At my April summary, I remember noting how this series is a bit too silly for it’s own good at times…
Well, this episode definitely didn’t solve that problem, as it basically degenerated into a dating-sim/love-triangle/idol-episode. Sheryl and Alto have a little date, while Ranka and Mikhail also spend the episode together. Predictably, at the end of the episode Ranka finds out that Alto is starting to fancy Sheryl. Been there, done that. Ah well, at least this episode was enjoyable. I remember how Souko no Strain was one of the very few series who actually made such an episode work, but that series took much more risks than Macross Frontier does right now.
Still, thankfully the episode could have gone much worse. At least this episode gave some background on the Zentradi for those who’ve never seen anything of Macross like me. Before this episode, I really thought that they were some kind of lost race with just a handful members still alive, though it seems that they’re still living in quite large communities. We also know that Ranka’s song somehow strengthens the Varja, which does explain why one of them suddenly popped up, just as she started singing. For that, I have to give the creators of this series credit: I originally thought that they just timed Ranka’s song and the battle together for more excitement, but there is an actual explanation for why that happened.
Ranka’s song this episode felt a bit wrong, though. I wish that the creators would stop to make a huge spectacle about Ranka’s songs. In that mood, an a cappella-song would have suited much better, but instead the creators suddenly introduced instruments from nowhere and made no attempts to hide the fact that that song was recorded in a studio. Series like Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club and Red Garden have shown that songs that sound spontaneous sound much better than the over-rehearsed ones.
Ahm .. i see no problem with that type of episodes .. it is necessary to get more accustomed with the characters and build relations between them .. you can’t expect them to be fighting all the time … and as long as the episode introduced new elements in the story it is not filler or bad at all ^_^
Besides .. it is necessary to develop the (Alto X Shryl) relation since Macross has always been about a love story between a singer and the main pilot .. i see nothing wrong with that really XD
I think you should watch “Macross – Do You Remember Love?”
Everything you find “silly” about this anime is actually a tribute to the very first Macross series created in 1983. 🙂
Especially the songs…
//In that mood, an a cappella-song would have suited much better//
I doubt it, if they went with your idea, instead of complaining about how the song sounded over-rehearsed, people would probably be complaining how overly awkward the song is without instrumental accompaniment and can’t lay a hand on ‘beloved slightly obscure anime show here’
Romance (particularly love triangles) has been a staple of Macross for the last 25 years along with mecha action and music (particularly idols) so I don’t know why you find that silly. It’s like criticizing gundam for having most climatic battles come down to one on one beam saber deals. Heck people say the main character Kimagure Orange Road is the grand daddy of most indecisive romance leads.. if that’s the case than Hikaru from Macross is his father since you can say KOR’s main cast are based upon the indecisive-love-triangle that Macross built in Hikaru/Misa/Minmay.
Not that any Macross TV show takes itself too seriously in the first place. Action scenes aside it’s always been less serious than Gundam which is part of it’s appeal.
it’s kind of refreshing to see someone new to Macross-verse blog on it. At least you review from a fresh perspective instead of having to watch the show with tinted glasses.
My advice is – don’t listen to the commenters about watching the first series. Finish this before you watch the original. I dont want to hear somebody ranting about how the series doesn’t pay tribute to the originals. Or comparisons between the two. Even though i do see them 🙂
This show is meant to stand alone – the other series and OVAs are there to build up the universe… but the intro for each episode does give you the basic data anyways (Macross fleets are out there because Zentradi nearly killed everyone the first time, so as a result humanity and the Zentradi are spreading out across the stars, VF’s were designed to fight the giant Zentradi at first). It can be more fun to play ‘spot the homage’ if you know what some of the things you see in the show are about.. but it can be enjoyed as is.
yitjuan: I’ve been to a bunch of blogs where they’ve never, ever, seen Macross before… so this isn’t a new perspective either here. 😉 Still, this episode’s a necessary building block for what’ll come later – the romance and the drama is integral to the premise of the series… as silly as it appears. And yes, it can get QUITE bloody silly at times (I’m thinking about some of Misa’s and Hikaru’s fights from the first show, or the idea of incestous relationships being cheered because the couple looked cute together).
Hmm. The blog seems to have eaten my last post.
Well, short form is ‘you don’t need to have watched the original Macross – the OP sequence explains the basic premise well enough to follow along, but you can get the in-jokes better if you saw the first series and Macross 7 along with Macross Plus’.
Plus, the romance drama’s part of the key to the Macross formula, as integral as the mecha action.
I have to agree that, despite having grown up watching Macross, some parts are rather silly.
I too think that the singing, while lovely, comes across as a little over-dramatic. Just vocals would have carried more weight.
It worked beautifully when Ranka and Sheryl bumped into each other singing the “Kami-sama” (or basically the ending theme) song in the second episode.
Although I love the subtleties in characterisation across the board. It gives them a sense of not only being real people, but having synergy with others.