(Yes,that title is an 08th MS Team reference) This episode is all about the character development, with only a few scenes devoted to the continuing duel between Roy Focker and his old instructor, but given the short span of this series it was definitely a good choice to resolve/reveal these things now or else they might not have been at all. The Celestial Being forces led by Cheap Knockoff Selvaria have captured Shin, Sara, and Aries and are holding them in a large area of ruins while the Anti-UN ace decides to take out past traumas on Shin, beating him while he’s tied up because her family was tortured and sister raped during the war. She even shows him a scar in the center of her chest from that time, but Shin gladly has no visible sympathy for such a psychopath, her past sufferings not excusing present cruelty. A moment after Aries is brought in a helicopter lands with Professor Hasford onboard, who is apparently working for the enemy now. But just as he’s dredging up bad memories of tricking Sara into giving a blood sample Roy crash lands his damaged Vf-0 into the enemy Octo while the Birdman’s head artifact flies through the area and gives Sara and Shin a way out. Both couples end up separated on the island, while their foes start hunting them down.
Roy’s duel continues, though it’s only a small part of this episode. Distracted by the Birdman artifact and Sara’s singing activating the ruins, he takes a direct hit to his starboard engine.
Has a very Mr. Kurtz thing going on. Hope he dies gasping on the floor too. The horror. The horror…
Interesting that the Birdman was instructed by the Protoculture to destroy the island.
Bet this scum holds out candy from the open door of his van too.
The Anti-UN forces fly MiG-29′s, Mi-8′s, and now are using Kalashnikov small arms, proving that not only are they villains and enemies of mankind, but dirty Communists too. And we know what Liberty Prime says about Communists.
Useful, but very WTF.
Macross Zero is all about crashing your disabled Valkyrie into enemy mecha.
The remaining enemy infantry attempt to shoot down Sara and Shin, and while it appears to work, the two fall off and are then enveloped in some sort of light. Shin wakes up in a cave somewhere on the island where Sara is caring for him. As soon as he wakes she starts trying to leave him behind, still very distraught over the reminder of what she sees as her ‘sin’ of providing a blood sample when she was a child. But Shin follows after her and the two start to talk after finding a crashed Valkyrie with no survivors. Sara is blaming herself and thinks that her one mistake as a child has brought destruction upon the island, so Shin interjects with more humorous tales of mischief when he was young to try and get her mind off of it. He remembers and is about to recount that he has spilled blood himself in combat, but when he seems reluctant to start Sara tells him that it’s okay not to. Elsewhere on the island Roy and Aries are on the move as well, trying to avoid enemy patrols and find a way back to friendly forces. This couple starts talking about their past and how they never had the relationship that they could have. Roy was focused on flying, Aries on paleontology and archaeology, and this eventually led to their parting. Roy was inspired by a fossil of a dinosaur with feathers that he helped Aries dig up, thinking to himself that even dinosaurs wanted to fly, but even though the two shared times such as this, in the end they felt the pull of their respective passions and Aries left for Oxford to work with Professor Hasford. In the middle of this Aries steps on a landmine and Roy manages to prevent it from detonating, demonstrating true Roy Focker style by using the disarmed mine as a pretext to keep Aries still so he can move in for a kiss.
Guilt is bringing out Sara’s tsun-side, though in truth what happened wasn’t her fault.
Both characters open up more to each other, now that being temporarily more removed from the larger issues of the war and the Protoculture has given them a moment to actually talk.
Ah, I figured that they had something like this in their shared past.
Not sure how this mine got to the island, it doesn’t look very old. Perhaps a perimeter defense placed around a camp for one side or the other.
Smooth Focker Cool.
Things seem to be progressing so nicely for them, I have to think that some unkind fate is in store for Aries since he ended up with Claudia not too far in the future from this point.
