Macross Frontier

[MacrossManual]

Spoiler:

That's the question I have with this episode. Would it really be that bad if Michael accidentally took the head of his VF with the sniper rifle? It's not like it would have caused brain damage. Just maybe a little explosion that may have been just as bad for the vajra. Yeah, the slap probably wouldn't have any bio feedback but this vision got really screwed up for a few seconds.

Spoiler:

It's friendly fire. The extent of the damage is much less important than the reality of what happened. Alto was hit by friendly fire and Mikhail was damn lucky a surface strike is all that Alto's VF-25F received. Mikhail could have easily blown a hole in any portion of Alto's valkyrie, even the torso. Besides, action cliches aside, any hit on your vehicle can be potentially lethal. There's no such thing as a safe hit.

drewkitty ~..~
I know and I wasn't being critical either. Just saying.
ANd I agree. For all it's similarities, Macross Frontier is it's own beast, for sure.

[MacrossManual]

In episode 9? No, I didn't notice. Got a screen shot?

[Shawn Merrow]

ep. 9

Spoiler:

Got a laugh out of Michael getting slapped in his mech. It was nice to get some of his background and agree Klan is carrying a torch for him. At least they managed to damage that jerks Brera mech. I do wonder who he is working for and why did he try to kill Klan.

[drewkitty ~..~]

One batch of spy bots gone to toast.

[drewkitty ~..~]

[drewkitty ~..~]

I can't disagree with that possibility.

[drewkitty ~..~]

I was watching the 1st episode again and discovered that it was Michael who 1st called Alto "Hime", so it must be alto's nickname at the school.

[MacrossManual]

Damn, that's awful ArmySyko. Hope your comp is back up soon.

[Cap'n Nick]

Episode 10 was translated pretty fast: looked like it was a new fansub group, too. Or at least one I hadn't seen before.

Episode was generally a slower one, but there was a lot of it that I liked.

Spoiler:

Brera Stern was interesting . . .

I really liked how Ranka came to "understand" the motivation for her character in the film. Also, having seen M0, it was nice to catch all the connections.

One thing that bugged me though . . . isn't Sheryl a descendant of Mao? Why bother giving her the surname of Nome and then not follow through with anything? Not even a comment to the effect of "this is the story of miss Sheryl's famous ancestor!" or something like that.

Seems Schmucky Leon isn't as connected as I previously thought when it came to the VF-27s, especially if he's fishing for more information about them. Hopefully all these b-plots and snippets will lead up to some nice pay-dirt some episodes down the line.

Really got a kick out of the bridge bunnies mooning over Alto's past (and thought it was kinda nice/sweet that Cathy and them were sorta doing some female bonding with their gossip-chat over him).

[Shawn Merrow]

Cap'n Nick please use the spoiler spaces for talk of new episodes.

[Cap'n Nick]

Sorry been away from the boards for almost 2 years I think. Lots of change since then. Edited my post, and I'll keep that in mind for the future.

[Shawn Merrow]

Sorry been away from the boards for almost 2 years I think. Lots of change since then. Edited my post, and I'll keep that in mind for the future.

No problem and welcome back to the board.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Spoiler:

Sheryl was certainly being relatively expressive about her feelings for Alto! Well, even though she hide it as a joke....

What the heck is that... that... flying tiger???.... Why the number of strange creatures?...

For one, Brera is now officially partial 'borg.

Spoiler:

An Eden Hydra.

Sheryl's name

In ep 1 or two she said that she is 100% human w/o any upgrades, because that is how she sells herself. Take that we can presume that her family name is a plesybo-nim since it's the romaji version of the word 'normal'.

[MacrossManual]

Leon's vacation clothes were comedy gold

[MacrossManual]

It was indeed. You have sharp eyes mhcisme.

[Shawn Merrow]

Razorjack please use the spoiler spaces for episodes descriptions for at least a week after they come out.

