Macross Frontier

[DhAkael]

STILL no Sub-T version yet.

[Alpha 11]

I started with Gattai, but their use of the file format doesn't run very well with vLan. Also, there are small errors here and there.

Shinsen is really good, but deadly slow in subbing on Macross Frontier. I went through the entire Gundam SEED Destiny with their sub.

Thing is, I found Shinsen subs to be better than the ones they used on the official DVD in regards to Gundam SEED Destiny.....

I do understand Japanese but because of the lack of practice and use, I am extremely slow.

I envy you. I wish I knew Japanese.

[Alpha 11]

HAHAHA

This episode is literally Macross on steroid....

Show the unsub version, and yes I agree, Macross on steroids. But loved every minute of it.

[drewkitty ~..~]

huh?... Wait... I thought the Monster flew in from elsewhere and landed on one of those ships that were already at the scene of the battle?....

Spoiler:

That is what it looked like to me, that the Monster flew in to one of the Galaxy's ships and fire from its deck.
It looks like the Eden Convoy escort ships have different standar classes then the Earth Convoy escorts.

[Shawn Merrow]

Please remember spoiler spaces for episode 7 info as the fansub been out less then a week.

[MacrossManual]

Spoiler:

I actually saw the VB-6 Konig Monster shrug off a bunch of hits while it was flying toward the Galaxy Fleet ship. You can see the shuttle mode flying through a massive barrage of enemy fire and multiple hits strike the Konig but simply deflect off the armored hull. We also see the forward mounted 30 mm cannon firing briefly. All in all, it was a fantastic introduction to one of the biggest and baddest Valkyries ever made. I can't wait to see more of this "Monster". I hope we get a chance to see Canaria take the VB-6 into a battle against one of the big red Vajra. I'd love to see the Konig smash one of those big red lobsters into fish food

[DhAkael]

Me am happy.
Sub released and dammmmnnnn...
Looks like poor Alto "Hime's" life is gonna get a lot more interesting
Ahhh... Amore. At least Alto doesn't have to deal with Minmei (I wouldn't wish that fate on General Leonard of the Southern Cross), and the two ladies in question really DO seem to actually give two (censored) about the guy.

REALLY need more line art on the Vf's and some hard fast tech-info.
Unfortunately the studio in charge of M.F. is being very slow and stingy.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Me am happy.
Sub released and dammmmnnnn...
Looks like poor Alto "Hime's" life is gonna get a lot more interesting
Ahhh... Amore. At least Alto doesn't have to deal with Minmei (I wouldn't wish that fate on General Leonard of the Southern Cross), and the two ladies in question really DO seem to actually give two (censored) about the guy.

REALLY need more line art on the Vf's and some hard fast tech-info.
Unfortunately the studio in charge of M.F. is being very slow and stingy.

So did Minmei and Misa.. they both loved Hikari.

The Srudio are not being stingy... There must be quite a few more episode to go, so the technical arts are being sent out in a relatively slow speed.

At least both of the story's main leading ladies are not air-headed & flighty, like Minmai was. But I would have to say part of the Minmai persona was a reflection of how society thought of 16 year old girls back then.

[MacrossManual]

Episode 7 review:

Spoiler:

Astounding, exciting and crowd-pleasing are all words that describe episode 7 of Macross Frontier, but even these words fail to capture the best parts of the show. The conflict between the New UN Spacy and the Vajra is clearly escalating and the stakes are becoming that much greater. The Macross Quarter arrives to investigate the location of the distress signal from remnants of the Macross Galaxy fleet. The Vajra are already on the scene but now the Macross Quarter and crew are prepared for their enemy. The episode chronicles the battle in full and we see the true power of the Macross Quarter as it engages a Vajra warship.

Macross Frontier once again proves the many virtues of a properly told story in this episode and the drama is both emotional and exciting. In Macross 7, dozens of friendly ships are destroyed and it’s meaningless, especially to the viewer. In Macross Frontier when a single friendly ship is destroyed that loss is felt by all the characters and the audience most of all. This resonance of emotion is at the heart of Macross Frontier and the creators of the story continue to play upon that theme in this episode to great effect. Alto, Luca, Mikhail and Ozuma all fight against the Vajra with bravery and skill. Unfortunately Luca takes a few too many chances to grab some close reconnaissance data of the Vajra ship and is captured. Alto fearlessly chases after him determined to mount a rescue. In the midst of this another new fighter appears on the scene, a VF-27 piloted by the unknown Brera Stern. He appears to aid Alto and Luca but his motives and possible connection to Mr. Bilrer remain unclear. The Macross Quarter makes the much anticipated transformation debut and destroys the Vajra carrier in a spectacular fight. All the while, Sheryl is playing her final concert on the Macross Frontier and Ranka is there for the show. Throughout the episode, there are hints of connections between the Alto, Sheryl and Ranka but the nature of them are unclear. The beginning of episode 7 speaks of cybernetics common among the people of the Macross Galaxy fleet and there are hints that many of the supporting cast such as Grace and Brera may feature such cybernetics.

