First Impressions / Macross

Summary:

What caused Alto’s Valkyrie to crash also causes problems at the Zentradi base, and the power goes out right as Grace tries to make Sheryl take some medicine. Alto meanwhile realizes that the Macross-class ship wrecked in front of him is a first-generation one, but seeing it causes Ranka to scream because it triggers memories of her past. When she apologizes afterwards, Alto is reminded of what Kanaria had said about Ranka’s dissociative amnesia, and so he suggests to Ranka that it’s okay for her to just not think about it. In any case, the two are stranded in the jungle because of some jamming that’s interfering with the Valkyrie’s navigation systems, and Alto suspects that it’s coming from the wrecked ship. They have no choice but to set out on foot, and although it’s hot, they eventually reach a clearing with a running stream. As Ranka helps him tie up his hair after he washes it, Alto comments on how he wasn’t sure if she was bold or timid when they had first met, and Ranka attributes any courage she’s gotten since them to him protecting her and giving her a push when she needed it.

Their moment is interrupted by the sudden sound of rustling from a nearby bush, and Alto instinctively grabs Ranka to protect her, but it turns out to be just a small creature. When the two notice how close they are to each other, they get embarrassed, and Alto tries to change the subject to how they have to go investigate the Macross-class ship. Ranka, however, gets uneasy because she has to use the bathroom, but she can’t bring herself to say that in front of Alto, and so she just runs off into the woods. Moments later, Alto hears her scream, and when he goes to see what happened, she’s nowhere to be found. Back at the Macross Frontier, the members of the S.M.S – including a very frustrated Ozma – are learning about the loss of communications with Gallia 4. Kuran suggests using the new Fold-Pack, but Kanaria thinks that Luca can’t give it to them a second time. Luca is at that moment in Leon’s office addressing the actions he took that Leon refers to as drastic. He explains that he feels this was the best decision for him as a special adviser to the LAI’s technological development department, and he’s personally in the S.M.S to collect data and evaluate the performance of new engines and weapons. Leon counters by saying that Luca’s actions got a civilian girl involved and has threatened the relationship between LAI and the government.

At the Zentradi base on Gallia 4, Sheryl starts to feel better and convinces Mikhail to take her out to look for Alto. He’s reluctant to do so, but Sheryl feels that given what she’s learned at school, she can handle things if he’s too scared to go. What she hates is doing nothing when there is something that can be done. Alto meanwhile suspects that Ranka got taken to the Macross-class ship and approaches it to investigate. He gets close enough to see that it’s the fourth Macross-class ship called GLOBAL – making it the flagship of the 117th Research Fleet – and he immediately remembers what Ozma had told him about Ranka being a survivor of that. While Alto heads towards the GLOBAL, Brera is nearby in his Valkyrie telling Grace about how Ranka is inside a Vajra nest. This causes Grace to change Brera’s orders so that securing Ranka is second priority – unless it gets in the way of Brera’s original objective. Grace herself will be preparing something called the Dimension Eater in the meantime. By now, Alto has entered the GLOBAL and questions why it’s here. He makes his way to a research laboratory, but he finds that all the data there has been erased, and fairly recently to boot. What’s even more odd is that there’s a Vajra specimen there, as well as a picture of what appears to be Ranka with her family inside a crystal, though that crystal shatters when Alto tries to touch it.

Elsewhere inside the ship, Ranka wakes up after experiencing a dream of her mother and finds herself near a giant Vajra laying eggs. She succeeds at radioing Alto, and though her transmission allows him to track down where she is, the Vajra also gets alerted to the fact that she’s awake. Fortunately for Ranka, Brera’s Valkyrie bursts onto the scene before anything can happen to her, and by the time Alto arrives, Brera is in a heated battle with the Vajra. Alto heads straight for Ranka, but right before he reaches her, a transparent barrier materializes around her. He doesn’t get much time to think about how to save her because one of Brera’s shots hits the egg-laying Vajra, and this causes both it to scream and an adverse reaction to occur in Ranka. The egg-laying Vajra then lets out a huge wave of energy that forces both Alto and Brera out of the room, and Alto is forced to watch from outside as the entire Macross-class ship starts to glow. Returning to his Valkyrie in the jungle, Alto finds that the jamming has ended, so he takes off in it, but he finds that the one ship has now become a fleet of Vajra ships. Although determined to save Ranka, Alto is stopped when Brera attacks him, and the two enter into a dogfight high above Gallia 4.

