2018 Old School Cosplay (Pre-2001) Gathering

[InsaneDavid]

Good afternoon old schoolers!

New cosplay coming along smoothly? Have you found that (then slightly) retro cosplay from ten years ago you've had in storage? Prepping that classic standby that has become an Old School Cosplay Gathering regular? When a day is super windy like today it makes me glad I don't need to do any spray painting for Fanime cosplay this year.

Let's lead off the classic anime OPs for Friday with the anime adaptation of the best-selling shojo manga of all time. This is also an anime title that recently had an English re-license and re-release as a single DVD boxset courtesy of Discotek Media.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Hana Yori Dango / Boys Over Flowers (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul9WDDBBrzM

Continuing on with a VOTOMS spinoff that those who like the more serious and personal Gundam stories should check out. It's also more approachable as it doesn't require as much time investment as VOTOMS. One of the most beautiful anime opening themes of all time in my opinion.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Armor Hunter Mellowlink (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySnuPN_3Xts

And a true international classic to round out Friday.

Celebrating An Era - 1960's! Mach GoGoGo (1967)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPR45cBkRq4


Starting off three OPs for Saturday with a series celebrating its 20th anniversary. Twenty years ago today, the anime adaptation of Cardcaptor Sakura premiered!

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Cardcaptor Sakura (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-fLrxTsYIc
*** 20th Anime Anniversary ***

Next, a Gundam series that while decent, I really don't care a ton for. Of course it's rather polarizing as it had a production history and approach different than pretty much any other Gundam series. Also very important as it was the gateway to mass popularity for Gundam in the West. ...and it did give us Heavyarms, which is my favorite mobile suit design ever - so maybe I shouldn't complain so much.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBqDyAvv-_M

Closing out Saturday OPs tonight with an OVA series I've always really liked, that was reasonably popular at one time, but seems to have disappeared from most otaku's memories.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! 801 T.T.S. Airbats / Aozora Shojotai (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5stkSssFXnI


Starting off Sunday's old school anime OPs with a series that began airing thirty years ago today! ...although it's a follow-up. The longest-running of the four City Hunter anime series, it continues the adventures of Ryo, Kaori and associates as they clean up crime on the streets of Shinjuku. It also features the fan-favorite Sara story, episodes 49 and 50.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! City Hunter 2 (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVKqS7hkxTQ
*** 30th Anime Anniversary ***

Continuing today with a still popular, or at the very least still well-known, magical girl action series.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Magic Knight Rayearth (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Xrgfc98lI

Closing out this weekend with a massively influential series from forty-five years ago. Although it has been dismissed as the single source, Casshern is sort of like Mega Man, over a decade before Mega Man was created. A great classic series that had an English subtitled release a few years ago both on DVD and Blu-ray. Classic 1970's anime theme as well.

Celebrating An Era - 1970's! Neo Human Casshern (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h4nndCNDDM

[InsaneDavid]

Good morning old schoolers!

Wow, FanimeCon is getting close. I still have a lot to do in preparation this year but it's all small details - which usually end up causing the most unexpected problems. I was earlier musing how between my wife and I we always seem to buy fabric for cosplay that is promptly discontinued by the manufacturer - then we go to buy more and there are only scraps here and there. Even when we are proactive and buy the bolt, it's always discontinued right after. Guess that's what I get for wanting specific colors.

Leading off three old school anime OPs this Friday, the Gundam series that everyone seems to like, or can at the very least watch a few episodes of. Takeyuki Kanda, who served as the director of 08th MS Team until his death in a traffic accident during production, also directed the earlier VOTOMS spinoff Armor Hunter Mellowlink from 1988. It's not difficult to see the common thread of his hand on both these works.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Mobile Suit Gundam The 08th MS Team (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKlR_J2H6YA

Continuing with a series whose American rework is currently finding continued success in its third adaptation. Although I guess you could say Voltron The Third Dimension sort of had a complete rework around the middle of the series... (that whole ridiculous Stealth Voltron nonsense) so I suppose you could say that the Voltron rework of Golion has been re-adapted three times all on its own. All those World Events Productions nostalgia glasses aside, the original Japanese series still stands on its own.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Hundred Beast King Golion (1981)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtYiOSNEV_Y

Closing out Friday with an absolute legend. While not the absolute beginning of the anime medium, Tetsuwan Atom was the first such property to really explode and would lay the groundwork for modern anime that followed. The American adaptation, Astro Boy, was the first anime production to be broadcast in the United States - fifty-five years ago.