Without doubt Macross Frontier Episode 7 is pure anime mecha action. For mecha fans, an episode of exciting battles and spectacular visuals is just the reward needed to enhance an already great show. Macross Frontier is so far delivering plenty of eye candy for action fans and it’s not something any fan of mecha anime should miss. At the same time the show never forgets the characters or the story and we’re treated to more revelations in this episode that prompt yet more questions. Where did the VF-27 come from and who is Brera Stern? Where are the Vajra coming from and who is building their ships? What is the connection between Leon and Mr. Bilrer and what are their motives?

The only way to know is to watch more and next up is episode 8. Deculture!

[Nimul]

Watched the dub and it was excellent.

Spoiler:

It seems that the Frontier fleet has adapted to the Vajra's communication disruptive abilities as there is mention of a prototype fold space communication system which explains how the ghost drones continued to function as well as the video feed to the Frontier fleet.

Vajra motherships also seem to possess a greater capacity for using space fold then Humanity as they were shocked to see it passed so easily through the fold dislocation. Also, the weapon was called a beam oscillator and a fold generator.

The missile attack against Alto from the Vajra mothership reminded me of the missiles used by the Bird Human from Macross Zero.. might just be coincidence there.

[NMI]

Oh Jefffar and NMI my loves - how much are you going to kick my precious if I post a link where people can BitTorrent the Macross-F Episodes? [Translated in AVI format with subtitles - schweeeeet. I also have most of the songs on MP3 now too]

sorry but bit Torrents are a "bit" of a no-no around these parts.

[DhAkael]

Well.... I don't know what's the difference, but it was deadly effective in that episode...


BTW... I just realize your sig is the Macross in DYRL.... not the actual machine.

[drewkitty ~..~]

I only count six turrets to. I sure there weren't any cannons on it's legs.
However, I didn't get a good look @ the ship's back due to the quality of the video.

[MacrossManual]

The green escort fighters for the VF-27 are also VF-27s. Here's a detailed scan:
http://www.new-un-spacy.com/miscellaneo ... mation.jpg

[drewkitty ~..~]

There's at least another 4 on the back.

Are you sure they were on it's back? Because the two side sets moved to its shoulders when it transformed. The the shoulders rotated when it was holding the other ship's gun bay open.

[MacrossManual]

Hahaha, how's this for irony; we only get a synopsis for the next three episodes! Guess we still got a bit of a wait for the outcome of the rumor fight between the 13 vs. 26 episode count

11 (Missing birthday)、2008.06.12

12 (Fastest Delivery)、2008.06.19

13 (Twilight Planet)、2008.06.26

[Colonel Wolfe]

i for one hope it is only 13 episodes.... the best Macross productions are short and sweet, SDF-Macross and Macross 7 Both Sucked, simply because they were to drawn out...

[drewkitty ~..~]

As long as the quality keeps up, the longer the better.

As for the the macross Quarter's ship plans... the External Views should be easy to make, since it's CGI.

[MacrossManual]

I thi8nk they should do another 36-episode long series

Actually, it looks like it's going to be 25 (there's that number again; it just won't go away, hahaha).

Going by the DVD release:

9 Volumes total
Vol 1 = 1st episode (Final 32 min Yakku Deculture version of Episode 1 + original Deculture version)
Vol 2-9 = 3 episodes per disc

3x8 = 24 + 1 = 25

[MacrossManual]

No, 25 episodes total (though I suppose 26 if you count the two different versions of episode one as separate). It fits the established leitmotif of the show. The Macross Frontier series is for the 25th Anniversary of Macross, the VF-"25" Messiah, the Macross Frontier is the "25th" New Macross Class ship, Ranka is one-quarter (0.25) Zentradi, the Macross "Quarter" and so on.

Regarding another subject, I just watched episode eight and have some thoughts on the VF-27 and Brera Stern, particularly regrading the cockpit:

Spoiler:

In a discussion on another board I suggested the possibility that the VF-27 cockpit could be either a full holographic environment or a cyberspace like system for the pilot. After watching Grace working within her cyberspace vision in episode 8, I'm more and more convinced Brera Stern is doing the same thing with his VF-27. If his funky purple eyes work in ways similar the Grace's funky purple eyes then he pilots the VF-27 via his virtual reality interface. He may even use conventional controls, but he just sees everything in virtual reality.

