Welcome to a brand new section of the Vandread Library. Here, we will address some of the rumours and mysteries concerning Vandread floating around and hopefully separate fact and fiction.
So without a further ado, lets take a look....
Contents:
Will
there be any more Vandread?
A Vandread
game?!
Who is that in the opening credits?
What
happened to the proposed Vandread Library: Second Stage?
Is
Spike dead?!
Will there be any more Vandread?
First up, the big one. Will there be any more Vandread? Well, in 2002 following on from Second Stage rumours began circulating of a possible 3rd stage. This was fuelled by the following images that were scanned from the April 2001 edition of Newtype:
(click on either for a larger version)
Whilst the authenticity of this images is questionable (IMHO), they did however present some ideas that the fans have been speculating on. Thus, the following details emerged:
- The new
series will be set 20 years after the events of Second Stage and
focus on the next generation
-
One of the characters will be the daughter of Hibiki and Dita (the
redhead in the left image)
-
Another of the characters will be the daughter Hibiki and Meia (the
character in the right image)
- As this new incarnation looks at the new generation, the original
characters will be either absent or limited in appearances
- Finally, the setting will be in an orphanage
Additional imagery on this new incarnation emerged with what appears to be new mecha:
(click on either for a larger version)
This too is open to speculation but from the looks of it, the Vandreads themselves have been studied by both Taraak and Mejerr and have subsequently gone into mass production. The one on the left looks like an advanced version of the Vandread-Dita whilst the one on the right seems to have been inspired by the Vandread-Meia.
Of course, all of this was back in 2001-2. In the years since, Gonzo have made more and more anime (Full Metal Panic and Last Exile being two prominent examples). With their attention becoming increasingly diverted, it seems the prospects of more Vandread is becoming unlikely with each passing year. Now it's 2009 and still nothing has emerged so I guess it's safe to say that what we have now is pretty much all we're going to get (not that I'm complaining).
Back in 2002, these images turned up on cyberspace, suggesting a Vandread computer game:
(click on either for a larger version)
These are fakes of course, constructed using both Photoshop and
screenshots from Vandread and Starsiege Tribes (the use of the phrase
All Your Organs Are Belong to Us
may be something of a giveaway).
Sadly there doesn't seem to be
any sign of a Vandread game both here in and Japan (or at least to my
knowledge). Damn....
Who is that in the opening credits?
Not a rumour as such but some people have asked who this character is (that appears in the opening credits of First Stage):
That is actually the Pexis. However this is only revealed in the
manga.
I guess it is open to speculation how this idea would've
been used. It also raises speculation as to how many other ideas were
left out on the cutting room floor.
Still, a blue haired girl
makes an interesting counter-balance to the malevolent Red Pexis boy.
What happened to the proposed Vandread Library: Second Stage?
In mid 2006 I received an e-mail from Meyer, a guy in San Francisco offering to remake the VL. As part of this revamp, the entire thing would be done in php, relocate to a completely new server, add a whole host of new features, including a forum, and give the VL a bold new direction. This would lead the VL into an evolution from a fanfiction site to the best site on Vandread around. As the creator of the VL, I gave the green light and supported this project fervently. A date was established for the 22nd of April 2007, just in time for the VL's fifth birthday.
But it never happened: The forum came through but Meyer was having some trouble working with both the server and the working with the php. The deadline wasn't met, other projects were dragging both myself and Meyer elsewhere and there was general confusion. Eventually, Meyer and myself agreed that there were too many outside factors that were making the realisation of the Second Stage a difficult process. So, we both decided to drop the project.
So sadly, the project died and the original forum eventually followed. In fact, the only thing that remained of the proposed Second Stage was a speech I had planned for the grand opening. So I thought I might place it here and give it a home:
|
No, I had no idea that the VL would've lasted
three months let alone this long.... The birth of VL: Second Stage really came about
late 2006 when I received an e-mail from a guy called Meyer
proposing a revamp, with improvements to structure, arrangement
and graphics. Thinking this a great idea, I accepted. So as of today, the VL is the most healthiest
five year old in cyberspace and what better way to celebrate it's
birthday than giving it a new lease of life? |
Still, even if the project fell through, it did however inspire me to return to the VL after a prolonged absence and keep going with it. Only this time around, I took the original intention of making it into one of the best Vandread sites around. And so far, it's working out well.
During 2007, when the VL was in hiatus and the proposed Second Stage had evaporated, rumours were circulating in amongst the Vandread fan community that I'd died. This was indeed a shock to me as I had no idea I was being held in such high esteem by the Vandread fan community. Likewise, I was completely unaware that interest in Vandread was still going, seeing as the wave of fandom had been and gone and many of Vandread's fans have since moved on.
So here I can put such rumours to rest: As of 13th August 2008, I am still very much alive and well and certainly haven't given up completely on my beloved VL. Sure, the proposed Second Stage didn't go through but that doesn't mean this incarnation of this long-running site is going to die out anytime soon.
And to further disprove talk of me being dead and buried, here is a recent photo of me:
