Macross Frontier Episode Guide 07: First Attack
We start this episode with a confirmation of what we’ve already learned through comments made by Sheryl and her assistant Grace. That the Macross Galaxy fleet was more heavily specialized in cybernetics that the Frontier fleet is.
As we get into this episode, Macross Quarter and several support ships defold into the area of space that two of the Galaxy’s remaining warships are trapped in. Apparently the Vajra have been chasing them and neither ship has been able to escape on its own. One small twist to the Quarter’s mission is revealed when Cathy says that even though their first priority is to rescue survivors from the Galaxy, collecting combat data on the Vajra’s forces has a similar if not greater priority. And that this order comes straight from Frontier’s President.
As the Macross Quarter proceeds into battle, Sheryl is still onstage performing in her live concert. Despite her best efforts, knowledge of the desperate situation her home fleet is in gets to Sheryl emotionally multiple times during her performance. Perhaps she hated the Galaxy as a child, but she is clearly deeply worried about it in the present day. During a brief intermission, Grace updates Sheryl on how the distant battle is unfolding, going so far to show Sheryl near real time footage that she has somehow managed to hack into.
Twelve light years away, the SMS and NUNS forces are doing well. Ozma is proving once again that he is an excellent pilot. Michael takes up his role as a sniper. Luca flies a situational awareness / data collection role while his Ghost fighters support him, and Alto does his best to keep up with the others. We also get to see Canaria land her König Monster on one of the fleeing Galaxy ships. Her barrage of reactive warheads lights up space clearing the way for the SMS forces to get closer to the main battle.
Coming back from her intermission, Sheryl is again visibly troubled by the knowledge of what is going on. This time, she very nearly breaks down and is at the point of tears when she somehow hears Ranka in the crowd. It seems that there is more to this than just Sheryl hearing Ranka’s voice or spotting her in the distance. The two seem to have some sort of connection to each other, a connection that lets Ranka encourage Sheryl to keep singing.
Back at the battle, a large Vajra warship folds in and takes out one of the remaining Galaxy ships with one powerful shot. Luca, wanting to collect as much information as possible, strays too close and his fighter is captured by a red Vajra and is pulled into the Vajra warship. As Sheryl and Ranka being to sing “Infinity”, Alto charges into the heart of the battle and forces his way into the Vajra warship. Inside he finds Luca’s fighter entangled, but before he can rescue Luca, multiple smaller yellow Vajra engage him from several different directions. Just as it appears one of the Vajra has Alto pinned, Sheryl’s earring sparkles and the song that Sheryl and Ranka are singing echoes throughout the Vajra ship. Alto, and the pilot of a strange, as yet unknown purple Valkyrie that followed Alto inside, both notice the singing before Alto is forced to eject right before his fighter is destroyed.
Nearby, the crew of the Macross Quarter devises a plan. The Vajra ship is powerful but slow to react. Captain Wilder tells his crew to show it why the Macross Quarter was given the Macross designation despite being only 1/4th the size of a regular Macross-class warship. The Macross Quarter speeds into the fray transforming from its regular flight mode as it dodges an attack from the Vajra warship by hiding behind a nearby asteroid. The Macross Quarter then forces open the Vajra warship allowing Alto to pilot Luca’s fighter to safety before the Macross Quarter obliterates the Vajra ship with a single powerful shot from its Macross Cannon.
Back on Frontier, Sheryl ends her concert by thanking her cheering fans as Ranka wears a satisfied smile. The episode ends back with Alto thinking about the purple Valkyrie that nearly doomed his efforts to save Luca. We then see that mysterious pilot accompanied by two similar Valkyries in the Fold. The pilot takes the harmonica that is hanging around his neck and ends the episode by playing the first few notes of Ranka’s Aimo!
Specific Scenes I Loved:
- Sheryl’s concert. All of it. From the intense effort she put into her songs to the moments of weakness she showed as she tried to remained unaffected by the events happening around her.
- The space battle. All of it. From Ozma’s “Macross Missile Massacre” to Alto’s eventual impressive showing as he charged in to rescue Luca.
- The combination of the two. Sheryl’s songs backing the fast paced action worked very well. Even more so when it seemed apparent that Sheryl and Ranka’s singing was somehow being relayed through Sheryl’s earring.
Episode Impressions:
Another spectacular episode! Perhaps Frontier’s best yet. It was mainly spit into the two parts of the battle and the concert, and it was so well done. The concert and Sheryl’s singing served to add an extra layer of excitement to the space battles.
And the battles themselves were great. It’s almost like if you watched Macross Plus and Macross Zero you would have learned the “combat language” of Macross. Things like using the three modes of a Valkyrie to adapt to each combat situation. Or switching modes to dodge enemy fire, attack the enemy, or shoot down enemy missiles. And now, Frontier makes use of that language at full speed to make a battle that was very fast paced but felt completely at home in the Macross universe.
We also end on a bit of a mysterious note that seems to say that while the big battle is over, we still have more story to come.
Once again, we see Grace managing to get unprecedented access to Frontier’s systems. Being able to display near real time footage of an ongoing battle must take some extreme hacking skills. Not to mention that it has got to be all kinds of illegal. Not that Sheryl cared.
The connections being made through Sheryl’s earrings. First between Ranka and Sheryl at the concert. And later between Ranka, Sheryl, and Alto twelve light years away at the space battle. Each time a connection was made one of the earrings would sparkle. It’s very obvious the final time it happens just before Alto’s fighter is destroyed since we cut from Sheryl’s earring directly to the one Alto borrowed and both are sparkling the same way.
That purple Valkyrie, its similar escorts, and the fact that the pilot seems to know “Aimo” all feels mysterious but also very important.
Moment to Moment Notes:
0:30 – There’s a better look at the Galaxy fleet’s main ship. I think this ship might actually be Battle Galaxy and that the rest of the Galaxy fleet has been destroyed by this point.
5:10 – Ozma referring to Alto as a hatchling has got to be a callback to Roy Focker calling the new pilots under his command hatchlings in Macross Zero
5:19 – Planet Dance is the name of one of the main songs the Macross 7 band Fire Bomber sings. Ozma loves Fire Bomber’s music and will often use their song titles as formation names.
7:05 – The Konig Monster type battleroid is first seen in SDF Macross and one of them plays a small but critical role in Macross Zero when it fires nukes at the fully active Bird Human.
12:31 – Lynn Minmay once had a similar heartfelt on-stage speech during “Do You Remember Love?” where she is saying goodbye to the ship she has spent the last few days performing for.
14:08 – This is the first new song we’ve heard on Macross Frontier since the ones Sheryl sang in her opening concert. It is called “Infinity”
15:28 – Alto jettisoning his Super Pack and using it as a decoy for the enemy missiles is very similar to what Shin Kudo did as he approached the Bird Human at the end of Macross Zero.
17:25 – In SDF Macross, the Macross only transformed because it’s main gun was damaged and rearranging the geometry of the ship was the only way to reconnect the guns to the main reactor. It was not a planned process, and it heavily disrupted the civilian city built within the Macross as spaces were outright crushed as the Macross changed its shape. By Macross 7, all Macross class battleships are made to transform and we see that carries over into Macross Frontier as well.
18:02 – The Macross Quarter is literally a Macross-class ship that is a quarter of the size of ships like the original Macross or Macross 7’s Battle 7. It is a faster, more mobile ship yet still carries some significant fraction of a Macross-class ship’s firepower.
18:25 – I may be mistaken, but I think this might be the first time in Macross history that we’ve seen a Macross-class ship fire it’s smaller battleship-style guns. The ships from each show have, of course, fired their respective Macross Cannons, but I can’t remember ever really seeing the smaller turrets firing. Damage to a turret was announced one time in SDF Macross, so we can assume the guns were being used but not shown for animation/budgetary reasons.
19:05 – Yes, Alto and this unknown Valkyrie pilot really are hearing echoes of Sheryl and Ranka singing at Sheryl’s concert 12 lightyears away. Somehow, the songs are being transmitted by Sheryl’s earrings.
22:34 – This pilot knows the tune to Ranka’s Aimo? That seems very significant.
Next Episode: High School Queen
Not a lot can be gleaned from this preview. We’re told that Ranka transfers to Alto’s school and we see some shots of Sheryl wearing Ex-Gear, but it’s kinda anyone’s guess as to what is really going on!
Macross Frontier Episode Guide 06: Bye Bye Sheryl
It turns out that the purple-haired man that approached Ranka near the end of Star Date is someone named Elmo Kridanik and is the head of a promotion company called Vector Promotions. Thanks to her singing in the Zentradi mall, Ranka has gotten her first big break and has been scouted! All that’s left to do is to get her brother’s permission, which Ozma gives in the most overly dramatic fashion possible.
