The Return of the Comeback

Missed me? I know you did.

Its been a while since I had something on this little space of mine in the interwebz. I'd been out due to a domain name issue, but that did not stop me on working at stuff. I finished a lot during the 3 (or 4 or more, not quite sure anymore myself) months while this blog of mine was out. So lemme get my comeback on with this:

  

Lemme start with one of my 'holy grail builds': a Bandai LM Guymelef Escaflowne.

JUST WILD BEAT COMMUNICATION

The Garage has been Warhammer 40,000 territory for most of the time last year. Moreover, it has been more of a scale model blog than anything else. So I thought maybe I should go back a bit to my first love in terms of scale modeling: GunPla

Here is my current project, a TT Hongli Master Grade Gundam Wing EW!

Remembering some (Macross) Love

Time flies so fast. I remember watching the original Macross TV series in grade school, before I was exposed to Gundam a decade later (college years). It was the first 'real robot' show I laid eyes on and fell in love with. The show was cutting edge even at that time when anime was not that popular yet (and still awkwardly called 'japanimation') and the only SF series shown on the 'tube was of the hardcore kind. It was more than a mecha show, a span ahead of the 'monster-of-the-week' robot shows back then. Don;t get me wrong, Super Robot also have a spot on my heart. Any mecha show for that matter. But Macross is special much like love at first sight.

And now, 30 years past, Macross still reminds us to 'remember love'.

Super Sentai Savvy: Jetman

L to R: Yellow Owl (Raita), Blue Swallow(Ako), Red Hawk(Ryu), White Swan(Kaori), Black Condor(Gai)

Several years after Maskman aired on local airwaves came Chojin Sentai Jetman, another well-loved Super Sentai. 

The show, while being standard Super Sentai fare is not without it's quirks and merits. The usual alien conquest plot is present but is overshadowed by the character-centric situations presented, a rarity for Super Sentai. It follows the monster-of-the-week format complete with the requisite team and giant robot battles but then again, Jetman is not primarily about that. it's all about the characters.    

Shooting Black Rocks

Black ★Rock Shooter's (B★RS) getting a lot of love lately. The Hatsune Miku vocaloid spin-off series recently got their own video game and soon,its own TV anime (not that the one-shot OVA explained anything though).

Jump for the game's action packed intro CG:

Super Sentai Savvy Part 2: Hikari Sentai Maskman

 After Bioman, the next big thing in Super Sentai here was Hikari Sentai Maskman (Light Taskforce Maskman).

Maskman (1987) was shown about a couple of years after Bioman in the local airwaves, in which case 2 other previous Super Sentai shows Changeman and Flashman were skipped. Most of us thought that  it was a sequel for Bioman but it turned out to be  a different show altogether. Maskman was a huge departure from the usual Super Sentai formula as it is a lot grittier and more grounded than most Super Sentai shows. The plot revolves more on the characters' dilemma and not just on beating the monster-of-the-week, giving it a broader audience than other shows of its type.

Maskman introduced a lot of epic elements not quite found in previous shows. First, it started out with a one hour special episode which established the main plot points: the arrival of the Underground Empire Tube, the Maskman's origins (they started out as a racing team) and the romance between Takeru/Red Mask (Michael Joe in the local version) and Mio/Princess Ial (Rio). It also introduced a number of 'firsts' : the first 'extra' member for a Super Sentai, in the guise of X-1 Mask (which appeared in just one episode),the first team to have two team weapons, and the first to have each member with a personal machine.

The show also stands out because of its plot turns and twists, something unheard of in Super Sentai in a long time. Shows like JAKQ and Goggle V were a bit serious, shying off some of the younger audiences back then. This is the reason why Maskman was hailed as having one of the more 'balanced' plots showing a good mix of action, humor and a love angle for good measure. The fight scenes were more fluid and coordinated that its predecessors for one. The Takeru/Mio love angle is ever present. And humor is supplied by characters like Anagmas and Okerampa, the latter still being the target of vulgar references up to now by fans of the show.

