The People vs George Lucas

Very nice photos! Can't wait to see you in the documentary.
Can't really say much on Star Wars though, fuzzy memory on the movies. Got to watch them again sometime. ^^ I do love the Star Wars universe a lot though.

There's no third option in these polls, only a sith deals in absolutes!
Aaaaaaaaanyways, yeah it's been a while since the Star Wars days, but it's seems like something most people at least have passing knowledge of. I don't think I've met anyone who hasn't seen at least one of the movies, which is quite amazing given how much of a nerd-fest it can be XD One thing that really does bug me is how much retconning there is in the SW Universe though =|

I am not a star wars fan but i love "Ewoks",fuzzy little aliens or otherwise monkeys or giant hairy chimps..Gonna wait that "documentary" George lucas have..Nice pictures eh Danny-san ^|||^

HAN SHOT FIRST - That is all.

Haters (trolls... whatever your nomenclature) i find very intriguing - It's a kind of hate, not motivated by a 'why', but just because they can.

I'm one of the biasing votes in the poll of classic vs. special edition. I never got to see the originals in the cinemas (I hadn't quite been born yet), and only saw the whole thing after my parents got me VHS tapes (!!!! showing my age!). After that, well, I was a woman entranced. Star Wars was really my introduction to serious Western fandom. I have the book about the scripts, went to see all the prequels in the cinemas, and am still saving up money for lightsabers.

As for the question of "The people vs. George Lucas", some people might say that he should never have done the prequels. My take on it is, he should have done them, but he should have gotten lots of help on the story and scripts as he did with the original films. He could have had people cleaning up the various clunky infelicities of character and dialogue. His choice to not do that, for me, was one of the reasons why the fans didn't quite take to the prequels.

LOL at all the Hate Talk.....very philosophical!
I dont hate you DC, just incredibly jealous of your life!

Grew up watching the Star Wars originals (still have the original VHS tapes!) and will admit, I wasnt a fan of the second trilogy

Love the photos of the crew....great composition!!

Nil illegitimi carborundum DC...dont let the bastards grind you down....

Although I never could get into the Stars Wars universe, from what I've seen from the original and the newer versions of the films and what my friends tell me, the originals are better then the newer ones.

Hehe looks like U had fun! :) Ken san looks like cartoon in that shot of him ^^; As for haters... *shrug* :P

incredible phenomenon isn't it. Its how popularity works really. and i think Mr Lucas should feel really special for having this movie just about him.
Mr danny would you hope for a movie like this about you sometime in the future? :P

Being young as I am, I've never watched the old trilogy. Actually, I don't even know which movie I stopped on. In any case, I thought the new trilogy was pretty good. I guess I can understand people's disappointment, but taking it to hate on this kind of level is pretty ridiculous. It seems rather selfish of people. I guess hating things is the new "in" thing.

And Danny Choo continues to spread his fame. One day he will rule the world...

U've gotten the 20mm pancake lens!!

I'm glad that you did..

fans is fans, they loves you then they hates you or they just loves you no matter what OR they just HATES you . . . for no good reason. Godd to see you posting . . :D

Oh, Star Wars, the whole series was pretty good actually, i didn't really mind the CG stuff anyway, it just makes the movie much more interesting...

And for haters on the internet, nothing much to talk bout them... They're everywhere, lurking in the dark depths of animosity and suddenly go on a trolling spree, all just because they don't agree with somthing... Heck, once i heard some 2ch fellas almost drove someone to committing suicide, all just because of a small disagreement...

To me, this people just need to carry on with life and settle down, u know, chill bro, don't let the small things get the most out of ya... But oh well, there's no stopping them...

Btw, i do like your site Danny, anything you post here is an absolute pleasure to read, what's more with all the interesting pictures and crazy videos of your Storm Trooper dances... All the best with the Star Wars movie =)

May the Force Ne With You...

Hmm... i'm not a huge Star Wars fan, though i saw em all (hell who didn't? ;) ) and i liked them, it's just a good story and i like good stories (thats why i watch anime too hehe).

As for haters, you will always have those people around and mob up and try to spread their hate so their voice is being heard, but basicaly... why do they even waste their time with this? I never managed to understand this... if i don't enjoy something i move on to things that entertain me and thus enjoy the time i got on the planet.
Doing/watching/etc. pp. things i don't like is just a waste of time...

another achievement, just great!

for the movie trilogy, prefer more to the original trilogy since it is classic, erm, should use "legend". But the new one also not that bad.

yeah! the documentary should be really good~~cant wait to watch it next year

George Lucas destroyed the Star Wars saga. Han indeed shot first. What the Hell is a Midi-chlorian? Jar-Jar Binks!? That was NOT Anakin Skywalker. And the contrived story of the droids contained little continuity.