To celebrate, Ranka, Nanase, Michael, Luca, and Alto head to a fancy outdoor cafe. Ranka is a bit embarrassed, but all her friends are so excited and supportive of her… except Alto who is his usual reserved self. But even he agrees to cheer Ranka on after getting harsh glares from the others. Ranka tells Alto that she would have told him first, but that she didn’t want to interrupt him. Alto smiles and notes that interrupting him had never stopped her before. He even tells her he was at the mall and heard her singing, but then Ranka asks him what he was doing there, and in a misguided effort to protect Ranka’s feelings, Alto lies to her about being at the mall alone. To make matters worse he even hands her a ticket to Sheryl’s next concert as a congratulations for being scouted. It’s all Ranka can do to say a disappointed thank you to Alto given she saw him there with Sheryl that day.
Meanwhile, news of the Vajra attack on the Macross Galaxy fleet is spreading. Frontier’s President, Howard Glass, makes a startling public announcement revealing the Galaxy’s distress call and that he will be sending reinforcements to the Galaxy fleet. At nearly the same time, Grace relays the terrible news to a distraught Sheryl who was, only moments before, happily preparing for her goodbye concert.
Back at the cafe, Michael receives a call from Ozma telling him that all of SMS is now under Exemption Clause B which basically has them conscripted as soldiers during a state of emergency. Alto, Michael, and Luca are required to return to SMS headquarters at once to await orders. That night, Ozma promises Ranka that even though a war is coming, he won’t let himself or the others die.
At SMS headquarters, Alto catches a replay of a press conferences Sheryl attended earlier that day. An initially stone faced Sheryl voices her faith in her home fleet and thanks the people of Frontier for agreeing to come to the Galaxy’s aid. When a reporter notes that he believes her upcoming live concert will be canceled, we see a bit of Sheryl’s fiesty side as she grabs his microphone and pulls the tv camera closer to herself and then defiantly states her intention to have her goodbye concert before returning to her home fleet. Alto remembers something and rushes off despite orders to stay put.
Elsewhere, at SMS headquarters, we see that what had previously just appeared to be a military base that the SMS launched out of is in fact a small warship or carrier that is making preparations to be a part of the fleet that will be sent to rescue the Galaxy. Unexpectedly, Cathy shows up on Leon’s orders. She is meant to provide assistance to the SMS as a liaison to the New U.N. Spacy. It’s a job she seems somewhat uncomfortable with. The SMS crew doesn’t seem to like it any more than she does.
Soon, we find out where Alto ran off to. Apparently, he previously found Sheryl’s earring and has now rushed off to deliver it to her before anything else happens. The two of them share a candid conversation in which Sheryl confides in Alto that while she put on a strong face during her earlier interview, her childhood growing up on the Galaxy was not a happy one. She lost both her parents when she was young and seems to have lived as an orphan for some significant amount of time after that. Alto is taken aback by Sheryl’s candidness, then states that he is going to borrow her lucky earring to help him in the battle to come. Sheryl agrees, telling him it is only a loan and that she expects it safely back once the battle is finished.
The episode ends with Alto and the other SMS members launching on what we finally learn isn’t a fixed headquarters or even a normal carrier. This whole time, the SMS has been based out of some sort of Macross-class warship. We are treated to a beautiful scene of Sheryl singing in a long blue dress while the “Macross Quarter” completes its launch sequence.
Specific Scenes I Loved:
Elmo begging Ozma to let him promote Ranka’s singing career. It’s almost like a suitor asking a father for his daughter’s hand in marriage. And Ozma’s reaction is so over the top that Ranka gets this “…are you kidding me?!” kind of deadpan expression on her face as her brother finally agrees to her singing career.
The sad, awkward interaction between Alto and Ranka as she tried to delicately pry into what he was doing with Sheryl at the mall and he makes his unfortunate, misguided attempt to not ruin her day by lying to her about being there alone. There’s a level of conflicting intentions and emotions between Alto and Ranka in that scene that is absolutely heartbreaking.
The way Ranka reacts by gripping onto Alto during President Glass’ announcement. It is highly reminiscent of the way she was unable to let got of him back when they were forced into the emergency shelter during the second Vajra attack.
The interactions between Alto and Sheryl when Alto brings her back her earring. Sheryl’s admission that she hated the Galaxy, at least when she was a child, shows a new level of trust between Alto and herself. Alto’s slightly playful dismissive reaction continues their streak of toying with and annoying each other. Sheryl allowing him to take her earring shows that the two of them really do understand and possibly even care for each other in some way.
Episode Impressions:
Wow! If any of the previous episodes were good, then this one was utterly fantastic. This episode is all about personalities and budding relationships and misunderstandings.
Ranka’s joy and hardship at being scouted only to then learn that her brother and friends will soon be going off to battle is such an interesting mood swing for her. And the way her feelings are unintentionally hurt by Alto at the cafe shows a maturity of writing that not many shows possess. It’s not easy to write a character who is trying to be kind but in the process does the exact wrong thing.
Likewise, Sheryl’s interview is great as well. The way Sheryl goes from almost dispassionate and in a state of shock to defiant and encouraging is just so good and really shows her range of character.
Then there’s Alto and Sheryl’s conversation that again shows how these two characters can have their personalities clang and clash but still recognize that the other has good intentions. Alto had better take good care of that earring, though, if he knows what’s good for him!
Finally Sheryl’s emotional, heartfelt rendition of “Diamond Crevasse” paired with the absolutely gorgeous blue visuals and interleaved with the Macross Quarter’s departure is such a perfect example of what makes the Macross franchise special.
Though it’s a little hard to be sure of the exact timing, it sure seems as if Grace got news of the Vajra attack on the Galaxy fleet at the same time or possibly even before President Glass did. At the very least, it certainly appears that Sheryl got the terrible news before President Glass made his announcement.
We’ve gotten a few glimpses of what appears to be Battle Frontier, the Frontier Fleet’s primarily Macross-class vessel docked at the front of Island 1 similar to how Battle 7 was docked at the front of City 7 in Macross 7. That would make the “Macross Quarter” a second Macross-class ship assigned to the Frontier fleet. That the SMS has full run of a Macross-class ship is a big deal. We have never seen more than one Macross-class ship attached to a single fleet in any Macross series before.
That the Macross Galaxy’s distress signal was so dire but is also around five days old is not a good sign. Neither is the fact that the only ships from the Galaxy fleet we’ve seen escape the battle so far are a lone fighter and a badly damaged warship. It may already be too late for the Galaxy’s civilian ships!
Moment to Moment Notes:
This episode’s title is possibly a reference to Episode 7 of the SDF Macross which was titled Bye-Bye Mars. The episodes don’t have much more than a title in common, however.
0:00 – We get a quick look at Space Folding, Macross’ version of faster than light travel. With it, ships can travel between the stars, but there are two issues with Space Fold technology. First, is the existence of Fold Faults that add a great deal of travel time causing folds that should take hours to take days instead. Fold Faults are a new twist that has only been mentioned as of Macross Frontier. Second, is that the energy requirements of a fold skyrocket the further you want your jump to be. This precludes traveling quickly across the galaxy. The larger a ship you try to fold, the more those energy requirements increase as well.
0:37 – Elmo, the director of Vector Promotions, uses minmay@vectorpromotions.co.fr as his email address. Minmay, of course, refers to Lynn Minmay from SDF Macross. Note that he is the same person (with the green glasses) who was sitting behind Alto at the Miss Macross contest. Likely, he was attempting to scout new talent for his company.
4:50 – When I hear someone suggest that they make an enemy listen to a song I get immediate flashbacks of Basara from Macross 7 singing away at the top of his lungs while everyone around him is being blow out of the sky. That said, songs and singers have played a major role in actually ending conflicts across almost every interaction of the Macross series so far. In Macross, singing at the enemy is sometimes a perfectly valid strategy!
5:04 – Looks like the Frontier Fleet invested heavily in Microsoft Surface Big Ass Tables… Search YouTube for the original Microsoft Surface table ad and then go find the hilarious parody of it and you’ll see what I mean.
7:06 – That drawing has some cool theming with the spoon and salt shaker.
9:03 – There are a lot of explosions and friendly ships crowding the view, but note that the Macross Galaxy does not appear to have a domed city ship and is instead a big self-contained ship. This would be consistent with what Sheryl said in the previous episode and why she is so impressed by the Frontier fleet. Either that, or the ship we are looking at is simply Battle Galaxy, the Galaxy fleet’s Macross-class ship…
12:25 – I love how confident Sheryl gets in this moment. It is possible that given the previous scene between Leon and Cathy that this last reporter is a plant who asked a provocative question intentionally to get Sheryl to give a heated, patriotic response.
13:50 – By Cathrine Glass being assigned to the Macross Quarter she will now essentially serve the same role that Misa Hayase occupied in SDF Macross.
14:33 – Again, we see that Sheryl might not really be the bossy jerk she appeared to be in the first couple of episodes.
15:21 – Note that at least a couple of these Deneb-class ships were seen defending the Macross Galaxy during that distress call earlier. It is not a good sign that they are here now without the main Galaxy ship.
18:49 – What Cathy says to Ozma about avoiding private conversations is almost exactly the same thing that Claudia LeSalle, a bridge officer on the original Macross, said to protagonist Valkyrie pilot Hikaru early in SDF Macross. Both Cathy and Claudia were relaying orders to the fighter squadrons and both were getting talk back from their pilots. So, that was a fun little callback there.
