Anime Geek: Robotech

Robotech is an anime series that will always be close to my Geek heart. When it first started airing on television in 1985, I still did not know it was anime, or at the very least derived from anime. All I knew was it was different than anything else that was being shown in the cartoon block after school. As I got older and kept revisiting this series, I learned more and more about the Robotech production history. I also learned that it was a foundation for a lot of other anime to come.

Robotech is an anime, but it was Americanized. This was during a time when bringing Japanese animation to the U.S. was a fairly new concept. There were concerns American viewers could not grasp a lot of the Japanese cultural references in the original Japanese version. The Americanization started with the title. In Japan the first series was known as Super Dimensional Fortress Macross. When it was brought here to America the title was changed to Robotech. If you have watched the series, you might have heard the Japanese title referred to in the episodes. 

 

In Robotech there are three series. The first was the Macross Saga. The next two were loosely connected to the Macross universe in Japan. The second Robotech series was The Masters, but in Japan it was called Super Dimensional Fortress Southern Cross. Again, Southern Cross is referred to regularly in the episodes. In Japan Southern Cross was not a continuation of the Macross series. It was created by the same people who made Macross and they used the Macross universe as a background, but that was it. When Southern Cross was brought to the U.S. it was given the new name and the story was changed up to tie in with the first series, Macross Saga. 

 

The third series in Robotech was called New Generation. Ironically this series was changed the least when brought to America, but had the least to do with the Macross universe. In Japan this series was called Mospaeda. It was produced by a completely different group of animators, who just happened to like all things Macross, so their technology and background story closely resembled the Macross universe. It fit so well that when it was brought to America, very little was done to change it, except the title and the character names. Another bit of irony is Mospaeda was created before Southern Cross. The American producers felt the story line worked best going in the order of Macross, Southern Cross, and finally Mospaeda.

To go back and watch Robotech now has a very old school vibe to it, but back in 1985 when the series premiered it was revolutionary. It was the first time an animation was not…well…cartoonish. Everything was drawn realistically and everything that happened in the stories had a real life feel to it. The characters got hurt and some of them died. There were also love interests in the stories. These things simply did not happen in cartoons back in the 80s. They rarely happen in cartoons today.

 
As I said the Robotech animation has an old school feel to it. During the first series, Macross Saga, used still frame shots were a lot. This is when they showed a picture of the action. Nothing moved, but to give a sense of movement they would slowly scan from one side of the picture to the next, usually while the narrator talked. In the following Robetech series, they got away from the still frames and the artwork became more up to date. The only other down fall was repetitive use of stock footage. Even though these animation tricks were annoying, you have to give the creators credit. They were trying to find ways to keep the animation within budget and these tricks helped them to do so.
   

Robotech helped pave the way for other anime and even U.S. animation. Robotech is the start of the popularity of pilot driven giant robots in Japan, which led to the massive powerhouse of Gundam. Cartoons in America used the staple of anvils and slamming into the sides of mountains. About the only action adventure cartoon before Robotech was Super Friends. With the popularity of Robotech we saw the emergence of Thundercats, G.I. Joe, and Transformers. Action based cartoons are now more of the norm. 

 

Since the time of the original series there has been a few attempts at a Macross / Robotech revival. There have been Macross movies and the animation in them is excellent. The only annoying part is they are stand alone and do nothing to move the original series forward. A few years ago a Robotech movie was created that was called Shadow Chronicals. It was supposed to be a jumpstart to bringing back the original series, but nothing has been done with it since. The last movie left us hanging with a lot of frustration wanting to know what happens next.

Even though Robotech is old school and it has been Americanized, I still think it is a great anime and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon lost in nostalgia. I’ll even admit to being such a geek that to help my nostalgia of this show, I used to wear a motorcycle helmet during the fight scenes. It sounds stupid, but it helps with the fantasy. Helmet or no helmet, I hope you take the time to enjoy Robotech! 

Geek Attire

Geek attire is nothing special. As a matter of fact I do not believe Geeks follow particular fashion trends such as Hipster, or … well … I’m a Geek, so I really do not know what the fashion trends are. Geeks are more likely to wear what they like and what is comfortable to them. The closest Geeks get to fashion of some kind are the logos, pictures, or memes that will appear on their shirts, bags, or other apparel.

