TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.
To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.
I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.
I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.
I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.
Honesty If we're doing a new faction in the Southlands and Lustria I'd rather focus on the Amazons and just make sure the pygmie miniatures never exist. If you really want them I guess we could pull a darksun and have a group of halflings who are dinosaur mounted warriors. Of course the darksun halflings are xenophobic cannibals but we can just leave that part out. Also I'd prefer to use a different term for them because I've heard the term pygmies' is offensive.
Though I think they'd work best as a unit option in the Amazon armies and/or a Dogs of War unit.
Honesty If we're doing a new faction in the Southlands and Lustria I'd rather focus on the Amazons and just make sure the pygmie miniatures never exist. If you really want them I guess we could pull a darksun and have a group of halflings who are dinosaur mounted warriors. Of course the darksun halflings are xenophobic cannibals but we can just leave that part out. Also I'd prefer to use a different term for them because I've heard the term pygmies' is offensive.
Truth be told, i just wanted to see if we could replace the Pygmies with something else, though thinking about it, the Amazons will do just fine. Halflings might not fit if we want something wholly new.
Though I will campaign to rename Albion into Eire.
Truth be told, i just wanted to see if we could replace the Pygmies with something else, though thinking about it, the Amazons will do just fine. Halflings might not fit if we want something wholly new.
Though I will campaign to rename Albion into Eire.
...
This is a worst case scenario, but when Magoose mentioned a movie that could go against E.T., all I could think of was one thing.
What allowed, what pushed Murdoch to buy Fox when it was at its last legs?
Have we amassed enough IP to get the ball rolling on building a theme park? I like the idea of calling it "Freedomland" after a short-lived theme park in NYC Bruce might've visited when he was a kid. It's a good alternative if "Lucasland" is too on-the-nose.
Have we amassed enough IP to get the ball rolling on building a theme park? I like the idea of calling it "Freedomland" after a short-lived theme park in NYC Bruce might've visited when he was a kid. It's a good alternative if "Lucasland" is too on-the-nose.
there are a few films that we may want to try to reach for distribution now while we are at it or we are going to miss them forever:
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
stand by me (stephen king)
the dead zone (stephen king)
pink floyd the wall
inspector gadget
the thief and the cobler
I've literally been thinking about a show about Cathay in a Games of Thrones style. Imperial Chinese court intrigue is infamous with it's complexity, add some fantasy and the whole 'shapeshifting dragons' and we can get some real banger
Hey, can we give that cabbie like, a hundred grand? Because he just saved our ass, and unlike everyone already working for us he went above and beyond to do so.
Macross: The Robotech Wars Created By: Shōji Kawamori
Directed By: Noboru Ishiguro and Shōji Kawamori
Studio: DreamWorks Animation
Distribution: LucasTV
Original Release: August 1982 - April 1983
Richard "Rick" Hunter/Hikaru Ichijyo: Tony Oliver/Akihiro Hase Roy Fokker/Roy Fokker: Dan Woren/Akira Kamiya Henry J. Gloval/Bruno J. Global: Greg Finley/Michio Hazama Lisa Hayes/Misa Hayase: Melanie MacQueen/Mika Doi Lin Minmei/Lynn Minmay: Reba Queen/Mari Iijima Lin Kyle/Lynn Kyle: Eddie Frierson/Hirotaka Suzuoki Claudia LaSalle/Claudia Grant: Iona Morris/Noriko Ohara Maximilian "Max" Sterling/Maximillian Jenius: Cam Clarke/Sho Hayami Ben Dixon/Hayao Kakizaki: Richard Epcar/Katsumi Suzuki Donald Hayes/Takashi Hayase: Robert V. Barron/Osamu Saka Miriya Parina/Milia Fallyna: Edie Mirman/Eri Takeda Breetai Kridanik/Britai Kridanik: Tony Clay/Eiji Kanie Khyron Kravsher/Quamzin Kravshera: Gregory Snegoff/Kōsuke Meguro Dolza Zer/Boddole Zer: Michael Reynolds/Osamu Ichikawa Exedore Folmo/Exedol Folmo: Ted Layman/Ryūsuke Ōbayashi
The history of Macross and its creation is not one that you'd thought it possible when you first heard about it. To begin with, it all came down to one man who'd come with the original batch of animaters from Japan; Shōji Kawamori was not someone who stood out at the first meeting, and looking back you don't think you'd ever noticed him or ever heard his name at all. Tomino told you he had been his assistant, a last-minute addition as he and the kid had met by sheer chance while the latter was on his way to an interview with a "Studio Nue" in Japan. His drawings at the time had impressed Tomino with their potential, and displaying the same kind of drive and opportunistic attitude that pushed him to speak with the Father of Manga and Hideo Miyazaki later on, he offered him a chance at an apprenticeship on the spot.
