Macross Frontier – 15
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Summary:
Back when she had activated the Dimension Eater, Grace had laughed despite the fact that Gallia 4 was her birthplace because she felt that it was finally finished. The other voices present in the collective known as Grace had understood that the sacrifice was necessary because it was the prelude to the true beginning. Now, as the battle outside the Macross Frontier concludes, Grace awakens another body to represent all of the voices inside of her. In the meantime, she recounts how their operation involves Sheryl Nome and how they scheduled her final concert for the Macross Frontier. Their main reasons include the fact that the bio-plant ship is weak to environmental fluctuations, the fact that there is an unusual banning of implants and cyborgs here, and the fact that the fleet’s planned route was the best suited for their goals. In addition to all that, they knew that the person known as Code Q-1 who was thought to be dead eleven years ago was actually on this ship, but that was low on their priority list. They were the ones who led the Vajra to the fleet, and with the commencement of hostilities between the Vajra and the Macross Frontier, the collective that is Grace have accomplished 72% of their strategic goal. They misread the military capabilities of the S.M.S though and underestimated the VF-25, but their biggest miscalculation was Code Q-1 Ranka Lee displaying a glimpse of her abilities at this point in time. They’re now very interested in her – even more so because of how she went to Gallia 4 on her own to sing – and have drastically altered their plans.
Sometime later, Grace rejoins Sheryl at the medical center and switches out a sample of Sheryl’s blood that a nurse had just taken. Grace pretending that Brera was on Gallia 4 and had saved her, and Sheryl is just happy to see her manager again. Sheryl is dismayed though at the news that the Macross Galaxy’s main habitat ship had made an emergency Fold jump to somewhere unknown after taking heavy damage in the Vajra attack, so Grace tries to get her to think positive about what happened. This leads to Sheryl being eager to leave the hospital, but Grace wants her to cancel her jobs while she fully recovers, and when Sheryl objects, Grace questions if she’s scared of Ranka and her rising popularity. She responds to Sheryl’s subsequent denial by saying that Sheryl will be okay since she’s strong, but after leaving Sheryl’s hospital room, Grace walks outside and comments to herself on how Sheryl came back alive after she had been gotten rid of. Regardless, she declares that Project Fairy was a failure and that Fairy 9 is being abandoned, and she decides to proceed to a new phase to obtain the pawn known as the Queen. Meanwhile, Ozma and Cathy are discussing how they think Brera is the same pilot as the one who had been appearing around the Macross Frontier even before Gallia 4 was destroyed. Ozma also finds it strange that Alto was called by the S.M.S’s owner Birla, but he thinks that it’s for something bigger than just keeping Alto quiet. The most suspicious person though for them is Leon.
Back at the hospital, Alto and Ranka are reunited and decide to pay a visit to Sheryl’s room. Sheryl gets excited when she thinks that it’s just Alto visiting, but that excitement leads to surprise when she sees Ranka there as well. The three then head to the hotel lobby where the video of Ranka’s performance at the Zentradi shopping mall is being played on the television screens, and Ranka is embarrassed to see herself like that. Sheryl makes it a point to say that that was when she and Alto were on a date, but she also comments on how wonderful the performance was. Ranka in turn attributes her success to Alto’s paper airplane and thanks him, so Sheryl goes ahead and thanks Alto as well for the times that he saved her. All this talk of being saved reminds Alto of the girls’ song that saved him during the battle during Sheryl’s farewell concert, and the girls are surprised to hear that their feelings reached him. This and Ranka’s What ’bout my star? video prompts Sheryl to start singing all of the sudden, and since Ranka doesn’t want to lose, she begins singing as well. Although Alto isn’t sure of what to do with both girls singing in front of him like this, he nevertheless recalls his happy memories with both of them. Unfortunately, the singing is cut short when Sheryl suddenly starts coughing, but she still claims that she’s okay. Ranka is then approached by representatives of the office of the Frontier president who have come to get her. Alto can’t do anything about it either because it is at this moment that he gets called to go see Birla.
Ranka gets taken directly to Leon, and he informs her that they’re creating a project team for her because her songs might become a trump card against the Vajra. He then introduces the leader supporting the project – Grace – and Ranka’s new bodyguard Brera. Alto meanwhile gets brought into a room decorated with a miniaturized city, and he is welcomed by the Zentradi Richard Birla. While this is going on, the collective inside Grace questions if Birla is trying to win over Alto, and they note how deeply connected Alto is to the current developments. They wonder if the people involved have good or bad luck, but regardless, the actors and the stage have now been set, and they consider this the true beginning. They are trying for the dream that even 500,000 years of Protoculture history couldn’t achieve.
Preview
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I’ve got somewhat mixed feelings about this episode. It had enough plot content/dialogue to be considered a full episode, but the fact that probably 65% of the video shown in it was made up of flashback scenes was at best very distracting, at worst recap. Given that new parts here weren’t animated the best either and that last week’s battle was pretty high quality, it looks like they might have just been trying to save on the production budget (you may remember that the last episode to come after a major battle looked off as well). Of course I still enjoyed seeing what did happen – the sing-off between Sheryl and Ranka was certainly fun, and I loved all the music, including Diamond Crevasse 50/50 – and there’s are plenty of new questions brought on by what was revealed here.
