Quad Aces Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Of course the season has only begun a short while ago, but would love to see Mandarins make Finals for the first time (not at the expense of Academy, of course). Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 At the moment, to me, Academy's show seems harder but less polished than Mandarins' show--and no less engaging. However, I think both may miss Finals, with Madison moving back up. We'll see. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corps8294 Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 The way this season is shaping up, I'm thinking the Mandarins will be in 13th with the Academy being in 14th. It appears that the Academy is experiencing what the Seattle Cascades did after making finals in 2012; it's harder to get in and stay in than it is to fall out, especially if you place 11th or 12th. Again, the Academy is a very talented corps; but, everyone else really upped their game this year, too. For the past two years, the Mandarins have been building a strong corps. They will be d**n close to making the top 12; but I don't know if it will be enough to crack the top 12 this year. Looking ahead I think the 9th-12th spots will be occupied by the Blue Stars, Phantom Regiment, Crossmen, and Madison Scouts. After that, the 13th-16th spots will go to the Mandarins, Academy, Troopers, and Colts. Spirit of Atlanta is working their way back up, too, and could overtake the Colts or Troopers. BDB will be a wildcard, again. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv4corps Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 (edited) 7 hours ago, corps8294 said: Looking ahead I think the 9th-12th spots will be occupied by the Blue Stars, Phantom Regiment, Crossmen, and Madison Scouts. After that, the 13th-16th spots will go to the Mandarins, Academy, Troopers, and Colts. Spirit of Atlanta is working their way back up, too, and could overtake the Colts or Troopers. BDB will be a wildcard, again. Don't count out OC for a 13 -15 spot. They've got the bones of a great show (that no one has seen yet!) - with improved design, color guard & brass. The activity is pushing itself forward and that is a GOOD thing! Edited July 2, 2017 by luv4corps 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I'm excited for Mandarins though I'd feel bad if Academy fell. Reviews of both shows are good though Academy has been said by some to be too silly but let's be fair, if you're basing your show on a Warner Brothers cartoon, even though there might be deep subtleties hidden in some of them, we're not talking Greek tragedy here, so there should be some silliness. However, silliness should be clean and well executed. Regarding finals, it depends on Madison. Right now I see Madison, Mandarins, and Academy battling for number 12. If Madison edges closer to Blue Stars and Crossmen or even places higher in the next week or so, I'd predict Madison will be in finals with Mandarins and Academy for 13 and 14. However, in the past some gave claimed there is a west coast inflation early in the season. If that's the case, how will Mandarins and Academy fare against Colts, Troopers, and Spirit, and as one other poster mentioned, we have yet to see Oregon Crusaders. I think we will have to wait until San Antonio will begin to geat aclearer picture. Personally, I'd love things to get so mixed up, we don't have a clear picture till Allentown! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterA Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I would love to see Mandarins make top 12. They have been an awesome corps for so many years. I am not completely sure they will stay ahead of Academy the rest of the season, as I think Academy has a lot more room to clean, but both corps will probably make many changes in the next 6 weeks. I would say there are 5 corps battling for those last 4 spots in finals. Blue Stars, Crossmen, Madison, Academy and Mandarins all seem to have shows close to the same level(early season opinion still) and several of those are needing a lot more cleaning than others at the current time. This is one of the most amazing years from top to bottom, which was also the case last year. I can't wait to see how things shake out this season. Best of luck to the Mandarins, whether you make top 12 or place 25th, I love your show and direction you have taken the last 25 plus years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv4corps Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 (edited) I've been hearing a lot of hype about Mandarins so I finally made a point to watch the show. I enjoyed it from start to finish. My thoughts: I absolutely LOVE the clean, uncluttered look maintained throughout the show. The color scheme is very striking, especially when the red is introduced. The giant pen nibs look sleek and are an effective prop, especially when the ink leaks. Very nice. Color guard looks fabulous already and will only improve. They sell this show well. The visual grabs me more than the music, which is just an observation and is neither good nor bad. Battery plays with some attitude. Brass sounds good early on. The Sound of Silence ballad fits well. I do wonder if there is enough demand in this show to get them into finals? Dunno. 13 - 15, definitely. But placement aside, this show will be a HUGE crowd pleaser and all the buzz is well deserved. Edited July 3, 2017 by luv4corps 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brassdude6171 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 I was having a huge problem with the brass sound and I just figured out what it was. There's a whole ton of low and barely any high for the majority of ensemble phrases. When there's good balance, my goodness m-m good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoaDci Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 I feel like Mandarin's are 2017's Mandarin's. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brassboy Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 33 minutes ago, brassdude6171 said: I was having a huge problem with the brass sound and I just figured out what it was. There's a whole ton of low and barely any high for the majority of ensemble phrases. When there's good balance, my goodness m-m good. Is that based on live performance or video? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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