Late that night Shin and Sara are still talking with each other, Sara recounting more of her childhood when her father taught her about the history of the islands in their area. Apparently they used to speak different languages on each island, but then outsiders came and introduced a common language. While Sara initially despairs over his change, Shin rightly points out that without a common language the two of them would never have been able to talk or get to know each other. This conversation shows a lot more back and forth discussion about the merits and disadvantages of modernization and monoculture, which is happily more balanced than the previous vibes I was getting from this series. Sara criticizes the importance of convenience for Shin, while he replies that she seems like someone with a dream and that the cities are the places where one can achieve their dreams. And while Sara laments that the islanders who left now refer to their new residences in the outside world as ‘home’, Shin points out that she seems to be forcing herself a bit to believe in the superiority of living on the isolated island. It seems like a much more practical and down to Earth discussion about this theme, and the seeming superiority of human life of cities is nicely counterbalanced by a long montage of the natural beauties of the island without beating one over the head with it. Sara begins singing amid the sounds of the jungle at night, and Shin joins in as well this time. When she asks him if he’s singing for the people on the island, he replies that he’s singing for her, the one person whose heart has been wounded but no one has tried to heal yet. She’s so touched that she starts crying, and really that piece of dialogue is quite touching and DAAAWWW/kyaa-worthy. Just as the sun rises Shin kisses her, and despite the somewhat cheesy visual look of that moment, it’s still rather sweet. Unfortunately for everyone on the island, the Anti-UN forces have called in some randomly targeted Fuel Air Explosive (FAE) bombings of the island to try and either kill or draw out their quarry.
Speak it, Shin! I make no attempt at objectivity here.
Just don’t go to Ontario unless you dig a really, really deep fallout shelter.
The artifact onboard the Asuka begins to react to everything going on. Mao is also aboard, having very little screen time but being revived this episode after her operation. I’m guessing that she will be more significant in the next episode.
I wasn’t sure cicadas lived on the small islands in the Pacific, but apparently they do. Doubtful about the bioluminescent ones though.
Hey, I thought the idea was to make nature seem beautiful, not TERRIFYING.
Very cool shot, I love the nighttime colors of the stars and fireflies.
Despite the short length of the series and lack of much relationship development prior to this episode, ‘the moment’ definitely felt natural and ridiculously cute.
However they paired the kiss with some rather cheesy art. Well, you can’t get it right every time.
FAE away! Not really sure what indiscriminate bombing will achieve, but these are the people fighting against the UN so naturally they’re not the smartest bunch.
Final Thoughts: – While less exciting than past episodes, this one was very well done on the character development front and the series definitely needed some time to work this angle out. Both couples’ time in the jungle was well done, and the way that Shin and Sara opened up to each other and dropped some of their pretenses about the war and the island’s traditions, respectively, was especially nice. While it seemed like the writers obviously intended Sara and Shin to be a couple, there wasn’t much of a foundation for the relationship before now. Definitely a superb example of how to develop a character relationship quickly without it feeling rushed.
- Definitely a lot more balance on the nature vs modernity theme this time. I came down pretty hard on the way nature was seemingly idealized and modernity villified in previous episodes, but this time it felt a lot more real. Sara definitely believes in some of the virtues of her island’s lifestyle, but she also seemed to admit and acknowledge both the way that that society and her past has kind of forced her to be an exemplar of those ways, and the potential good of modern culture. Like most things in life, what people can and want to live with usually comes down to a middle ground between two arguments and I felt that this episode expressed that well in the conversations between Shin and Sara.
- Mao had very little screentime, but it will be interesting to see how she fits into the events of the final episode. Perhaps she has a stronger link to the Protoculture artifacts now that she’s had the blood transfusion. And will she attempt to go after Shin again or leave him to Sara?
- As an aside, despite my initial intent to watch Macross 7 after Zero and Plus, I’ve been feeling an itch only mecha can scratch and have started watching it now. Once I get to episode 20 I’ll make a status report post, since I’m not going to blog the entirety of the series. But in short, right now: HAET Basara (he makes Kaifun seem tolerable), tired of being beat over the head with cheesy 80′s metal, however Mylene is getting it right, Gamlin is a bit uptight but is otherwise a good guy who has his priorities straight, and Max and Millia are as badass as ever, though sadly something seems to have come between them somewhere between the events of the original series and 7. Also, the VF-11s are pretty cool looking, but unfortunately they seem to just be cannon fodder for the new enemy.
15 Comments
dumb question. is this like an OVA remake or something? cause i know Macross Zero came out years ago, but here it is again with Frontier like visuals. that being said, it looks fantastic.