It looks like Ranka finally arrives at Sheryl’s concert and that we’re going to get some combat set to music. There looks to be a Vajra warship we haven’t seen before, so maybe the Macross Quarter will make is power known.
Macross Frontier Episode Guide 05: Star Date
Ranka has been suspended from her all girls school following her participation in the Miss Macross contest, and worse, she has her brother angry at her for not asking permission to enter the contest in the first place. Normally, Ranka might have passively followed Ozma’s instructions, but this time she takes a stand and runs out on him in tears.
Meanwhile, Alto is stuck being dragged around Island 1 by Sheryl as she forces him to help her search for her missing earring. Along the way, Sheryl manages to grab ahold of Alto’s SMS identification badge. She promises she will only give it back if he continues to show her around. The two of them sightsee around the city and we learn a little more about Sheryl and the Macross Galaxy fleet that she calls home. Apparently, many of the people who live on Galaxy have cybernetic enhancements and brain implants. But not Sheryl. She tells Alto that being all natural is one of her selling points.
Elsewhere, Leon is convening everyone he can find with knowledge of the Vajra which leads to Cathy arriving at Ozma’s apartment in order to escort him to the joint meeting. During the car ride, Ozma phones other SMS crew members asking them to help track down Ranka, to which Cathy muses aloud that maybe she and Ozma would still be together if he’d shown as much attention to her.
Michael happens to stumble upon Ranka, but she refuses to be led home. Instead, she vents her frustration at him then crosses a busy street to get away leaving Michael no choice but to follow her.
Alto and Sheryl wind up in one of Island 1’s dome tram / observation stations high above the city where they continue sightseeing. To Alto, Frontier is nothing special, but to Sheryl, who spent most of her life on Galaxy which is a far more closed off ship that uses chemical reactions instead of a wide open environment to maintain life support, Frontier is a wonder. Sheryl also notes that she appreciates that Alto doesn’t treat her differently from anyone else just because she is Sheryl Nome.
Finally getting a more adventuresome spirit, Alto takes Sheryl over to Island 3 where they catch a glimpse of some full size Zentradi taking care of some hippo-cows before the two of them head over to a nearby Zentradi-sized mall where they happen to meet up with Klan in her fullsize form. Ranka and Michael also arrive at the mall by chance where Michael challenges Ranka to put herself out and sing in front of people who haven’t come to a beauty pageant expecting her. He thinks she will chicken out and come to her senses, but instead Ranka gathers her courage and puts on a stunning performance singing “What About My Star” to the cheers of the mall crowd.
Also on Island 3, Ozma, Cathy, and others are listening to a presentation being given by Leon in a research facility. It seems the Frontier military has captured a Vajra and has been studying it. The Vajra has no brain, so one theory is that they are remote controlled bioweapons. During Ranka’s song, the seemingly deceased Vajra comes back to life and has to be destroyed before it breaks out of its containment tank.
As the day draws to a close, Sheryl thanks Alto for a good time and returns his SMS badge before giving him a kiss on the cheek. Alto, in turn, promises to locate Sheryl’s missing earring and return it to her before she heads back to the Galaxy at the end of her time on Frontier. Unknown to the two of them, Ranka and Michael are observing them from across the mall. But before Ranka can say anything, she is approached by someone who wants to talk to her about her musical performance.
The episode ends as a recon Valkyrie from Macross Galaxy folds in near to the Frontier fleet with an urgent call for assistance. Apparently the Galaxy fleet has come under heavy attack by Vajra and is in dire need of reinforcement!
Specific Scenes I Loved:
- That little moment where Alto is on the phone and Sheryl is in the background trying to gently catch a butterfly is the cutest bit of animation ever.
- The look that Sheryl gives Alto when she declares that being all natural is one of her selling points.
- Alto and Sheryl looking out over Island 1 from the observation dome. Alto is jaded, but I’m with Sheryl. Frontier is a beautiful place!
- Ranka’s performance of “What About My Star” and the way some random musicians join in with her during the middle of her song.
Episode Impressions:
This episode was part backstory and part magic. It was great hearing a little more about Sheryl and the place she came from. It was also great to see Ranka continuing to assert herself. Not only did she successfully defy Ozma, she even managed to put on a little show for herself while overcoming her fear and shyness.
Sheryl and Alto continue to be great together. They still quarrel and lock horns from time to time, but you can also tell that they are beginning to appreciate each other in subtle ways. Alto is realizing that Sheryl is more than just a superficial idol, while Sheryl seems to have found someone she can actually be herself around. The two’s exchange at the end of the episode where Sheryl thanks Alto and he promises to bring Sheryl her earring seems like a genuine moment of understanding and friendship on both their parts.
And boy, this episode was pretty. From the high up views of Frontier’s Island 1, to the extensive street level detail that filled every frame as Sheryl pulled Alto around the city, to Folmo Mall’s impressive sense of scale as humans and full-sized Zentradi filled the same spaces was all very impressive.
And, wow, that little cliffhanger at the end. It seems like things are about to get real with the Vajra.
Sheryl’s descriptions of the Macross Galaxy fleet are all important. It is apparently a place where cybernetics are widespread and a place far less beautiful than the city and agricultural ships of the Frontier fleet.
That the Vajra aren’t piloted and also aren’t necessarily independently controlled also seems like it will be important going forward.
The purple-haired man that comes running up the Ranka at the end of the episode was present at the Miss Macross contest and will play a minor role going forward.
Moment to Moment Notes:
1:06 – Ranka throws several things at her brother, including a dressed in pink Lynn Minmay doll. One of these dolls played a surprisingly large roll at pacifying the Zentradi attacking the earth during Space War 1.
3:31 – Right before Alto’s phone starts buzzing, Sheryl gets a good look at his ID badge. She probably stole it around this point, and it is, in fact, missing in the next few scenes until she reveals that she has it!
4:09 – Ranka’s phone isn’t really alive. It’s just cute and expressive. It looks like a hard squeeze turns it off.
5:36 – So… Cathy and Ozma were in a past relationship?
7:06 – Sheryl chasing after the butterfly is such a cute bit of animation!
8:45 – I like the look at the city… but that “Pipe Dreams” smoke shop is pretty weird!
8:58 – This is the 2nd time that the subject of implants has been brought up. Sheryl thinks of them as common on the Galaxy.
10:06 – It’s neat to get a closer look at the skyway cars and tubes that we’ve seen sparkling in the distance the past few episodes. The observation dome is pretty cool, as well!
10:17 – …and Frontier’s Island 1 is huge and beautiful!
10:39- I like the explanation for Sheryl’s excitement. Macross Galaxy sounds like it was more of a sterile environment. Far less atmosphere and agriculture and more repeating decks of housing, perhaps? She calls it a closed system chemical plant. So… maybe Frontier regulates things with biological processes and open air environments while Galaxy did so with closed loop chemical reactions?
11:18 – The repetitive animation loop that Sheryl and Alto go through when they get on the car is a bit annoying, but I think Sheryl’s little backwards step / turn makes up for it. It’s only a few frames of animation, but it’s a good few frames.
12:23 – Yep, Zentradi at their full size are roughly as big as the robot mode of Valkyrie fighters! Most choose to be human size for companionship and practicality, but some percentage stayed big.
12:50 – Folmo Mall was named after Exsedol Folmo, the Zentradi advisor in SDF Macross who played a major role in helping Humanity and the Zentradi find a peaceful end to Space War 1.
13:26 – Sheryl having fun at the mall is a little bit like the date that Hiraku and Lynn Minmay went on in the “Do You Remember Love?” movie. A pilot and a star sorta in their own little world, at least for a short time.
15:41 – So the Vajra might not be a naturally occurring life form, but may instead be bio-weapons??
17:19 – Alto’s paper airplanes keep flying really well! Is it artistic license or does Frontiers’ .75G gravity help with that??
17:56 – I like this song from Ranka. It’s a mostly unplugged version of a Sheryl song, but she sorta makes it her own. It’s fun when the musicians nearby just randomly join in with her.
18:41 – Did that Vajra react to Ranka’s song??
21:46 – *Whistles…*
22:06 – Oh… I guess the main plot has decided to show up…
Looks like we aren’t going straight into combat next episode. Instead, we see the purple-haired man appear to speak up for Ranka. Sheryl and Alto look to spend some more time together. And there’s a beautiful moment of Sheryl singing. Maybe we get to see her next concert?
Macross Frontier Episode Guide 04: Miss Macross
With the events of the Vajra attack largely behind them, Alto and Ranka start down their paths of pursuing their dreams. As the episode opens, Ranka learns that she has been accepted as a contestant in the upcoming Miss Macross Frontier contest. Even though she is still a little timid and has some minor self-image issues, Ranka still moves forward and does her best. A key bit of encouragement from Sheryl while she is wallowing in self doubt helps Ranka push her fears aside and leads her to putting on an impressive performance at the competition.
Meanwhile, Alto is busy training to join the SMS. He keeps up with Ranka as best he can via phone calls and text messages, but for the most part, Alto’s days are packed full of training, instruction, and the occasional bit of hazing. Oh, and he still has to go to his normal classes.