Any thoughts?

[drewkitty ~..~]

There's at least another 4 on the back.

Are you sure they were on it's back? Because the two side sets moved to its shoulders when it transformed. The the shoulders rotated when it was holding the other ship's gun bay open.

two on each shoulder two on the chest and two on the back somewhere, found them pre-trasformation..... the only thing I can see wrong is that I don't see any on its 'underside'.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Spoiler:

I liked the imitation Pirates music just as aluto saves sheryl.
and what is that yellow legless squirrel? a spy bot for the vajra?

I was LOL when the (for now) Spy Bot jumped out of the girls' shower with Sheryl's panties. Oh that was ssooo freaking funny. Throwing in a hunt for something a fan-Boy would want from the object of their fan-dom.
There was also that Cartoon defying gravity for just a little bit. Just long enough for the defier to notice the predicament they are in.

[MacrossManual]

There is no "absolutely correct" version of the events in the Macross franchise, at least not according to Kawamori and Co. They use both the SDF Macross series and the DYRL versions of events in whatever way they wish, totally disregarding any continuity problems they may create. This is why events from the series have been merged with events from the movie. We see Exedol in Macross 7 as his DYRL incarnation, but then we see Milia in Macross 7 using her red VF-1J fighter. If we took the SDF Macross series as 100% correct, Exedol is portrayed incorrectly while Milia's red VF-1J fits with the series events. If on the other hand we accept DYRL as 100% correct, Exedol is portrayed correctly, but Milia should not have a red VF-1J since it was Max who changed into a giant-sized Zentradi and the two piloted Queadluun-Rau battle suits together.

Moral of the story: Kawamori and Co. will take from whatever version of the original Macross story they prefer for use in sequels and disregard any conflicts.

Also, keep in mind the original status of DYRL was not as a "movie within a fictional series." When released in 1984, DYRL was simply an alternate retelling of the SDF Macross story and Kawamori was on record as stating it was equally as valid as the events of SDF Macross. It was only with the release of Macross 7 many years later that DYRL was given the status of a movie within the fictional Macross universe (which we all know doesn't jive anyway, since all the DYRL-styled designs appear in the Macross universe including characters like Exedol).

As for Kawamori, it's clear he has a hard on for the production design of DYRL. All the sequels seem to use the DYRL versions of the Valkyries, the Zentradi, the Meltrandi, the SDF-1 Macross, and so on. Personally, I'm fine with that, since they most of the designs were much improved in DYRL simply because the animation was far superior.

As for the Wikipedia and the IMDB, definitely use a healthy dose of skepticism when browsing those websites for Macross information. Thanks to years of mistranslations, bad dubs and half facts, a lot of the information about Macross is incorrect or only partially correct. To this day, your best bet for accurate information is still the Macross Compendium. It's the definitive english website for the Macross franchise and is officially endorsed by Big West, the Macross owners. It's also recently been updated to the wiki format, so it should be much easier to search for information.

[DhAkael]

Moral of the story: Kawamori and Co. will take from whatever version of the original Macross story they prefer for use in sequels and disregard any conflicts.

Thank you... glad someone else brought this up.
Seem like an erlier posting I did on the fact that the directors & producers will do what they like with their own material, regardless of "WE fans", was ganked. -shrug-
Now two of us have stated the same point (admitedly MM here is a bit more polite than I am ).
Please, can we stop the nit picking and just enjoy?
Pretty please?

[Nimul]

Watched the latest one and almost didnt realize it was subbed:

Spoiler:

Haha this is going to be hilarious with Sheryl now in the same place as Alto. I found it funny that she called him slave and later decided to call him Princess. The poor guy has no shortage on names to be called. This was an entirely humour episode really with no battles at all and some hints about that guy spying on Ranka.

Anyway, the chemistry should I say between Alto and Sheryl is just hilarious. It just highlights that the two should seem naturally end up together.

Oh and of course we get to see that mysterious pink pilot from the last battle and he's also in the Academy. Have the Vajra infiltrated the fleet? Or is he part of some government operation? The mystery deepens it seems.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Spoiler:

In the part the pink pilot shows up at the memorial site, you can clearly see that he has implants for fingernails. And that both he and the Frontier government are more interested in Ranka Lee then sheryl is also an important bit.

[Shawn Merrow]

A new group is fansubbing the series and they are getting the XviD out in a more timely fashion.

ep. 8

Spoiler:

Alto does not know what to do with the attention from Ranka and Sherly.

