Macross Frontier 01: Come for the loli stay for the mecha

This one’s for you Impz.

I admit here and now that I am one of those unwashed Americans whose only exposure to Macross was in the form of Robotech as a kid. I have many fond memories of it but after doing a bit of research I was aghast at how much I would have to hunt for all the episodes I missed over the last 20 some odd years. Suffice to say even if this series gets snubbed by the high minded blue bloods who have watched every single Macross series with gusto, this poor plebian is only now beginning his pilgrimage into worshiping Valkyries…

Powell has two Ls! Nevertheless reminds me of home.

I think the blokes in the Macross Frontier team had a better grasp about how to build colonies unlike the heathens in Gundam with their undefended rotary colonies and lack of FTL travel. In Macross every colony fleet is self sufficient complete with own military to take on any threat the colony might encounter. Unlike Gundams, Valkyries are the epitome of a mass produced weapon. Useful all round, yet not invincible as Gundams often become. Good to see that AWACs is important in the Macross Universe in the form of the VF-17 Nightmare. I like how they can mod the same airframe for different roles. Unlike Gundam 00, Macross Frontier has an almost future feel to it with the inclusion of unmanned fighting units and a PA system that works for evacuation orders. Having janitor bots that don’t look like human maids is a nice plus for functionality. They even invested in a sweet ejection system to save pilots. How’s that for treating your no name peons right? My only complaint is that the Engrish was unholy. I just wish they could simply cut copy and paste the lines from the Super Star Destroyer Executor’s control tower, “Shuttle Tydirium what is your cargo and destination?” would have been awesome compared to “reply to me.”

Shizuru Viola?

The dogfights were all round grand with CG being used properly for combat instead of stairs or ugly dragons. The Asteroid fight was spectacular and brought back memories of Han Solo’s 3,720 to 1 chance of successfully navigating an asteroid field. Once this series gets going I would like to see the new successor to the Minmay Defense. It will be interesting to see if the VF-25 gets mass produced quickly or if the humans come up with new and novel tactics to over come their current military inferiority to the biofighters they encountered. It was also good to see the Frontier Fleet using defense in depth and combined arms instead of using fighters to pwn all. Though I am unsure how I should feel about Civilian Military Providers, if they don’t get paid they are militia who stand for freedom (freedom being free and dumb), other wise they are mercenaries.

Now that is a robot that every one can use.

As for the main hero Alto, I like the bastard. Alto is not nearly as emo or uncertain as a Gundam meister or Coordinator Pilot, and much more likeable. Since the bloke looks two levels on the side of girly like other bishie pilots it’s nice to see that his comrades in the flight team have also noticed and rib him for it. Even if Alto disappoints it’s still fun to refer to him as Alto Hime. Though I hope he realizes that 2000 ft. is only short when flying not falling. Still Alto has a good reason for taking that VF-25 after its pilot met one messy end because saving green haired lolis is always a just cause according to Impz’s Manifesto. Ranka is a nice name hopefully she will be as much fun as Ranka-san from Ouran. Besides I like her cell phone, it’s very unique and looks nigh unbreakable. They even put in some subtle hints to explain why Alto was able to pilot the VF-25 because after all his flight unit was the same one the military uses, unlike the sort of get in and go in Gundam…

Sweet, yes?

Not sure if anyone else was getting some Shizuru vibes from Sheryl, but that might be because of the hair. Nevertheless I like the music and it’s not Macross without an idol. Hopefully the songs won’t be overused even if the concert was great. If nothing else I like that colony, as a San Francisco native I like seeing street cars and the Golden Gate Bridge. Now if they add Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, and Lombard St. they can do no wrong in my book.

I think that the red string makes him look girly.

I am very much saddened that this isn’t coming out until spring, and I do hope that the subs will be done in a timely manner as befits this august franchise. I encourage those of you who haven’t to watch this episode if only to simply bask in the CG glory. Sadly as it seems that this is going to go head to head against a bevy of heavy hitters that it might not get the attention that it deserves, unlike say Code Geass S2. Even if there is no outpouring of support, this collection of human malice will sing praise for Macross Frontier until the very end.

Now that is a school!