Macross Frontier

[Alpha 11]

Did you all notice something interesting, they were useing an armored veritech inside an atmosphere.

[MacrossManual]

Actually, the VF-0S Reactive Armor Valkyrie from Macross Zero was "technically" the first time we ever saw a Valkyrie using an armored system inside the atmosphere. Though this is not really a revelation of sorts, since the armored system was never limited to "space only" like the FAST Pack equipped Super Valkyries.

In Macross Frontier, the VF-25 Full Armor variant is the first Valkyrie capable of transforming while wearing the armor system. All previous Valkyries were limited to Battroid mode only when the armor system was used, which included the VF-0S Reactive Armor Valkyrie, the VF-1J Armored Valkyrie and the VF-11 Protect Armor System. So this makes the VF-25 quite a leap forward in variable fighter design. In fact, the VF-25 Full Armor can even operate in GERWALK mode AND (most importantly) the VF-25 Full Armor can fly in GERWALK mode with the armor attached inside an atmosphere. That's pretty damn impressive. I would imagine the VF-25 Full Armor weighs much less than previous era Valkyries.

[Aramanthus]

That was AWESOME!!! Did anyone notice that the Armored Veritech had some sort of beam knife. It killed that Vajra with it! Great episode! I can't wait to see the next one!

[MacrossManual]

Oh yes, the fans went crazy over that one, myself included. Everyone's comparing it to either Isamu's bayonet in Macross Plus or the Evangelions in NGE. Lip-smacking ownage. I have to get a still of that image and turn it into a Demotivator

[Alpha 11]

Actually, the VF-0S Reactive Armor Valkyrie from Macross Zero was "technically" the first time we ever saw a Valkyrie using an armored system inside the atmosphere. Though this is not really a revelation of sorts, since the armored system was never limited to "space only" like the FAST Pack equipped Super Valkyries.

In Macross Frontier, the VF-25 Full Armor variant is the first Valkyrie capable of transforming while wearing the armor system. All previous Valkyries were limited to Battroid mode only when the armor system was used, which included the VF-0S Reactive Armor Valkyrie, the VF-1J Armored Valkyrie and the VF-11 Protect Armor System. So this makes the VF-25 quite a leap forward in variable fighter design. In fact, the VF-25 Full Armor can even operate in GERWALK mode AND (most importantly) the VF-25 Full Armor can fly in GERWALK mode with the armor attached inside an atmosphere. That's pretty damn impressive. I would imagine the VF-25 Full Armor weighs much less than previous era Valkyries.

Forgot about Macross Zero.

[DhAkael]

That was AWESOME!!! Did anyone notice that the Armored Veritech had some sort of beam knife. It killed that Vajra with it! Great episode! I can't wait to see the next one!

Already mentioned that a page or two back

[Aramanthus]

Sorry I missed your comment on that, DhAkael! I think is a fair way to look at it comparing it too those two.

[Alpha 11]

Ep. 3 is out, but no subtitles. So I will be waiting for that to come out. Hopefully it will be soon.

[Aramanthus]

I'm also waiting for the third episode to be subtitled too. I'm with you Alpha11.

[Defender_X]

I caught most of the macross omages myself. On Alto, he seems more like they took Rick and slammed him into Lancer and took out some of Rick's/Hikaru's emo-ness( thank the maker!) and Ranka is just the anti-Minmei that the show needs.

[Shawn Merrow]

Shawn Merrow
There seems to either be a problem with the spoiler tag system or I'm somehow using them incorrectly. Nonetheless, I've modified my post with as much spolier warning as I can manage.

They have updated the spoiler tag so lets test it.

Spoiler:

This is a test of the spoiler system. If this had been a real spoiler something interesting about the show would have been writen here.

Edit: It seems to work now. Just click spoiler and just put the text between the tags.

