Re: Anime Review: Armored Trooper VOTOMS

At 23:51 4/22/98, Mark A. Siefert. wrote:

>time was when I watched the 1st series of LotGH for the THIRD time
>straight)  I figured I would give Armored Trooper VOTOMS a try.  Since

Looks like I'm in the opposite position from you: I've got access to
nearly
the entire run of ATV at the local Hastings (aggravatingly enough,
they're
missing all of season 2!) but have only recently been able to latch onto
any translated LOGH.

IMO, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is one of the best, most thoughtful
and
intelligent anime series (or SF series of any kind) that I've ever seen.
Rarely have there been story arcs that so well integrated the concepts
of
history, tactics, politics and strategy without losing sight of the role
of
the individual. Killer stuff. Probably why none of your typical otaku
have
ever heard of it. :P

>three episodes on Volume 1 kept opening up  question after question:
Who
>was that naked girl in the tube? (Grrrowllll... Hold on!  I better get
>ahold of myself.  I'm getting hot over a cartoon character!")	Why is
>she so important?  What is going to happen?

You find out what she is about midway through the 1st season. You find
out
who she is and why she and Our Hero are drawn together by the end of the
1st season.

I haven't been able to find season 2, but season 3 starts off with a
bang.
We get some detail on Our Hero's sordid past, and the feeling we've had
all
along that Someone Is Using Them is strengthened considerably. Good
stuff.

>a certain Canadian game company got the inspiration for the mecha in
>their giant robot game.  (IMHO, imitation still is the highest form of
>flattery.)

I used to think Heavy Gear was wonderfully original, with a penchant for
picking out the best in anime. Now I realize they're wonderfully good at
borrowing from ATV, with a penchant for adding some original touches
(and
killer artwork.)

>Japanese dialogue with subs.  Is it my imagination, or is anime better
>when it's subtitled instead of a having a new english dialogue dubbed
>in?

Much better with subtitles, IMO, but avoid this topic at cons or on
rec.arts.anime... you'll get flamed to death.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
Jim 'Jiji' Foster / jfoster@kansas.net / Jiji @ AnimeMUCK / TIP #28 /
PPIG #42

"That's the way we all begin," said Tom Platt. "The boys they make
believe
all the time till they've cheated 'emselves into bein' men, an' so till
they die--pretendin' and pretendin'."
    Rudyard Kipling, _Captains Courageous_