When my family first moved to Pennsylvania, our only neighbors were a single young family with an eccentric head of household. The father was the kind of man who vehemently disliked certain aspect of modern society (I didn't get to know him well enough to determine whether he disliked them all), and his response was to simply do as he pleased, in a region where there weren't that many people who would bother him about it. He loved wood working, and would create a multitude of large, obnoxious wood cutouts to display on his lawn. He used a recreational telescope, despite the fact that in the Poconos, the clear skies are blocked by tree cover in every direction (I know this because I got my own cheap telescope for my birthday and struggled to with it for a single winter). He also burned his trash so he didn't have to deal with waste management companies, which seems like an innocent, personal decision until you find out the hardway that he threw bones and other meat by products onto the side of the road, where your dog will find and eat them before you have a clue what he's going nuts after. Ultimately, he moved his family away before I left myself, and I can't help but think that he was driven out by the addition of more and more houses on the street, combined with his refusal to accomodate other people being around him. On the other hand, the same could be said about my own family's refusal to keep our dog in check long after we should have, so maybe it was just us that pissed him off.
In any case, today I was reminded of one of my old neighbor's most memorable quirks - he refused to celebrate New Years Eve. As he told my mom, "there's nothing different about January 1st. It's just another day, so I'm going to go to bed early and get up as usual." An army of hipsters are nodding their head in agreement, and I admit that technically, he's got a point. Yet I can't ever shake the feeling that New Year's Eve is special, and more than that, I don't think I want to either.
Part of my opinion is due to the fact that, for some people, New Year's time isn't just another day. If you work in certain professions, then it is true that the Christmas/New Year's season is hardly different than any other (retail fits this mold, and as it so happens, my neighbor sold fish at Grand Union). On the other hand, if you are a student, or a certain kind of office worker, the end of the year is when everything shuts down for two weeks. When jobs give time off for the two holidays, many workers simply take off all the time in between to give themselves a break before life spins back into full gear in January. It may be an arbitrary machination of society, but like it or not lots people take a break at the end of December, and that makes it the perfect time to reflect on the year that was.
Another arbitrary machination is the New Year's Resolution, and while I think specific resolutions are a tricky topic, I don't at all disagree with seeing the New Year as an opportunity to start fresh. Some goals truly do take years to accomplish, and the start of a new one is a good time to assess whether you are making good progress. We can take the pessimistic route and scoff at all the people who so quickly forget their resolution to lose weight or quit smoking, but if you get pessimistic enough about it, then you take this failure as being a certainty. If only one person is truly inspired and motivated to change themselves for the better after the New Year, then that certainty no longer exists, and the pessimist has one less leg to stand on.
Here is my personal experience. I get into a rut whenever I get into a daily routine. I stop seeing what is ahead of me on the road of life, and I only focus on what is in front of me during any given day. This causes me to lose perspective. I forget just how close future dates are, or how little time I have to finish something. It is a huge problem, and I'm only ever shaken out of this stupor when I'm broken out of my routines. That is exactly what happens during my year end time off. Already I'm working harder than ever on preparing for my wedding, and I can once again see all the plans I have for 2012. Even better, I have more motivation than ever to make those plans a reality. I know that in just a few months some of this optimism will fade. Hell, maybe all of it will come April. But there is a slim chance that the fire and optimism will stick with me, and those are better odds than if I just went to sleep tonight and saw January 1st as any other day.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, December 05, 2011
Android phone rooting
Yesterday I rooted my phone (an OG Droid) and put Cyanogen mod on it. After a couple of recommended settings tweaks, it's running much better than it was on the stock ROM, and the battery life looks to be much improved. All told, I'm happy with the results, but not so much with the process of getting there. The steps I needed the take - that is, the ones which were necessary to root the phone and load the ROM - were not bad. The number of steps I actually took, however, was far greater, and the overall process chewed up a significant amount of my Sunday afternoon.
"Back in the day", when rooting and custom ROMs were a new thing, the processes were not well documented, and there was always some risk that you would brick your phone. Nowadays, however, writers all over the 'net, on legitimate sites no less, proclaim how much easier it is to soup up your Android phone. When I read such claims, I assumed it meant that the Android community was akin to the modern day Linux community, which has made it easier than ever before for new users to install both the OS and new software.
Not so. There are lots of places instructing you on how to root your phone or load a ROM, but no one is on the same page. Everyone has a different approach, and at first glance it isn't easy to understand why (or which one you should adopt for your own purposes). Look a little closer at the dates when all these instructions were posted, however, and you'll begin to understand the problem. Most of them are old, and are likely made obsolete by newer, better methods. Unfortunately, if you're dealing with an old phone, you're not going to find any very recent guides, so you have to weed through archived forum posts and figure out which ones are "current".
The other problem I noticed is a lack of explanation. On one hand, you have guides which try to be user friendly by eliminating any sort of explanation of what is going on. They simply tell you do run some tools and poof! - your phone is ready. This is dangerous and potentially costly, and I wonder if these friendly guides harm more than they help.
On the other hand, however, the more technically minded authors are reminiscent of the Linux community from years ago, which would scream "RTFM" to people who didn't know where the manual even was (and there was a good chance that it wasn't easy to find). Many forum based guides scold any would be rooters who fail to understand the process, or the purpose of all the software they need to use. I can understand that you want the reader to have this knowledge in hand, but why not give it to them then? If you tell them to go google it instead, they're likely to go find another, better guide in the process. Imagine if you were a teacher who gave instruction but, never assigned any work to complete, and never specified any texts to read. Then you decided to fail a students who didn't find the materials on their own, and so was unprepared for the day's lecture. That's what it felt like when I read some of these posts. If you tell someone to use the Android SDK, would it be hard to actually say "this is part of the Android SDK, and here's why you need it." And if you aren't good at writing, surely someone else in the community is!
Lastly, I have an issue with how some Android fan sites use people's interest in rooting for their own gain. Many of the forum based guides are unuseable without registering for the site. Links are blocked, downloads are disallowed, etc. I don't like having to register for a site that I only plan on visiting once, and it's even more insulting when the site in question has a "rooting" sub section which is linked to on the front page. Way to rope 'em in.
When all is said and done, I understand that this section of the Android community is built on volunteer work, and I am very thankful for their efforts. It's just frustrating, as a nerd, to see worst nerd tendencies manifest themselves again and again. It doesn't have to be this way.
And if you're wondering why I don't go and volunteer my own time and knowledge, consider this - on the XDA developers forum, one of the subforums has a "no newbies allowed" warning, and as far as I can tell, there's no alternative newbie zone to start out in. Behold the power of open source gone wrong - everyone is free to participate, unless you aren't bright enough to figure everything out on your own, or lack the effort to wade through problems which were already solved.
"Back in the day", when rooting and custom ROMs were a new thing, the processes were not well documented, and there was always some risk that you would brick your phone. Nowadays, however, writers all over the 'net, on legitimate sites no less, proclaim how much easier it is to soup up your Android phone. When I read such claims, I assumed it meant that the Android community was akin to the modern day Linux community, which has made it easier than ever before for new users to install both the OS and new software.
Not so. There are lots of places instructing you on how to root your phone or load a ROM, but no one is on the same page. Everyone has a different approach, and at first glance it isn't easy to understand why (or which one you should adopt for your own purposes). Look a little closer at the dates when all these instructions were posted, however, and you'll begin to understand the problem. Most of them are old, and are likely made obsolete by newer, better methods. Unfortunately, if you're dealing with an old phone, you're not going to find any very recent guides, so you have to weed through archived forum posts and figure out which ones are "current".
The other problem I noticed is a lack of explanation. On one hand, you have guides which try to be user friendly by eliminating any sort of explanation of what is going on. They simply tell you do run some tools and poof! - your phone is ready. This is dangerous and potentially costly, and I wonder if these friendly guides harm more than they help.
On the other hand, however, the more technically minded authors are reminiscent of the Linux community from years ago, which would scream "RTFM" to people who didn't know where the manual even was (and there was a good chance that it wasn't easy to find). Many forum based guides scold any would be rooters who fail to understand the process, or the purpose of all the software they need to use. I can understand that you want the reader to have this knowledge in hand, but why not give it to them then? If you tell them to go google it instead, they're likely to go find another, better guide in the process. Imagine if you were a teacher who gave instruction but, never assigned any work to complete, and never specified any texts to read. Then you decided to fail a students who didn't find the materials on their own, and so was unprepared for the day's lecture. That's what it felt like when I read some of these posts. If you tell someone to use the Android SDK, would it be hard to actually say "this is part of the Android SDK, and here's why you need it." And if you aren't good at writing, surely someone else in the community is!
Lastly, I have an issue with how some Android fan sites use people's interest in rooting for their own gain. Many of the forum based guides are unuseable without registering for the site. Links are blocked, downloads are disallowed, etc. I don't like having to register for a site that I only plan on visiting once, and it's even more insulting when the site in question has a "rooting" sub section which is linked to on the front page. Way to rope 'em in.
When all is said and done, I understand that this section of the Android community is built on volunteer work, and I am very thankful for their efforts. It's just frustrating, as a nerd, to see worst nerd tendencies manifest themselves again and again. It doesn't have to be this way.
And if you're wondering why I don't go and volunteer my own time and knowledge, consider this - on the XDA developers forum, one of the subforums has a "no newbies allowed" warning, and as far as I can tell, there's no alternative newbie zone to start out in. Behold the power of open source gone wrong - everyone is free to participate, unless you aren't bright enough to figure everything out on your own, or lack the effort to wade through problems which were already solved.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Zeta Gundam Volume 10
Here we are. The final five episodes of Zeta. To answer my question from last time, I think this volume makes up for some of the damage caused by the last batch of episodes, but it can't fully erase their stink.
Here's the long and the short of it - each faction in the war hatches some sort of plan to turn the tide in their favor. Scirocco tries to take out the Titans' leadership, Axis Zeon tries to play everyone against each other, and the AEUG take control of the giant colony laser (without much thought as to any hypocrisy this might entail). Each side succeeds in their plan, but that doesn't mean everyone's a winner. The Titans are wiped out, the AEUG win the battle, and Zeon sets itself up to dominate the rest of the war. Yes, the good guys don't really win at the end of Zeta Gundam. The best you can say is that they eliminate the "Gryps" part of the "Gryps conflict" by eliminating the Titans, but in relation to the war at large, Zeta's ending is merely a turning point that sets the stage for its successor ZZ Gundam. On its own merits, I don't think this is a disappointing way to end the show, but I do feel disappointed, knowing that ZZ will never see the light of day in the U.S. I won't hold that against Zeta, but damn Bandai, why did you have to leave us hanging like that?
I'd be remiss if I failed to mention that Volume 10 kills off a significant number of cast members in astonishingly little time. Considering that this is a Tomino show, I wasn't shocked at the fact of these deaths. What bothered me is that they have very little weight behind them. Because the second half of the show wasted so much time, none of the pilot rivalries are given any time to grow, meaning none of the showdowns within these episodes carry any sort of weight. Furthermore, the uneven pacing of the plot meant that characters would often vanish for several episodes at a time, only to return out of the blue, as if the writers felt like they quite literally had to cram in an appearance to justify their existence. It leads to a lot of wasted potential to say the least. The best example of this is Yazan, who manages to kill more main AEUG pilots than anyone, despite not being an newtype. The idea of this normal pilot winning through sheer skill is intriguing, but he shows up in this volume after a long period of absence, for no other reason other than to have one very successful sortie. Yazan got some solid character development earlier in the show, but the way in which he returns to cut a path through the AEUG makes his success (and the deaths of his targets) feel cheap.
Ultimately, Zeta Gundam's biggest problem is that it was never meant to wrap up the story it began. Emotionally and narratively, it doesn't wrap up cleanly because it really can't. That being said, there was a way to say farewell to most of its cast with a little more respect, and it'd have been nice if the final battle between Kamille and Scirocco actually meant something. I understand the idea of a sci-fi show that treats death and destruction realistically, but to be honest, Gundam isn't that show. Main characters are spared in grim situations, and ace pilots are usually given all the time they need for their rivalry to simmer. Zeta switches up the rules in an unexpected and inconsistent manner. The result is a show that lacks any of the punch it should have, which makes it all the more frustrating when it chooses to waste more and more time with inconsequential topics.
Zeta Gundam is a stunningly well animated show, and it does much to expand the world of the Universal Century in ways which its predecessor never could. I understand how it became so influential, but for anyone simply looking for good storytelling (with giant robots), I don't think I can recommend it as essential viewing. And that's a damn shame in my eyes.
I'd be remiss if I failed to mention that Volume 10 kills off a significant number of cast members in astonishingly little time. Considering that this is a Tomino show, I wasn't shocked at the fact of these deaths. What bothered me is that they have very little weight behind them. Because the second half of the show wasted so much time, none of the pilot rivalries are given any time to grow, meaning none of the showdowns within these episodes carry any sort of weight. Furthermore, the uneven pacing of the plot meant that characters would often vanish for several episodes at a time, only to return out of the blue, as if the writers felt like they quite literally had to cram in an appearance to justify their existence. It leads to a lot of wasted potential to say the least. The best example of this is Yazan, who manages to kill more main AEUG pilots than anyone, despite not being an newtype. The idea of this normal pilot winning through sheer skill is intriguing, but he shows up in this volume after a long period of absence, for no other reason other than to have one very successful sortie. Yazan got some solid character development earlier in the show, but the way in which he returns to cut a path through the AEUG makes his success (and the deaths of his targets) feel cheap.
Ultimately, Zeta Gundam's biggest problem is that it was never meant to wrap up the story it began. Emotionally and narratively, it doesn't wrap up cleanly because it really can't. That being said, there was a way to say farewell to most of its cast with a little more respect, and it'd have been nice if the final battle between Kamille and Scirocco actually meant something. I understand the idea of a sci-fi show that treats death and destruction realistically, but to be honest, Gundam isn't that show. Main characters are spared in grim situations, and ace pilots are usually given all the time they need for their rivalry to simmer. Zeta switches up the rules in an unexpected and inconsistent manner. The result is a show that lacks any of the punch it should have, which makes it all the more frustrating when it chooses to waste more and more time with inconsequential topics.
Zeta Gundam is a stunningly well animated show, and it does much to expand the world of the Universal Century in ways which its predecessor never could. I understand how it became so influential, but for anyone simply looking for good storytelling (with giant robots), I don't think I can recommend it as essential viewing. And that's a damn shame in my eyes.
Zeta Gundam Volume 9
At this point in the show, there are only ten episodes left. That isn't much time to wrap up the now-three way conflict, to say nothing of the numerous rivalries and plot threads still lingering. I thought that perhaps Zeta Gundam's status as a an all time classic was in part due to the way in which it handled all this narrative content.