[MacrossManual]

I waited on episode 2 for subs, but I wanted to watch something during lunch today so I checked out Episode 3 RAW. It's more character driven than the first, a very wise choice IMO. I won't say much else for now. I'm dying for subs on this one

Personally, I'm really enjoying the characters. I like that Alto is very passionate and a little angry. He reminds me of Hikaru in a few ways, but he's much more aggressive and I like that he doesn't take any crap from anyone. He get's beat down on occasion for his stubbornness, but he doesn't let it stop him from trying. I think a hero like Alto is a great role model, especially in our modern times of mass apathy. Like RATM says, anger is a gift

On the technical front, I'm really curious about the difference between the Sniper Gun Pod and the Standard Gun Pod. Is the Sniper Gun Pod a ballistic weapon like the others or is it a variant of the beam weapons. It could simply be a ballistic gun with a much higher muzzle velocity and other technologies at work. I'm getting the impression from watching episode two that the Sniper Gun Pod is ballistic, but I suppose the real question is what does the gun fire and how? The gun could be like the M82 Barret, a sniper/anti-materiel rifle. But whereas on a human sized scale the M82 would be used against light armor vehicles, the sniper gun pod would be a scaled-up, mecha-sized version of an anti-materiel gun that would find use against targets like Full Armor mecha, heavy Valkyries (such as attacking a VB-6 Konig) or even light warships like Bolognese Class Stealth Frigate and what not.

The only other parallel I can see with established Macross canon would be the XS-06 Long-Range High-Piercing-Round Gun Pod for the VF-11 Protect Armor. Perhaps the Sniper Gun Pod is a similar albeit much more compact version of this gun that doesn't fire as fast.

Damn, I want stats on some of this stuff so bad

Shawn Merrow
Ah, I see my post corrected itself with the new spoiler tags. The spoiler tags work great! Thank you so much; I'll make sure to use them from now on. If I may ask, what is the spoiler period here at FotMV? Twenty four hours? A week?

[MacrossManual]

The english subtitles are out for Episode 3!

Macross Frontier Episode 3

Enjoy!

[Alpha 11]

The english subtitles are out for Episode 3!

Macross Frontier Episode 3

Enjoy!

Thanks!

[Shawn Merrow]

Shawn Merrow
Ah, I see my post corrected itself with the new spoiler tags. The spoiler tags work great! Thank you so much; I'll make sure to use them from now on. If I may ask, what is the spoiler period here at FotMV? Twenty four hours? A week?

I would suggest at least a week myself but there is not set rule. Of course as usual the group I have to use is the slow group and they are only on episode one.

[MacrossManual]

Alpha11
My pleasure. Thanks to the fansubbers too!

Shawn Merrow
Sounds good enough. I hope you get to check it out soon. The first three episodes are tight! This show, if nothing else, has a fantastic opening act.

Spoiler:

The third episode of Macross Froniter shifts gears into a more character driven pace, a welcome change from the two hectic, action-packed episodes that began the series. We get a really good dose of character development when Alto, Ranka and Sheryl are all stuck together in an emergency bunker, narrowly escaping decompression in the Island dome from a Vajra attack. The Vajra attack is truly viscious and Ozuma himself is injured during the attack. There's some really interesting developments on the fictional technology front. Though seemingly biological in some way, the Vajra can continue to operate even when it's head has been vaporized. Speaking of which, Mikhail's sniper gun pod, which at first appeared ballistic now seems to be some kind of energy based weapon, though many fans have pointed out that a sufficiently powerful rail gun would turn it's projectile into super hot plasma during firing and could act as a melting/vaporizing attack.

I find myself really enjoying the character relationships. Alto and Sheryl in particular provide a roller coaster of laughs being so at odds with each other. For all Sheryl's professionalism, she is still immature and often far too sure of herself for her own good. Alto continues his stubborn behaviour and has much to learn about keeping a cool head, but for all his faults he's no slouch and stands up to Sheryl's abuse every bit as good as she can give out. Ranka is the small center in the storm and has serious issues of her own. We find out she's only a surrogate sibling to Ozuma, who has taken her under his care during a past encounter with the Vajra that killed her entire family. Ranka is fragile, but also incredibly upbeat and determined in her own way. She seems able to befriend both Sheryl and Alto easily, despite the vast differences those two have with each other. Ranka seems poised to be a natural creator of understanding and culture, particularly through the time-honored theme of music in the Macross franchise. We're sure to see more. Lieutenant Glass has only a little to do in the episode, but it's quickly revealed Kathy has an intimate and somewhat risque relationship with Leon Mishima, a relationship which should create some interesting drama for future episodes.