A lot of fans attest to Maskaman's enduring legacy. Much more are even glad that it was not included into the Power Ranger mythos for fear of it being ruined (we're looking at you VR Troopers!). Even today, a fan would just sing the Opening and Ending theme at random and a discussion about it would initiate more often than not. 

And speaking of the Tagalog dubbed OP and ED themes: 

  

Gokaigers, we're waiting for you to meet up with them!

Aura Power!

Super Sentai Savvy Part 1

I'm loving Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger right now. It's that kind of show that brings a fan to tears out of sheer nostalgia. But before them, there were the Super Sentai of old.

I remember watching Bioman when I was in elementary. Our weekends back then comprised of  Saturday morning cartoons, Uncle Bob's Lucky 7 Club and the usual Famicom sessions at a friend's house. And of course prime time Super Sentai and tokusatsu shows with  Bioman, Masked (Kamen) Rider Black and Shaider forming the trinity. Let's leave Kamen Rider and Metal Heroes for another day and talk about Super Sentai first.


Super Sentai are the equvalent of super hero groups of the West. 'Sentai' roughly translated means 'task force'. Bioman was my (and for other people my age) first foray on Super Sentai. I heard Goranger was first aired but never caught steam because there were few TV sets available back then. Bioman was the first to be big in a sense that it was the only Super Sentai show at that time. It was a breathe of fresh air and even though there were other great '80's cartoons back then, Bioman was a world apart.

Typically a super sentai show flows like this: the arch villain hatches a nefarious but often silly plan to conquer the world like building a theme park to enslave children or using pollen to spread some sort of disease.  The heroes respond, change into their color-coordinated suits and battle the villain's minions with their arsenal of personal and team weapons/techniques. The minions get beaten, but it doesn't end there.  The minions are almost always accompanied by a monster-of-the-week which the team beats but then the said monster is transformed into a giant  version of itself.This is when the team summons and boards their giant robot to do battle with the monster-of-the-week. The heroes' robot does its finishing move and the heroes win, leaving the villain cringing and vowing to get the heroes another day.

Bioman follows that formula but has an engaging main plot that many consider to be one of the best fro any Super Sentai series. Up to this day, whenever my friends and other acquaintances reminisce, one way or another, Bioman comes up and it'll be a topic for a while in our conversations. Things like "Hey, remember that episode when Yellow Four died?" or "Remember when Peebo was kidnapped?" were the stuff of nostalgia. There were even times when a not-so-close colleague wouldget involved and eventually get bonded because of Super Sentai.
 
More of old Super Sentai in another installment!

Buster Beams in Blu-Ray

 Aim for the Top! Gunbuster's blu-ray's out and it's all too exciting!

The definitive Gainax giant robot masterpiece (aside from Neon Genesis Evangelion) gets the High Def-and-extras  treatment this time around. I remember watching Gunbuster on VHS during my college years and I was all fired up with all that 'hard work and guts' coming from Noriko. For me, Gunbuster defined what anime space drama is with the epic space battles just there as background.

The BD will be available in regular and complete formats. Aside from all that Buster Beam spamming in HD and 5.1 surround, the BD will pack  a new short movie, new audio commentary, and a 16-page booklet, video shorts "Harumi & Yumiko's Good Morning, Oki-Jo!", "AD 2032.7.23 Sentō Chūiki cosmic battle space orbit of Halley's comet," all five "Science Lessons," "Sizzler Project," and tons of video previews for both the regular and complete editions.

The complete edition however will include a 115-minute bonus extras disc (which includes: the untrimmed original version episode 6, the rough telecine transfer version of episode 5 t, footage from the video magazine Denei Teigoku, footage from the VHD magazine Anime Vision, a collection of production materials (still frames), and  video footage from the earlier Gunbuster Perfect release's bonus extras disc with video commentary from the staff and cast. Also included is an exclusive 100-page booklet featuring  production materials,early image boards, and other items.