Celebrating An Era - 1960's! Tetsuwan Atom (1963)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSbaZuTW1Q0


Starting off Saturday with more Tezuka! The 1964 anime adaptation of Big X would be the very first show Tokyo Movie Shinsha produced. The series focuses on a boy with a drug that can expand the human body's size without limitation, a result of a failed experiment from the Nazis during the World War II. It is also a program that is almost entirely lost. 59 black and white episodes were made, but only episodes 1, 11, and 40-59 are known to survive.

Celebrating An Era - 1960's! Big X (1964)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av80Ts-GeLw

Continuing this Saturday with a Gundam series with outstanding production design, just about the greatest singular hero Gundam design ever, and a protagonist that everyone seems to hate. Oh well, amazing opening just the same.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (1991)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoM3nJVDaCk

Closing out Saturday with a fan-favorite slice-of-life series celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year!

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! His and Her Circumstances (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVARtV5Tq0M
*** 20th Anime Anniversary ***


Good morning. Starting off Sunday with a series that, while the manga began even earlier (in 1995), is generally thought of as a post-2001 property. Fact of the matter is the anime adaptation of Initial D began twenty years ago this Wednesday!

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Initial D (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJAF-1TAM7g
*** 20th Anime Anniversary ***

How about another property that isn't always associated with being old school? Dragon Ball / Dragon Ball Z / Dragon Ball GT is all old school and all Dragon Ball cosplayers are welcome at the gathering! I guess that's how it goes when a series has remained relevant and popular for almost thirty-five years.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Dragon Ball Z (1989)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHnfX1RmZX8

Closing out this weekend with a series that I'm super divided on. While fine on it's own, I've always thought Sailorstars got more of a free pass than it deserved due to its release ambiguity in North America. I will admit that there are some episodes of the series I genuinely enjoy and I find interesting moments here and there... However re-hashing the conclusion of SuperS with its opening episodes, undoing the perfect end to the S anime series (still wonder what Setsuna could have said to Souichi Tomoe for him to give up reborn baby Hotaru), the Sailor Sarlights being extremely cowardice and without redemption, long-running support characters disappearing... the whole thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Although Haruka and Michiru do have a wonderful arc in the series, which is worth slogging through other parts for. As I said.. I'm divided. I do love the opening however.

Until next Friday!

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Sailorstars (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWPkNVOdszE

[InsaneDavid]

Good morning old schoolers!

Fanime continues to creep ever closer.  It's nice to see such a healthy assortment of gatherings being hosted this year.  Starting off Friday's old school anime OPs with somewhat of an oddity and a bit of a history lesson...

Very loosely based on the massively influential Lensman books by E.E. Smith, SF New Century Lensman was an anime film released in 1984.  Now there's a decent chance you've seen that movie, as it was one of the three original anime films that the Sci-Fi Channel broadcast in the 1990's (along with Robot Carnival and Vampire Hunter D) as "Adventures in Japanese Animation."  Well after the success of the film in Japan, a TV series was created, Lensman: Galactic Patrol, with a separate continuity from the film.

Of the 25 episodes, only the first six had official home video releases on VHS and LaserDisc in Japan. The English version of the film only had a VHS and LaserDisc release in the USA and was never seen again.  See, it's said the estate of E.E. Smith hated the adaptation as it's so loose and different.  Honestly the Lensman anime follows Star Wars more than it does the Lensman books, which is funny as the first Lensman book, Galactic Patrol, had a huge influence on Star Wars.  Due to this later licensing disagreement, the Lensman anime virtually disappeared.