Lucas loves money. He surely does.

After watching those videos I feel like watching all 6 movies again.

I find that the new CG for the new trilogy was good, it was fresh up to date with the current visual standards we now see in cinemas. I don't understand why people hate it so much.

Witht he comparison of original and special editions, well a lot of the new and re-edited scenes were nice but felt some of them done was a bit pointless but majority of them gave each of the movies a bit a fresh feel as some of the scenes were cleaned up visual. Some scenes I felt they could have left untouched though.

I still love the Star Wars universe regardless if people hate it. It was something I grew up closely with. To this day I still watch The Clone Wars series which I find just as good since it continues to expand on the universe George Lucas created.

I still don't understand why people hate him. He brought creation to this universe and I'm sure he made people happy. For those feeling betrayed due to the new trilogy, well they still owe him even if the new trilogy was not to their liking.

Great article.
"It could be because they have not found meaning to life.."
This may very well be one of the reasons.

Ill definitely watch it since im a starwars fan. Cant say that i hate the new trilogy but im not in favor of it very much. Nice pictures though. :D

Hm...I've only ever saw bits and pieces of the series, but never really got into them...but congrats in getting a part in something so big Danny!...and I see Ryomou has been in the spotlight more often...as for haters...just ignore em...not worth the time...

Perhaps my Star Wars devotion wasn't deep enough as a kid, but I enjoyed the special editions. I didn't expect anything that would alter the story, so I simply thought the effects brought it up to date in terms of look and feel.
Han shooting first did feel odd though, as it seemed forced into the film rather than a visual (and moral?) improvement.
However, the 3 new films I admittedly didn't like very much. Very bad pacing and storytelling that made me lose interest. Do I hate Lucas for that? No, but as you go see movies to be entertained, they left me rather bored. That is all I have to say about that.

Wow! Danny Choo gonna be on the big screen soon!
Just as I foreseen back in August, LOL!:
http://bit.ly/7P3Iat
http://bit.ly/7vPS9b

I use a sponge at the bottom of my chin to keep my helmet steady as I dance like a stick up my bottom.

Are all these photo taken from GF-1? it's incredibly awesome!

@Danny: No matter how you had changed from the past, you're still my source of motivation ^_^

.

I will enjoy watching this film at it's release in 2010. Seemed like a fun day indeed, filming and interview.
I'm sure people have many more things to do than be angry.

@danny your polls were missing an option, at least one of them were, because there are 3 different versions of the trilogy, the original, the special edition, and the new special edition (which I do not like) The reason I didn't like the new special edition is because he went and changed too many things (yes, my opinion, others like it and thats their choice), for example, the ghosts at the very end, where you see anakin's ghost. They changed it from the older gentleman that played it in the original and SE, to whats-his-face from the new movies. *shudder*

Though I do admit that I kind of like episode 3, and ep 2 would have been better without the long drawn-out love story shoved in the middle.

Ok, enough ranting for me, I'll get back in my lurker cage.

Original trilogy ftw!

Can't wait to see that movie. I really can't understand why people would have Lucas....all the StarWars movies are great and I for one loved the special editions since they only added quality stuff. Could be because I only saw the original 2 times before the Specials insted of 2000 times, but whatever ^^

George Lucas Raped our Childhood~!

Nice article ^^ and as you said, it's impossible to please everyone, so please yourself first and that would be already enough in my view

might consider a strap as my new dirty helmet is somehow bigger.

the special edition is fine except for the awful looking Sandtrooper backpack in one of the new scenes. =( http://www.looksirdroids.com/hd_caps/pages/sandtrooper_hd_016.htm

then there's the DVD edition whereby they changed Boba Fett's original voice to say like the clones in Episode 2 and also Anakin's force ghost at the end of Return of the Jedi to Hayden Christensen.

wow dollfies on the big screen! xD

looks like the bokeh for pancake lens is better than LX3!

some of the scenes actually looks better in the ordinals than the special edition, but nerve the less, i thing the special edition CGI gave more dynamics to the movie itself! There is one thing that i must agree though, there scenes in which Lucas went overboard with the CGIs, unnecessarily crowding the entire set in the special edition...

Well personally I love Star Wars, both the original and new trilogy. Sure I don't like the scene altered to Greedo shooting first, don't like Jar Jar Binks at all either,... but I don't let that affect me.

So you're not going to allow yourself to love something because it's not 100% perfect? You will hate what and who doesn't meet your own exact expectations?
If so then be prepared to hate everything, everyone and yourself. One has to accept flaws, things not being exactly as expected it's a reality of the world we live in.

I think one thing Danny says is right on the mark, it didn't meet everyone's expectations. But is that George Lucas (and the people who worked with him making the movies) fault, is it the fans' own expectations fault, or is it no one's fault but just a shame?

