What happened to you, Macross? You used to be cool.

I’m quite certain that there are loads of people in the ani-blogosphere who are still complaining about what a total disaster the finale of Macross Frontier was. I felt that the last episode had been rushed and too much drastic changes took place. For example, after everyone finally found out that Grace had been their true enemy from the very beginning, they all seemed to accept the betrayal pretty easily and the Vajra suddenly became one of the good guys. Despite Brera and Alto’s conflict throughout the series, they worked really well together in order to destroy Grace and for a split second, although I’m aware half of you probably didn’t take notice, Alto touched his stomach when he was informed that the Vajra’s heart was located in its stomach. I mean, you’re in a middle of a crisis—-the last thing you’d want to do is lose focus.

Yes, Alto, THAT is your stomach

I know Ranka’s orange outfit made her extremely cute, but how the hell did her clothes change from the white dress she was originally wearing? She was supposed to be the Little Queen, but I don’t remember anyone signing up for the role of a magician. When she slapped Sheryl across the face, it was terribly weak. Also, Alto should have blown up and died instead if he wasn’t going to make a final decision between Sheryl and Ranka in the end anyway. I was hoping that if not death, at least one of them would get over him and move on. Near the end of the last episode, Ranka explained the meaning of the lullaby, but even in knowing what Aimo meant, it held little significance because there was hardly any time to sink it in before something else happened. I was fond of Ranka ever since the first episode, but she proved to be somewhat annoying as time passed; in the final episode, it was like watching the same child grow up all over again, but the excitement just wasn’t there anymore. At times, her depression and confusion made me less sympathetic and more irritated; she was so dependent on others like Brera and Alto that she was abruptly okay whenever they were present. Sheryl’s flirtatious behaviour made me never take her seriously, but she was more mature and confident than Ranka, so I came to find Sheryl likable. Plus her slapping ability was more epic.

Overall, the main reason I followed Macross Frontier was because I loved the quality of the animation and the characters. I wasn’t exactly entirely captivated every second, but it was a really good series—-just not the best. Perhaps if the last episode was better, my opinion on the whole series would hold less negativity. Like a book, the beginning and end need to be good, while the events in between make the story an interesting story. In this case, it was quite the reverse: I didn’t really like the start since it wasn’t enough to draw me in, but I kept with Macross Frontier anyway because people were telling me how good it was. The ending was just horrible, and although a few seconds of watching some of the fight scenes were thrilling, what I really enjoyed most of the series was how Alto, Ranka and Sheryl’s relationship unfolded, and how mysterious the Vajra initially were. When we found out that the Vajra were just like humans—-bemused by how different they were to each other that they fought—-it was like listening to a totally crappier version of Ranka conveying Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”.

PS. I was planning on drawing a comic, but I haven’t used the tablet in a while so up there was the best I could do.

Bow before Sheryl.

Just when we all thought Ranka had everything Sheryl once possessed, the ending of this episode left me shattered. Ranka finds Sheryl in Alto’s arms after her live concert, and anyone would instantly suspect that the two are finally together — that Alto has accepted Sheryl’s love and thus returned it. In any case, I don’t think this is so; Sheryl had probably just informed him of her sickness and he was there to comfort her. From the preview, I’m also assuming that Alto’s going to tell Ranka what actually happened, or that he had chosen her over Sheryl instead. On the other hand, the latter seems highly unlikely; Alto seems too kind-hearted and considerate of a person to choose between two of his closest friends, and I’ll be damned if it turns out that he picked Sheryl over Ranka.

Apparently Ai is a Vajra larva (or is it larvae? Can’t remember) that’s not supposed to be on Macross, and if it’s that big golden-coloured creature which was standing behind the crowd of Ranka’s fans, I am truly disappointed. I wouldn’t mind an enlarged version of green-squishy Ai – at least Ranka and Brera would have had better luck locating it then. Speaking of which, Brera and Ranka seem to have become extremely closer in this episode as siblings, which was really nice to see because we learn a little bit more about Brera. If this sort of thing can keep up, hopefully Martin will come to find him un-annoying as well. I’m hoping that whatever Leon and Grace have planned for Ranka, it’s not something that will cost someone’s life besides Ozma. Admittedly, I’m still quite upset that Ozma survived in the seventeenth episode — there had just been so many signs implying his death.

