Lineart Update by Chris 11:20 P.M. EST For today's update, I've got new lineart for nearly all the mobile suits from SEED DESTINY. Thanks go out to Neo-Era for finding it and Mark064 for cleaning up. There's also new lineart for the Barzam.
July 25, 2004
Model Reviews by Chris 6:20 P.M. EST
I've got a few model and MSiA reviews in today's update. Without wasting any time, let's get to the list:
Extra by Chris 10:43 P.M. EST I've got some bigger, better quality SEED DESTINY lineart, again courtesy of Neo-Era. This time, check out the Zaku Warrior, Zaku Phantom and Chaos Gundam. UPDATE: Special thanks to Mark064 for cleaning up the larger lineart pieces.
Face Your DESTINY by Chris 9:30 P.M. EST There's quite a few updates on the list today, most of which revolve around SEED DESTINY. First, there's 8 new profiles for various new ZAFT Gundams and Zakus. Yeah, that's right, Zakus. Go figure, eh? The new profiles feature tiny, low quality lineart, with the exception of the Gaia Gundam, courtesy of Neo-Era. I've also transformed the SEED DESTINY anime page to give it a more standard look. Instead of constantly updating with the same information as Gunota, I've simply provided a link to their special DESTINY page. There's also new lineart for the Neo Gundam and Jegan Kai, both courtesy of Mark064.
July 21, 2004
Otakon Gundam Panel by Chris 10:05 P.M. EST Plan on checking out this year's Otakon in Baltimore? Be sure to check out the Gundam 25th Anniversary Panel hosted by our very own Gundam Enigma. There's likely to be some other MAHQ crew around, so drop in and say hello. Here's Enigma's description of the panel:
What's your favorite mecha series? Gundam, Evangelion, Macross, Zambot 3? In honor of Gundam's 25th Anniversary, let a few Mecha Otakus take you through the history of Mecha in Japan, all the way back from Tetsujin and Mazinger. You'll get a chance to have any mecha questions answered, see clips and rare footage from Gundam, and broaden your knowledge of Tomino's work, as well as many other famous people in the mecha world.
The panel will run from 10:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. on Friday, July 30.
July 11, 2004
Minor bits by Chris 1:22 A.M. EST I had a bigger update planned, but it's too late for that now. For the moment, there's two new pieces of lineart. First is some reassembled and filled in lineart for the Impulse Gundam courtesy of Gundam RX-78-8. It's not the best quality, but it's the best there is right now. Second, there's lineart for SEED-MSV's M1A Astray, courtesy of Mark064. Finally, there's new lineart for the RX-90 μ Gundam courtesy of
FAZZ010c.
July 7, 2004
Zeta and SEED DESTINY bits by Chris 7:52 P.M. EST There's a few news items in today's update. First, many fans were undoubtedly disappointed by the announcement at Anime Expo that the Zeta Gundam box set had been delayed again. There's also been a report that the limited edition will run only 5,000 copies. A source has been confirmed that this is not correct. The box set will be available online and at retail outlets. Also, there have been conflicting reports about the new release date being December or there being no release date. It will come out close to December, and possibly before. It was mentioned that there's new cover art designed by Tsukasa Kotobuki, and you can have a look at it by clicking here.
Gunota has reported several other developments regarding SEED DESTINY. Unfortunately, Mitsuo Fukuda and Chiaki Morosawa are indeed reprising their roles from the first SEED series. I can't say I'm happy about that at all, but I'll wait to see what they produce. Additionally, Advance of Zeta designer Kenki Fujioka is on the design team, so perhaps he can liven up things and balance out Okawara's stale designs.
July 6, 2004
Gundam SEED DESTINY by Chris 11:15 P.M. EST Earlier today, our friends over at Gunota Headlines broke the big story involving the official announcement of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY. I won't bother to repeat that information here, since I've created an information page to collect all the news on the series. As I did with SEED two years ago, the page will eventually be converted to a regular review page once the series begins airing. I've also created a mecha section for DESTINY, featuring basic profiles for the Impulse Gundam, Force Impulse Gundam and Minerva. Although there is some lineart available for the Impulse Gundam, the quality isn't that great, hence the 'no picture available'.
Allow me to use this space to present some thoughts on DESTINY based on the information as it stands now. The basic premise has some similarities with Zeta Gundam. Whereas ZAFT were the antagonists last time, this time one of their pilots is the hero. Also, he hooks up with a veteran from the previous war (Athrun). Of course it's too early to know what the full storyline of the series is, so these resemblances may be purely superficial.
What is evident so far are sub par character and mechanical designs. Returning again are Hisashi "I can't design more than one face" Hirai along with mainstay Kunio "Someone please kill me now" Okawara. If I don't sound too thrilled about these guys, it's because I'm not. Hirai lacks the ability to create any characters that are visually distinct. So far, new hero Shinn Asuka looks identical to Kira Yamato aside from his black hair. As for the Impulse Gundam, it's so generic even for Okawara that one has to wonder if he's created a program that randomly generates Gundam lineart for him. Aside from the reuse of Striker packs, the 'Core Splender' concept sounds identical to the Core Block system from UC.
It's also interesting to note that so far Hirai and Okawara are the only announced staff on DESTINY. It's not mentioned anywhere if director Mitsuo Fukuda or his wife and head writer Chiaki Morosawa will be returning. For the sake of the series, let's hope they won't. As I said before, it's too early to know what this series will be about, but the basic premise shows some promise. Watch this space for the same in-depth coverage as two years ago when SEED was first announced.
July 5, 2004
MSiA Stuff by Chris 10:10 P.M. EST I've got two new MSiA reviews today, along with pics for all my previous reviews. Before I list those, I have a few other brief items to mention. First, the Links section has received a long overdue overhaul. Second, the Store has been updated with new Macross DVD listings. The Staff Information page has also been revamped, and you probably noticed the minor changes to the Reminders above this post. Anyway, here's the list of stuff:
Still Kickin, still reviewin! by Joel 5:25 P.M. EST
Hi there people! Did you miss me? * wink * Yes, I know I haven’t done reviews for awhile, but that’s life; it is very unpredictable. Even though college for me is now finished, I’ll soon have work experience, and I’ll be busy again.
But let us cut to the main thing here: episodes 27-29 of Tekkaman Blade have been reviewed. I know it’s only 3 episodes, but bear with me people. I have no intention of giving up on these reviews, as I do want to finish them for the fans out there. It’s just a matter of waiting, and having patience. See ya later kids.
July 4, 2004
Independence day plamo by Chris 11:50 P.M. EST It's been awhile since I've posted some model and toy reviews, but here's a fresh batch. Also of note, Winn Sevilla has officially joined the MAHQ staff as a reviewer.
Announcements by Chris 10:50 P.M. EST Okay, so I lied about having an update later in the week. However, I do have some announcements. You can now pick up Anime Insider #15, which features an article I wrote about the similarities between Mobile Suit Gundam and Gundam SEED.
This next announcement is specifically for Winn Sevilla. Winn, when you read this, please send me an e-mail via an alternate account. Every e-mail I've sent to you has been bounced back undeliverable, so this is the only way to get your attention. Thanks.