Technically the show continues to impress. The character animation style is amazingly expressive, particularly during the final scenes of the episode with a sequence between Alto and Ranka. The SMS is described in more detail and the shortcomings of the New UN Spacy are again focused upon throughout this episode. The SMS, at least in Ozuma's eyes (however biased) seem to be the unsung heroes of this new age in the Macross universe; mostly unknown in life and largely forgotten in death, but courageously defending the Macross Frontier fleet. Mikhail and Luca explain to Alto that their enlistment into the SMS had to be a secret but eventually Alto himself is given entry into the SMS by Ozuma. The three friends are obviously in for some good and bad times ahead. For the first time, the third episode ends on a close without a cliff hanger and it feels like the opening act of this series has been played. It's been one hell of a great opening and I hope this show doesn't sabotage itself later on because so far it is one tight anime series.

Eagerly awaiting episode four.

Deculture!

[Colonel Wolfe]

just watched Ep 3, in to many ways this reminds me of SDF-Macross, while i hate SDF-Macross, this is beginning to show some decent bearing of its own. its beautifly Animated. the Echos of SDF-Macross are intense, but hopefully they decline over time... if theres some new version of "my boy friends a pilot" or "we will win" then i'll have to abandon all hope for somethign new in the macross universe, that isna a clone/rehash of previous eras.

thou i think there was refrence to "Illegal Implants"? is that cybernetics? or breats augmentation is outlawed?

[Aramanthus]

Excellent episode! I'm enjoying it immensely! I can see the connections to Macross too. But I really don't mind!

[DhAkael]

Alpha11
My pleasure. Thanks to the fansubbers too!

Shawn Merrow
Sounds good enough. I hope you get to check it out soon. The first three episodes are tight! This show, if nothing else, has a fantastic opening act.

Spoiler:

The third episode of Macross Froniter shifts gears into a more character driven pace, a welcome change from the two hectic, action-packed episodes that began the series. We get a really good dose of character development when Alto, Ranka and Sheryl are all stuck together in an emergency bunker, narrowly escaping decompression in the Island dome from a Vajra attack. The Vajra attack is truly viscious and Ozuma himself is injured during the attack. There's some really interesting developments on the fictional technology front. Though seemingly biological in some way, the Vajra can continue to operate even when it's head has been vaporized. Speaking of which, Mikhail's sniper gun pod, which at first appeared ballistic now seems to be some kind of energy based weapon, though many fans have pointed out that a sufficiently powerful rail gun would turn it's projectile into super hot plasma during firing and could act as a melting/vaporizing attack.

I find myself really enjoying the character relationships. Alto and Sheryl in particular provide a roller coaster of laughs being so at odds with each other. For all Sheryl's professionalism, she is still immature and often far too sure of herself for her own good. Alto continues his stubborn behaviour and has much to learn about keeping a cool head, but for all his faults he's no slouch and stands up to Sheryl's abuse every bit as good as she can give out. Ranka is the small center in the storm and has serious issues of her own. We find out she's only a surrogate sibling to Ozuma, who has taken her under his care during a past encounter with the Vajra that killed her entire family. Ranka is fragile, but also incredibly upbeat and determined in her own way. She seems able to befriend both Sheryl and Alto easily, despite the vast differences those two have with each other. Ranka seems poised to be a natural creator of understanding and culture, particularly through the time-honored theme of music in the Macross franchise. We're sure to see more. Lieutenant Glass has only a little to do in the episode, but it's quickly revealed Kathy has an intimate and somewhat risque relationship with Leon Mishima, a relationship which should create some interesting drama for future episodes.