It’s the original OVA that came out a few years ago, though maybe you’re getting a different impression of the visuals since I’m using the HD (720p) BlueRay version? Perhaps it was remastered or something for the newer release.
I think the Anti-UN used the FAE bombs to retrieve more easily the head of the Birdman.
Come to think of it, Macross Zero really make a use the head laser of the valkyries, and they pack quite a punch, it’s sad they’re really used in the other series.
Was Valkyria Chronicles shown before Macross Zero? It’s a small matter, but making it seem like older shows copy and refer, or in your words ‘knockoff’ newer shows is kinda off (I say this without any fondness for that white-haired lady whose name I don’t even bother remembering).
That said, this was both set-up and a working out kind of episode. Back then it was excruciating waiting for the finale after this one came out. If you thought waiting for subs of the 3rd ep of Igloo 2, Macross Zero 05 was torture. (and when it did come out, so many people went WUT and thus contributed to the idea that this OVA failed as a prequel/sequel)
@ Der Langrisser
Very true about the head lasers, I often wondered why they weren’t used more in the original series since they have obvious utility given their placement and ability to swivel.
@ Ghostlightning
Zero predates Valkyria Chronicles, I was just making the ‘knockoff’ and ‘lesser’ comments to hate on the Anti-UN girl who looks a fair bit like Selvaria. Just making a reference to something familiar to me, similar to how I call the Anti-UN forces Celestial Being.
That must have been some wait between episodes, especially to have one come out and be all about character development and then having to wait months and months for the next one. Hmm, makes me glad I got into Macross later, waiting all that time for an episode like this, which is on its own a fine episode, would have been very frustrating.
Oh man, you wouldn’t want to be into Macross at the time these episodes were (not) coming out. At the time we were all kind of still hoping to see the old cast in a sequel, but were somehow mollified by Focker’s appearance here.
Then we realized that it was hardly about him, and I don’t think many of us warmed to Shin easily. It wasn’t until last year that I really appreciated this show, nearly 5 years later after I first saw it. LOL, every underwhelming episode of Frontier caused us conniptions just because Zero had then left us dissatisfied.
Yeah I remember I would completely forget about the events of the previous episode by the time the next one came out… it wasn’t so great. Was also one of the ones who was not too fond of Shin’s appearance.
You Guys, are right about the head Lasers. They seem to use them way more (& efficent) than in any other Macross Series i’ve seen so far, they seem to pack quite a punch.
I had to laught when Shin & Sara flew away on the Birdman’s head from the Anit-UN Froces, because i remembered the Scene form OVA 3 where Shin made his Witch on a broom impression (talk about for shadowing).
I also realy liked the “alone” time the couples got in this Episode. Such a “Focker” move to steal a Kiss from Aries when she has to stand still on that Mine. It was also a nice way to learn more about their past together, these two would probably have endet up to gether after these events (… we all know She as to bite it, sadly).
But the good thing about this to me, is that it adds a bit more to the Roy i’ve seen in “SDF”. In one of Claudia’s flashbacks he confessed to her about his fears & how goofing off helps him keep his cool when he’s in the Air. I think what ever happens to Aries in OVA 5 will be the source of his drinking habit, because he somehow couldn’t save her.
Ha, good to see i wasn’t the only one creeped out by the Owl. Sara & Shin’s little back and forth was handled good too. They both seem to be getting a bit closer to understand each other. Shin singing along with her was a nice Moment. The Kiss in the Moring Sun was a bit on the corny side but right (but it looked soo good on my Screen). Probably my fav. Sceen besides Roy & Aries under the Stars.
“proving that not only are they villains and enemies of mankind, but dirty Communists too” Don’t know why but that gave me quite the laugh.
Watching/reading so much about Macross over the last view Months, i have this question in my Head. (IF this would be real…) the SDF-1 would have stared her journey last year, batteling her way back trough Zentradi Forces back to Earth. There best defence against the Zentradi was Minmay’s Pop/Love Songs. But seeing as how diverse today’s Music industiry is would the Zentradi not be freaked out even more by the Humans & their “Protocuture” by Spying on them? Throug our lifes we listen to so much differnent types of Music: Electronic Music, Metal, Hip-Hop… We dress a certain way to express ourselves. I would love to see a new Series how would take on some of thoes Themes.