Also another person using the princess nickname. I loved the chase scene and the fan service. I'm wondering what Leon Mishima plans are for Ranka. At the least will be interesting to see Ranka and Sherly going to the school.

[Shawn Merrow]

which group are you talking about, Shawn? Are their subs any good?

Lunar Anime and so far they seem to be good.

[MacrossManual]

That's good that another group like Lunar is coming in because rumor has it Gattai is apparently dropping Frontier. Don't know if it's true but that's kind of sucks since Gattai was fast and I liked their format.

Personally, I really like Shinsen's subs of Macross Frontier. They do take a long time to come out, but they are generally more accurate and easier to read and they will likely be the go-to subtitles in the long term once the instant gratification subtitling work of the other groups is over and done with. They also have plans for a definitive subtitle work that will correct all the inconsistencies and unknowns once the series has finished.

[MacrossManual]

Yes, but ultimately I'm not expecting flawless work from most of these fan sub groups. These are fast translations, made without the benefit of the production staff who know exactly the context of each line and have the foreknowledge of what the show is all about. Fansubbers have to work fast, furious and blind, so not everything can work out. I've noticed errors appear in several fansubs that won't appear in others, but then next week the situation will be reversed. I know many fans are hoping for one superior group with a definitive translation, if for no other reasons than to make their viewing that much easier. And I can understand, since no one likes to download multiple versions of every episode and painfully go through each version to decide which one is better each week.

But a perfect, definitive subtitle job just isn't going to happen (Shinsen would be the closest we've got so far, IMO). We'll have to wait until Macross Frontier is over and a group can take the time to revise and finalize the subtitle work. Or if we're really lucky, an official DVD/Blu-Ray release will solve all our problems

[taalismn]

From various snippets and images I've been seeing, we're certainly getting a look at some megafauna..first the hippocows and then some sort of critter that looks like a cross between a cabbit and a griffin....apparently the Zentran equivalent of a housecat...


Raises the idea of Rifts-crossover Zentraedi keeping similar animals as ship-pets...

"Just great...I have the brilliant idea of hiding in the woodwork on this rogue Zentraedi ship and making like a rat, and the bastards have a pantherex as a mouser..."

[taalismn]

P.S.: What's wrong with cow herders?

Absolutely nothing....When's the barbeque?

[MacrossManual]

ANN is stating 25 episodes now.... so happier than before...

Hehehe, I am vindicated

[MacrossManual]

Oh, I like your new signature graphic Darkmax. That picture of Sheryl grinning mischievously is gold. I need a really high resolution shot of that to make a good desktop background.

[Colonel Wolfe]

I can hope for an "unrated" release....

[MacrossManual]

Review of episode 8. Spoilers abound:

Spoiler:

After the whirlwind of episode seven, Macross Frontier agains switches gears into a slower character-driven story in episode eight. Here Alto, Ranka, Mikhail and Luca are involved in their daily routines at Mihoshi Academy, which doesn't stay routine for long when Sheryl shows up and decides to enroll in the pilot training program. Hilarity of a teen idol joining the local academy on Macross Frontier then ensues.

The character interaction is quite entertaining in this episode if not altogether unexpected. It appears Alto has softened somewhat towards Sheryl. Unlike earlier, Alto is much more willing to tolerate her abuse, no doubt coming from their time spent together which has created a better mutual understanding. Sheryl has also appears to cause trouble just because it's exciting but as a young woman, she sometimes gets in over her head. Ranka finds herself often lost for words around Sheryl. It's clear Ranka desires more of Alto's attention, but she's still somewhat shut in and doesn't know how to compete with the often flamboyant Sheryl.

Aside from the high school drama common for such a cast, there are events outside the school yard. Leon takes steps to cover up all VF-27 recordings taken from SMS during the previous battle. The crew of the rescued Dulfim of the Macross Galaxy fleet are being kept under quarantine due to some concern over a V-type virus, the nature of which remains undisclosed. The episode closes with Ranka singing alone at monument park until she encounters Brera Stern, the mysterious VF-27 pilot from last episode. He not-so-subtely introduces himself mirroring Ranka's song on his harmonica. Obviously, Ranka is amazed that someone else knows her song.

The change in pace is somewhat of a let down after episode seven, but even the grand episodes need a proper build to achieve maxiumum effect. Episode eight remains an entertaining character story with plenty of laughs and just enough of the larger story to carry the show forward.

Episode 9 is next. Deculture!

[taalismn]

you mean a Seinen version?!.... Yes, I would love to see from the other side of the glass window when she lifted her right leg to balance herself....

