[Anime Reviews]

Macross Frontier as of ep #10: throw out your cares and fly

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Macross, Unashamed fanboying]

After languishing in the seventh level of Backlog Hell I realised that I hadn’t blogged Macross Frontier since the First Impressions posts. My bad. Despite the strong start to the series, things took a bit of a dip after a while, culminating in a thoroughly disappointing episode eight that featured lazy animation, fillerish content and had a chase through the school after a pair of undies as its centerpiece. Since Most People™ are following this show too, it’s safe to say you know I’m not making that up; for all my Macross fanboying, I struggled to find anything to say about it.

Enter episode ten which, among other things, borrows a lot from the Macross Zero OAV. I haven’t had chance to re-watch and blog that yet but for all its pretty-shinyness that was an underwhelming offering in terms of characterisation and, well, everything apart from the pretty-shinyness. Frontier delivers on at least some of the visuals; in terms of content though it wins hands-down over its high-budget predecessor. My expectations were high given its Anniversary status but now I can look enthusiastically upon Frontier as a worthy addition to the franchise I know and love.

[9 Comments]

[First Impressions and Retrospectives]

Spring 2008 first impressions #2: Golgo 13, Macross Frontier, Soul Eater

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Golgo 13, Macross, Soul Eater]

Yes, I know I haven’t posted my thoughts on Kaiba yet, nor have I watched Kanokon (before you ask: in regards to the former, I’m waiting for ep #2 to be subbed. In regards to the latter, “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” still applies so I’ll watch the first two before allowing myself to rip it to shreds). In accordance with Peter S’s recommendationn I’ll try out Kamen no Maid Guy purely for giggles. Because wake-up call + hosepipes + cleavage == lulz. Maybe. At any rate, my schedule is filling up fast but my .mkv playback issues appear to be resolved. Huzzah. Onwards then, with Golgo 13, Soul Eater and Macross Frontier in glorious 1280×720 widescreen. *_*

[7 Comments]

[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Macross: Do You Remember Love?

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Macross, Strictly Old-School]

It pains me to admit that I still haven’t seen the original SDF Macross series - put it down to a combination of waiting on an announcement from ADV for a R2 release and lament@backlog. Robotech doesn’t really count as an experience of the series itself either since certain names had been changed, some concepts altered and others shoehorned into the script to make the transition to the two subsequent arcs smoother. As a result my experience of the Macross universe is limited to that indirect encounter, the Plus movie and OAV (masterpiece), Zero (pretty-shiny but lacking in plot and characterisation) and Frontier (a good start but we’ll have to wait until Spring to see how it pans out). Mindful that the original Macross is ‘teh oldz’, I sat down to watch Do You Remember Love? with the anticipation of seeing a somewhat cheesy old-school but classic anime movie. I wasn’t disappointed.

A magical moment between Ichijyo and Minmay

[5 Comments]

[First Impressions and Retrospectives]

Macross Frontier 1: First Impressions

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Macross]

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?

[9 Comments]

[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Macross Plus

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Macross, Strictly Old-School]

“And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky/a human being that was given to fly…”

Top ten lists and ‘recommend me an anime title’ are questions that I stumble on quite a bit when discussing anime in general. My own top ten list changes and, depending on the circumstances, so do my recommendations but the brilliant slab of sci-fi that is Macross Plus is invariably one of them, even now.

[3 Comments]

[Music]

Macross Plus OST II

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Macross, Yoko Kanno]

The second half of the Macross Plus soundtrack is much more varied in style than the first, although inevitably this means that it is less consistent in quality. At least, unlike its predecessor, this CD is still available outside of Japan without going to too much trouble with importing.

Idol Talk is an impressive way to open the album, being lifted straight from that legendary Sharon Apple concert scene. Imagine early Madonna fast-forwarded fifty years and you’d be halfway to imagining what a superlative piece of J-pop this song is: an insistent synthesised drumbeat mixes with electronic samples and Akino Arai’s sweet, seductive vocal delivery that really sounds like the future of music.

[1 Comment]

[Music]

Macross Plus OST 1

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Macross, Yoko Kanno]

One of the most memorable aspects of Macross Plus is the music: a heady mixture of the orchestral, electronic and ambient. This is the first in what I hope will be a series of editorials drawing attention to the songwriter who created it: Yoko Kanno.

Although her scores for Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell: Stand-alone Complex are the most well-known Macross Plus has always had a special place in my appreciation of anime soundtracks since it was the first work of hers that I’d heard. Coincidentally, it was the first anime soundtrack she’d written - quite an amazing fact when you’ve given it a listen.

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