I love Star Wars but I'm not going to say it's perfect, far from it, but George Lucas still did some amazing things and gave us a great, entertaining saga.

A disadvantage of the Internet is that it not only enables decent people to share info, thoughts, it alas also gave far too many people who have nothing but hatred and spite a voice to cowardly strike at everything and everyone in sight while hiding behind its anonymity.

Hmm... interesting movie. Maybe something like what the "Trekkies" movie then? Let's see... I thought the new trilogy was ok and somehow Jar Jar wasn't that bad. I found Jake Lloyd's Anakin more annoying ^^; And I liked Anakin's and Obi Wan's chemistry in the later ones, which is just so heartbreaking when Anakin turned. The Special Editions were great. The Greedo shoot first thing was kinda off methinks. The old celebration in ROTJ was good, but so is the new one; I liked both music too. I think they cut something out of ESB that I liked when Luke was saying "good thing you don't taste good" after the swamp monster spat out R2-D2.

As for haters... I haven't really encountered many. I'll just smother them with kindness XD

The originals are classics. Great story,wonderful actors and just plain fun. The new trilogy were o.k. if you ask me; good stories, but the bad acting made the movies seem more like comedies than anything else. As for the haters; ignore them Danny. Life is to short to be listening to individuals who have nothing better to do than spread their stupidity.

This is your blog, danny, not some kind of public spaces, it's up to you what do your mind want to write. People usually despise dolfie because of their price, and i myself won't buy dolfie, but i won't write something like hate mail to you, there is no benefit in doing so. I know the feeling of being trolled, because I'm being trolled by a few persons who dislikes me for punishing them back in the past, but i couldn't care less about them, they are lower than trashes in my Ether-verse (i mean, my own world).

Well, some of those junks are probably just jealous of your achievement, let them be, they will end up envying you all the time and forget to carve their own path to success.

I am sure that most people will have a sided opinion on what they think. personally, i don't mind sudden changes in the DC community(aka Dollfies, but the figmas were cool),etc... although i really do miss the Gundam reviews...ToT
While on the Star Wars matter, i actually prefer the New trilogy...sure, it's got CG written all over it, but hey, the action is spontaneous~!!! Besides, there's no use rambling about it, haters are just wasting their precious life sulking about something that cannot be changed...move on!!!!
Danny-san, it's your site,do as you wish~ and also,sometimes, you have to be uncool to BE cool~ keep it up!!!
btw, DOES Danny-san like durian?

It seems that people use to think that everything in the net is made to meet their requirements, without realizing all those blogs and things they cherish and follow are made by other individuals, who can - and will - evolve and change.
Creations also belong to the people supporting it, since they keep on existing thanks to them, but its not the same for the creator. Im not the slave of my readers (at least I try ^_^).
The film looks like a nice idea! And if Danny is taking part then I must watch it. Keep up the good work!

I look forward to hearing more from you about the GF1 pancake lens. I got the zoom lens to start with (and love it) but I think I'll have to pick up the prime as well at some point.

Must... See... This... Movie..

lovely shots ! haters will always be there no matter what you do. the important thing is to do what you want to do and be happy about it.

I'm a former major Star Wars fan. The kind that cosplayed and stood outside Toys R Us at 5 in the morning for exclusives. ^^;;

After falling in love with the original movies on VHS, I was alright with all changes in the 1st special editions, except Greedo shooting first. By Greedo shooting first, Han was already a good guy and left no room for character development.

Then, the prequels came out and they just didn't have that magic that the original series had. However, the first Clone Wars cartoons were decent.

Later on, Star Wars just became over saturated, especially when another Clone Wars series was made. The final nail in my fandom was the 2nd special editions which changed Boba Fett's voice and added young Anakin Skywalker for a ghost image at the end of the film. Just left a sour taste in my mouth and I moved on to other things.

As far as the trolls and bickering, for some, they are just showing their unhappiness with change. In my opinion, Star Wars did not change for the better in the last 20 years. How I personally dealt with that is by signing a extremely large petition to bring the original unmolested Star Wars series to dvd. My memory is a bit hazy, but I think they did make it there in a limited special edition Star Wars pack that I picked up a Wal-Mart many moons ago. But, in my opinion, they should be far more accessible then that.

The main argument by Lucas supporters is that "they are George's creation and he can do what he likes" and "if you don't like it, don't watch". I agree and I have but Star Wars remains an important part of my childhood so I respectfully disagree with his decisions. But I also acknowledge that there is not a whole lot that I can do about it, except one thing. My pocket book.

Sorry for the rant. Went a bit longer then I anticipated. ^^;
Looking forward to the documentary.