I couldn't be further from the truth. Most of the episodes in Volume 9 are a complete waste of time. So bad is this batch that it retroactively damaged my opinion of the previous forty episodes. It's also the reason why it took me so long to polish off the rest of the show.
I'm not going to beat around the bush - the show wastes three, maybe four episodes dealing with Rosamia, most of which occurs in this volume. The fact that the Titans literally brainwash her to have the mind of a child is creepy in principal, and worse in execution. It isn't enough that she's annoying; the writers then have to cram her antics down our throat in overly lengthy, incredibly awkward scenes. Her presence also gives them an excuse to write Shinta and Qum into more storylines, and at no point is that ever a good thing.
All in all, Rosammia is almost a proto-Moeblob. While she has the physical traits of a grown woman, her mind is that of a (potentially slow) child. The scene in which she runs around topless is beyond uncomfortable considering the circumstances.
I know it sounds dramatic, but I honestly believe that the focus on Rosammia/Shinta/Qum/whatever do irreparable damage to the entirety of the show. There's so much to do still, and it all gets put by the wayside in favor of this? Sorry folks, but true classics don't tend to cave into demographic based pandering quite this earnestly. There's no hope of this show ending the way I want it to, but maybe it will manage to redeem some of my esteem before the end credits.
I'm not going to beat around the bush - the show wastes three, maybe four episodes dealing with Rosamia, most of which occurs in this volume. The fact that the Titans literally brainwash her to have the mind of a child is creepy in principal, and worse in execution. It isn't enough that she's annoying; the writers then have to cram her antics down our throat in overly lengthy, incredibly awkward scenes. Her presence also gives them an excuse to write Shinta and Qum into more storylines, and at no point is that ever a good thing.
All in all, Rosammia is almost a proto-Moeblob. While she has the physical traits of a grown woman, her mind is that of a (potentially slow) child. The scene in which she runs around topless is beyond uncomfortable considering the circumstances.
I know it sounds dramatic, but I honestly believe that the focus on Rosammia/Shinta/Qum/whatever do irreparable damage to the entirety of the show. There's so much to do still, and it all gets put by the wayside in favor of this? Sorry folks, but true classics don't tend to cave into demographic based pandering quite this earnestly. There's no hope of this show ending the way I want it to, but maybe it will manage to redeem some of my esteem before the end credits.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Where's it at?
This morning I encountered an annoying, inexplicable computer issue. I wanted to configure our new printer to work with our netbook, which my fiance typically uses for computing tasks. It runs Linux, and I had no idea if any printer makers beyond HP had any semblance of Linux driver support. So I went to the Lexmark website (on the netbook) and saw that they had some Linux support. But I found no drivers whatsoever. The only choices available to me were firmware updates for the printer itself, and the only OS choices were Fedora Core and Open SuSE.
Rather than giving up or getting angry, I instead got distracted by something on my main computer. And when I decided to go back to figuring out what to do about the printer, I googled up Lexmark Linux print driver support, without realizing that I had switched PCs. I came across a list which included my printer, so I went back to the drivers page, and tried again. This time, I got a much larger list of Linux distros to choose from, and when I picked the appropriate one, I got an actual print driver. I copied it over to the netbook, and the configuration went smoothly.
My question, then, is why did I get different choices on the driver download page based on which PC I was using? It's possible that the page uses the web browser's user agent information, but that doesn't make sense, since it lets you choose an OS anyway. It's silly that on the Linux box, I got no good options for Linux, but on another OS I got a list of over twelve unique distros.
Ultimately, I'm just glad I can print from multiple places. But if I didn't mistakenly use the "wrong" computer to check, I might not have gotten that far. I can only wonder how many other unsuccessful driver searches of mine were the result of a similar problem.
Rather than giving up or getting angry, I instead got distracted by something on my main computer. And when I decided to go back to figuring out what to do about the printer, I googled up Lexmark Linux print driver support, without realizing that I had switched PCs. I came across a list which included my printer, so I went back to the drivers page, and tried again. This time, I got a much larger list of Linux distros to choose from, and when I picked the appropriate one, I got an actual print driver. I copied it over to the netbook, and the configuration went smoothly.
My question, then, is why did I get different choices on the driver download page based on which PC I was using? It's possible that the page uses the web browser's user agent information, but that doesn't make sense, since it lets you choose an OS anyway. It's silly that on the Linux box, I got no good options for Linux, but on another OS I got a list of over twelve unique distros.
Ultimately, I'm just glad I can print from multiple places. But if I didn't mistakenly use the "wrong" computer to check, I might not have gotten that far. I can only wonder how many other unsuccessful driver searches of mine were the result of a similar problem.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Ugh
Today's HP Touchpad fire sale, and the whole "out of the consumer biz" HP move put me in a sour mood. The sale because it was a huge tease. Us mere mortals know that such discounts are out of our reach, yet we cling on to this miniscule hope that maybe we'll luck out. It never actually happens. The stores were simply not on the same page, and some of them might have been playing games. I heard of at least two people go to Walmart and be told that the tablets weren't being sold for the $99 sale price. Three hours later, when they called back, the store was sold out. Playing favorites? Anything is possible with this shit.
As for the business move, it just shows you f-ed up the business world is. HP's computers were profitable, but not profitable enough. So now they're probably going to be gone. We all know the deal - businesses aren't charity cases, they have to make profits. But the amount of profit desired, and the steps shareholders are willing to take to get them, are getting absurd. When you have people who are willing to burn something to the ground in order to line their pockets, maybe this whole "publicly owned company" thing is a bad idea. Not that it is a bad idea in general, just when you have a society that can't be trusted to handle such decisions. Libertarians often think that the free market will fix anything, but I think a lot of the business decisions you see today show that companies will leave money on the table if it means going after a bigger table with a bigger pile. If that means that you and I can't find a decent PC (or an operational Postal Service), "tough noogies" is the answer we get.
Gahhh, I need a drink. And a cheap Touchpad.
As for the business move, it just shows you f-ed up the business world is. HP's computers were profitable, but not profitable enough. So now they're probably going to be gone. We all know the deal - businesses aren't charity cases, they have to make profits. But the amount of profit desired, and the steps shareholders are willing to take to get them, are getting absurd. When you have people who are willing to burn something to the ground in order to line their pockets, maybe this whole "publicly owned company" thing is a bad idea. Not that it is a bad idea in general, just when you have a society that can't be trusted to handle such decisions. Libertarians often think that the free market will fix anything, but I think a lot of the business decisions you see today show that companies will leave money on the table if it means going after a bigger table with a bigger pile. If that means that you and I can't find a decent PC (or an operational Postal Service), "tough noogies" is the answer we get.
Gahhh, I need a drink. And a cheap Touchpad.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
College Football
Looks like Texas A&M is looking to shake up the college football world by trying to defect to the SEC. Cue another flood of editorials complaining about how college football is being ruined by a desire for money.
These opinion pieces frustrate me to no end. It isn't that I disagree. I just don't understand how we got to this point.
Let me explain. I know why all the big schools are chasing the money - there's a lot of it. It isn't at all surprising to see some of the crap that goes on during every season. But that money has to come from somewhere, and that's what confuses me. What drives people to love this particular version of the sport so much that it can become its own mini NFL?
I'll admit, I had no football team at my college, so maybe that's why I can't understand the passion. It's one thing to have fond memories of your alma mater, and even to want to make a difference as an alumni. But the football programs, especially in the bigger schools, are practically their own entity, far removed from the academic side. Professing your loyalty to your school via its football program shows... what, exactly? That you appreciate the values and mission of the college? Is that necessarily reflected on the field? I doubt it.
Furthermore, when I think of those big name football schools, I don't think of the quality of its education, like I would with an MIT or an Ivy League (okay, maybe I would think of USC, as they seem to have some decent programs). I wonder, then, if prospective students do. Or do they want to go to the school so they have a popular team to route for?
Maybe that's it. Maybe college football's fanbase is established early, with kids rooting for a team years before they even finish secondary school. That would really make it the mini-NFL. The only way I see this kind of passion stemming from four years of undergrad is if it results from alumni being unable to let go, much like you see from college freshmen wishing they were back in high school (where they were kings and queens). When you're twenty years out, you can be anywhere in the country and still have an easy connection to your frat days.
Who knows. At this point, the only thing for sure is that collegiate football and basketball probably don't belong to exist beyond the club level (but unless both pro versions of the sports develop farm systems, that will never happen).
These opinion pieces frustrate me to no end. It isn't that I disagree. I just don't understand how we got to this point.
Let me explain. I know why all the big schools are chasing the money - there's a lot of it. It isn't at all surprising to see some of the crap that goes on during every season. But that money has to come from somewhere, and that's what confuses me. What drives people to love this particular version of the sport so much that it can become its own mini NFL?
I'll admit, I had no football team at my college, so maybe that's why I can't understand the passion. It's one thing to have fond memories of your alma mater, and even to want to make a difference as an alumni. But the football programs, especially in the bigger schools, are practically their own entity, far removed from the academic side. Professing your loyalty to your school via its football program shows... what, exactly? That you appreciate the values and mission of the college? Is that necessarily reflected on the field? I doubt it.
Furthermore, when I think of those big name football schools, I don't think of the quality of its education, like I would with an MIT or an Ivy League (okay, maybe I would think of USC, as they seem to have some decent programs). I wonder, then, if prospective students do. Or do they want to go to the school so they have a popular team to route for?
Maybe that's it. Maybe college football's fanbase is established early, with kids rooting for a team years before they even finish secondary school. That would really make it the mini-NFL. The only way I see this kind of passion stemming from four years of undergrad is if it results from alumni being unable to let go, much like you see from college freshmen wishing they were back in high school (where they were kings and queens). When you're twenty years out, you can be anywhere in the country and still have an easy connection to your frat days.
Who knows. At this point, the only thing for sure is that collegiate football and basketball probably don't belong to exist beyond the club level (but unless both pro versions of the sports develop farm systems, that will never happen).
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Zeta Gundam Volume 8
If Zeta Gundam Volume 8 had a sub-heading, I'd suggest "Bitches be crazy".
It starts off where we last left, with Kamille dealing with a more psychotic Four Murasame. It ends with the return of Rosamia Badam, who is now brainwashed in her own terrible way. Back in volumes 3 and 4, I mentioned how I disliked how these two characters were handled. Both filled the same general role of "teenage girl made into mentally unstable Cyber Newtype", and were introduced within episodes of one another. I don't know what Tomino's intentions were when writing this part of the story, but either he or his editors realized that it would look sloppy for both of them to coexist. As a result, Rosamia was whisked away almost as quickly as she was introduced, making way for Four to dominate the entirety of Volume 4 to become Kamille's impossible love interest, the Zeta Gundam equivalent of Lala Sune.
In Volume 8, these two tragic young women essentially trade places in regards to screen time, though it doesn't really matter. Four is killed at the disc's start (if you count her arrival at the end of Vol. 7, her return lasts just two episodes), while Rosamia dominates the last two eps, with at least one more appearance at the start of Vol. 9. Just like before, there's simply not enough time for the show to handle both characters properly, but once again I'd say that Four gets the better treatment. The show does a reasonable enough job selling the idea that she's (sadly) a lost cause, and her death allows Kamille to learn some important life lessons from his mentors. If the intention was to use Four to demonstrate the tragic nature of Cyber Newtypes, then I'd say it succeeds.
Rosamia, on the other hand, has been conditioned into thinking she's Kamille's brother, which leads to a very awkward episode which also features Haman Kahn and Mineva Zabi in a bit of absurd comic relief. For whatever reason, the AEUG take her on board, and it becomes apparent that she's going to be have a mental breakdown before flipping out and being killed in battle. With little background information on her character, and no knowledge as to what was done to her off screen, so far Rosamia feels like an unfortunate waste of a character. Perhaps they could have given her some of the purpose that was ultimately reserved for Four, though my gut tells me that it would be better to write her out.
I can't end this post without mentioning "Day at Dakar", perhaps the most widely referenced episode of Zeta Gundam. It is during this ep. that Char makes his famous speech, which anyone and everyone cites as one of his finest moments as a character, and a fine moment for Gundam in general. I'll have to go back and watch it subtitled, to see if it lends any more gravitas to the moment. In English, there's no doubt the scene is important, but for whatever reason I was expecting something more.
Despite my gripes with the characterization of the Cyber Newtypes, I liked this batch of episodes. It isn't Zeta at its most gripping, but it's well animated, and occasionally dramatic (and goofy). Still, I'm increasingly curious - and afraid - of what will come next. There's only ten episodes left, and it doesn't feel like the show is anywhere near ready to wind down. Something big is going to have to happen to set up for the endgame. That, or it will be rushed to at the last moment.
It starts off where we last left, with Kamille dealing with a more psychotic Four Murasame. It ends with the return of Rosamia Badam, who is now brainwashed in her own terrible way. Back in volumes 3 and 4, I mentioned how I disliked how these two characters were handled. Both filled the same general role of "teenage girl made into mentally unstable Cyber Newtype", and were introduced within episodes of one another. I don't know what Tomino's intentions were when writing this part of the story, but either he or his editors realized that it would look sloppy for both of them to coexist. As a result, Rosamia was whisked away almost as quickly as she was introduced, making way for Four to dominate the entirety of Volume 4 to become Kamille's impossible love interest, the Zeta Gundam equivalent of Lala Sune.In Volume 8, these two tragic young women essentially trade places in regards to screen time, though it doesn't really matter. Four is killed at the disc's start (if you count her arrival at the end of Vol. 7, her return lasts just two episodes), while Rosamia dominates the last two eps, with at least one more appearance at the start of Vol. 9. Just like before, there's simply not enough time for the show to handle both characters properly, but once again I'd say that Four gets the better treatment. The show does a reasonable enough job selling the idea that she's (sadly) a lost cause, and her death allows Kamille to learn some important life lessons from his mentors. If the intention was to use Four to demonstrate the tragic nature of Cyber Newtypes, then I'd say it succeeds.
Rosamia, on the other hand, has been conditioned into thinking she's Kamille's brother, which leads to a very awkward episode which also features Haman Kahn and Mineva Zabi in a bit of absurd comic relief. For whatever reason, the AEUG take her on board, and it becomes apparent that she's going to be have a mental breakdown before flipping out and being killed in battle. With little background information on her character, and no knowledge as to what was done to her off screen, so far Rosamia feels like an unfortunate waste of a character. Perhaps they could have given her some of the purpose that was ultimately reserved for Four, though my gut tells me that it would be better to write her out.
I can't end this post without mentioning "Day at Dakar", perhaps the most widely referenced episode of Zeta Gundam. It is during this ep. that Char makes his famous speech, which anyone and everyone cites as one of his finest moments as a character, and a fine moment for Gundam in general. I'll have to go back and watch it subtitled, to see if it lends any more gravitas to the moment. In English, there's no doubt the scene is important, but for whatever reason I was expecting something more.
