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Even if somehow this series were to do reasonably well in the US, you'd just have a repeat of the Wing situation inasmuch as there would be (in all likelihood) no proper followup to build on its success, and the usual confused mess of timelines, continuities, age and tone that makes up the rest of the shows will ALWAYS keep this property from achieving any kind of mass appeal over here. As for the merchandise, I would be very surprised if your typical 9-year-old American kid even knows what a model kit is, or had any interest in building one. Scale modeling has been a dying hobby in the US for a long time, and the last domestic Gundam blitz did nothing to turn that trend around. And frankly, I can't see GBF as anything but a depressingly generic toy commercial that is absolutely dependent on an ecosystem of prior product which does not and never will exist outside of its established markets. If more accessible shows like G Gundam and SEED failed to catch on in America, I don't see what chance this sort of thing could possibly have.
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Sep 30, 2013 15:07
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quote:I like the detail of having wing's decapitated neck look exactly like a gundam model kits neck, complete with a ball joint. This is amazing and the best laugh I've had in a while.
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Oct 6, 2013 21:12
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Watched this with the faint but present hope that they might actually have some fun with the concept, maybe some sly commentary on the obsessive-compulsive hyperconsumerism that underpins the Gunpla phenomenon, or some gentle satire of the sorts of personalities that consider the filling of shelves with little multicolored plastic robots to be a noble and worthy ambition, even some acknowledgement of the utter shamelessness of the show itself. But nope, it's pretty much just "buy our playsets and toys." Oh well, can't say that this came as any great shock. This is a show being made for a particular kind of audience, the likes of which would not appear to include me.
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Oct 7, 2013 17:27
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BlitzBlast posted:Build Fighters isn't airing on the weekends, like most Gundam shows (including AGE). It's airing on Monday afternoons, a time slot specifically targeted towards children coming back from school. Nothing that says a kid's show has to be as aggressively bland and content-free as this was, but then "wasted potential" is practically a cornerstone of the franchise at this point so I can't get too broken up about it. And hey, if anyone feels that random MS whoopass and wacky cameos are enough to justify watching 24 hours of this poo poo then more power to 'em I guess. Definitely not MY thang. Endorph posted:Also, 'the types of people who think filling their shelves with toys is a worthwhile pursuit?' Do those people really need mocking? Whenever possible! Bimmi fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Oct 7, 2013 |
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Oct 7, 2013 19:37
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Endorph posted:They might have aspired to do other things That's kind of the key difference right there, mate.
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Oct 7, 2013 19:53
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Endorph posted:isn't open-faced marketing better than 'coded' marketing? It's less interesting, I'll say that much. quote:acting like you're a better person for not enjoying it is kind of silly. What's silly is that you think this is actually the case. edit: Look, I know you guys are doing the whole "you don't like <thing I like> and are therefore a HUGE DICK and actual human garbage" thing but my mind honestly does not work that way. Suppose you could maybe just accept the fact that someone doesn't like <thing you like> without getting defensive and hysterical about it? Bimmi fucked around with this message at 20:21 on Oct 7, 2013 |
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Oct 7, 2013 20:07
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tsob posted:No-one gives a poo poo that you don't like Build Fighters, they give a poo poo that you're being a condescending and elitist douche who thinks his interest in kids shows is okay while other peoples isn't for some reason. Yes folks, having minimum standards for the entertainment one chooses to consume is now "elitist' and not liking a thing is the same as actively making GBS threads on the people who do. I'm glad we had this conversation. edit: gonna conclude by pointing out that 95% of my posting on SA is done in this thread and ask you to consider, please, the possiblity that I just might be taking the piss here. Bimmi fucked around with this message at 20:57 on Oct 7, 2013 |
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Oct 7, 2013 20:37
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I assume the high investment in multiple merchandise lines is what kept AGE from getting the axe prematurely, whereas X didn't really have much to lose in that regard. Or the director has photos of Sunrise execs consorting with farm animals. I dunno, any attempt to figure out anything about AGE logically makes my head hurt. What really baffles me about AGE is that, after the series bombed out in near-unprecedented fashion, the makers somehow managed to secure funding for an OVA which absolutely no one was asking for. At least with GBF the basic premise is pretty much unfuckable, and it's very unlikely not to pull decent numbers and do exactly what it's meant to do. The fact that most of what it's selling is already bought and paid for probably doesn't hurt, either. Bimmi fucked around with this message at 23:21 on Oct 7, 2013 |
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Oct 7, 2013 23:15
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They'd be mad not to include AGE in there somewhere because the model kits were that show's sole non-terrible asset and I'm sure Bandai's got a few thousand gross of "yet another goddamn Vagan thing" sitting around that they'd like to be rid of.