Moving along, I can understand why some people might find Ranka rather detestable despite how cute she is — I just couldn’t stand those minutes of her giggling over Brera’s surprise of a cat leaping at him. Ranka’s as fragile as glass – as seen in the preview she collapses after seeing Alto and Sheryl together – while Sheryl seems to be a lot stronger, which is why it’d be more epic to see her die soon. Not that I hate her; Sheryl’s actually a really memorable character because of her audacious and flirtatious persona. Anyway, it’s too early to make predictions about the characters’ death, so I’m just hoping that whatever takes place in the next episode doesn’t result with Ranka in tears.

PS. More Brera screen-time, please?

The end is near.

Stubborn, beautiful, audacious, rich, famous — these characteristics that mold Sheryl Nome together all of a sudden plunge to the ground when she is informed of a nightmarish disease that resides within her. Unfortunately, Grace mockingly explains to this artist during their one-on-one conversation that death would soon play its part and literally take her life into its own hands. Once famous, Sheryl’s now just a forgotten figure of Macross Frontier. Long ago, I foresaw the hour when Sheryl would no longer saunter the streets or disguise herself in order to hide from fans. It was obvious that Ranka would rise above her in an unbidden manner. Be that as it may, this episode was truly depressing with a light tinge of comedy from our side-characters and a seller mistaking Alto for a female.

When Sheryl was forced to acknowledge the fact that she was rapidly losing her touch, it was a rather heart-wrenching scene, especially after she realized that Ranka’s very existence will always be far more prominent than hers. Suffice to say, compare the difference in the level of importance between a songtress of hope and a common idol. Moreover, Grace steers such a callous attitude towards Sheryl that I’m tempted to slit her throat with a butcher’s knife and pierce her head with an axe for treating the poor artist like an obnoxious corpse. What makes me want to kick Grace even more is that she’s using Ranka as a tool to an experiment. Although menacing with her sadistic behaviour, Grace does seem to be a sly and clever witch nevertheless; her certainty is threatening. Since Ranka chooses to risk her life in order to protect Macross, Ozma depends on Alto to keep a watchful eye on her at all times. That being said, it appears that Ozma knows he won’t always be there on the look-out for Ranka anymore, probably because the next time he pilots a ship, it will also be his last.

Ranka’s reaction when the army of Vajra were completely obliterated was another interesting part. Undoubtedly, she somewhat represents their mother who tries to calm or summon them through a lullaby. Speaking of which, the group of three women responsible for diagnosing the disease or whatever consists of Grace, Sheryl’s supposedly mother or grandmother, and Ranka’s (look-a-like) mother. Now I’m quite unsure as to what’s going on besides Sheryl’s fall in fame and Ranka “stealing” the spotlight. At least next week it appears that Sheryl recovers a bit, and megumi Ranka is something I’m definitely looking forward to!

Come to mama

Ranka is so moé!

First of all, I am thrilled that the director fooled us all into believing that Ozma’s death would take place in this episode; however, I am also somewhat disappointed that he survived. Unfortunately, I was too busy eating away at my spaghetti that I didn’t get to find out why the violet opals were important, and I’m too lazy to rewind back to that certain part, so if anyone is kind enough to just let me know, please leave a comment. Anyhow, I really like the new opening theme, except it was sort of annoying hearing it again during the episode for Ranka’s live concert. Regardless, I love her cute outfit — it fits her very nicely. I feel sorry for Klan since Michel doesn’t seem to notice her feelings for him, or perhaps he does but doesn’t want to take things further lest it ruin their relationship.

Another thing that I enjoyed about this episode was the beginning where it showed bits and pieces of Ranka and Ozma’s past. I have no idea why it was the pineapple cake that “woke” Ranka, but pineapple cakes aren’t even nice to begin with — not that I’ve ever tried one, actually. Pineapple is sweet on its own and delicious with pizza — but cake? That just seems a bit random. There was hardly any Sheryl in this episode so I don’t know if I should be relieved or upset even though I’m a huge fan of Alto x Ranka. She did come in at the last moments, which I thought was an excellent cliffhanger how she met up with Grace and demanded that they have a little chat. Next week looks seriously depressing, but it may also mean that Sheryl gets to spend more time with Alto since she might be leaning on him or he’ll catch her when she’s sad, although the preview implies that she’ll be on her own anyway. I think Sheryl will find out the truth about everything and her being the “failed project”, so from now on, things are getting heaps better.

Ranka Attack means failure.

