Well, they have to get through some prelude specials first.

Plus lots more about inspirations and name origins, Imagawa's favorite bits, anecdotes about the cast and creators, and lots of mushy sincerity as one would hope from a discussion of this goofy, heartwarming show.

We get some more tantalizing hints about Imagawa's original "Polcarino Gundam" plan, and learn that one of the sub-villains was named after the Bandai executive who killed that proposal and ordered Imagawa to do a nationally themed "Street Fighter" show instead.

I should mention that the planetarium show includes a bunch of hand-drawn 360-degree virtual panoramas. These were a real head trip to create, but should look fairly impressive on the 75-foot hemispherical screen.

Now back to work, dealing with family medical stuff, and happily losing myself in Kelly Link's new 600-page novel!

Anyway, there's lots of colorful detail about the production facilities, staff and creators, and the animation process. Plus legendary tales of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's superhuman speed and strength, Yoshiyuki Tomino being boggled by the existence of teenage viewers, alarming fan mail, etc.

These are written by Yoshie Kawahara (aka "Hiroshi Kazama"), who became one of the Sunrise animation studio's few female employees when she began working there as a high-school student in 1975. The columns are roughly in chronological order, so the first half-dozen take us into mid-'76.

The philosophy class I took in art school was likewise one of my all-time favorites for exactly that reason.

This whole thread is gold, but I especially appreciate the verbification of "tablebring."

Thank you!