For one, there’s the issue of what’s really going on with the Macross Galaxy because it would appear that Grace and the collective within her are either located there or are aware of where it is. Their goal is obviously something pretty big, but it’s still not clear what it is. What we do know is that they were planning on using Sheryl and are now going to be using Ranka, so it requires a special songstress of some sort. They had also apparently been keeping tabs on Ranka previously but had lost track of her, and the fact that they have code names and projects for both girls makes me think that this collective had a hand in the birth and/or the raising of both. They don’t know much about Alto though, so I’d imagine that they might underestimate him, making him the wild card. Brera might be one as well if he still harbors feelings for his sister and decides to side with her in the end. There’s also the mystery of Richard Birla. He no longer appears to be a bad guy (in fact he might even help Alto), but we just simply don’t know much about him yet. In any case, it looks like – based on a combination of what the Grace collective said about this being the true beginning and the fact that this was almost a recap episode – we’re now entering the second half of the story, and hopefully it will be as good as the first. Maybe this will mean that we’re going to have a new OP/ED next week too.
July 19, 2008 at 5:52 amYadamon
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@falconx0101
but that’s not ‘normal’, you see.
before they went crazy with the concept they use speaker pods.
the sound beam was more like a psychic projection of sound, because, litereally sound is just a vibration transferred through a certain medium.
I don’t really remember much of M7 though so I might remember sth wrongly, but I can always sing 7th moon :D
July 19, 2008 at 8:29 amSpacehamster
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Haven’t read any of the comments yet (there are so many), but I was wondering how Macross Frontier ties in with the whole Protoculture arc that was setup in other series. Up til the Macross Zero ep, it felt very much like a standalone story. Despite it being a recap episode, it actually gave us a closer look (I think) at the true conspirators behind the repeated Vajra attacks. The conspiracy gives off an almost X-Files-ish vibe, rather like the Black Oil/Alien Colonization plotline that the X-Files was famous for. Except it won’t be strung out for 9 years.
July 19, 2008 at 8:40 amSpacehamster
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Ren, thanks for reminding me! Yeah, that duet/duel was definitely the highlight of the episode for me. It was Alto’s face that sealed it for me – classic scene! Remember there was a huge shift in tone between eps 13 and 14. The end of 13 was very romantic (to me), while the beginning of 14 gave the same scene a feeling of dread. So there’s no telling how Bilrer will be portrayed in the next episode.
Despite it being a recap, my ONLY nitpick? A Ranka/Sheryl duet with Diamond Crevasse should’ve been great – if it hadn’t been for those stupid voiceovers! That really peed me off – how could they ruin such great music like that?!!?
July 19, 2008 at 8:46 ammai
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Thanks to all of you guys, I’m listening to Innocent Green very closely and I hear an unedited breath of air of the flutist and I just thought it was funny XD (it’s about the 1:07 mark)
It’s good that the Ranka fans are getting out. But still… GO SHERYL!!!
July 19, 2008 at 12:04 pmWarmech
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I vote RankaXSheryl. Sorry guys, thats were this show is heading. Alto will remain Princess Alto.
July 19, 2008 at 12:32 pmren
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@Warmech Good man. A true fan right there xD
July 19, 2008 at 2:08 pmme
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I’m Sheryl fan, but frankly this episode push directions to RankaxAlto-hime ending. As long as they didn’t kill off Sheryl, this series is still my favorite one …
July 19, 2008 at 7:50 pmLuke
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@weixing:
Excellent theory.
For the record Sherly for life. I haaaaate Ranka. Like “Me” said I have a feeling Alto is going to end up with Ranka. I hope Sherly doesnt die but I have a feeling a lot of people are going to get pinapple salads or have their death flags at full mast.
Someone once gave the idea of a civil war between fleets. I think so thats the case With Macross Galaxy and Macross Frontier.
I am going to need to see this episoe few more times, I am a little confused but ahhh another week to wait :(
July 19, 2008 at 9:28 pmdizzyizzy
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OMG… No one has realized yet that Sheryl is a new incarnation of Sharon Apple from Macross Plus?? What gave that away is her earring. It looks the same as the pendant on Sharon Apple’s forehead. In Macross Plus they were playing around with Artificial Intelligence. Grace, Sheryl and others from the galaxy are new incarnations of that technology. In Marcoss Plus, Sharon Apple did not have her own voice. Here she does as she is new and improved and a clone of one of the descendants of Sara Nome(Priestess) family from Macross Zero. That’s why Grace switched her blood so that no one finds out that she is an implant.
Also, Ranka is a direct descendant of Mao Nome from Macross Zero. So, that’s why Sheryl and Ranka are related.
They are tying Macross Zero to Macross Plus. The Vajra bugs are part of the race that Mao and Sara Nome are from. Maybe they are the defenders or soldier bugs of the Vajra race. The main Vajra mother ship in Episode 14 looks very similar to the Bird Man alien ship from Macross Zero.