Finally, Ranka’s big day arrives and Alto is there in the audience to lend his support. But, of course, that’s when he is interrupted by a call from SMS and he is forced to duck out of the theater to take part in his final combat training test. On the way out, Alto catches a glimpse of his father. When asked, the senior Saotome denies knowing his own son. Angered at this, Alto rushes off to his training session ready to rush through it so he can get back to lending his support to Ranka.
At this point, the episode takes a delightfully Macross turn as Ranka chooses to sing “Watashi no Kare wa Pilot” (My Boyfriend is a pilot) for the talent portion of the Miss Macross contest. The song is wonderfully timed to Alto fighting a mock battle against a group of Zentradi in Queadluuns who are known as SMS’ “Pixie Squadron.” Alto performs well, but his mock battle is cut short when a real Vajra folds in and attacks. Working together with Pixie Squadron’s leader, Alto successfully destroys the Vajra, though his Valkyrie takes some heavy damage in the process.
The episodes ends with SMS renting out the Nyan Nyan restaurant that Ranka works at. We find out that Pixie Squadron’s well endowed leader, Klan Klan, reverts to the apparent age of a young teenage girl when she shrinks down to human size. Klan chases Michael around the restaurant in revenge for his teasing her while Alto and Ranka share a moment. Ranka, who we find out lost the Miss Macross contest, declares the whole thing futile, but Alto reminds her that her whole point of stepping out wasn’t to win but to let people know she existed.
Alto heads to school the next morning after a long night of partying only to be tripped up by a dangerously cheerful Sheryl Nome. “Hi.” She says with a smile and a wave that lets Alto know he is in big trouble!
Specific Scenes I Loved:
- Alto’s amusing training montage. He had it rough with Ozma and Michael as his primary instructors!
- That blink and you missed it moment where Alto and Klan’s engine contrails form a heart shape just as Ranka is singing about the same thing.
- That moment where Klan is flailing away at Michael but he is holding her back with one finger.
Episode Impressions:
I like this episode. Like Episode 2, it references back to the history of the Macross universe and does so in a respectful, exciting kind of way. The updated “My Boyfriend is a Pilot” song and the inclusion of the Zentradi fighting units is a pretty big nostalgia boost. And the combat continues to be well animated.
I also like that moment in the end where Alto taps Ranka on the head with his paper airplane. Maybe Ranka forgot a little bit why she stepped out of her comfort zone in the first place, but Alto remembered and did a nice thing in reminding her to cheer her up.
Like this episode, episode 9 of SDF Macross was titled “Miss Macross”. That’s about as direct of a callback as you can get!
The brief moment where Alto and his father regard each other seems important. It looks like Alto’s father still sees his son as a kabuki actor which greatly angers Alto.
Ranka did well at the Miss Macross contest. No, she didn’t win, but it looks like she placed pretty high seeing that she was on stage as the winner was announced. Failing to win the contest won’t skyrocket Ranka to fame and fortune, but it is a small step on her way forward.
Moment to Moment Notes:
0:33 – That single songstress referenced here would be Lynn Minmay, one of the main characters of SDF Macross.
4:12 – I find the typing interface on Ranka’s soft cellphone to be super interesting. But, then again, we’re so far removed from things like T9 typing mode on old cellphones that maybe what she was doing wasn’t too crazy from a show that came out more than a decade ago?
4:16 – I like that teacher. He doesn’t send you to detention if you fall asleep in class, he just wacks you in the back of the head to wake you up. 😛
4:29 – I’m not sure kicking someone at the gun range for missing a shot is entirely safe…
4:36 – Heh. Lead Macross protagonists seem to lose at martial arts fairly often. Shin Kudo, during his training on the Valkyrie V-0, got beat pretty good by a tall woman from the army in Macross Zero.
5:55 – Miss Macross is a long tradition dating back to Space War 1 where the refugees who were sucked along with the original Macross’ unplanned space fold set up a city inside the ship. They were becoming restless as the Macross made its way from Pluto back to Earth, so one of the things they did to pass the time was hold a sort of beauty / talent competition called Miss Macross. Some fifty years later it looks like the various Macross fleets are still holding a similar version of that original contest.
7:49 – Zentradi Queadluuns were the main “fighter” unit opposing the good guys in “Do You Remember Love?”. They are closer to space capable power armor than fighter planes, though, since full size Zentradi are roughly as big as a Valkyrie. Female piloted Queadluuns (the Zentradi fleets did not mix male and females back during Space War 1) were especially dangerous. That quick view of three of them and that eager smile sure implies that they still are!
10:39 – It appears there is bad blood between Alto and his father. Maybe that’s why Alto gets so worked up about it any time someone mentions Kabuki.
13:38 – The person sitting behind Alto’s empty seat shows back up in future episodes.
14:50 – “My Boyfriend is a pilot” is one of the main songs that Lynn Minmay sang in SDF Macross. It helped end the war with the Zentradi, which is why it is referred to as a famous song. The original was a good bit less upbeat. I like the Ranka / Frontier version better.
15:20 – I love the heart shape space contrails that go along with the song. (It’s real quick! Keep your eyes open or you’ll miss it!)
16:44 – Ah, ok… so that’s why some in the Frontier fleet keep referring to knowing about the Vajra…
18:39 – Leon is still oddly interested in Ranka. Did he say something about her to the judges?
18:55 – Miranda Meilin is a reference to a very minor in-universe movie star named Jamis Meilin who participated in the original Miss Macross contest 50ish years before. Miranda, who does show up at least once more in Macross Frontier, is thought to be her granddaughter. In the Miss Macross episode of SDF Macross, some character notes that Jamis is far too well known to be participating and should have been made a guest judge, so it’s fun to see that Sheryl, who is of course very well known, actually is a guest judge for this contest.
20:27 – Even in the original series, Zentradi could change from their large size to human size. Klan Klan is the only example I know of where the change seems to affect their apparent age. The micronizing / macronizing works via a sorta tube-like set of tanks and takes a few minutes.
20:44 – Too much silliness turns me away from things (well, most of the time) but I like the animation of Klan flailing away at Michael here.
22:22 “Hi.” Oh boy…
It looks like Sheryl and Alto sightsee on Frontier together and somehow come across Ranka and Michael. We’re told that the three main characters meet up at an unlikely location. I wonder where that is?
Macross Frontier Episode Guide 03: On Your Marks
Once again, we open with some action, but this episode quickly transitions to laying out character histories and motivations. The Vajra that surprised our main trio pulls back an arm to attack but is stopped when Ozma, Michael, and Luca intervene. Michael manages to snipe the Vajra’s head, but that’s not enough. The Vajra breaks free and damages the dome near Alto, Ranka, and Sheryl forcing them to seek safety in a nearby emergency shelter.
Alto and Sheryl butt heads in the cramped shelter while Ranka does her best to separate the two. Something that is made all the harder when the battle outside sends the three toppling to the ground and causes Sheryl to have an accidental wardrobe malfunction. Sheryl’s assistant Grace uses her cybernetic implant to access Frontier’s network and locate our trapped trio allowing Cathy to come to their rescue before the air in the shelter is used up.
Out in space, Ozma and the others eventually defeat the remaining Vajra, but Ozma took some fire during the battle and passes out due to his injuries. Unfortunately, Ranka gets a good look at her wounded brother as Michael and Luca carry his Valkyrie back in to safety. Later, in Ozma’s hospital room, Alto learns the truth about Ranka. 
She narrowly survived a Vajra attack eleven years ago, but all her actual relatives, her parents, and her siblings were not so fortunate. Ozma, who was a Valkyrie pilot in the military at that time, took in young Ranka as his little sister. Alto demands to join Ozma and the others as a fighter pilot in the SMS in order to fight the Vajra and is given 24 hours to carefully consider if he’s really up for risking his life in battle.
Meanwhile, Lead Presidential Aide Leon Mishima is surprised to find Ranka’s file among the list of civilians who came in contact with the Vajra. Elsewhere, Sheryl realizes that she will have to track Alto down again because in all the excitement she forgot all about her missing earring.
Lost in thought about the important decisions he has to make, Alto winds up at the Frontier’s recreation of Griffith Observatory where he encounters Ranka singing a special tune. The two get to chatting and Ranka reveals the fears she experienced when she thought she might die in the emergency shelter. Alto offers her encouragement then listens to her song. As the episode ends, Alto formally accepts a position as a fighter pilot with SMS while Ranka takes both Alto’s and Sheryl’s recent encouragements to heart and applies to participate in Frontier’s upcoming Miss Macross competition.
Specific Scenes I Loved:
- Alto and Sheryl’s argument in the emergency shelter. It seems that almost everyone defers to Sheryl’s every whim, yet Alto isn’t afraid to call her out for her behavior.
- Alto and Ranka’s encounter at Griffith Observatory. It’s funny when Alto admits that he gets called mean a lot. Still, his roundabout encouragement to Ranka is thoughtful and sincere.
- I found Ranka’s song beautiful and that one profile shot of her is nicely animated.