I would like the classic versions of the movies remastered, without alterations. This one we don't have. :(

can't wait for goodsmile trooper in action movie lol ^_^

I think the Star Wars prequels are hugely underrated and are far superior to the original trilogy. I have always thought that the prequels are complex, exciting and well made (especially Revenge of the Sith), though perhaps it is nostalgia which is why so many seem to prefer the original trilogy.

Didn't expect you would be in a movie.

When you mentioned not writing so much about Gundam anymore I suddenly felt guilty >.> Not that I sent you hate mail or even thought badly of you, I just didn't show up for a long time...

Anyway I don't understand why people would hate George Lucas for adding some new effects to the movies. Seems like a good idea to me, and besides the die hard fans don't need to get the special editions if they don't want to. No one is forcing it down their throats. People are so irrational sometimes. (Not that I am never irrational)

Sweet, can't wait to watch that documentary! Been a fan of Star Wars since the I can remember! Loved the new trilogy, and the current CG series is pretty enjoyable. Played and loved many Star Wars games, with the Battlefront series and Knights of the Old Republic at the top of that list. Even went as Boba Fett this last Halloween! Haters are not true fans, they are just upset that the series did not meet their overly extreme standards and thus feel they should express said disappointment by voicing their disdain. I am very appreciative of George Lucas's work and his passion to extend the Star Wars universe to the lengths at which it has reached thus far!

may the FORCE be with you

I just love the shots u took of the film crew (director of photgraphy etc..) they look sooo....nice @_@ did u photoshop them?

While the CG treatment in the Special Editions certainly made the background more impressive and adds to the SciFi element to the background world, it's unfortunate Lucas messed up other stuff as well.

The well documented "Han Shot First" controversy, plus Anakin's force ghost played by Bernard Shaw being replaced with Hayden Christensen are two of the changes that made me cringe a lot especially.

While the Classic Trilogy is no doubt the superior work, the Prequel Trilogy could actually have been better, had Lucas only decided to let someone proof read and fine tune his script, rather than taking it on all by himself. He is only human as well. (Even Lucas himself admits to being the "King of Wooden Dialogue" when it comes to scripting cheesy conversations. ) KOTOR is a good example of decent eye-catching special effects plus solid script.

Still, even when he is mightily guilty for introducing us to the eyesore that is Jar-Jar, some of the Lucas bashing can sure be out of hand. While there are indeed pathetic people who genuinely curse Lucas, I think some of the "haters" are actually "hating" him in jest, and are not really as malicious as some may think.

Thing is, you have to put it all in context. I was about 12 when the first movie came out, and saw it on the very first day. Think of what we had before: almost no scifi movies (Rollerball and Logan's Run are the only two I remember) nothing on TV, just a few comic books. So imagine being a little kid with that background, sitting in front of "Star Wars" for the first time. We were stunned! There's no other way to describe it. It was just the coolest thing ever! Now imagine you've grown up with that, and you see the "Special Editions" and the new trilogy. Can you see how some people could be massively disappointed?

I don't need to strap my bucket on when I wear my Stormtrooper armour. I have a helmet liner inside that fits my skull very snugly, and it keeps the helmet on.

Trolls simply post because the Internet makes it extremely easy, every blog or site that I visit are always subjected to their hatred. Sites such as Sankakucomplex have commenting system that does not really do much to deter trolls away, just type in your message and hit the submit button. Can't comment on George Lucas though, only watched 2 the Star Wars series.

Both editions are good for what they are.. And the Prequels.. serve a purpose.

Only thing i Gotta is .. Jar Jar Binks sucked donkey balls. but thats all

Any and all of your content is appreciated by us Danny! I think that I speak for most of us when I say that this is perhaps the most awesome website ever to grace the the inter-webs.

Certainly there were some good scenes in the Star Wars special edition but generally speaking I prefer the classic edition.

While I cant say I am a very big fan of the new trilogy I still love Star Wars and the Star Wars universe in general. All this freaking out over it seems a little extreme to me haha.

Ahhhh Star Wars. I'll always prefer the original. The SE updates help with attracting new younger fans, cos they might laugh at some of the effects, cos they don't look like...say... Transformers or Star Trek 2009. I will *always* take the original. I don't hate Lucas for it, and those who do need to sort their priorities out. It's not worth hatrid. Its the inevitable update. In this world of constant upgrade, how can we be surprised?

And as for the two United Nations tracks. Always Ai no Corrida. I remember when that first came out, wondering if it was Japanese for anything. First I thought 'Corridor of Love' But Corrida don't mean that. It's like bullfighting or horses. Or Bullfight of Love? lol Or is it just random words the writers chose to make a funky sounding title?

Nice O_O Starwar movie, new steps on dancing, new lenses for GF1, and a lot of tubes, unfortunately, tubes doesn't open here on work ._.