However The Skaro Hunting Society along with /m/subs released a deluxe subtitled version of the film a few years ago and is currently working on fansubbing the entire series.  As there were no official video releases for anything beyond episode six, they've been sourcing further episodes from VHS and Betamax recordings of the television broadcast.  They're up to episode nine and it's worth checking out.  Personally I love the world design of the series, especially the spacecraft and vehicles.  Awesome opening theme as well.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's!  Galactic Patrol Lensman (1984)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBod6EKQaok

Okay, Lensman is a bit too obscure. Here's something more mainstream.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmCys68ELpg

Finishing out Friday with another series that found mainstream success outside of Japan, and another old school anime title that people don't really think of as such.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Rurouni Kenshin (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bxNEtkGG7U


Good morning! Starting our three old school anime OPs for Saturday with high energy. Regardless of opinion on Macross 7, the opening and its theme song is awesome - a shining example of how so much 90's anime began.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Macross 7 (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h_rkhnjZzc

Continuing on this Saturday with an opening theme I had stuck in my head when I was out running this morning - go figure.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Kimagure Orange Road (1987)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTOZhZSr6RY

Closing out Saturday with an outstanding, and recently re-licensed, series that looks way more modern than its 1994 vintage.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Key The Metal Idol (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y7KrcfuxAw


Starting this Sunday's three old school anime OPs with a series that pretty much anyone can enjoy for at least a few episodes.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Urusei Yatsura (1981)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2Jiic05C0M

Remember, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT are all old school. Continuously relevant to anime fandom - but still old school.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Dragon Ball (1986)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t61DxVsJwqk

Closing out this weekend with a series I still really enjoy, one that was pretty popular in the 1990's, but has all but disappeared from discussion. The OP video source is far from ideal, but it's still the best I can provide.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Blue Seed (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV4rRlyFmgQ

[InsaneDavid]

Good morning old schoolers!

An odd midweek update, I know, but today is a very important day (to me). Thirty years ago today, Mobile Police Patlabor premiered, with what would later be called the "Early Days" OVA.

This OVA series would launch a media institution as it would go on to spawn a support manga, a theatrical film, a television series, two extensions of the television series, an OVA continuation / conclusion of the television series, a second theatrical film (regarded by many to be Mamoru Oshii's greatest work), a third theatrical film, a series of three theatrical shorts, a live-action television series, a live-action television movie, a theatrical short film, and a new series that is forthcoming.

It also features my absolute favorite anime opening.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Mobile Police Patlabor - Early Days (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMpI_bc3LrI
*** 30th Anime Anniversary ***

[Angelx624]

So due to a recent cosplay mishap, it looks like I'm bringing Ed from Cowboy Bebop afterall! <3 Though I'm gonna be running late to the gathering since I'm hosting the Free! gathering right before it. D:

[InsaneDavid]

So due to a recent cosplay mishap, it looks like I'm bringing Ed from Cowboy Bebop afterall! <3 Though I'm gonna be running late to the gathering since I'm hosting the Free! gathering right before it. D:

That's awesome! ^_^  I saw you're hosting Free!, congratulations.  With how potentially large the attendance for the Old School Cosplay Gathering looks like it could be, you should be fine running late.  I'm also still adding to the photography order list (and moving it around), so there are a ton of categories to go through this year, including a pair of group shots at the end.

[InsaneDavid]

Good morning old schoolers!

The final weekend in April is just around the corner and then it's the homestretch toward FaimeCon 2018. I suppose that means if you need to order anything for cosplay, now would be the time to do it - advice I need to take myself today.

Starting this Friday's old school anime OPs with my personal favorite of all Sailor Moon.. pretty much anything. In my opinion the anime adaptation of Sailor Moon S did the best job of juggling the ever insane manga with the then well-established anime. It had multiple plot twists right until the end, multiple series-long story arcs, character motives that while differing were far from simply good or bad, and the most satisfying ending of any Sailor Moon series.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon S (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5FcqnnhSqQ

Continuing on with a series that would prove itself to be quite influential, although it had an extremely rocky production history.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Space Runaway Ideon (1980)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIcYvE231q8

Closing out Friday with a spectacular little OVA adaptation of a long running manga series. I do love the opening theme to this one.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Area 88 (1985)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TStu3cnJvw


Let's start off Saturday with sort of an odd one that a few people may recognize. Esteban, Child of the Sun was a French-Japanese co-production that originally aired in Japan in 1982. The French version was redubbed into English and aired on Nickelodeon in 1986 as The Mysterious Cities of Gold.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Esteban Child of the Sun (1982)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0AJ796pb6k

Continuing today with a wonderful series that is currently being fansubbed on YouTube. The sequel series from 1995 is still continuously running to this day with new episodes.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Chibi Maruko-chan (1990)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bLyZnwewXo

