Mein gott that’s Alto-hime at 14?
Then Kawamori was like this.
Achkt! My fist final went pretty badly God damn those “come up with your own experiment questions.” I wish I was a fucking genius like Impz… Yeah so my brain is pretty much paste right now. My only consolation is that I am doing infinitely better in English. Times like these make me wish the pace of science was slow, well soon it will all be over then I will have work and then a small vacation and then more school to reinforce my feelings of academic impotence in everything science. Until then I have Macross Frontier, to cheer me up before I have to take two finals back to back on Monday… I hope the fucker who decided that having finals with a single dead day right after the last day of instruction dies a horrible death along with all of his/her family. So yeah nothing like a lot of kissing to make a bad day seem not so bad. Besides I bet the boys who went through D-Day plus one had it worse than me.
Don’t worry you fooled the seven color carrot people you can fool any one.
And pretty…wait what the…
Do or do not, there is no try.
You better believe it, ask him for more advice…
I guess this qualifies as escapism as my spirits were lifted a bit as time went on. Ranka gets a bit part and asks Alto-hime for some advice. Kabuki-hime is adamant at first and decidedly reluctant but comes around in the end with a few words of encouragement for Ranka. Sheryl however is breating her stunt double and forces him bat to the set, Ranka over hears this and gets a bit depressed. Once on the set however the so called “winner” of Miss Macross has the gall to tell Ranka not to ruin her movie. Once Sheryl shows up though, the bitch is swiftly put back into her place by Sheryl who completely ignores her. Ranka gets a little encouragement from Sheryl as Alto-hime recognizes one of his greatest fans and tires to evade their gaze.
Sadly while Sheryl is often the center of attention it was not so this day as Alto-hime was indeed recognized and begged by the director, who is Kawamori in disguise, to be in his production. Apparently Alto-hime was quite famous for his role as Sakura-hime in Sakura-hime axuma Bunsho and there seem to be no shortage of fans. Even the bridge crew who has accepted Cathy as sister and comrade were delving into Alto-hime’s illustrious career as an oyama (male actor who takes women’s roles in kabuki). Suffice to say Mina thought it was a waste for Alto-hime to quit acting, and along with the rest she joined the Ai Ai Alto-hime along with Kawamori. I guess the blood of Mako-cakes doth run strong in Alto-hime even Monica went from oyaji to oyama in record time. I guess Captain Wilder will have to look to some one else as they all seem to be a bit besotted with Kabuki-hime.
Listen to your Mumby Ranka.
Sure you are…
Sheryl did not approve of dumb girl with fake tan standing in the way.
Sup.
The way they tied in and edited out the more controversial aspects of the UN’s involvement in the movie was a nice touch. Given that Macross Zero was their baby I think their movie about a movie went off pretty well. Though I have to say the real Shin and Sara were better than their so called main actors. I am a bit torn between Ranka and Mao though it’s more like comparing apples and oranges since they both have their own unique charms. I think the substituting of Aimo ~ Tori no Hito as the last song was the right choice and having raided my buddy for his OST I can say that this song has earned a place in what was once my heart. Thus Kawamori was most wise to cast Ranka as Mao and use her song as the main theme.
The most gut wrenching part was the fight with the hydra. It was awefully done and was thankfully rather short. Nevertheless Brera and Alto-hime have now met face to face for the first time and there was not much hostility. Brera is clearly a troubled young man who is now a cyborg in service to the machinations of the Galaxy agents that have infiltrated onto Frontier. He wants to reclaim his old life and his independent defense of Ranka indicates that he cares for her in some manner. Now that it has been established that Ranka is the driving force of his new existence I doubt he will be slaying people from SMS or be an antagonist for much longer. Leon seems to be dealing with the boys and girls from Macross Galaxy in a manner that is reminiscent of the kind of operations between intelligence services that are not necessarily hostile, but not friendly either. Both Galaxy and Frontier are hesitant to throw in their lot with the other in regards to the Vajra threat. I suppose the Galaxy disappearing might merely be the result of them not wanting Frontier troops near them after being weakened by a Vajra attack. Whatever the case it seems that the destruction of the Vajra is the ultimate goal for Macross Galaxy while capture and perhaps harnessing the Vajra seems to be Leon’s objective.