Found the happiness of my life ^-^

Yepz yepz! Lurve the first three movies over the next three. Just something missing. Hmm...

As for the haters, indeed somehow haters really equate success. But I hope your success doesn't bring about much hatred. (i'm not a hater, so can't really say what goes through their minds...)

Interesting doc, can't wait to see it...and you Danny!

Personally though, I didn't mind the SP editions at all, atlhough I will admit there were some odd moments and bits of forced dialogue.

HAR. I remember when I first watched Star Wars. I Personally think the classic trilogy was better, but the new movies weren't THAT bad.

ALSO. I thought Jar Jar was awesome because he was annoying. DUN HATE.

Man, I'm so touch and moved by saying out your heart and thinking about haters and trollers. Sob~ sob~ .....
No matter what, I'll always support you deep from my heart, as well as everyone else who leave comments here I believe.....
YOU ARE THE MAN !!!!!!!!! lol.......
P.S.
Btw, nice description on durian.
Hey, perhaps I like you because I like durian...hehe. Just kidding....

Personally, I thought the special editions were quite well done.I have them on DVD. But I really do strongly dislike the new trilogy, especially the phantom menace. It also didn't help that the guy who played anakin skywalker couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag!!
But I think a lot of the hate towards Lucas stems from how many people feel that he has lost touch with his own creation. In fact, I think many people would say that those who worked on the extended universe, post Return of the Jedi for example, have a better grasp and understanding of the settings and characters than Lucas himself at this point. A thought which seems to hit home the most when people talk about his clone wars movie!

As for DC.com haters, I wouldn't say that I hate DC.com now but I have felt that more and more topics fall out of my zone of interest these days. So I guess you could say that Dannys tastes and mine have diverged significantly over the past couple of years.
I used to really love the quirky japan posts, like the random ones about special Japanese events, a day out in akiba without having to go to meetings, or sudden miko groups and the like.
Nowadays, everything reads as very corporate based, which is fair enough. This page was always for danny to talk about his life and likes and mirai inc is pretty much his life now, but I miss the old, playful days of yore with the more mischivous tone in the articles. It often feels a little too corporate and/or PC around here at times.

I think it is stupid to hate someone who has done something that you like. If you love the classic trilogy of Star Wars and dislike the new trilogy, just ignore it, George Lucas is not aiming at your head with a gun to view it or to buy every related merchandising. If you are a fan of Star Wars i understand the bad mood about it, when you are expecting something big and it ends dissapointing you it´s normal to be angry, but hate is meaningless in this case, too extreme, imo.

Also i don´t understand how can be people angry with you Danny , it´s absurd. You don´t have the obligation to satisfy every reader, you make DC just because you want to make it, because you like to talk about your hobbies and the things you do. If someone doesn´t like DC, well, internet is huge. Writing hatemail is just too childish.

It's crazy what lengths people will go to express their "Hatred" for something. Personally I started trying to lessen my use of the word "Hate" overall and replaced it with "dislike" or just "Not too fond of". While George Lucas latest movies may not have been quite all that I wanted there is not much more to say about it. The original movies are great and I'll come back to watching them again many times for sure.

As for people trolling here on DC. Well... Why can't we all get along? Even if I am not crazy about for example Dollfies that does not mean that the other content isn't still interesting nor that I belive Dollfie owners to be bad people. What gives? People like different things and if you look hard enough you can usually find something appealing even in things you dislike.

I am unsure about what causes people to behave in this strange manner. Usually in everyday life people would just sucker it up and keep their opinions to themselves but once you're on the internet many suddenly go haywire. Maybe it has to do with power? At first I thought it had to do with anonymity. But working with customer support I can clearly say that is not always the case. I meet people face to face when helping them with their (usually through fault of their own...) troubles and nowhere else have i met such unexplainable hatred as these people express at times. Usually from people whom seem ordinary at first glance but then just turn crazy the moment you "Work for them". Heck, I've been subjected to death threats because i was taking down some numbers on a guarantee slip to help a guy get his stuff repaired for free.

In the end, I guess one should just do whatever makes themselves happy as long as you don't hurt anyone else.

oh wow, this documentary might be fun to watch... You totally forgot the options of I don't care < since that's what I really felt

I am a Star Wars fan over Star Trek, probably because I saw Wars first, but I think Trek is just too.... yea, I don't want to go there.

For me, Star Wars is like what Gundam would have been, if there were no mobile suits. Did CG REALLY destroy the movie -I don't think so. I mean, if Star Wars all the suddenly changed stories on me, I would be pissed, but it didn't. Jar Jar was a mystery... We already had C-3P0 to fill the role of the "Jester", so why include another one? Marketing for this is evil...

And to tell the truth, I didn't hate the prequels -just, it could have been WAY better. And besides, without Lucas, there wouldn't be Pixar, ILM, and Skywalker Sound.