[Shawn Merrow]

ep. 10

Spoiler:

Its nice to see Ranka starting to have success in her career. I still don't like that new pilot even if he did save her. I do wonder who was disciplining him on the cyber phone. I think Sheryl kissed Alto-hime ( ) to motivate Ranka into doing the part myself.

By the way what is everyone's favorite character so far. I'm going with Klan in both sizes as I find her rather interesting.

[DhAkael]

ep. 10


By the way what is everyone's favorite character so far. I'm going Klan in both sizes as I find her rather interesting.

Klan is okay, but they haven't expanded on her yet..so she hits my Number 3 spot.
Hmmm... Michael hits the #2 slot for being such a gentleman cad

Alto on the other hand, even if he is an archetype, they've done enough to alter his character from the original Macross for him to hit spot #1. He's basicly a mixture of Roy, Max and Isamu Dyson (from M.Plus) in my eyes. Just hope he gets rid of the chip on his shoulder.

[taalismn]

I've always had a thing for the Meltran. I made dozens of possible characters when I was pretty young. My hope was that I'd find a Zentraedi RT game to join where I could actually play one of them. Never happened. I saw DYRL when I was pretty young and the extended scenes of Meltran PA fights got me hooked for life. It has really made me drool when I've watched Frontier.


A-S

Yep...the more dangerous sex...

[MacrossManual]

Probably a tie between Alto, Sheryl and Ozuma. I really find Alto's past and his motivations very dramatic. Having been pressured into singing before I hit puberty, I can really relate to Alto's desire to remove himself from the Kabuki world as he struggles to find his male identity as an emerging adult. Sheryl I find really attractive. She's a really devious, carefree spirit, but she has brains and a serious side that she shares with close friends. She reminds me of an ex-girlfriend of mine who was a really positive influence on me. She taught me to lighten up more than a little Ozuma is somewhat of an ideal male role model, strong and aggressive, but also intelligent and understanding. I like that Ozuma understands the danger of their predicament more so than the rashness of Alto, yet he continues to fight bravel. That's hard to do. It's easy when you're young and clueless, but once you're a bit older and wiser, it can be hard to be as courageous when you're aware of the stakes.

mhcisme

Spoiler:

It's likely just a stray animal. But since it's giant sized, humans look like mice in comparison.

[Nimul]

Watched episode 10:

Spoiler:

I find that line about the terrifying truth about the Vajra to be more interesting. I just wonder though where this is going. Anyway was a good episode but primarily it was the whole love triangle between Alto, Ranka and Sheryl so not really that much action. The Hydra thing was nasty on how it got gutted but nothing big in terms of revelation of the mystery of that pilot or the Vajra.

[drewkitty ~..~]

top comitic relife char, Klan Klan as a micron
top male char, ozuma
to Female char, Lt Catherine Glass ( hot stuff )
top teen, Aluto-hime
top Spunky, Ranka
top idol, Sheryl
top pilot, the well endowed Klan klan with ozuma & aluto tied for a close 2nd
top spook, that Cathy's admiral

top char over all, Cathy Glass even if she doesn't get much air time as the others

[drewkitty ~..~]

She is the hottest adult char in the series so far.

[MacrossManual]

Episode 9 review

Spoiler:

Episode 9 side steps the main story of Macross Frontier to bring us a character piece on Michael Blanc, Valkyrie sniper extraordinaire. During a battle with the Vajra, Michael has a flashback of his sister Jessica's death and loses some of his nerve. Distracted, Michael's shot goes wide, inflicting a surface hit upon on Alto's VF-25 Battroid. After the mission is over, Alto is extremely angry and the two come to blows in the hangar.

This episode is mostly Michael's show. The story feeds us some small pieces to keep the carrot dangling, but overall episode 9 can't escape the fact it's mostly just treading water. Michael is an interesting character, but he's not Alto, Ranka or Sheryl and his character arch is not nearly as dramatic or interesting. This episode does include some interesting developments, such as Brera Sterne covert activities aboard the Macross Frontier fleet (his VF-27 somehow remaining undetected). Later in the episode, Brera's handler on the Frontier fleet orders him to destroy a UN Spacy ship that appears to be loaded with eggs of some sort, suggesting a Vajra connection. This action is ultimately what keeps episode 8 going strong and we are privy to some great mecha fights. There is also a character moment between Klan and Michael, suggesting that Klan is carrying a torch for Michael.