Closing out Saturday with a great opening theme and a solid series. The ADV subtitled box set of this series has subtitles that are a little wonky (for instance they subtitled some character names incorrectly) but the series is still worth checking out.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (1983)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_xhAxuUvGE


Starting Sunday with another anniversary. Thirty years ago tomorrow, Samurai Troopers first premiered. In the US, this series was released in 1995 as Ronin Warriors and established a solid early 90's fandom. It's also a rare example of an anime series localized for American television that featured only minor edits and utilized most of the original music. It's also a really good series - imagine that, we got a good one mostly left alone, in English, on TV back in 1995!

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cw9AR2R-JI
*** 30th Anime Anniversary ***

Continuing along with this Sunday's OPs with a series I've always really liked although it never pulled in much of a fandom. Oh well, I guess we all have one "ancient demon and schoolgirl are reluctantly partnered up" series we enjoy.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Kishin Douji Zenki (1995)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G55UQClMw9I

Closing out this weekend's old school anime OPs with an old school video game OP. Remember, the Old School Cosplay Gathering encompasses anime, manga, video games and live action from pre-2001. While Lunar Silver Star Story Complete was more or less a localization and slight technical tweak of Lunar Silver Star Story (itself a remake of Lunar The Silver Star with story differences), it was an extremely popular both in the US and Japan. Arguably the English theme better fits the opening animation, and I find the beginning of this opening interesting as Working Designs cycled the beginning of the melody (and the water animation) a few times to allow space for more credits. I can distinctly remember dropping the $74.99 on this game a week after graduating from high school in 1999.

Until next Friday!

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Lunar Silver Star Story Complete (1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xhZL3dTABs

[Eri Kagami]

I'm very happy that this meet up exists. I'll be going as Fujiko Mine from Lupin III.

Y'all can stop calling me Black Widow! XD

[Angelx624]

So due to a recent cosplay mishap, it looks like I'm bringing Ed from Cowboy Bebop afterall! <3 Though I'm gonna be running late to the gathering since I'm hosting the Free! gathering right before it. D:

That's awesome! ^_^  I saw you're hosting Free!, congratulations.  With how potentially large the attendance for the Old School Cosplay Gathering looks like it could be, you should be fine running late.  I'm also still adding to the photography order list (and moving it around), so there are a ton of categories to go through this year, including a pair of group shots at the end.

Yup. :3 I'm glad I'm able to make it after all. xD Looking forward to seeing everyone again!!

[InsaneDavid]

I'm very happy that this meet up exists. I'll be going as Fujiko Mine from Lupin III.

Y'all can stop calling me Black Widow! XD

Outstanding! ^_^

[InsaneDavid]

Good morning old schoolers!

Welcome to the month of May. The clock is ticking as FanimeCon is now only a few weeks away. I hope your convention preparations are completed or are at the very least well within work. Personally it still hasn't sunk in just how close Fanime weekend is. Means that I need to set aside some time for wig styling because I'm one of those odd people that completely wash out their wigs and store them after a con, then have to completely restyle them before the next.

As it is now May, rather than old school anime openings today I'm going to post some old school anime endings. I actually have quite a few of these so this will probably be old school anime ending weekend. That works out as I still have a lot of openings to share, so the final two weekends before Fanime will be my usual "barrage period" for them.

Starting off with a favorite series of mine that also features a favorite ending theme of mine. Super Dimension Century Orguss features a unique ending theme that may seem out of place in a sci-fi mecha series. However the Emaan people in the series are a group of gypsies who trade in high technology, so it actually fits perfectly. Yeah, I'm going to have this in my head all day...

