Megazone 23

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Yaminoseigi
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Megazone 23

Can we have the discussion over the series? Seriously the OVA are just amazing that i regretted not to watch it earlier
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Iris Scope
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Re: Megazone 23

I still have the whole series on DVD with the ADV dub. And Kumi Miyasato's songs are often listened to by me on my iPod. :D

I'm more partial to the first two parts showcasing Shogo's story more than part 3 with Eiji. He came a long way from ordinary biker to bike gang leader over the course of six months of self imposed exile. The character designs in part 1 were way more attractive than the realistic ones of part 2 of course that's because the Macross character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto was behind Eve's design particularly. Matter of fact, much of original Macross staff presided over production of the OVA including director Noboru Ishiguro for part 1 and Ichiro Itano for part 2.
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Iris Scope
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Re: Megazone 23

Something also of note, I would be lying if I said the sex scenes between Shogo and Yui in each of the first two parts didn't keep me coming back for repeat viewings. I would have to say I find the one in part 2 much more appealing to keep repeating.
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Yaminoseigi
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Re: Megazone 23

For me i think part 3 is the most interesting one as it offers really good futuristic concept for its time

also i think Armored Core especially the third generation are inspired from this series
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Iris Scope
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Re: Megazone 23

I felt bad for Tomomi getting whacked by BD's goons just for making a movie featuring the Garland. And I really thought the second OVA should've included Yui's other friend Mai instead of retiring her at the end of episode 1.

Shinji, Shogo's friend who introduces him to the Garland, felt like he was just there for that purpose so it felt like an unnecessary character to have and so Shogo could've been shown the Garland another way like accidentally since he is a bike fan and all.
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tHeWasTeDYouTh
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Re: Megazone 23

I think there is a PS3 game that came out in Japan about this show. I remember seeing parts of this show when I was young but it was very confusing(I was like 8 or 9 I think, brother had it in a disk) I just remember thinking maybe the people that made the Matrix sort of got their inspiration from this.
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Iris Scope
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Re: Megazone 23

tHeWasTeDYouTh wrote:I think there is a PS3 game that came out in Japan about this show. I remember seeing parts of this show when I was young but it was very confusing(I was like 8 or 9 I think, brother had it in a disk) I just remember thinking maybe the people that made the Matrix sort of got their inspiration from this.
Yes there was a PS3 game in Japan called Aoi Garland. I think the only returning character like always was Eve.

As for the Wachowskis, they said Megazone 23 wasn't one of their influences in making the Matrix despite the similarities.
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Kuruni
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Re: Megazone 23

Trivia. Back when SRW Z didsn't release yet, it's mentioned that Takenobu Terada alway want to add Megazone, but the rest of staff aren't too excite about it.
Iris Scope wrote:As for the Wachowskis, they said Megazone 23 wasn't one of their influences in making the Matrix despite the similarities.
Semi-off topic. Show The Matrix to any kung-fu master worth his salt, and he would call it BS then show you how to do it correctly :mrgreen: .
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Zeonista
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Re: Megazone 23

Wow, how did I miss THIS thread?!? :shock: Boy, the past few months have been rough.

Anyway, I will blow the dust off this thread and respond to Yaminoseigi's query. Megazone 23 (Part 2) was one of the first true anime I saw as a n00b fan in my wasted youth. I saw the English dubbed version and owned it on a VHS tape backed to the dub of Macross DYRL for several years. That tape was watched many times, to memorization, before disappearing after being loaned to another fan. I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did. Good times. :) The end sequence to the first OAV created for the unmourned Robotech the Movie was tacked on to that version with a voiceover setting up the story. Eventually I got a raw of the first one, followed by the fansub, which was among the first of its kind in the USA!

The story underneath the hot babes, hot bikes, and hot action, is a serious and subversive look at the construct of reality as defined by society at large. (Sure Wachowskis, you never used these shows as an inspiraitonal source. ;)) Which is probably why the original TV series pitch was not well received at the time. Gundam and Macross had conftronted social issues discretely hidden in sci-fi adventures in space. But Japan Inc of the pre-bubble Eighties was not ready to directly confront the potential problems of an industrial consumerist society conditioned to ignore the larger world beyond the surrounding seas and mindlessly follow la dolce vita while leaving the boring affairs of state to the paternal masters of state room and board room.

The first two videos are also a love letter to central Tokyo of the Eighties as well. The street backgrounds were meticulously re-created fro extensive photography of the relevant neighborhoods to further the illusion of normalcy that governed the minds of the inhabitants. (My art book for the first OAV took pains to point out locations on a map.) Those neighborhoods have changed in the 21st century, so it is an anime time capsule, and a double illusion of normalcy!

I love this series, which is one of the tier-one mecha anime of the Eighties. For style, action, drama, and integrated music, I am sure it and Bubble Gum Crisis have been a huge influence on the current generation of anime makers.
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hitokirigarou
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Re: Megazone 23

Kuruni wrote: Thu Aug 04, 2016 12:09 amTrivia. Back when SRW Z didsn't release yet, it's mentioned that Takenobu Terada alway want to add Megazone, but the rest of staff aren't too excite about it.
Didn't the first two parts appear in SRW D?
Zeonista
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Re: Megazone 23

Thanks for the heads-up Iris. This is one time when a sequel & a remake might be worth the investment. The story has not lost its focus or bite over the years. If anything, the perception = reality of the current social media world today makes it more relevant than ever. There could definitely be something in a Megazone do-over set in the smartphone & tablet age. I admit that this series is one of several fictional constructs that makes me an advocate for Net Neutrality. Japan is way more tolerant of that sort of thing than the USA, but the overall effect still triggers a "Oh hell no!" reaction in me. Plus, the younger fans need to fall in love with transforming mecha bikes again. 8)

A look at the production staff reminds me why it was a hit. Lots of big names with big ideas involved, no wonder it was so forward-looking or had such a big impact! These days I sort of miss that sort of thing in anime, whether mecha-related or not. The constant pursuit of the otaku yen has shrunk the horizons in too many shows, instead of expanding them.
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Iris Scope
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Re: Megazone 23

I dig the new character designs for Shogo and Yui, callback to the Part 1 days.

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2 ... eo/.118472
Zeonista
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Re: Megazone 23

The character designs pay great face to the original, no doubt as intended. Komino Masahiko has been in the biz for a while, so he is familiar with classic and current tastes for appealing characters. The #1 characters though, Eve/EVE & the Garland itself, still need to make an appearance though. If we get a great-looking Eve I will be boarding the hype train.

On a side note it is interesting to see that AIC used crowdfunding to get their Megazone projects started. that was not a procedure that I had expected from a Japanese studio, but it was an innovative stroke. Crowdfunding is both promotion and marketing together, and the amount of money gathered showed some real interest in the project. I hope this also means AIC is ging to keep the spirit as well as the look of the original (see my posts above) and not have to do the usual trope-list inclusion to please the suits.
"I am fire. I am death. I am Hashmal."

"Discontent is the first step in the progress for a man or a nation." - Oscar Wilde
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