12.31.2001
The drama, the tragedy, the fantasy.

I am proud.

Let me say that again.

I am proud.

I am so very proud of this animation. I am breathless by the fantasy which I have just seen. Hironobu Sakaguchi and the whole of Square are deserving of the highest praise for this work.

First, let me address the CG and the very nature of CG. We are reaching a precipice where we can spend $200 million to render a rock that looks like a rock and a bird that looks like a bird. At the same time, we could simply take a real rock or a real bird and film it for substantially less. So, why CG? There are two reasons. First, it is to show our prowess. It is because we can. We are god creating ourselves anew. Through bodies stored in computers, we have become the Creator. It is human nature. The second reason for CG is the elevation of life. It is the praise and beautification of life. It is the replication of the menial and common place. Transformed with CG, these dirty things become holy. We see them for the first time. We appreciate them for the first time. They become the higher, emotional essence that we so hope exists. They are testament to the idealized reality we want. They become art. They become the soul. We are not animals. We have feelings and thoughts. And, a CG rock or a CG bird is the world transformed.

The animation's very makeup makes you grow cold in awe. But, listen to me very closely, it is not about the CG. There is great duality to this statement. This story could not have been told without CG, but the story is not about CG. The sweat and toil of the animators allowed for the freedom of the drama, the tragedy, and the fantasy.

From the very first moment Aki Ross enters the screen, it is no longer about CG. Instead, it is about people. The story is about real people. They have hearts and souls and you care for them. They exist as much as you and I do. I am not speaking of the CG, rather I am talking about the story. I am talking about characters in relation to their world and the drama, the tragedy, and the fantasy.

I love them. In our short time together, I loved them. I loved the strength of Ryan. I loved the wit of Neil. I loved the courage of Jane. I loved the devotion of Hein. I loved the compassion of Sid. I loved the dedication of Aki. I loved the soul of Gray.

They are all very real to me. They are proud and beautiful creations, and I cannot thank them enough for all that they have done.

At the center of Final Fantasy is a message... A reassuring dream. In this world, we face death as we part with our loved ones. We begin to question what "life" and "love" are, and what is the philosophical definition of the "heart." After all, in this world, science has analyzed life and death, expressing life as a form of energy.

At the heart of Final Fantasy is a very strong statement. All life is the same. From the trees, to the salmon, to the deer, to the stars, everything in the Universe is a part of the Universe. All life... All things... Everything is a part of Existence, and we all share a common soul. We are the Universe. We are god.

The beautiful idea carries an ironic message when you place it in the context the CG world. But, within the world, the "Gaia theory", as it is called, is not a religion believed by everyone. Hardly. The Gaia theory is the belief and the faith of Doctor Sid, and he is persecuted for it. There is an explicit comparison with Galileo Galilei. Galileo was imprisoned and died for his ridiculous belief that the Earth revolved around the sun.

There is a very Japanese quality to the animation. There is very Japanese message to the story. It is about balance. It is about respect. There is also a suggestion of an anti-nuclear sentiment. Hein strives to use the Zeus Cannon, a giant orbital gun, to bring salvation. Zeus, the ultimate weapon, is the future's atom bomb. But, this suggestion is really made clear by Aki's dreams and a distinctive mushroom cloud.

The beauty to this statement against the overuse and dependency on technology is that this movie is purely CG. And, technology is ultimately the chariot of the soul. Ovule-Paks are quasi-ectoplasmic ZERO-POINT energy. Zero-point is rightly stressed; it is the very real energy that exists in infinite amounts in every point of the Universe. Science and religion are one.

I loved Final Fantasy. It went well above and beyond any possible predictions and expectations I had. To take a moment to be selfish, it was damn tragic, and that will always win you an extra point. But, I feel like I must bring up the question of if Final Fantasy is "Final Fantasy". And, the resounding answer is yes with a glorious, glorious smile.

Final Fantasy is not about chocobos or airships. But, for those who want tradition, one could say the whole of the animation is spent searching for a summon. Every Final Fantasy is unique and self-contained. It would be unfair to say this animation was based on a game. It was inspired by the series and deserves its independent place in the line. There are themes of life and love that are so very strong. Sakaguchi has said that he took from Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy IX thematically. And, within the animation, the scene between Aki and Gray aboard the Black Boa seems to be a nod to Rinoa and Squall aboard the Ragnarok in FFVIII. And, the final awakening of the Earth's spirit is most definitely from the finale of FFVII.

I absolutely loved Final Fantasy. Forget everything that you think you know. Put all the promos and trailers out of your mind, for they are selling a different movie. Final Fantasy is not about marines fighting aliens. It is not an action fire-fight. Final Fantasy is a drama. Final Fantasy is a tragedy. Final Fantasy is a fantasy.

I have constantly and consciously referred to Final Fantasy as "animation". I am not speaking directly of the CG, rather I am referring to the presence as a whole. Final Fantasy is the most technologically advanced anime ever created. And, I will prove this point. Anime is based on manga. Manga comes from Japan's historic silk panel paintings. For all of Nippon's history, it has told visual stories. Final Fantasy is the latest evolution of this continuing past. Anime and manga are visual. At their best, they can tell a story without words. One only needs to look at the pictures to understand. Final Fantasy is a visual story. Dialogue is essential to explain the Gaia theory, but, beyond that, the magnificent visuals tell the tale.

I don't expect everyone to feel this way about the animation. A great deal of my feelings are personal. I have followed this film for four years, and I had a lot of myself tied up in it. Now, having seen Square's complete masterpiece, I am in absolute awe of the drama, the tragedy, and the fantasy.

I pray Final Fantasy succeeds; Square's fate is bound to it. It is a wonderful story that I absolutely hope attracts many to see. Some will feel betrayed. Some will feel let down. But, I know in my soul, that any fan of anime will appreciate this accomplishment on some level. I do not know if you will like it at much as me. I wish you could feel my joy.

Sakaguchi's story was very close to my heart and affected me very deeply. Ultimately, we will all see the animation. What we get from it... What we come away with... It comes from ourselves and what we bring in and give to the story. If you are willing, you will take a lot with you as you exit the theatre, but if you enter with your arms crossed, you will leave without nourishment and unchanged. I loved Final Fantasy. I can only give it the highest recommendation and praise. You may see it and feel differently. You could like it, you would hate it, or you could be ambivalent. The animation that we see will be the same, but what it does to us is personal, emotional, and spiritual. The drama, the tragedy, and the fantasy all depend on you. Your reactions, the answer, and its meaning come from within.

The Spirit and the Soul : Deconstructing the Science of Final Fantasy.

All life exists as energy. This energy resonates with the pool from which it was born. All life on Earth shares the same resonance. Life energy from another world contains a different spirit wave.

What is the spirit? The spirit is the nonphysical component of life. The spirit is the raw material on which experience and memory is stored. The purpose of life is to live. Simple enough, it is to learn, to grow, and to explore. After the death of the physical body, the spirit returns to its birth pool for its knowledge to spread. The spirit is the substance. It is the stuff that becomes the soul.

What is the soul? The soul is a conscious spirit. The writer does not imply self-aware. Instead, the writer simply means a spirit that has experiences and memories. It is an evolved thing. An infant -- a newborn babe -- has a spirit. An old man has a soul. Spirits are the instruments that carry memories. Memories are the soul.

To put it another way, the spirit and the soul can be compared to an egg. Not every egg hatches. Eggs that do not grow are spirits. But, eggs take give birth to chicks are souls. In this sense, there can be a spirit without a soul, but there cannot be a soul without a spirit.

Every planet contains a spirit, an over-soul of memories from all its life ranging from the simplest amoeba, the tallest tree, the biggest whale, and the most intelligent man. The planet's spirit is a river of energy labeled by Dr. Sid as "Gaia". Although the term is most often identified as referring to the Earth, Dr. Sid uses "Gaia" to refer to the life stream of any planet.

