by the fans for the fans

In the Clash of the Titans thread mecha2241 came out with a good point. Since some members were talking about their dislike or "hatred" of series remakes. It would only be hypocritical that RT fans would be against other remakes but okay with a live-action.

These were mecha's words:

mecha2241 wrote:

So, are you guys saying that it's only okay to reboot Robotech, because after all if your hatred for re-makes and reboots is real you should be just as against a live action Robotech movie... Intersesting...

Although nobody actually said this, its probably implied that it is ok and the "hatred" for remakes is naturally fictional. I mean hello it is a Robotech fan site. The fact that you'd even doubt that some fans wouldn't make RT the exception is interesting in itself.

Its okay to complain once in a while just for the hell of it.

Anyone else?

I'm a fan of re-makes/re-images when they are done right. I loved the new Star Trek movie and was a big fan of re-imaged Battlestar Galactica. If you can go in a new direction and still pay tribute to your roots by finding that right balance that's how you find success. It also helps to pay attention to what your current audience likes, which can unfortunately alienate a lot of a franchise's older fans like Star Trek did, however since the new movie was the most successful of the series and opened the door for new fans it's clear that J.J. and the gand did something right.

mecha2241

So, are you guys saying that it's only okay to reboot Robotech, because after all if your hatred for re-makes and reboots is real you should be just as against a live action Robotech movie... Intersesting...

IF I REMEMBER, EVERYONE WAS AGAINST A REBOOT. THE FORUMS WERE ALL AGAINST THE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE F-14 AS A POSSIBLE CANDIDATE FOR A LIVE ACTION.

BUT ONE THING IS COMPLAINING ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME THAT WILL GET YOU NO WHERE. WB/HG IS GOING TO DO WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO. IT'S THEIR PROPERTY.

EXAMPLE THE MOVIES MENTIONED. THOSE GUYS ARE GOING TO DO WHAT THEY GOING TO DO REGARDLESS OF WHAT ANYONE THINKS. WHY FIGHT IT? DID THE TRANSFORMERS FANS GET THINGS CHANGED?

DID TREK FANS?

EVEN GALACTICA?

HECK, EVEN MACROSS FRONTIER YOU COULD THROW THAT IN THERE WITH THE ORIGINAL MACROSS. TO ME IT'S A REMAKE AND WAY BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL OR DYRL FOR THAT MATTER.

I have no problem with a reboot of Robotech, as long as they explore the characters more, and make them less two-dimensional. In that vein, I'd have no problem with them hewing towards a BSG model that explores the realities of conflict, and the complexities of people's motivations. Leonard's xenophopbia, Scott Bernard's trauma, Dana Sterling's sense of abandonment and how she deals with it. That's why I loved the McKinney novels.

Of course, a movie doesn't lend itself to that sort of nuanced storytelling, so I'd love to see this be a live-action series (and really, it wouldn't be any more difficult than BSG).

Leonard's xenophopbia

I AM STARTING TO LIKE THIS GUY.

HEHEHE

MEMO1DOMINION wrote:

IF I REMEMBER, EVERYONE WAS AGAINST A REBOOT.

I'm only against a reboot if Tommy Yune is the creative 'genius' behind it cause he's proven time and again that he is not a good storyteller. I cannot fault him for being a talented artist (I just don't like his art), but that does NOT translate into the ability to tell compelling stories. He's also too likely to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak.

I've always believed Robotech had the potential to become more than 'just some cartoon' mentality that prevaled in its early years of the fandom.

I think what convinced me on that premise is the fact that when Carl Macek took the original stories and plot elements that were clearly marked by eastern influences and somehow he was able to improve the original story elements by adding some typical western scifi concepts that helped the audience to digest the stories more readily, as if these original series were aired unaltered as intended by its authors I believe Robotech would have faired nothing more than a footnote in anime history.

What Carl Macek did was improved the original series to make it readily for consumption by the non-asian audience of the western world. At the time, many distributors were following this practice.