Episode 9 is mostly a side story with some throwaway drama and only a hint of the overall tale of the Vajra. Though there is nothing particularly wrong with the episode, the characters or the action, I find myself eager to move forward with the grander story rather than pausing to develop secondary characters. Nonetheless, I'm still in for more.

Next comes episode 10. Deculture.

Episode 10 Review

Spoiler:

After the brief action-adventure side story of episode 9, episode 10 dives head first back into our main three characters and the show shines all the brighter for it. This episode makes a connection with the 2002 OVA series Macross Zero, the events of which have been kept secret from the people of the Macross world up until 2058. Now in 2059, an ambitious director begins filming a movie about Macross Zero and features Alto, Sheryl and Ranka involved in the casting.

This is a welcome return to our main cast and the focus of this episode shifts back to Alto and his relationship with Sheryl and Ranka. Sheryl again uses her flighty side to play with Alto's emotions but Ranka is determined to maintain Alto's attention. But before that can happen, Ranka finds herself in danger from a stray Zentradi pet called an Eden Hydra (in a nod to the planet in Macross Plus). Alto tries to save her, but is ultimately bested by the creature. Just when it seems the end for Ranka, she is saved by Brera Sterne, who has been following Ranka around for two episodes now. His skill in battle is apparent but it's also revealed Brera is a cyborg. He is injured, but easily defeats the hydra and vanishes. After the danger passes, it's back to the set, where Ranka and Alto must share a kiss as part of the script as they portray Mao and Shin respectively.

It's great to get back into the drama of our three characters, especially Alto who has been too long removed from his own character arc. Based on flashbacks, his departure from his father was a very bad break yet his acting ability continues to pull him back into a world he thought he'd left far behind. Sheryl continues to show her interest in Alto, but is always thinly veiling it behind her carefree attitude. If Ranka can be more forward with Alto, she may yet have a chance with him by exploiting Sheryl's inability to take Alto as seriously as she should. For Alto's part, he still seems too unaware of Sheryl's true intentions and maintains a distance from Ranka. I'm personally hoping Alto and Sheryl hook up, but Ranka is no slouch and if she can prove herself, there's hope.

For now, the fate of these three can only be guessed until more is revealed in episode 11. Deculture!

[Shawn Merrow]

Ermm... I remember Klan is younger than Mikhail, which would put her somewhere below the age of 19. And if I'm not mistaken Alto, Sheryl and Mikhail are around 19 years of age, with Ranka and Nanase somewhere around 17-18, no? Ms Glass is 22.

Don't know about all of them but Alto and Sheryl are 17 and Ranka is 16.

[Shawn Merrow]

hmm... okay. but I believe Michelle/Mikhail is older.

Can't be much older then Alto since they are classmates.

[MacrossManual]

After some discussion with fellow fans and looking over the anime closely, I've obtained a missile count for the new VF-25S Messiah Full Armor.

16 x micro-missiles per leg launcher (with two launchers per leg)
20 x micro-missiles per chest launcher (total of two launchers in the chest)
40 x micro-missiles per shoulder launcher (one launcher per shoulder)

64 x micro-missiles in total for the legs
40 x micro-missiles in the chest
80 x micro-missiles in the shoulders

Total = 184 micro-missiles full load.

That's definitely a new record for a Macross valkyrie. Previous valkyries had the following counts:
VF-0 Phoenix Full Armor = 50 missiles + 6 grenades.
VF-1J GBP-1S Armored Valkyrie = 56 missiles + 18 armor-penetrating projectiles + 6 grenades.
VF-11C Thunderbolt Protect Armor = 84 missiles

[drewkitty ~..~]

Ermm... I remember Klan is younger than Mikhail, which would put her somewhere below the age of 19. And if I'm not mistaken Alto, Sheryl and Mikhail are around 19 years of age, with Ranka and Nanase somewhere around 17-18, no? Ms Glass is 22.

