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Anime Hardsuits For Sale
Fuzzy_Damnit! pointed us at a site where a guy has built authentic looking
Anime Hardsuits that he's
selling on eBay. Features a quite impressive Nene (from
Bubblegum Crisis).
No. It doesn't fly. Or have weapons. You might still be able to ride a motorcycle.
I can see your argument, especially with sci-fi type anime, but keep in mind not all anime recalls feudalism and violence in some way: What about other genres like magical-girl or whatnot? (please, nobody start a thats-not-real-anime-cuz-it-sucks thread...)
If anything I'd say (this is all AFAIK) that there's angst over the current loss of economic and social stability relative to the bubble-economy era. Salarymen no longer have a lifelong gravy train, young women aren't interested in abandoning their careers for housewife-mommyhood (birth rate is down, and single women have the most disposable income now), they're years behind with the Internet... and, incidentally, the slow economy is ripping the anime industry to bits over there. From what I understand the current anime in Japan is getting pretty wierd and angsty.
Not everyone in Japan relates to Meiji: militarism and violence is severely discredited over there post-WWII, and most Japanese don't know how to tie a kimono properly themselves. But everyone likes looking at explosions :)
"Guy in sailormoon suit: You misunderstand. I don't speak Japanese."
:)
Of course he doesn't. He's cosplaying the dub version of Sailor Moon.
That's a sexy suit and everything, but do you rEALLY want to wear that at Linuxworld? You'd probably get more attention than Linus himself.
Why buy something that's just for looks when you can get the Ursus Mark VI hardsuit.
It doesn't have any real weapons to speak of, but
you could prolly graft a M60 on there pretty easily.
Hey, it's only $150k...
--K
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Too bad there's no pictures with someone wearing the outfit.
Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.
http://www.asianet.net/learnjapan.html
The above page has the real translations for what he said. Looks like he doesn't know a word of japanese; They are all copied verbatim from the page. What an ass.
"Browsers or spiders that do not properly identify themselves with a user agent http: field are not allowed to access my sites. This is because they often ignore my robots.txt file and then get into infinite loops loading dynamic content. Please use a normal browser to visit my sites. Thank you. " What baloney is this? Calling me a robot and an agent. That's rude. Really.
--Neil Armstrong tripped, the ruskies flipped.--
Then again, you never know what those crazy otakus will try to fit into for cosplay.
Fyi, the 'Power Rangers' style of show originally *came from* anime.
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (or G-Force, or Battle of the Planets, for the lobotomised English version) was the first show with the 5-or-so member team who could 'transform' to fight bad guys. Power Rangers and all those similar live-action series came later..
I was kidding with the porn^H^H^H^H thing... take a joke.
--
One future, two choices. Oppose them or let them destroy us.
Wrong. I don't like anime and Tolkien and yet I am a geek, or so they say...
I bet there are some hardcore sex players that would like to get their hands on these and not the schematics... :)
Um...ever heard of cosplay? It's not my cup of tea, but if you go to any con, you'll see some otaku dressed as his favorite character.
It's not just an American thing, either. Watch Gainax's "Otaku no Video" and you'll learn what Japanese really think about fans of anime, sentai, Western and Japanese SF, military stuff, and other hobbyist culture.
Incidentally, I'm of the opinion that any Westerner who considers himself an "otaku" when it comes to anime fandom really only does so because the term already exists. This is unlike Japan, where "otaku" is a somewhat derogatory term originally used for obsessed people. Hell...it seems like most people in Japan read manga, and public recognition of even moderately-popular characters is immediate and common, so fandom isn't a hard question...it's only a matter of how hard-core you are...and it wouldn't take too much of a hard-core attitude (by Japanese standards) to put one of those suits on.
The guy who made those suits...now that's an otaku. Next step...Lego version.
< tofuhead >
It is still the dark of night.
At least, to the times they imagine -- i.e., without all the plague and famine and pestilence and hard work. People worship the past out of unease with the present.
Americans' fascination with ancient Japanese culture fascinates me in the same way that Japan's fascination with American karaoke does. We all seem to want to be in each others shoes, eating the grass on the other side of the fence, so to speak.
And you're wrong about Meiji. Meiji isn't just a city in Japan. It's an entire culture. Enormous numbers of Japanese boys are named "Meiji" out of deference to that culture. Whatever Meiji used to be, it's today something else entirely. It doesn't surprise me to hear the name surfacing in the context of anime.
Read the rest of this comment...
The KS girls wear a leotard embedded with electical sensor mesh to facilitate transmission of movment data between their bodies and the hardsuit.
Knight Sabers, Sanjo!
The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
You don't remind me of Woody.
-Fantastic Lad -The most amazing script kiddie of them all!
What??? These suits are promotional items, used to sell BubbleGum Crisis anime in America, just like LucasArts has a bunch of StormTrooper suits that my friend got to use to promote Star Wars at his bookstore. Well, okay, it's true that Star Wars is based on the whole samurai ethic and Japanese movies, but that's not the point, which is that people like a show, especially when being convinced to buy something.
And the suits do, in fact, kick a lot of ass, for all their wear and tear.
P.S. A "Did you know" for all you true blue rpg geeks out there. The guy who is selling these, Robert Woodhead, is the creator of Wizardry. Bam!
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It is easy to control all that you see,
---- Hey Grrl Geeks! Your very own geek news site has arrived!
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
And the parent post covers only a small range of what's available. Even the "sci-fi mecha stuff" that American media loves to portray all Japanese anime as usually has some kind of deeper meaning. (I'm talking about stuff like Gundam and Macross) One of the best things I've ever seen (period) was Wings of Honneamise - that didn't resemble anything I'd ever seen before.
-RickHunter
A slight correction on the Meiji history, again. (groan and throw tomatoes if you must.)
1868, not the early 1800s, was the year that Prince Mutsuhito took the throne, and changed his name to "Meiji", which means 'enlightened rule'. (however, there was a nasty little skirmish going on in the early 1800s, so it's an undertandable mistake.)
the emperor was pro-westernization, or 'modernization' as it was called by the meiji faction. working at first covertly, then in the open, the supporters of Meiji overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate. in place of the shogunate system, they tried to institute a centralized government.
end japanese history lesson. now, go watch rurouni kenshin or read a boolk.
!-- wit --!
Does it at least come with the girls? otherwise, it's not worth buying :P
How Jaded Are You?
A great gift for any anime fanatic, but I think its just a tad extreme...
If they don't have weapons, why the heck would we want to buy them?
Darnit, I thought I had finally found a 'parts' hard suit to use in restoring mine, damaged in battle with the Gamalons... Alas, back to Schucks autoparts to pay their outrageous prices for NEW Shojin Blaster firing coils and Yamasuka! brand wrist to air missiles....
Price up to $12,000. Too rich for my blood.
It cannot be coincidence. I think the same thing that makes us good at grinding out code makes us appreciate certain kinds of art.
I mean, have you ever met a Unix admin who didn't like the Dead ?
It in the genes. It has to be !!
So you get to dress up like an anime character, right? Isn't that a big departure from the historical cultural purpose of anime: the appreciation of innovative graphic arts? If you're wearing that helmet then doesn't it make it harder to read the comics?
I'm staring at the pictures, and I can't get the impression out of my head that anime has devolved into Power Rangers. The storyline may be more sophisticated and the drawings might be cleaner, but if you take it off the page and dress a grown man in it, then it ends up looking like Power Rangers. That can't be good for the artform.
Read the rest of this comment...
"...they are designed to fit petite women."
:/
Well...looks like most of the Harley Davidson folks are out right there...sorry guys!
These suits are another expression of the angst that this loss of cultural identity has caused, as the old certainties of Meiji Japan were ripped away and replaced by the values of the soulless Kairetsu. The warrior ethos and clothing of the Samurai has been replaced by the businesswear and corporate values of the salaryman. These suits, and indeed the entire Anime movement, are an unconscious desire to return to the violent certainties of old Japan, IMHO.
KTB:Lover, Poet, Artiste, Aesthete, Programmer.
KTB:Lover, Poet, Artiste, Aesthete, Programmer.
There is no
My other sig is extremely clever...
When I went to see if I could find pictures elsewhere I came across this link as the top match. Not quite an "anime hardsuit" but still interesting.
I'll probably sell it on Ebay, with a starting price of what was originally paid for it ($500). The goal is to end up with a comparable (or better!) daemonette outfit, maybe even in time for Linuxworld 2001 NYC....
It's solid red garment quality latex, made by A woman named Molly (who ran So Hip It Hurts in SF) and sold large amounts of quality latex through Stormy Leather. The two pieces are both custom made from the same batch, and in size small; tshirt and leggings. The shine has partially worn off from the shirt (but still mostly there on the leggings) and it requires several minutes of polishing before it's ready to wear out onto the floor of the convention. This is mainly why I'm selling it. I really don't have this kind of time in the mornings. I'm a reeally late riser. And conventions never seem to happen on 36-hour day cycles. :P
I'm 5"5", anywhere from 120 to 130, so that should give you an idea of who this costume would fit.
Watch for this auction between now and early January.
A friend was good enough to toss a few pics up for me - :)
Credit goes to whoever took the lwce pictures at drunkmonkey.org, and MSK who took the staged pictures. I'm sure I don't need to mention that the copyrights belong to the original photographers....
http://www.freebsd.org/~wpaul/daemonette
-Ceren E.
FreeBSD's "Strange Attractor."
ceren@removethispinkmeat.magnesium.net
I hope that the person who ends up with either suit recognizes the history that came with these things. Not only does it represent an old show but it represents some of the old fan's feelings for a show they really enjoyed(mainly Woodhead and Takagi).
It's sure nice to see Bubblegum Crisis get some recognition. Usually everybody talks about Tenchi or Sailor Moon or Slayers.
;)
I think "geeks" like BGC because it has
o a grity, cyperphunk future (ala Gibson)
o cool-ass hardware
o decent plot-lines (ok, so "Scoop Chase" was awful. sue me
o 80's music
o cute girls
Ok, so perhaps those last two are what makes it appeal to ME. It still has a flavor quite it's own, even years after it was over. A pity it was never finished.
There's also a new BGC, called Bubblegum Crisis 2040, which uses the "alternate universe" idea. Same girls, different hair, sorta-simliar plot, much much more stories, way better animation.
Check out advfilms.com.
What came before the Big Bang? Hum, it must have outside of time...
These hardsuits were built as promotional tools for the original Bubblegum Crisis series. If you watch some of the promos on the BGC tapes or DVDs, there's scenes of the voice actresses for the Knight Sabres wearing them. Three of them were given or sold (depending on who you talk to) to the head of AnimEigo, Robert "I helped write Wizardry" Woodhead. The suits are reasonably articulated - you get to see, in one of the promos, Oomori Kinuko (the voice actress for Priss) wearing one and at least on a motorcycle, if not driving it.
The Nene and Linna are being sold. Woodhead is keeping the Priss suit. No one's sure where the Sylia suit is anymore.
So this isn't a cosplay sort of thing. This is promo stuff and literally one-of-a-kind.
----
Brazil has decided you're cute.
I thought your .sig said you "do it harder, faster, and *wipe*"
:)
I should damn well hope so!
Pope
Freedom is Slavery! Ignorance is Strength! Monopolies offer Choice!
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
The pedigree on these suits is not some guy slapping this stuff together in his garage with chicken wire and Bondo.
--
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
In general you are right. Anime is too varied a medium to make sweeping generalizations. Princess Mononoke celebrates clutural identity.
But, your Serial Experiements Lain example is not valid. In the October 1999 Animerica interview, Ueda stated:
"Q: What do you think American viewers will think of the series? Do you think they will have the same reactions as Japanese audiences?
Ueda: They won't understand this. I don't want them to understand this. This work is based on the sensitivity and values of the Japanese people. America is different from Japan. This work itself is a sort of cultural war against American culture and the American sense of values to react to this work."
The Lain story has multiple layers. The layer Ueda refers to has Lain's mother as the traditionalist, annoyed at Lain's father for playing with all the non-traditional gadgets and Mika and Lain getting totally messed up from immersion in the new culture's technology.
Ueda is a bit arrogant believing that American anime fans can't self-educate themselves about Japanese culture to fully understand Lain. Plus there is some Taoism and Apotheosis which isn't really a Japanese thing, but a more general Eastern thing. ^-^
Noooo! It's all ready too late! No one will see the damned webpage for the next ten thousand years - it's gone to slashdot hell...
The word of the day is mirror. Early and often.
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Even as you read this, your pants are strangling your loins! Aaa!
It's not just 'a guy' auctioning these, it's Robert Woodhead of AnimEigo. Bubblegum Crisis is one of their licenses and it looks like these used to be used for promotion at Cons. Bubblegum Crisis was also their first DVD release (unfortunately sublicensed to Multimedia 2000, but the rerelease is pretty good by all accounts). He sent an email to the AnimEigo-DVD list about this Dec 7.
But why on Ebay. I'm sorry but that place has lost a lot of credibility for me. Too many poeple bdding on their own auctions and funny stuff going on with feedback ratings.
Duh.
Tell me I wasn't the only one making a bee-line for the pictures of pretty girls wearing hi-tech halloween costumes.
Too bad such pictures weren't available.
-Fantastic Lad The most amazing script kiddie of them all!
...that give the impression that all anime lovers are fanatic that just can't get over the fact that a movie or series has ended. I mean, paying money for a replica of a hardsuit, how pitiful. Do these people have no life?
*Sigh* I waste too much time reading the anime articles on slashdot. Now my ranma/akira fanfiction story is going to be late. I must stare at my anime cells for inspiration, and watch akira for the 257th time while doublechecking my notes to see where it departed from the manga.
No, wait, that's not what i meant to say.
What i meant to say was: Huh? What? You've got to be kidding me. As Shatner said on SNL, get a life!
No, this isn't flamebait. It's a wake-up call. Anime hardsuits. Please.
--
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Mod up a post Rob doesn't like and you'll never mod again
I'll probably get modded down for this but, what place does slash have to do anime news? Slashdot's anime coverage is always low on info, much too opininonated (and often wrong), and late. /. should stick to tech news.
Leave the anime coverage to the Anime News Service and Anime on DVD.
"There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter," Jeeves, (Jeeves and the Impending Doom)
And no, it's not a fantasy... although...
Signatures are supposed to be funny?
How does your theory explain the Smurf phenomenon, with the utter lack of shirts and the adoption of large beanie hats? Not to mention the whole blue skin deal.
All kings is mostly rapscallions. -Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
I noticed that the most recent bid seems to be from an S_Hussein@StealTheOil.iraq in an apparent attempt to corner the market on Japan's military might.
Once he powers the hardsuits with Playstation2 consoles, he'll be unstopable. May god have mercy on our souls.
--Cam
All jocks think about is sports. All nerds think about is sex.
How does such a pathetic story even make it to the main page? Anime hard suits??? Who gives a rats ass. I'm sure most sane individuals would rather here about the odds of getting hit by a deorbiting satelite... which, btw, was rejected.
Cryptnotic
My other first post is car post.
I personally found it really depressing. She's cute, and it pains me that there are NO good looking girl geeks in this country (the UK).
Prove me wrong! I'm begging you!
--------------- Delete Windows before you mail me
this site makes me wonder why they didn't hire some models to wear the suits. possibly, they might look better lying on the floor?
-- Betting on the survival of the media industry is a serious risk. I advise investing elsewhere.
Does he want to sell the suits or not? His ebay page points to his photos on animeigo.com. He must expect it to stand up against ebay traffic to sell his suits.
cpeterso
These will be powered by Sony PS2s...
Think outside the... Hey, where'd the friggin' box go?
;-)
"There is a reason why 95% of all cosplayers are women..." -Overheard at Animethon 6
Capt. Ron
crazy dynamite monkey
Much to the dismay of hardcore Anime fans everywhere, animeigo has announced that they will not be selling their "Tentacle Monster" hard suit in the near future.
When asked about this, they responded "Our legal team has told us that this would not be in our best interest--what if a kid..."