Paul,

You're right. Let that useless argument be over. All I was trying to say is that everyone has their own individual opinion. No bias, just plain opinion. That's it. You're also right, I suppose, about ranking a display, without seing it.

Anyways, back to the rankings!

I'm still stuck between Holland and Italy! Still more with Italy, though!

Anybody else have any thoughts?

Regards,

Trav.

i guess Paul is right, we shouldnt rank countries that we havent seen, and not be influenced by others, cuz everyone has its own opinion

so ill be removing Germany and Japon from my list

1. Spain (Caballer)
2. China
3. Italy
4. Holland
5. Spain
6. France

Smoke, as u can see i think China should win, it personaly loved the little details they added in their display

in ure case, in think Italy should win, becuz Holland's display wasnt a "perfect" display, in my opinion

we go back to the same situation as last year, where many countries deserved to win!

Enkil,

You're right. We really can't rank displays that we haven't seen. It seems we're in the same predicament as last year, except even more tight, due to the fact there's only one award, the Platinum Jupiter.

I'm more hoping for Italy to win because of the way the whole display was done, in general. I even thought that it was almost perfect! Not because the display concluded with an incredible finale, but because it was well synchronized and an excellent choice of music that went very well with the fireworks. Also the quality of the materials looked great to create the overall intensity and symmetry of the display. I also thought that the show was very intense and eciting for the full 1/2 hour!

Then again, I' kinda stuck with Holland because they were so creative in terms the futuristic events. Those towers were so nicely used, too! The only small problem was the finale, which didn't matter that much in comparisson to the other segments of the display. If it wasn't for that, a truly perfect display. As always, I think that the final determinant will come down to the choice of music, which in fact I did like.

China was also very well done, especially with being faithful to their title "Butterflies and Dragons." A very traditional display, but at the same time, very creative to the tradition, especially with the new materials, too. I have a feeling that they could slip in, as well.

BTW, I forgot to mention in my review above, but I really was delighted to see that many firms used the gold glittering girandolas, as well as other varieties of double ascension girandolas! Those are so dramatic, and they really dazzle the audience every time they're presented before them! Very cute!

Anyways, a very tight year, indeed!

I'm still rooting for IPON! Although, I wouldn't feel bad about Holland or China winning, either. I wish I could've considered Caballer in there, since they were so exciting, but it's such a shame that things didn't turn out so well.

Trav.

Finally, I've posted my review of this year's fabulous competition. Here's my personal rankings.

Paul's personal choice:

* Favourite sequence - Nutcracker Suite by Pirotécnia Igual
* Best product - Marutamaya Co. Ltd.
* Best colours - Pirotécnia Vicente Caballer
* Best finale - IPON S.R.L.
* Most creative display - JNS Pyrotechniek B.V.
* Most flawless display - Marutamaya Co. Ltd.
* Best theme - Sunny International Co. Inc.
* Most audacious display - Weco Pyrotechnische Fabrik (for using live music)
* Overall appreciation - Weco Pyrotechnische Fabrik

Paul's jury prediction:

* Platinum Jupiter - Germany

See the 2004 reports link on the left for my full review.

Paul.