What are you Watching?

[greg]

Megazone 23 part 2 is actually really good. Great action, great animation and the Umetsu designs are so different from the Hirano designs that it becomes its own entity entirely. You don't need to bother with part 3, though, since it's kinda blah in both writing and animation, but you absolutely need to pick up part 2 sometime.

The space battle in the beginning of Megazone 23 Part 2 is pretty grotesque. The way the aliens use metal hoses to rip people apart is insane. You'd think that explosions would be more practical. I remember the plot to part 1 very well because I've seen it several times, but that is all I remember from part 2. Come to think of it, I'm not sure if I've ever seen part 3.

[Animusubi]

When I was reading up on the other parts, and saw that the character designs were vastly different than the original, and it had more gore and sexual situations, that's what kind of turned me off. I mean I like Umetsu okay, but I was afraid I might not like it because it was so different. But if you're all recommending it then I'll probably just get the others anyways. Part III has designs by Hiroyuki Kitazume, another favorite of mine, but I heard the animation itself was pretty bad.

[usamimi]

If I recall, that was one of the major things that bugged me was the drop in animation quality, yeah. I haven't seen any of the parts in ages, though...I really should go back and watch it.

[greg]

I thought Haruhiko Mikimoto did the character designs for MZ23? Or was that just for Eve?

[Animusubi]

I thought Haruhiko Mikimoto did the character designs for MZ23? Or was that just for Eve?

He did the designs for Part 1. Part 2 was Umetsu. Part 3 is Kitazume.

[greg]

Ah, okay. I guess I could've found that out on Wikipedia. I'm lazy.

So we finished the Gundam TV series last night. I want to leap right into watching 0080, but my wife and I are anxious to watch part 2 of Rose of Versailles we received last week.

So watching the Gundam TV series is a bit different experience than the movies. For one thing, I really, REALLY do not like redone sound effects they put in the movies. The token sound of the Gundam's beam rifle was replaced with something generic. Lala's beam weapons almost sounded musical, but that was done away with, too. On Wikipedia, it says that Bandai was planning to re-release the movie box set with the original sound effects, but obviously that won't be happening. Does anybody know if the laserdisc versions of the movies all have the original sound effects? I can get them for dirt cheap on YAJ.

Secondly, a lot of important character development, particularly with Sayla and Char, is reduced. Lt. Sleggar is given a bit more time, and his death has a bit more meaning. Lady Kycilia's character is explored much more in the TV show, and M'Queve was completely removed from the movie versions.

Third, a lot of the mecha is gone. Later in the series, it seems that a new Zeon character would be introduced, just to have him defeated by Amuro. So a lot of mecha, particularly the Gyan, are not seen in the movie. The G-Defenser (or whatever it's called... I was a bit confused as to how it would separate and become the G-Sky and G-Bull) was removed in the movies. Instead, Sayla and Sleggar pilot Core Fighters. Supposedly this was removed so that Gundam would feel less like a "super robot" anime, however the same type of thing is introduced later with the modular, transformable ZZ Gundam. At the same time, it is so cool seeing Sayla blast one Rick Dom after another with those big beam cannons in the TV series! I don't remember her kicking so much ass in the movies. Removing the "Gundam Hammer" (which was just a ball and chain) was a good idea. The way the Gundam can enter Earth's atmosphere is presented better in the movie than in the TV show (the shield actually works to create a cushion and cool the mecha off in the movie, whereas in the show some sort of Saran-Wrap is pulled over the Gundam to protect it). At Jaburo, Hayato's Guntank is replaced with a Guncannon, which makes more sense since the Guntank isn't really made for space warfare. In the movie, both Hayato and Kai pilot Guncannons in space after they launch from Jaburo.

Which version do I prefer? I like how the movie improves on a few things, like making mecha and such more practical. The added battle footage is more exciting and better-animated in the movie version. However, in terms of plot and character development, the TV show wins by a long shot. The movies feel more like it just goes from one battle to the next, while the TV show gives the viewer a better way to focus on the characters.

I am so very glad that I was able to get both volumes of the TV show before they became obsolete. They now fetch a high price, and I imagine that price will likely keep going up.

If anyone knows if the LD versions of the movies contain the original sound effects, let me know. If my suspicion is right, the sound wasn't redone until after 2000 or so.

[llj]

When I was reading up on the other parts, and saw that the character designs were vastly different than the original, and it had more gore and sexual situations, that's what kind of turned me off. I mean I like Umetsu okay, but I was afraid I might not like it because it was so different. But if you're all recommending it then I'll probably just get the others anyways. Part III has designs by Hiroyuki Kitazume, another favorite of mine, but I heard the animation itself was pretty bad.

Part 2 doesn't have any more sex and violence than part 1 did. In fact I think part 1 actually has just a *little bit more* sex than part 2. Part 2 has basically one sex scene, and it's more "reunion sex" than anything else. Part 2's violence is more about explosions and missiles. In fact, you could even complain that it's not gory enough--many people get caught in explosions and still end up surviving with but a few scratches. I should note that this is a high point in Ichiro Itano's career--this film shows him at the peak of his "Itano Missiles" expertise. And we get lots of Itano Missiles and lots of Itano Explosions. Honestly, when it comes to pure action, I actually think it's one of the best anime action films from the 80s.

Plotwise, I consider Part 2 to be basically Akira without Tetsuo. If Akira was just about Kaneda and his gang going up against the corrupt government, that would be Megazone 23 part 2. It's your old fashioned "punk teens going up against the Establishment" story.

I thought Haruhiko Mikimoto did the character designs for MZ23? Or was that just for Eve?

He did the designs for Part 1. Part 2 was Umetsu. Part 3 is Kitazume.

Toshiki Hirano actually did the main character designs for Part 1. This has been mentioned in various interviews, but unfortunately I don't have any I can cite as of right now. Mikimoto only designed Eve. Hirano and Mikimoto have similar styles, but look at their work long enough and you'll see the difference. Pull out a copy of Iczer-1 and compare the girls there to Megazone 23's. They look very similar. The only girl that doesn't look quite right is Eve, because that's Mikimoto's gal. The Megazone 23 Wikipedia entry needs updating.

[_D_]

Part 2 of MZ23 actually starts off the "new wave" look in anime. Gone is the blocky Macross look and feel to be replaced with more fluid looking character design. I liked it a lot more than part one entirely because of that.

[davemerrill]

I always preferred MZ23 II over MZ23I; when I first encountered part I, the Mikimoto/Hirano character designs were a little too cutesy and a little too close to what we'd been watching in Macross and Orguss and Iczer One, and it wasn't what I was looking for at the time. Part II was so unlike anything any of us had seen before that immediately it forced you to sit up and take notice; love it or hate it, you couldn't ignore it.

My wife prefers part I; I got her to review it when the DVDs came out a few years back.

http://letsanime.blogspot.ca/2012/02/me ... t-one.html

http://letsanime.blogspot.ca/2012/03/me ... art-2.html

I have never seen Megazone 23 part III. Probably never will.

[greg]

We've completed the first disc of part 2 of Rose of Versailles. Wow, this show is pretty good!