Aim for the Top! Gunbuster's BD is truly a significant Gainax release in years and here's hoping they follow up with Aim for the Top 2! Diebuster in the near future.

Where's my Nono?

Sourced from the Anime News Network.

We need a plamo of Dai-X

Correct me if there is one already, but we are in dire need of a Dai-X plamo.

Dai-X is the giant robot from the series X-Bomber, more popularly known as Starfleet outside Japan. A gist of the story: an alien empire is out to invade the Earth and it is up to the rag tag crew of the X-Bomber to stop them. All the while intrigue abounds as the (enemy) Empire looks for the mysterious 'F-01' to be used for their nefarious schemes. Overall a great SF show that used 'super maroination' along the lines of Thunderbirds. It gained a cult following in England and in some parts of Asia.

Back to Dai-X. It's Starfleet's trump card against the Empire and is comprised of 3 interlocking fighter ships piloted by the show's hero trio: Shiro, Barry and John. Whenever the X-bomber is on a tight situation, the dudes form up Dai-X and proceeds to stomp Empire ass to the other end of the galaxy. Mecha has long been a staple of super marionation shows but giant robots, especially Dai-X are one of a kind. In fact, i don't recall any other super marionation show that featured another giant robot at all!

For some, Dai-X seemed to be run-of-the-mill giant robot fare with his gattai (combination) sequence,weapons and such, but the show made it extra special. Dai-X's docking sequence had a lot of detail put into it, quite impressive for something out of robot anime shows. Then again, Dai-X was designed by the great Go Nagai himself, which may be a big surprise for those just discovering the show.

I remember Starfleet being shown in the late afternoon slot during weekdays, I'd rush home from school to catch all that '80's cartoon fare and being a kid back then,I have always wanted a Dai-X robot for my own. There were a number of Gokins (metal action figures) and plastic toys of Dai-X and as was in those days, they were hard to come by. Especially if the show is not that popular. And will all the 70's, 80's and 90's robot toy and kit revivals happening left and right from major toy and model kit lines, shouldn't it be time for a plastic kit of Dai-X as well?

Nod if you agree with me here.

I'll leave you with a video of Brian May singing the ending theme for Starfleet. Yes, THE Brian May OF Queen. He's a huge fan of the show and this is his way of returning the favor to all the good memories it brought about. Also check out SFXB a great fansite for all things Starfleet. They've been up since 2002 and has been the authority for Starfleet in the interwebs ever since.

Playing the Game of Thrones

Westeros,in all it's cardboard glory.

I had my reservations when I first saw the Game of Thrones board game. I'm a an of the books (and the recent TV series as well) and I was kind of worried that it might not capture the feel of the books.

Turns out that the A Game of Thrones (AGoT) board game does measureup to the novels and captures it's essence wholly. I had a chance to play the game with a couple of my friends in a cafe recently as one of them bought a basic set online for a steal (half the current price on online auctions).

In a nutshell, the AGoT basic board game is well-designed and a lot of fun to play with instead of being draggy like other boardgames. The game puts you in the boots of a warlord for one of the five (initial) Great Houses: Baratheon, Stark, Lannister, Tyrell and Greyjoy. Each of the Great Houses have their own strengths and weaknesses reflected in their stat cards and initial status in the game. First off, aesthetics. The board is big without being bulky and the various counters and other sundries are packed by House. The pieces are made of wood, reminiscent of old Risk sets which is higly appreciated in my book. I like plastic pieces though but for AGoT, the choice of wood just nails the medieval fantasy feel of the novels. The illustrations are top-notch but kind feels too gloomy with all the dark colors running through the graphics.

Lannisters cornered!