George do a good job at the begging, we must salute or blame him as the godfather of the merchandise. The last 3 movies sucks he should leave some new blood to do the project.

We were expecting something like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOvbv-LkK6w

Not a big fan of Star Wars but if you watch the last trilogy (episodes I,II,III) they have terrible fails at the scripts and with the acting.

BTW Empire Strikes Back was awesome!!!

..."Haters are passionate about hating you." so true, maybe hating other people works better than hating themselves for some people xD...

I love the tecnhology,CGI really helped to George Lucas to modify the previous movies to HIS real intention.

Nice, this will be one of the few documentaries that I will probably watch.

The R2D2 toys look cute.

Star wars is what made me want to become a fighter pilot!!!!
i would always imagine flying my x-wing (since it is the coolest out there). i saw star wars before i even saw TOPGUN, and i still perfer starwars!

that is pretty cool. nice to have connections like that!! lol

I will never forget the first time I really saw Star Wars. It was in the 90's when they were being re-released into theaters as the special editions in 1997 in the US. I had seen the movies in passing on television (when I was in elementary school I was quite the Star Trek Fan because my parents were too and Next Gen. was always on the tube in our house growing up). Science Fiction always fascinated me because it allowed me to imagine a future where human kind was exploring the stars and making discoveries... "Going where No Man has gone before!" The explorer inside me has always loved the thought that, just maybe, I can someday go out and explore what never has been seen by human eyes before!
I'll never forget being 11 years old and looking up onto the big screen to see the Original Star Wars for the first time. To say that I loved it was an understatement. Not only did I watch and re-watch all of those movies over and over, but I also began picking up all the fan-fiction novels that took place after Return of the Jedi. I was hooked, to say the least! The Empire Strikes Back will always be one of my favorite movies of all time. The storytelling was phenomenal, and though people often criticize George for using influences/themes from Arthurian Legend and Samurai Warrior Tales, I don't feel it's really just to criticize a film maker for using the best story elements and writing styles that have been around for years. (People are always re-using those themes of good-evil, light-dark, etc. because they are a great way to tell a story, to appeal to our common humanity, and to inspire us and pull us completely in as viewers/readers!)
As for the prequels, I have to admit that they did not reach out and inspire me as the originals did. Maybe it's because I had looked up as a girl with the whole world in front of me when I saw those movies originally. (I admit that I am a good deal more cynical now...lol.) But who knows, maybe he just didn't capture the same inspiring essence of epic storytelling in which good triumphs over evil and even the most unlikely farmboy can become a hero. After all, we all knew how those new movies were going to end. We knew that Darth Vader was coming, and that Good would not win until much later on. Maybe it's just because prequels don't always work in general?
Hard to say, but I would never hate George Lucas for the prequels. He has given us Star Wars and without it there would be an entire community, no, an entire generation of Geeks who would live completely different lives! Why, Danny Choo here would never have become the Tokyo Stormtrooper!!! (I would miss the dancing videos, for sure, Danny!).

I used to have the orange R series astromech. R5D4 was his name, and despite being named that looked closer to the R4 series (Like the black one you have up there.) The R5's should have an "Inverted flowerpot" head.

I liked the special edition, but some of the changes were just wrong (Greedo should NEVER have shot first.) I will await this new movie with interest.

Can't say much about the haters...I mean, they can go hating all they want. I'll respect their opinions so that they'll respect mine too. It's really all about balance. I figured that out many years ago when I was still in high school. There will always be someone that'll be a negative to everything positive in your life. That law in physics really applies to everything in life. :D

As for the movies, I prefer the original trilogy since luke's story has more depth in it as compared to the latter trilogy involving vader's story. But overall, I kinda like story outside of the two trilogies...you know those books, games and comics millenias ago since luke/vader's time. I guess you could say I like the stories of the star wars universe more compared to the stories of individual people. heheh.

I kinda like the special edition of the trilogy...aside from that Greedo shooting first and a couple of weird inserts, most of it were better though.

I never was a fan of Star Wars to begin with. But I still find these posts interesting as they relate to Japan and Otaku culture. ^^

I remember watching the first Star Wars at a Drive-in Movie from the back of a station wagon, it was great. I love all the movies and all the cartoons and cg...George Lucas is a very smart man...we should all be proud of him for succeeding in life... As far as haters go...pish...who cares...they will always be there, because they have nothing else better to do...lol

Thanks for the positive words, they really seem to come at the best times. I've noticed an increase in haters all over the internet lately, it's pretty hard to miss them. It's been making me actually want to have less to do with many communities and people. I don't enjoy reading negative things and that's one thing you don't post. Life is too filled with negativity as it is.