The spirit's actual makeup is bioetheric. A quasi-ectoplasmic zero-point energy, it is something that can be produced and refined. Spirits can be cultured like bacteria. This is because the spirit is a thing. It can be tapped or grown. What are the uses of bioetheric energy? Bioetheric energy comes from zero-point theory. Zero-point is the very basis of Existence. In every point there is infinite energy. This energy makes up the very essence of the Universe. It is what links spirits. While planets may seem as individual, they are all linked. Planets within the same system contain similar resonance. Sister systems are in harmony with each other. And, when all spirits are reunited, they will all be part of one.

But, spirits from Earth and spirits from a planet faraway are not directly compatible. The souls of one will fight the other. They are not in harmony. Because of their diverging wave patterns and the statement that spirits are energy, it is possible for the spirits of one world to cancel out the spirits of another.

A foreign spirit can kill a human by disrupting the man's energy. His spirit will become defused if there is a greater amount of alien energy than his own. The bonds that hold together his spirit simply break, and his soul is lost in the stronger energy.

As to what exactly happens, it is unclear. The man's spirit may return to Gaia or it may be gone. Erased by the greater energy, the man's spirit and soul may simply cease to exist. The Law of Conversation of Mass and Energy states that neither can be destroyed, only converted from one form to another. So, this means that the spirit energy cannot be simply erased; however, it is most certainly not left intact. Contact with a foreign spirit will lead to spiritual death.

The most sound (although gruesome) theory is that when a greater spirit diffuses a lesser energy, the lower spirit is absorbed. Disrupted at the level of zero-point, the diffused energy looses its wave and changes to match that of the superior spirit. What of the soul? The soul -- all experiences and memories -- is lost. It exists with the wave. And, with the spirit so weak and distant, it is reduced back to the most basic blank energy. The birth Gaia's harmony is lost as is any knowledge. The spirit is assimilated into the larger energy. The soul is lost.

This theory also can be extrapolated to the larger linking of Gaias. Close planets contain close harmonies. While two extreme spirits will cancel each other out, leaving only blank bioetheric energy, similar Gaias will only complement each other. This hierarchy will allow for ALL Gaias to link. By tempering alike Gaias, their waves will slowly change until the whole of the Universe is the same. But, then what?

This theory can also work the opposite way. Extreme spirits cancel each other out. So, with the far extremes that exist, it is possible for the Universe to equal itself out. To put it simply, rather than joining together in a singular Universal spirit, there may be a great reduction that burns every Gaia down into only base bioetheric energy. Such an explosion of energy would result in the formation of matter.

Although horribly unsettling, to extrapolate this to the ultimate level, the Universe is a self-perpetuating series of expansions and retractions. An explosion of bioetheric energy creates the Universe. The Universe expands to a point where the majority of the raw energy has become matter. No longer able to grow, its own gravity pulls it back in. The divergent bioetheric energy violently collides reducing all Existence back to base energy which is then converted to matter. Understand? The unsettling part of this theory is that all knowledge gained over countless billions of millennia is lost during every rebirth.

The Universe has expanded at the same constant since its origin. There is no proof that it will ever stop. After all, momentum is on its side. With the eternal evolution, Gaias will become ever more alien and incompatible. But, with the constant expansion, there may never be a rejoining (tempered or sudden). The diversity of life may expand indefinitely. The nature of Existence is to become more than what one is. And, at the same time, to discover what one is. There may be no end, only endless expansion and eternal evolution. Personally, the writer would like to believe this theory.

There is also the question of the soul after it has returned to its Gaia. Does the individuality remain, or does it simply diffuse with like kind into a singular harmony. Selfishly, the writer would like to believe an independence is retained. And, there is evidence of this. The ghosts that began to roam Earth with the alien Gaia's impact could prove that individual souls can depart from the larger spirit. It is suggested, though, that the natural state is rest. The alien souls were awakened. So, the normal state of the Gaia is a singular wave with sleeping souls all lending up their memories. The souls, however, can stir. The Gaia pool is peace. It is tranquility. The typical explanation given to a haunting is that a soul cannot be at peace until something is done. This lends itself to the sleeping Gaia idea. The soul does not want bliss. Or, the soul is too afraid.

Going back to an earlier point about raising blank spirits in a culture, this is proven. Bioetheric energy is used to run the walls of barrier cities. The bioetheric energy is a blank spirit. Could it be the spirit of the Earth? Is it the wave pattern of Earth's Gaia without a soul? It may be; however, it is more likely to be the most base of spirits and not even contain Earth's wave. Why does the writer say this? This is purely speculation. But, when the Copperhead lands at Barrier City #42, a partition of wall is raised to allow the vessel to enter. If the spirit was tuned to Earth's, then the Copperhead should have harmlessly been able to pass through. But, because a gate had to be raised, it suggests that this was blank bioetheric energy. Energy in resonance with Earth's Gaia would not harm a man. But, blank bioetheric energy would cause a human spirit to die. But, one must also ask about what a spirit does to technology. Although Earth's Gaia is harmless to man, the energy may damage electronics. It should damage electronics. Spirits are a form of energy. And, this energy would disrupt the electron flow of circuits.

How is it known bioetheric lasers harmonized to Earth's Gaia are not dangerous to man? Aki Ross uses a bioetheric laser to kill a fragment of alien energy inside Gray Edwards. The focused spirit passes harmlessly through Gray, but it is terminal to the foreign energy. This leads to an amendment to the theory of assimilation of spirits. The alien spirit was completely destroyed. And, there was no spirit to consume it. Actually, there was. The spirit was inside Gray. So, Gray's spirit assimilated the alien energy. But, it was no longer alien energy. The bioetheric laser reduced the alien spirit to pure energy without a wave. It simply dissolved into Gray.

But, what if there is no larger spirit?

To combat foreign spirits, bioetheric weapons are used. They fire pulses or beams of raw energy. It has no memories or experiences. It is an egg that does not hatch. So, what happens to an alien soul that is killed by a bioetheric gun? The rapid exposure to waveless energy causes the spirit to break and dissolve. It dissipates into pure energy. It loses the soul and becomes a raw spirit. The spirit is no longer whole, instead it is now raw at the level of zero-point. And, the energy simply drifts or fades into Earth's Gaia.

These guns may fire Earth's Gaia. It would make sense. They are powered by "Ovule-Paks", essentially batteries of spirit energy that have been cultivated from single-celled organisms. But, the writer does believe that bioetheric guns were pointed at members of DeepEyes. And, if a human is shot with Gaia's wave, theoretically nothing will happen. The spirits are the same. The only footnote would be if the rapid induction of energy, no matter what wave, causes a spirit to break simply because of the speed of the contact. Speed does have a great deal to do with it. A small amount of waveless energy will not disrupt a wave. But, that same small quantity will destroy a wave if the contact is quick. Following this idea, it would explain why the barrier was raised when the Copperhead returned. The barrier was built to be intense. Such a dense bioetheric field would absorb a less strong human spirit... Maybe.

Even though the spirits are of the same wave, the intensity of the barrier may overpower the less strong spirit of a human. This is all extreme speculation, for the bioetheric laser that was used to cure Gray Edwards was very focused and very intense, but it was also very small. It is known that bioetheric guns do cause physical damage such as breaking glass, but glass is not biological. So, again, the minutia can be called into question. It is most likely that bioetheric energy of one wave is harmless to other energy of the same resonance; however, there are always exceptions under the extremes.

For the sake of closure, the writer will hypothesize that while bioetheric lasers used to treat humans with alien spirit energy are tuned to Earth's wave, the majority of bioetheric technology, from guns to barriers, uses blank energy.