In terms of game play, AGoT is surprisingly fast and furious. I expected a game would last 2 hours but with only 10 turns and an alternate winning condition that would make things quicker, AGoT does not drag at all. It plays without dice reducing the bulk of the board; instead it makes use of various action counters and icons for combat and other game play elements. Combat might have been standard boradgame wargame though the addition of Wildling attacks make the game more chaotic. Politics is represented by event cards pulled out per turn with players lobbying for favor using the consolidate points they earn.


A Game of Thrones plays well and I can say that it is one of the best boardgames around today. As for us, we're looking forward to further the experience by acquiring the expansion boards as well.

Cardboard Valyrian Steel and the THRONE!!!

Gundam:The Origin

Hearing about the original Gundam series remake is the best news I've heard all day. Ok, I'm gonna let loose and say 'in my whole life' then.

I admit I started watched Gundam Wing first before the original series. It was around the late 90's and I wasn't aware yet that Gundam Wing was an 'alternate' series (sort of like how Uncanny X-men was different from just X-men, Astonishing X-men,New X-men etc. etc. well you get the drift). It was followed by viewings of other alternates series like G Gundam, Gundam X etc. and a couple of years into the whole franchise before I got to watch the entirety of the One-Year War in glorious VHS. Ever since then, things changed. My whole view of the anime was broadened with several realizations pounded into my head: that not all supposedly 'evil' organizations are evil (Zeon). That mecha shows are not all about war but of inner conflict as well. That war is never a good thing. Gundam taught me those things and much more.

And now, Sunrise have announced Gundam:The Origin, a remake of the first series, originally serialized as a manga. I guess they (Sunrise)will fit into today's viewing standards. Which means that Sunrise would have all new animations for it, mecha redesigns/design refinements, minor changes to the plot, HD availability and what not. But the main point is that its a chance for the young generation of fans to experience Gundam as it was and have a better understanding of the universe within it. And of course for the old fans like yours truly, we're all just ecstatic.

Off course, there's the slew of merchandise that'll be coming along the way.But that's another story.

News from Gundam guy and Gunjap by the way. Thanks for your dedication guys.

The Redemption of Panty And Stocking

Panty to the left and Stocking to the right

If you have not heard of or seen Gainax' Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, you better do so.

I'd call it a shock show, and even then that term seems to be an understatement. Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt (let's call it PASWG from now on) feels like a Gendy Tartakovzky cartoon on crack. It follows the adventures of Panty and Stocking (sic), an angelic pair of sisters who fell from Heaven's grace and who must now redeem themselves in order to go back. Aided by Garterbelt (a black priest with a huge afro), who has a storied past himself, they cleanse Daten City of nefarious beings known as Ghosts.

Sounds fluffy? Not actually.

the main cast (clockwise) Garterbelt, Panty, Chuck and Stocking

You see, Panty and Stocking are a dysfunctional pair with Garterbelt and the rest of the cast adding in the chaos. The sisters slack, bicker and bitch their way through each and every episode laced with Gainax' trademark twisted humor. That is the meat of the show and revolves quite a bit around how many guys Panty romped with and how much sweets Stocking devours in each 15-minute segment. Garterbelt on the other hand tries each and every time to be the moral anchor of the sisters though his own flaws tie him up.

Ghosts were mentioned a while ago, them being the main antagonists of the show. Each one is dealt with by Panty and Stocking in a brutal way. The sisters do this for 'heaven coins' which are tokens they collect for them to return to Heaven. Most of the time, Panty and Stocking are shown to be discontented with their rewards and in a way represents how things go about in Daten City.

Scanty and Kneesocks

Midway through the show, it was revealed that the Ghosts are merely puppets of the Mayor of Daten City, Corset with the demon sisters Scanty and Kneesocks as his subordinates. Corset is determined to open the gates of Hell contained within Daten City and like Garterbelt, orders the demon sisters around to do his deeds for him. Scanty and Kneesocks on the other hand are not mere palette swaps of Panty and Stocking. Scanty is nefarious but pompous while Kneesocks is the more aggressive of the pair but both are obsessed with 'rules' and are surprisingly polite and proper despite being tagged as demons. 