July 19, 2008 at 9:34 pmdizzyizzy
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The earring… All this time they’ve been dangling(pun intended) this clue right in front of us.
July 20, 2008 at 12:45 amPrincesS
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*ahem* EEE BRERA LOOKS SO HOT NEXT EPISODE XDXDXD! Aight, I got that out of my system!
I’m going to be disappointed if they made Sheryl win!! The moment Ranka was shot by cupid the moment she laid eyes on Alto automatically made these two my OTP. They could’ve just ended AltoxRanka on episode 5 but nooo they have to push them together till episode 14. I’m really gonna curse the writers if they made a Sheryl ending. Who cares if she’s hot? Ranka may not be the girl of Alto’s dreams but she can show him what love means hahaha
July 20, 2008 at 12:59 amjho
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@dizzy:
I cannot possibly imagine Sheryl becoming some super evil character all of a sudden, though I can picture an incredible death scene…i’m feeling very pessimistic at the moment 0_0
July 20, 2008 at 7:16 ambabywill
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damn, ranka piss me off more and more, what the hell does she look like a 7 year old when she is supposed to be 16 ? damn it, if she end with alto, this is MADNESS.
July 20, 2008 at 3:40 pmdizzyizzy
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@jho:
Sheryl may not be evil but like you said, she may die at the end or something like that. Sheryl is like Lisa Hayes of Macross Frontier, while Ranka is like Lynn Minmei. I like Sheryl a lot better than Ranka. Alto and Sheryl has a better chemistry.
But you do see the similarities and the tie ins right?
July 20, 2008 at 3:54 pmdizzyizzy
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Also, the Artificial intelligence things that were talking to each other were not connected to the vast array of the network. They were kind of disconnected which tells me that not all of the people in galaxy knows what these 3 AIs are doing. Also, they are all some sort of polygon looking which farther tells me that they are tied in to Macross Plus.
July 20, 2008 at 7:43 pmcreb
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So Grace + All the Other Voices are AIs? Is that the assumption? They seem tied to Galaxy in some way.
Sheryl not having had any relatives starts to make you wonder in light of all this doesn’t it? I wouldn’t be shocked if she’s an earlier version of whatever Ranka was supposed to be (maybe that’s why Ranka’s mother looked like Sheryl w/ green hair-though I think that was just artistic coincidence). Btw, I think Grace took her blood to prevent the medical staff from realizing Sheryl is being drugged; not to prevent them from finding out she’s a cyborg or whatever. I imagine Grace won’t bother drugging her anymore though, as it seems that was mainly to make sure she’d falter in front of the Zentradi and cause that incident. Now, Grace will just ruin Sheryl’s career and let the depression that causes take care of Sheryl while she puts her firm guiding hand on Ranka’s shoulder.
I’m not sure I’d relate Sheryl to Lisa Hayes. Lisa wasn’t a singer. She had her strengths that Minmei didn’t, which allowed keeping Lisa around as a central figure. While I’m not saying Sheryl is weak, she’s a singer. Anyone who thinks she’s got piloting to fall back on must be on crack. I don’t see a good future for Sheryl. The best I see is her not letting her oncoming fall from grace embitter her too much to keep her from maybe joining her voice with Ranka’s at the end at whatever climactic battle occurs.
July 21, 2008 at 12:11 amTmoo
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it’s not that sheryl’s a singer, pilot, or whatever, it’s her personality that ties her to lisa. she’s head-strong, has visual resemblences to lisa, and even has the tsun-tsun attitude in the early stages of her friendship with alto, as did lisa with hikaru. it has nothing to do with her occupation. she could be a janitor and she’d still be like-able. and on that note, ranka isn’t really anything like minmay save for singing talent. as far as i know, she hasn’t become star-struck, she just wants alto to notice her. hell, ‘minmay’ as we know her doesn’t exist in frontier, which is a huge plus as tsun-tsun/cute loli > brats.
for a last comparison, sheryl possesses strengths that ranka doesn’t yet have, and ranka has plot armor to counter them. and maybe a plot device too, depending on what happens later.
July 21, 2008 at 12:15 amTmoo
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@creb: i really, really doubt sheryl is the type of person to become depressed.
July 21, 2008 at 12:26 ammai
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Say it with me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBEDGV-52HE
DECULTURE!!!
July 24, 2008 at 3:43 pmEri
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@ tsuchiro
thanks! i’ve been noticing the rivalry between the 2 of them since the first time they were screened together. lols.
@ ani_d
yeah, i’m a RANKA FAN all the way! i have nothing against sheryl but she annoys me so sometimes! especially when she’s wrapping herself around alto whenever ranka’s there. POOR RANKA!
@ brera fans
YEAH, HE IS HOT. He’d give alto a run for his money!
I am dreading the next episode since it’ll be so obvious that there’ll be MORE altoxsheryl moments! Ranka will even be more busy because of job commitments. Waaaaah!
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