Now some people will argue that Geeks do try to follow fashions and try to dress accordingly. I think the best example of this is the character Wolowitz, on The Big Bang Theory. He dresses up, I’ll give him that. The skinny jeans he always wears are the closest thing to fashionable, but his pants along with his shirts are usually some kind of bright color. I do not think dickies (The fake turtle neck) he wears is in style. His Beetles haircut went out of fashion about fifty years ago.


Geeks tend to find a “uniform” to wear. These are usually the same clothes, but with different colors or something. Sheldon is a perfect example of this. He always wears a long sleeve shirt with a short sleeve shirt over it. The t-shirt always has the logo of a superhero or a funky design. The one true reason Geeks like to wear a “uniform” is it is simply comfortable.

I am very guilty of having a uniform. During cold weather I always wear a hoody. I always have a t-shirt like Sheldon’s on underneath, but you would never know it, because I do not take the hoody off. It is the most comfortable thing to me. I have decorated my hoodies with various anime logos.

During warm weather you can see my Geeky t-shirts, but I usually have a dress shirt on over top of the t-shirt. I have always done an over shirt kind of thing since high school.

 

I have now added a stylish cap to my uniform. The cap is usually called a driver’s cap or gentleman’s cap. I like to wear it backwards. I think my glasses and backwards driving cap give me a certain sophistication and charm. The truth is I like to wear the cap to protect my bald head from the sun and cold. Yes, this is where you insert the old joke.

The great thing that is going on for Geeks today is there are so many different fashion styles it is easy to blend in as fashionable. It is even fashionable to make your own style. Being a Geek and dressing like a Geek is now fashionable, unlike 20 or 30 years ago. Dressing like a Geek was mainly because of a lack of fashion skills and invited ridicule and bullying. We Geeks of yesteryear blazed a very rough path to acceptance. It is because of us older Geeks who endured our younger years of torture to become successful is why Geekdoms are much more accepted now days. So, if you are a Proud Flag Flying Geek of today, you should thank one of your Geek ancestors. 

Thanks To:
      Geek by Kondang147 @ deviantart.com
      Bald Guy by Pilgrim John @ deviantart.com
      Geek Stamp by Anshky @ deviantart.com

Food Geek

Food Geeks, or Foodies, is a subject close to my stomach. I once heard the saying, “Never trust a bald barber. They will have no respect for your hair.” I feel the same way about chefs and food lovers. A good chef is someone who is going to have at least a little girth around the waist, because they love the taste of food and they are always trying new dishes. Same with a Foodie, how can a person love to taste and eat food, but look like a stick? A true Foodie and a good chef are going to have some roundness to them.

I believe Jimmy Kimmel is a Food Geek. Long before he had his own late night show, he co-hosted a show on Comedy Central called “The Man Show.” He did this piece on how to attack a buffet. His first rule was you never go near the salad. The salad is the cheapest thing on the buffet and you are wasting precious tummy space that could be used on steak and shrimp. Vegetables are alright, so long as they have been breaded and deep fried. Speaking of bread, rolls are only to be used to soak up a tasty steak juice. Finally, desserts are for when you are full and you just want to push yourself into that painful territory of stuffed. I think the thing to take away from Kimmel’s lesson on eating at a buffet was how to give yourself a heart attack.

I am not really a Foodie. I do not write restaurant reviews. I just can’t bring myself to be critical of someone’s hard work like that. I am also not a chef. I used to cook, but then I met my wife. I would cook for her. On later dates she would cook the same dishes I made and they would be a hundred times better. I decided there was no more reason for me to cook.

My tastes are typical male tastes. My favorite foods are pizza, Cheeseburgers, sandwiches, and steak. There are specific ways I like to have each of these foods. I’ll eat any pizza as long as there are no anchovies and no pineapple, but my favorite pizza is mushroom, olive, sausage, and bacon. There is a local place here that has an amazing beer batter pizza dough.

Again I love cheeseburgers in many different forms. My favorite cheeseburger has tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon, and swiss or provolone cheese. I actually forego condiments on my favorite burger. Yes, of course there has to be fries.

I’m not too particular about my cut of steak, but I do prefer it to be cooked medium to medium well. I like just a little pink. Most people think the steak is tough if it’s cooked that long. If done right, it is still really tender. I think Texas Roadhouse cooks the best steaks. I really do not care for sides with my steak. I just assume only have the steak, however I love my steak smothered in sautéed mushrooms.