Episode Impressions:
This episode was neat because it moved away from the guns blazing action and actually started taking a peak at character motivations. Alto has gained a desire to fight and protect after getting a taste for it during his initial encounter with the Vajra. Ranka admitted her fear of dying and being forgotten and has apparently moved to act on her wish to tell everyone she is alive by participating in the upcoming Miss Macross contest. It’s a very humanizing moment for Ranka and makes her stand out as more of a well rounded character where she has mostly just been a clumsy girl or one panicked in the face of danger up until now.
Once again, we also get to see different shades of Sheryl. In the shelter she is almost aggressively confident. Then, once she and the others are rescued, she is both able to make light of her embarrassing accident, and she goes out of her way to encourage Ranka to chase after her dreams. Sheryl’s personality seems so far away from the rude, demanding person she was during the first episode that I almost wonder if we the audience weren’t being intentionally misled about her personality so as to reveal her deeper layers later on.
The episode manages to pack in some of Ozma’s and Ranka’s past and a little bit of political/government intrigue, as well, when Leon is startled/surprised by finding Ranka’s file among those who came in contact with the Vajra. All in all, a heck of a lot happens in a mere 23 minutes all without feeling particularly rushed or out of place. Fancy battle scenes are great and all, but character moments like the ones were got here are just as important, if not more so.
Alto’s down to earth treatment of Sheryl is something to take note of and will continue to be an important part of the way the two of them interact.
Sheryl’s encouragement and support of Ranka will also continue to be a fairly major thing going forward.
Grace’s fairly subdued offer to use her cybernetic implant is something to pay attention to and will become more important as the story moves forward.
Moment to Moment Notes:
4:25 – It’s neat that the Frontier has designated shelters in case of some sort of major catastrophe that causes a loss of pressure.
7:05 – So, Alto is one of the few people who’s not going to fawn over Sheryl.
8:15 – Grace has some sort of wired computer implant? Something that might normally be considered illegal on Frontier? Later on, we’ll learn a little bit more about the difference between the Frontier fleet and other fleets like the Galaxy fleet that Sheryl and Grace come from.
10:21 – Interesting that Sheryl even assumes that Alto would have optical data of… her. Cybernetic implants must be a lot more common on Galaxy. (That will be confirmed later on, it’s just worth noting that even Sheryl is not used to the lack of implants among normal Frontier citizens.)
11:35 – I like the reverse angle reflection of Ranka in the glass and the way she bumps into it while running forward after seeing her brother injured.
13:30 – I don’t quite understand the scale of the Vajra attacking that ship. Is the ship small like a shuttle? Is that Vajra like 10x bigger than normal?
17:42 – Griffith Observatory is, of course, a real place. Island 1 apparently has replicas of multiple earth landmarks. Landmarks that likely no longer exist in the Macross universe since the Zentradi fleet that attacked earth leveled most everything with their large scale orbital bombardment back 50+ years ago in 2009.
19:34 – I really like that profile shot of Ranka singing Aimo. There’s an innocence and realism there that is really neat. The first few words of the song “Aimo” are not Japanese. They are from another in-universe language that will be revealed later.
20:01 – That wide shot of the observatory, city, and lake is really pretty!
Seeing Ranka in a swimsuit is a pretty heavy callback to Lynn Minmay in her swimsuit during the original Miss Macross pageant in SDF Macross. We also see Alto engaging with Zentradi Queadluuns. It will be one hell of a callback to SDF Macross if Alto is so preoccupied trying to watch Ranka’s performance while on patrol that he somehow manages to get ambushed by a group of warlike Zentradi!
Macross Frontier Episode Guide 02: Hard Chase
After the previous episode’s cliffhanger, we pick up the action once more as Alto, Ranka’s brother Ozma, and Alto’s friend Michael battle against the Vajra that have invaded Island 1. Alto proves to be a surprisingly skilled pilot as he manages to keep Ranka safe even as the two of them face a variety of dangerous situations beyond even the attacking Vajra. Back on the ground after the battle concludes, Ranka attempts to express her thanks, but Alto is more concerned with the gruesome scene he witnessed earlier.
The next day, as life for most of the residents of Island 1 slowly begins to return to normal, Alto is instead whisked aways from his school classroom by Lieutenant Glass for blood tests and questioning over his part in the battle. Just as it appears Alto will have no choice but to join the military, Ozma appears to pull him out of the fire. Ozma brings Alto back to SMS headquarters as the various SMS crew members want to hear how Giliam died. Alto doesn’t get the chance to relate that story, however, as a few Vajra that hid on the underside of one of the ships in the Frontier fleet make themselves known and begin a new attack.
Meanwhile, as all this has been occurring, Ranka too had to have some health tests due to her close contact with the Vajra. On her way back home, Ranka gets flagged down by a disguised Sheryl. The famous idol has become lost on Island 1 as she searches for one of her earrings that fell when Alto caught her during her concert the previous day. Sheryl lets Ranka lead her around the city until nightfall where the two of them watch as Valkyries launch from SMS headquarters. In a very poignant moment, Sheryl finally reveals her true identity to an awestruck Ranka. Just then, Alto stumbles across the two girls both of whom are looking to talk to him, but before Ranka gets the chance to express her thanks and before Sheryl gets to ask about her earring, a flight of Vajra begin their attack nearby!
Specific Scenes I Loved:
Alto and Ranka reaching for each other in midair. This scene is highly reminiscent of a scene from SDF Macross and was a huge bit of nostalgia when it occurred. It was also just beautifully animated!- Ozma punching Alto when the later all but demanded to be given a military Valkyrie to fly when the Vajra reengaged the Frontier fleet. Sure, Alto seems to be a pretty good pilot, but as far as we know he has not had any formal combat training so it just makes sense that military veteran Ozma would have him thrown out rather than handing the skilled amateur the keys to a powerful weapon of war.
- Sheryl and Ranka’s time together. Sure, Sheryl spends most of that time fishing compliments out of her unaware fan, but she pays Ranka some compliments as well. The moment that Sheryl joins in with Ranka’s singing is just a spectacular, emotional scene. The look on Ranka’s face and the tears in her eyes as she realizes she’s just spent much of the afternoon with her hero is so, so good.
Episode Impressions:
This episode was somehow maybe even more exciting than the series opener! The first half of the episode is exhilarating. Alto’s piloting within the confines of the city streets was spectacular. It was also nice how the episode did a good job of highlighting some of the aftermath of the Vajra attack. That Alto was affected by Giliam’s gruesome death instead of just having that moment forgotten was a great touch of storytelling.
The second half of the episode slowed down a good bit, but the shift from fast paced combat to character moments was well done. Ozma seems pretty practical and level-headed about things even if he is keeping his real job a secret from his sister. That Cathy (Lieutenant Glass) and Ozma seem to know each other seems like it might prove interesting. It was nice seeing Sheryl out on her own. She was a good deal less haughty and reserved once she got away from her handler and escorts. She does maybe bask in Ranka’s admirations a bit too long, though. But that final scene where she reveals her identity made whatever else she’d done worth it.
It’s also nice to see an enemy that is kinda smart. Instead of straight up retreating, the Vajra managed to hide themselves and relaunched their attack. We still don’t know what they’re after, though. We haven’t even seen anything from the Vajra’s point of view yet. Maybe that will change next episode. In both SDF Macross and Macross 7 we saw a lot from the enemy’s point of view, so, if nothing else, it’s interesting we haven’t gotten that yet in Frontier.
Take note of the way the primary red Vajra seemed to look away from Ozma and be distracted directly after Ranka did her scream in the cockpit with Alto. It was almost like the Vajra was either distracted or maybe even concerned for Ranka.
Sheryl’s missing earring may seem like a small distraction, but it will drive a fair amount of plot and interaction over the next few episodes and is not just a one episode ploy that will instantly be forgotten.
Moment To Moment Notes:
0:46 -The view of things outside of Island 1’s dome is pretty neat.
4:16 – Picking up the girl and running away is another one of those tropes that happens a few times across Macross shows. This time, it is a pretty direct homage to similar events in SDF Macross.
4:22 – With a couple of notable exceptions (for instance, in Macross Plus) Valkyries have always been directly controlled by their pilots. I can’t ever recall talk of neural implants or the like. It would seem impossibly hard to pilot a giant robot that is also sometimes an airplane with just hand and foot controls… but whatever. It looks cool!
4:46 – I feel really sorry for that guy in the car! 😛
5:14 – At first I was wondering how much Alto was going to owe for blasting out a couple of hundred windows on that building… but then the Vajra slammed completely through it and crashed out through the roof… so, never mind.
5:25 – Having the arms shot off a Valkyrie and having to catch a girl is also something of a Macross trope. Again, this scene is a close homage to the original SDF Macross. Back then, Hikaru flew downward and scooped a plummeting Lynn Minmay into the cockpit of his borrowed fighter. So… similar scene here in Frontier, but opposite direction of movement. The animation here in Frontier is really good.
7:45 – Those Vajra sure are tough. And sure, gun pods and missiles don’t tend to kill them, but a charged knife does? Heh. Why not?!
