A No-Depth Look On Macross Frontier

OK, before reading this, I’ll just have you guys know that I have quite a shallow appreciation for the mecha genre. I don’t have that much interest in it. I grew up with a lot of it though, having brothers and too many guy friends and all. I don’t know why but I pick up a mecha anime from time to time – probably because it’s part of my childhood and pairing shipping can be tiring. Anyway, if you are expecting this to be a meaningful review of the show, don’t count on it.

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So anyway, I only decided to watch Macross Frontier now because I have an unofficial one mecha per season rule. Funny enough for the spring season, I opted for Code Geass R2. For one thing, my childhood viewing of Macross pretty much summed up to “Oh, I just happened to catch an episode on TV” and it was called Robotech; while the time I’ve already watched the first season of Code Geass and was left hanging with Episode 25/OVA 2.

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The Story:

In the year 2059, a pop idol named Sheryl Nome came to Macross Frontier on her galaxy-wide (?) tour. Shortly after the start of her concert, alien lifeforms called Vajras attaked the colony and all hell broke lose. In a series of coincidental circumstances including saving a girl named Ranka Lee, a high school student named Alto Saotome ended up joining the SMS, a private military service provider, where his school friends also worked. Sheryl and Ranka both have a connection with the Vajra through their voices.

~Alright! What the hell!? Another anime with the themes “WTH! World in Peril” and “High School Students Save The World”.

I’m not pretty good with making posts about shows that I watch on marathon. So to summarize my thoughts on each episode, I just hijacked Nagato’s format.

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Episode 1: The sight of a bishie that emits sparkles says that I will like this show.

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Episode 2: You’re still required to go to school eventhough unknown ugly things attack your biosphere.

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Episode 3: Nyan Nyan’s tuna dimsums are really good ice breakers.

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Episode 4: Well-endowed people must learn never to console the flat-chested when it comes to appendages.

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Episode 5: Don’t put your phones on vibrator mode when you’re gonna locked up in a locker with a chick. Or maybe you should.

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Episode 6: The sexual harassment exception clause???

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Episode 7: Implants are useful for hacking stuff.

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Episode 8: Luca proves that “It’s always the quiet ones.”

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Episode 9: See episode 6 subs screenshot.

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Episode 10: Alto makes a very pretty and graceful Japanese princess.

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Episode 11: Being a kabuki actor is SRS BSNS

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Episode 12: Even alien lifeforms must be updated with the latest showbiz news.

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Episode 13: Really sinister dudes file their nails in the office.

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Episode 14: Macross Frontier gets no love from Pizza Hut.

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Episode 15: What is this? A musical?

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Episode 16: These are things you learn in college, not high school.

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Episode 17: Cake pr0n!!! But why a pineapple cake???

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Episode 18: You don’t argue with Captain Bobby in a clearance sale.

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Episode 19: This is why you don’t introduce new flora and fauna into the ecosystem.

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Episode 20: Shit, they killed off Mikhail. ;A;

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Episode 21: Someone always gets pissed off when you kill awesome characters like Mikhail.

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Episode 22: The world is ending as they know it and Nyan Nyan is still business as usual.

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Episode 23: Jeez… what does it take to get through this guy that if Alto doesn’t fight to save the world, there will no longer be kabuki theater!?

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Episode 24: Sheryl tries to save humanity, but she has to have make-up first.

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Episode 25: Alto-hime ends up with his one true love: the sky.

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Thoughts (Warning – Text Wall Ahead):

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The Characters

I’ve always like Ranka’s character a lot more than Sheryl.  But when episode 10 hit, her childish naivete kinda wore me down. But it’s not like I didn’t continue to like her… until episode 21 anyway, when she left Macross Frontier to help Ai-kun home. -_-”’ Why? After that, she kinda ended up looking like a plot device for all the characters in the series to achieve their own goals. I only started looking at her like a person again when she made that declaration to Sheryl that she’s not going to give up.

But in terms of who Alto ended up with, I am undoubtedly gonna go with Sheryl. Ranka, doesn’t really stand a chance because Alto’s only fond of her. The whole Who Alto Should End Up with thing that fogged up the forum sites that discussed Macross Frontier did not need to exist at all because Alto and Sheryl are built up for pairing. Never throughout the entire length of the series did I get any inclination that Alto had any hint of romantic feelings for Ranka so I never understood the whole Ranka vs. Sheryl thing. And besides, that whole thing with the cooking in episode 23, that kiss and salute in episode 24, and not to mention the fact that Alto was wearing Sheryl’s earring in the end (and how many times it has been highlighted throughout the episode) seriously points out that out.

But for some obscure reason only known to my psyche, my favorite character in the series was Mikhail. He’s just the funnest character in the series. Man, was I pissed when they killed him off.

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The Music

I was really taken aback by the music. It was kinda too pop for my taste. But I love the first OP Triangular – only probably because it’s sang by Maaya Sakamoto which is an automatic win for me; and the second ED Diamond Cravasse – because it was really, really nice.

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Story Progression

I think I made the right choice of picking up Code Geass over this show while it was running. Marathoning was a good move. I pretty much think that the show was great. It made me look forward to what would happen next. The characters are directly related to the plotline so I pretty much looked forward to both the AltoXSheryl development and the war. It had a pretty good way of building the story up to a climax and the final battle in the Vajra planet with all it’s CG came out awesome.

But to be honest, I was kinda expecting a longer battle. And there are some things about the story was came out kinda unsatisfactorily explained to me, like Leon Mishima and his objectives – he just ended up being a power-hungry jerk with a lukewarm sense of strategy and politics. But I guess that’s what Grace is, but it’s kind of a letdown when evil geniuses team up with below par characters. Am I supposed to put the blame that the Sheryl-Alto-Ranka love triangle was given top priority on the story telling? Or is it the unnecessarily long music sequences when Sheryl/Ranka are in concert?

And I kinda got cheesed up (I refuse to speak my opinion with the whole My-panties-are-running-away episode only that at least it was better than chasing after a cat) with Ranka’s healing Sheryl of her disease. I mean, I get the whole their voices and songs can save the world bit, but Ranka also having the power to heal??? That’s just too weird and off for me. I didn’t think the Vajra are supposed to have that ability… Do they???

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Overall Thoughts

As I mentioned, I don’t really know that much of knowledge on the Macross franchise so I had reservations about picking it up when otou-san mentioned in his review that you may not be able to appreciate the show if you never watched the past Macross series.

To some respect, he was right. I had a vague concept of what “deculture,” “protoculture,” and “yakk deculture” were, but had a friend (who I consider the biggest mecha fanboy I know in real life) explain it to me so I would have a more concrete idea of what it really meant. But other than that or maybe it was because it’s a different generation of Macross, I didn’t question much of the things that are going on. in fact, it was pretty kind to people who are not that familiar with it…

Until of course, my friend explained that the movie, The Legend of Zero, is some kind of biopic for Macross Zero, who Mao Nome was, and the details of what Richard Bilrer wanted to do. Actually, his comments made me interested on the previous series under the franchise. If I’m gonna be watching it is another story since I have a familiarity with old-school mecha anime so I know they’re not gonna be like this. I would be interesting to know though. But I’ll be looking forward to a movie.

So why the hell did they have to kill Mikhail???

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