On Star Wars... obviously many people will somehow preferred the classic trilogy (Episode 4/5/6) rather than the modern trilogy (Episode 1/2/3).... For me personally I enjoy and love watching all of them because I am a Star Wars fan... maybe not a hardcore fan who can afford every single merchandise of it or those cosplay stuff but for sure I love all of the Star Wars movies and I am grateful to see the works from such a brilliant person - Mr. George Lucas, may God bless him and his families.

As for you Danny.... what ever you write in dannychoo.com or figure.fm or any other sister networks of Mirai, I dont mind to read/view them as it is something new that can only came out from Japan.... something unique... and for some reason there are many ways that you give me (and maybe many others) some great inspiration.

I may like or dislike any articles from you or from any other bloggers (and the same goes to my blog's readers/visitors as well) but at the end, what's the fuss, it's free, all I have to do just view it and if I like it that is fine, if I don't like it, I just scroll down quickly and look for other stuff.... there is no need to send stupid ugly e-mails or comments just because you don't like that person's interest or if that person is posting something that you don't like.... I call that "rude"... but then again, there are too many maniacs out there and nothing much we can do about it... I rather enjoy my self watching "hentai anime" rather than bother about those negative kind of people and I guess you should do the same...

I first found dannychoo.com when I first venture into Gundam but even if there is less Gundam stuff now, I still enjoy dannychoo.com

And if someday you start to write about gardening or financial and economical issue or even about single mother looking for partner maybe... I will still be a regular visitors/readers of your site as I consider it "a learning and evolution process"...

一番大事なのは、人生でやりたい事をやる。

スターウォーズは見たことがないのでわからないけど、danny さんの考え方は好きです。
好きなことやるのが良いよ！

Dr Lee takes a great photo - different angles and DOF are a nice touch.

That GF1 sure takes a great shot for a point and shoot (or an SLR). I am dead surprised by its quality. Might look at getting one as a walk around camera when the 5DMII is not really needed.

George Lucas lied!

Ahh, I can't help but wonder if in 40 years time they'll choose to remake the whole star wars saga in mind blowing 3D
Also I think that Danny is doing the best possible thing by ignoring the haters and simply doing what he wants to do. (Never tried Durian but it sounds tasty ^^)

nice

Reading this made me happy. ^^

I was never a star wars fan, I was a Star Trek person growing up XD
But that doesn't mean I still can't appreciate the movies once in awhile~

Nice photos, not a huge Star Wars fan but I can relate to the people that hate him on some level. I watched the comparison video, when the Greedo shots at Han Solo doesn't Han look like Christian Bale? Haha...

Chose the new trilogy, only because I adore Episode III. Otherwise I would have went with the originals. As for special edition, it's the edition I have. It was nice to have previously removed scenes (due to budget reasons) being brought back.

On the second video of original vs Special Ed, the rebel x wings taking off at 58 sec into the video. That was an amazing scene in 1977 and Lucas utterly destroyed it in the fix up. Those garish x-wings pulling up in the special edition look stupid and it kills the sense of scale. And the massive swarm taking off to attack - total ruination of the concept. What was the concept? See the Ralph McQuarrie's painting for the original same scene FYI.

The Story concept was that of a small fighting force, seemingly weak, they are an inferior force with lots of heart and faith in themselves. Boldly they take on a massive giant monstrous Empire and at the cost of those lives preciously given, they fight and go on to win! It's also the triumph of man over machine, mind and spirit over technology, and good over evil...

The Special Ed ruins all of that message and only helps reinforce the HORRID idea that Vader is a hero. Vader is Hitler not a hero, not someone to emulate, he's the Dark Father (darth vader) he's the villain and deserves to die as the murderer that he truly is. The man killed whole planets (as a Story character) and the hero is duty bound to eliminate him and all he stands for - Luke is the Hero and no one emulates him - morally bankrupt is what we've become - thanks to George Lucas. As an aside and just for laughs, Storm Troopers of various levels are directly inspired by the Waffen SS and Gestapo.

With the movie changes and horrid "Story" line discipline Lucas killed a wonderful mythological pathos and turned it all into a crappy/creepy kids story ($$$$$$$) with no heart, no back bone, and worst all horrid Story.

The ancient Greeks warned that when a People revere their villains as much or more than their heroes, that People are doomed to perish by self destruction in short order.

I'm all for remastering stuff, the effects for stuff such as the X-Wings in the Special edition are done better, there's no doubt.

But all the extra stuff he threw in, like stupidly changing the whole Han shot First thing, and in Return of the Jedi, the sarlac and that STUPID SONG SCENE were waaaaay too far. AND PUTTING HAYDEN INTO RETURN OF THE JEDI???!!! WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? Not to mention CHANGING BOBA FETT'S VOICE YOU DON'T DO THAT!!!!