Despite my gripes with the characterization of the Cyber Newtypes, I liked this batch of episodes. It isn't Zeta at its most gripping, but it's well animated, and occasionally dramatic (and goofy). Still, I'm increasingly curious - and afraid - of what will come next. There's only ten episodes left, and it doesn't feel like the show is anywhere near ready to wind down. Something big is going to have to happen to set up for the endgame. That, or it will be rushed to at the last moment.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Zeta Gundam Volume 7
Volume 7 kicks off with "Half Moon Love", which doesn't have much in the way of love, but does have a bomb go off in a lunar city. One which kills few, if any civilians, and doesn't put a scratch on its intended target, the Argama. It does, however, force the ship to flee before being able to complete repairs, leaving it in terrible shape before beginning a very dangerous operation. As a complete episode, "Half Moon Love" is far from classic, but the ending foreshadows the overall theme of this disc. Ever since Kamille returned to space, I'd argue that the AEUG have had the upper hand in battle. They have more high tech mobile suits, and less nameless mooks as pilots. With Volume 7 the roles reverse. The Titans get more new suits to counter the AEUG, and their current ace, Yazan Gable, is the first Titans pilot who won't lie down and die in a fight (Jerrid might not be dead yet, but his survival is due more to comic relief and Plot Armor than to any skill). Throughout the disc, our heroes find themselves outnumbered and pushed beyond their limits. Dissent and fatigue kick in, and they wind up losing one of their own, which we haven't seen since Roberto's death in Volume 3.
This volume sounds much more interesting than it actually is, mostly due to some poorly executed character arcs. In "Moonside Love", Kamille acts practically schizophrenic around Titan pilot Sarah, showing both contempt and concern for her (though nothing like love, which I hope the episode title is not referring to). Worst of all, however, is Reccoa. She's been a very important character lately, and her screen time answers two important questions about her - What talents make her worthy of working in the AEUG, and does she feel as under-appreciated and disrespected as she should? The answers themselves are satisfying, but her ultimate fate is not. Her tumultuous mental state turns her into a complete space case, in a manner that suggests a sadly sexist "love and emotions turn a woman's mind into mush" type of event. It all leads to her capture by the Titans, and just doesn't feel like an dignified treatment of her increasingly interesting character.
Also unfortunate is that the AEUG thinks she's dead, and this puts the crew into angst mode. Kamille gets bitchy and punchy with Quattro, and Quattro himself becomes the saddest of sacks, unwilling to defend himself. I could tell you that it's because him and Reccoa were in love, but the writers hinted at this immediately before her capture, so it's tough to tell just what the hell it was supposed to mean(there is, arguably, earlier proof of the two of them together, but the show never pursued it). The angst hits its peak at disc's end, when Kamille and Quattro's bickering causes them to get stuck on Earth again, after which Kamille learns that Four Murasame is alive. All of his character development unravels as he becomes a bitchy, love stricken teen again, causing as much trouble as ever before.
Still, there is one redeeming aspect of this disc. The middle sections introduce the Zeon Remnant, and their leader, Haman Kahn. Haman is a major player in U.C. lore, and her debut didn't disappoint. In just a few major scenes, she gave an air of complete control and competence; just the way she causes Quattro to flip out gives you a great sense of her character. These episodes stand in isolation for now, but they give you a sense of just how screwed the AEUG might be after a Titans/Zeon alliance, and for the first time, we see Quattro (who I should probably just refer to as Char now) wrestle with his past life as the Red Comet. You tell how hard it is for him to make peace with it, as well as come to terms with the fact that his countrymen are no longer truly his own.
Not the best volume in the back half of the show, but Zeon's arrival hints at potential for the future.
Also unfortunate is that the AEUG thinks she's dead, and this puts the crew into angst mode. Kamille gets bitchy and punchy with Quattro, and Quattro himself becomes the saddest of sacks, unwilling to defend himself. I could tell you that it's because him and Reccoa were in love, but the writers hinted at this immediately before her capture, so it's tough to tell just what the hell it was supposed to mean(there is, arguably, earlier proof of the two of them together, but the show never pursued it). The angst hits its peak at disc's end, when Kamille and Quattro's bickering causes them to get stuck on Earth again, after which Kamille learns that Four Murasame is alive. All of his character development unravels as he becomes a bitchy, love stricken teen again, causing as much trouble as ever before.
Still, there is one redeeming aspect of this disc. The middle sections introduce the Zeon Remnant, and their leader, Haman Kahn. Haman is a major player in U.C. lore, and her debut didn't disappoint. In just a few major scenes, she gave an air of complete control and competence; just the way she causes Quattro to flip out gives you a great sense of her character. These episodes stand in isolation for now, but they give you a sense of just how screwed the AEUG might be after a Titans/Zeon alliance, and for the first time, we see Quattro (who I should probably just refer to as Char now) wrestle with his past life as the Red Comet. You tell how hard it is for him to make peace with it, as well as come to terms with the fact that his countrymen are no longer truly his own.
Not the best volume in the back half of the show, but Zeon's arrival hints at potential for the future.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Zeta Gundam Volume 6
Note: From here on out, all Volumes of Zeta Gundam are brand new to me, so there will be no comparisons to my previous time with the show.
Like its Chapter 3 counterpart, Volume 6 lacks any degree of focus. Unlike Vol 5, however, it makes up for it by making something important happen in every episode. There might not be a common narrative arc, but it doesn't really matter when all five episodes are distinct in my mind.
To clarify, some of these episodes offer no indication of their importance until the very end. A good example is the disc's opener, which is a fairly standard episode until Captain Jamaicon of the Titans is vaporized. Other eps are more blatant, such as the disc's finale, which makes it perfectly clear in its preview that Mouar is going to die. There was always something interesting going on in Volume 6, which made it refreshingly addictive to watch.
I also found these episodes to be balanced. They had action, strategy, and solid character interactions. At this point in the show, the stakes are high enough that even fairly green pilots like Katz and Fa understand that they can no longer be so flippant and disobedient. The entire cast is starting to get into a groove, and it is refreshing to see angst replace with the occasional spout of comedy relief.
Still, I find this to be a bittersweet change of events. The body count in Volume 6 is significant, at least for the Titans, and I get the feeling that the AEUG is going to lose some crew soon so as to even the odds I know they're the bad guys, but Titans pilots have a shelf life of 3-5 episodes (in terms of appearance count), which makes it tough for them to come into their own. From a character development standpoint, it simply isn't fair.
Overall, the second half of Zeta Gundam has gotten off to a fantastic start, and I'm excited to go full steam ahead with the rest of it.
To clarify, some of these episodes offer no indication of their importance until the very end. A good example is the disc's opener, which is a fairly standard episode until Captain Jamaicon of the Titans is vaporized. Other eps are more blatant, such as the disc's finale, which makes it perfectly clear in its preview that Mouar is going to die. There was always something interesting going on in Volume 6, which made it refreshingly addictive to watch.
I also found these episodes to be balanced. They had action, strategy, and solid character interactions. At this point in the show, the stakes are high enough that even fairly green pilots like Katz and Fa understand that they can no longer be so flippant and disobedient. The entire cast is starting to get into a groove, and it is refreshing to see angst replace with the occasional spout of comedy relief.
Still, I find this to be a bittersweet change of events. The body count in Volume 6 is significant, at least for the Titans, and I get the feeling that the AEUG is going to lose some crew soon so as to even the odds I know they're the bad guys, but Titans pilots have a shelf life of 3-5 episodes (in terms of appearance count), which makes it tough for them to come into their own. From a character development standpoint, it simply isn't fair.
Overall, the second half of Zeta Gundam has gotten off to a fantastic start, and I'm excited to go full steam ahead with the rest of it.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sing a Mean Tune Kid...
An Amazon gift card came my way recently, and I used it to pick up some terribly unexciting, arguably unecessary items. The first was the anime FLCL on Blu Ray. FLCL is a favorite of mine - or was a favorite, based on what I remember of it - but I have long feared that a re-viewing will cause my impresion of the show to sour. Meanwhile, there are quite a few shows out there which I haven't seen at all, which would have provided, at the very least, a better content/cost ratio. I suppose I just wanted to fill an what I thought to be an important blank in my small collection, rather than try and chase what's hot(ter) and new.
The same logic convinced me to spend the remainder of the card on the album Chicago III. I listened to the record a few time in the past, but didn't find it terribly exciting. It was hardly my most wanted CD, but I have been listening to a lot of Chicago lately, and remembered that I only needed Chicago III to complete my collection of the band's first seven records (I decided that VII would be my cutoff point). So rather than chase something newer and potentially more interesting, I decided to fill in a gap. Listening to it now, via a well mastered CD on a nicer sound system, I'm already enjoying it far more than I ever did. Hopefully FLCL will fare this well.
PS - Zeta Gundam Volume 6 review up tomorrow.
The same logic convinced me to spend the remainder of the card on the album Chicago III. I listened to the record a few time in the past, but didn't find it terribly exciting. It was hardly my most wanted CD, but I have been listening to a lot of Chicago lately, and remembered that I only needed Chicago III to complete my collection of the band's first seven records (I decided that VII would be my cutoff point). So rather than chase something newer and potentially more interesting, I decided to fill in a gap. Listening to it now, via a well mastered CD on a nicer sound system, I'm already enjoying it far more than I ever did. Hopefully FLCL will fare this well.
PS - Zeta Gundam Volume 6 review up tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Frustration
When I began posting my Zeta Gundam recaps, I was all excited. I felt like I was on a roll, and that I would be able to get them out in a (fairly) timely manner. Unfortunately, I have been all out of sorts lately, which caused me to -
a) not set the Volume 3 recap to auto post, despite my memory of doing so
b) leave the Volume 4 draft sitting on my netbook for days on end, because I mistook it for the Volume 5 recap, and so figured that it could wait a little longer to be posted.
As a result, over a week went by between Volumes 2 and 3, and I ended up doing Vol. 5 at midnight so I could get it done before I plowed too far through 6. What a clusterf*ck.
In any case, I'm all caught up now, and Volume 6 should be up soon.
a) not set the Volume 3 recap to auto post, despite my memory of doing so
b) leave the Volume 4 draft sitting on my netbook for days on end, because I mistook it for the Volume 5 recap, and so figured that it could wait a little longer to be posted.
As a result, over a week went by between Volumes 2 and 3, and I ended up doing Vol. 5 at midnight so I could get it done before I plowed too far through 6. What a clusterf*ck.
In any case, I'm all caught up now, and Volume 6 should be up soon.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Zeta Gundam Volume 5
My first time through Volume 5 left me hopelessly lost. The show jumps back to outer space after two completely Earth-centric volumes, and it doesn't make the transition smoothly. As it turns out, not much happened in space while Kamille and pals were fighting on the surface, but it tries to carry on as if we haven't been away from the vast majority of the cast for ten whole episodes. In order to have a complete grasp of everyone and everything, you have to recall some fairly minor details from back in Volume 2. I suggest having that disc (or the Internet) handy in case you need a refresher.
The other problem with Volume 5 is that it has no central narrative arc. Coincidence or not, each of the previous Volumes felt like a unified set of episodes, all focusing on the same concepts and characters. Volume 5 starts off trying to establish Paptimus Scirocco as a legitimate antagonist, but around halfway through it switches its focus to the rest of the Titans, including new pilot Yazan Gable (who we'll see far more off in the next disc).
As for the AEUG, Fa Yuiry makes her return, and wastes no time trying to become a pilot herself. Between her and Katz Kobayashi, we have plenty of candidates to replace Kamille as the annoying kid who disobeys orders and flies off with a Mobile Suit. Speaking of Mobile Suits, the Zeta Gundam arrives, giving Kamille a craft which is capable of going toe to toe with the Titans' numerous Mobile Armors. As a result of Zeta's arrival, we also see Emma Sheen taking a more prominent role as a top pilot, taking permanent ownership of the Gundam Mk 2.
Overall, Volume 5 is not centered around any one character or concept. Everyone gets some time in the spotlight, and some large scale battles are pitched in quick succession. Specifically, the last three episodes involve a moon assault, a counterattack, and a mission to prevent the Titans from dropping a colony on the lunar cities. This is an incredibly thrilling Volume, but you have to keep track of everything in order to really enjoy it. I'm glad I was finally able to do so, and I look forward to the next half of the show, which I will be seeing for the first time.
As for the AEUG, Fa Yuiry makes her return, and wastes no time trying to become a pilot herself. Between her and Katz Kobayashi, we have plenty of candidates to replace Kamille as the annoying kid who disobeys orders and flies off with a Mobile Suit. Speaking of Mobile Suits, the Zeta Gundam arrives, giving Kamille a craft which is capable of going toe to toe with the Titans' numerous Mobile Armors. As a result of Zeta's arrival, we also see Emma Sheen taking a more prominent role as a top pilot, taking permanent ownership of the Gundam Mk 2.
Overall, Volume 5 is not centered around any one character or concept. Everyone gets some time in the spotlight, and some large scale battles are pitched in quick succession. Specifically, the last three episodes involve a moon assault, a counterattack, and a mission to prevent the Titans from dropping a colony on the lunar cities. This is an incredibly thrilling Volume, but you have to keep track of everything in order to really enjoy it. I'm glad I was finally able to do so, and I look forward to the next half of the show, which I will be seeing for the first time.
Zeta Gundam Volme 4
My rewatch of Zeta Gundam has so far improved my opinion of the first three volumes tremendously. On the other hand, Volume 4 was only barely more enjoyable than it was the first time around. Back then, I had so much trouble getting through these episodes that I put the show on ice for a few weeks.
I'm not comfortable enough as an anime fan to label a block of episodes as "filler", but that is exactly what this volume feels like. Right off the bat, Quattro returns to outer space, meaning the show has used the "leave a couple of AEUG members behind on Earth, but don't worry, they'll get their chance later" twist twice within the span of just a few episodes.
On a similar note, the show abandons Titan officer Rosamia out of nowhere, replacing her with another pilot, Four Murasame. Four, like Rosamia, is a teenage girl and a Cyber Newtype, charged with piloting an experimental mobile suit, the Psycho Gundam. In all fairness, both women are different characters who serve different purposes in driving along the story, but at first glance they're both characterized as both emotionally unstable and cocky (dareisay bratty) during battle. Simply put, when Volume 4 starts off, it gives you the impression that it has no real aim or purpose, as it insists on using the same plot devices all over again.