Brera manages to outmaneuver Alto, and right as he’s about to shoot, he declares that Alto isn’t suitable for Ranka. Fortunately for Alto, Brera never gets to fire his Valkyrie’s rifle because it gets blown up by a certain blue Valkyrie. Mikhail and Sheryl are Alto’s saviors, and they’re surprised to learn that Ranka has been abducted inside the giant Vajra mothership. Since Alto has no choice but to fight Brera, he asks Sheryl and Mikhail to save Ranka, and Sheryl agrees as long as Alto stops Brera, even if it means dying. This leads to Mikhail commenting on how Sheryl has fallen in love with Alto, and though Sheryl blushes, she quickly turns her attention to the task at hand. Brera meanwhile is about to shoot at Alto again when he gets a transmission from Grace saying that his time is up because she’s going to detonate the Dimension Eater. After telling Brera to return home and follow her orders, Grace remarks to herself about the death of the Galactic Fairy and the destruction of the advance unit. The Dimension Eater then creates a Fold dislocation bubble that swallows Grace up and starts rapidly expanding. It soon wipes out the Zentradi base and when it threatens to engulf Mikhail and Alto’s Valkyries too, both are forced to speed out of Gallia 4’s atmosphere. Mikhail and Sheryl manage to maneuver into the Fold openings that the Vajra ships create to escape, but Alto is left with no choice but to just keep flying away from the bubble in his Valkyrie.

Preview

So Grace went from suspected bad guy to somewhat evil to vaporized in all of one episode, and though it was quick, it was rather spectacular. The caveat of course is that Grace may not really be dead since she seemed to want Brera to keep following her orders, and there’s still that male version of her who had met with Leon. It’s beginning to look like her entity (cybernetic, human, whatever) might be working for LAI as a third side in the ongoing Vajra vs. Frontier conflict, but I still can’t do much more than guess as to what her and/or LAI’s goals are. Her objectives this episode appeared to be to kill Sheryl, let the Vajra fleet successfully get away, and erase all evidence on the planet, and long-term, they might be trying to study the Vajra or cause more conflict. A friend also pointed out to me that the goal of making Sheryl sick might have been to prevent her from singing and have her be killed by the Zentradi. In any case, if the LAI is behind her, then that makes Luca’s role in this all that more interesting.

Assuming a clone or something of Grace doesn’t show up, her “death” means that Sheryl will have lost her manager, I think that makes it even more likely that Sheryl will end up as a pilot of some sort – especially if she continues to lose Alto and Ranka continues her meteoric rise (pending her being saved from the current situation). Sheryl made clear this episode that she’s not the kind of character to just sit around and angst, so if she loses on both those fronts, then there’s gotta be something else for her to do. She’s got the right attitude and is showing that she has some of the skills needed, so it’s becoming less of a stretch than it was before. Character development for Ranka, on the other hand, focused mainly on her past this week, and it’s all but confirmed that Brera is Ranka’s brother. It might also be worth noting that the credits list Ranka’s mother as Ranshe Mei, voiced by Sakamoto Maaya, given how the next episode is called “Mother’s Lullaby.” The preview makes it look really pretty animation-quality wise, and battle will probably at least on par with the one from episode seven.

73 Comments

  2. Otro genial episodio a mi parecer, la raw estubo interesante, lástima que mi japonés sea medio y no comprenda todo pero es mejor que esperar una semana a que se subtitule al español.

    Hister
    Reply

  11. 1 word sums up this episode… WOW.

    I couldn’t stop saying it, this episode was amazing. We’re finally getting into the real meat of the story, and I’ve gotta say, this is my favorite Macross series by far, even better than the likes of Macross Plus or even the original Macross itself. I can’t wait for next week’s episode. I’ve haven’t been this eager in anticipation for a new episode for a very very long time.