I can see why she’s he’s an oyama, Alto-hime can’t play cool guys…
Random encounter.
My, my Alto-hime’s admirers are more numerous than we thought…
Aye, tis why ye refer to thy beloved as Alto-hime.
So in regards to the most important part that is on par with the glorious battle dogfights, a gigaton of shipping fodder this time around for both Ranka and Sheryl. While Ranka is a bit depressed about not knowing or being told about Alto-hime’s past was a bit of a let down for her, I think her sadness is sorely misplaced. One Ozma is about the most uncultured fellow out there and seems to have an aversion to popular entertainment in favor of oldies from Fire Bomber. I doubt Ranka was ever taken to a showing of Sakura-hime no Bunsho so her ignorance of Alto-hime’s most memorable role to date is not something to be sad about. Alto-hime basically refused to be an oyama after falling out with his dad and understandably does not wish to tell the tale of how he was a legendary oyama. More over it seems that Sheryl and Luca dug up the information on their own. Mikhail seems to have seen Alto-hime in full kabuki garb and has never let Pilot-hime forget it. Given that it is often assumed that the Saotome name was of such distinguished lineage Ranka being younger and kept ignorant by Ozma should not feel sad about not knowing. Rather she should press her luck and get as many acting lessons and tips from the legendary oyama.
Ho ho really, now? Most popular love scene eh?
Cathy has been a fan for many years.
Mina, Mina, tsk tsk it’s not a waste…
It’s an opportunity… (Ain’t female bonding grand?) XD
The brother-sister dynamic yet lingers over Ranka’s growing feelings for Alto-hime, and praising him as her one and only savior is not going to turn out well since Brera, quite possibly her long lost brother, is still not remembered or thought of. I can only guess at what transpired during their first meeting in years, but it seems that Ranka has a memory block on him. While Alto-hime was distressed about kissing a stranger, he eventually regained his composure until the very real possibility of taking Ranka’s first kiss crossed his mind. I don’t think it was so much that he was unwilling, but rather reluctant and fearful of Ozma as he would be taking something very special away from Ranka. Still that kiss was anything but staged and it was most glorious to see Ranka tenderly caress her beloved Alto-hime. While Ranka seemed a bit embarrassed Nanase looked like she was burning with fangirl passion at seeing Ranka and Alto-hime kissing. I assume most people in the Ranka can agree on this point as it has turned them into a babbling and incoherent lot.
Bobby thinks so too.
…
Would look most yuri, indeed.
I see that Alto-hime is still intimidated by Sheryl’s tuna buns…
Even Bobby recognized how Ranka was distressed about kissing Alto-hime because she looked up to Sheryl who has been a great source of encouragement and inspiration. She knows that Sheryl is quite serious about Alto-hime, and it was only after she saw them kiss that she accepted her feelings of love wholly and unconditionally. For Ranka the die has been cast, there is no turning back. I thought it was fitting and grand that Ranka’s legend beginning during her standing ovations mirrors that of her voice actor, Megumi Nakajima. It was sort of a nod to what I assume was Kawamori’s inspired decision to cast the new comer as a pivotal character in the series. When Kawamori took Ranka’s hand and declared the beginning of her legend I felt a sense of triumph as well for Ranka over the intrigues of Leon.
Tastes like chicken.
Cause you ain’t dreaming Ranka…
You’re not dreaming either Alto-hime…
Oh Yeah…Ozma is going to kill you. Brera-nii is next in line.
Sheryl has made many bold maneuvers in getting closer to Alto-hime even having him be her stunt double and dragging him along where ever she goes. While Sheryl did land the first kiss it also showed how she was still a bit unsure and hesitant about getting involved with Alto-hime and risking her heart. Kabuki-hime knew it was real on some level but rather than risking her shoujo kokoro Sheryl played it off as a prank while she was visibly embarrassed and somewhat flustered as well. It also shows a critical weakness in the SherylxAlto-hime ship in that Sheryl has undoubtedly set her eyes on him, but she avoided the possibility of a more serious relationship. If she makes a habit of it, then no matter how many kisses they share Alto-hime will never really know how serious she is about him. Nevertheless there was much rejoicing. While Ranka has a hard fight ahead of her balancing her new found fame, and her love for Alto-hime. Sheryl has to shed her own fear and risk her heart if she wants to get through to Alto-hime how much she really fancies him. I am not sure if Shirukii is right regarding the kiss as being a test for Ranka as well. Even if it was Sheryl pretty much pre-empted Ranka by kissing Alto-hime on the lips before Ranka did. Perhaps it was his first as well.