Supporting this feeling of aimlessness is the setting for Volume 4. The Karaba resistance group stops and parks in New Hong Kong City for supplies. It ends up staying there until it is kicked out at the end of the Volume (I should also note that the supplies are provided by a local businesswoman who Kamille describes as "a female Wong Lee" due to her behavior. I agree with him on that, and it could be argued to be another bit of conceptual recycling). This downtime leaves the cast with little to do, so we end up with a lot of scenes in which Amuro's new squeeze Beltochika pesters both him and Kamille, all of which leave her looking bitchy and immature. It is hard to look forward to future episodes when you know such a poorly evolving character will be getting the spotlight throughout the disc.
On the other hand, Four Murasame becomes much more favorable over the course of the five episodes. While she demonstrates the disrespect for authority typical of teenagers, her past is sympathetic enough, and her interactions with Kamille are fundamental in helping him grow up into a more mature, responsible character. Unfortunately, while these scenes moments are good for character development, they can be painful to watch. Gundam dialogue aspires to be serviceable at best, so all the slow, conversation heavy moments in this Volume play out awkwardly. You walk away understanding the intent, but you never feel engaged in it.
Despite the generally slow feeling of the Volume, there are still battles to be seen, most of which fail to reach their potential. The Psycho Gundam in particular causes a ton of damage to New Hong Kong, but the show never depicts the true toll it has on the citizens of the city. After the Psycho Gundam obliterates a whole section of town, the following episode shows the cast gallivanting around the harbor as if a major loss of property or lives never occurred not that long ago. I also noticed that the Earth based Titans forces are crawling with nameless pilots. You don't really care about a fight when the enemy is depicted as nothing more than a mobile suit.
I feel like Volume 4 is important to the overall story of Zeta Gundam, but damn if I don't find it hard to get through.
I'm not comfortable enough as an anime fan to label a block of episodes as "filler", but that is exactly what this volume feels like. Right off the bat, Quattro returns to outer space, meaning the show has used the "leave a couple of AEUG members behind on Earth, but don't worry, they'll get their chance later" twist twice within the span of just a few episodes.
Supporting this feeling of aimlessness is the setting for Volume 4. The Karaba resistance group stops and parks in New Hong Kong City for supplies. It ends up staying there until it is kicked out at the end of the Volume (I should also note that the supplies are provided by a local businesswoman who Kamille describes as "a female Wong Lee" due to her behavior. I agree with him on that, and it could be argued to be another bit of conceptual recycling). This downtime leaves the cast with little to do, so we end up with a lot of scenes in which Amuro's new squeeze Beltochika pesters both him and Kamille, all of which leave her looking bitchy and immature. It is hard to look forward to future episodes when you know such a poorly evolving character will be getting the spotlight throughout the disc.
On the other hand, Four Murasame becomes much more favorable over the course of the five episodes. While she demonstrates the disrespect for authority typical of teenagers, her past is sympathetic enough, and her interactions with Kamille are fundamental in helping him grow up into a more mature, responsible character. Unfortunately, while these scenes moments are good for character development, they can be painful to watch. Gundam dialogue aspires to be serviceable at best, so all the slow, conversation heavy moments in this Volume play out awkwardly. You walk away understanding the intent, but you never feel engaged in it.
Despite the generally slow feeling of the Volume, there are still battles to be seen, most of which fail to reach their potential. The Psycho Gundam in particular causes a ton of damage to New Hong Kong, but the show never depicts the true toll it has on the citizens of the city. After the Psycho Gundam obliterates a whole section of town, the following episode shows the cast gallivanting around the harbor as if a major loss of property or lives never occurred not that long ago. I also noticed that the Earth based Titans forces are crawling with nameless pilots. You don't really care about a fight when the enemy is depicted as nothing more than a mobile suit.
I feel like Volume 4 is important to the overall story of Zeta Gundam, but damn if I don't find it hard to get through.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Zeta Gundam Volume 3
Only few hours after I wrote my Disc 2 summary, I noticed that the Zeta Gundam DVD labels not only identify each disc's volume, but also a "chapter" designation. Vol. 1 and 2 are both part of Chapter 1, while Vol 3. begins Chapter 2. This classification inadvertently lines up with what I said previously about how Disc 2 was the end of show's setup phase. Disc 3 definitely feels like a new "chapter" in the story, one which takes place in a new setting and introduces many new characters.
This batch of episodes begins with the AEUG dropping into Earth, in order to attack the Federation's Jaburo base. The second episode episode (ep. twelve, for those counting) does a lot to establish what Zeta Gundam is all about, and what has changed in the Universal Century since Gundam 79. For example, while Jaburo was once the Federation's primary stronghold, in Zeta is has been almost entirely abandoned, used by the Titans as nothing more than a supply depot. Watching mobile suits battle in the empty shell of a base, while straggling soldiers struggle to escape, gives a strong sense of just how bad a shape the Federation is in.
The next episode has most of the AEUG forces escaping back to outer space, though the intervention of Earth based Titan forces prevents Kamille and Quattro from joining them. This leads to the meat of the Chapter, in which the two pilots work with the Earth based Karaba resistance group to avoid the Titans and get out to space via other means.
The implications of this split are twofold. First, it means that Emma, Bright, and the other AEUG staff are out of the picture for a while. Secondly, it means the show has to fill in those gaps with a new Earth based set of characters, including several returning faces from Gundam 79. Fraw Bow, Katz, Kai (actually, he was in the last Disc) and even Amuro show up to lend a hand, some more than others. I was positively giddy to see them again, and all grown up at that. Unfortunately, however, Amuro is not much of a factor. For now, he's traded with Kamille to take on the role of angsty pilot who refuses to cooperate. Amuro eventually gets him game face back on, but you won't see it here.
On the side of the Titans, we see a new batch of pilots, including a "cyber Newtype" named Rosamia Badam. Rosamia is one of many pilots given superior physical traits and Newtype-esque mental abilities via experimentation, though we quickly see the tradeoff of such enhancements when Rosamia establishes that she's batshit crazy. At this point, she is almost a source of comedic relief, though at no point in the disc do her and her Titans comrades launch an assault at full combat strength. With some powerful mobile armors at their disposal, they have the potential to bring some pain.
Overall, this disc is a slow burn. The Jaburo assault is spread out over two episodes, while the other three serve mostly to reacquaint us with Amuro and the other returning characters. It isn't really "setup" like in the last two discs, but the show is also not yet firing on all cylinders.
PS - RIP Roberto. Up until now, characters died only an episode or two after their debut. Roberto was a fixture from the very start, and his death marks the first time a "veteran" cast member has been axed.
This batch of episodes begins with the AEUG dropping into Earth, in order to attack the Federation's Jaburo base. The second episode episode (ep. twelve, for those counting) does a lot to establish what Zeta Gundam is all about, and what has changed in the Universal Century since Gundam 79. For example, while Jaburo was once the Federation's primary stronghold, in Zeta is has been almost entirely abandoned, used by the Titans as nothing more than a supply depot. Watching mobile suits battle in the empty shell of a base, while straggling soldiers struggle to escape, gives a strong sense of just how bad a shape the Federation is in. The next episode has most of the AEUG forces escaping back to outer space, though the intervention of Earth based Titan forces prevents Kamille and Quattro from joining them. This leads to the meat of the Chapter, in which the two pilots work with the Earth based Karaba resistance group to avoid the Titans and get out to space via other means.
The implications of this split are twofold. First, it means that Emma, Bright, and the other AEUG staff are out of the picture for a while. Secondly, it means the show has to fill in those gaps with a new Earth based set of characters, including several returning faces from Gundam 79. Fraw Bow, Katz, Kai (actually, he was in the last Disc) and even Amuro show up to lend a hand, some more than others. I was positively giddy to see them again, and all grown up at that. Unfortunately, however, Amuro is not much of a factor. For now, he's traded with Kamille to take on the role of angsty pilot who refuses to cooperate. Amuro eventually gets him game face back on, but you won't see it here.
On the side of the Titans, we see a new batch of pilots, including a "cyber Newtype" named Rosamia Badam. Rosamia is one of many pilots given superior physical traits and Newtype-esque mental abilities via experimentation, though we quickly see the tradeoff of such enhancements when Rosamia establishes that she's batshit crazy. At this point, she is almost a source of comedic relief, though at no point in the disc do her and her Titans comrades launch an assault at full combat strength. With some powerful mobile armors at their disposal, they have the potential to bring some pain.
Overall, this disc is a slow burn. The Jaburo assault is spread out over two episodes, while the other three serve mostly to reacquaint us with Amuro and the other returning characters. It isn't really "setup" like in the last two discs, but the show is also not yet firing on all cylinders.
PS - RIP Roberto. Up until now, characters died only an episode or two after their debut. Roberto was a fixture from the very start, and his death marks the first time a "veteran" cast member has been axed.
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Sex and the City, again
I think I can see now where some of the stereotypes about Sex and the City culminated. Seasons 5 and 6 (at least the episodes I saw from them) are rotten. I don't know what the reason was, but starting with Season 5, Sarah Jessica Parker and the show writers saw fit to rip anything interesting out of her character. As narrator and protagonist, Carrie was far less financially able than her counterparts, and quite a bit flawed emotionally. As a result, she struggled, quite often at that, in such a way that many viewers, I believe, found relatable, even within the show's fairly fictional portrayal of New York. These traits are wiped away in Season 5. Out of nowhere, Carrie says good bye to relationships. She wears increasingly funky outfits, with a new hairdo between scenes which look to take place within the same 24 hours. Her newspaper column leads to a book deal.
For whatever silly reason, she's invited to be a fashion model for Dolce & Gabanna, and an incident in which she slips in falls is supposed to cancel out the fact that she eventually gets to pose and preen for all to see.
Oh, and after watching so much of this show, the idea that she marries Mr. Big is asinine. It goes against anything and everything natural and logical.
Starting from season 5, Carrie is a precious angel, and it gives her and her friends cart blanche to act ridiculous in ways which they never did before (or, in ways which they'd later regret). The show is turning away from being about smart, capable, but ultimately human women, to being about a bunch of superficial infants. And I here the movies are even worse.
What the hell happened? Is this what people wanted to see? I just don't get it.
For whatever silly reason, she's invited to be a fashion model for Dolce & Gabanna, and an incident in which she slips in falls is supposed to cancel out the fact that she eventually gets to pose and preen for all to see.
Oh, and after watching so much of this show, the idea that she marries Mr. Big is asinine. It goes against anything and everything natural and logical.
Starting from season 5, Carrie is a precious angel, and it gives her and her friends cart blanche to act ridiculous in ways which they never did before (or, in ways which they'd later regret). The show is turning away from being about smart, capable, but ultimately human women, to being about a bunch of superficial infants. And I here the movies are even worse.
What the hell happened? Is this what people wanted to see? I just don't get it.
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Beer
I think it is safe to say that I am no longer a beer snob.
I started to become one back in college. I think it was, in part, a reaction to all the stupendously terrible beer which college coeds found acceptable. It was also fueled by a bit misguided herd mentality. I spent a lot of time on the Internet back then, and I saw plenty of Europeans who mocked Americans for drinking Budweiser. They were joined by "enlightened" Americans drinking imports and craft beer. I decided that I wanted to be accepted by these people, and so my taste in beer had to be impeccable.
I don't regret my turn at being a wannabe beer snob. I learned a lot about the drink, including countless varieties I once never knew about. And if you sat me down with a very good craft beer today, I'd still enjoy it. But some time within the last year, I decided that I just didn't care anymore.
Take, for instance, those Internet Europeans. Once I got a lot more knowledgeable about my new favorite drink, I went back and looked at what superior brews they were fans of. Turns out they enjoyed some fairly trashy imports. This was an important general purpose lesson, about how you shouldn't give even half a shit about anyone on the Internet, but I digress. More important than unmasking the Eurotrash was the revelation that becoming a beer snob is a never ending battle. Every so often, you find a beer which is completely new to you, and looks absolutely awesome. You try it, and you think it is pretty good, so you head over to the reviews to see what others have to say. Beeradvocate.com and the like are flooded with mediocre grades. According to them, what you thought to be a hidden gem was just another average product that pales in comparison to *insert name of local craft brew which you cannot get a hold of here*. Psychologically, this was always a downer. I thought I had developed the eye, the taste, but apparently I still had a long way to go . According to these folks, almost nothing out there was worthwhile.
This leads me to my last point. The success of craft breweries is, ultimately, a great thing, but some of them seem to exist for no other purpose other than to fuck with us. Some of them are straightforward, brewing a couple of stable ales and lagers, with a seasonal or experimental drink every so often. Others can't get enough of experimentation, to the point where it defines them. Some use simple labeling and pledged to quality. Others try much to hard to look cool and quirky, using art design reminiscent of an O.K. Soda can and using way too much playful ad copy for a drink which is illegal for minors. Buying from craft brewers feels like a crapshoot at times. You may end up with simple, well made beer, or you may end up with something that tastes weird for the sake of it. I'm particularly frustrated with what I feel is an irresponsible usage of hops among craft brewers. Hops can add all sorts of wonderful flavors to a beer, but in my experience they have to be handled with care. If you just use a wreckless amount of them (which some beer labels have bragged about), you may end up with a drink that feels like a punch in the face more than anything.
There's a problem with saying anything like this. Most beer snobs (and the brewers, if they responded) would quickly tell me, or anyone else with a similar complaint, that we don't actually appreciate the flavor of hops. This isn't at true, of course, but it doesn't matter. If you question whether a microbrew is doing the right thing, you can easily get scorned.
In writing this post, I actually remember when I decided to stop giving a fuck. It was last summer, right before moving out of my old abode in Baltimore. I picked up a variety twelve pack of Magic Hat summer beers. They had a new IPA inside which was phenomenal. It was very hoppy, but went down easily. It felt such perfectly balanced. My internal monologue went something like this:
I started to become one back in college. I think it was, in part, a reaction to all the stupendously terrible beer which college coeds found acceptable. It was also fueled by a bit misguided herd mentality. I spent a lot of time on the Internet back then, and I saw plenty of Europeans who mocked Americans for drinking Budweiser. They were joined by "enlightened" Americans drinking imports and craft beer. I decided that I wanted to be accepted by these people, and so my taste in beer had to be impeccable.
I don't regret my turn at being a wannabe beer snob. I learned a lot about the drink, including countless varieties I once never knew about. And if you sat me down with a very good craft beer today, I'd still enjoy it. But some time within the last year, I decided that I just didn't care anymore.
Take, for instance, those Internet Europeans. Once I got a lot more knowledgeable about my new favorite drink, I went back and looked at what superior brews they were fans of. Turns out they enjoyed some fairly trashy imports. This was an important general purpose lesson, about how you shouldn't give even half a shit about anyone on the Internet, but I digress. More important than unmasking the Eurotrash was the revelation that becoming a beer snob is a never ending battle. Every so often, you find a beer which is completely new to you, and looks absolutely awesome. You try it, and you think it is pretty good, so you head over to the reviews to see what others have to say. Beeradvocate.com and the like are flooded with mediocre grades. According to them, what you thought to be a hidden gem was just another average product that pales in comparison to *insert name of local craft brew which you cannot get a hold of here*. Psychologically, this was always a downer. I thought I had developed the eye, the taste, but apparently I still had a long way to go . According to these folks, almost nothing out there was worthwhile.