Does anyone know a good Online Store who sells those awsome Yamato 1/60 Models and Ships internationally? I Need to get myself a “Focker” VF-1S.
http://www.hlj.com sell these, and I’ve never have a problem with them.
Nice. Thanks for the tip i will look in to that.
I love this episode of Zero. The long walk through the jungle, the conversations, the nature shots…and in the end, everything goes kablooey. When it came out, I remember a lot of people complaining that it was boring…but I found it enthralling. Macross is rarely sophisticated, but I thought this episode had real class.
Keep going with 7…when I first watched it, I desperately wanted to like it, but kept being disappointed. It gets better as it goes along, though, and I ended up being kinda into it by the end. And then, when I watched it a second time, I found that I actually DID like it. It’s goofy (and it remains goofy to the end), the battles are generally poorly done, and there are some massive leaps of logic…but it’s fun. Remember that you’re SUPPOSED to dislike Basara, but you might grow appreciate him before the series is over. The Mac7 movie is pretty great, though, as is Macross Dynamite 7…which even features a song by Yoko Kanno. Don’t watch those until you’re done with the series, though.
Roy and Aries’ relationship tends to divide people into one of two camps, one that see’s it as somewhat weakening Claudia’s character as the woman who finally set the womanizer straight and the other that thinks that it adds to it by implying that Roy became what he was in the flashback episodes because of what we know will happen to Aries and Claudia is the one who helps him/knocks some sense into him. Personally, I prefer the latter view.
Won’t comment too much about this episode, been 7 years or whatever since i’ve seen it. Just wanted to point out a few things about Macross 7. First of all it was Takehito Koyasu’s (Gamlin) first title role I believe. Secondly, as annoying as Basra is, those damn Firebomber songs really do grow on you. Finally Macross 7 has BY FAR the best bridge bunnies of any space series in anime history. Watch Macross 7 P*L*U*S and you’ll see what I mean!
@ KB_SBI
The backstory with Focker is something I’ve appreciated about Zero so far, because as prominent as he is in the original series we still don’t get much on his past before he met Claudia, since she’s the one that tells us about him.
All the variations in culture would be an interesting topic to explore, since while Macross centers around a common monoculture it does note the existence of subcultures as well (like the stoner pipes shop in the San Francisco area of Frontier and the bikers in 7.) One of the things that I wish that they had spent some more time on in Frontier was the specifics of how the Zentradi melded into the combined culture and what they contributed to it. You can notice the elements of other cultures that immigrants brought to US culture, for example, and I have to think that the Zentradi must have brought their own contributions to the mixed monoculture.
@ Yot-chan
I’ll bear with it since I want to see the entire timeline play out. In some ways my experience with it is very much like the one I had with Gundam 00: I HATE HAT E HATE the main characters and their way of doing things (well in this case character since it’s just Basara, though Ray is also onboard the peacenik stuff), but I really like some of the secondary characters like Gamlin, Millia, and Max.
@ d3v
Yeah, I’m with you on that one. I don’t really see how it weakens Claudia’s character since Roy in Zero is a fairly different person with a different mindset than he was in the original series. Something had to make him change to get to the point where he met Claudia, and Aries fits that part perfectly. Despite his outward confidence even back in Zero, Roy is a much more vulnerable seeming character, especially in the presence of Aries since their relationship never worked out. He lets down his guard around her, and I’m guessing that her inevitable death just made him redouble his efforts to seem cool and confident to everyone around him while he distanced himself.
@ Epi
I thought Gamlin’s voice sounded familiar! Turns out he was the voice actor for Ryosuke Takahashi in Initial D and Mu La Fraga in Gundam SEED, thanks for pointing that out.
The bridge bunnies certainly are the most visually attractive ones that I’ve seen in any Macross yet, though I’m always wishing that they would get some on-screen personality to match those in the original series and the ones in Frontier. Good to know that they get some attention in 7 PLUS.
*For the record when I say they are the best bridge bunnies, I mean best ‘unimportant side character bridge bunnies’. Obviously having Claudia and Misa in the original Macross as bridge officers, I regard differently because they were core characters to the plot. Same with say Misato in Evangelion.