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Super Dimension Century Orguss (1983)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bItCebpxSp0 [ENDING]

Continuing on with an ending I always thought was so freaking cool. With Dancouga it's no spoiler to say Shapiro Keats is totally insane, about three episodes in that's made pretty apparent. So an ending that shows his twisted perspective of thinking himself a victim and a god is such an interesting and contrasting concept. This blew my mind when I saw it as a teenager, as the subtitled VHS release used this ending from the start.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Super Beast Machine Dancouga (1985)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4z6oVUtlJs [ENDING 2]

While quite a bit different than the original Japanese language ending theme, the dub version of Dominion Tank Police's ending seems to strike a chord with those who watched it in their younger days. ...even if it is one line repeated over a piece of music used elsewhere in the OVA. Funny thing about this ending is when Tank Police was shown on Sci-Fi Channel, they held a frame from near the beginning of the animation for the entire sequence as part of the light censoring the TV broadcast received.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Dominion / Dominion Tank Police (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvMOk0oiR7k [ENDING]
*** 30th Anime Anniversary ***


Continuing the old school anime ENDINGS weekend this Saturday, with an ending that features a song that exploded in popularity. "Get Wild" by TM Network arguably transcended the property it was introduced with, which itself is still quite popular in Japan. As a side note, after swapping some plans around, the Old School Cosplay Gathering hosts will be cosplaying as Ryo and Kaori at the gathering once again this year.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! City Hunter (1987)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84GYa28nZcY [ENDING]

While the Cutey Honey opening theme is an absolute classic anime song and has stood the test of time, the original ending theme is an amazing piece of music as well. Somber, just a bit sad, and essentially a full-length song about Honey as a person and not as a warrior, it is easily one of the finest ending sequences of the 1970's.

Celebrating An Era - 1970's! Cutey Honey (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-XKYCaIq-8 [ENDING]

Continuing on, Chibi Maruko-chan's ending theme would prove so popular that it would become the opening theme from the second series on. That second series that began in 1995 is still continuously airing to this day, with over 1100 episodes to date. This ending theme, Odoru Pompokolin, is regarded in Japan as one of the greatest anime theme songs of all time.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Chibi Maruko-chan (1990)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W39vRbDuH_4 [ENDING]


Continuing old school anime endings weekend with an ending that is so gloriously and unapologetic early 1980's. The first Cat's Eye series (essentially the first season) is a lot of fun to watch and is a very entertaining crime / comedy series. While not as popular as Tsukasa Hojo's later City Hunter, it is still a well-known property in Japan to this day.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Cat's Eye (1983)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5in0X-Ic_Rw [ENDING]

Continuing on with a recently re-released series (one of the licenses I never thought I would be rescued) I've always really enjoyed - okay, I'll admit, it's my favorite shojo anime. As crazy as the series may get, it really boils down to being youthful and just innocently sweet - with drama straight out of a daytime soap opera. Also Ryotaro Okiayu, who voices male lead Yuu Matsuura, is a Guest of Honor at Fanime this year!

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Marmalade Boy (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zySfBTWKEvc [ENDING 2]

Finishing off this weekend with my favorite of the Sailor Moon endings, also my favorite piece of Sailor Moon music. While an animation of Usagi walking and running is reasonably simple on the surface, the backdrops she runs along reflect the setting and characters of the series, the animation is wonderfully timed to the music, and the whole sequence reflects the song lyrics of Otome no Policy (A Maiden's Policy) - the ending theme. In my opinion this ending takes the ideas of the original ending (featuring a similar song, Heart Moving) and expands on them in every way.

Until next Friday!

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon R (1993)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7habakK5OYY [ENDING]

[Love Sign Master Spark]

5 seconds after clicking the Lunar: SSSC opening link, realized I have access to the game and a console to run it on.  (The A/V cables have seen better days though, nearly worn out)

[InsaneDavid]

5 seconds after clicking the Lunar: SSSC opening link, realized I have access to the game and a console to run it on.  (The A/V cables have seen better days though, nearly worn out)

It's still a really enjoyable and well-paced 16-bit era RPG with a nice coat of 32-bit era color and video added to it.  It's also one of the games that Working Designs didn't make ~crushingly~ difficult in the localization.  One of the few RPGs I've played that really embodies a felling of youth and adventure - starts a small little fun journey with some childhood friends that contentiously expands.  I still have my copy from years and years ago.

Lunar 2 Eternal Blue, on the other hand, most will say is a far better game but I really didn't care for it.  From a technical side it's a more advanced game (as the original Eternal Blue was compared to the original The Silver Star) but I just didn't care one way or another about any of the characters, although I did buy it on launch day and complete it.

Grandia (my all time favorite RPG) is similar in that way.  While Grandia has its issues, I adored the whole thing from the time I first played a demo of it.  Grandia II moved to the Dreamcast and is a far superior game from a technical aspect - but again, I didn't care about any of the characters or the world of that game in the least.