Was a lot of fun taking part in the final bit of filming in Shibuya! After Ken tweeted that you were in the area all I had to do was stand at the crossing and look around for about 15 seconds before seeing you the other side!

お疲れ〜！

I think variety is the spice of life, and one of the reasons I like this blog. Even though there hasn't been much changes in the kind of posts you can find lately, it picked my interests in things I have never seen before or considered existed. There will always be people unsatisfied with everything, although personally I think the prequel-trilogy was a travesty, at least at the end.

But even though I understand where you're going with the haters, I also can't stop thinking about people who DO show off, are arrogant and expect people to feed their ego and be their sheep through their blogs and whatnot. You have to admit there ARE people out there who can be doing exactly what you do for the sole sake of inflating themselves and justifying their arrogant way of life: that they are the center of the world and always right.

There are haters, and then there are just people who have different opinions or see things as they are. The language might be harsh sometimes (frustration goes both ways) but it is important not to mistake constructive criticism with hating.

Wheres the option of both?
:P

The TV now only shows the special editions now, not the classic ones. They should at least show the classics too hahaha.

Hhhmm storm trooper armour, must be nice to own one! Shame they cost an arm and a leg!

The fact that you seem to get more 'haters' when you start talking about a specific category may mean something. Perhaps people that like a certain thing (such as dollfies) think they're in a minority, and that makes them special. Then someone as established as yourself starts generating interest about that subject, thereby taking away what that person thinks makes them special.

As for me, i just wish i had your job XD

I don't hate the new trilogy... The storyline is fine but I think it would have been much better if the movies were directed by someone else with a much darker view... And the classic trilogy would've been better left untouched...

I still am waiting for more Gundam stuff, Danny! But I like whatever you put here, he he he...

Great Stormtrooper outfit! You can watch Danny Choo talking about life in Japan and his armour in the documentary film HOBBY which was conceived as a visual document to witness the release of a Nintendo Wii console in Japan. However, it slowly morphed into a showcase of some of the many ways in which the Japanese spend their leisure time. Watch this brilliant and very funny film for 8 days at Christmas at http://www.dailymotion.com/renderyardchannel

Interesting article, and congrats being in this documentary! I'm a bit excited that your dollfies will make a movie appearance ^^.

Great pics. Well I also regret that there is less about Gundams but I do not think for a moment that I wasted my time here... I don't hate mr Lucas also, its his movie and vision and we can like it or dislike it, but if You hate him its because you love his work and are disappointed for some reason now. Then, it is logical to keep liking the parts you like and be grateful for that, it is not good to hate him...

Just for the record I like original trilogy more!

"So, ah we're gonna need the storm Trooper back.."

"Wait! NO!"

to me, i guess those people who sent you the hate mail are just envious about your success. because they can't find a way or they are just embarrassed about what they can do. but in my opinion, kinda admire your way. and because of that, you got yourself a very comfortable life than before. i want to try it. but i think, i'll think of another way of how to get there. :) and maybe, this is not my time yet. i have to finish something before i get there.

lucky you for the interview. :) the storm trooper outfit rocks!!!! :D nice one.

poor you. you shouldn't exert too much. especially in the cold weather.

My experiences in this world,people that hate others for whatever reasons can`t stand that they can`t be more important and that someone has done it better than they could,its simple jealousy.
Everybody knows that george lucas ripped off star trek along with every science fiction film before star wars.Yes he made alot of mistakes on how it could of been better(3 foot teddy bears beat the empire,for example).Destroying the childhood fantasy that now the force is just microscopic bugs that live in everything-lame!LOL,vader`s nooooo! was terrible now that you mention it.

*wheeze* *wheeze* *pant*

When I read about people hating what Lucas did with the new trilogy and the re-done old trilogy, I think about eromanga artists whom I used to really like but eventually moved on from because their art style changed such that it doesn't look great to me anymore. Lucas is kinda similar situation, IMO. His direction changed and many people just didn't like it. Rather than hating on him though, people should just move on. It's a much more effective way for people to show they're not big on him anymore than hating on him the way they do.

My Note Annotation here needs more Kung-Fu; I'm completely messing up how I mark them. It's like learning alien technology.

Anyway, it's a kind of art...different people have different perception...be open-mind!

The Force is strong with this one....P.S. The Force Mind control works on Trolls...

The leader is not "red"

" Yo yo Wassup?"

"I'm Red"

I'm Black

I'm Blue

I'm Yellow

i love jar jar, i dont know why people hate the new films, the first time, i saw the final duel in episode one, the clones and yoda in episode two and the fight between anakin and obi-wan in episode three were just awesome, the prequels are great and yes i did see the old ones way before the new ones came out and think they're great also, it's not one sided!!