8:31 – There was an instance in the original Macross where a Zentradi commander was blown out into space, but instead of dying, he walked along the outside of his ship and reengaged the good guys’ Valkyries after making his way back inside of an airlock. Though most Zentradi are several generations removed, their ancestor were specifically designed for combat. Apparently, that included some resilience to vacuum. That’s what Alto means when he says Ranka is tougher than she looks thanks to her Zentradi heritage.
8:45 – If it seems like Ranka’s hair sometimes moves on its own… that’s because it does. Apparently it has something to do with being part Zentradi. We haven’t seen this type of movable hair before in Macross…
14:43 – The music Ozma is listening to is “Totsugeki Love Heart” (Charge Love Heart) by Fire Bomber, the band who stared in Macross 7.
15:47 – I like that Sheryl’s cell phone has a holographic “talking” indicator when she speaks. Also, look closely at her replay of the concert and you’ll see her earring go flying off towards Alto. That’s why she is so interested in finding him!
16:24 – Look closely at what’s on that crate. In the lower left, among Gilliam’s things, is Sheryl’s earring.
16:45 – Sheryl dressing in big sunglasses and a floppy hat so as to conceal her identity is similar to what Lynn Minmay did so she could sneak away from her life as an idol and spend an afternoon with Hikaru in SDF Macross.
16:50 – These roaming vending machines have been the bane of people’s existence since the original Macross! They’re always interrupting conversations or bothering people. 😛
18:23 – Female officers on the bridge of Macross class ships is a long held (anime) tradition. They are affectionately referred to as “bridge bunnies” by Macross fans. Over the course of each Macross show, the various bridge bunnies have gotten sometimes more and sometimes less individual character development. Frontier’s get about as much attention as any. They have names and even personalities, but will rarely be seen off their bridge.
Looks like we’ll see some more combat next episode. Also, looks like we’ll get to see Ranka sing but it’s unclear if that brief glimpse was in the current day or part of a flashback. The most interesting part to me was where Alto stomps on the “in case of emergency” button and he, Sheryl, and a possibly injured Ranka jump down into something. An emergency shelter to protect them from the Vajra attack, maybe?
Bite-sized Backstory 51: The Mutiny
The Awoken’s political troubles have finally come to a head. Those Awoken that had been threatening to leave in order help the people of earth actually carry out their threats. Despite the best efforts of Mara and Sjur, the first ship of those who wish to break away manages to depart the reef. Mara even tries to send a shutdown command to the ship in a similar way she had absolute control over the Hulls that took her people away from the Distributary, only to find out that it will not respond to her commands. It is one from Humanity’s golden age, not one based on the Hulls Mara’s people brought from the Distributary so her overrides have no power over it.
Once the first ship breaks away, Mara recognizes that the worst that can happen has happened, and that trying to prevent the other ships from leaving will just cause unnecessary deaths. So, Mara orders Sjur to broadcast to the other rioters that they will be allowed to leave peacefully as long as they go now. Again, we see some of the special magic possessed by the Awoken and by Mara in particular. Sjur replies that there is no need to tell them because she and all the rest of the Awoken heard Mara’s proclamation directly!
We take a little look ahead here, a little extended look at what these Awoken accomplish after the split away from Mara’s group. We’re told that they go down to the earth with a level of technology and knowledge that save thousands of lives even in just the first year. These Awoken are seen almost like angels with their glowing skin and impossible tech and strong desire to help. For the first time in years or decades, the people of Earth are able to look up into the stars and know that there’s more than just doom up there. Over the next few centuries these Awoken integrate into what’s left of human society and over time their attachment to the Distributary and the Reef and Mara fade. But, we’re told they always have a little connection to Mara, some little tie that they can still feel. I think there’s still a bit of Awoken magic linking them back to Mara Sov.
This split of Mara’s Awoken into two peoples has some immediate implications for the Reef. For one, Mara finally listens to the advice and criticism everyone around her has been dumping on her. She stops trying to treat her people as equals and finally takes her place as the Queen of the Awoken. Following the example set by Alis Li so many thousands of years ago, Mara designates the Techeuns, a group of scientists and thinkers, to explore the mysteries of the universe, and a group of Paladins who will lead the Awoken’s security and defense.
And then the Fallen attack! A single Ketch spotted the earthbound Awoken and tracked their course back to the asteroid belt. The Reef spots the large warship coming and makes it’s power known by gutting it in an instant using some of their limited supply of weapons they brought from the Distributary. But, it turns out that the Fallen are just a bit smarter than that. The Ketch didn’t just fly in confident of a sure victory. Instead, its Baron pre-deployed all his dropships so even though his ketch is destroyed in an instant, his attack force is still largely intact.
Mara, freshly crowned Queen that morning, takes to the personal defense of her people. We’re told that Sjur is encased in a full combat suit, but that Mara fights in the open. She knows that her people need to be able to spot her and be able to see her vulnerable so that they will rally to her side. And it works. With Sjur handling the larger threats, and Mara serving as a rallying force, and Uldren watching his sister’s back, the Awoken of the Reef once again put aside their differences and come together as a people.
While Mara and her brother are busy inside, Sjur is busy outside engaging the Fallen Baron and his forces in zero-g combat near the exterior of the Sacred Fire. The Fallen had attached a Spider Tank to Awoken’s largest habitat ship and it was up to Sjur to stop them. I’d love to see this scene rendered by cutscene studio Blur or someone. Sjur and a large Fallen Baron leaping among asteroids and debris. The Baron and his spider tank trying to pin Sjur down. Sjur finally ending the Baron with a single well aimed arrow through the throat. But, even with the Baron dead, Sjur still has to stop the tank from destroying the Sacred Fire.
It’s here that Sjur knows she is going to die. Remember, she told Mara that her death would be doing something incontrovertibly heroic. Her only chance to save thousands of her sisters and brothers is to hastily place an explosive charge down the tank’s main gun. When it fires next, it will detonate in a devastating backfire that Sjur knows she will be unable to get clear of. And it does. And Sjur is engulfed in the blast. And Sjur is… not killed. She’s not even harmed! How is that possible?!
Earlier, before the Fallen attack, before Mara became Queen, her lead researcher had revealed more about the research they have been doing into the Awoken’s special form of magic. Not only can every Awoken subtly affect outcomes, Mara herself seems to be the source and concentration of that power. And those subtle effects seen in other Awoken are massively increased for Mara. Simulations show that Mara’s subtle magic is so powerful that even things like weapons and bombs don’t work properly around her. The fundamental physics that would normally control a trigger mechanism of a gun or bomb are literally thousands of times less likely to function correctly if triggered near Mara Sov.
This is what saved Sjur. Mara focused her power and instead of dying, Sjur is thrown safely clear of the blast. As Sjur wonders what happened she see’s Mara’s face projected into her mind and she knows who saved her.
Next time, we’ll look at some of the more obscure connection to past Destiny lore and reach the end of the Reef’s beginning.
Chapters Referenced:
Review: Toy Story 4
Toy Story 4 did it! It managed to continue the series’ nearly twenty-five year legacy of excellence. What could have been a disappointment or a money grab instead turned out to be a fun adventure and an even more fitting conclusion for one of the franchise’s most important characters.
When I first saw the announcement of Toy Story 4, I was saddened because I was afraid that making a 4th movie in the franchise would tarnish the other three. Toy Story showed us what our toys do when we are out of the room, and ushered in the concept of fully CGI films. It changed the animation industry forever. Toy Story 2 was an excellent followup that explored the world of mint condition toys and toys that get outgrown by their owners. And Toy Story 3? To me, it felt like the proper end of a long era. It advanced time forward so that we saw Andy grow up. It took a fun look at the hyperactive toddlers that toys sometimes have to endure. It provided a peak at how toys might feel to be replaced by the same model. And it provided a tearful passing of the torch from Andy to the incredible cute Bonnie. Andy’s toys were safe with a new child and had another lifetime of adventure ahead of them. What more needed to be said?
Well, as positive as the Toy Story films were about the way our toys view us, the previous movies left a few dark corners unexplored. In Toy Story and Toy Story 2, we’re given the impression that lost toys and toys without a child to play with them are destined to be bitter or emotionally traumatized. Toy Story 3 showed us one way our toys can still be happy once we outgrow them. That by passing our toys down they can continue to be there for a child. But it also left open a cycle of happiness but with an ever looming sadness on the horizon. But now, Toy Story 4 has shown us that even the toys we lose track of can have happy endings. By showing us additional positive outcomes for toys without owners, Toy Story 4 earned it’s place among its predecessors.
Toy Story 4 did this by giving Woody an even better ending. I think it took a lot of effort and talent for Pixar to recognize that Woody’s story never really had a happy ending before. It wasn’t that Woody wasn’t happy to be passed down to Bonnie, he was, but was that enough for the character? I think someone must have come back to Woody’s quote from Toy Story 2 and realized that it left some little dark corner unfulfilled for the character. Near the end of Toy Story 2, Woody says, “You’re right, Prospector, I can’t stop Andy from growing up, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” This was a great decision for Woody in the moment, but even after being passed down to Bonnie, this same statement delays the inevitable for Woody. Or maybe it too strongly linked Woody’s happiness to the times he has an owner. By the end of Toy Story 4, Woody no longer has dark times ahead of him. Toy Story 4’s ending is also in line with Woody’s character. Woody was always helpful and heroic, but was also always afraid of being left behind and even somewhat afraid of not being in charge. All of those fears are wiped away by the end of Toy Story 4.