    Kyuusei
    Reply

  13. After previewing the RAW, I’m pretty much left with the same expression as stray… After reading Onmi mini preview, I thought Grace’s died because things didn’t go the way she wanted, but after finding out she willingly sacrificed herself… I really hope we find out what her real motives are soon!

    [T.O.S.C.]

    SoulCaster
    Reply

  23. Just a stupid question.

    When they write things in english that gives away certain stuff from the plot away, is that supposed to be revealed later since it’s in japanese? Or would most people watching this already understand written english?

    Ghost1800
    Reply

  26. Another mind blowing episode!!!
    LOL, Alto really looks girly with his hair down. I never knew Grace would turn out to be that twisted…wtf! blowing the whole planet up. But I want to know why she did what did though.

    Browniekat
    Reply

  27. Ok guys, back in ep12 when I posted that people should think about everything in episode 12 being a plan by Grace and Co. (making Sheryl sick, having the Zentradi demand someone sing, Ranka being the only one left that could), I was right. Grace went “JUST AS PLANNED” in this episode.

    And seriously, Ranka looks more and more to be a funky test subject than some innocent little girl who lost her folks. That scene with her glowing stomach yet again gave me Alien 3 vibes. (For those who have seen the movie then you know)

    And Sheryl piloting was nice, she’s not going to school just for show.

    GP
    Reply

  31. I actually somehow doubt Grace is even dead. Since she’s a cyborg and all, I bet she’s got a 2nd body, or more around.

    As for Ranka, w/e, her character will always big the little sister/loli one till the end of the show.

    GP
    Reply

  32. Very nice story push this episode. I knew Grace was odd, but that she’s that evil went beyond my suspections.

    Next episode seems to be big fighting again. I wonder why they won’t ask for military reinforcements from earth or other colonies. This is war against humanity, not just Frontier.

    mutio
    Reply

  33. @mutio

    Probably because they don’t know where the vajra are, until now. And 2nd with fold lag/distortion by the time help comes from Earth or another fleet it’d be too late.

    GP
    Reply

  34. Wow was pretty much how I felt throughout most of this and OMG Grace, she managed to orchestrate quite the big drama.

    Considering she willingly vaporizes herself I guess means she isn’t the big bad mastermind after all…

    And yes without her manager it does seem more likely that Sheryl will end up a pilot, although I think that actually puts her closer in running to end up with Alto than Ranka.

    It will give her yet more in common with Alto plus keep her close to him. Because we know that even though in reality it would be unlikely she’d end up in his squad, this is anime so of course she will.

    And of course Ranka does seem to have deep ties with the Varja, so either that is going to take her away from her beloved Alto, or her rising stardom will.

    Sakura
    Reply

  35. Last week’s cliffhanger for the UK series Doctor Who was getting raves – this is infinitely more suspenseful. I mean – just how are you supposed to top a cliffhanger like that?!!? Yikes…just yikes. I think we can safely conclude from her closing dialogue that Grace will return (as GP has already said). As for Alto’s predicament – since Mikhael didn’t use the LAI Fold engine, he’ll probably use that to escape. As for Ranka…I have no idea how she’s going to escape from her predicament.

    Looks like next episode might potentially see a few beloved characters killed off (although I hope not). So long as they don’t dispose of Michael, Luca or Klan Klein – I really like those supporting characters. Now Ozma on the other hand…

    Spacehamster
    Reply

  36. @Spacehamster

    If anyone else dies next it’d probably be Ozma trying to save Ranka, and maybe followed by Luca, sorry to say but development wise they’ve totally forgot about Luca, and that never is a good sign in my opinion.

    Mickel probably won’t die, as he’s the next up to replace Ozma I bet. Now if Ranka gets away or not, I don’t know. Her chances of making it alive till the end have went down in my mind. I’m getitng some self-sacrifice ala Macross Zero vibes here. I suppose it just depends on how they handle whatever the hell it is she’s got inside of her.

    GP
    Reply

  37. From the previous episode (#12): Michael to Luca “Your family sure makes some scary things”

    I’LL SAY!

    I mean really, now I understand why Leon was so concerned about the government’s relationship with those guys at LAI…

    @GP

    Ranka will escape somehow…speaking of escape Brera must’ve had the same LAI fold booster Michael used to get to Gallia 4.