This leads me to my last point. The success of craft breweries is, ultimately, a great thing, but some of them seem to exist for no other purpose other than to fuck with us. Some of them are straightforward, brewing a couple of stable ales and lagers, with a seasonal or experimental drink every so often. Others can't get enough of experimentation, to the point where it defines them. Some use simple labeling and pledged to quality. Others try much to hard to look cool and quirky, using art design reminiscent of an O.K. Soda can and using way too much playful ad copy for a drink which is illegal for minors. Buying from craft brewers feels like a crapshoot at times. You may end up with simple, well made beer, or you may end up with something that tastes weird for the sake of it. I'm particularly frustrated with what I feel is an irresponsible usage of hops among craft brewers. Hops can add all sorts of wonderful flavors to a beer, but in my experience they have to be handled with care. If you just use a wreckless amount of them (which some beer labels have bragged about), you may end up with a drink that feels like a punch in the face more than anything.
There's a problem with saying anything like this. Most beer snobs (and the brewers, if they responded) would quickly tell me, or anyone else with a similar complaint, that we don't actually appreciate the flavor of hops. This isn't at true, of course, but it doesn't matter. If you question whether a microbrew is doing the right thing, you can easily get scorned.
In writing this post, I actually remember when I decided to stop giving a fuck. It was last summer, right before moving out of my old abode in Baltimore. I picked up a variety twelve pack of Magic Hat summer beers. They had a new IPA inside which was phenomenal. It was very hoppy, but went down easily. It felt such perfectly balanced. My internal monologue went something like this:
You've wasted many a six pack on IPAs which taste like shit. After finding something this good, why are you so desperate to experiment? You know what you like these days, and who the hell cares what others think, when it is clear that they're talking out of their ass half the time? Stick with what you like, and be happy with it.And that's what I do these days. I stick to what I like, and I don't care what anyone else thinks about my choice in suds. So far it hasn't let me down.
Zeta Gundam Volume 2
Disc 2 has the AEUG preparing to launch a major offensive, while the Titans try to uncover and upend their plans. While certainly action packed, these episodes are more important for their relationship building. We see Kamille interact quite a bit with the AEUG crew, and while his reactions are often corrosive and angsty, you can tell that he now sees them as comrades, and to some extent, his surrogate family. His concern for them results in some reckless actions, but ultimately he ends up keeping some of his new friends alive, and his performance on the field proves his worth as a full time pilot.
This time around, as I payed closer attention to the fights, I started to notice just how early Kamille demonstrates Newtype abilities. Simply put, he is able to react and anticipate so quickly that he is able to go toe to toe with veteran pilots despite his lack of flight time. I also began to understand why he jumped to save Reccoa and Emma Sheen - he was able to sense their danger from far away (which I guess makes Newtypes kind of like Jedi).
On the Titans side, these episodes did a lot to improve my opinion of Jerrid Messa.At this point, Jerrid is still a bigmouth and a shitty pilot, but he demonstrates that he is willing to put his ego aside in order to become the leader he aspires to be. His interactions with Federation pilot Lila are akin to Obi Wan and Luke with added sexual tension. She teaches him quite a lot in a short period of time, and her death helps push Jerrid over the edge. By the end of the disc, he's starting to look like an actual pilot, rather than an adversary you hope to see shot down as soon as possible. At this point, the core cast of Titans is nowhere near solidified, but that's because they have to fuck up a bunch on this disc, in order to justify bringing in some heavy hitters that will present the AEUG with a serious challenge. The pieces are put into place here, and Disc 3 will see the real beginning of what will be known as the Gryps conflict.
Oh, and Bright Noa joins the AEUG, immediately taking command of their flagship simply by being Bright fucking Noa. The sooner the better I say.
This time around, as I payed closer attention to the fights, I started to notice just how early Kamille demonstrates Newtype abilities. Simply put, he is able to react and anticipate so quickly that he is able to go toe to toe with veteran pilots despite his lack of flight time. I also began to understand why he jumped to save Reccoa and Emma Sheen - he was able to sense their danger from far away (which I guess makes Newtypes kind of like Jedi).On the Titans side, these episodes did a lot to improve my opinion of Jerrid Messa.At this point, Jerrid is still a bigmouth and a shitty pilot, but he demonstrates that he is willing to put his ego aside in order to become the leader he aspires to be. His interactions with Federation pilot Lila are akin to Obi Wan and Luke with added sexual tension. She teaches him quite a lot in a short period of time, and her death helps push Jerrid over the edge. By the end of the disc, he's starting to look like an actual pilot, rather than an adversary you hope to see shot down as soon as possible. At this point, the core cast of Titans is nowhere near solidified, but that's because they have to fuck up a bunch on this disc, in order to justify bringing in some heavy hitters that will present the AEUG with a serious challenge. The pieces are put into place here, and Disc 3 will see the real beginning of what will be known as the Gryps conflict.
Oh, and Bright Noa joins the AEUG, immediately taking command of their flagship simply by being Bright fucking Noa. The sooner the better I say.
Monday, July 04, 2011
Zeta Gundam Volume 1
The first five episodes of Zeta Gundam are mostly setup, introducing most of the main characters before the story's main conflict begins in earnest. During my original viewing, I struggled greatly to understand the show's teen protagonist, Kamille Bidan. Everything he said or did was annoying and/or baffling. It often felt that he got certain breaks or opportunities simply by being the hero of the story.
Rewatching these episodes, my opinion has improved. Kamille is still a bit annoying, but I can understand (most of) his behavior. The trick was in remembering that there are many reasons why adolescents act foolishly. In addition to being hot headed, they like to act without thinking, and without understanding the consequences of their actions. They believe they know more than the adults in their life, and will rebel against authority in order to establish themselves as an individual. They also tend to be ignorant of a certain selection of current events. Together, all of these traits gave explanation to Kamille's stupidity, which is clearly meant to be seen as stupidity, in order to show us how much he has to grow.
I also got a better sense of the Titans, why they're hated and how they're able to act like such thugs. I don't think the Universal Century shows do a great job of emphasizing the state of the planet, but it is important to remember that the One Year War wiped out about half of the human population, that the Earth is all sorts of fucked up, and that those pesky Minovsky particles make communications all screwy. The Earthsphere is in awful shape, and it would be plausible for the planetside government to be too busy to keep close attention to what is happening in space. It is also believable that they lack strong leadership with so many people being dead. We tend to think of governments as being all knowing entities, but this is perhaps due to modern technology more than anything. Rome once ruled only a fraction of Earth, and yet Ceasar was able to use his army to come home and take control. In regards to Zeta, the Titans are still a bit convenient as an enemy, but they aren't unbelievable.
By the end of this disc, the AEUG have pretty much successfully escaped with the Gundam prototypes, and Kamille's parents are dead, which locks in his fate whether he knows it or not. I found myself genuinely sympathizing with the boy this time. As he states in the fifth episode, his might have fought bitterly with his parents, but they were still his family, and now they're gone. I thought this highlighted a very important point about teenagers - their supposed disdain for their parents is mostly smoke and mirrors. And even when they do have good reason to be mad at their folks, deep down inside they would rather things be better. Kamille's anger at his parents is no doubt genuine, but their death leaves him with absolutely nothing, including the hope for having a better relationship with them in the future. He's thrust himself into a world of shit, and it won't get any easier.
Rewatching these episodes, my opinion has improved. Kamille is still a bit annoying, but I can understand (most of) his behavior. The trick was in remembering that there are many reasons why adolescents act foolishly. In addition to being hot headed, they like to act without thinking, and without understanding the consequences of their actions. They believe they know more than the adults in their life, and will rebel against authority in order to establish themselves as an individual. They also tend to be ignorant of a certain selection of current events. Together, all of these traits gave explanation to Kamille's stupidity, which is clearly meant to be seen as stupidity, in order to show us how much he has to grow.
I also got a better sense of the Titans, why they're hated and how they're able to act like such thugs. I don't think the Universal Century shows do a great job of emphasizing the state of the planet, but it is important to remember that the One Year War wiped out about half of the human population, that the Earth is all sorts of fucked up, and that those pesky Minovsky particles make communications all screwy. The Earthsphere is in awful shape, and it would be plausible for the planetside government to be too busy to keep close attention to what is happening in space. It is also believable that they lack strong leadership with so many people being dead. We tend to think of governments as being all knowing entities, but this is perhaps due to modern technology more than anything. Rome once ruled only a fraction of Earth, and yet Ceasar was able to use his army to come home and take control. In regards to Zeta, the Titans are still a bit convenient as an enemy, but they aren't unbelievable.
By the end of this disc, the AEUG have pretty much successfully escaped with the Gundam prototypes, and Kamille's parents are dead, which locks in his fate whether he knows it or not. I found myself genuinely sympathizing with the boy this time. As he states in the fifth episode, his might have fought bitterly with his parents, but they were still his family, and now they're gone. I thought this highlighted a very important point about teenagers - their supposed disdain for their parents is mostly smoke and mirrors. And even when they do have good reason to be mad at their folks, deep down inside they would rather things be better. Kamille's anger at his parents is no doubt genuine, but their death leaves him with absolutely nothing, including the hope for having a better relationship with them in the future. He's thrust himself into a world of shit, and it won't get any easier.
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Zeta Gundam
Having recently finished rewatching 08th MS Team, I decided it was time to go back and give Zeta Gundam a proper viewing. I bought the first half of Zeta on DVD about three years ago, and gobbled it up quickly. I watched one episode a night before going to sleep, on my old, dying CRT television (for that authentic, 1985 feel). In retrospect, this was a bad idea. The TV's sound system was dying, meaning I often couldn't hear dialogue properly, and my PS2 had troubles reading the discs, causing me to fumble with the playback frequently.
Worst of all, however, was the fact that I was a newly diagnosed Narcoleptic trying to watch a television before turning in for the night. It wasn't obvious at the time, but I wasn't giving the show anywhere near my full attention. As a result, I often missed the names of new characters, and couldn't recall when they first appeared. I had trouble understanding why operations were being launched , and my mental timeline of how past events played out was all out of order. Zeta, like many Gundam shows, can be confusing, and my sleepy mental state made it worse. While I recalled some of the episodes being thrilling, on a whole my opinion of the show was quite low.
Perhaps this is why it took me until the tail end of 2010 to obtain the second half, and only then because I found it for half price during the liquidation of the local Suncoast. Volume 2 has sat on my shelf ever since, and is the only anime DVD up there that I haven't yet watched. With both 08th MS Team and Gundam 79 recently rekindling my interest in the franchise, I decided it was time to give Zeta a second chance, with a proper viewing from the very beginning (while being very much awake).
So far, the plan is working. I am encountering dialogue that I don't remember hearing before, and combined with the extra Gundam knowledge I obtained over the years, it is helping dispel most of my confusion. And while the script is still awkward (in that way that all Gundam shows tend to be), I can come up with explanations and interpretations whenever someone says or does something jarring (when I first began watching, I literally paused the show at times just to stop and think). Zeta Gundam is starting to really feel like a good piece of space opera, with a coherent plot and some semblance of character development. It feels like a drastically different, and much better, show than what plays out in my old memories.
I am also finding the animation to be much more impressive, though I'm not sure if this is due to a better TV, or because I can keep my eyes open. I get the impression that the animators skimped when drawing certain scenes, in order to devote more attention to the battles. That isn't to say that every fight scene is perfectly fluid, but on a hole they are more detailed and kinetic than I expected something circa 1985 to be.
Overall, I'm hooked for real, and the best part is that I still have a whole new half to get into for the first time.
Worst of all, however, was the fact that I was a newly diagnosed Narcoleptic trying to watch a television before turning in for the night. It wasn't obvious at the time, but I wasn't giving the show anywhere near my full attention. As a result, I often missed the names of new characters, and couldn't recall when they first appeared. I had trouble understanding why operations were being launched , and my mental timeline of how past events played out was all out of order. Zeta, like many Gundam shows, can be confusing, and my sleepy mental state made it worse. While I recalled some of the episodes being thrilling, on a whole my opinion of the show was quite low.Perhaps this is why it took me until the tail end of 2010 to obtain the second half, and only then because I found it for half price during the liquidation of the local Suncoast. Volume 2 has sat on my shelf ever since, and is the only anime DVD up there that I haven't yet watched. With both 08th MS Team and Gundam 79 recently rekindling my interest in the franchise, I decided it was time to give Zeta a second chance, with a proper viewing from the very beginning (while being very much awake).
So far, the plan is working. I am encountering dialogue that I don't remember hearing before, and combined with the extra Gundam knowledge I obtained over the years, it is helping dispel most of my confusion. And while the script is still awkward (in that way that all Gundam shows tend to be), I can come up with explanations and interpretations whenever someone says or does something jarring (when I first began watching, I literally paused the show at times just to stop and think). Zeta Gundam is starting to really feel like a good piece of space opera, with a coherent plot and some semblance of character development. It feels like a drastically different, and much better, show than what plays out in my old memories.
I am also finding the animation to be much more impressive, though I'm not sure if this is due to a better TV, or because I can keep my eyes open. I get the impression that the animators skimped when drawing certain scenes, in order to devote more attention to the battles. That isn't to say that every fight scene is perfectly fluid, but on a hole they are more detailed and kinetic than I expected something circa 1985 to be.
Overall, I'm hooked for real, and the best part is that I still have a whole new half to get into for the first time.
Monday, June 20, 2011
McCartney Remasters
As I mentioned previously, good ol' Macca is releasing his remasters slowly, and out of order. The first record out of the gate was Band on the Run, which of course is technically a Wings album. Last week saw the release of not one but two more reissues, McCartney I and II. Inserts that come with these CDs indicate that several more are on the way, including Ram, and Venus and Mars.
I'm not really sure what, if any logic is being applied to this process. Band on the Run is probably the most recognizable of Paul's post Beatles work, so it makes sense as a first choice. And the two self titled albums which just came out share a similar thematic bent, in that he made them entirely by himself (minus some backing vocals from Linda). As for the rest, I'm stumped. I'll be curious to see in what order they are released.