This all leads up to the Zeus Cannon. A massive orbital bioetheric laser, it was built to kill spirits. Dr. Sid's concern is that it may damage Earth's Gaia. It can thus be concluded that Zeus fires waveless energy. Rapid waveless energy of the enormity delivered by Zeus would harm Earth's Gaia. It would burn away a part of the pool and revert it to pure energy. Memories would be lost.

Would it not make sense, if the gun was constructed to harm alien bioetheric energy, to have the weapon discharge spirit energy resonating with Earth's Gaia? Yes, it would; however, Zeus is a "weapon". And, it can be simply chalked up to human nature why the energy is blank. All bioetheric technology could use Earth's wave, but why make weapons that can't hurt people too? The military must always think about what to do after the war is over and who the next enemy may be. It is human nature. Why build a giant gun if it will not have the possibility to be used against rebellious or unruly man as well as alien? Those in power wish to remain in power. This paranoia and human greed explains why Zeus uses waveless energy.

One may question why the alien spirits seemingly grew stronger with each hit from the Zeus Cannon. The answer is that they did not. The souls on the surface were destroyed. But, with each shot, the alien Gaia was awakened more and more. The peace was disturbed. More souls woke from their sleep. So, Zeus was killing spirits, but it was also stirring the dormant souls. And, remember "killing" means that the spirits were disrupted to the point that any continuity and consistency were lost. The wave and the soul were destroyed. Remaining would be only singular points of raw bioetheric energy.

The last question deals with Dr. Sid's theory of mirroring the alien Gaia wave with a composite created from pieces of Earth's Gaia. It is true that parallel frequencies will cancel each other out. So, the logic is sound. As for collecting spirits to match the alien wave, it requires a bit of a stretch (as opposed to the solid grounding of everything prior), but it can be explained. Evolution will always create mutation. There will always be unexpected adaptations. So, there could exist pieces of the alien wave in living things on Earth. Further, what this does show is that there is a commonality. Despite the extremes as a whole, reduced to their component pieces, there is a universality. The alien Gaia can be found in slivers on Earth. This could be accounted for as proof of a connection. In the beginning, all waves were the same. The Universe began from a single Gaia. As it grew and evolved, each new planet's Gaia changed in some way. Different waves evolved across galaxies. All are based on the same beat, but all are variations of the rhythm. So, this is why the harmonics of an alien Gaia can be fused together from different spirits on Earth.

As for how the spirits can be collected, just go back to the Ovule-Paks. Spirits can be refined. The spirit's wave is recorded and cultured.

In summation, the spirit is the egg, and the soul is the chick inside the egg. Life exists to become more than what it is. At the end of life, the spirit returns with a soul to its Gaia where its knowledge is shared with all life on the planet. The Gaia is the unifying soul of a planet formed of the composite of all the planet's souls. Every Gaia resonates with an individual wave pattern that is shared by all its spawned spirits. While spirits of the same wave will not affect one another, spirits of differing harmonies will be in chaos. The spirit of greater intensity or size will diffuse the lesser spirit to the point where its wave and soul, if it contains one, become lost. The lesser energy becomes blank and is absorbed into the stronger spirit.

Spirits are bioetheric energy, a manifestation, collection, and evolution of zero-point energy. This energy is present in all living things and can be cultured and refined. Bioetheric energy can be stored in Ovule-Paks and devices of similar design. The energy can be routed and transformed for a multitude of purposes.

All life is born of Gaia, and each life has a spirit. Each new spirit is housed in a physical body. Both the spirit and the body are of the Universe. We are all one, equal with the worms, the fishes, the lions, and the trees. Our bodies are stardust, and our souls are manufactured from the energy within every point of space. We are told by both genetic intuition and a cosmic memory to go beyond the next hill. We have left the caves, formed communities, built great empires, and crossed oceans all because of this same Truth. Our very reason for breath is to find out who and what we are. We are to grow and become more. We are to evolve and relearn that long-dead suns course through our veins. We are the grass. We are the sheep. We are the wolf.

We are the planet. We are the star. We are the Universe.

Amendments:

FinalFantasy.com revealed the official spellings of two terms used above. Bioetheric is correctly written as "bio-etheric". Ovule-pak is "ovo-pac".

After a second viewing of the film, the writer is now aware that bio-etheric guns were NOT at any time pointed at humans. While in the Copperhead, only pistols were aimed. And, when General Hein commandeered the barrier control room, his soldiers were armed with assault rifles. In both cases, the weapons fired traditional bullets. A bullet is seen in Aki's breast plate, and the shots from the assault rifles passed straight through Phantoms while ripping apart electronics and machinery behind them.

Something interesting to note is that the fire from bio-etheric guns is absorbed by Phantoms. The first few shots will dissolve inside the spirit mass, weakening it. It takes a third or fourth discharge to break through and kill the alien.

Bio-etheric shots will do physical damage. In addition to shattering glass, holes are left in walls, and rocks are broken apart. And, Dr. Sid makes note that the bio-etheric lasers used to eliminate alien spirits within humans are at a relatively low intensity. He tells that as the foreign spirits move deeper into a body, the laser's power must be increased. There have been cases where the stronger spirit laser terminally hurt or killed the human soul.

This does re-raise the hypothesis that medical bio-etheric lasers are tuned to Earth's spirit. It does confirm that density of the spirit is very important, and this is why the barrier was raised to allow the Copperhead to return. The writer still holds onto the idea that spirits of the same wave are naturally harmless to one another. So, this may mean that the medial lasers are waveless energy. The lower intensity allows it to diffuse the minute alien energy while not affecting the greater human soul.

"Ovo-pac" and "fuel cell" were used interchangeable in the dialogue. Ovo-pacs are used for more than simply ammunition for guns. The quatro stored in the Black Boa runs on ovo-pacs. The vehicle takes at least two of the spirit batteries to power it. The ovo-pacs used are the same ones fitted to guns. This gives a startling revelation as to just the amount of power stored in one of these cells. Jane drains her ovo-pac to kill a large Phantom in Tucson. If three or four ovo-pacs can power a vehicle for a sustained period of time, the amount of energy the woman released at a single instant into a Phantom is numbing.

The dialogue on the Zeus Cannon mentions that ovo-pacs are used in its powering. The specifics are vague as the satellite's generator wings were clearly seen opening heat sinks during its pre-fire phase. To arrantly speculate the energy systems within Zeus, the satellite's power generators create a vast wealth of waveless energy that is funneled into a series of megalithic ovo-pacs. The large ovo-pacs contain the amassed spirit from the generators and then release the bio-etheric energy into the barrel at a single moment. (There are currently electrical experiments that use a superconductor to cycle electricity gained from days of directly tapping a series of dynamos. The superconductor then discharges the built-up electricity in one hundredth of a second. The amount of power is equivalent to all the energy used in Las Vegas in one year.) This idea does make technical sense; however, it is pure assumption. What is known is that at some point in Hein's repeated firing of the gun, the ovo-pacs run dry and the generators lock up. The system needs time to produce more energy to put into the energy cells. More importantly, though, the generators are burning up and need time to cool. Hein, however, over-rides all the safety locks and attempts to manually fire the gun. (It is so human to build a physical trigger onto a giant gun.) Because the ovo-pacs are empty, the generators must directly fuel the barrel, but they cannot take the strain. This leads to the Zeus's destruction, concluding in the waveless energy exploding from the generators and all the satellite's linking conduits.

Zeus - Part of the Bush Defense Plan.

I just saw Final Fantasy again tonight with two close friends. Afterwards, we spoke about a variety of things...

Hein being Seifer
The Holy / Gaia summon over the North / Leonid crater
The humanness of the trigger in Zeus

I mentioned this in one of my larger pieces, but it is just SO human to build a physical trigger onto the giant gun. I mean, can you imagine the development meetings for the Zeus Cannon?