Along with wrapping up Woody’s story, Toy Story 4 also excels at everything the series is known for. It is prettier than ever. Having only seen it once, so far, I can’t give a lot of examples. Thing just looked amazing in general. I can’t wait to get this film on Blu-ray to pause and admire the sheer amount of artistry Pixar has put into this movie. Also, I didn’t catch many of the classic Pixar Easter eggs, so I can’t wait to hunt those down as well.
Toy Story 4 is also well written, very funny, and is tearfully touching in the moments it wants to be. The story team did not check out for the fourth movie like I feared they might. I think the only things I wasn’t 100% happy with was the way that Buzz got just a little stupider between Toy Story 3 and 4, and the presence of Forky. Buzz not quite grasping the concept of his inner voice was hilarious but also slightly disappointing given that he seemed much more together in Toy Story 2 and 3. And Forky? He was a funny character and an amusing twist on the question of why toys even are alive… but ultimately I think they could have left him out and had some other toy lead our heroes to the antique shop just as easily. Is fun but unnecessary really want we wanted out of a new character four movies in?
Overall, maybe Toy Story 4 fails to find a new big issue to address, but it more than earns its keep with its clever, heartfelt writing, laugh out loud humor, and a second look at some of the more subtle troubles past movies set up. Visually, it looks as amazing as any Pixar movie made and storywise it stays consistent to its characters while finding new, positive solutions to their problems. This time around, Pixar showed it could continue to make Toy Story films after achieving a near perfect conclusion in Toy Story 3. Because of that, I think I would welcome a Toy Story 5 with much less trepidation that I greeted 4 with. It is beyond hard to find any entertainment property that has a string of four outstanding successes. But with Toy Story 4, Pixar has somehow managed to make a thoroughly enjoyable movie that does right by its predecessors. When the work you are being compared against is the Toy Story franchise, that is some of the highest praise that can possibly be given.
I enjoyed Toy Story 4, and I hope to see it again soon.
Bite-sized Backstory 50: The Plight of Earth
All night, following Uldren’s return, Mara isolated herself from her brother. From her advisors. From even Sjur. What Uldren’s scouting mission had discovered was both inspiring and devastating, and it left Mara with a weighty decision to make. By morning, Mara had made up her mind, but now she had to tell her people. And it wasn’t going to be easy.
Mara called together the elected representatives of her people to the Sacred Fire, one of the largest ships they had salvaged from the Golden Age reef. Set up in a large room with a holo projector, Mara and her brother present what they have found.
“We’ve found Humanity,” she tells them. “We’ve found our ancestors.”
Uldren snaps his fingers and a holographic recording from his ship lights up the room. The disorienting view plunges down through the clouds then skims the terrain until it comes across the beginnings of The City and, above it, the battered remains of the Traveler. The Awoken in the room gasp and marvel. This is something out of their fairy tale storybooks, out of their ancient history they weren’t complete sure was real. And now it is real. But, for Mara, this thrilling scene is dangerous. She knows what her people will want to do, and she knows what she will have to tell them.
One of the Awoken in the gathered crowd, the historian Esila, voices that danger:
“What are we waiting for?” she calls. “That’s everything we came to find! They need us, and that’s where we belong!”
With a look from his sister, Uldren continues the playback from his fighter’s cameras. From somewhere nearby, the trees rumble and a red-brown aircraft shaped like a fat, wingless, furiously angry dragonfly bursts from cover and climbs to intercept. It launches a swarm of missiles at Uldren and he has to pull a tight, high-g turn to evade.
“Those are Fallen,” Uldren says. “They’re a species of interstellar scavengers and subsistence pirates. They’ve been here for a long time, and they’ve sacked most of the large settlements that survived the original fall of Humanity. There may be more Fallen than there are Humans left on Earth.” He lifts his chin to bare the pale scar across his throat. “I landed and went looking for prisoners. I was ready when he pulled two knives on me, but it turned out he had an extra set of arms.”
Mara steps in to further emphasize the point. Not only are there likely more Fallen in the solar system than there are Humans, they aren’t the only threat. Mara tells her people about the Cabal occupying Mars and about Mercury lost the to Vex, an enemy that Humanity had encountered back during its Golden Age.
Elisa speaks up again:
“So they need our help, don’t they? We have to go to them! Our ships, our technology—we could make all the difference.”
Now comes the part Mara struggled with. The part she had been dreading the previous night. She stands there and tells Elisa and the rest of her people “no.” Mara explains to them that while it’s true they could provide some assistance, that doing so would leave them vulnerable. It would allow the Fallen to track their ships back to the Reef. It would see their expedition destroyed before they could really accomplish their goal to save Humanity.
Elisa responds from the crowd once more:
“Mara, with all my respect, all my genuine gratitude for bringing us here,” Esila sighs, “who died and made you Queen?”
Although she doesn’t speak it, Mara knows the answer to that question. All of them died and made her queen. But, remember last time? Mara is not trying to be a queen to her Awoken. She is treating them like equals. She and her brother right now are standing before a crowd of elected representatives. And, right now, those representatives and the public opinion they represent are all trending against Mara.
After the conclusion of the gathering, Mara meets with her brother and Sjur in private. Sjur is busy patching up more of the wounds Uldren suffered during his scouting mission. She and Mara hold a conversation as she does so. Things are bad, Sjur confirms. Almost a full third of the Awoken have indicated they want to split off from the Reef and head to earth. And worse, among the highly influential Awoken that hail back to the 891 who were reborn remembering their past, that number rises to almost 80%.
What this all means is that Mara has a significant political problem. Maybe her first in the thousands of years that have passed since she awoke on the Distributary. If a third of her people split away, it will leave the Reef with a shortage of technical skills and will diminish their somewhat fragile gene pool. That alone would do great harm to Mara’s mission. If, in heading to earth, her people alert the Fallen to their location, it could destroy everything. Sjur, certainly thinks that it will.
“I know,” Sjur says, heavily. “That’s when I’m going to die.”
Mara, of course, declares that unacceptable, but Sjur figures her death is inevitable. And she predicts that it will be when the Fallen soon come for them. After all, she is the Queen’s body guard. If she is going to die at all, it will be in a moment of great heroism. Mara objects, reminding Sjur that she has not taken the position of queen. But, to Sjur, Mara denying her own position is part of what is causing her so many political problems in the first place. And Sjur says so.
We don’t get a real response from Mara on that political point, but to Sjur Mara responds:
You won’t die. I won’t allow it.
Chapters Referenced:
Macross Frontier Episode Guide 01: Cross Encounter
First off, a programming note. There are multiple versions of the initial episode of Macross Frontier. One was an early release with incomplete effects. Another was a slimmed down version for its regular tv slot. What you’re looking for is the Yack Deculture edition. It’s a little longer, at around 31:39 or so, and has a few more character scenes than the other versions. If your version is shorter than roughly 32 minutes keep looking as you’ll be missing out on some content.
Episode Summary:
When Macross Frontier debuted, it had been 14 years since the last full Macross series, Macross 7, and more than six years since the first episode of the five part OVA series Macross Zero had come out. Nobody really knew what to expect from this new series. SDF Macross had been about a lone Human ship on the run from an overwhelming force of enemies where our culture that included things beyond hatred and warfare had saved the day. Macross 7 had been about getting a very alien set of enemies to open their hearts to the power of rock. Macross Zero had been about the effects of the modern world intruding on a primitive island culture. So, what about Macross Frontier? What would it be about?
When Frontier opens, it does so back in space. Macross hasn’t been in space for almost a decade and a half! We get a beautiful view of the Frontier fleet and we first meet a young woman named Sheryl who is excited to see a ship containing an ocean out the window of her approaching starliner. Apparently, Sheryl is a songstress known as the Galactic Fairy, and she is ending her long tour with a series of concerts on Frontier.
We’re quickly introduced to our second main character, Alto Saotome, a young man who enjoys flying and aerial acrobatics but who is oddly bitter at the limit of the sky within Frontier’s main city being too low for his liking. Alto’s friends also tease him a little about looking like a girl and it is briefly mentioned that he used to be a kabuki actor. If one knows anything about Kabuki, one has got to wonder just what kind of role Alto played. At one point in time all parts in Kabuki dramas, even the female ones, were played by boys!
Soon, we get our first glimpse of our third main character, the somewhat younger green-haired Ranka Lee. She works at a restaurant called Nyan Nyan, and seems a bit clumsy, but we also learn that she is related to a pilot in an elite part of the Frontier’s military. Other than that, though, Ranka’s role in Frontier’s story is still very unclear.
Finally, part way into the episode, the Frontier fleet has what seems to be its first encounter with a new alien force not yet seen in Macross. Ranka’s brother and Frontier’s president seem to know them as Vajra. Ranka’s bother in particular makes a comment that seems to indicate he’s been waiting for this day. Possibly to get revenge?