One of the striking aspects of McCartney's remasters is how - I don't know a better term to use, so I'll go with this - "money grubbing" they are. Each of the three that are out have been released in multiple versions. You've got basic and special editions CDs as well as massive $80-$90 versions containing extra discs, DVDs, and books, none of which looks to be worth all that scratch. And yet here's the rub - if you don't spring for the $80 mega editions, you're shit out of luck when it comes to retrospective and historical content. The plain old CD's contain no notes, no interviews, nothing of the sort. This is true even with the two disc McCartney I/II reissues (though the presence of a second disc means that there's at least some bonus tracks). Call me cynical, but this feels like an attempt to get you to buy the expensive one, in order to get the "best" experience possible. The Jimi Hendrix remasters were a few bucks cheaper, and had nice little DVDs with them. It's not impossible to do.
On the other hand, a part of me feels as if these basic releases are a good thing in their own way. What you're getting is, essentially, what people got when these records were first released. The same songs, with the same kind of artwork. You're left to judge the music yourself, without anything coloring your perspective. Compare this to the Lennon remasters. Nice as those are, their liner notes would have you believe that every one of his solo works was a masterpiece. That kind of revisionism can be bothersome, and while Paul doesn't completely shy away from it, his output can only be available in super deluxe editions that will be purchased by the biggest of diehards. Lennon's gospel, on the other hand, is written into even the basest of his reissues.
Reviews of the albums themselves should, hopefully, come soon.
I'm not really sure what, if any logic is being applied to this process. Band on the Run is probably the most recognizable of Paul's post Beatles work, so it makes sense as a first choice. And the two self titled albums which just came out share a similar thematic bent, in that he made them entirely by himself (minus some backing vocals from Linda). As for the rest, I'm stumped. I'll be curious to see in what order they are released.
One of the striking aspects of McCartney's remasters is how - I don't know a better term to use, so I'll go with this - "money grubbing" they are. Each of the three that are out have been released in multiple versions. You've got basic and special editions CDs as well as massive $80-$90 versions containing extra discs, DVDs, and books, none of which looks to be worth all that scratch. And yet here's the rub - if you don't spring for the $80 mega editions, you're shit out of luck when it comes to retrospective and historical content. The plain old CD's contain no notes, no interviews, nothing of the sort. This is true even with the two disc McCartney I/II reissues (though the presence of a second disc means that there's at least some bonus tracks). Call me cynical, but this feels like an attempt to get you to buy the expensive one, in order to get the "best" experience possible. The Jimi Hendrix remasters were a few bucks cheaper, and had nice little DVDs with them. It's not impossible to do.
On the other hand, a part of me feels as if these basic releases are a good thing in their own way. What you're getting is, essentially, what people got when these records were first released. The same songs, with the same kind of artwork. You're left to judge the music yourself, without anything coloring your perspective. Compare this to the Lennon remasters. Nice as those are, their liner notes would have you believe that every one of his solo works was a masterpiece. That kind of revisionism can be bothersome, and while Paul doesn't completely shy away from it, his output can only be available in super deluxe editions that will be purchased by the biggest of diehards. Lennon's gospel, on the other hand, is written into even the basest of his reissues.
Reviews of the albums themselves should, hopefully, come soon.
That Damn Stripe
Ever the 2009 remastering of The Beatles catalog, some of the former band members (or their estates) have made efforts to remaster their solo material. What's odd about this is not that it is happening. In my view, the 2009 reissue garnered enough goodwill (and rekindled enough nostalgia) in people that they're more likely to continue to buy and rebuy, and they'll arguably be that much more willing to believe whatever revisionist history is written about any one of the four.
No, what I find odd is how they are being released. Each of the ex-Beatles worked with different labels during their solo careers, and so each of the remastering efforts are their own little projects. Lennon's discography was handled with help from EMI, and came out all at once. McCartney, on the other hand, is still working through that weird Starbucks music label, and he's releasing his work at a trickle. George Harrison's had a a few special packages made up, but his people haven't gone full steam ahead with anything major. As for Ringo, I could have sworn I read a press release about some All-Starr band remasters, but I can't find it. Also, don't forget the Apple Records remasters of all the non Beatles acts that recorded for the label.
And yet, while each of these are individual projects, they have a sense of commonality about them. For one, most of them are being handled in part by the Abbey Road team that did the 2009 Beatles remaster. Since could be hired numerous times over, this makes some sense. But consider the album covers for all these remasters. Here's Sgt. Pepper:
Notice the vertical stripe on the left side of the cover. Now here's a Lennon remaster:
Same stripe, different text. And the cover to Band on the Run?
Again, the same stripe with its own text and color. And lastly, those Apple Records remasters look like this:
If you lined up all these CD's on a book shelf, or laid them out together on the table, they'd look as if they're part of one giant set. But they're not, and I haven't found anything that suggests this is anything more than Lennon and McCartney's camps deciding to stay in line with the style chosen to represent their old band. (I think the biggest proof that this is the case is that the stripes aren't all the same size). Coincidence or not, I think it's a good idea, and if George and Ringo do wind up with remasters, it will be interesting to see if they follow suit.
No, what I find odd is how they are being released. Each of the ex-Beatles worked with different labels during their solo careers, and so each of the remastering efforts are their own little projects. Lennon's discography was handled with help from EMI, and came out all at once. McCartney, on the other hand, is still working through that weird Starbucks music label, and he's releasing his work at a trickle. George Harrison's had a a few special packages made up, but his people haven't gone full steam ahead with anything major. As for Ringo, I could have sworn I read a press release about some All-Starr band remasters, but I can't find it. Also, don't forget the Apple Records remasters of all the non Beatles acts that recorded for the label.
And yet, while each of these are individual projects, they have a sense of commonality about them. For one, most of them are being handled in part by the Abbey Road team that did the 2009 Beatles remaster. Since could be hired numerous times over, this makes some sense. But consider the album covers for all these remasters. Here's Sgt. Pepper:
Notice the vertical stripe on the left side of the cover. Now here's a Lennon remaster:
Same stripe, different text. And the cover to Band on the Run?
Again, the same stripe with its own text and color. And lastly, those Apple Records remasters look like this:
If you lined up all these CD's on a book shelf, or laid them out together on the table, they'd look as if they're part of one giant set. But they're not, and I haven't found anything that suggests this is anything more than Lennon and McCartney's camps deciding to stay in line with the style chosen to represent their old band. (I think the biggest proof that this is the case is that the stripes aren't all the same size). Coincidence or not, I think it's a good idea, and if George and Ringo do wind up with remasters, it will be interesting to see if they follow suit.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sex and the City
Sex and the City has become an unspeakable name among guys. You can't mention it, watch it, and especially not like it. You Man Card is immediately taken away, no questions asked. I felt this way about the show for years, because without every seeing it, I came to loathe it. I knew many other fellows who felt this way, all for the same reason. None of us cared that there existed a show that showed women making a living and craving sex. My generation was raised in an environment which encouraged the talents of boys and girls, and most of us got the message.
No, what made us hate the show was the message it was conveying as seen in the actions of the young women who watched it. When the show was airing, it looked like they walked away from it thinking that life not merely can, but should involve drinking expensive cocktails, buying insanely expensive shoes, and being pampered by themselves and the men they choose to have in their lives. Guys felt threatened, not because of the idea that their girlfriends or wives might out earn them, but because they feared they would never find a wife or girlfriend without being part of the Manhattan-esque upper crust of society.
At this point, you can take my Man Card away. I have watched the show extensively lately, with my fiancee. However, I don't really care if anyone wants it, because I'm glad to have seen it. Sex and the City isn't the best show I have ever seen, but it isn't at all the one it was made out to be.
Okay, it is somewhat the show it was made out to be. But the messages that people are taking from the it are only half the story. You can't bring up how the characters knock back Appletinis and bash men without pointing out that the women aren't portrayed as saints. Some of the things they say are meant to be enlightening, but others are meant to show that they are just as bad as the fellas, either in the same way, or in an equal but opposite fashion. On a whole, its worldview finds the behaviours of both men and women to be frustrating. The gender, and personalities of the main cast are important, I think. It makes us accept the fact that women are here to roll with the boys, and the dynamics of society are now changing. But rather than just stating this as fact, it wants men and women to take a good, hard look at this changing world, and figure out how to live in it, before our own bad tendencies drive us to ruin. The show has always been pitched to me as antagonistic, but I don't see it here. It's about as cooperative a take on modern dating as anything I have read or seen.
I also find that the show's glorification of shopping is exaggerated. I'm not sure if the show changes greatly over the years, but at the very least, the early seasons go to great lengths to show how Sarah Jessica Parker's character can't go buy shoes without maxing out credit cards. Of course, they'll still show her spending again some episodes later, but I wouldn't say that this means the show is ignoring its actions. How many times have you seen a sitcom in which an adult loses a bet, and forks over wads of cash to the child they wagered against. Do we expect the show to remember this next episode? Comedies tend to play fast and loose, and it doesn't stop them from making a point one moment, and moving on to another. Reasonable men and women should be able to watch Sex and the City and understand that the show isn't glorifying spending beyond your means.
Maybe that's the problem, then. The show is a work a fiction, but perhaps not everyone takes it as one. The setting is real, the stereotypes are familiar, and so people take it that this is some sort of accurate depiction of Manhattan socialites. I don't think it is, and even if that were the case, the ratio of Manhattanites to the rest of the nation's population is tiny. That isn't our world, and I don't think the show assumes that it is, or that it will be. It's a good setting for the show's premise and its flavor of humor, and I think it works well. Unfortunately, there is only so much the show can do with a viewer who can't separate fact from fiction, or who cherry pick all the fun things in the show while ignoring the struggles. Sex and the City tries to hold a mirror up to its characters, to get them to change for the better, but I feel it has become warped by an audience who can't help but look into the mirror and admire themselves.
No, what made us hate the show was the message it was conveying as seen in the actions of the young women who watched it. When the show was airing, it looked like they walked away from it thinking that life not merely can, but should involve drinking expensive cocktails, buying insanely expensive shoes, and being pampered by themselves and the men they choose to have in their lives. Guys felt threatened, not because of the idea that their girlfriends or wives might out earn them, but because they feared they would never find a wife or girlfriend without being part of the Manhattan-esque upper crust of society.
At this point, you can take my Man Card away. I have watched the show extensively lately, with my fiancee. However, I don't really care if anyone wants it, because I'm glad to have seen it. Sex and the City isn't the best show I have ever seen, but it isn't at all the one it was made out to be.
Okay, it is somewhat the show it was made out to be. But the messages that people are taking from the it are only half the story. You can't bring up how the characters knock back Appletinis and bash men without pointing out that the women aren't portrayed as saints. Some of the things they say are meant to be enlightening, but others are meant to show that they are just as bad as the fellas, either in the same way, or in an equal but opposite fashion. On a whole, its worldview finds the behaviours of both men and women to be frustrating. The gender, and personalities of the main cast are important, I think. It makes us accept the fact that women are here to roll with the boys, and the dynamics of society are now changing. But rather than just stating this as fact, it wants men and women to take a good, hard look at this changing world, and figure out how to live in it, before our own bad tendencies drive us to ruin. The show has always been pitched to me as antagonistic, but I don't see it here. It's about as cooperative a take on modern dating as anything I have read or seen.
I also find that the show's glorification of shopping is exaggerated. I'm not sure if the show changes greatly over the years, but at the very least, the early seasons go to great lengths to show how Sarah Jessica Parker's character can't go buy shoes without maxing out credit cards. Of course, they'll still show her spending again some episodes later, but I wouldn't say that this means the show is ignoring its actions. How many times have you seen a sitcom in which an adult loses a bet, and forks over wads of cash to the child they wagered against. Do we expect the show to remember this next episode? Comedies tend to play fast and loose, and it doesn't stop them from making a point one moment, and moving on to another. Reasonable men and women should be able to watch Sex and the City and understand that the show isn't glorifying spending beyond your means.
Maybe that's the problem, then. The show is a work a fiction, but perhaps not everyone takes it as one. The setting is real, the stereotypes are familiar, and so people take it that this is some sort of accurate depiction of Manhattan socialites. I don't think it is, and even if that were the case, the ratio of Manhattanites to the rest of the nation's population is tiny. That isn't our world, and I don't think the show assumes that it is, or that it will be. It's a good setting for the show's premise and its flavor of humor, and I think it works well. Unfortunately, there is only so much the show can do with a viewer who can't separate fact from fiction, or who cherry pick all the fun things in the show while ignoring the struggles. Sex and the City tries to hold a mirror up to its characters, to get them to change for the better, but I feel it has become warped by an audience who can't help but look into the mirror and admire themselves.
Radiant Historia
My review of Radiant Historia is up. Looking back, I had a ton of fun with it, but I wish it finished stronger. When the going was good, and the game fired on all cylinders, it was an astounding experience. Everything it did just felt right. I never questioned the story, the pacing, or the locations. It all made sense in its own way.
Yet, as I mention in the review, the late game segments become a huge drag. This was bothersome not only because it lowers the game's overall quality, but also because it affected my review. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why the game changed so suddenly, but no answer was satisfactory. The problem, in retrospect, was that I was analyzing the game in a bubble. I assumed that every decision, good or bad, was an intentional effort on the part of the developers.
My troubles came to an end after reading a few other amateur reviews, one of which pointed out how the game was affected by its low budget. There was the answer, or at least part of it. Budget, like so many other outside factors, can have a huge impact on how a game turns out, yet the thought never crossed my mind. I felt embarrassed, and frustrated, that such a simple explanation went over my head. It was a stark reminder of how much further I have to go as a critic.
It also reminded me of just how much the press has influenced my train of thought. On a podcast, I once talked about "developer intent", the idea that developers have a fondness of using interviews to inform gamers of what their game is all about. This can be done during the preview phase, but is also crops up after the game is out, at which point it becomes a defense of their work. I don't have a problem with this practice in principle. In fact, it should probably be encouraged, so that gamers have a better idea of what they might be getting into whenever they pick up a game. But sometimes, a developer's words serve to (intentionally?) warp reality. There's a difference between telling your audience what you are trying/tried to do, and making a qualitative statement about your product when it is out for all to judge.
I have two examples of what I'm thinking of. The first is Bioware. They consistently talk up the importance of storytelling in games, to the point where some remarks state that a game can't be good with a story. It's a bullshit premise, because we have plenty of evidence of classic games with little to no story. It's made slightly bullshittier when you consider that Bioware has relied on the same core plot for years, and finally, people are starting to take notice. Unfortunately, not quite enough people are noticing, so the developer can continue to parrot the same belief in good storytelling, and gamers continue to believe that Bioware are the ones responsible for said quality storytelling. It's a situation in which they can say one thing, and do another, and no one really gives a damn.
