Chris responds:
It's hard to know what he was thinking during the scripting process. From what I've verifiably read about Tomino, I think I can say with certainty that he's not the type of director to craft his stories based on fan approval. As far as Sochie is concerned, her ending in Turn A seems out of place at first glance given the happy endings the rest of the cast receives. However, if you look at Sochie's development throughout the series, her life is marked by tragedy: the death of her father, the death of Gavane Goonny. Being rejected by Loran makes sense as far as her character goes, because despite her forceful personality, she's lonely. Also, since Loran doesn't show any romantic interest in her during the series, it would be odd if he suddenly did at the end.

Chris responds:
1. Scott is already working on reviews for Gurren-Lagann, and that section will be premiering soon. I'd like to cover Full Metal Panic eventually, but that's far off in the future.

2. This is one of those questions I'm going to decline to answer. Honestly, I don't see why my opinion on best this or that suit is relevant or interesting. It's a completely subjective statement, and anyway, I don't spend much time thinking what's the best ________ suit.

3. Gundam Wing doesn't exactly get into the same level of technical explanation as Universal Century shows, so it's hard to say. Perhaps the active cloak bends light around the Deathscythe to make it visible to the naked human eye.

4. I'm not very versed in the specifics of beam weapon mechanics, and nothing I've read says anything either way. It's always possible that it's simply an artistic choice in 08th MS Team when the beam liquid oozes out. It's also possible that the blast that cut the rifle in half liquefied the beam. Also, in terms of Wing Zero, I'm not sure what your point is. It's really best to avoid comparisons between universes when it comes to science. Minovsky physics are at the heart of UC science, and they don't exist in any other universe. Trying to find similarities between universes can be difficult, especially for the universes that are more scant when it comes to technical information.

Chris responds:
1. The only two games commercially available in North America are Original Generation 1 and 2 from Atlus. Several previous SRW games have been or are currently in the process of being translated by fans.

2. Super Robot Wars: Original Generations was released for the PS2 in Japan last month. It's a remake of the two Game Boy Advance OG titles. There's nothing else announced right now, either for release in Japan or America.

3. No, there is not another season of Gundam SEED in production. What is in production is a SEED feature film, tentatively scheduled for release in 2008. No further information is available.

4. Sorry, I really can't help you with this one, as my OG experience is limited to just a bit of the first game.

Chris responds:
1. I think Gundam is pretty flexible as a franchise, as opposed to franchises like Star Wars or Star Trek that are limited to one universe. Despite the formulas and cliches that Sunrise chooses to stick to, the possibilities are at least there for something good. And as various series have proven over the years, you don't need to have Tomino around to have a good Gundam series. So I don't think that the idea of the "good old days" really applies. With each and every Gundam series, it all depends on the team that's producing it.

2. This question has been covered in recent Mailbags - read back issues for more information.