ENGINEER
There is a safety system that will automatically lock the gun if the reactors reach a critical level.

GENERAL
Could you build a manual override to the safety?

ENGINEER
But, sustained fire after the reactors are critical could result in substantial damage if not an explosion.

GENERAL
Yes, but could you install a physical trigger so the gun could be manually fired?

ENGINEER
Again, firing after the system is locked could destroy it. We added the safeties to prevent just this sort of thing.

GENERAL
Understood, but could you build a manual trigger that would still fire the gun despite any electronic locks.

ENGINEER
This would destroy the Zeus!

GENERAL
Could you build a trigger?

ENGINEER
It could be done...

GENERAL
It WILL be done!

Links.

FinalFantasy.com - Official US site
FF-Movie.net - Official Japanese site
Fate_v2.mov - The best trailer


Official US site 12.30.2001
Tatara vs. Space-Tatara.

On the first of the month, the Sage Page posed to the BBS a question: What was the Sage Page's event of the year? There were five candidates.

1. Sage's Ronin Page redesign. Remember this? Remember how much the page has changed since the start of the year? This was the first major upgrade to the HTML since first going online in 1996. Now, we've got a racing stripe.

2. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within coverage. Hisashi Suzuki, Square Co. Ltd.'s CEO and president, steps down from his position on this date (1 December) because of the financial failure of The Spirits Within. The Sage Page's Final Fantasy coverage was obsessive, unhealthy, and thorough. Tatara's "The drama, the tragedy, the fantasy" can now be found mirrored on other FF sites, and Tatara was accused of working for Sony Pictures because of its absolute commentary. There is then "The Spirit and the Soul : Deconstructing Final Fantasy", Tatara's look at the science and religion of Gaia. Sakaguchi's mother was named Aki.

3. 11 September coverage. 11 September 2001 is a defining date that will continue to shape the world for the century to come. The images. The actions. The words. It was something that made us change. It was something that made us feel. It was something that made us fight. The Sage Page reported on 11 September. A mixture of original articles and reports of stories from Kyodo News, this tragic event saw the first use of multiple daily posts and special reports from Sage Page News.

4. Ronin Warriors on DVD. The biggest (and only) RW story in a long time, Yoroiden Samurai Troopers is coming to DVD on 23 April 2002. The only question is how much has the Sage Page covered it? A developing story, the Sage Page was actually said very little.

5. The return of the Ronin Reserve. I really don't want to event put this up, but before someone asks why it's not, I'm including this. 2001 saw the return of the RR with Epyon and Epyon 2. This is the second half of the story, now focusing on Yost's daughter, Gunshy Claudia. Again, how much has the Sage Page covered it? Still, it is one of Tatara's site.

As for the results, RW on DVD was the runaway winner with 63.2% of the votes. Honestly, did you think anything else would even come close? This is a RW site (at least in theory), so it was pretty much predetermined that this would come away the sure victor. And, honestly, RW on DVD is a big story. It's huge news. But, I haven't done that much reporting. This contest was to find the Sage Page's event of the year. While RW on DVD is huge, the Sage Page hasn't actually done that much. So, out of fairness, I must remove this nominee.

What's left?

The Sage Page redesign got 15.8% of the votes. The 11 September coverage came away with 10.5%. The return of the Ronin Reserve and the Final Fantasy coverage tided in last place with each netting 5.3% of the ballots.

When looking over the messages in the BBS pertaining to the contest, there was one constantly repeated sentiment. The BBS. The BBS should be the event of the year. I must concur, for I had not considered this or simply lumped it with the redesign. And, looking back over the year, the BBS was the biggest site event.

That's that.

Right?

Wrong.

This is my site, so I've got to overrule everything said previously and choose my own event of the year. So, who does this coup d'etat install in the throne? Aki Ross. I simply loved Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. And, I'm going to stand fast against the cheap shots still being tossed at Sakaguchi's masterpiece. We've got to remember that I've been charged with working for Square because my review of the film was so positive. If I do work for Square, I've yet to see a single paycheck, so I must submit that I -- in fact -- do not work for Square.

Tomorrow is the final day of 2001.

Tatara is going to repost his Final Fantasy review, deconstruction, and assorted other scraps. On 1 January 2002, Tatara will get to his massive praise for Godzilla vs. Space-Godzilla.


12.29.2001
Blue Sailor-Suit Dream.

With the end of the year only days away, the Sage Page starts its retrospective. Today, we look at Tatara's regrets of dreams unfulfilled, lands unconquered, and loves unrequited.

As far as the Sage Page goes, there are two things that went undone over the past year. The first was an RPG. It was talked about, talked about, and talked about. The BBS RPG was going to launch with Epyon and then with Epyon 2. The basis for the game was to put players in command of Personal Armors in a JDF-M squad. It would be a mission-based side story full of fighting Set. The problem was in the game system, balancing stats, combat, and story. So, with Epyon 2 close to its own end, there is still no RPG.

The RPG was something I had wanted to do this past year, but it never came out. We will see what happens in 2002.

The second bit of unbuilt castle is in the realm of contests. The Sage Page had plans to give away a few bottles of Ramune, but logistics, capital, and an addiction to DVDs prevented any contests from actually happening. The big contest was going to take place at the end of August in conjunction with the US premiere of Digimon Tamers.

So, what was the contest? Tataramon. Either draw or describe what Tataramon looks like and provide the essential stats. There'd be two winners, the first going to my favorite and the second going to the one closest to my vision.

We'll see what happens in '02. Digimon Scanners is coming.

Those were the Sage Page's two big regrets from 2001. Sure, there're other things. ADV has yet to buy the site up. I've yet to get free DVDs. There are far too few anime charas named Tatara. Spike Spencer doesn't write me with weekly exclusives. Kaze No Yojimbo shows no signs of coming to the US. I haven't been offered a job at Cartoon Network of Animeigo. I'm not dating a Misa Hayase cosplayer.

I'd like to go back and expand on one of the above grievances: There are far too few anime charas named Tatara.

From where I stand, it is only a matter of time until Gainax or Xebec decide to make some kind of spacy noir animation. They'll be in need of a name for the protagonist. The hero will naturally have a sword -- a big sword. Let's just say he has a no-dachi. Now, to make this sword special and tie it into history, the massive blade will be said to have been made in the tatara iron-making process. Thus, we also come upon the hero's family name... Tatara. As for his personal name, let's make it different, foreign. We'll make it American. We'll make it Christian. The name of the first Pope. The leader of the Apostles. So, we come upon our protagonist's full name... Peter Tatara.

It's only a matter of time until Gainax or Xebec stumble upon this idea.

The only question that remains is what kind of handgun the hero should use.


12.28.2001
What's to look forward to in 2002? It looks like Roger Smith may continue to negotiate in Big-O 2. Well see Megaman get his own animation in Rockman.EXE. There's also confirmation on Zoids 3 and more digital monsters in Digimon Scanners.

Outlaw Star: Sword of Wind remains dead. But, there is more information on the series that will never be. "Sword of Wind" is the name of Gene's new spaceship, built by Dr. Sputnik. Something happened to the XGP.

In the videogame world, look for Capcom to be releasing DragonBall vs. Capcom. We'll also see Akira Psychoball, an ever-changing pinball game for the PS2 with an Akira theme. Team Neo Blood gives us Guilty Gear XX, featuring new charas Slayer and Bridget. Zato One will be absent because of his seiyuu's passing. Instead of giving the chara a new voice actor, Zato has been retired from all future Guilty Gear titles.

Guilt Gear's blind Zato One was probably based on Zatoichi, a blind samurai popular in recent Japanese history. There were 26 Zatoichi films between 1962 and 1989 as well as a 50+ episode television series. Director Takeshi Miike has plans to resurrect the swordsman in a new film in 2002.