The second example is Harmonix. Ever since they split from Activision to work on Rock Band, they've been hell bent on fulfilling their specific vision of what music games should be like. This vision, in turn, led to some of my biggest gripes with the early iterations of Rock Band. The lack of control over your avatar, its relatively party-unfriendly design, and its disdain for single-player modes were atrocious. I never saw anything resembling an admittance from Harmonix about these flaws. On the contrary, they felt that they were good, necessary enhancements, and that we should like it this way. Plenty of their fans nodded their heads in agreement, but I couldn't. I don't care if developers make mistakes sometimes, but I appreciate when they can at least identify them. Harmonix instead chose to follow their path to its logical conclusion the result of which was Rock Band 3 dropping to $20 faster than games with half its notariety, and with the franchise dropping off the face of the earth at roughly the same time as the dreaded Guitar Hero. I'm not happy to see that happen, but I wonder if it could have fared better if the team (and the players) were a bit more honest with themselves about what the series needed to stay relevant.
To bring this back to Radiant Historia, when I read enough interviews with such bullheaded declarations, I start to forget that game development is so much more than a single talking head with a plan. And if things go great, or horribly, the reasons are going to extend far beyond that one person and that one plan. I know that people like auteur driven entertainment, but it isn't conducive to strong criticism. An important lesson learned, and one I hope not to forget.
Yet, as I mention in the review, the late game segments become a huge drag. This was bothersome not only because it lowers the game's overall quality, but also because it affected my review. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why the game changed so suddenly, but no answer was satisfactory. The problem, in retrospect, was that I was analyzing the game in a bubble. I assumed that every decision, good or bad, was an intentional effort on the part of the developers.
My troubles came to an end after reading a few other amateur reviews, one of which pointed out how the game was affected by its low budget. There was the answer, or at least part of it. Budget, like so many other outside factors, can have a huge impact on how a game turns out, yet the thought never crossed my mind. I felt embarrassed, and frustrated, that such a simple explanation went over my head. It was a stark reminder of how much further I have to go as a critic.
It also reminded me of just how much the press has influenced my train of thought. On a podcast, I once talked about "developer intent", the idea that developers have a fondness of using interviews to inform gamers of what their game is all about. This can be done during the preview phase, but is also crops up after the game is out, at which point it becomes a defense of their work. I don't have a problem with this practice in principle. In fact, it should probably be encouraged, so that gamers have a better idea of what they might be getting into whenever they pick up a game. But sometimes, a developer's words serve to (intentionally?) warp reality. There's a difference between telling your audience what you are trying/tried to do, and making a qualitative statement about your product when it is out for all to judge.
I have two examples of what I'm thinking of. The first is Bioware. They consistently talk up the importance of storytelling in games, to the point where some remarks state that a game can't be good with a story. It's a bullshit premise, because we have plenty of evidence of classic games with little to no story. It's made slightly bullshittier when you consider that Bioware has relied on the same core plot for years, and finally, people are starting to take notice. Unfortunately, not quite enough people are noticing, so the developer can continue to parrot the same belief in good storytelling, and gamers continue to believe that Bioware are the ones responsible for said quality storytelling. It's a situation in which they can say one thing, and do another, and no one really gives a damn.
The second example is Harmonix. Ever since they split from Activision to work on Rock Band, they've been hell bent on fulfilling their specific vision of what music games should be like. This vision, in turn, led to some of my biggest gripes with the early iterations of Rock Band. The lack of control over your avatar, its relatively party-unfriendly design, and its disdain for single-player modes were atrocious. I never saw anything resembling an admittance from Harmonix about these flaws. On the contrary, they felt that they were good, necessary enhancements, and that we should like it this way. Plenty of their fans nodded their heads in agreement, but I couldn't. I don't care if developers make mistakes sometimes, but I appreciate when they can at least identify them. Harmonix instead chose to follow their path to its logical conclusion the result of which was Rock Band 3 dropping to $20 faster than games with half its notariety, and with the franchise dropping off the face of the earth at roughly the same time as the dreaded Guitar Hero. I'm not happy to see that happen, but I wonder if it could have fared better if the team (and the players) were a bit more honest with themselves about what the series needed to stay relevant.
To bring this back to Radiant Historia, when I read enough interviews with such bullheaded declarations, I start to forget that game development is so much more than a single talking head with a plan. And if things go great, or horribly, the reasons are going to extend far beyond that one person and that one plan. I know that people like auteur driven entertainment, but it isn't conducive to strong criticism. An important lesson learned, and one I hope not to forget.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Thoughts - 5/12/11
Apple's dominance in the market is due in part by their products, but I have to say, it's hard to argue that isn't also due to the terrible synergy between their practices and their user base. Apple doesn't want to talk about their inner workings? No problem; their users aren't interested in knowing. They managed to make a faulty product? Fire the bastards behind it, because every Tom, Dick and Harry wants top shelf gizmos, and in their minds, clearly those developers weren't top shelf enough. Apple is, in most ways, no better or worse than any other massive tech company, but they can get away with it all with much fewer stains on their reputation, and in some cases, their fans become so defensive that they're willing to go on the offensive in their efforts to trash other companies.
I've been reading about the shutdown of iFlow Reader, the iOS ebook reader app who claims that the new rules in place for in app purchases have destroyed their business model. A lot of the responses from iOS users have been something along the lines of "They signed the contract, so they knew what they were getting into." This is the kind of ignorance that allows Apple to dick around in ways that Google or Microsoft would be slammed for. The iFlow folks certainly agreed to a set of rules when they first started; the problem is those rules are changing in such a way that pretty much every option I've seen these people recommend, are in fact going to be outlawed by Apple.
And those same new rules are going to affect google and Amazon in a short amount of time. All of this information is clear as day in many of the news pieces covering the shutdown, which of course means that people are willing to simply scream at Apple detractors without even bothering to read. Par for the course on the Internet, but it hurts to see it happen to a company who at the very least seemed to have a belief behind the app they were making. If I had to make a criticism against them, I would ask them whether they had to make their business rely on the sale of ebooks, and if they had to resort to an Adobe DRM scheme for said books. Looking at the current state of ebook sales, neither of those seem like good ideas for a small company. Still, that doesn't change the fact that Apple's new rules for ebook sales allow them to act as an extra middleman on top of the middlemen like iFlow, Amazon or Google, and I wouldn't be surprised if even a few tweaks to iFlow's business model wouldn't be enough to save them.
I don't expect any rapid change, but I wonder how long they can keep this increasing stranglehold without someone deciding it's worth looking into. Or maybe I shouldn't - if Apple were slammed with an antitrust case, the resulting apologist editorials might make me sick.
I've been reading about the shutdown of iFlow Reader, the iOS ebook reader app who claims that the new rules in place for in app purchases have destroyed their business model. A lot of the responses from iOS users have been something along the lines of "They signed the contract, so they knew what they were getting into." This is the kind of ignorance that allows Apple to dick around in ways that Google or Microsoft would be slammed for. The iFlow folks certainly agreed to a set of rules when they first started; the problem is those rules are changing in such a way that pretty much every option I've seen these people recommend, are in fact going to be outlawed by Apple.
And those same new rules are going to affect google and Amazon in a short amount of time. All of this information is clear as day in many of the news pieces covering the shutdown, which of course means that people are willing to simply scream at Apple detractors without even bothering to read. Par for the course on the Internet, but it hurts to see it happen to a company who at the very least seemed to have a belief behind the app they were making. If I had to make a criticism against them, I would ask them whether they had to make their business rely on the sale of ebooks, and if they had to resort to an Adobe DRM scheme for said books. Looking at the current state of ebook sales, neither of those seem like good ideas for a small company. Still, that doesn't change the fact that Apple's new rules for ebook sales allow them to act as an extra middleman on top of the middlemen like iFlow, Amazon or Google, and I wouldn't be surprised if even a few tweaks to iFlow's business model wouldn't be enough to save them.
I don't expect any rapid change, but I wonder how long they can keep this increasing stranglehold without someone deciding it's worth looking into. Or maybe I shouldn't - if Apple were slammed with an antitrust case, the resulting apologist editorials might make me sick.
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Meet the Mets?
I know, I know - far too early in the season to make any judgements. Still, last night's win against the Phillies, in Philly? That felt good. Real good.
It had all the hallmarks of a feel good win. They beat the stuffing out of our rivals. in their stadium. And we did so by beating one of their "ace" pitchers, who at one point called the Mets "choke artists", which is one of the few things athletes tend not to gravitate towards during trash talk. Hell, They didn't just beat him - they took him out after less than three innings.
Again, none of this is a portent for the full season. But last night, in addition to the Marlins series, showed a much more fiery, much more aggressive Mets club. They're trying to steal, they're fighting at the plate, and for the most part, playing decent defense. Terry Collins has done something to remind these players of who they are, and what they can do, and it just feels good to see guys like David Wright hit the ball like he should, and to see someone like Chris Young or Willie Harris remind the league of how good they can be.
The Phillies (as well as their little minions on the Marlins) have been trash talking the Mets for so long, while the rest of the league has had no qualms with letting them be the butt of every joke. That's what pushed this latest win over the top. It won't silence anyone - we need at least a sweep for that- but it still looked amazing to me.
It had all the hallmarks of a feel good win. They beat the stuffing out of our rivals. in their stadium. And we did so by beating one of their "ace" pitchers, who at one point called the Mets "choke artists", which is one of the few things athletes tend not to gravitate towards during trash talk. Hell, They didn't just beat him - they took him out after less than three innings.
Again, none of this is a portent for the full season. But last night, in addition to the Marlins series, showed a much more fiery, much more aggressive Mets club. They're trying to steal, they're fighting at the plate, and for the most part, playing decent defense. Terry Collins has done something to remind these players of who they are, and what they can do, and it just feels good to see guys like David Wright hit the ball like he should, and to see someone like Chris Young or Willie Harris remind the league of how good they can be.
The Phillies (as well as their little minions on the Marlins) have been trash talking the Mets for so long, while the rest of the league has had no qualms with letting them be the butt of every joke. That's what pushed this latest win over the top. It won't silence anyone - we need at least a sweep for that- but it still looked amazing to me.
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Funimation Channel
So I've been spending a week or so housesitting, at a place which has Verizon Fios cable, and thus gets the Funimation Channel. I've had it on for several chunks of the weekend, and the results haven't been convincing.
Now to be fair, I recognize that this is the very definition of a deep cable channel. In that regard, I think the station has some decent looking promotional ads and bumpers. However, they aren't used very well to inform you of what programming the channel has. Over the course of the two days, I saw the ads for Phantom and Oh Edo Rocket multiple times. In contrast, I saw exactly two ads for Hetalia, and zero for Sengoku Basara. If you want to know just what Funimation shows are on the station, you're not going to know without watching it for a full twelve or so hours. That's a bit problematic in my eyes.
Furthermore, the channel doesn't seem to have any themed programming blocks (or, if it does, they again aren't well promoted). It'd be easier if there were action or comedy blocks of some sort.
I'm also not sure why there was such an odd frequency of reruns. The episodes of Kenichi and Tsubasa showing on Saturday morning were the exact same ones showing on Sunday morning. It isn't uncommon for the day's episodes for a show to be repeated at night as an encore, but tow do so over the course of two days? It doesn't make sense. You'd think the shows would advance, especially considering that another show, Soul Eater, didn't repeat itself in the afternoon.
What I'm trying to figure out is how much Funimation cares about this effort. What they have made is undeniably slick, and yet the programming makes it look as if someone just threw shows on there so there would be something to show. If you wanted to use the Channel to actually watch a show through its entirety, I couldn't guess how long it would take you. I get the impression that Funi doesn't want fans to use it as a companion to DVD's and streaming. But if that is the case, then what the hell is the point? Near as I can tell, the company is still going strong, but they might not want to repeat the mistakes of ADV, which fucked around so much with The Anime Channel. Funimation Channel should be a great way to let people eat up the more stale shows, but right now, it doesn't make it easy.
Now to be fair, I recognize that this is the very definition of a deep cable channel. In that regard, I think the station has some decent looking promotional ads and bumpers. However, they aren't used very well to inform you of what programming the channel has. Over the course of the two days, I saw the ads for Phantom and Oh Edo Rocket multiple times. In contrast, I saw exactly two ads for Hetalia, and zero for Sengoku Basara. If you want to know just what Funimation shows are on the station, you're not going to know without watching it for a full twelve or so hours. That's a bit problematic in my eyes.
Furthermore, the channel doesn't seem to have any themed programming blocks (or, if it does, they again aren't well promoted). It'd be easier if there were action or comedy blocks of some sort.
I'm also not sure why there was such an odd frequency of reruns. The episodes of Kenichi and Tsubasa showing on Saturday morning were the exact same ones showing on Sunday morning. It isn't uncommon for the day's episodes for a show to be repeated at night as an encore, but tow do so over the course of two days? It doesn't make sense. You'd think the shows would advance, especially considering that another show, Soul Eater, didn't repeat itself in the afternoon.
What I'm trying to figure out is how much Funimation cares about this effort. What they have made is undeniably slick, and yet the programming makes it look as if someone just threw shows on there so there would be something to show. If you wanted to use the Channel to actually watch a show through its entirety, I couldn't guess how long it would take you. I get the impression that Funi doesn't want fans to use it as a companion to DVD's and streaming. But if that is the case, then what the hell is the point? Near as I can tell, the company is still going strong, but they might not want to repeat the mistakes of ADV, which fucked around so much with The Anime Channel. Funimation Channel should be a great way to let people eat up the more stale shows, but right now, it doesn't make it easy.
Friday, April 01, 2011
MLB At Bat '11
Another Year, another season of baseball. That means it is time for MLB At Bat, the handiest way to listen to live games.
I'll admit, by the end of last season I pretty much stopped using the app, partly because the Mets were awful, and partly because the both the app itself and my home internet connetion had troubles staying connected. This year, it seems that some work was done to help alleviate this problem. The connection has dropped occasionally, but each time the app managed to reestablish it on its own, within just a few seconds.
At Bat has a few new features as well. There is one feature which apparently can be used at ballparks, though I'm not sure what it does. It also doles out the occasional free video feed from mlb.tv.
In regards to video, technically this version of At Bat is improved, but it still lags behind the version made for iOS devices, which have full mlb.tv integration. I understand that the popularity of iOS means that it will be the premiere platform, but Android handsets have made huge strides since last spring, both in features and in sheer numbers. If the NFL and Verizon can whip up a decent Android app for free, then I hope that MLB is able to sneak in some more goodies during the season.
Overall, I'm happy with the improvements made, and I've already used the app more per day than I did last year. With some luck, we may get more updates as the season goes on.
Now let's go Mets!
I'll admit, by the end of last season I pretty much stopped using the app, partly because the Mets were awful, and partly because the both the app itself and my home internet connetion had troubles staying connected. This year, it seems that some work was done to help alleviate this problem. The connection has dropped occasionally, but each time the app managed to reestablish it on its own, within just a few seconds.
At Bat has a few new features as well. There is one feature which apparently can be used at ballparks, though I'm not sure what it does. It also doles out the occasional free video feed from mlb.tv.