So we've got all those things happening on the show and more. Each and every episode is different and may seem to be incoherent or unrelated to each other but truth is, the whole show stitches itself together as it nears the end. And in a way, despite the characters and situations being brash, uncultured, rude and explicit (there's sex in it, go figure) PASWG manages to be an entertaining and heartfelt show like any other Gainax offering made thus far.

So don't let all the crass and crudeness hinder you from watching this. No not even if the characters are named after underwear. Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt like Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Aim for the top before it is true to the Gainax mold of bringing the unconventional to the otherwise mundane world we live in.

First Impressions: Mokei Senshi Gunpla Builders

The first episode of Mokei Senshi Gunpla Builders is up and it's living up to my expectations.

The show is all about gunpla fascination no less, with Haru the protagonist, representing all of us gunpla builders. Everyone starts with his/her first Gundam kit and so does Haru. Remember how it felt when you first bought and assembled your first Gundam kit? Mokei Senshi Gunpla Builders captures that moment's ecstasy.

What made Mokei Senshi Gunpla Builders a bit more exciting other than showing kids how-to build gunpla (Gundam plastic)  kits is the fact that in their reality, they can ACTUALLY pilot their Gundams via a video game interface which requires them to link up their Gunpla to it, in turn enabling the builders to operate their respective mobile suits.

I'm not really surprised by this element, since Japan is leaps and bounds in terms of video game technology. There's quite a few games capable of bringing the mecha pilot experience already: Virtual On Force, Border Break, Gundam: Senjou no Kizuna to name a few. Maybe we're looking at the future of mecha games with Mokei Senshi Gunpla Builders? Who knows?

So to sum it up: Mokei Senshi Gunpla Builders is an anime full of Gundam and Gunpla goodness. It may take some of the hardcore fans of the series to swallow this one up, but as they say in Lucky Star: "Its is a Gundam series. No matter how ridiculous it is, it is our obligation, nay duty, to watch it!".

Check out the intro below:

And check out episode 1 here. Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cartoon Nostalgia

Growing up in the 80's was great. I'd wake up early on a Saturday morning so that I can watch my favorite cartoons which airs 'til noon before the variety shows kick in.

I would have to say that cartoons in the 80's were very different from the ones shown these days. In those days, cartoons were all in English. It's not that I am against localized cartoons and anime but somehow, those cartoons taught me how to express myself in another language. Sesame Street is another influence but that's another story.

80's cartoons have moral lessons at the end of the show, such as in He-man, She-ra and Bionic Six where they teach kids everyday values and virtues. That's a rarity these days when cartoons and anime seem to be overblown toy commercials.

Sure they were campy, even the seemingly sensible ones like Thundercats and Centurions were downright camp (I've only just realized this when I reached my 20's) they make more sense and are much more coherent than today's cartoons and anime.

A week ago, I suddenly had the urge to post a sliver (actually the intro) of Inhumanoids, an 80's giant monster cartoon. The theme song just slipped through my mind so I decided to post it on my (social network) page. Before I knew it, a number of my friends, most of whom are about my age, satrted posting comments on how they miss cartoons like these. I posted another intro video, this time of The Visionaries, followed by a lot more. Suffice to say, my social network wall looked like it was a internet message forum filled with nostalgia.

Don't get me wrong, I watch and love recent stuff. Thing is, the good ones can be culled to only a handful.

It was fun reminiscing though. this goes to say that some things from the past are better than what we have now.

Oh, and the toys were better too in those days don't you agree?

Danny Choo is an Otaku hero

You may or might not know Danny Choo yet, but he's a hero.

An otaku hero. Danny started out as an otaku wanting to live and breathe Japan much like most of us. He struggled and worked his way, never forgeting his otaku ways and bringing it whenever he goes. Eventually he rose up to the challenges presented to him and became CEO of his own multi-media company Mirai Inc. All with his otaku fancy still intact.