12.27.2001
Jin-Roh fans, listen up. Everyone else, you can continue to sleep.

A while back, I posted a link to Kaiyodo's Protect Gear. I've got some gear news about the Gear. Toycom will be releasing the Japanese figure (in the Japanese packaging) in the US. Behold.

That is all.


12.26.2001
Tonight, UPN is airing another episode of their awful, awful Iron Chef USA. Honestly, if someone asks you why people hate America, point to IC USA. Nothing but explosions, lights, colors, and more explosions, it is the most ugly and stereotypical American abomination I've ever seen. Of course, I am an Iron Chef fan, and I am going to watch it.

Sci Fi is airing the big name hit The Hidden also at 9 PM. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Nouri, and Claudia Christian.


12.25.2001
Food Network did their Emeril's All Star Holiday Bash last night.

It was an amazing surprise to see Alton Brown involved. They even gave him his own theme. Wait, it's Christmas and Tatara is talking about some guy on Food Network named Alton Brown?

Yes.

Alton Brown is an amazing, intellectual, and witty Food Network personality who hosts Good Eats. It's ReBoot as a cooking show hosted by Jon Stewart. That makes no sense, but it's true. Alton Brown is just an astounding person. (Perhaps an internship with him.) A former music video director, he does a cooking show out of his home in Atlanta. (Not far from CN's headquarters.) It's a mix of pop culture, askew humour, and slanted charm and writing. He's Food Network's black sheep. And, he gets the last word.

I'm just a really big fan of Alton Brown. He runs an unconventional cooking show. And, I run an unconventional anime website.

Of course, Bobby Flay was also there. They had him outside grilling turkeys.


12.24.2001
It's Christmas Eve. That means it's time to eat Christmas Cake.

Christmas Cake? What's a Christmas Cake? The Christmas Cake is the centerpiece of the Japanese Christmas. They celebrate Christmas in Japan? Isn't it a Shinto country? Yes, they celebrate Christmas. And, yes, it is a Shinto country. The Japanese Christmas is a purely commercial affair (while America still pretends it has to do with religion).

With that, Tatara now dons the vestments of an Iron Chef and submerges to make a traditional Christmas Cake...

For sponge cake:
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/5 cup butter

For whipping cream:
2 cups heavy cream
4 tbsp sugar
16 pieces whole strawberry

How to Prepare:
1.Put butter in a round cake pan. (8 inches round pan)
2.Put eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a bowl and whisk very well.
3.Sift flour and cornstarch and add to the bowl above.
4.Add melted butter in the bowl also and mix them quickly.
5.Pour the batter into the cake pan.
6.Put in a 350-degree oven for 30-40 min.
7.Remove the cake from the pan and cool it on a rack.
8.Cut the cake in half horizontally.
9.Mix heavy cream and sugar in a bowl.
10.Whip the cream well.
11.Slice 8 pieces of strawberries into thin pieces.
12.Take the half of the whipped cream and mix the sliced strawberries.
13.Place the cream on top of a round cake slice.
14.Place another cake slice on top of the cream.
15.Spread the rest of the whipped cream on top and around the cake.
16.Decorate the cake with 8 pieces of strawberries.


12.23.2001
I'm reaching...

Earth: Final Conflict returns to Sci-Fi on January 2. Blade Runner is on tonight at 8. Cube is on at 4. Next week, Sci-Fi's doing a Godzilla festival with the US premiere of the four most recent Japanese films. Also, FOX is airing the controversial Futurama Christmas special tonight at 9:30. The episode was a part of last year's season, but has never aired until now.


12.22.2001
Extreme Freelance Police.

I'd like to thank Food Network for their Iron Chef official book. My copy came today, and it is just an amazing, intelligence, informative, exhaustive, and shocking account of Iron Chef. Of course, having it autographed by Morimoto doesn't detract.

The book is incredible. Did you know that Kobe only fought in 23 battles or that Morimoto was only in 24?

And, it's hard cover.

The book is wonderful. Also, we have another installment of UPN's horrific Iron Chef USA to look forward to the day after Christmas. On the plus side, Iron Chef: Revenger Finale, the third round of Morimoto vs. Flay, will air in March 2002. (Note that FujiTV, Food Network, Masaharu Morimoto, and Bobby Flay have not yet agreed to this terminal battle with the loser committing seppuku, but with RW coming out on DVD, it could happen.)

The Sage Page may do a doujin. I've got to finish Treize & Garma: Freelance Police first.

I'd also like to say that while there are a lot of holiday specials airing, the only one worth watching is Die-Hard.


12.21.2001
Okinawa Beach Party.

With the holidays fast upon us, everyone's stopped doing work. ADV's not talking about the EVA set they may or may not be releasing. Toonami's not talking about what shows may or may not appear. Bandai's not telling us anything else about Zoids or Ronin Warriors. Animeigo are the only people still working, it appears.

Macross has finally begun shipping.

Animeigo is documenting it the whole way. I'd like to work there more and more. And, if all my CN animation plans fall through, I'm confident I could potentially use Animeigo as a backup. Perhaps an internship next summer.

Anyway, as Tatara eagerly awaits his pending Super Dimensional Fortress to arrive, the Christmas Cake extravaganza is upon us.

Remember, Ramune makes a great gift!


12.20.2001
The Bebop - Macross Credit Card Tightrope.

From Animeigo...

The trucking company that swore on a stack of bibles that we'd get 1800 box sets on Wednesday, then backed off and said it would be Thursday, is now promising to sacrifice their firstborn male children if they aren't here by 10AM on Friday.

Meanwhile, the other trucking company that's delivering a mere 200 box sets (shipped 2 days after the 1800 box sets) just called to say that they would indeed deliver them today, as promised...

...at 11PM tonight.

We have a picture expressing the staff's feelings regarding this, but my mother won't let me post it, and their mothers would kill me if I did.


12.19.2001
12866.

Tatara is pleased for you to meet the newest paid member of Park Productions... Himself. Starting next semester, he gets money for doing all the stuff he's been doing for free.

The official US Escaflowne movie site has launched at EscaMovie.com.

The folks at Animeigo have posted pictures of the Macross shipping process.

You know that CD included in the Cowboy Bebop boxed set? It IS OST 1. The Japanese JVC soundtrack is literally inside the box.

And, indisputable proof that Japan will one day take over the world.


12.18.2001
Who Dares, Wins.

DragonBall GT is coming. FUNi, more than aware that DBZ is almost over, has begun their domestication plans for Grand Tour. The series will come to the US splint into two seasons. Season One will conclude with episode 37 and Goku's ascension to SSJ4. Season Two is 38 to 64. That's it. Then, there's no more DragonBall ever.

Except the remainder of the original DB which still has to be ported.

Also, Final Fantasy X was released today.


12.17.2001
Wild Eagle Ballad.

I'd like you to meet the Panasonic DMR-E20S. She's are recordable DVD player, and she'd like to come home with you.

If you still have some money in your pocket, there's the Robotech min-busts.

That's all the news. Really.


12.16.2001
One week until the Christmas Cake (Disaster).

Here's the New Year's Eve-il lineup...

12.0: Dragon Ball Z - The Warrior's Decision
12.5: Dragon Ball Z - Final Atonement
1.0: Dragon Ball Z - No More Rules
1.5: Dragon Ball Z - Gohan's Hidden Powers
2.0: Gundam Wing - The Sorrowfull Battle (Uncut)
2.5: Tenchi Muyo! - Kagato
3.0: Mobile Suit Gundam - Escape
3.5: Batman - The Last Laugh

This will be the first airing of Gundam's finale.

In addition to Baby Blues and Mission Hill, look for the Aquaman and Friends Hour to be in the pool in 2002. Tonight's Adult Swim will conclude with an airing of "Sympathy for the Devil", a Bebop episode never before seen on CN. Next week, "Waltz for Venus", also never seen, will be seen.


12.15.2001
Put your credit card away before continuing.

Why? Last night, Iron Chef featured Takashi Mesa, the chef with the longest knife in Japan. During the episode, I was searching for more information on Mesa-san. I also went to ChefMorimoto.com to see how Morimoto was doing. You should be aware that Food Network released an Iron Chef book domestically earlier this year. (It's the translation of the first of the FujiTV books.) Through the summer, I went to local bookstores, but no one carried it. And, I never got around to ordering it off the net. Until now.

For $28, you can own the Iron Chef guidebook autographed by Masaharu Morimoto. I ordered mine last night without so much as a second thought. Honestly, this is an amazing offer. How often do you get a chance to own a book autographed by an Iron Chef? It's just such an thing that can only make me smile.

(Of course, I'm going to have to do a balancing act to stay under my credit limit with the assorted DVD sets I've got coming.)

Animeigo's Macross is finally upon us, 2000 units shipping daily starting on December 18. Animeigo got their first production copy of the set and are already having fun. After over a year long delay, we're all going to be bowing before the discs. Note that that's Shin Kurokawa, the man responsible for the delay because he can see video problems no one else can. We all thank you, Kurokawa. Really. You should be getting as much praise as Pioneer did for cleaning up Akira.

Animeigo invited Macross World to watch a few episodes. Here's the review.

Also, here's a little bit in interesting trivia. Where was Animeigo born? Ithaca. So, if my Samurai Jack intern plans don't pan out, Tatara could seriously probably get a position at Animeigo. Animeigo, though, is no longer based in Ithaca. Believe me, if it was, you'd have heard a lot sooner than now.

Brent Stait left Andromeda because of makeup complications and personal reasons. Rev Bem will die in early season three. Strait may be getting out at the right time, as the official site's posted a look into the future, showcasing their policy of dumbing down the series and increasing the quota of hot alien babes. Romie has blue hair why?

Of course, the producers have issued an assuring letter to all fans...

The fans of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda have raised concerns regarding the departure of Robert Hewitt Wolfe. We want you to know that the producers and cast stand united in this response to those concerns.

First, we appreciate Robert's contribution to Andromeda. The series is highly successful, in part, because of his efforts. However, it is important to note that the development of Andromeda was initially a collective effort of Fireworks, Tribune and the Roddenberry estate, who collected many of Gene's original concepts and shaped them into the vibrant story ideas and scripts that represent the series today. Fireworks and Tribune have been integrally involved every step of the way, from casting to final execution.

From it's inception, Andromeda has been an action oriented hour with the character of Dylan at the center, supported by a fantastic ensemble cast that has evolved around him. It has never been our intention to veer away from the rich story lines or multi-dimensional characters that we have all come to enjoy.

We are very grateful for your support of the series. Andromeda is the #1 weekly hour in syndication for the second year in a row in the U.S., and performs extraordinarily well all around the world. Our intention is to fully maintain the quality of this unique franchise that is Andromeda for many years to come.

We all care very deeply about the show, and invite you to keep watching. You'll find through future episodes, that we are all working diligently to produce the best sci-fi series on television.

Stargate-SG1 is actually the "#1 weekly hour in syndication".

Tenchi Muyo will be back on Toonami in January as will new episodes of DragonBall. Baby Blues will be coming to Adult Swim. Mission Hill will also make its debut in the pool a bit later. Further, the block may expand to pick up the 9 PM hour.


12.14.2001
I won a VCD last night.

Zoids ends its Toonami run on 12.31. But, with the current schedule, the final five episodes in the second run will be cut off. Because CN's always thinking about you, the last five episodes will from 12.31.2001 to 1.4.2002 at 6:30 AM. If that's too early and you have yet to master your VCR, remember that the series will be released on DVD in April.

Care for a generally favorable review of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust? You can currently preorder the DVD, and incase you haven't heard any of the other thousand times I've stated this, there is no Japanese language track because the animation was made with English as its primary language. Stop freaking out.

Square is currently selling Square Pictures because of the nasty, mean, and bad people that didn't like The Spirits Within. Square will still be involved peripherally while the new owner will be the dominant partner. In addition, Square Pictures will be doing contract work.

Still, Square Pictures isn't dead yet. Before being renamed and remodeled, the studio will release a CG prequel to The Matrix. It's going to be so ironic when everyone praises the CG Matrix because it was their intial bashing of Square's first movie that killed the company.


12.13.2001
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has released the list of films being considered to the first ever Animated Picture oscar. The list is as follows...

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
Marco Polo: Return to Xanadu
Monsters, Inc.
Osmosis Jones
The Prince of Light
Shrek
The Trumpet of the Swan
Waking Life

Now, there should be something very noticeable almost instantly upon viewing the list. That's right, Jin-Roh and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust are nowhere to be found but Jimmy Neutron and Osmosis Jones make the list? I'm sorry, but I'm just a bit confused. Jimmy Neutron over Jin-Roh? Osmosis Jones over Vampire Hunter D? What kind of jingoistic criminals were on the film review board?

Jin-Roh was rejected because it was screened in Paris in December of '99. VHD didn't make the list because of missing paperwork. (The Academy didn't even look at Blood because it was "too short".) In other words, they made up excuses. Urban Vision will soon be releasing a public statement expressing their concern / anger / abject hatred.

Of course, the most technically advanced anime of all time, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within did make the list. I've already prepared my remarks for when Shrek beats it.


12.12.2001
801st Tactical Training Squadron of Japan's Air Self Defense Force.

Shigeru Komatsuzaki died December 7 of heart failure. The 86-year-old illustrator and model designer began his career as an illustrations artist after WWII with cover art for shounen magazines. He did some character designs for Toho's The Mysterians and advertising art for the SF novel series Atragon and worked for Imai designing Thunderbirds and the Nitto Gamera kits.

Hayao Miyazaki was honored on December 7 with the 49th Kikuchi Cultural Prize. Ichiro Suzuki got one too.

Endless Waltz was supposed to air on Friday. It's not. Instead, we're getting "Zoids Cubed", four episodes back to back to back to back. I'm not complaining.

I got more on Tenchi Muyo GXP. Here's the current seiyuu list...

Shigeru Mogi as Seina Yamada
Mariko Suzuki as Kaunaq Amane
Kumi Sakuma as Kiriko Masaki
Aya Hisakawa as Ryoko Balouta
Miss Yuuko Mizutani as Mitoto Kuramitu

Of course, there's also a new trailer.

Devil Hunter Yohko and 801 TTS Airbats are coming to DVD because they can. I'm going to pick up Airbats. I don't know why.


12.11.2001
Rinbu Dance Remix. There is literally no news today, aside from TRSI problems and a guy dropping out of school with my Nadesico DVDs, so Tatara's going to reveal part of his December machinations early...

For sponge cake:
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/5 cup butter

For whipping cream:
2 cups heavy cream
4 tbsp sugar
16 pieces whole strawberry

How to Prepare:
1.Put butter in a round cake pan. (8 inches round pan)
2.Put eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a bowl and whisk very well.
3.Sift flour and cornstarch and add to the bowl above.
4.Add melted butter in the bowl also and mix them quickly.
5.Pour the batter into the cake pan.
6.Put in a 350-degree oven for 30-40 min.
7.Remove the cake from the pan and cool it on a rack.
8.Cut the cake in half horizontally.
9.Mix heavy cream and sugar in a bowl.
10.Whip the cream well.
11.Slice 8 pieces of strawberries into thin pieces.
12.Take the half of the whipped cream and mix the sliced strawberries.
13.Place the cream on top of a round cake slice.
14.Place another cake slice on top of the cream.
15.Spread the rest of the whipped cream on top and around the cake.
16.Decorate the cake with 8 pieces of strawberries.

You know what this is, right? If not, I'll explain Sunday when I start down the road to horrible, horrible failure. If you want a miracle, make one.

That's it from this proud member of Park Productions, ASIC, BRIC, and STOIC (also a member of ICAS). I'm so glad I'm not going to attempt another RR series in the spring.


12.10.2001
One-Giri.

Japan Today has an article simply titled Japanese anime badly marketed in U.S.

A&E's The Lost Battalion premiered at the start of the month and is now availabe on DVD. It's the beautifully filmed story of the 308th Battalion.

Vote for the Sage Page's event of the year. Read the latest on RW on DVD.


12.9.2001
In chaos you tend to show your true flags.

Recently, a documentary on hentai aired on Canadian TV. You can watch it streamed in its entirety. This isn't the typical "Japanimation is bad" five minute news report from News Channel 9 out of Kansas City that condemns the ungodly medium by showing three seconds from Toshinden. Instead, Lust & Tentacles: Hentai comes to the West is a thorough, mature, and authoritative overview and exploration of H anime. It is graphic with explicit scenes, so it's not for everyone, but the frankness and sheer amount of information contained within make it an excellent watch if your interest in Japanese animation is goes deeper than Dragon Ball.

Yesterday, the History Channel aired Horror in the East, an exhaustive record of Japan's imperialism campaign.

A fourth Digimon series has been announced in Japan. Starting a week after the end of Tamers, this new animation is currently titled Digimon Scanners. Before Tamers concludes, though, the sixth Digimon movie, Runaway Digimon Express, will come into Japanese theatres and be Ruki-centric.

ADV and TRSI have teamed up to bring you an offer that you can't resist. Maybe. That pinnacle of plot and drama, Burn Up W is now available for limited time on DVD with a long out-of-production Burn Up shirt. Click here for more information.

Vote for the Sage Page's event of the year. Read the latest on RW on DVD.


12.8.2001
It's snowing for the first time in Ithaca.

Yesterday, every channel was required to do a Pearl Harbor special. And, personally, I hate when the History Channel tries to be popular. My time went to TLC's Hell in the Pacific, a retelling of the entire Pacific campaign through archival color footage and interviews with American and Japanese veterans. Of course, Food Network's Pearl Harbor special was also quite good.

As reported yesterday in the BBS by Amanda, Inu-Yasha is coming to American. Here's the stats...

Inu-Yasha: Richard Cox (male Ranma's second VA; what's ultra cool about this is that in Japan, Ranma and Inu-Yasha also have the same VA, Kappei Yamaguchi. I think Richard Cox also does Kai in Mobile Suit Gundam.)

Kagome Higurashi: Moneca Stori (Catherine Bloom and Sally Po in Gundam Wing.)

Kikyou: Willow Johnson (Kasumi Tendou in Ranma 1/2.)

Souta Higurashi: Saffron Henderson (Oh boy. Who DOESN'T she do? -_- At least this probably means she won't be doing Shippou.... hey, she's good at little boys, but there ARE other voice actors out there!)

Kaede: Pay Hyatt

Kaze No Yojimbo remains unknown in American and loved by only Tatara. (I have found the official sites... Starchild. NTV. Sugoi.)

CPM has finally aqcuired the rights to episodes 14-26 of Utena, meaning the Black Rose saga will gets its official US release. Akio Car will come to the states by 2021.

Today's Medarot was quite good.

Vote for the Sage Page's event of the year. Read the latest on RW on DVD.


12.7.2001
7 December.

Tatara's Pearl Harbor speech. It is no secret that I am attracted to World War II. It was the distillation, crystallization, and coalescence of history, and everything that we are today is a result of that war. Everything that humanity will be is a result of that war. It could have ended very differently. On 20 April 1946, Germany would launch the Horten Amerika Bomber to drop a Nazi atom bomb on New York City. In September '45, Japan had plans to drop bubonic plague from Shinden fighters over San Francisco. Before the end of August, America was going going to launch a nuclear strike over Tokyo. The war could have ended very differently.

Pearl Harbor was the start of America's military involvement. Japan brought the United States into World War II. Part of my attraction to WWII is the simplicity of virtue in the war. Looking at it, one can clearly see Good and Evil. Good and Evil, though, are cultural things. Soldiers fighting under the Star and Stripes, Iron Cross, and Rising Sun all fought for what they believed in. We are taught that Pearl Harbor was the evil Japanese Empire's dastardly sneak attack on innocent America. America was already economically involved. Short of soldiers, United States was already supporting Britannia. As for the dastardly sneak attack: There was the Japanese consul. There were radio spikes. There were rumors. There were bargains. There were lies. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt needed an entrance into the Greatest War.

My great uncle served in World War II. Born September 1, 1910, he fought with the Eighth Armored Division and achieved the rank of First Sergeant. I always admired him. And, through my childhood, he filled my head with stories of half-tracks and stolen SS jackets. Then, with my adolescence, the stories stopped. For the past four years I pondered approaching him maturely about the topic of the war. I wanted to get his memories down. I wanted to record his past. I fought with myself. Clearly, this was a selfish thing. I was worried tremendously with bringing up memories of horrors and death. I did not want in any way to hurt him. I finally settled to speak with him this coming Christmas. Bernard Wojcik died alone in his home on November 22, 2001. Now, I cannot ask him about his fighting. I cannot ask him about the most important conflict in the world's history. The future was decided in the mud of Europe, sand of Africa, and seas of the Pacific. My great uncle was a real person who fought in this mythic engagement. I never told him how I felt. I never told him how much I respected him. I didn't want to hurt him. Now, it's too late. I don't have a chance anymore. Bernard is gone, and I am sorry. I am sorry that I never told him how much I loved him. In my past, he had given me so many possessions. From winter hats and old boots to a military cap and his bronze star, they are all physical pieces of his life. Over Christmas, I want to go through his things. I know he has captured German flags, daggers, and bayonets. Does he have letters? Recordings of his thoughts? I can have as many war trophies as I want, but none will tell me what it was like behind the broken wall of a bombed-out French chateau with gunpowder and blood in the air. I can read every authoritative book on MacArthur. I can watch every documentary on Rommel. What can I not do? Learn the movements, advances, retreats, tactics, and thoughts of Uncle Bernie. I am sorry, but no matter how many words I write, they accomplish nothing. His personal stories. His personal memories. He is gone. No one will ever know.

On 7 December 1942, Bernard Wojcik was on his back porch in Amsterdam, New York. It was there he learned that Japan had attacked America.

There are now fourteen random OP images on this website's introduction page. You can see them all in the art gallery if you don't care to keep reloading the splash page. I'm proud of this project. The origin starts with the old DFFQI mastheads. I had then reworked them and added new pieces to create a series of entry images to ASIC's site. (Note, though, that ASIC has yet to let me redo their site [with a sexy Lemnear background].) The Sage Page represents a coming home to these pictures. They've been given a new orientation and new design. I'm proud. I'm proud that I can finally put these pictures on the Sage Page. I was not going to up them online until 1 January 2002. They would be a New Year's present and signifier of things changing and staying the same. I want to take the Sage Page in a new direction, but I have to ask myself what that will do. Do I really want to make a website with content identical to every other site on the web? But, this is something I will address later. I chose to add the OP images today as an early New Year's present as well as a Pearl Harbor present. Included in the cycle of pictures is one of the Yamato in dock.

Last night, Tatara attended a lecture and reception featuring documentarian Ken Burns. He now joins the (short) list of personalities, starting with actress Claudia Christian, to have been interviewed by the Sage Page. Tatara posed to Mr. Burns: If you could chose a contemporary filmmaker to take on the project of producing a documentary on your life, who would it be?

"No one. I'm not worthy."


12.6.2001
Fluegel Fairy Buster Revolution Shine!

Tatara's busy today attending a talk given by Ken Burns. So, let's see what links he can throw at you...

Jin-Roh Action Figure. Buy this now. Jin-Roh is an amazing animation, and this figure is an amazing piece of art.

Digimon Tamers: Battle Evolution. Bandai Japan finally has an official site for this game. It's what we've always wanted. It's a Digimon fighter. Omegamon vs. Imperial Dramon. What more need I say?

Papillon Rose. The Sage Page continues to regurgitate this site. One thing to note is that Papillon Rose has A LOT to do with Utena. The Sailor Moon aspects are obvious, but from the music, to the logo, to the poses, to some of the animation style, it all comes from La Fillette Revolutionnaire.

New Year's Eve-il. Vote for Treize in CN's New Year's Eve-il poll.

Zero. Tecmo's website has some wonderul, spooky, and kawaii graphics. Plus, two stunning wallpapers.

Don't forget...

Vote for the Sage Page's event of the year. Read the latest on RW on DVD.


12.5.2001
The black projects are coming! With the coming start of the year, the Sage Page is going to implement several gimmicks and stunts. Already on the main page is a countdown to 4.23.2002. Also, the splash page has been randomized. This is something I've wanted to do since this past July but didn't devote any time to learning the CGI. Now, it's started. Only the main Seiji collage and the "Love" pic from the gallery are currently in the loop. (Love was originally created for the random slash, but it's just been sitting in the gallery since summer.) I'm just very happy with the random splash. Reload the the intro page and you'll get a different picture. This is something I really wanted to do, and now it's begun.

I never got around to the Tataramon contest, though.

We've got a pair of images. First is the Wanted poster of Treize from New Year's Eve-il (The CN page will be gone in a month, so I uploaded it to AngelFire) and second is a thought-provoking and educational thesis on the deconstruction of Wufei.

The Vampire Hunter D 2000 DVD won't include a Japanese language track. I reported this before. Why am I stating it again? This time, I'm talking about the Japanese DVD.

Vote for the Sage Page's event of the year. Read the latest on RW on DVD.


12.4.2001
Vote Treize!

Outlaw Star is back on the Midnight Run. (Outlaw Star 2: Sword of Wind remains unmade.) Also, Toonami.com has Zoids chara bios and the New Year's Eve-il poll. Last year, New Year's Evil was a whole bunch of DBZ. This year, viewers pick their favorite Toonami baddies and the winner stars in a marathon. Let's look at the contestants...

CELL
INQUE
FRIEZA
BLIGHT
RADITZ
ZECHS MERQUISE
THE ANDROIDS
TREIZE KHUSHRENADA
MAJIN BUU
CHAR AZNABLE
JOKER
MUMM-RA
HARLEY QUINN
MACDOUGALL BROS.
CLAYFACE
KEI PIRATES
MR. FREEZE
MEGABYTE
LEX LUTHOR
HEXADECIMAL
BRAINIAC
DAEMON
BIZARRO
KAGATO
DARKSEID

Now, looking through that list, a few names should stand out. Instead of the obligatory Treize Khushrenada isn't a villain tirade (which is coming), I'd appeal for you to vote for Treize. I'll talk more on this tomorrow. Notice, though, who's not on the list (besides evil, evil Wufei)? That's right. Vegeta. Vegeta deserves to win more than anyone else, yet he's not there. Why? KidsWB has the rights to the Vegeta Saga. Actually, with Raditz on the list, the KidsWB theory doesn't work.

Vote for the Sage Page's event of the year. Read the latest on RW on DVD.


12.3.2001
Pocket Fox.

Seattle Times says that VHD2000 sucks.

A few months ago, it was stated that Gainax cancelled the 2002 EVA calendar. They didn't. Rather, they redesigned it. So, instead of seeing mecha and Angels, it's twelve months of naked Rei Ayanami. Also, here are the limited reproduction cels. Further, more and even more official H EVA. This is what journalism looks like. (I could have posted a link to the Rei resin kit.)

From the Sugoi, a nice look at MGS2. From Anime Fringe, a look at Noir.


12.2.2001
Does ANYONE have Battle Evolution data?

This weekend's Andromeda, "Into the Labyrinth", introduced us to Nietzschean Arch-Duke and Field Marshall Charlamagne Bolivar, commander of the third largest fleet in the known worlds. His sheer casual ruthlessness make the man (The chara, portrayed by James Marsters, was originally written for Bruce Campbell and then Alexander Siddig, but both were unavailable) the physical and spiritual real-life Treize Khushrenada.

Kevin Sorbo's vision of the series. Robert Wolfe talks about leaving the series. The cast talks about changes. Keith Cobb talks about staying the same. And, just because, JamesMarsters.com and Lexaonline.com.

There's more on Mini Pato.

Es! Toys has ordering information on Rockman X6, Digimon Tamers: Battle Evolution, and the Hyper Hybrid Model Zaku II. All you need is a Japanese shipping address.

Look for more FUNi DragonBall coming soon.

Inu-Yasha: Love Which Transcends Time opens on December 15.

Vote for the Sage Page's event of the year. Read the latest on RW on DVD.


12.1.2001
Sage's Ronin Page: Event of the Year 2001.

The final month of 2001 is upon us, and the Sage Page now begins its retrospective on the year that has passed. It's been a big year for Tatara. It's been a big year for the Sage Page. It's been a big year for Toonami. It's been a big year for Ronin Warriors.

Because, as a species, we categorize, classify, and make lists to make sense of things, the Sage Page now presents its readers with a list of the five potential stories for the event of the year.

1. Sage's Ronin Page redesign. Remember this? Remember how much the page has changed since the start of the year? This was the first major upgrade to the HTML since first going online in 1996. Now, we've got a racing stripe.

2. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within coverage. Hisashi Suzuki, Square Co. Ltd.'s CEO and president, steps down from his position on this date (1 December) because of the financial failure of The Spirits Within. The Sage Page's Final Fantasy coverage was obsessive, unhealthy, and thorough. Tatara's "The drama, the tragedy, the fantasy" can now be found mirrored on other FF sites, and Tatara was accused of working for Sony Pictures because of its absolute commentary. There is then "The Spirit and the Soul : Deconstructing Final Fantasy", Tatara's look at the science and religion of Gaia. Sakaguchi's mother was named Aki.

3. 11 September coverage. 11 September 2001 is a defining date that will continue to shape the world for the century to come. The images. The actions. The words. It was something that made us change. It was something that made us feel. It was something that made us fight. The Sage Page reported on 11 September. A mixture of original articles and reports of stories from Kyodo News, this tragic event saw the first use of multiple daily posts and special reports from Sage Page News.

4. Ronin Warriors on DVD. The biggest (and only) RW story in a long time, Yoroiden Samurai Troopers is coming to DVD on 23 April 2002. The only question is how much has the Sage Page covered it? A developing story, the Sage Page was actually said very little.

5. The return of the Ronin Reserve. I really don't want to event put this up, but before someone asks why it's not, I'm including this. 2001 saw the return of the RR with Epyon and Epyon 2. This is the second half of the story, now focusing on Yost's daughter, Gunshy Claudia. Again, how much has the Sage Page covered it? Still, it is one of Tatara's site.

These are the five candidates for event of the year. Vote for your favorite in the BBS, and the winner will be revealed at the close of the month. In addition, suggest your own event of the year for the Sage Page, and if you have any personal retrospectives, post them, too. The Sage Page will be more than happy to put them up in the news.

As for 2002, what does the Sage Page wish? A Mari Iijima and Two-Mix compilation album. A man's gotta have hope.