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HellCat
08-31-2008, 10:12 AM
The End 2 months short of the 5th anniversary of the blog, I am sad to announce this entry will be the last for Gunota Headlines. Before it even had a name, it was a dumping ground for the then persistent Zeta Gundam trilogy rumors. A few days later, my blogging partner Neo-Era came on board and it transformed into what everyone has known it as. Coincidently, my current job and Gunota started around the same time. As the years went by, I became the typical busy salary-man resulting in less time devoted to helping run the site.

The ride has been great. I never imagined it would last this long. In the past 5 years, we have seen many evolutions in Gundam: an all-CG series called MS IGLOO and its follow-up installment, a series shown first over the Internet in Stargazer, and finally a Hi-Def series in Gundam 00. The digital age has allowed the exploration of different media and the quick spread of news /information.

The end of Gunota as we know it does not mean I have grown tired of Gundam. As Gundam turns 30 years old, I look forward to the next TV series and any new promising reference books on the Universal Century. Maybe you will see me lurking in forums or on whatever future project I take on. And lastly, I would personally like to thank Neo-Era and say “otsukaresama”. It was a pleasure working with you and good luck.

-- RGZ

.-'``'-..-'``'-..-'``'-..-'``'-..-'``'-..-'``'-..-'``'-..-'``'-..

This is something I would’ve liked to have written under different circumstances but I’m sure many people will appreciate things don’t often go exactly as planned. For a number of reasons, I feel the time has come to close Gunota Headlines. After co-running the site for nearly 5 years, it was a decision I came to only after much consideration so apologies to anyone who may feel put off by the abruptness of this announcement. The big issue is time. Several months ago, I sustained some injuries from which I’m still slowly recovering (and, in fact, this was the main catalyst for the situation as it stands). That coupled with the demands of finishing up my computer studies have left me without the free time & energy to continue with the blog as it presently exists. I also feel one of the principle merits of Gunota has been our ability to deliver news items in a timely manner, something I don’t believe is possible anymore with things the way they are now.

But I also don’t think we’re leaving our regular readers in the lurch. Anime fandom today is more Japan-savvy than it was 5 years ago. Imageboards, largely unknown to English-speaking fandom then, pick up on news pretty quickly. The latest rumors & magazine scans can be seen on other fine sites and are passed around message boards every day. Most of the sources we use for news we’ve linked to at one time or another and many are worth visiting on a regular basis in their own right. In short, Gunota Headlines is not so much the necessary entity it may once have been and that fact makes it a little easier to let go of even as the 30th anniversary of Gundam approaches.

One of the cooler things about running Gunota was seeing something you wrote up being translated into French, Italian, Thai, etc. by people in other countries following the blog. I sincerely hope these sites can keep at the Gundam news game without our continued presence. I’ve always loved how much smaller the world seems in the Internet age and hope to contribute something to that spirit in the future. In that vein, a very special thanks goes to my overseas pal RGZ, who especially held the site together in its formative years and prevented me with my slowly progressing Japanese skills from making more horrible mistakes than I otherwise did.

-- Neo-Era

.-'``'-..-'``'-..-'``'-..-'``'-..-'``'-..-'``'-..-'``'-..-'``'-..

Finally, we sincerely thank everyone who visited us, the many sites who linked to us as a reliable source of news, and the numerous people who gave assistance along the way.

*salutes* As one of many, a very big thank you. Over the last few years you've proved an invaluable source of Gundam news, especially for those of us who don't speak Japanese or have our finger on the pulse. We were blessed by two fans efforts that kept us up to date with the latest Gundam animation, merchandise, web and general curiousity news. You read spoilers for the sake of everyone else and had to put up with at least one nut and his pestering about the very niches of greater Gundam-hood.
So thank you, sirs. Thank you for the immense service you did the fandom and good luck in the future.

Juu-kuchi
08-31-2008, 10:19 AM
Oh a most definite thank you in order indeed. You (Gunota) have been a nexus of updated Gundam news that had kept us informed from SEED to 00, allowing us to know and become learned in what was transpiring across the Pacific.