On the support character front it seems that the Monica, Ram, Mina, and Cathy have come together in a stronger friendship with Cathy actually being an onee-sama to her younger comrades. I hope this sisterhood will only grow as the series progresses. Good to see that while they aver very much fans of Alto-hime and members of Ai Ai Alto-hime they are not eagerly throwing themselves at him, but rather they remain admirers of his skills as an oyama and his girlishly good looks. Speaking of Alto-hime and his oyama past I think that he will be reprising his role as Sakura-hime at least once more given the prominence of Oyama-hime in the OP.
There you see him
Sitting there across the way
He don’t got a lot to say
But there’s something about him
And you don’t know why
But you’re dying to try
You wanna kiss hime
Yes, you want him
Look at hime, you know you do
It’s possible he wants you, too
There is one way to ask him
It don’t take a word
Not a single word
Go on and kiss hime
Sing with me now
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
My, oh, my
Look at the girl’s not too shy
She gonna kiss hime
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Ain’t ye glad
It’s no shame, it’s not too bad
She gonna Kiss hime
Now’s your moment
Floating in a blue lagoon
Girl, you better do it soon
No time will be better
He don’t say a word
And he won’t say a word
Until you kiss hime
Bobby seems to have grown from mere homo homo side character to something much more. Bobby has taken the role of surrogate mother to Ranka giving her advice doing her make up and the like. It’s kind of sweet how he’s offering Ranka a shoulder to cry on in her bid to win Alto-hime’s affections. I never expected a lot from him other than alternating between his GARby persona, but I like how they made more use of him. I also like how he really isn’t playing favorites between Ranka and Sheryl given how he help do her make up as well. I think that while Bobby wants to encourage Ranka he is not so keen on forcing Alto-hime to comply. Rather Bobby seems to prefer this love play out on its own without and overt outside influences, besides Bobby could never move against Alto-hime, given that he got his Ai Ai Alto-hime club card rather early. I am sure Bobby wants to see Alto-hime do at least one more play, that way Bobby can work his make up magic on hime once more. Also Mikhail seemed to want to see Alto-hime take a role too. Not sure how Ranka is related to Dr. Mao Nome, but I suspect that Ranka might be a granddaughter. Good to know that Mao moved on after Earth got glassed.
There you see her
Sitting there across the way
She don’t got a lot to say
But there’s something about her
And you don’t know why
But you’re dying to try
You wanna kiss the girl
Yes, you want her
Look at her, you know you do
It’s possible she wants you, too
There is one way to ask her
It don’t take a word
Not a single word
Go on and kiss the girl
Sing with me now
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
My, oh, my
Look at the boy too shy
He ain’t gonna kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Ain’t that sad
Ain’t it shame, too bad
You gonna miss the girl
Now’s your moment
Floating in a blue lagoon
Boy, you better do it soon
No time will be better
She don’t say a word
And she won’t say a word
Until you kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don’t be scared
You got the mood prepared
Go on and kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don’t stop now
Don’t try to hide it how
You wanna kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Float along
Listen to the song
The song say kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Music play
Do what the music say
You wanna kiss the girl
You’ve got to kiss the girl
Why don’t you kiss the girl
You gotta kiss the girl
Go on and kiss the girl
Director man Kawamori was also a delight to see as he was sort of hinted at in the previous ep as the bearded fellow who got one of Ranka’s tissues. Good to see that Kawamori doesn’t seem to take this series too seriously. I think that his alter-ego on Frontier was a way of patting his team on the back for making Alto-hime to look so girly. We know that the production team was inspired by San Francisco when they created the designs for Island 1, so I cannot help but wonder if they plan on show casing the inspiration for creating Alto-hime, I do hope they do a final rendition of Sakura-hime azuma Bunsho, with Alto-hime reprising his role of course.