Technically the show continues to impress. The character animation style is amazingly expressive, particularly during the final scenes of the episode with a sequence between Alto and Ranka. The SMS is described in more detail and the shortcomings of the New UN Spacy are again focused upon throughout this episode. The SMS, at least in Ozuma's eyes (however biased) seem to be the unsung heroes of this new age in the Macross universe; mostly unknown in life and largely forgotten in death, but courageously defending the Macross Frontier fleet. Mikhail and Luca explain to Alto that their enlistment into the SMS had to be a secret but eventually Alto himself is given entry into the SMS by Ozuma. The three friends are obviously in for some good and bad times ahead. For the first time, the third episode ends on a close without a cliff hanger and it feels like the opening act of this series has been played. It's been one hell of a great opening and I hope this show doesn't sabotage itself later on because so far it is one tight anime series.

Eagerly awaiting episode four.

Deculture!

Deculture indeed!

[MacrossManual]

Aramanthus
I love all the references and homages as well. I really like how the show is familiar in style and setting, yet everything is flipped. Frontier has all the Macross elements like transforming fighters, the love triangle, the idol singer and music, but the characters, personalities, enemy and socio-political atmosphere are turned on edge. A previously united humanity now shows divisions and resentment in the UNG (New UN Spacy versus SMS), characters you expect to like each other hate each other, the enemy at first mysterious is revealed to have been expected, and so on. I hope they can sustain this because it's going great so far.

DhAkael
It's such a great catch phrase

mechanimorph
I'm not sure if it would be as important to the Robotech shows. From the way SC went, it really appears the powers-that-be want to move away from the old Robotech shows and avoid a lot of backstory. But I agree, the opening is a fantastic summary of events for the Macross universe. It brings the viewer up to speed quickly and accurately, not to mention it's a great tip of the hat to long time fans

[Alpha 11]

Aramanthus
I love all the references and homages as well. I really like how the show is familiar in style and setting, yet everything is flipped. Frontier has all the Macross elements like transforming fighters, the love triangle, the idol singer and music, but the characters, personalities, enemy and socio-political atmosphere are turned on edge. A previously united humanity now shows divisions and resentment in the UNG (New UN Spacy versus SMS), characters you expect to like each other hate each other, the enemy at first mysterious is revealed to have been expected, and so on. I hope they can sustain this because it's going great so far.

DhAkael
It's such a great catch phrase

mechanimorph
I'm not sure if it would be as important to the Robotech shows. From the way SC went, it really appears the powers-that-be want to move away from the old Robotech shows and avoid a lot of backstory. But I agree, the opening is a fantastic summary of events for the Macross universe. It brings the viewer up to speed quickly and accurately, not to mention it's a great tip of the hat to long time fans

I have to agree, it has been done very nicely so far. A side question, how many of the Macross movies/series have made it to the US and been dubed? I know of Macross Plus, Macross II for sure, I own them, and Clase of the Bioroads(sp?) but what about the rest?

[Colonel Wolfe]

Maross Zer0 and Macross F are the 2 that i know of that havent been imported & dubbed.
Aprently HG tried to get import rights to these 2, but were turned down.

[MacrossManual]

I have to agree, it has been done very nicely so far. A side question, how many of the Macross movies/series have made it to the US and been dubed? I know of Macross Plus, Macross II for sure, I own them, and Clase of the Bioroads(sp?) but what about the rest?

Macross Plus (4-part OVA) has been dubbed into english and released in North America, but the Macross Plus Movie Edition was only subtitled. Of course, the Macross II (6-part OVA) was dubbed and released in North America.

The original Super Dimension Fortress Macross series has also been dubbed/subtitled and released in North America by ADV Films. This is actually the second complete and unedited release of the series for North America. The first was via Animeigo, but was a subtitled release only.

Other than those three, no other Macross anime has been officially released in North America, dubbed or otherwise (excluding cotb).

HG never sought any of the rights for Macross Zero or Macross Frontier. There was a statement made by Yune after the release of the first episode of Macross Zero some time in 2002 in answer to fans questions about a North American release. Apparently he said HG would "welcome the opportunity" to distribute Macross Zero, but that's all that was said. Big West were never approached for the Macross Zero rights and they themselves revealed no plans for an international release. There has been nothing officially stated anywhere about plans for Macross Frontier.

[Alpha 11]

Well that sinks. How come not anymore have been dubed?

[DhAkael]

Well that sinks. How come not anymore have been dubed?