Ranka is just turned 16
(Miss Macross Fronter judge info, DoB: 4/29/43, opening date 4/2059
ep 6 ozuma calling ranka saying she is 16 and another tyears before she is an adult.)
alto is 17 (ep 4 begining, when the bridg bunnies are mooning over the new recrute)

Glass should be in her mid-late 20's

Rewatching the end of ep 6 I noticed that Cathy is in Lisa's station. thou cathy doesn't do the 'old sourpuss as good as lisa does .


Max got like 26 SRM on an unarmored VF-01 during the cat's eye escort mission.

[taalismn]

Max got like 26 SRM on an unarmored VF-01 during the cat's eye escort mission.

Ah! The infamous tail missiles...Usable/mountable only in space, I'd imagine...

[drewkitty ~..~]

Max got like 26 SRM on an unarmored VF-01 during the cat's eye escort mission.

Ah! The infamous tail missiles...Usable/mountable only in space, I'd imagine...

Probably the precursor to the SAP-Packs.

[taalismn]

Max got like 26 SRM on an unarmored VF-01 during the cat's eye escort mission.

Ah! The infamous tail missiles...Usable/mountable only in space, I'd imagine...

Probably the precursor to the SAP-Packs.

Hmmm....need then either a Palladium-safe or fan compendium of VF mods and accessory blocs, and a chronological history of their deployment...

[Alpha 11]

Ermm... I remember Klan is younger than Mikhail, which would put her somewhere below the age of 19. And if I'm not mistaken Alto, Sheryl and Mikhail are around 19 years of age, with Ranka and Nanase somewhere around 17-18, no? Ms Glass is 22.

I believe they said Ranko was 16, so I would drop everyones age around 1 to 2 years.

[Alpha 11]

You know, If now they could make the sequal to Shadow Chronicles as good as Frontier.

[DhAkael]

Not ijmpossible but Americans almost always interfere in the creative designs and all that stuff. They should have kept the feel

To bad Americans are not "creative", eh?

He's just saying the chip truth when it comes to collaberations between anime and 'traditional' animators.
Look at Final Fantasy; Spirits within. EVERYTHING that would have made it a Final fantasy movie..was kaiboshed by the AMERICAN producers "Oh, none of OUR audience would understand that..and what's with these chocobos?"
So they had SquENIX make a mediocre generic sci-fi post appocalypse flic set in the US of A (cuz y'know, they'll be the place left standing when the invincible ghost aliens come) and left JUST enough 'fantasy' in to thourghly confuse BOTh asiatic and occidental audiences...

Meanwhile, the Warner Bros animations for DC are by far some of the best north american animation and stories I've seen in a long long long time.
Plus Aavatar seems to hold up quite well.
It's just, as I said..collaberations NEVER work well for some reason.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Chokobo's are the one thing that ties the FF games together. Choko's forever!

Good points DarkWings. It might be that the way American Animation has turned to expensive CG, like FF or transformers, or simple/stupid stuff like Sponge Bob; gave HG only the $$ to go with relatively inexpensive CG. One of the things I didn't like about the CG was the "effects" they gave the haydonite ships. I would of rather seen something more like Babylon 5 realism or to use the CG to make the typical Anime Style format like in MF.

[MacrossManual]

I don't think the western or american animators are any less skilled or creative, only focused in different aspects of visual arts. For the longest time animation was a very narrow field of entertainment in western culture and still is in many respects. The majority of creative work goes into live-action innovations, most notably in the film industry. In Japan, the creative arts expanded animation due to it's versatility and the need to work within much tighter financial restrictions than the monster budgets of the Hollywood film industry.

Today, animation has seen something of a comeback in America, but more in the realm of photorealistic CGI or total CG animated television shows. Nearly all big budget films use computer animation which is just a natural growth of traditional animation using new techniques. I enjoy Macross Frontier just as much as I enjoy The Incredibles, but each fulfills different entertainment tastes and don't share anything in common despite both being animated. Much like I'll enjoy a film like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl and enjoy them both for vastly different reasons despite the fact both are live action.