Finally there are sandwiches. I think it is an amazing concept to take just about any ingredients you want and shove them between two slices of bread. It is so easy and fast. When I’m serious about my sandwiches it has to be a deli sub. I prefer wheat bread. My favorite is chicken and bacon with melted provolone cheese. I like some veggies on my sandwich such as sprouts, mushrooms, olives, avocado, and tomatoes. I usually just go with mayonnaise and oregano. The thing I cannot understand is the obsession with lettuce. Sandwich makers dump so much lettuce on you cannot find the sandwich. It’s like the maker gets a bonus if they get rid of a pound of lettuce for each sandwich sold. I can’t stand it.

I guess you would call my favorite foods “comfort foods,” but if you are going to eat food, don’t you want to be comforted. I get the idea you need to eat healthy items, but when it doesn’t taste good or it stares back at you then the food is not comforting. It’s actually kind of scary. The other thing about comfort food is it has to be that go to dish that you know you will like and at the end you will be happy. At our favorite restaurant my wife always orders the same chicken salad with blue cheese crumbles. I either order my favorite cheeseburger with bacon and mushrooms or I get chicken quesadilla. We both always look through the menu and we see meals that look really tasty, but then when the waitress shows up we always go for our comfort food.

I know we need to exercise and eat right. It is something that I will work on one of these days. My thing is I am trying to eat right, but I am trying to meld healthy eating with good tasting foods that I like. I am truly waiting for the Star Trek food processor that creates food out of thin air. The futuristic food processors make whatever food you want, but it is made from the nutrients your body needs. You hear me scientists! I’m looking at you! Get on that food processor. 

Thanks To:
      Japan is Eating by Skytabula @ deviantart.com
      Pizza Eating Kitty by Tracerhank @ deviantart.com
      Sandwich San by CaramelCat123 @ deviantart.com
      Love is Eating by Hjstory @ deviantart.com
      Exercise Devotional by TheMacronian @ deviantart.com   

Not a Geek for Summer

I foresee 6 months of grumpiness in my future. The weather is turning warm. The spring flowers are blooming. People are taking fun vacations. Children are playing outside. And, I hate it all. That’s right I said it. I am a winter person. Give me the snow and cold temperatures. Give me the holidays. Winter is a time I can bundle up without being accused of laziness. I am a fluffy individual therefore I am better built for winter. In the winter I can easily regulate the temperature to be warm. In the summer no matter what I try to do, I am hot.

So, until the weather cools back I am going to try to hibernate and avoid all the summer activities. When my wife is not looking, I’m going to crank up the air conditioner, bundle up and take a nap. I’ll dream of overcast skies and snowstorms.

Here now is a list of reasons why I hate summer. Maybe you will be able to sympathize.

1. The car in front of me is blowing cigarette smoke into my 

    car and in my face.

2. “Daddy, it's not bedtime. The sun is still up.”

3. Daisy Dukes and tank tops are a privilege, not a right!

4. $#%$&^$*%()*#^#% mosquitoes

5. Mowing, weeding, planting, pruning, fertilizing, watering, 

    harvesting

6. 20 motorcycles causing an earthquake as they go past  

    my house

7. Uncaged children

8. I'm sweating like a raped ape and my deodorant gave out 

    3 hours ago

9. Your deodorant gave out 3 hours ago

10. Cars racing up the street

11. Gas prices are higher

12. Everyone is freaking out how global warming is worse 

      this season. Global warming happens year round!

13. My neighbor shooting off illegal fireworks

14. My teen: “Ha ha you have to go to work. I get to play 

      video games all day”

15. I miss my hoodie

16. I'm sticking to chairs

17. The sun is up two hours before I have to get up

18. Children matinees

19. I've sniffed more pollen than a cocaine addict on a binge

20. Family Reunions

21. Droughts

22. Road Construction

23. Massive motor homes that can’t do the speed limit and 

      can’t drive a straight line.

24. Warm Soda. It makes hydrating really crappy.

25. No matter how far I strip down, I’ll never cool off.

26. No one wants to see me strip down.

 Thanks To:
       Grumpy by Amelia-Ami-Chan @ Deviantart.com 
       A Warm Bed by Faustsketcher @ Deviantart.com
       Winter Smile by Pluvias @ Deviantart.com