There you see him
Sitting there across the way
He don’t got a lot to say
But there’s something about him
And you don’t know why
But you’re dying to try
You wanna kiss hime
Yes, you want him
Look at him, you know you do
It’s possible he wants you, too
There is one way to ask him
It don’t take a word
Not a single word
Go on and kiss hime
Sing with me now
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
My, oh, my
Look at the Ranka too shy
She ain’t gonna kiss hime
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Ain’t that sad
Ain’t it shame, too bad
You gonna miss hime
Now’s your moment
Floating in a blue lagoon
Girl, you better do it soon
No time will be better
He don’t say a word
And he won’t say a word
Until you kiss hime
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don’t be scared
You got the mood prepared
Go on and kiss hime
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don’t stop now
Don’t try to hide it how
You wanna kiss hime
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Float along
Listen to the song
The song say kiss hime
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Music play
Do what the music say
You wanna kiss hime
You’ve got to kiss hime
Why don’t you kiss hime
You gotta kiss hime
Go on and kiss hime
No new eps until June 19, so Alto-hime’s birthday adventure will have to be put on hold for a while. I do however hope that they use this time to make it look more glorious and I dearly hope that the outsourced artists practice their trade a bit more until next time we get Seven Colored Carrots. Still I hope to throw up some shipping fodder and relentless fangirling/fanboying character analyses in the mean time.
Nanase thinks it’s deculture!
Ranka Ranka Ranka!
So it begins…
Alto-hime is happy too.
Ho ho goth-loli? Stripey will pick this up just to see…
Yes, you want her
Look at her, you know you do
It’s possible she wants you, too
There is one way to ask her
It don’t take a word
Not a single word
Go on and kiss the girl
Mein gott…that looks like loli! Chibi Alto-hime kawaiiiiiiiiiiiii desu! XD
24 Comments
ARGH! You just had to have that “insert song” in your post. Now that song will be stuck in my head for a while.
I never will be able to forget that song, will I?
I think that it would be more that Mao escaped the glassing of Eaeth, either on a really remote spot, in space, or in a UN Spacy facility somewhere. And chibi-Alto looks a lot like a girl, doesn’t he? No wonder he’s nor interested in a romantic relationship at the moment, being raised as a girl and all, so he just doesn’t see them as viable targets…
@zqube
Sebastian owns your SOUL!
It was a good song.
@Haesslich
I am beginning to wonder about how Alto-hime was raised, if it is as you say that he was raised as a girl for a while then it would make sense why women seem to not only tolerate his presence, but also why they seem to get along with him better. Alto-hime has like two guy friends and like the entire female work force of SMS. Then there is Bobby… All this and we have not even gotten to Sheryl, Nanase, and Ranka. Suffice to say the ballad of Alto-hime should be interesting and oozing with cuteness. I still wonder where Kawamori and his crew came up with Alto-hime.
I wonder what specialty Dr. Mao Nome chose once Shin and Sara left to parts unknown.
I totally agree with your take on the episode, especially that idiotic fight with the Hydra. That thing was like some cheap Red XIII imitation, with those attack moves of it. I mean to do a flip in mid air and then attack with his claws? Yeah that’s what an animal usually does. And how did it manage to disarm Alto in the first place? What prevented it from loading it full of lead in close range when it charged him? I guess Brera is even more bionic than that guy from Gundam 00, Lichty or whatever he was called.
Oh lol, I was close to shooting you because you had so much of SherylxAlto images
Huh.
And you want me to watch this? *blinks*
For one, it seems that every single episode Sheryl’s outfits leave less and less to the imagination. Two, the hydra fight made my stomach churn. Brera’s appearance was indeed welcome, but I was still recovering and therefore was unable to feel excited at all.
Anyhow, yay for Ranka. She finally looks determined.
Sheryl runs away right after the kiss in episode five. So it’s a slight improvement that she’s able to hold Alto’s gaze for a bit before running away this time around. Especially when he has such a pokerface.
I’m not so sure about Shirukii’s theory, since it seems rather remarkable for Sheryl to be able to time the kiss to happen just as Ranka turns. My guess is that the chain of events started when Sheryl saw that Alto was uncomfortable doing a kiss, even before Ranka was assigned the part. Knowing Sheryl’s impulsiveness, he was pretty much asking for it.