Well that sinks. How come not anymore have been dubed?

Money / Politics...plain & simple.
Long version of story..you'd have to do some research; but basicly the Japanese company that owns the Macross rights want mondo-yen for lisceincing, and no one in North-Am is willing to cough up the dough. THIS is what I've heard. I could be wrong.

[MacrossManual]

mechanimorph
I've read that mentioned before, but I don't think it's here in this thread. I'm discussing the show on about half a dozen message boards, so it's hard to remember

I've not yet seen a perfect comparison of the Birdman symbols from Macross Zero and the Vajra symbols from Frontier. If the symbols match it could either mean the Vajra are Protoculture constructs OR whoever made the Vajra want people to believe they are Protoculture constructs.

Alpha 11
More Macross shows haven't been licensed so they haven't been dubbed. The legal rights were split/contested until recently which probably lead to avoidance of the franchise. With SDF Macross and Macross Plus already licensed, Macross 7 would have been the next major acquisition. I believe an ADV Films representative has said of Macross 7 that acquiring the music distribution rights alone would require more money than could be afforded by all the North American anime distributors combined.

Now Macross Frontier is a different matter. There has been speculation involving Bandai, but again, nothing solid. We have to wait and hope.

DhAkael
You're kinda right, but it's also far more complex than just the high cost of anime rights (which is not exclusive to Macross, but something that is hindering distribution of all anime). The international distribution rights to SDF Macross are actually split between Tatsunoko and Big West. The whole legal issue is a big mess and really quite boring and anti-climatic Besides, it's probably not a good idea to get into that debate anyway. It always brings up a lot of hard feelings and by far most people have all the wrong information anyway.

[Aramanthus]

I hope we see more of this show as time goes on. You'd think those guys over in Japan would realise that there is still a huge market in the west for material of this calibur.

[MacrossManual]

Some more uploads from episode 3. Sorry for being slow.

Ozuma let's Alto have it
http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneous/mf-ep03-argue.jpg

Variable Fighter formation
http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneous/mf-ep03-formation.jpg

Headshot!
http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneous/mf-ep03-headshot.jpg

Kabuki poster
http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneous/mf-ep03-kabuki.jpg

Leon getting it on with Glass
http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneous/mf-ep03-kiss.jpg

A brief, background peek at "The Monster"
http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneous/mf-ep03-konig.jpg

Next Episode: Meltran Mayhem
http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneous/mf-ep03-meltran.jpg

Mikhail does his Max Jenius impersonation (all he needs is a dye job)
http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneous/mf-ep03-mikhail.jpg

Rank looking a little down
http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneous/mf-ep03-ranka.jpg

Sheryl more than a little embarrassed
http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneous/mf-ep03-sheryl.jpg

[Aramanthus]

Very nice stills! Thank you for sharing them with us!

[Alpha 11]

Did anyone notice that Rank's hair seems to react to her mood?

[Aramanthus]

Well she is partly zentreadi. Maybe it's because of her genetic makeup.

[MacrossManual]

I'll post up some episode four pictures soon.

Ranka's hair is undoubtedly just kawaii. I'm sure there's no ability or special genetic trait to it. Her hair seems to work much like other methods used to communicate emotion in anime, like sweatdrops and facefaults, which are visual tools for the sake of the audience and not to be taken literally.

Ranka's hair acts much like the score of the anime; it exists for benefit of the audience but cannot be "seen" by the characters. I would say this is almost certainly the case, especially since Macross Frontier acknowledges all the other literal aspects of the characters. For example, all of the characters in the show (especially the men) abuse Alto about his physical beauty and nickname him "princess". Also, Klan Klan is mocked for the unfortunate side effects of her micloning process that transforms her from an adult in her full-sized Meltran form into the body of an adolescent when she's miclone size. By contrast, no other characters notice Ranka's hair despite it's unusual and apparently unique physical properties.

On another note, the RAW for episode four is out and I broke down and watched it again. I really must stop doing this, but I'm just so excited to see each new episode that it's hard to wait. Needless to say, it rocked yet again and was absolutely hilarious.

[Sgt Anjay]

Kawamori stated Zentradi have mood hair? Where/when did he do that?

