Wow- guess that roused you up for a reply.
Originally Posted by Lord_Satorious
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Think again.
Gundam rehashed in the '90s? First, what Gundam has been released during the 90s? Victory? An original series, and a very good series as well. Then G Gundam. You surely can't call that a rehash of anything. Gundam W wasn't really borrowing from anything either, but like SEED, it sought out a new audience, namely the young, female one--it wasn't all that terrific a series either. Gundam X was nothing special, I'll give that to you.
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When did I say that it was only the storyline that was rehashed?? The basic theme is still the same- there is little surprise with the designs and hardly much more in plot. If you were going to be surprised by twists and turns in series like X, Wing or G I'd be amused.
You might consider G not a rehash- but since when did it have to be a direct rehash of gundam?? You should have seen enough other anime series out there that base themselves on tournaments and other super hero feats to know that the series was tapping into a new market with many of the same rehashes that go with the theme. Granted that these were more parody-like and perhaps even copying scenes out of respect like Tarantino's Kill Bill; but it doesn't mean it wasn't in anyway rehashed from several other shows.
Wing not a rehash of something?? Please... that's a narrow view. The themes are still the same- colony drops and a masked man with the same poorly rehashed rhetoric repeated with the same general outcome. If you didn't know what was coming throughout the whole show then you really weren't paying much attention.
I grant you that 0080 and V were fine- to me Turn A is a turn towards the millenium rather than the 90's but the rest still use the tiring notion of colonies, basic cannon fodder designs and little variation of a spin off since the 80's. Compare that to Macross which has lasted almost as long- never once has it been forced to use the same rehashed ideas to repeat themselves over and over again. It expands beyond the original settings and plays out characters of far greater variation in both views and action.
Think again?? Perhaps you should think in a greater scope about what I state instead of assuming what I'm implying.
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SEED and SEED Destiny squandered whatever new material they brought to the table, with the emphasis on the complete marketing push and the attempt to recruit a new generation of Gundam fans. Preferably young ones with large wallets to buy up the plethora of new merchandise.
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Well since when hasn't Wing brought about a marketing bonanza?? So what if SEED is doing the same- it's been roughly 10 years since Wing reared its ugly head and showed the marketing potential of shows just aiming to please kids with merchandise to the world. It's been done before in America and Japan years before SEED came to be and you're only complaining about it now because they've refined it better??
With the success of Wing, SEED and Destiny is following suite to incorporate the next range of little children to fuel their market. It's not like the UC fans of old will keep their pockets lined for very long. Many of them have long since moved to more important things than to shill out money to a franchise that really doesn't care to expand on their beloved old series/universe anymore.
I have my problems with SEED and Destiny- but you don't see me moaning about it to no end. There's enough pathetic angst from a variety of characters to almost rival Wu Fei's contradicting and moronic statements and gestures. It also doesn't mean you don't look at the bigger picture of what the franchise is after- especially as SEED is the most successful AU there's bound to be a repeat of the same forumla to attempt to emulate the same successful ratings and squeeze the series for all it's worth.
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And you can't equate veteran Gundam fans as being dinosaurs. Veteran Gundam fans are still the _majority_ (in Japan), and thus unlike the dinosaurs we're not extinct.
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Why shouldn't I??
I place most fans of shows that have exceeded 10 years as dinosaurs/veterans. Macross, Gundam, FSS and other such series that have fans who have long exceeded their childhood memories have realistically gone beyond the initial market aim of the series. Though in essence FSS is more aimed towards an older generation rather than the new with their model designs.
True that the majority of fans in Japan of sci-fi are Gundam based, but take away the newer generations of the last 5-10 years and you realise that this trend would quickly disappear in the next 10 or so years through other walks of life. It has been the fans of newer series that have carried Gundam. UC might have its fans but it's the newer series that grabs the potiential gundam fan first before they delve deeper into older classics.
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It's not a fair comparison. I would hope Gundam veterans still even have some pull, but as long as the new Gundam generation appears in droves pluck the numerous model kits that will be released in conjuction with SEED Destiny, then maybe there's little market for the longtime fans who already own it all.
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You hope- as I'm sure many of us here do also. But in the greater scheme of things, most series are going to follow a newer fan base to prop themselves up in the long run. Going back to fans of old is still going to occur- but don't expect the pull since the success of SEED. The potiental quick buck is probably going to supersede the desire of a new direction from an old series- complaining about it isn't going to do all too much. It's more productive to roll with the punches and take stock of the bigger picture.
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I don't see how I was being very general in my complaints, especially how they could apply to Gundam of the 1980s--with Tomino at the helm for the greater part. And I wouldn't doubt Gundam as a franchise, it's far bigger than Macross, but why mention Macross at all? Yeah, Macross is more technically inclined than Gundam. But that's hardly indicative of a superior series. Not that I don't like Macross, but I'm not making the argument Macross sucks because VOTOMS is more realistic.
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Since when did I say Gundam sucked??
A newer Skyline is still superior a car than the previous make- but does that make the older one crap?? Will you no longer buy the older version given the chance to buy it at a reasonable price because you've heard they've just made a newer series yesterday??
It isn't only about technicals but also the themes shown. I mention Macross due to its similar lasting power it has over the likes of VOTOMS and similar series that were with them in the 80's and are have disappeared to obsucrity at the present. In my opinion it is clearly the superior series on several levels. It doesn't have to rehash the same scenes like colony drops and masked men to get its point accross- Mankind isn't always needed to be in danger of mass destruction to make a good story. The variety of situations and characters gives the series a far more epic feel without losing the viewer's empathy with characters. Successive series since the oringal have always brought a breath of fresh air with new ideas. For the lack of series compared to Gundam it certainly has more quality.
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And do you think you could leave the intellectually superior attitude and personal attacks out for once?
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I was banking on this style of post to possibly get a response. Guess it worked- seeing as you've failed to respond to posts prior to mine. Also promotes more activity in the forum.