Force Five, Star Blazers, Voltron and the likes need to, as the western world back then during the late seventies to mid-eighties was more isolated and self centered. Not due to the fault of their own but because they didnt' have the tools such as email and the internet as well as the 500 channel cable universe that we enjoy today.

Todays audience, the viewer is more savy, more educated in this global mindset which didnt' exist back then. So you couldnt' blame Carl for doing what he did.

Personally, I havent' been burned out by Robotech. As a universalist I enjoy the multi-facets that permeate the entire universe of the show, whether its the comics, the novels, the anime, the RPGs, video games and so on.

Also, because I'm too a fan of of the original Macross. I was able to discern the differences between the two shows and adopt it easily for my anime viewing pleasure without the ignorance and discrecionary eptitude that plagues the lesser informed fans not frequent to the particulars of the original source material.

I've been keeping myself entertained lately with classic anime series not released here in the western world. Series such as Space Runaway Ideon which IMO is the most underated series not to be released outside of Japan which truly defines epic. A credit to Yoshiyuki Tomino brilliant mind that he can yield stories that remains unmatched by no other anime series creator.

Also, there's enough releases of UC gundam series to keep the gundam blood in me flowing. The alternative universe while okay in their own right are just not my cup of tea. Also other interesting mecha series that lately been viewing with such admiration include series such as Eureka 7 and Votoms to which keep me content with my mecha based anime viewings.

Also I dabbed into viewing some of the live action scifi series and monitor the progress in anticipation when mecha based live action series will be the norm. Scifi series like the BSG series both original and new, waiting eagerly for the start of the Caprica series to start in a week or two up here in Canada. As well collecting some classics such as Air Wolf which I have Seasons 1 and 2 as well as Space 1999. I also have Space: Above and beyond which keeps me reminicing what if Robotech went live action back in the 90's.

I'm content, not burned out at all. As long as you keep the ignorance out and separate the fact from the mislead truths, you should be fine.

As for remakes, retcon or reboots whatever is the current word of choice for the day. I'm all for it.

The new Star Trek has been favored by both old and new fans alike. Ron Moore's BSG has breathe a new life in what was a long and forgotten franchise stuck on life support. It can be done to Robotech as well, but only done by someone with a vision, someone with a rapport with the medium. With the fiction and the nature of the universes it involves.

It starts with a vision, and the passion precedes it especially if it's something you love.

Maverick out!

I don't think it's right to say carl macek "improved" anything. He did a decent job of combining the three unrelated series and creating the story of robotech, but to say he improved it is just kind of assinine.

I wouldn't go as far as asinine, but then again, it's all subjective as to what each person likes/dislikes. I'm of the opinion that by preceding the last two with the Macross saga, it lends the others more gravitas.

He did a decent job of combining the three unrelated series and creating the story of robotech, but to say he improved it is just kind of assinine.

Giving the circumstances of the day. Being 1984 to 1985 when Robotech was being conceived during which there was stricter content guidelines and regulatory censorship as well as the current demographics at the time, it wasnt' assinine at all.

Considering that Macross was supposely created initially by its creators as a comedy. Carl Macek was able to turn these three unrelated series into a compelling saga that attracted the likes of fans like world reknowning SF author Robert Sawyer.

Who happened to be also credited for his work contributing to Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles.

Robert Sawyer SF novels is listed up there with other Hugo award winning authors, such greats like Issac Asimov, Greg Bear and Ray Bradbury.

Carl did pull a rabbit out of the hat in his attempt to turn Macross, Southern Cross and Mospeada into something greater than the sum of it parts.

It's a generally widely held view he succeeded in transforming a generally unknown animation medium into something that is recognized today in the western world as anime. Back then we called it Japanmation, not knowing any better of the cultural aspect of the Japanese animation industry.

But thanks to Carl's work in Robotech. Most anime fans of my generation 30's to 40's help bring anime to the mainstream in which the younger generation forgot it existed. Some thinking that Pokemon was the first anime to enter North American, some are still naive about this. But thats okay...

We're all entitled to our opinions, but the facts are laid out quite well in this matter.