you this we continue to fine tune the show so we can deliver the best product out there for mecha fans. We just ask everyone to be patient when changes are made, because there is really no formula to this stuff. We've already made some changes to the show to make it a better product for the listeners and what we've learned from this past situation will make Gundamn even better in the future. So, thank you and keep listening and spreading the word. And keep the questions and comments coming, because we do listen. We will continue to make Gundamn, "the podcast for mecha fans, by mecha fans."

Our normal release schedule for shows will resume and we've got lots of great things coming this summer and fall.

_________________
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

Yeah, Soul Bro, its all good. Now if we were paying for the podcast then thing would be different, but luckily for you, where not . If it makes you feel any better I was transfering files between two harddrives the other day and the same thing happened, so your not the only one who uses the "cut and paste" shortcut and regrets it.

Now, about the show. I especially liked both segments on zeta and zz. Concerning zz, I do agree that the Earth Arcs were by far the best in the show, however I am surprised that you guys seemed to equate the second space segment with the first (although, I may have possibly misheard). Yes, the show did lose some quality when the argama crew returned to space, however it was not nearly as bad as the first 17 or so episodes. But that's just me. Also, I do agree that two part episode concerning Torres' girlfriend was very enjoyable, and probably when the show really started to get good, at least for me.

Now if we can just get to the last segment of 00 season 1 done before the second season starts...

I'm joking guys, keep up the good work

_________________
"And in the live action remake of the Original Series, Amuro Ray will be played by Steven Seagal. Also, Char Aznable will be played by Steven Seagal"

Why did you have to botch up the recording for ep 14, Soul Bro?!
j/k

Well, ZOINKS happens, even to the best.
Besides, you're just offering a free time service to us loyal fans. So don't fret over it. Although it's a shame you lost a nice recording, it's not something you owe to us.

Anyway, episode 15 was a blast.
I definitely liked your stint on Z and ZZ.
Good to hear Chris, Hawk and your views on Zeta vs. A New Translation.
I haven't seen past ep 38 and past movie II, because I was doubting wether to finish the series before the movie trilogy. I started on the movies, because I couldn´t find the patience to finish the series I started watching last year.
However, I'm going to follow up your advice and finish the series before the movies to get (hopefully) the best viewing experience.

One thing I noticed was that all of you, and especially Chris, have become a lot more relaxed (read: comfortable with) presenting the show. The dynamic between the three of you has improved and you seem to thouroughly enjoy it. Any tension that was previously noticably has now been all but gone.
At least that is how I feel about it.

Good job, and I hope to hear ep 16 soon!

P.S.
Any chance Howaaard Maaason will become Gundamn's mascotte?...

Don't be too hard on yourself Soul-bro ryu, anyways awesome episode I loved every minute of it especially comparing Suzaku to Kyo Kunsanagi, that was hilarious and I completly agree with you guys about Suzaku being the most hated character in the show and remedial phys ed was funny as well. The original script about ZZ was quite interesting and I honestly didn't expect Judau as awesome as he is to hit on Emma, one of gundam's favorate character characters.

READY THE DIGITAL BALLISTAE

Target: Florida, Public utilities center

We'll teach them to mess with our Gundamn...

It's OK Soul-Bro; I'm just glad you could save the Z Gundam segment

_________________
"If You are a man you'll do what's important before you grieve" -Captain Harlock

"I like the SAGA. Its what Rambo would pilot if he was in Gundam 00" -Kylern

I listened to the podcast today and was inspired to stick in some episodes at random. One of them contained what I think is the most moving scene in all Gundam, the one where Char brings Bright a video letter from his kids. That little bit was a great piece of character development; you could definitely see how Bright and Mirai stayed together through all those deployments.

I'm going to try to locate the Dakar speech now. It's on the fifth DVD I think.

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

Episode 37 on volume 8 (or rather VIII) of the R1 DVD box set.

_________________
The Gundam wiki

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

To quote a very wise poster in my School computer room :
"To urr and umm is human, to balls things up completely takes a computer."

_________________
2,000,000,000 points. I can almost taste the brownies.

Wow I am so sorry to hear about your computer mishap Soul Bro! I was groaning the whole way through reading what happened. I can only imagine how bad it must of been when you realized that you lost those files. At least it sounds like you learned your lesson, albeit the hard way. Don't take it out on yourself, the power outage was completely beyond your control. Unless you have a battery backup system like I do! Truly these last 2 episodes seem to have been cursed! I look forward to hopefully hearing your take on Gundam00 (which was something I had been highly anticipating for quite some time), and maybe that Iron Man review!
P.S.
I'll have to remember that too: never cut and paste!

_________________
Tell me why, at this turning point in our history, must we fight amongst each other and further pollute the earth?
- Char Aznable, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

Kinda sad that the 00 special keeps getting delayed, but I have to admit it was nice to hear the spotlights on Zeta and ZZ in the same episode. I was laughing all the way through in both segments. The nitpicks for Zeta were pretty classic (Katz, disappearing acts, random orphans) and the ZZ discussion was just naturally hilarious. Hearing Chris talk about Moon Moon had me on the ground. I agree with your general thoughts on ZZ, though. The ZZ Earth arc and some of the subsequent space episodes were absolutely great. The Neo Zeon infighting at the end was kind of random, and it felt weird not having a grandiose battle like A Bao A Qu or Gryps, but watching Neo Zeon effectively eating itself from the inside was a site to see. The Mk. II and Zeta unceremoniously getting scrapped at the end was tough to watch, but the Quin Mantha and Full Armor ZZ were crazy awesome. I felt Haman's end was fitting. She could have easily one against Judau with her funnels deployed, but she chose not to use them, and having been beaten, she took her life by her own hands. The way I see Haman, she was too proud to let anyone but herself end her life, and her army effectively defeated, she would rather die than live in disgrace.

Anyway, I am SO looking forward to the CCA discussion. I can only imagine what you guys have to say on the topics of Quess and Hathaway. I've got my fingers crossed on the 00 segment as well. Third times a charm right?

_________________
"I don't particularly like robot animation."
-Yoshiyuki Tomino

The Anivision Podcast
PSN: Amuro1X

That's gonna be interesting, 'cause Soul Bro, we already know how much you despise Quess.

_________________
Cyclone...Jokaaaaa!

http://nihonreview.com/ Latest Reviews:
Kadian1364: Porco Rosso
Buttercup: Liar Game (Live Action)

Thanks to all who participated.

Don't expect this segment anytime soon. None of us are exactly thrilled about the prospect of discussing these same episodes again a third time, so we won't be doing it right now - probably not until right before season 2 starts.

_________________
PSN: amuromsz006