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Oct 8, 2013 17:38
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It's not a lack of money and it's not the focus on merch, it's the fact that Sunrise is currently run by a bunch of gutless wonders with no vision who favor the path of least resistance, whether that applies to the stories they choose to tell or the talent they choose to tell it. These are the same breed of well-manicured tubers who were busy ramming Disney into the dirt a decade ago, and I doubt anything short of a massive regime change would do anything to solve that. Something like MSG or even G Gundam wouldn't get made today, because it wouldn't occur to them to even try.
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Oct 10, 2013 03:36
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Gammatron 64 posted:The problems with SEED Destiny and AGE go way beyond a mere desire to play it really safe though, it's just downright ineptitude. That is what you get when you make creative decisions based on what you perceive to have commercial appeal (as opposed to making it appealing, which takes actual talent and hard work) and have focus groups and bean counters write your stories for you. It's all part of the mentality that despises risk and craves maximum return for minimal effort, and it draws mediocrity to itself like a black hole of Suck. That's what bugs me most about GBF, regardless of its (exceedingly modest) charms. It is Sunrise literally saying "welp, we give up, just make it all about buying model kits and let's call it a day." I don't see that as "refreshingly honest" so much as a complete failure of imagination on every level.
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Oct 10, 2013 04:15
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TNG posted:And that alternate reality? Byston Well. Hall yass, let's get some Dunbine up in this poo poo. Xabungle, Vifam, Orguss, the whole bit. edit: Ideon, etc. Bimmi fucked around with this message at 11:19 on Oct 11, 2013 |
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Oct 11, 2013 10:59
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Endorph posted:But is he somehow making sense of their convoluted situation?
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Oct 11, 2013 11:14
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Cool robot action, the rest was loving painful. Not gonna make it through this one. I will give GBF this much, though: it's nice to see them having some fun with the property for a change. The overall vibe is youthful and positive and even pretty fresh as Gundam goes, and although I don't care for the show I'm glad to see it ditch the godawful air of sour desperation that hangs over far too many of its predecessors. I think this may succeed at bringing in new fans where AGE did not, and that's a good thing however you look at it. Any word on ratings yet?
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Oct 17, 2013 05:44
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Sakurazuka posted:For a while when Wing was semi-popular in the West you could find some of the low grade kits just hanging out in normal toy shops. Good times, indeed (even if the kits were terrible). It kind of pisses me off that Bandai is not even making an attempt to sell this show in the US – if this concept failed to get American kids interested in Gunpla then I don't know what would. The reality, of course, being that they got burned hard the first time around and are never likely to attempt it again.
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Oct 18, 2013 05:11
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Who's handling all the Power Rangers crap then? I assume that's still a thing. edit: nevermind, I figured out what you meant. editx2 VVVV I was thinking of the toy line. Bimmi fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Oct 18, 2013 |
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Oct 18, 2013 05:26
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Hell, I was building model kits at 6, dangerously toxic materials and all. Parents today are wimps.
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Oct 18, 2013 15:30
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That is entirely awesome, BlitzBlast posted:Let's just be glad we didn't get something from a Filipino modeler. You only WISH your technical skills were that good. I honestly cannot believe anyone is dissing this thing. Wait, what the hell thread are we in again?
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Oct 19, 2013 09:13
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... well, there goes any chance of a sound sleep tonight.
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Oct 20, 2013 06:38
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boom boom boom posted:you should be applauding Gundam Build Fighters for answering the question "is there Gunpla for girls?" with "yes, all the Gunpla! Bearguys and Gerbera Tetras and Quebeleys, Gunpla is for everyone!" Fuckin' word UP, I am so glad they're doing this. No coincidence that the pink Meerkat Zaku showed up in Ep2, IMO and even if it's driven by commercial concerns it'd still a shockingly progressive message on multiple levels. That's assuming they can pull it off, of course. After what happened last time I gotta wonder who the brave executive was who stood up and said "uh, hey, fellows, we managed to gain a lot of female followers with that SEED thing, maybe we shouldn't try to drive them all away again this time?" edit: this topic just made me realize how far female roles have regressed in Gundam since loving 1979, and it makes me want to weep openly. Bimmi fucked around with this message at 07:08 on Oct 30, 2013 |
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Oct 30, 2013 07:01
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Tomino had a pretty decent run with his female characters, all things considered. Also V is a poo poo series full of terrible ideas and even he has admitted this for a long time now. And the bar set by AGE in the feminist respect is so low that the only thing you need do to clear it is to actually include some girls whose role goes beyond that of "plot device" or "background noise," and it seems that GBF may be well on the way to that already.