There’s sadly no doubt that losing to your enemy twice will leave you walking the rest of your life on earth Macross in shame. Having lost to Brera again, I do pity Alto-hime and hope that he will eventually beat Brera in whatever way, but what I’m more worried and confused about is the reason for Sheryl’s existence. Perhaps she will be the one for Alto-hime to lean on during troubled times, or she will do something in order to bring back those glorious days when she was ‘everything’, for it is unquestionable that she holds some sort of jealousy towards Ranka. Admitting to her stubbornness in this episode, Sheryl will surely do anything besides watching events involving Ranka tumble one after another. After all, in the past Ranka was just an ordinary girl who was and still is blessed with a beautiful voice.

Before being the songtress of hope, she was a lost puppy, and it was Sheryl herself who bestowed Ranka with enough courage to sing her heart out. Imagine seeing someone who used to cower before you and admire you so much as if you meant the world all of a sudden rise ahead of you. In addition to that, Grace has made it pretty clear that she no longer gives a toss about Sheryl, which is why it’s so horrible for Sheryl to now see her standing beside Ranka instead. It’s almost as if Ranka is unintentionally stealing everything that once belonged to Sheryl, and if Ranka ends up winning Alto-hime’s heart before the series ends, Sheryl would probably long be gone after that. I feel that Sheryl’s purpose in Macross Frontier is to be the one who not only watches, but provokes Ranka to compete with her to win over Alto-hime, who seems to be oblivious to the so-called ‘love-triangle.’ That being said, would Alto-hime then be Ranka’s one major weakness if Ozma should perish in the following episode as both the title and preview implies?

Brera obviously feels very close to Ranka, using those corny comparisons to encourage her to sing more lively and powerfully, but I’m not sure that he’ll be able to continue doing this mission if he knows that Ranka is just being used as a tool. Being ‘connected’ to her like a brother and now taking his role as a bodyguard seriously, I have a feeling that Brera will eventually turn over his ‘bad’ deeds and become one of the good characters. I also get this terrible vibe that Grace has her own separate plans to the one with Leon, and that Leon doesn’t know everything he thinks he does. As Omni suggested, the purple stone on Sheryl’s earring will definitely show some importance later on, possibly a key to awakening the Vajra’s young while Ranka’s lullaby sings the Vajra or their movements to sleep. I’m certainly looking forward to the next episode because more Klan Klein screen-time, Michel’s flirtacious and charm, and an exlcusive baby Ranka.

Snapshots from Omni since I didn’t want subtitles in my images (damn .avi files).

Superb. This episode was really awesome, although at the beginning I couldn’t stop wondering when Alto-hime would finally rescue Ranka. I like the new side of Luca — ’twas very manly indeed. I still can’t tell what exactly Leon and Grace are planning, but I’m theorizing that they want to know how to control the Vajra (in order to take over the entire universe and destroy all mankind). Brera’s allegiance obviously does not lie within the Macross dudes, I don’t think, since Leon smirked at the declaration. I suppose Ranka was crying at the end in the bubble because her “children” were destroyed (or she really needed to pee ‘cos I know I would). Sheryl’s reaction to Alto-hime’s constant concern for Ranka was just priceless, but I couldn’t tell if it was from jealousy, surprise, or simply both.

Now we know where Ranka gets her green-hair from, and Brera’s presumably got his from the father. I’m guessing that the purpose of the lullaby is to call upon the Vajra, and, perhaps when those other non-Vajra aliens came to attack Ranka right after her song, it’s all just a coincidence and they just sensed enemy invasion, and their approach has absolutely nothing to do with the lullaby. It was also nice to see that Ranka is gradually maturing, which means that in no time she will be able to have Alto-hime all to herself, so long as she knows how to play her cards right. I loved seeing Alto-hime’s determination to wipe out all those monsters and save Ranka, but unfortunately Brera beat him to it. Already I can see that in the future Brera and Alto-hime will compete against each other for Ranka’s love, or so my love-triangle obsessed brain says so. Next week it looks like one of those relationship-building, filllerifc chaos with a tad of minor/major information about Grace and Leon’s plan. I’m definitely looking forward to it after seeing the preview of more Alto-hime blushing.

Inspired by bakaneko’s post. Ranka’s kids are embracing Alto-hime, their panda father, while Sheryl is tied up.

Fate brought them together.