Personally, I still watch anime because there's nowhere else on Earth that I can find that type of entertainment. I wish there were western mecha shows like Macross, or Cowboy Bebop adventure series or Ghost In The Shell type sci-fi shows, but they just don't make those kinds of shows over here. I don't have any particular enthusiastic liking for Japan or Japanese culture. I hold a respect and appreciation for Japan and their culture as I hope they do for my own country and culture, but I'm mostly interested in their film, anime and literature. Same thing with foreign films from China, Germany or France. I watch them because they are good films, not because I want to be Chinese, German or French

So to get my fix, I still have to watch foreign entertainment and likely always will. It appears no one culture will ever completely satisfy me, probably an apt analogy for civilization in general

mhcisme
You're right! That's an extra 30 missiles with the addition of both outboard launchers. New total is 214 micro-missiles full load. WOW!

[drewkitty ~..~]

ep 11 raw is up

[Shawn Merrow]

Chihiro subs went up last night.

ep. 11

Spoiler:

Ranka fame is sure rising quickly. What a bummer for her that Alto-hime will not make her concert. Wonder what Sherly's manager and Leon Mishima are plotting.

[MacrossManual]

Ahh, it's good to be back. I hope the break gave everyone a chance to catch up.

This episode seems pretty dialog heavy, so I didn't get all that much out of the RAW. I'll watch the subs soon enough and comment.

[DhAkael]

Ahh, it's good to be back. I hope the break gave everyone a chance to catch up.

This episode seems pretty dialog heavy, so I didn't get all that much out of the RAW. I'll watch the subs soon enough and comment.

Got the gist of it last night in the RAW. Just the particulars contused me Watching Subed now.
OH...BTW, look for the pics of the VF-27. MAHQ posted some very small thumbnaily sized pics of the 3 modes.
*HINT* Maybe someone would be kind enough to post slightly larger more details pics on their web-site...I wonder who would though?

[Shawn Merrow]

Spoiler:

I think Sherly is sick and I don't mean just a cold, I could be wrong but I am getting that feeling

Spoiler:

Think she has what they have been quarantine people who have come into contact with the Vajra for?

[MacrossManual]

Got the gist of it last night in the RAW. Just the particulars confused me Watching Subed now.
OH...BTW, look for the pics of the VF-27. MAHQ posted some very small thumbnaily sized pics of the 3 modes.
*HINT* Maybe someone would be kind enough to post slightly larger more details pics on their web-site...I wonder who would though?

I'm working on it Next update will have all the super versions of the Messiah, (RVF-25 Super, VF-25F Super and VF-25G Super) as well as the VF-27, the Ghost, the Destroid Work and a really big picture of the Macross Quarter Attack mode

[drewkitty ~..~]

Spoiler:

In the preview of ep 12, it shows a zent that appers to be a clone or decendent of Kyron.

[MacrossManual]

There's actually a couple characters in there that look similar.

Spoiler:

That close up of the purple skinned fella is definitely reminiscent of Kamjin, although the right side eye-patch (or helmet targeting device...don't know yet) is definitely different. It's likely he's a clone of the original, or a clone from whoever provided the template for Kamjin, since all the military-born Zentradi are clones. Also, there's a brief shot of Britai from behind and over the shoulder (the Do You Remember Love? version of Britai, that is). It even shows a little of his right side metal prosthetic. And of course, there's a row of Zentradi soldiers in the SDF Macross styled military suits. I'm really jumping to see this next episode.

[drewkitty ~..~]

ep 12 is out...and is it a doooozzzzzy.

I might need a grinectomy

[DhAkael]

To quote Neo;
"...whoa..."

[Protoculture]

I've just watch Mac F Ep 12. The only thing I can say ....

OMG! WTH! huh???!

You guys simply not gonna believe it .... This is a MEGA SPOILER, click it at your own risks. Don't moan I don't warn ya'!