I got the impression that Sheryl was somehow a chip to be traded in Leon’s pile, from the way the earring shard was tossed to him during the meeting. That looks a bit ominous.
@bearzerger
Yeah in the Macross Universe they have more intelligent use of bionic commandos.
@blissmo
It’s not my fault that there was a lot more rabu rabu Sheyl than rabu rabu Ranka. Besides this only the beginning.
@Briar
Aww come on now the Alto-hime at least don’t need to be freaking rescued every two minutes… All I am saying is to just give it a chance…
@Myu
Alto-hime did calle Sheryl and exhibitionist…
Brera might actually turn out to be an interesting fellow.
@Swampstorm
A minor improvement on the SherylxAlto-hime front, though as I said Sheryl better be ready to commit her heart to winning her hime.
Perhaps it was not planned but it did do the trick. I think that Sheryl’s earring stone has some special properties that Leon might be privy to or he may have more of… we shall see in good time.
While I wasn’t so sure of the whole timing of the kiss matching up so perfectly, I stand by my overall argument that Sheryl is trying to push Ranka onto center stage so she can duke it out with her on a level playing field.
Oh God @ Chibi Alto next ep, broken beyond repair!
I suppose you’re right; the kiss did seem a bit anti-climactic. But the last time had Innocent Green playing in the background and a sunset to boot. So in many ways this felt like more of just a follow through on last time than a step forward.
The next step I suppose is to see who can get Alto to open up about his past. But Ranka has the edge here; Sheryl can be a bit unpredictable in how she responds to (and makes use of) such information.
@Shirukii: I think I agreed with almost everything else.
@Shirukii
I am not sure Sheryl wants to have some one to fight, but rather she wants to give another aspiring singer the encouragement that she may never have gotten. While I think that Sheryl is aware of Ranka being competition, the galaxy is a big place and there is room for more than one songstress. I am sure that Sheryl is starting to tired a bit of her idol lifestyle, hence why hanging around Alto-hime is something she looks forward to. I think Sheryl is not training a competitor but rather a successor. Besides Sheryl has been in the industry for a while so she must know tht there is much more to be made as a producer.
Chibi Alto-hime is going to fun to watch.
@Swampstorm
Sheryl already having been a star would probably be a more sympathetic ear as Ranka is just starting to embark on her career. Alto-hime after all has already has had his share of fame and glory on stage.
“My, oh, my
Look at the Ranka too shy
She ain’t gonna kiss hime”
You’re crazy, Crusader. I can’t stop laughing at your post. This episode is epic win. This explains the lack of Ranka and Alto interactions last episode. I like how the director always have someone interpreting his every actions. Too bad no episode next week.
I was kinda confused as to why Sheryl was at the shoot. They used her theme song, but she didn’t have an acting part. Still, Ranka did a pretty good job this episode, and I was impressed at her somersault off the tree (considering how clumsy she was in previous episodes).
And when is this damn Luca x Nanase connection going to go anywhere? We have gotten like ZERO development on that front!
@Ricaryx
I am not crazy, I just refuse to grow up.
Kawamori makes use of his assistant directors, always…
@Kabitzin
I thought Sheryl was Roy’s Dr. pal…I could be wrong though, still she mishgt have brought Alto-hime along because she owed Kawamori a favor, namely to finally meet Sakura-hime in person. Ranka’s legend has begun, it shall continue in two weeks.
Once Mikhail is silenced I am sure Luca will swoop in once any unwanted interference is negated. Luca is a smart man, he dares not make a move until Mikhail the womanizer if firmly in Klein-sama’s clutches. Nanase still seems vulnerable to Mikhail. Luca is a patient fellow, for he knows Nanase is worth it… For a besotted Shouta his does after all have good taste.
You are a genius….
nice, big screencaps, btw. – I wish all of the bloggers on this site are as (excuse me for saying this) aesthetic-and-diction-conscious.