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Oct 30, 2013 12:17
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You should definitely watch Victory before Turn A because you'll want something to wash the bad taste out of your mouth.
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Nov 1, 2013 04:59
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tsob posted:Don't forget building gunpla in a moving truck I've done this.
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Nov 7, 2013 05:57
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This ridiculous little show is actually beginning to grow on me. For something that is literally about a commercial product, there's more sincere love and effort showing here than this franchise has seen in a long, long time. And that fight was indeed tits. Would've been absolutely brutal in any other series.
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Nov 11, 2013 21:55
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I can't imagine this show will stop dead at 25 episodes. It's a virtually risk-free proposition from a merchandising standpoint, and it sounds like top talent is clamoring to work on it – short of dismal ratings, why not keep it going? edit: well, that's a bummer. It deserves better than frickin' AGE, fer chrissakes. Bimmi fucked around with this message at 08:33 on Nov 12, 2013 |
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Nov 12, 2013 08:26
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Yeah, that's pretty bad alright. I hope the brand hasn't been irrevocably tainted. If this doesn't succeed I'm not sure what else they can do with it. Then again, merch may make all the difference here: V Gundam spent its entire run at the very bottom of the ratings and G just barely improved on that, but G's toys and models sold well whereas V's did not, so it was considered successful enough. Even V never dipped below 3 though, as I recall, so this is still pretty poo poo news. And sure, why not blame AGE for this? That level of sheer crap should never have made it to series and is exactly the sort of thing that murders IPs.
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Nov 12, 2013 14:09
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Wouldn't bet on it. Bandai tried a High Grade MA line a while back and it totally poo poo the bed. I doubt they'll try that sort of thing again.
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Nov 19, 2013 07:30
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drrockso20 posted:they've done 1/144 scale HG's for Dendrobium & Psycho Gundam already Those also poo poo the bed.
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Nov 19, 2013 07:53
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Kid is totally going to grow up to be a crazy art lady and is awesome. Would be nice if she had a proper role model in the show, I've been watching the older episodes and the treatment of the female characters in ep4 was loving appalling.
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Nov 28, 2013 02:12
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Can someone point me to the episode where China's been anything other than the simpering, timid wannabee girlfriend? Because I haven't seen it yet. Kirara was an awful character in every respect, don't even try to rationalize that poo poo. The only female character who's portrayed anything like a real human being is Sei's mom, and even there YES SHE'S GOT BIG TITS ALREADY I loving GET IT. It's probably dumb of me to get mad at anime for being being rife with sexist bullshit, but Gundam had competent, well-rounded female characters thirty years ago so why is this show so loving regressive? Bimmi fucked around with this message at 03:39 on Nov 28, 2013 |
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Nov 28, 2013 03:36
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Yeah, I'm hoping the fact that she's going to fight will mean her damp-sponge personality is part of a character arc rather than lazy writing, but there's no reason she couldn't have had an interesting character from the start. It's as if Sunrise was so horrified that SEED attracted a sizable female following they've been doing their best to erase it ever since.
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Nov 28, 2013 04:09
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A fair point, but even those shows had female characters who weren't just there to adore the hero, be cartoonishly evil or wave their tits around, i.e. characters who might actually be relatable and positive for girls viewing the show. Nothing of the sort on display in GBF as of yet.
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Nov 28, 2013 04:20
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Sorry, but I think you can do a little better than that, even if you disregard the pretty good number of female characters in First Gundam who weren't any of that cliched bullshit. And at least Tomino attempted to write real people, even if he often failed. So far in GBF we have one meek, mousey milktoast who is almost entirely passive and has no detectable personality apart from "blushes at the hero," a pink-haired collection of over-the top misogynistic phobias with all the charm of fingernails on a blackboard, and someone who may or may not be an example of yet another insultingly lovely and reductive trope, the "cold emotionless killer bitch." And Sei's mom, who again is the only female character in the show that hasn't been completely loving terrible so far. If you think this is all perfectly okay, then hoo boy am I not on your page or even in your book. I shouldn't even have to EXPLAIN why these characters suck. And I also shouldn't have to point out that saying this or any other show is better than AGE in terms of the way it treats women is not a compliment, much less an excuse. Framing it in relative terms is a copout anyway, it's still pretty bad in and of itself and is really souring my enjoyment of an otherwise pretty harmless show.