Best of luck to the creators and moderators of the Headlines, and may happy Gundam-filled days continue to line their future as life goes on.

GWOtaku
08-31-2008, 10:31 AM
Whoa. Gunota was the one place I went to for Gundam news, so I guess I'll have to adapt a bit and take note of some sources! Thanks for the years of top-quality effort, & good luck in the future. Gunota was what a news blog ought to be.

HellCat
08-31-2008, 10:32 AM
http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=25747

shadowstrain
08-31-2008, 11:55 AM
A couple of years ago a friend and I tried creating a blog where we could post our thoughts on all things related to entertainment. It was inspired by Gunota and it was an utter failure. The experience humbled me. I realized how much devotion it must take to create a community bulletin, such as Gunota was, that could satisfy the appetite of fans for the shows they love. Invaluable resources are scarce to come by on the internet, and Gunota was one of them. Thanks, you guys.

Katsumara
08-31-2008, 01:07 PM
What?! Noo. I loved that blog. =[ Thanks a ton, Gunota, for what you did.

Rolling Cloud
08-31-2008, 03:07 PM
Dammit, this stinks. =[ Many thanks to Gunota for its help.

zoid9000
08-31-2008, 03:42 PM
Ahhh, that's sad they are going, but very understandable.

Huge thanks to Gunota for their many years of service in reporting Gundam-related news.

HellCat
08-31-2008, 04:50 PM
I mentioned this briefly in the initial post, but I personally owe Neo-Era a great personal debt. Many times I've consulted him and he's always set aside time to help me, even on ocassions when I haven't asked him specifically. Everything from niche pieces of news to manga 4-koma translations. I owe him thanks several times over and should he ever need someone killed, I should probably go hide for a while.
Hopefully both he and RGZ will continue to be part of the fandom even without GH.

HellCat
09-02-2008, 12:26 PM
Posted this in the 00 thread, but since some will have good reason to stay away from that:

http://www.gundamnews.net/ This is looking to be Gunota's spiritual successor, apparently with their blessing. It's early days and currently somewhat limited, which is understandable.
Let's hope it can come close to the good work RGZ and Neo-Era put in...who, with his post count at 666, is clearly Satan and left because Gunota was a now full well of souls collecting the tortured essence of the damned and the geeky...if you count those as two different things.

:p

Neo-Era
09-03-2008, 02:48 AM
I'm going to go and ruin that perfect post count by posting again...

Thanks for the kind words, peeps. I'm actually neither for nor against anyone else starting another similar news blog. I consider the sources of all that news, being other internet sites, free information (minus magazines or pay website material but info from such usually leaks by various means anyway). My only concern is that anyone starting a new news site is that they know what they're getting into. With Gundam, it's like a part-time job. It's a big franchise and finding and keeping track of new developments on time can be tough.

Ultra8
09-03-2008, 03:52 AM
Many thanks for the cool info over the years, Gunota. May you have good fortune on your future endevors.:D

HellCat
09-03-2008, 10:19 PM
I'm going to go and ruin that perfect post count by posting again...

Thanks for the kind words, peeps. I'm actually neither for nor against anyone else starting another similar news blog. I consider the sources of all that news, being other internet sites, free information (minus magazines or pay website material but info from such usually leaks by various means anyway). My only concern is that anyone starting a new news site is that they know what they're getting into. With Gundam, it's like a part-time job. It's a big franchise and finding and keeping track of new developments on time can be tough.

Must be nice. You check to see how the various forms have reacted, see alot of well wishes and such...there come here to see yourself compared to the antichrist :sweat: Ah well, more fodder for the eventual tell all book. You can work it in amongst the recount of your ill fated romance with the Christina Mackenzie cosplayer.


I can't begin to imagine how much work it took. Like your send off said, Gunota was always very timely so to be on top of things like that...wow. As the posts here and elsewhere show, it was definetly appreciated though.

GWOtaku
09-03-2008, 10:21 PM
Yeah, thanks a ton Neo. This might be hyperbole, but Gunota was probably the most useful Gundam site around since Gundam Project ended quite a few years ago. You should be proud of what you accomplished. :)