Charles Lewis wrote:

I meant _Crisis_ after around the fourth episode, and, more or less,
all of Crisis!   
	_What_ I meant, and mean, is that I felt the series moved from 
being a sort of grim, intriguing cyberpunk homage to BladeRunner (or 
something in the P.K. Dick/Gibson/Stephenson lineage) to a somewhat 
hackneyed Marvel/DC epic superhero fight.  I've never had a lot of truck 

I can see how episodes 5 through 8 can be viewed that way but for me
episodes 5 and 6 are the most interesting eps. I thought the idea of a
cyberdroid with a distaste for humanity was fascinating. It may not seem
like an intriguing homage to Blade Runner to some but the rise of a new race
of beings and their drive to exist seems pretty close to me.

with the all-too-familiar plot lines of (traditional) American comics and 
cartoons.  That's a large part of why anime appeals so much to me -- 
there's the potential for _much_ more plot and character development.

That's why I'm writing.

	When BGC started, it had a lot of social commentary going on.  It 
wasn't about superheroes and super villains.  The main characters were 
_mercenaries_ --- first, and foremost.  They killed when it wasn't 
necessary.  They weren't happy people.  And, most importantly, the focus 
of the series seemed to encompass the _setting_ and, to some degree, the 
characters, rather than methodically pursuing some incredibly predictable 
plot.  

On the contrary, I think BGC comments quite well on the society of 2033.
I have been fascinated by the world that the BGC characters live in. Nobody
is perpetually happy. A little happiness here, a little sadness there . . .
I thought the scenes where Priss had to deal with the loss of Sylvie and
then Anri were very moving. Moving enough to compel me write a Fanfic.

	Unfortunately, while BGC showed a really impressive amount of 
potential in its early episodes, the later episodes _really_ 
degenerated.  The whole thing seemed to come down to one silly titanic 
battle with impossibly evil bad guys after another.  By episode eight it 
seemed indistinguishable from American Saturday morning fare (as I 
understand it, the original plot had Priss dead in #6, and the series 
over at #7).  Crash! is a such a mess that it's barely worth getting into.

Jeanne's right (Jeanne you sure are right a lot ^_^), this is not the place
for a discussion of Priss original fate (or future). But I have to disagree
with you on the 'impossibly evil' bad guy thing. What's fascinating to me
about Largo is that he is evil in the eyes of humanity but he feels that
humanity has opressed his kind. He fights for a foothold in the evolutionary
climb not against the forces of nature but against another being. Why should
humanity
continue to dominate? Why shouldn't cybergenetic beings evolve into
the dominant race? His methods seem evil but considering what man has
done to protect his right to exist in a certain territory, what makes Largo's
methods seem so 'impossibly evil'? He just wants to survive and if someone
gets in his way then he's going to do whatever it takes to hurdle their
opposition.

	Don't get me wrong.  Even though I have certain issues with it, I
still think BGC is a grade-A amazing series.  I think the fanfic writer
who prefers the darker side of things has a rich and fertile field in the
BGC premise -- which is, among other reasons, why I've been writing a BGC
fanfic (Machina non Grata -- you can find it on the remailer).  My hope 
was to try and return to the _feel_ that seemed to fall by the wayside as 
the series went on, and became more popular.  

I am attempting the same thing (naively perhaps) for the same reasons.
But I am driven by the fact that a lot of questions remain unanswered after
Largo's death and I have been motivated to continue this pursuit as I believe
the answers are buried in the original episodes themselves for all to dig for.

	As to BGC fanfics -- I _do_ think a lot of the earliest entries 
on ftp.std.com are some of the best.  Like I said, I think _Crusade_ is 
an amazing piece of work, and something which should be mandatory reading 
for any prospective fanfic author.  I also think a lot of good stuff is 
still being produced (BGZone -- even with its "brown tousled hair" :) -- 
is a great example).  

CHL

 I agree. Except for the crit of BGZone. It's his style :)

Andy
*************************
BG Cross
askuse@execulink.com
*************************