[Love Sign Master Spark]

The presentation and writing of Lunar are the main things that draw me in.  I'm OK with the combat being merely slightly more advanced than Dragon Warrior.  Played both Playstation remakes and while I tend to prefer Eternal Blue, there are some little things I prefer about the first such as movement speed in dungeons.

  Having the healer be slower than the bosses makes that much of an impact on difficulty, eh?

  I went poking around for my Lucia's pendant and the other feelies.  Didn't find them in the mess that is my room but they're around somewhere.  Couldn't have gone that far.

  Only got around to playing Grandia 2 this year and have no experience with the first.  Do you ever feel that the character designers were cribbing from Lunar with the Grandia games' casts?  On an unrelated note, cosplaying Millenia would be such a blast because her character is so fun.  Too much exposed skin for my tastes plus I don't have the body shape for her means it will remain a silly thought.

[InsaneDavid]

Only got around to playing Grandia 2 this year and have no experience with the first.  Do you ever feel that the character designers were cribbing from Lunar with the Grandia games' casts?

Not so much with the first Grandia, but there is definitely some influence of Lunar 2 on Grandia II.  I mean, they kind of begin in pretty much the same exact way.  GameArts did co-develop Lunar and Lunar 2 (and eventually caused Lunar co-creator Studio Alex's bankruptcy and closure) so there was bound to be some crossover as part of the studio's style.

The original Grandia's cast has some RPG character cliches (young boy looking for adventure and such) but the female lead is a young pirate living the dream adventure life of the main character, and his younger companion fills a younger sister role from beginning to end.  There's also a large extended cast but nearly every character has a continuing connection to the main focus of the story - rather than being introduced, hanging out for awhile, and then being left behind completely.

It just does things a little differently than any other RPG, or at least combines them in different ways.  Having a story take place in a world where the age of adventure has ended (to the point where there is a gigantic wall called "The End of the World" on a large continent), sitting down to a meal with optional expansive dialogue between characters that serve as little vignettes to cap off story advancement, obviously a battle system where character position is integral and can be moved without the stats crunching of a strategy RPG, stat growth related to how frequently a class of weapon is used (which makes sense since a character would become more skilled in such), spells that work in the same way but lead to granting permanent level increases as they are used more, an active time bar that actually makes sense and works correctly, just so many little things.  However as complex as the game mechanics can be, it's all served up in an intuitive fashion where the player learns as they play.

It's also a story that kind of grows from nothing, I guess that's similar to Lunar, except in Grandia the first thing you do is find a bunch of "gear" for the local bully / friend / group leader (which serves as an exercise to familiarize the player with the camera controls).  This armor consists of things like a cooking pot for a helmet.  They really are just kids playing around and dreaming of great adventure at the start, more so than any other game I can think of.

Going off to more modern, I did really enjoy Grandia III although the story got a little too overly melodramatic than I cared for it to be.  The game taking place in an age of early aviation is something I liked and I thought it was a nice call-back to the era of steam and heat energy that was a big part of the original Grandia.  Not a spectacular game (it honestly goes on too long for its own good in my opinion) but I found the characters to be reasonably likeable.

Greatest PS2 RPG however?  Steambot Chronicles! (Bumpy Trot)  I'm so happy it's finally starting to finally be discovered and increase in demand.  Yeah, it's an action RPG but it just blew me away.  It's like if someone was to take an amazing 16-bit action RPG and make the whole thing 3D.  It felt so much like an old game but it was all fresh and new, with a really concrete feeling world and lots of exploration.  It's also so non-linear but the amount of freedom makes sense.  Want to facilitate faster travel between areas?  Then help out by hauling materials for expansion of a railroad line.  Attach a passenger carriage to your trotmobile and make extra money providing a taxi service along the route you're going anyway.  Build and attach custom parts for different tasks.  Make extra money as a street musician and learn to play new musical instruments - as well as develop one.  Work up the ranks in mechanized battle tournaments.  Go on dates.  It's just ridiculous the amount of stuff they packed in.  It's one of the few games I discovered a couple years after it was released and was sincerely bummed out I didn't play it when it was brand new.

There are some definite technical problems with slowdown in the game, but the whole thing plays at a more relaxed pace so it's not a huge issue.

.........wow I got super off topic.  :D

[InsaneDavid]

Good morning old schoolers!

FanimeCon is two weeks away, which means the Old School Cosplay Gathering is two weeks away... scary. Also means I need to get to washing and styling wigs! In addition to the Old School Cosplay Gathering, we will also be hosting a Vintage Anime panel / competition on Saturday morning at 10am in Panels 4 - because you all know how much I love anime openings.

Speaking of which, starting Friday's old school anime OPs with a pretty huge one. While the original Mobile Suit Gundam wasn't as popular as one today may assume, sales of the related model kits kept the franchise going and the whole thing blossomed into one of the cornerstones of anime.

Celebrating An Era - 1970's! Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0FJlQDKVa0

Continuing on, let's say mainstream today with the anime continuation of a series that is still going strong. I really wish the beginning of this era of Dragon Ball Z (young adult Gohan's everyday life) would be revisited.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Dragon Ball Z (1989)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFKroyqq8eE (OP2)

Closing out today with some year 2000 love. Relevant too, as a sixth mainline Sakura Taisen video game was recently announced to be in development.

Celebrating An Era - 2000! Sakura Taisen TV (2000)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71L-EEB7yJE


Starting this Saturday's old school anime OPs with my personal favorite of the Cyber Formula series. This whole franchise was, and still is to a certain degree, very popular in Japan but never caught on elsewhere. Only the first series had an official English subtitled release and is long out of print. Fanime 2018 Guest of Honor Ryotaro Okiayu voiced Franz Heinel (Sturozech Project driver at the time of Zero) throughout all five series.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Future GPX Cyber Formula Zero (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR0L9IfLJQg

Continuing with a fan favorite, both in Japan and abroad.

Celebrating An Era - 1970's! Ashita no Joe (1970)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFU2sT0JY2s

Closing out Saturday with a fandom dividing series. Okay, I'm overstating that. Love it, hate it, or remain indifferent toward it, Macross II is a strange one that is considered to be a parallel timeline outside of Macross cannon. I think Macross II is okay at best, has some good moments, but ultimately is an unsatisfying follow-up to Macross. Some good music on the soundtrack though, including the title theme.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! The Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again (1992)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ppTY6EmTeE


Starting Sunday with an awesome series that was crafted as a labor of love and a celebration of an earlier era of Japanese media. Both English dubs are included in this video and my preference has always been for the older (the first one played here) dub as it has a lot more personality in my opinion. If you have Giant Robo on DVD, the old dub is actually a hidden track, use your player's audio option to select it.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Giant Robo (1992)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBxC7Gm8UDM

Continuing today with pure fan service. That aside, Aika is a pretty decent little OVA with slick animation work, good character design, and some actual plot. I believe this is the third or fourth opening (they all had slight differences), and has an awesome of-its-era opening theme. A prequel OVA was released in 2007 (Aika R-16) and a sequel OVA to the prequel in 2009 (Aika Zero).

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Aika / Agent Aika (1997)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoPvxk14FH4

Closing out the weekend with a solid anime revival of an old tokusatsu property. Looking back I'm still surprised this aired on American television. Then again, Boogiepop Phantom aired on freaking TechTV, so there you go.

Until next Friday, when we'll be a week away from the gathering!

Celebrating An Era - 2000! Android Kikaider: The Animation (2000)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6oSVBKLaoo

[AshenStarMage]

I'm planning on cosplaying Belldandy from Oh! My Goddess at the gathering. The manga started in 1988 and the OVA was released from 1993-1994.

[InsaneDavid]

I'm planning on cosplaying Belldandy from Oh! My Goddess at the gathering. The manga started in 1988 and the OVA was released from 1993-1994.

Outstanding! ^_^ Yep, Oh! My Goddess is good to go on all accounts.

[InsaneDavid]

Photography order list finalized.  We're always up for requests at this gathering!  After the photography list is completed, I will ask if anyone has any requests, pairings, solos, groups - pretty much anything they would like to be photographed with.

Additionally a map showing the 2018 gathering location in relation to the 2017 gathering location has been posted.

A week and a half to go!

[Angelx624]

The map surely helps! ^^ Thank you for that!