In regards to video, technically this version of At Bat is improved, but it still lags behind the version made for iOS devices, which have full mlb.tv integration. I understand that the popularity of iOS means that it will be the premiere platform, but Android handsets have made huge strides since last spring, both in features and in sheer numbers. If the NFL and Verizon can whip up a decent Android app for free, then I hope that MLB is able to sneak in some more goodies during the season.
Overall, I'm happy with the improvements made, and I've already used the app more per day than I did last year. With some luck, we may get more updates as the season goes on.
Now let's go Mets!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
NFL Lockout
I became interested in baseball some time around 1996, meaning that as a fan, I am entirely a product of the post strike League. As a result, there were times when I struggled to understand why fans much older than me expressed such negative emotions when thinking about the strike, and I especially couldn't believe that it would sour some people on baseball entirely. As I grew older, I began to understand them a little more, at least on principle. Now, I know exactly how they feel. I'm not sure what will happen with the current NFL lockout fiasco, but it has already question whether I'll come back to the game.
The gut reaction among many is that there is no reason why a bunch of millionaires can't figure out how to share their millions (actually billions) at a time when many people's financial outlooks are grim. I understand this sentiment, and agree with it to a certain extent, though I think it is important to remember that not every player is making massive, multi-million dollar wages.
Personally, my gut anger stems from the same issue which bothered me all last season - that the NFL is devious and hypocritical in regards to its treatment of concussions and their concern for overall player health. There are a lot of measures the League could be taking to better protect players, and most of them are things which still aren't in effect. Not to mention that no matter how much marketing money they spend to promote their initiative, it is impossible to ignore just how much big hits are celebrated by commentators and fans (keep in mind that those commentators tend to tow the party line for the League, in case of any future coaching positions). I used to scoff at anyone who considered football to be a bloodsport, but it is getting harder to ignore not only how violent it is, but just how much that violence is celebrated. How many other sports leave former players with such a strong potential to be a husk of a body? The first one to come to my mind is boxing, and it too has been the subject of huge controversy over the decades. But unlike boxing, football is the nation's most popular sport. Any calls for real change will be drowned out by cheering spectators.
Deep down inside, the NFL knows that people like the carnage. They know that the players have been trained to deliver it with greater and greater force over the years. They've gone down this path, and they know there's no chance of trying to reverse it. Players will get more and more protective gear, and rather than keeping them safe, it'll convince them that they can get away with more powerful hits. We have already seen many old players who, regardless of the money they made, are in shambles thanks to all the hits and concussions they suffered. We already know the League never gave two shits about their retirement, and I shudder to think as to how some of today's current stars might look in thirty years. Even with millions of dollars (which, again, they don't all have), there's only so much medicine can do to help a person with a broken body.
But it isn't just the players who are treated like garbage. Fans too have been slowly and systematically screwed over by the NFL. The blackout rules exist to try and get people to go to the stadium if they want to see the game. At the same time that ticket prices continue to rise, and homefield advantage dissolves as stadiums are instead filled with people who treat a football game as a place to be seen. If your team isn't blacked out, you might be able to see them on TV, but if all you have is basic cable, who knows what you'll get. Thanks to the League's TV deals, someone like me, just a 25 minute drive from the DC metro, can't be certain that the Redskins will be on TV (and as a Giants fan, I gave up on seeing the game every week). Of course, you could spring for a pricey NFL package, which can (and probably will) get even pricier over time. Or you could go to the bar, where you can't hear yourself think, let alone hear any of the calls on the field. With all of today's wonderful technology, I think it is actually getting harder to watch football. The League certainly wants my time money, but they also want to demand how I give it to them.
So if everyone is being treated like shit, when can we expect the tables to turn? I have no idea. Because despite everything the NFL has done, they still have everyone feeding out of their hand. They could screw over the next season royally, and people will still come back. Baseball didn't die from its strike, and I imagine that football will take little, if any, damage. And on top of all of this, I haven't forgotten that if the sport does go away, a lot more people are going to be jobless.
It really has become a fucking circus. I don't look forward to the end result.
To me, the lockout says so many things, not just about football, but the current cultural climate in general.
The gut reaction among many is that there is no reason why a bunch of millionaires can't figure out how to share their millions (actually billions) at a time when many people's financial outlooks are grim. I understand this sentiment, and agree with it to a certain extent, though I think it is important to remember that not every player is making massive, multi-million dollar wages.
Personally, my gut anger stems from the same issue which bothered me all last season - that the NFL is devious and hypocritical in regards to its treatment of concussions and their concern for overall player health. There are a lot of measures the League could be taking to better protect players, and most of them are things which still aren't in effect. Not to mention that no matter how much marketing money they spend to promote their initiative, it is impossible to ignore just how much big hits are celebrated by commentators and fans (keep in mind that those commentators tend to tow the party line for the League, in case of any future coaching positions). I used to scoff at anyone who considered football to be a bloodsport, but it is getting harder to ignore not only how violent it is, but just how much that violence is celebrated. How many other sports leave former players with such a strong potential to be a husk of a body? The first one to come to my mind is boxing, and it too has been the subject of huge controversy over the decades. But unlike boxing, football is the nation's most popular sport. Any calls for real change will be drowned out by cheering spectators.
Deep down inside, the NFL knows that people like the carnage. They know that the players have been trained to deliver it with greater and greater force over the years. They've gone down this path, and they know there's no chance of trying to reverse it. Players will get more and more protective gear, and rather than keeping them safe, it'll convince them that they can get away with more powerful hits. We have already seen many old players who, regardless of the money they made, are in shambles thanks to all the hits and concussions they suffered. We already know the League never gave two shits about their retirement, and I shudder to think as to how some of today's current stars might look in thirty years. Even with millions of dollars (which, again, they don't all have), there's only so much medicine can do to help a person with a broken body.
But it isn't just the players who are treated like garbage. Fans too have been slowly and systematically screwed over by the NFL. The blackout rules exist to try and get people to go to the stadium if they want to see the game. At the same time that ticket prices continue to rise, and homefield advantage dissolves as stadiums are instead filled with people who treat a football game as a place to be seen. If your team isn't blacked out, you might be able to see them on TV, but if all you have is basic cable, who knows what you'll get. Thanks to the League's TV deals, someone like me, just a 25 minute drive from the DC metro, can't be certain that the Redskins will be on TV (and as a Giants fan, I gave up on seeing the game every week). Of course, you could spring for a pricey NFL package, which can (and probably will) get even pricier over time. Or you could go to the bar, where you can't hear yourself think, let alone hear any of the calls on the field. With all of today's wonderful technology, I think it is actually getting harder to watch football. The League certainly wants my time money, but they also want to demand how I give it to them.
So if everyone is being treated like shit, when can we expect the tables to turn? I have no idea. Because despite everything the NFL has done, they still have everyone feeding out of their hand. They could screw over the next season royally, and people will still come back. Baseball didn't die from its strike, and I imagine that football will take little, if any, damage. And on top of all of this, I haven't forgotten that if the sport does go away, a lot more people are going to be jobless.
It really has become a fucking circus. I don't look forward to the end result.
To me, the lockout says so many things, not just about football, but the current cultural climate in general.
Friday, March 04, 2011
In Media Res
(Note - this post was inspired by the latest anime news network podcast, and the responses it garnered in the ANN forums. Apologies on the lack of quality.)
In Media Res is a storytelling technique as old as storytelling itself. Such longetivity suggests that it is also an effective technique, which I would agree with. It also means that it can and will be used improperly.
I'm no literary scholar, but in my experience, the best stories which start In Media Res are the ones which aren't largely hindered by it. To put it another way, you shouldn't be confused as to what is happening now because you're missing out on events that happened before. A little bit of explanation, and you should be on your way. Later on, the story can fill in some of the gaps, to add more weight or depth to a character or conflict, but in the meantime it should still stand on its own two feet. If you ever read an excerpt from the Iliad or The Aenid back in high school, your textbook probably spent a few sentences explaining what you missed out on. With that alone, you can gleam a hell of a lot from the passages you're actually given to read. That, to me, is good use of In Media Res.
As for more modern examples, there are quite a few, but for the sake of this post's main topic I'm actually going to use a video game - Dragon Quest 8. When the game begins, the hero and his companion are escorting a goblin in a horse drawn cart. We quickly learn that the goblin is a king, and the horse his daughter, and that the hero is trying to help lift the curse which was placed on the two by a court jester in possession of a magic staff. It isn't until much later in the game that we discover how the curse was placed on them, or how the jester turned evil, but until that point, these details don't matter. The information we are given is more than enough to justify the quest, and the back story is filled in only after we've been with the characters long enough for those details to have any sort of impact. Dragon Quest 8 isn't a complex story, but in terms of using In Media Res, we don't lose anything by starting in the middle, and the flashbacks to the past actually sweeten the pot.
In contrast, I consider it bad use of the technique when the reader/viewer is ignorant of critical information as a result of starting in the middle. There will be references to events, characters, terminologies, or important events which the viewer has no clue about, even though they need to in order to comprehend the story. The viewer ends up having to wait for the flashbacks and exposition to kick in in order to piece it all together. A entire rereading/viewing may even be in order.
I'm not going to say that this latter method has no merit, but it isn't easy to do well. There's a difference between sprinkling in a little mystery to keep us on edge, and creating something purposefully obtuse. Unfortunately, this method is used extensively in anime (and anime inspired games), and while the fans on a whole have no problem with it, I think it leads to shitty storytelling more often than not. I know it is tacky to slam others, but I think that for a lot of anime fans, the appeal lies in the fact that they believe that if a show takes them a lot of time to decipher, then it must be complex and deep, and that their ability to decode it is an indicator of their intelligence. In other words, it is more proof that Western anime fandom is fuelled by ego more than anything. These people don't seem to comprehend the possibility that the confusion is the result of bad writing and plotting.
But allow me to turn away from attacks and focus on why I prefer the other, more clearer method of In Media Res. I don't think you can really analyze and appreciate the depth of a story until you understand, at the most basic level, what it is about. In order to really appreciate a dialogue exchange, you need to know why it is taking place. In order to be shocked at a character's actions, you need to know something about them. There's this pervading sensibility among otaku that a story is only good if you have to put it together like a puzzle. I think it is this same sensibility which causes them to assume that anyone who says they "simply want to be entertained" by media is a plebe looking for mindless distraction. To use another tired example (sorry), Shakespeare's plays aren't terribly confusing, but watching one of his plays being performed by skilled actors is still dammed entertaining, because they generate so much excitement and emotion. That's still entertainment, and it is far from mindless.
I guess, for me, there's a difference between a work that rewards you for paying attention, and one which plays games and rewards me for putting up with it. I like when a work makes me think, but a good one will make me want to think, because I am already interested in what I see, and want to dig deeper. It shouldn't make me have to think because that's the only way I'll get anything out of it. I don't need my ego stroked, nor do I want to stroke the author's.
TL:DR - I wish fucking anime fans would stop throwing around literary devices to excuse bad shows, and actually ponder whether the show used any of them effectively.
In Media Res is a storytelling technique as old as storytelling itself. Such longetivity suggests that it is also an effective technique, which I would agree with. It also means that it can and will be used improperly.
I'm no literary scholar, but in my experience, the best stories which start In Media Res are the ones which aren't largely hindered by it. To put it another way, you shouldn't be confused as to what is happening now because you're missing out on events that happened before. A little bit of explanation, and you should be on your way. Later on, the story can fill in some of the gaps, to add more weight or depth to a character or conflict, but in the meantime it should still stand on its own two feet. If you ever read an excerpt from the Iliad or The Aenid back in high school, your textbook probably spent a few sentences explaining what you missed out on. With that alone, you can gleam a hell of a lot from the passages you're actually given to read. That, to me, is good use of In Media Res.
As for more modern examples, there are quite a few, but for the sake of this post's main topic I'm actually going to use a video game - Dragon Quest 8. When the game begins, the hero and his companion are escorting a goblin in a horse drawn cart. We quickly learn that the goblin is a king, and the horse his daughter, and that the hero is trying to help lift the curse which was placed on the two by a court jester in possession of a magic staff. It isn't until much later in the game that we discover how the curse was placed on them, or how the jester turned evil, but until that point, these details don't matter. The information we are given is more than enough to justify the quest, and the back story is filled in only after we've been with the characters long enough for those details to have any sort of impact. Dragon Quest 8 isn't a complex story, but in terms of using In Media Res, we don't lose anything by starting in the middle, and the flashbacks to the past actually sweeten the pot.
In contrast, I consider it bad use of the technique when the reader/viewer is ignorant of critical information as a result of starting in the middle. There will be references to events, characters, terminologies, or important events which the viewer has no clue about, even though they need to in order to comprehend the story. The viewer ends up having to wait for the flashbacks and exposition to kick in in order to piece it all together. A entire rereading/viewing may even be in order.
I'm not going to say that this latter method has no merit, but it isn't easy to do well. There's a difference between sprinkling in a little mystery to keep us on edge, and creating something purposefully obtuse. Unfortunately, this method is used extensively in anime (and anime inspired games), and while the fans on a whole have no problem with it, I think it leads to shitty storytelling more often than not. I know it is tacky to slam others, but I think that for a lot of anime fans, the appeal lies in the fact that they believe that if a show takes them a lot of time to decipher, then it must be complex and deep, and that their ability to decode it is an indicator of their intelligence. In other words, it is more proof that Western anime fandom is fuelled by ego more than anything. These people don't seem to comprehend the possibility that the confusion is the result of bad writing and plotting.
But allow me to turn away from attacks and focus on why I prefer the other, more clearer method of In Media Res. I don't think you can really analyze and appreciate the depth of a story until you understand, at the most basic level, what it is about. In order to really appreciate a dialogue exchange, you need to know why it is taking place. In order to be shocked at a character's actions, you need to know something about them. There's this pervading sensibility among otaku that a story is only good if you have to put it together like a puzzle. I think it is this same sensibility which causes them to assume that anyone who says they "simply want to be entertained" by media is a plebe looking for mindless distraction. To use another tired example (sorry), Shakespeare's plays aren't terribly confusing, but watching one of his plays being performed by skilled actors is still dammed entertaining, because they generate so much excitement and emotion. That's still entertainment, and it is far from mindless.
I guess, for me, there's a difference between a work that rewards you for paying attention, and one which plays games and rewards me for putting up with it. I like when a work makes me think, but a good one will make me want to think, because I am already interested in what I see, and want to dig deeper. It shouldn't make me have to think because that's the only way I'll get anything out of it. I don't need my ego stroked, nor do I want to stroke the author's.
TL:DR - I wish fucking anime fans would stop throwing around literary devices to excuse bad shows, and actually ponder whether the show used any of them effectively.
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