    Also, let’s not forget it’s going to take everyone at least 1 full days worth of fold-travel to get to the Frontier fleet…I wonder what Ranka might discover on that Vajra mothership?

    Lurker
    Reply

  38. Alto is so so so beautiful!!!*_* Sasuga na hime!

    I also doubt Grace’s death, it’s like she planned it. She probably has all her memories saved somewhere and plans in motion.

    Yukiruchan
    Reply

  39. @Yukiruchan
    She also mentioned giving further orders to Brera before she hit the big red button (in a manner of speaking). And GP, you’re probably right regarding Luca and/or Ozma. But I think more because of his connections to the potentially dodgy LAI rather than a lack of character development. At least we know why LAI created that fold engine – it was to bypass the effects of an even bigger weapon. Which hopefully Alto will use to his advantage next episode.

    Spacehamster
    Reply

  42. More thoughts…

    Brera knew about the Dimension Eater…Grace tells him to call off his dogfight with Alto because she’s going to set it off. She then tells him “go back and wait for my orders” before setting it off, so this obviously isn’t the last we’ve seen of her. Should be interesting when she discovers that Sheryl escaped her almost certain demise

    I’m thinking Grace has a perfect cover story for surviving the destruction of Gallia 4 (body doubles, etc.)

    The “Vajra sample” Alto comes across in the Global looks just like that little crab-like creature that startled him and Ranka earlier in the episode

    Young Brera kinda looks like young Edward Elric

    Unless Tehmzin regained consciousness, repaired his Queadluun-Rau and or found a way off Gallia 4 he’s pretty much toast

    Lurker
    Reply

  48. @Splash: Ranka might just have a big chunk of purple crystal inside of her. The things seem to pop up everywhere; Sheryl’s keepsake earrings, the shard Grace gave to Leon, the gems imbedded in the hide of the ‘queen’ Vajra.

    They also seem to react to song:
    -When Ranka started singing with Sheryl in episode 7, her stomach was glowing purple just like it did in this episode, and their song carried through the earring that Alto took with him.
    -when the ‘queen’ Vajra went berserk, there was a sort of humming sound as the crystals (and Ranka) lit up.
    -When Ranka sang at the Miss Macross pageant, the captured Vajra that Leon was showing off woke up and started freaking out. (No glowing here, though)

    This doesn’t necessarily rule out genetic manipulation, but i don’t think Ranka (and Sheryl) would need to have been specifically engineered for the purpose that Grace is putting them to- though it might introduce an interesting dichotomy if Ranka actually was created to interface with the Vajra, and Grace was just using Sheryl and her earrings as an ‘experiment’ or a ‘replacement’ until they found Ranka…

    Alhazred23
    Reply

  49. It all just keeps getting better…

    Global being a research ship and huge clues to Ranka’s being on it hints that she’s possibly a test subject, or something has been done to her either on purpose or inadvertently. Her parents are likely scientists doing research on the Vajira on that ship, and from the flashbacks, Brera is either most likely her brother, or another child she was friends with on the ship. Even as a cyborg, he doesn’t have all his memories either, given the way he keeps wondering why he’s so concerned about her. It was almost as if he was reacting either protectively or jealously towards Alto the way he said ‘you don’t suit that girl’.

    Where the Vajira come from and what their objectives are has yet to be revealed, but I’m guessing like Grace and co. are deeply entwined with the existence of the Vajira and are using them as tools for some sort of revenge, or mad philosophical ideal rather than profit, given the words she uttered about hate towards the end of the episode.

    I really doubt Grace really ‘died’ this episode, given she can download her consciousness from one cyborg body to another (see episode 10). More likely, her intent was to fake her own death and then move on to the next objective.

    It’s also interesting to note how Sheryl was just an expendable resource to her – that she was planning to kill off Sheryl as well as the Zentradi 33rd fleet when she detonated the dimension eater. Good thing Sheryl’s singleminded willfulness helped her escape that fate by the skin of her teeth, or the rest of the series would just be too boring.

    nezumibento
    Reply

  50. @minto&GP

    You’re both wrong on the count of no support coming from earth. The reason why is because there’s no more UN Spacy after the civil war that took place during the PS game of MACORSS VF-X2. It’s every colony for themselves from there on.