This episode has everything it needs to make it a true Macross show. It has fighter pilots and transforming fighter planes and missiles and gunfire going every which way. It has what could be the very first stages of a love triangle between Sheryl, Alto, and Ranka. And, it has music galore thanks to an impressive opening number performed by Sheryl.
Macross 7 had been very repetitive using the same animation loops and songs over and over again across nearly fifty episodes. Macross Zero had been visually impressive and had good characters, but it’s pacific island setting had left fans wishing for a return to space and politics and more typical social interactions. So far, Frontier seemed to be checking all the boxes. Fans were impressed with the first episode of Frontier, but there were still a lot of unknowns about the series and its characters.
Specific Scenes I Loved:
- The introduction of the Macross Frontier fleet. The initial exterior shot shows just how massive a collection of ships Frontier is. There’s a main “Island 1” at the head of the fleet and then several (I counted 20 or more) smaller pill-shaped islands stretching along behind. Just from a rough guesstimate, I’d put the pill-shaped islands at maybe five miles long each with the main island being a little bigger. That’s a whole lot of land area complete with seas and mountains and at least one main city with a population that must be in the millions.
- I also love that initial shot of the trolley car and surrounding city. We’ll see even better shots of the city as the series progresses, but that long pan up the street along with the traditional trolley car makes it clear that the city is large and high tech, but is also a place where tradition and familiarity is at least as important as technology.
- The little history lesson at the beginning. Macross Frontier has these short segments near the start of its first few episodes in order to help get views up to speed on a few different aspects of the Macross universe.
Sheryl’s concert. The concerts in SDF Macross, and Macross 7 were far more static affairs probably due to budget and animation challenges of the times. Macross Zero did not have a typical pop/rock music idol as its songstress, so while most of the OVA’s animation was very impressive, there just wasn’t much to animate music wise. Only the trippy, psychedelic holographic performances of the artificial intelligence Sharon Apple in Macross Plus comes close to the level of art and animation that Macross Frontier just demonstrated. - Alto climbing into a downed Valkyrie seems to be a close parallel to Shin Kudo doing much the same in Macross Zero.
Episode Impressions:
Overall, I like this episode. It’s a little fast paced and certainly it doesn’t stop to explain every little thing, but it sets up our three main characters. The alien attack that is still in progress seems to be pointing the way to the overall conflict that the Frontier fleet will face. The artwork has some problems here and there, Alto flying with his paper airplane has what should be 3d buildings instead drawn as 2d textures on the ground and it’s a bit jarring, but aside from a few other minor animation errors most everything else looks excellent. We were left in something of a cliff hanger at the end of the episode, so it will be interesting to see what happens next.
I also like this opening. The song points very heavily to there being a typical Macross love triangle between Alto, Ranka, and Sheryl, but the imagery from the traffic on a busy street to the hectic battles in space are all pretty awesome. I think my favorite part is the Valkyrie taking off right beside Alto as he is launching off the roof of his school in his Ex-gear.
Since this is only the first episode, there aren’t a lot of plot points that need to be called out. Or, maybe, being the first episode, nearly everything that happens is important? The one standout plot point that this episode threw us was the reveal that the “Galactic Fairy” Sheryl refers to herself as and is known as Sheryl Nome. We could be in for a wild ride if Sheryl is somehow related to the Nome sisters of Macross Zero. Their bloodline nearly saw the earth destroyed by a left behind alien guardian, after all.
Aside from that, here are the moment to moment notes I jotted down during the episode. There were a couple of fun Easter eggs and a few good callbacks to past Macross series along with some lovely background animations that are worth admiring.
0:00 – This episode opens with the phrase “Yack. Deculture.” This is a Zentradi phrase that has a number of meanings. Back 50+ years ago, when the Zentradi attacked earth, this phrase of theirs was almost always used as an expletive. Zentradi would speak it when they saw something they could not comprehend or yell it when their fighters or ships were about to be destroyed. Since the end of the war, the Zentradi have largely integrated with humanity and the meaning of the phrase has shifted and softened. By the time of Macross Frontier, it has a wide range of uses from surprise, to excitement, to being a compliment. In rare cases, it is still used in its original connotation.
1:08 – The Frontier fleet is beautiful and massive. It’s one of my favorite all time fleets because of its size and complexity. Note that there are several “island” ships trailing the main “Island 1” in the distance. Surrounding the fleet is a large number of support vessels including quite a few carriers and warships. Though never directly stated in this series, the Macross colony ship fleets are always supported by a sizable military escort because even 50+ years after “Space War 1” back in 2009, there are still an unknown number of rogue, warlike Zentradi fleets in the galaxy. Traveling on a long term exploration mission without an escort would be ill-advised.
2:13 – The scene here depicts a scene in the Macross movie “Do You Remember Love?” where several of the main characters were captured and spoken to / interrogated by the leader of the Zentradi fleet that attacked Earth. On the left is Hikaru, a Valkyrie pilot and the original show’s protagonist. In the middle is Roy Focker who also appears in Macross Zero and Misa Hayase who plays a somewhat similar role to Lieutenant Glass who escorts Sheryl on Frontier. The original show’s main singer, Lynn Minmay is being held in the Zentradi’s hand to the right.
4:42 – The fourth listing on the flight schedule “Satelight” is one of the two animation studios that worked on Macross Frontier.
5:27 – Nome? As in Sara and Mao Nome from Macross Zero? Up to this point, Frontier has only referred to Sheryl as “Sheryl” and here it drops the big twist that she might be related to the islander sisters who helped UN forces finally put an end to the destabilizing anti-UN forces a year prior to the launch of the original Macross ship at the beginning of Space War 1.
10:30 – The thought is that the Frontier fleet doesn’t make a lot of hyperspace folds because of just how huge it is. Instead, it makes long jumps from one candidate star system of potentially habitable worlds to the next, then it stops for long stretches at a time to refuel and resupply from asteroid belts and gas giants before making its next big jump.
14:14 – Looks like AI controlled Ghost fighters, which were in the initial prototype stage back in Macross Plus, have come into widespread use after all! Ace test pilot Isamau Dyson was so against the Ghost program that he went AWOL to earth in order to shoot down the first prototype Ghost fighter so as to prove that human pilots were better. That Ghost fighter was more than a match for Isamau and his rival/friend Gould, but they don’t do very well here thanks to the powerful jamming.
15:15 – I love the constant sparkling presence of the skycars traveling along their paths on Island 1’s outer dome. We’ll get brief up close glimpses of those trams and their shell stations later on in the series
15:41 – Nyan Nyan was the restaurant that Lynn Minmay worked at in SDF Macross. It was run by her uncle. I guess it survived and expanded into a franchise! Remember, anything that survives the original SDF Macross show or the “Do You Remember Love?” movie is very remarkable because the vast majority of the earth was destroyed in a single Zentradi fleet wide orbital bombardment.
15:53 – Ranka’s little song ends in “Deculture”, demonstrating one of the ways that phrase has slowly merged with everyday life. Now, what was once an expletive, is just part of a restaurant’s marketing jingle and its meaning has shifted to reference the quality of the food and dining at the restaurant.
16:43 – I love the carrier here that can launch fighters from the top and bottom decks. We saw some other novel launch methods in previous Macross works, but I think this one is by far the best as it uses spaces’ 3d nature to good effect.
21:48 – “Super Packs” are additional modules fitted to a Valkyrie that give it extra maneuvering thrusters, fuel, and armaments meant for space combat. “Armor Packs”, are similar but are more weighted towards the armament side of things. You can see the pilot that chases the red Vajra into Island 1’s dome jettison his pack just before he enters.
22:05 – Note that Sheryl’s appearance changes from an elaborate outfit to what almost looks like a skin tight diving suit when the evacuation order is issued. By this point in the Macross universe, full body holography is a thing. We saw it in “Do You Remember Love?”, the followup movie that retold the original Macross’ story, and saw extensive use of holograms in Macross Plus where the virtual idol “Sharon Apple” put on very trippy holographic concerts. It seems that Sheryl might not always be as provocative on stage as she first appears.
23:09 – Skull Squadron, first featured in SDF Macross, has a long history of being the best of the best within Macross. It also has a history of its leader dying. We’ll see how that goes.
27:32 The scene of the tanks shooting at the Vajra is an almost direct homage to an extremely similar scene in the original Neon Genesis Evangalion. Right down to the enemy firing back and obliterating the entire block.
29:41 Yep. Another inexperienced pilot climbs into a Valkyrie in the middle of a battle. This happens a lot in Macross. It happened in the original, in Macross Zero, here in Macross Frontier, and will happen again in Macross Delta, the show made after Frontier. It’s almost a trope unto itself now. It usually doesn’t go super well for the new Valkyrie pilot in their first outing… but maybe things will be different for Alto?
Normally, this is where I would pretend to speculate on what’s in store during the next episode based on the ending teaser, but for whatever reason, I don’t have a Next Episode section on the end of the Yak Deculture edition. So… I guess we’ll find out together!