I'm sure somebody out there is photoshopping a version even as we speak...

[drewkitty ~..~]

ep 9 raw is up

Spoiler:

This episode explores Michal's past.
Opening with a teaser shot from the end of the episode, then going into the story with the SMS squad on combat patrol fighting a small type vajra.
We find out that Mikhal had an older sister, who was in a friendly fire incident.
We also see the new (or a meltrandi) type of sizing chamber.
The most funny thing in the episod is when Mikhal, in his VF outside the ship talking to Klan, the way he moves his VF while talking oh so reminded me of a Tachkoma while they talked & moved.
We also see the spybot observing Ranka abit.
There is also a bit on the vajra life cycle explored in the ep.

I'm goingt o be wofully impasiont for the sub vertion.

[MacrossManual]

Holy episode 9! Wahoo!

Spoiler:

Vajra eggs aboard a New UN Spacy Guantanamo Class Stealth Carrier; yeah, there's nothing fishy about that at all. Nope, not a thing. These aren't the battroids you're looking for. Move along, move along.

Maybe that whole scene was just one big red herring, but I still think these Vajra are internal enemies and not some extraterrestrial menace that just popped out of nowhere. There's too many ulterior motives from folks like Leon and Bilrer and factions that appear to have access to Vajra technology, like Brera and his fold capable, super energy gun VF-27

A lot of the down and dirty brawls reminds me of both DYRL? and Macross Plus. I also like Alto and his knife, always swaggering into battle with the big red Vajra. Gotta hand to the kid, he's got guts.

Oh yeah, and Brera just got on my bad side. Like William Goldman wrote of another dazzling female; There's a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a shame to ruin yours

[drewkitty ~..~]

Spoiler:

just had a thought, it might be that Klan has a thing for Michale.

[MacrossManual]

Darkmax

Spoiler:

I don't think the VF-27 is a competing fighter, since neither fighter is an experimental craft, they are both production valkyries (hence VF vs. YF). I think the VF-27 is simply an enhanced valkyrie based upon the VF-25; a craft that benefits from the Macross Galaxy cybernetic technology or other advancements that the rest of the NUNS or SMS doesn't have access to.

drewkitty ~..~

Spoiler:

Mikhail and Klan have history. During episode 7, Klan fly past Mikhail in her Queadluun-Rea and made passing mention of their relationship to him. Mikhail got upset and told her not to talk about their past. From episode 9, it's clear Klan is still carrying a torch for Mikhail. Still unclear whether Mikhail knows it or not.

[Jefffar]

Spoiler:

Because everyone else is doing it, I thought I would too.

[drewkitty ~..~]

almost like Lt Dyson and his bayonet in M+.

but for Michael to sarcastically putting the moves on klan klan... he got what he deserved.

I did noticed that klan klan's environmental suit has platform heals.

[MacrossManual]

Those platform heels are probably a deliberate 1970's homage, a decade that heavily influenced SDF Macross and DYRL, some might argue even more than the 1980s did.

LOL @ Jefffar

[drewkitty ~..~]

I think ep 9 was the first one where I couldn't see anthing taken from the other series.
I might be wrong, I've only seen like the 1st doz M7 ep.

[MacrossManual]

drewkitty ~..~
Several episodes haven't featured much in the way of heavy homage. For all the acknowledgements to Macross of the past, Frontier is it's own story, so diversion is to be expected.

Darkmax
Maybe, but I think it's 70's homage myself. Klans suit feels Meltrandi retro

razorjack
That's a bit far out of left field

[DhAkael]

Michael to sarcastically putting the moves on klan klan... he got what he deserved.

-wwwwwwwwwwWWWWWWWAAAAAAAACCCCKKKKK-
Unfortunately...no enemy battle crusiers blew up after that hypersonic multi-tonne pimp-smack.
(If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch SDF Macross; Do you remember love. YOU know which scene I'm referring to)

Curious to see after the catharsis, whether Klan & Michael actualy start to "bond" again

[taalismn]

Just how good IS the nuerofeedback control system(if any) on the latest VFs? Michael may be actually FEELING that smack...

[MacrossManual]

It'll be really hard to top Hikaru's slap. That may have been one of the all time greatest slaps in entertainment history. We were waiting for that slap to happen for 36 episodes and it never did. But thank gawd Do You Remember Love? came about

I doubt there's any feedback, but emoting robots look cool, especially in CG

[drewkitty ~..~]

I wasn't saying that it was good or bad if I couldn't see parts that look like they were taken from the other series. Was just stating I didn't see any in ep 9. I'll have to say that the ones I've seen so far are more like homages woven in then blatant reuse.