And now, with all his efforts, he brings to us his own TV show Culture Japan which aims to show the world how life and culture thives on the land of the rising sun.

So go on ahead, watch Culture Japan episode 0 and breathe all that otakuness courtesy of our good friend Danny C. full of his antics all the while dressed up in his trusty Stormtrooper armor.

In a Gundam series, more often than not...

It's just a few days more 'till the the Gundam 00 movie: A Wakening of the Traiblazer hits Japan theaters.

And with that the Garage celebrates Gundam 00 week when we'll be talking about everything Gundam!

So, let us start with this phrase; "In a Gundam series, more often than not...":

lead gundam: white, blue, red, yellow

1. ...the lead Gundam is colored white, blue, red and yellow.

2. ...the hero is a distraught teenager that stumbles upon the said Gundam. How convenient!

3. ...there's a race of enhanced humans running around the series: Newtypes, Coordinators, Innovators and the like.

a guy in a mask

4. ...space colonization is involved somewhere in the plot.

5. ...there's a red mobile suit that's "3x times faster than a regular mobile suit!"

6. ...and the red MS is piloted by a masked guy (there are a few exceptions though)!

7. ...the main protagonist and his/her rival shout each others names when engaged in battle.

Haro!

8. ...there's a weapon of mass destruction waiting to be used.

9. ...an 'evil organization' is not necessarily evil.

10. ...there's a Haro somewhere!

Turning British

Well then, that was after I've turned Japanese a long time ago.

Kidding.

I've predisposed myself to a couple of British TV (or telly) shows lately and all I can say is that "Why did these just occurred to me just recently?"

Doctor. Who. Two word, both English icons. As far as my stock knowledge (and the internets) serve me, Doctor Who is a long running sci-fi TV series dating back since the 60's. It features a nigh omnipotent alien simply known as 'The Doctor' traveling around space/time in his fashionable craft called the TARDIS (Yes, the same one Iv'e been working a model on for weeks now) dragging along a companion or two into fantastic adventures commonly involving some sort of crisis within the universe.

My earliest memories of the series were of it being aired on local TV within the afternoon cartoon slot. I remember watching around half a dozen episodes of it with Tom Baker as the Doctor back then. Since then I have not watched most of the series until a few weeks ago when I procured 4 seasons worth of the series on DVD. The modern series, as I was informed, started in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston as the 9th Doctor, followed by David Tennant and Matt Smith as the 10th and 11th Doctor respectively .

A little more background for the Doctor if you may: the Doctor belongs to a race of aliens known as Time Lords which are long lived beings possessing super science.They are at  war with another race called the Daleks (a race of mutants whose bodies are encased in a tank-like vehicle) and in the far future fought what was known as the 'Time War' when none of the Daleks survived and all of the Time Lords died save the Doctor survived.  And with that, the Doctor travels by his lonely self thru space/time in hopes to avert the said war.

Part if the reason why the Doctor changes appearance is that Time Lords have the ability to regenerate, hence he escapes death at the cost of a change in appearance and personality. in Dortor Who lore, a Time Lord can only regenerate 13 times and thus far he is at his 11th incarnation raising questions as to whether the series would be after the 13th incarnation.

Next is Sherlock by BBC. Not to be confused from the Robert Downey Jr. flick by the way. Yes the Sherlock Holmes beloved by Britannia albeit with a modern twist. A really modern twist as Sherlock is presented as a present day bloke facing present day mysteries. And of course, Watson is never far behind if Sherlock is around, presented as an ex-military doctor with no o place to go.

The stories and situations that the new Sherlock and Watson face are still based on the classics but given present day elements. Sherlock and Watson both keep blogs, they text each other and bear London traffic like everyone else making the partners totally relatable to present viewers.

I'm totally hooked on these two series at the moment. Mainly because both stimulate and sometimes stimulate the intellect as compared to other TV series. And they are good breaks from my usual anime fare, though it does not mean it diminishes my otaku sense in any way.

Why don't you try them out?