    DomFortress
    Reply

  51. Okay…..

    Now Macross f has become m favorite anime in this year….

    @SpaceHamster: I am also somehow agree with you, maybe some of the supporting chara will die in the next eps….

    and I am also predict that The VF-27 squad and (maybe) their mother ship will help the Macross F, I can wait for the next episode!!!!

    PanduAsuka
    Reply

  55. @ Lurker

    “Ranka will escape somehow…speaking of escape Brera must’ve had the same LAI fold booster Michael used to get to Gallia 4.”

    You actually see Brera’s VF-27 with the same LAI fold booster at the end of episode 11.

    Westlo
    Reply

  56. Lurker :”Unless Tehmzin regained consciousness, repaired his Queadluun-Rau and or found a way off Gallia 4 he’s pretty much toast”

    If he is anything like Quamzin in the PC Engine games he’ll come back like a bad penny.

    RedWolf
    Reply

  57. Grace’s cover story had Sheryl died on Galia 4 as planned: Vajra folded there and killed them all. They destroyed the entire 33rd squad along with the “Galaxy Fairy”. Vajra must all be killed.

    Anonymou
    Reply

  60. I was kind of disappointed that it wasn’t the SDF 002 🙁
    But I enjoyed it nether the less, as… it was very intriguing!

    Ranka has influence on the Vajras, somehow this is related to some sort of experiment that took place in the 114th Macross research fleet and went bad… I assume.

    Sheryl seems to know what is going and as her manager went on a suicide mission intended to blow up the Vajras before they could leave the planet and fold in space but mission seems to have failed. – note that this eruption could’ve killed Ranka in the mother ship of the Vajras.

    Ragnarokroan
    Reply

  62. Mikhail, Sheryl and Ranka gets to take a ride with the vajra fleet, reminds me of Hikaru/Hunter and Misa/Lisa when they got capture in their reconnaissance mission in the original macross. Looks like the Skull are about to do a rescue op as well.

    Cain
    Reply

  63. @spacehamster, I was so happy when Sci Fi and BBC America picked up Dr Who. It was the one show on t.v in England I was going to miss when I moved.

    The Sci Fi channel here in the States only seems to be a little bit behind, although they didn’t show an episode this week. I wonder if its the one where Rose finally returns…

    It is definitely interesting that Ranka ‘glows’ it wouldn’t surprise me if there was some sort of genetic manipulation going on considering it was a research vessel.

    Sakura
    Reply

  66. @pinoy78 and everyone out there, hi.

    Talk abt shock, talk abt bewilderment, 4th Macross class ship – GLOBAL! .
    I had read from Japanese wiki the 1st Macross was redone to original(intended)specs after Kamjin rammed into her at the end of the 1st series (right after end of the 1983 series), so we see in Macross Plus, but there was not one clue the New United Nations Spacy had actually continued the Macross line of vessels.

    Grace is just an agent of LAI’s, and very much an artificial entity me thinks. the real operative behind Grace’s persona we will see soon enuf. Leon seems to be high on LAI’s chain of command. NUNS, SMS and LAI are independent operations. but knowing Luca is part of LAI means he prolly knows abt Brera. Brera left for Gallia 4 b4 Alto & gang, and with the fold-pack, that means he may indeed have been the one who erased the records on the GLOBAL.

    tonbo
    Reply

  69. @Hee

    Starting a war to sell weapons, there’s a thought. But as tsuchiro said, Mao would be about 61 during the destruction of the 114th research fleet.

    However, we know that Ranka is 1/4 Zentradi and her mother appears to have dark-green hair, so we can assume she was 1/2 Zentradi herself. Maybe Ranka’s mother is Dr. Mao’s half-Zentradi offspring?

    Lurker
    Reply

  72. I’d say Brera is definitely Ranka’s brother. The broken photo in the abandoned lab clearly had mum, dad, a sibling, a dog, and Ranka. Maybe Ranka’s hair is due to some genetic cross-breeding with a Zentradi and that dog.

    boc
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *