I've listened to more Audio Dramas

I've highly recommended this overlooked medium of story telling on this blog already.  Talking about how scientifically it can help stimulate the Brain and make you smarter.

The prior two posts were all about DC Comics based products.  And while I have also listened to some more of those (a Batman Death of the Family adaptation, and a Long Halloween one) I figured I should show here how I've checked out some beyond that.

I of course years ago listened to the Orson Wells War of The Worlds broadcast.  It was entertaining, I don't have much to comment on about it.

I listened to much of the Radio Drama adaptation of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, up to the Mule.  I stopped there only because the story doesn't interest me as much once the Second Foundation stuff starts.  It's a good adaptation and I highly recommend it.

I also listened to and really enjoyed The Domino Lady All's Fair in War, fans of old Pulp Style stories should enjoy that.

I also listened to a Radio Play version of Carmilla, and it was great, the best adaptation of Carmilla thus far.

For the remainder of this post I want to talk about Rob Skiba's Seed The Series.  I just listened to the three Radio Drama episodes he has produced for it, which are supposed to equate to about half the eventual Live Action Pilot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDLCFTR-_nA
http://www.seedtheseries.com/audiodrama.html

Rob Skiba is a controversial figure, who teaches many things I disagree with.  But still I like Rob Skiba and I would like his project to succeed.  But I have a tendency to be disappointed by Christian Fiction, so I worry.

I try to keep my criticism independent of my Interpretations of The Bible being different, after all I enjoy endless fiction from people who don't revere The Bible at all. The entire lore Rob has constructed for this is built on assumptions I have come to reject, chiefly the vilification of Nimrod, but also the Hybrid theory itself.  But still since I actually enjoy stories that are Gnostic Allegories (like Utena and to an extent SAO), all of that is stuff I can accept.

So Spoilers ahead.

The main character is bland, and I'm generally not into such military centric fiction, it's an incredibly cliche approach for a work of Western Fiction.  And having so little from any Female Characters thus far does not endear me either.

This is nitpicky, but I can't help but notice that Rob seems to have forgotten when the U.S. entered Iraq.  This is dated to late 2002, the invasion was in spring 2003.  Maybe most people don't remember the build up to that war as vividly as I do, but for me that's a slight immersion breaker.  Of course my right to criticize such Anachronisms is forfeited since I wrote The Piano Maidens.

I myself as an aspiring writer have a tendency to do things like have my characters make Ghostbusters references, one of my favorite Anime is Lucky Star, that's what I like.  But the references made here were awfully generic and predictable.

Still, issues aside there is plenty of potential.  When he eventually records more I'll listen to em.  And I think these little Radio Plays could be very entertaining to someone who's tastes are different then mine.

Given the stated premise I'd heard from him about this before, about it being called Seed because he wants to start with small seeds and grow from there.  I do feel like he's started a little too big.  Meeting an actual Fallen Angel in the first episode is a pretty fully grown Tree I think.  And if he thinks viewers outside The Church (he said he wants it to have broad appeal.) aren't gonna get the Biblical References right away, he's grossly underestimating them.  Of course what he means by the references to Orion is fairly Esoteric, in fact I only know what he means cause I've listened to his "non fiction" ramblings.

I'm not saying it's a good idea to do a full bait and switch, make it seem not Christian at all only to suddenly go BAM here is a barrage of Bible Quotes.

I would use characters leading relatively normal lives.  In fact I'd do a High School drama, Western audiences look down on those often but I don't care.  I love, Buffy, Smallville, Spiderman, One Tree Hill, Pretty Little Liars and endless High School set Anime.

I'd have one main character who's a Christian interpreting what's going on to fit her Biblical World View, but hold off on showing anything to solidly verify her view is correct.  Make her have to actually have Faith.

And before encountering actual Old Ones, I'd build the supernatural aspects up more slowly.  I'd have Mages who practice Hermetic Magick.  Why favor Hermetic Magick?  Partly because I love Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero and like how it looks there.  And also partly because of how much I have enjoyed listening to the claims of William Schnoebelen about things like Transyuggothian Magick.  And I'd have at least one character claiming to be an immortal Alchemist in the tradition of Saint-Germain, Cagliostro and Althotas, but be ambiguous about if they're for real or not.

Basically, I'd start the show with the paranormal aspects being mild, and let it build up over time, a growing sense of escalation.

And of course my main characters would all be Lesbians.

Gundam 00 and Classic Science Fiction

Gundam 00 is the only Gundam series I've watched thus far.  I first checked it out when the SciFi channel aired Anime on Monday nights years ago.  I wish they'd bring that back.  I only recently completed it however.

I know enough vaguely about Gundam to know that it does not seem very representative of the Franchise in general.  It's not part of the original Continuity, and is the first to use dates clearly linkable to our real life calendar.

I enjoy it for reasons similar to why Code Geass is one of my favorite Animes.  Tense battles, complicated geo-politics, with good people on each side and moral ambiguity.  And lots of eccentric and quirky interesting characters.

What I want to comment on today is how Gundam 00 draws inspiration from a lot of classic works of Western Science Fiction.

Another thing it has in common with Code Geass is it clearly modeled it's 3 major Superpowers after the three Geroge Orwell envisioned in 1984.  These aren't nearly so blatantly Dystopic however.  The main variation is both put Japan (the native country of their creators) in Oceania rather then Eastasia.  Why (in universe) it's there is different however, in Code Geass it's conquered by Britannia, but in Gundam 00 Japan being in the Union seems much more consensual.

The logic behind putting Japan in the same Power Block as America, rather then with China and Russia I fully get, Japan has becomes a very Westernized and particularly Americanized nation.  Thing is that same logic in my mind ought to put South Korea with them as well, but Korea seems to be ignored in Anime.

I also recently before revisiting Gundam 00 began familiarizing myself with Isaac Aismov's Foundation series.  And immediately I thought of Aeolia Shenberg as Hari Seldon's plan was revealed.  That's largely what inspired me to return to Gundam 00.

But what's really meaty is all the Arthur C Clarke.  Clarke interests me, even though I firmly reject the logic behind Clarke's third law.

The first Clarke connection is of course the Orbital Elevators which are evocative of The Fountains of Paradise.  It's a shame more writers don't draw on that concept, a Christian writer drawing on Biblical Themes could easily go for a Tower of Babel reference with one.

Throughout Series 2 as the metaphysical and Trans-humanist aspects of the story became more and more apparent, I started wondering whether or not a comparison to works like Childhood's End would be accurate.  Then the series ended with a quick little promo for the movie saying that "Humanity's childhood is about to end", so that settled that.

In the Movie, the ESLs have a Lovecraftian vibe to them at first.  But they ultimately aren't really Evil.  And in the end the 2001 and Childhood's End aspects of the story fully come to fruition.  I also suspect where it ultimately goes is something Gene Roddenberry would appreciate.

So it's an Anime I recommend checking out if your into Hard SciFi.