Monday, July 23, 2001

Well, Cartoon Network made the big announcement: they’ll be showing Cowboy Bebop this fall. And as Saalon pointed out, there’s really not much for them to edit.

I taped the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam, and watched it tonight. It’s…frankly, amazing. It’s uncompromisingly brutal in its depiction of war (heck, dozens of people die right in front of the camera), and unexpectedly dramatic. There’s an innovative purity to its storytelling. I’m actually looking forward to seeing what happens next, despite the outdated animation.

I also watched Outlaw Star, which is confirming my opinion that it’s the “poor man’s Cowboy Bebop.” Well, perhaps that’s an unfair statement; I mean that, while Bebop is fantastic, Outlaw Star is merely very good. OS manages to combine cool action, quirky characters, background drama, and signature anime humor and have fun all along the way. And you gotta love Hawking and Starwind Services’ motto: “We fix everything from tractors to relationships.”

And as I type this, I’m watching Gundam 08th MS Squadron. It’s not particularly innovative, but it’s good stuff thus far. Solid plotting and interesting characters. And it had character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto, character designer for Mighty Space Miners (and Cowboy Bebop!), which is cool.

Meanwhile, I’m struggling with a basic life question. My conflict can be summed up in the following sentence:

Is consistent, long-term attention to a single project necessarily mature?

I look at Piro, creator and artist of MegaTokyo, who spends an average of 4–5 hours every day on MT-related work. I compare that to my own life, where I’m trying to do work for Points of View, my online gallery, AtheOS programming, BeOS programming, the AtheOS-developer FAQ, SUB, Kamidake, writing, Redemption, role-playing, playing the piano and violin, and gardening, among other things. I’m trying to do an awful lot. And, momentarily avoiding the question of whether I’m spread too thin, I’m wondering whether I should spread myself at all.

For example: What if I focused on AtheOS programming? I could certainly get a lot more done. Should I focus on only one or two things? I’ve always felt that success requires heavy dedication to a project. Many, many hours. Is that true?

I honestly don’t know. I’d appreciate your opinions; I feel like a freshly caught fish, struggling in the boat to find water. I have no idea what’s right here. Or if there is a right.