[MacrossManual]

Guess I was wrong. Apparently Ranka's hair is an alien feature. There's a new piece of trivia posted on the Macross Compendium in Ranka's entry:

http://macross.anime.net/wiki/Ranka_Lee

According to Macross co-creator Shoji Kawamori, Ranka Lee's hair can move on its own since she is one-quarter Zentradi. There are some types of Zentradi whose parts of their heads move on their own, and some types whose hair moves like antennae. She inherited those genes.

It just felt like kawaii to me. But, if Kawamori says so, we gotta go with it. Not sure Ranka's hair really required an explanation, but who am I to argue with the Hory Froating Head

[Tiree]

Sadly it does make sense. That was a feature that Super Dimension Century Orguss had for some of the characters, another Studio Nue series.

[Alpha 11]

Wow, all of that for the question on the hair, I just thought it was different, but neat.

[DhAkael]

Wow, all of that for the question on the hair, I just thought it was different, but neat.

Gotta love those whacky Japanese fellows

[Alpha 11]

Wow, all of that for the question on the hair, I just thought it was different, but neat.

Gotta love those whacky Japanese fellows

You know, with her hair doing that, it kind of reminded me of the anima, Salty Rei (Sp?). I think they even look similar.

[Alpha 11]

I'll post up some episode four pictures soon.

Ranka's hair is undoubtedly just kawaii. I'm sure there's no ability or special genetic trait to it. Her hair seems to work much like other methods used to communicate emotion in anime, like sweatdrops and facefaults, which are visual tools for the sake of the audience and not to be taken literally.

Ranka's hair acts much like the score of the anime; it exists for benefit of the audience but cannot be "seen" by the characters. I would say this is almost certainly the case, especially since Macross Frontier acknowledges all the other literal aspects of the characters. For example, all of the characters in the show (especially the men) abuse Alto about his physical beauty and nickname him "princess". Also, Klan Klan is mocked for the unfortunate side effects of her micloning process that transforms her from an adult in her full-sized Meltran form into the body of an adolescent when she's miclone size. By contrast, no other characters notice Ranka's hair despite it's unusual and apparently unique physical properties.

On another note, the RAW for episode four is out and I broke down and watched it again. I really must stop doing this, but I'm just so excited to see each new episode that it's hard to wait. Needless to say, it rocked yet again and was absolutely hilarious.

Just show it, and man is Klan cute when she is little.

[MacrossManual]

This has already been covered and I've since been corrected on this issue, Alpha 11. There's no need to quote it again.

[Alpha 11]

This has already been covered and I've since been corrected on this issue, Alpha 11. There's no need to quote it again.

Ok, I do not know what you are talking about.

[DhAkael]

-ahem-
BUWAHAHAHAHAteehee!
Episode 4...oh dear gods I haven't laughed that hard in a good long while.

Spoiler:

Michael & Klan..Brother & Sister. Takes "Sibling Rivalry" to whole new levels. I also like how they've snuck a couple of Bubblegum Crisis homages into the Pixie Squad

Plus a completely new twist to the original Miss Macross scenario.
Further; Alto is SUCH a drama-queen..er...king (certainly deserves the "HIme" title)
Yes indeed, gonna like this seris a-lot.

[DhAkael]

too bad it's only going to be 13 episode, or so I heard.

But I didn't find the dialogue that humorous........ What exactly were you guys laughing at?

Everything.
Humour is subjective; if you don't know why we were luaghing...then you never will.

[MacrossManual]

Spoiler:

Macross Frontier episode four continues to meet expectations and provides some great action and a lot of entertaining humor. The Zentradi make a very flashy return to the Macross universe as we're treated to three Meltrandi piloting newly designed Queadluun-Rau Lambda battle suits. Giant sized and all, the new Q-Rau proves it's just as deadly as the latest VF-25. Watching the Q-Rau in action is a true delight for long time Macross fans and the new CG animation doesn't fail to do this mecha justice. We also get some more setting embelishments as the main action in this episode takes place in amongst a 7,000 year-old Zentradi battle site filled with destroyed Zentradi warships and mecha. This provides more history for new fans and wlecome reference for old fans.

