[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Macross Frontier 1: First Impressions
It’s almost cruel to put out the first episode of Macross Frontier, possibly the coolest Christmas gift evaaar, only to declare that we won’t see the rest until the spring; right from the first rumbles and rumours I’d been keeping my eyes peeled for any tidbit of news or scrap of promo art with the words “MOAR MACROSS! MOAR MACROSS!” zooming around inside my head like a Valkyrie on afterburner. Since it’s an anniversary piece I daresay no expense has been spared in getting it together either; even the mighty Kawamori himself is credited on the staff roll-call as Chief Director. In case you’re head hasn’t quite exploded in fanboyish jubilation just yet, what about Yoko Kanno being back to provide her first musical score contribution to the franchise since Plus? Talk about high expectations…
Hell yeah!
Okay then, this was one of THE big 2008 titles for me so I might not be as objective as some. Macross Zero set a new benchmark for aerial combat while Macross Plus did the same thing for the level of characterisation and soundtrack quality way back in 1994 so there are bound to be comparisons here, there and everywhere, both positive and negative. I suppose this uncertainty comes from a pedigree that’s as unpredictable as the mighty Gundam but for whatever reason I’ve always been a Macross man; on the other hand, success is by no means guaranteed, Kawamori/Kanno or no. It’s impossible to gauge from one episode the merits of the character development or storyline either, so to make any judgement in that respect would be idle speculation; so, what do we have to go on?
In the same way that rice and water can make a main course, dessert or, thanks to some microbial friends, a refreshing drink, the combination of ditzy girls, angsty bishies and shiny mecha can create a wide variety of stuff to suit all tastes, depending on the extra details thrown in. Sure enough, there is the usual quota of cute girls, angsty bishies and shiny hardware that have made up the staple diet for mecha fans since, well, Macross. These clichéd aspects offer no indicator of how the show will pan out though, nor do they make it in any way outstanding; it could be argued perhaps that this will be the definitive homage to the franchise so far but as far as I’m concerned one episode only has the most basic of foundations for win or fail.
In terms of the sullen pretty boy pilots, J-pop idols and the like, Macross Frontier ticks all the boxes. In comparison with the famously irritating Minmay or the endearingly tortured Myung, Cheryl Nome is different again: she struck me as a little distant and almost cold, especially when vacating the venue with little obvious regard for her fans. Is she a Heartless Bitch™ or just misunderstood? Time will tell I guess. If nothing else, the attention to detail on offer in the opening episode gives an authentic demonstration of how female breasts react to a gravity field being applied…
She ain’t no Sharon Apple…yet
I don’t know what to make of Ranka, who could prove to be either annoying (as in, Minmay annoying) or grudgingly likable (as in, Gunbuster 2’s Nono); it all depends on how well we get to know her later on. Alto on the other hand started off at the beginning of the episode as the typical sulky effeminate male lead (seriously, do you HAVE to be sulky and/or effeminate to pilot a mecha these days?) but by the time the cliffhanger arrived, he went all fearless and gar - out of all of them he shows the most potential as a character. I was at that that point that I really thought I could grow to like the guy, and also provided a rescue scene reminiscent of Hikaru Michijyo’s and Lynn Minmay’s first meeting in the original series. Nice touch.
The big disappointment here was the music, or at least some of it. Apparently the end theme is a reworking of music from the Do You Remember Love? movie (man, I have to track that down sometime) - it’s a really nice ballad in any case - but as Cheryl’s first song is concerned, I didn’t like it. There, I said it. Utterly forgettable. I felt more towards one of the background pieces, which was a great orchestral number reminiscent of Plus’ Up in the Air: Tension; this is where Kanno’s influence really shows. The BGM is pretty good actually, but the way in which this series’ idoru doesn’t even begin to match Sharon Apple’s awesomeness disappoints me and doesn’t promise great things.
‘Nuff said
The other major aspect in which an opening Macross episode can make or break is in the Varitech action. On display here is the VF-25 - a model which seems to be even more advanced than the YF-21 and VF-19 that we saw in Plus - I take this to mean that the combat is going to look even cooler, especially when there are also those Ghost craft too (the unmanned type that Guld so spectacularly blasted to hell iirc). Whether or not you’re a tech geek, the aerial scenes are cutting-edge: fast, fluid and beautiful. It’s strange to think that the CG used in Macross Zero (let’s face it, the CG was Zero’s main redeeming feature) can be matched by a made-for-TV show a few years down the line. As a matter of fact, the airborne action, both in terms of technical details and choreography, made Macross Frontier succeed where Gundam 00 left me cold - it looked nothing short of wonderful. For the limited time they were on-screen, the Varitechs provided all the entertainment value I needed; at least, it offers enough to keep my attention while I get to know the characters a bit better. At the end of the day, there’s time before the next episode for the creative team to change their plans over various things, depending on audience reactions to this opening act. Ultimately though the angst, cute girls and mecha action have won this fan over once more. Moar Macross!