Needless to say, Shōji grabbed on to his hand and never looked back, even when the job had him move to America in order to better learn from a master at work, as well as to expand on his repertoire and influence from animators such as Don Bluth back when they were working on Gundam, studying the fluid animation of Miraculous whenever he had to travel in between Sunrise and DreamWorks on official business, and studying under Noboru when he worked on the intricate designs for the Jaegers in Pacific Rim.
All in order to finally bring to light his own original work, a story that he had been influenced by both the eastern and western sensibilities of what he'd managed to see. For while Shōji had been formed under the anime and manga of Japan, he had further specialized by working on the western style of animation where he could see how American sensibilities would better take a work, and knew how to use both types of animation to present a work that could properly meld them together.
If he managed to get a chance in of course.
Luck seemed to favor him though, as during one night in practicing the design for his future mechas and fighter planes, one of his colleagues happened to look at them and mention how they reminded him of some of the toys that had been all the rage back in Japan, something about transforming robots or something like that. It was nothing more but a passing comment, but it was more than enough for Shōji who recognized an opportunity when he saw one. A chance to get the attention of not only the higher ups at animation, but also the ones in the business side as well.
It was thus that he presented the concept of a line of transforming robot toys, Car-Robots to be specifical, over to Michael Eisner, showing diagrams of how the Diaclone line created just a few years ago had made quite the amount of profit over in Japan, and how this new concept made by Sunset Toys could dominate the market in America. He'd even made a proof of concept of one of them.
You liked that robot, there was something about it that just screamed "Honor" about it.
It was more than enough for Mike to support the release of the toy line, but it also granted him the opportunity to pitch his new idea directly to him; an idea inspired by both Gundam and Space Battleship Yamato, a tale of a giant ship with refugees trying to return home, of conspiracies and mysteries, battles in space against aliens that had a connection with mankind, a tale that focused on the feelings and emotion of the characters, which asked serious questions about war and pacifism and their place in humanity.
A tale he called Macross.
Mike gave the go ahead, smelling the possibilities of another toy line when he was shown the models for the fighters (or "Veritechs" as Shōji called them) which was all he needed to hear to begin the production...and to suddenly find that while he had the imagination and creativity necessary for the designs and the characters, he was still a bit too new to have both the practice and technique required to put them as he truly envisioned them.
And that was when Noboru entered the picture. Seeing the new project and designs for fighter planes that could transform into robots being the main attraction of the new series, it was like he'd been waiting for this moment for his entire life. And after a brief conversation the pair managed to hatch an agreement that while Shōji would be in overall command, Noboru would assist in both direction and design, as well as offering his experience when it came to the minutia of production from his time in Pacific Rim.
It certainly saved him time when it came to work with the characters, since he could have Noboru and his well experience team work his prior designs and plans as to what the Veritechs were supposed to do and look like. Noboru added that extra touch that made them truly realistic and expanded on how a pilot could use them, how the interior should look, and even the sub-culture of air pilots when it came to adding some amazing Nose Art for the individual aircrafts as well.
Though Mary's own insistence that the main character had a dragon won out when she visited during the process. They managed to make it look cool and distinctive.
Shōji certainly kept working on the many scenes that had Veritechs, making small changes when needed, speaking with both Noboru and their teams in designing new types of Mechas beyond what he'd been working at the beginning, coming with some of the most bizarre yet interesting designs that you'd come to see. Mary herself made sure to add some of her own designs for body armor, moving weapons platforms, as well as futuristic mobile vehicles that with some modifications were made to fit into this new world he was creating.
Yet, for most of what he designed the look, he made sure that most of his attention was given to the world itself, the characters, and their backstories. He did not want any simple character that could just call himself (or herself) good and get away with it; he made sure to write extensive backstories to explain his characters actions, their motivations, their previous relationships and nurturing. The result, was one of the most intricate, and fleshed out, characters you've seen, along with a beautiful design that apes the best fluid motions seen in both Miraculous and Gundam while remaining wholly unique as well. The use of Digital Ink and Print was also a godsend when it came to the speed of production as it allowed for more time to be given to smooth out the imperfections that otherwise it would have accrued.
The backstory itself is amazing, with the entire first episode nearly given completely to explaining it, yet rather than it being a slog, it becomes organically part of the overall story as it shows the state of the world in 1999 (why do so many people believe that the world will end there?) with a war that has already ravaged nearly the entire world, and is only stopped when a mysterious ship suddenly appears near the orbit of Earth and crash-lands on an island in the Southern Pacific.
This causes the entire plant to make a sudden ceasefire, and focusing on finding out about whether this is a threat or a boon; soon, they discover it is both, as the technology found in the ship is leagues beyond what they could have possibly imagined, yet the fact is that this ship was running from a grand armada and could only escape by using a one of kind Slip-Time Drive that allowed it to move through unimaginable distance in the time it would take to snap one's fingers. The threat of it alone allows for true peace among mankind to be born, and a United Earth Government to form while scientists around the world move to the island to better research the ship, soon becoming an entire city with people moving to make their new lives there as more of the mysterious technology becomes available.
They soon call it Robotech.
And it goes even wilder from there as the story makes sure to mix a heavy spoonful of drama, action and interplanetary hostility, all ready to pack quite the punch in every single fighting scene, with intense dog fights that only get better and more intricate as the story progresses. It's a fun space opera, equal to Star Trek in some ways as you can Identify with the characters; both the heroes and the villains are well developed with foibles and frailties, they all can change and evolve, and nearly none of them are the same as they were at the beginning of their odyssey. There is bloodshed, death and celebration, yet the clear message is not that war is something to be celebrated, but a final resort that you have to take when there's nothing else to try as you've exhausted every other option.
War is hell, and it's a lesson that is well and truly learned at the end of the series.
All episodes link as they follow chronologically, and they manage to show the story from both the military and civilian side. Though in the end the main character manages to encapsule both in a way; Rick Hunter, a naive and brazen civilian pilot who truly despises war and grew into a pacifist is thrust into the middle of combat when on a visit to his adopted brother, Roy Fokker, the Grand Armada who had been chasing after the downed spaceship (now known as the SDF-1 Macross). Rick got into one of the new experimental "Veritech" fighters, from there beginning his hero's journey, having to reconcile both his compassionate side, and the need to protect the innocents when he, and nearly the entire city around the ship, is transported to the other side of the Solar System near Pluto after activating the Slip-Drive in order to escape the attack.
The compelling thing about Rick Hunter though, is that at first he does not seem to have that many good points to him; despite his pacifism he's kind of self-righteous, and a bit arrogant due to his skills at flying, but the first episode 1-hour special makes an excellent work at both breaking him down and helping us empathize with him, even more when he manages to gain the courage to save and protect the civilians around him, even when using technology he's not completely sure on how to wield. During the entire series he also shows remarkable growth, yet it's not an immediate one, and it's not complete either. There are more than enough moments of comedy, misunderstandings, and romantic hijinks he gets into when dealing with the fact that he's still a young man with a crush on one of the soon-to-be most popular singers/actresses in the entire Macross City.
Which is where the love triangle enters into high gear. Because of course there is a love triangle! And you have to admit, you think you're enjoying this one a lot since in a way it seems so realistic and down to Earth in some ways. The first infatuation between Rick and Minmei (the aforementioned singer) is reminiscent of so many times when young men think they've fallen in love with their school girlfriend, or their first love. The sky's the limit and they think it's going to last forever, only to realize as time passes that in the end they were just not meant to be together, yet the hormones and the novelty of the sensation makes them try to make it work despite all the signs showing that it's anything but something real. On the other hand, Lisa Hayes begins as Rick's superior officer, someone he butts heads constantly and has little to no respect due to her "by the book" attitude, but also someone who, as time passes, he begins to see as not so much of a stickler for the rules as previously thought, someone he can respect and trust, soon enough bantering with each other during missions, each of them soon realizing what they feel for each other, yet somewhat scared as well.
Honestly, you loved how the characters existed beyond just serving as love interests for the main character as well; Linn Minmei was a go getter who looked and acted like a naive kid, yet she also had the resolve and inner strength to go for what she wanted, as well as look at the destruction around her and keep a positive mindset that just inspired everyone around her, both Human and Zentraedi, to look for a better tomorrow. Lisa Hayes on the other hand was a tough as nails commander who could plan around the enemy and create innovative and daring tactics to always stay one step ahead of the enemy on their trip home.
And in the end, this is what the series focuses the most; it's not about the plot, but mostly about the characters themselves, their emotions and interactions, how the war affects them and the people around them. It's all about love and war and how they intertwine with each other. An example of it is Roy Fokker's amazing hot shot pilot character which melds perfectly with his own care for his little brother, and his respected leader persona, while also displaying a more devoted side to his girlfriend, Claudia LaSalle, who has her own capable, teasing and inner strength characterization that hinted at prior history with Roy, something which was shown after the death of the former in a three episode flashback arc where both Roy and Gloval had to work together to stop a terrorist conspiracy during the period after peace had been achieved, but before the city had been established.
Then there was Lin Kyle, Minmei's cousin, a pacifist like Rick, but one on the more extreme side as he truly would not, under any circumstances, fight against the enemy Zentraedi. In a way, there are many similarities between Kyle and Rick, with the former serving as Rick's foil and also rival for the affections of Minmei. You're...not sure how to feel about that, though the fact that Minmei clearly rejects his advances and wants nothing to do with him in that way does help. The other romance between Maximillian and Miriya, a member of the Zentradi who had infiltrated Macross, is both incredibly sweet, and oddly rushed as well. Yet the cheesiness of it all just makes it work somehow.
And that's without mentioning the Zentraedi, who are truly fascinating as well. They being a giant race known who practice a strict separation of the sexes, and have no other purpose but to fight and make war, devoted to it as much as they are to their ancestors. They are completely ignorant of anything beyond it and anything related to it, which is why when for the first time they interact with the "Micronians" (their name for humanity" they can't help but feel intense disgust...and fascination as well when they first hear the songs of Lin Minmei. Their intense battles with the Micronians as they try to return home, make them incredibly curious about them. Soon, they find that they are their genetic ancestors, the "Protoculture" they'd been searching for so long, which has one of their main leaders, Breetai Kridanik, defect to humanity and aid them in the final confrontation against their main commander; Dolza Zer.
The entire series is fast paced, yet despite that they managed to hit all the right notes to make it a true crescendo right till the end. From what you'd heard, this was only possible because Noboru managed to convince Shōji to scrap a nine-episode reconstruction addition to the original 27 episodes which would have at best just have made the series chug along after the climax of the final battle. He instead talked him into using that time to better flesh out and give time to the characters to breathe, adding some fun comedy episodes with the Zentradi trio that were sent to spy on them, but instead fumble into any and all situations, yet have so much fun doing so that you can't help but find them endearing.
The final episode, its epilogue after the final battle with Dolza, where humanity was decimated and Rick finally managed to express his true feeling to Lisa, it was everything you had hoped and more; it shows that it's not all perfect, but there is hope. The Zentraedi defectors are integrating with the human remnants, there is still a long road ahead as more dangers are clearly around the corner. But humanity and their new allies can look to a future of peace. The final shot being of Rick finally proposing to Lisa, leaving it all with that final frame.
And in the end, it was all that was needed. The quality of the animation was just utterly perfect for every frame, Shōji making sure there would be no mistakes while also taking full advantage of the experience of the animators under him. Noboru managed to take on the fighters and Veritechs and make them truly iconic by having them steal the show whenever they were onscreen, which was nearly every episode during every dogfight and confrontation.
And through it all, you could not take your eyes away from this Epic Science Fantasy tale that you were sure was going to dominate nearly as much as Gundam had before. The voice acting might have been the one thing you were not so sure about, but it still managed to pull through even if only because they managed to have the time to do multiple takes and get it right how both of the directors wanted. They even managed to get the opportunity to distribute it in Japan, the first time an American made anime would get to debut there.
And its debut certainly made a splash! Among the most popular anime to debut in Lucas TV, and one of the most original made works. Shows like The Nguyens and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra were in good company with Macross; a compelling story, interesting characters, complex villains, and an amazing voice cast both in America and Japan, it had everything the audience had asked and expected from Lucasfilms and DreamWorks, and now they were getting it from LucasTV as well. American loved the series where they showed a perfect balance between love, war and some cheesiness as well, with many veterans finding it reminded them of the old love stories they read during their times of service. You don't think that's what Shōji or Noboru were going for, but it did manage to get them a bump in the audience. Rick's growth from an indecisive and self-righteous man, into a more centered and confident pilot was one of the most classic "Hero's Journey's" put to the small screen, and the death of Roy Fokker will be remembered among many as one of the most poignant moments in television in how sudden and surprising it was.
That they'd also been courageous enough to show a mixed raced relationship was also highlighted, though you don't see why...until you found that so far it had yet to be done. Seriously, just when you think that there's nothing that would surprise you.
In Japan they embraced it as a long-lost son, with the "Robotech" toy line becoming, if not as popular as Gundam, than at least as iconic. What truly raised its popularity however was the voice actress of Minmei, Mari Iijima, a singer who has made a name for herself and actually sang all the songs that were made for the series. All her fans and the audience were tuning in to hear her sing, and the album she released in the aftermath managed to get to the top charts thanks to all the new fans that heard her and loved her voice. Shōji certainly liked it, enough to make the decision to have her songs be used in the American version of the show rather than dub them or look for another singer. As such, hits like "My Boyfriend's a Pilot", "Cinderella" and "Little White Dragon" became among the first Japanese songs that America heard.
Unfortunately, aside from America and Japan, Macross had trouble outside the country, with both Europe and Britain giving it a cursory look and then seeming to forget it. Many there looking it as an inferior product that did not have the complexity of Gundam, and more like the seeming Jingoism that glorified war from the first impressions they managed to get. It's almost like they don't remember how the previous works made sure to add more nuance than that, or they simply think you'd forget about your principles so quickly.
A sad reality for many in Hollywood though.
Yet it was the critics those that somehow surprised you by showing an unwavering support and appreciation for the series, calling it one of the greatest series ever made, and a natural successor for your previous "Mecha" shows like Gundam and Pacific Rim. Soon, Shōji Kawamori was becoming a name everyone knew in the likes of Tomino and Noboru, and at such a young age as well. He's not resting on his laurels either as he is now working on plans to turn the Macross series into a single movie, which he hopes to give a theatrical release. Mike was beyond pleased as he saw the number of sold toys and the profit from it just kept on rising. The show may not have had the staying power to get the ratings up to the first place like Gundam, but it did manage a middle ground, and for his first work, it was not a bad beginning at all.
This did have a bit of a knock off effect outside from the series though. The initial line of toys that Shōji pitched to Mike had a sudden explosion of popularity thanks to the modular and changeable nature of the Veritech toys, with many parents buying the original ones as they could not differentiate them from the others. The children did not even want to return the toys because they were having so much fun with them and even asked for more of the models to play with their friends. The expansion of the line became a thing in and of itself, making it one of the most popular toys of the decade, with Mike pushing for a cartoon just like you'd made one with G.I. Joe.
You're tempted to agree as the robots and the toy line do look fun, and just like with the G.I. Joe franchise, you're sure your animators could make something interesting out of them. You're very interested in seeing just what they can do when they get something as interesting as the Transformers.
The show may not have had the staying power to get the ratings up to the first place like Gundam, but it did manage a middle ground, and for his first work, it was not a bad beginning at all. Sho
Being completely honest, despite the scumbaggery present in the corporate side of things, Robotech always had a special place in my heart. If we could make it again, the Zentraedi, Robotech Masters, AND Invid Sagas as a single anime from the get-go, it'd be a wonderful thing.
Being completely honest, despite the scumbaggery present in the corporate side of things, Robotech always had a special place in my heart. If we could make it again, the Zentraedi, Robotech Masters, AND Invid Sagas as a single anime from the get-go, it'd be a wonderful thing.
Oh boy! My first encounter with the franchise was the video games, Invasion AND Battlecry. Followed by finding full three saga series on Netflix. Watching all the way through in one go.
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