All this talk about Sheryl planning out her kiss with Alto-hime thoroughly and trying to help/beat Ranka seems way too complicated. To me, Sheryl just seems like a completely spontaneous and bored idol, who has found a
girlguy that she likes. She might be aware of Ranka’s feelings and doubts and whatnot, but I don’t think her being supportive has anything to do with this romance triangle thing. Ranka hasn’t exactly been competitive and Alto-hime is as oblivious as the Kabuki-hime that he is.In any case, I still think the somewhat serious part of the plot needs to pick up the pace. We now have the fact that not only Vajra but also supposedly normal creatures as the hydra get agitated upon hearing Ranka sing. Then there’s Brera with his yet unexplained interest in Ranka’s well-being and Leon plotting something.. This is episode 10, things need to get a move on.
In other news, now that I’ve gotten my hands on the OST, I can’t stop listening to Aimo and /~Tori no Hito. Dang.
@sara
I am no genius, I just love this series. Enthusiasm, comrade, can produce interesting results. Also the OST has been playing nearly non-stop!
@Myu
I think Sheryl is training a successor, but is keen on keeping Alto-hime. Sheryl has been in for a while now even she knows the inevitability of her star fading when a newer brighter star emerges. Keeping Alto-hime around ensures that once things settle down she has a hime to spend her new free time with.
The plot in Macross has never been on the heavy side, so just enjoy the budding romance in the mean time.
Also the OST rocks!
I fell in love with Ranka more than ever before after watching this episode ;_;
Though thanks to you I have Kiss The Girl playing in my head instead of Aimo.
щ(ﾟДﾟщ)
Watching Alto blushing, going “Ki-ki-kissu?” made me go all XDDD Why is he so moe?
Heck no, that’s not a scenario I would like. Ranka deserves both the fame and the princess. Then again, things most often don’t go the way I want them to. (Noe..! :’/)
From what I’ve seen so far, Sheryl and Ranka’s talents are complementary. You see Ranka spontaneously singing off on the hillsides just because she feels like it, and you have Sheryl jotting down lyrics whenever the mood takes her, and even going out of her way to offer to compose a song for the M0 movie. So the collaboration idea is pretty smart: Ranka can sing, and Sheryl can arrange songs for her.
Still, based on dates listed in the OST, Sheryl had her first big hits when she was 15, and two years is a fairly short time for a singing career. So she could still keep singing for a good amount of time, especially if she had an interest of breaking out of idol pop and into a more mature style. Assuming that her personal interests don’t take over, that is.
Oh, and I recently came across an image that showed Alto to be the spitting image of Sara, when garbed appropriately. Now that is a rendition of M0 that I would like to see.
@Shin
I recommend listening to Aimo over 9000 times to get it into your head.
Ranka is staking her first steps but her journey is far from over.
As to why Alto-hime is so moe well that gives me an idea for a post…
@Myu
Sheryl has to get something worthwhile out of it so I doubt that Ranka is going to get everything she ever wanted in one fell swoop… Ranka will have to make hard decisions herself as the onus is not always on Alto-hime alone. We shall see who will gain the fancy of Alto-hime in good time.
@Swampstorm
It’s interesting how Ranka right now has only one song of her own while Sheryl seems to crank them out at a moment’s notice. Ranka still has much to learn from Sheryl before she can exceed even Sheryl’s greatest feats.
Alto-hime could have pulled it off, and I suspect that is what Kawamori wanted from Kabuki-hime when he begged him to join the cast.
I loved the Macross Zero references. AIMO went great with the ending.
I am happy that Mao survived Space War I
I wonder if Ozma will fly drunk since hes always at the bar. I hope he doesnt eat pinaple salads.
Were is Grace??? anyway I for a second tought Grace was working for the bad guys but turns out its a guy with girly voice who wants Sherlys other ring lol
What an ugly face showed Ranka in this episode,to be honest this was the episode that made me clearly say that “I can’t stand her”.
Anyway,now though people keep calling Alto as Hime,both in the anime and in forums,I must say that I don’t see him as a girl,he seems clearly to be a guy unlike some trap characters…this guy is no trap and even dressed as a woman :1.he had 14 years(my bro sort of looked as a girl at that age),2.he still seemed to have something from a guy or a mature woman.
One Trackback
[...] with joy, never mind that itazura na kiss Sheryl gave him earlier, though I cannot unsee the Little Mermaid reference now, thanks to someone. Another point for the Ranka camp, now that she’s being taken notice [...]