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Nov 28, 2013 10:34
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Don't be ridiculous. It's not a binary, "best ever/worst ever" assessment, at least on my part. I'm simply pointing out an aspect of this show that is beginning to bug the poo poo out of me. And if you seriously think there's nothing weird about the way females are being portrayed in GBF, you need to watch less anime.
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Nov 28, 2013 11:20
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I get that China is supposed to be the newbie stand-in, but nothing about that dictates that she be such a boring non-entity. There's no reason she couldn't have been an interesting character in her own right, but so far she is anything but. My point is not so much SEXISM!!?! (though the idol most definitely and obnoxiously is) as it is 'badly written female characters" which I totally get is nothing new to Gundam, but given that I skipped AGE entirely as well as a lot of other stuff I can't say I've ever seen it quite this bad before. Yes, I dig that it's only eight episodes in but that's still four hours of story and I don't think a little depth from the ladies is too much to ask for. I also dig that things may get better as the story progresses, but I can't exactly judge the show by what might happen and so far it seems that the show writers either can't write interesting women, or they can't be bothered to. That awesome little kid from upthread may very well watch this show, and the only characters she's likely to see who'd make her think "this person is just like me" are boys. Considering what year it is and what the show is trying to say about the hobby, this is just a sad and a lost opportunity as far as I'm concerned.
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Nov 28, 2013 16:44
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I don't know how much more clear I can make it that my issue is not with sexism per se but the quality of the writing. Whatever their shortcomings, the female characters in MSG were characters and not just personality-free cyphers or ridiculous stereotypes. And good job ignoring Sayla and Mirai who are pretty much NOT defined by their "typical female reactions" to the events surrounding them, at least no more so than any normal person would be, but that doesn't exactly fit your argument now does it? And for fucksake stop trying to justify Kirara because blah blah loving blah, there is absolutely NOTHING defensible or likable about that character as she appeared in ep4, she is basically just a set of negative feminine stereotypes and fantastically irritating to boot. You clearly don't get why this is a problem, so just stop. I know goons tend to flip out when someone gets feminist chocolate in their nerd peanut butter, but insinuating that characters like Kycilia Zabi or Matilda Ajane or even the Shrike Team are anywhere near as badly written as Kirara or China is just loving bonkers.
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Nov 28, 2013 19:35
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I can only judge this show by what I've seen and would be more than happy to be proved wrong, but even if Kirara and China turn out to be great characters ep4 is always going to be an embarrassing heap of horseshit.Sakurazuka posted:Are they better or worse than the Bikini Suicide Squad? I need to update my sexist Gundam poo poo list, tia. V actually has a number of decent female characters but it also has this and Shakti Kareen, so eh.
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Nov 28, 2013 20:05
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Gammatron 64 posted:Kiara and China are not the best, most progressive characters out there, but the show is honestly pretty innocuous as far as sexism goes and lashing out at every minor thing makes you look bad and honestly hurts your argument. For the last time my point is not about sexism so much as a creative failure to write engaging female characters and also failure to give more than token consideration to a potential female audience who I doubt are seeing anything in this show that speaks directly to them, which given both the show's stated and implied aims is stupid as well as regrettable. It's not livid Tumblr outrage and it's not some loving personal crusade, it's disappointment over bad writing and bad decisions. That. Is. All. Sorry I thought it was a discussion I could bring to the thread without things getting goony as gently caress, but hey, at least now I know better.
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Nov 29, 2013 09:15
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I see people jumping to the wrong conclusions on these forums all the drat time, where they obviously couldn't be bothered to read or process the post they're responding to because they just can't wait to get their snarky two cents in. ALL THE drat TIME, and certainly not just with me. It's loving obnoxious and does not encourage any kind of real discussion, and it happens a lot more here for whatever reason than any of the other forums I frequent. And it seems anytime someone raises the specter of feminism in a thread about nerd hobbies it inevitably turns into a lot of shitflinging and "no, you" and who the gently caress needs that? So no, screw it, I'm not even particularly invested in this show and it's not worth the aggravation, and I don't think I've prompted a single person here to consider the issue any differently than they would have before. Life's too short for this. Bimmi fucked around with this message at 10:12 on Nov 29, 2013 |
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Nov 29, 2013 09:58
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Cao Ni Ma posted:Apparently even though the series isnt doing so hot rating wise, the models are selling like gangbusters. That's enough for the show to be considered a success then, though its apparent failure to engage a new generation of Gundam fans has got to be causing some ulcers. I still don't get why it's been such a dud with the kids; there doesn't seem to be anything in this show that audience wouldn't like.
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Dec 11, 2013 06:52
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