The characters continue to develop at a very satisfying pace. We learn that Alto, though being harshly run through the training guantlet at SMS, is highly skilled and exceeding the expectations of his fellow pilots. The montage of Alto's training provides some hilarious situations for our hero. Alto just can't seem to catch his breath taking a beating (literally) both at SMS from Ozuma or at school from his teachers. Meanwhile Ranka begins down a path to attaining her dreams and enters the 12th Miss Macross Frontier beauty pageant. Lt. Glass and her boyfriend Chief of Staff Leon Mishima are on hand for judging, but Glass notices Leon has plans for Ranka. Ranka is nervous and not quite as composed as she should be for the contest, but nonetheless gives her all in a great rendition of My Boyfriend Is A Pilot a song made famous by the original Macross idol Lynn Minmay. In amongst the contest, we are also introduced ever so briefly to Ranzo Saotome, Alto's disapproving father. Looks like more pressure is on the horizon for our dear hero

Episode four also provides a little background into Ranka's past and the Vajra. Seems the latest nemesis of the UNG has been attacking them in stages for a little more than 11 years now and is responsible for the death of Ranka's entire family aboard the 117th Research Fleet. It's also revealed that Alto has some more elaborate motives of his own, as he has a strong desire to defeat the Vajra and protect Ranka. It's likely no coincidence that Ranka was present at two major Vajra attacks, but we'll have to wait to see more.

Lastly, the meltran pilot Klan Klein is introduced in this episode. While a deadly and beautiful female pilot when in her giant sized Zentradi form, the poor woman has a rare genetic discrepency which causes her to revert to an adolescent girl when she undergoes the micloning process for reduction to human size. Mikhail in particular delights in mocking poor Klan Klein in her miclone form and provides some of the funniest moments in Macross Frontier to date. No doubt we can look forward to more fun from these two as the series progresses.

Again, the new Macross Frontier series pays plenty of homage to the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross series, but continues to charge in new directions. The homages often make us think we know what will happen, only to have the unexpected throw us right off. The series stands well on it's own, but as a long time fan I'm loving the way Kawamori is playing with audience expectations and constantly throwing us off what we think will happen.

Next up, episode five. Deculture!

[MacrossManual]

For those with a sense of humor:

http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneo ... vsklan.gif

Hehehehe, enjoy

[MacrossManual]

too bad it's only going to be 13 episode, or so I heard.

The Japanese video release for Macross Frontier is confirmed at 9 discs, which is standard for a 26 episode anime television series. We've yet to hear any official confirmation about the series length, but this is the best indirect information we have. Also, Macross Frontier is a television series, not an OVA. It's being broadcast on MBC in Japan so it would be either 26 or 49 episodes.

[MacrossManual]

Well, I can confidently say Macross Frontier isn't paced like a 13 episode OVA. We'd be going into the second act with the fifth episode were it 13 episodes long, but episode 4 is still introducing new characters, which means the first act is still in the beginning stages. If there was only 9 more episodes left to go, the story would be moving along way faster than it is now. So there is that.

Either way, we'll have an answer very soon. The offical website is already up to episode 9 for the broadcast schedule, so in a few weeks we should know for certain. I'm betting 26

[DhAkael]

For those with a sense of humor:

http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneo ... vsklan.gif

Hehehehe, enjoy

LOVE it!
Klan is going to be the next Myria I can tell.. but what a twist.
I guess any lucky (or un-lucky depending on your point of view) man who courts her, will need to Macronize to not be arrested for being a pedo.

[Alpha 11]

Perhaps it's the difference in culture. I guess I would not know. Only portions I found funny would be the kid-Klan segment in the restaurant.

**Shrug**

That is the part that I found really funny, too.

[Alpha 11]

For those with a sense of humor:

http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneo ... vsklan.gif

Hehehehe, enjoy

LOVE it!
Klan is going to be the next Myria I can tell.. but what a twist.
I guess any lucky (or un-lucky depending on your point of view) man who courts her, will need to Macronize to not be arrested for being a pedo.

I feel real sorry for her. She will never be able to have any normal relationships.