Posted on December 28th, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
I think that’s the main thing: Alto doesn’t stay emo or typical bishie for long. That ending scene? Whoo! I love it! Just up and GARRRRRRR!
I agree with the music. It’s unfortunate really, but then Minmei had her flops too. I still hate Zero G Love.
Posted on December 28th, 2007 @ 10:13 pm
I am not a Macross fan, not through dislike but through ignorance, but this sounds like it might be worth my time . . . the wait for the rest of the series sounds like the Code Geass scheduling (whether intentional or not), but reversed.
Posted on December 29th, 2007 @ 12:03 am
heh
the music wasn’t the best I’ve heard from Yoko Kanno, but the gig atmosphere mixed with Arrogant Blokes getting Killed in Space Battle was an awesome scene. The end theme was beautifully strange also. She just needs to start working with the woman who sang the Bebop songs next time she gets these opportunities to write for intergalactic rock stars…
I loved how he got pissed off every time someone implied he looked like a girl.. Bishies are ok so long as they dont fancy themselves, and are able to go psychotic/mental when required. His perpetually-blushing ginger friend confused me though; is he meant to be constantly horny or is it just a strange character design…
and I liked how the green-haired girl came across as being drunk or tripping instead of just a weak little princess, twas an improved twist on the anime-girl-needing-to-be-rescued cliche
And the BUDGET!
I still dont get why they all didnt get turned inside out when the dome/biosphere thing got a hole smashed in it though..
x
Posted on December 29th, 2007 @ 4:16 am
>> centzon
I get the impression that there’s an atmospheric layer between the residents and the vacuum. It’s not an O’neill Cylinder like Gundam uses, so there’s more chance that the atmosphere would have to vent first for full de-pressurisation. Plus there could be other forces at work (energy shields, etc). I’m sure there’s an explanation either extant or forthcoming. That isn’t the sort of technical detail Kawamori would overlook, after all.
Posted on December 29th, 2007 @ 8:52 am
The mecha in Macross are not called Veritechs. That term was only used by the english-version Robotech. The more proper term for Macross is just variable fighters. The name Valkyrie was a nickname for the VF-1 model like how in modern days the F-14 was given the nickname Tomcat.
Also, the VF-25 feels like a step backward to me when compared to the YF-19 or the YF-21. The new VF doesn’t have a 360-degree cockpit that the YF-19 had but can be seen in the VF-171s that were getting blown away by the aliens. And it doesn’t look like the VF-25 has any internal missile bays or pinpoint barrier system (who knows if the active stealth works against aliens). I read somewhere that the VF-25 is more of a successor to the old VF-1 and is basically just faster and more maneuverable, but who knows compared to Plus.
To centzon, people don’t just get turned inside out when exposed to hard vacuum let alone a decrease in pressure. While internal pressure will cause more delicate tissue like the eyes to burst, you more likely suffocate first before dying of anything else. Also, relative to the size of the dome and internal space of the Frontier ship, the hole the alien punched wasn’t that large and would take a lot of time to vent all of that air from that one hole. So the people will feel at most a breeze and the ship probably has an internal store of oxygen to pump into the ship. Also, you see a gel filling in the hole as the VF-25 is flying through it, quickly stopping any more air from leaving the ship.
Posted on December 29th, 2007 @ 6:17 pm
@Hidoshi: I can really see Alto’s character growing on me. It’s a great way to end the episode.
@IKnight: there’s a lot more to Macross than the mecha - I’d recommend Plus because it’s a great dramatic piece with superb music in between the combat scenes. I might actually pick up the box set of the original series and watch that before the rest of Frontier airs.
@centzon totochtin: the budget. Oh yes. As for the music, we didn’t hear a great deal in the first ep so I’m still holding out for more Kanno goodness. The end theme really is a pleasant number.
@Jounin: ah, a mecha nut! Yeah, I was hoping for some sort of evolution for the ‘25, especially with the ’21’s brain interface control system (it was after all the emotional instability of the pilot that caused the problems, not the plane itself) and the ’19’s cockpit. A model that combines elements of both would be pretty sweet. Anyway, we’ll just have to see what the ‘25 and Alto are capable of.
Posted on December 30th, 2007 @ 4:28 am
Definitely a pleasant surprise when it popped up on AnimeSuki. I wouldn’t call myself a Macross man in the same way you do, but I certainly have a stronger connection to it than Gundam. It’s just so much more sophist, as the kids might say. Zero was one of the first shows/OAV I reviewed on my blog, and while it’s paper-thin in many ways I will hold it dear to my heart because I’m a shameless victim of nostalgia. I hope Frontier will improve on the areas Zero lacked while retaining all its sexiness. So far so good…
Posted on December 30th, 2007 @ 9:42 pm
@Hige: Zero was one of my earliest fansub experiences too, but since it’s such a pret-yet-shallow experience I don’t know how much reviewing I could manage before resorting to a series of screencaps. I might give that one a rewatch sometime soon as well.
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