Spoiler:

1. There's a whole 'giant' Zentran allied NUNS armada, the whole freaking Zent flotilla! Reminds me much of the Mac 7 "Fleet of The Strongest Women' but this time around, its Mac F "Fleet of the Strongest Men".

2. They actually utilised 2 types of body armors & uniform, the 'allied' Zents with original SDF:M uniforms & armors, while the 'malcontents' Zents utilised the DYRL ones.

3. A clone of Vrithliwai (aka Breetai) leading the 'good guys', a clone of Quamzin (aka Khyron, yay!) leads the Malcontents (or mutineers).

4. Oh yesss, finally a VF-25 with big-arse speakers blaring pop music to subjugate hostile aliens .... remember Fire Bomber!

5. It seems 'cultural contamination' via singing idol works once more for humanity favor (unlike in Macross II, Wendy Rider sucks arse for not taming the Marduk). 1st it was Minmay that subjugated the entire Zentraedi race, then its Fire Bomber (actually Basara) subjugated the Varautas plus the Protodevilns overlords - & the entire hostile Meltran Fleet. Now its Renka Lee that subjugates & tame the Zent mutineers. Macross has come full circle ... waitaminute, there's Vajra .... oh well.

6. The Zents being sissified by NUNS. Now the entire Zent Battalions equipped with Q-Raus.

6. Pure goodness as our dearest Alto Hime & his Battroid jammed the blade into Quamzin-clone's Q-Rau, reminds me how Isamu jammed his bayonet to Renegade Zent Power Armor in the opening of Mac Plus OAV.

7. Goodness me! In a scene reminiscent of how DYRL's Hikaru & Misa discover Protoculture ruins, it is repeated by both Renka & Alto, onl to find the ruins of.....







8. ::GASP:: Its .... its .... its .... SDF-1 MACROSSS!!!!!!

9. Loved the ending credits theme, a tribute to original SDFM original ending theme, with HARUHIKO MIKIMOTO is being mentioned. Nice touch.

10. In the preview of Ep. 13, now its confirmed that it is ... ::GASP:: SDF-1 MACROSSS!!!!!!


And yes, the Ep. 13 title is "Memory of Global''

[Shawn Merrow]

ep. 12

Spoiler:

I call this the Holy **** episode because that is what I kept saying.

I was expecting Michael to be combat backup. When I saw the speakers and Ranka show up in the back seat my jaw dropped. The power of culture still wins the day. I do wonder what the captain of the Quarter meant was he thinking of when Minmay was kidnapped? It was also nice seeing some familiar clones.

The big one though is the SDF-1. What the heck is it doing there?

[DhAkael]

ep. 12

Spoiler:

I call this the Holy **** episode because that is what I kept saying.

I was expecting Michael to be combat backup. When I saw the speakers and Ranka show up in the back seat my jaw dropped. The power of culture still wins the day. I do wonder what the captain of the Quarter meant was he thinking of when Minmay was kidnapped? It was also nice seeing some familiar clones.

The big one though is the SDF-1. What the heck is it doing there?

That is beacuse the power of the protocultre and overtechnology works in mysterious ways.
And to reiterate; "...Whoa..."

Spoiler:

Poor Sheryl lost out to the up-and-commer both professionaly and romanticaly it seems. Plus I swear Grace set the whole thing up with capt. bad-haircut. She was prolly the (censored for good taste) who warned the mutineer commander that Alto had escaped. I expect a Vajra munching on her in her future she keeps this up.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Spoiler:

From the stuff I've heard about the latter part of M7 and that basara had those speaker missiles, I'm not suprised about the kind of SAPs Mikhail came in with. But I'm glad they are only SAPs and not intigrated protions of the VF. Though,just watching the raw, I was a bit fuzzy of the time between the capture and relife flight's arrivle. I saw the scean abord the MQ 25, and the projected flight path of 2-3 days, I was thinking that was the time for the MQ25 to get there.
MQ=Macross Quarter
the twenty-five from the SMS unit patches.