Oh my gosh! Alto-hime and Ranka are so meant to be [together] — they’re way too cute as a couple. It was really enjoyable to watch this episode as a whole, even though I don’t appreciate mecha as much as others do — the action was just so awesome while it lasted only for a short amount of time. If Brera is a robot with Ranka’s brother’s DNA or something, then no doubt I think he’ll be the badass guy that will end up saving Ranka by sacrificing his own life during the process. There were certainly some hints implying a Michel x Sheryl official pairing, but like Kabitzin stated, it’s probably just a flirting thing they have going on. Besides, Michel had that cute image of Klan in his mind while on the topic of Alto-hime being surrounded by stubborn girls.

Definitely no surprise that the entire incident was Grace’s idea to begin with, and things became so thrilling towards the end since the Dimension Eater was executed. Seriously, my brain hasn’t been so jumpy since Shirley’s death in CODE GEASS R2, which was not too long ago, really. Anyway, my reaction to Grace’s miraculous skill to jump so high and far was “wtf?”, until I realized that she must be a mutant of some sort, which makes me wonder if Leon is really human at all. I mean, he could be a pretty boy in disguise because he’s so fugly and disturbing right now that it pains me to see him on-screen.

Ranka’s connection with the Vajra wasn’t shocking, but I’d like to know what kind of connection she has with those big flying creatures. Man, I just kept smiling every time Alto-hime called for Ranka desparately. The girl is sure one darn lucky loli to have two guys flying to her rescue now. I’d like to see Alto-hime get jealous over Brera’s ability to protect Ranka and appear just in time before Alto-hime to save her. Then Alto-hime will feel like he’s not needed any more and Ranka can finally grab this emo period and confess her love to him!

Next week it looks like loads more mecha action and some interesting facts of Ranka’s past will surely unfold. Also, judging from the title, Ranka’s song, the only figment of her past, is actually a lullaby probably taught to her by her mother. Maybe its initial purpose was to make the aliens sleep, but someone accidentally stuffed up the tune to make the melody call for the monsters instead. Oh, and I’m loving Brera as always since he’s such a tank character and his machine is red! *squeals* Just give him a new change of clothes that don’t stick too tight to his skin and he’s perfect!

RANKA RABU RABU RABU!!!

This episode was one of the greatest I’ve seen so far. Ranka was willing to risk her life in order to give Alto-hime her present and since last week it looked like Sheryl was going to be the one to win Alto-hime, this week it looks like the reverse. Ranka truly is the best green-loli ever, and I just loved her songs and how Alto-hime’s battle with the ugly guy intertwined. Unforunately, my VLC Player wasn’t reading the subs so I had no idea what was going on in the start, and although I don’t like Sheryl a lot, I feel really bad for her. Also, we get to find out that Alto never wanted to ditch Ranka in the first place, but it was actually Michel’s suggestion.

Another wonderful thing about this episode is that Alto and Ranka were blushing at each other during the ride home, which I found really cute. Hopefully one of the girls will be able to confess soon, and I don’t care who does it first, I just hope Ranka will get chosen in the end. Even though Ranka appearing and singing and the aliens falling in love with her was sort of ridiculous, I loved it all the same. Next week we’ll see what the Macross is, more action with Brera, and Alto-hime will look more hime than ever!

Sing, Ranka, sing for all us fans!

I’m not a man or alien, but I’m one of them

MUAHAHA! Sucks to be you (not quite, you’ve got everything a girl could ever dream of)

Ending couple? Hope so (dunnoes what happened to the image, dun care)

Fin

*criiiiiiiiiiiiies*

So overall, this episode wasn’t so bad and unforunately, we didn’t get to see any mecha action either. The only action we got was learning more about our wonderful characters Alto and Ranka. Ranka’s fame increased dramatically thanks to that one movie and I loved listening to that Nyan Nyan song. Ranka definitely spends less time with her friends now that she’s so famous, but at least they still keep in touch from time to time. Ranka seriously needs to become more fierce if she wants to win against Sheryl for Alto-hime’s love. In the meantime, Alto just seems clueless to it all and he should’ve stayed for Ranka’s cookies of love instead, but noooooo, he wanted to “fly” when he’s flown so many times before.

I have no idea what is going to happen next in Macross Frontier and I remember not liking it so much at the beginning of the series since it was mostly about the mecha, Vajra, action and fighting, but now there’s a lot of love going on as well now, which might imply that Ranka’s love for Alto and his feelings for her in return may result in huge consequences in the future. I get this feeling that some time Ranka or Sheryl is going to die, but then again, I just love it when main characters die.

Alto-hime is probably the only one who doesn’t care what happens to Sheryl’s boobs

So Alto ditched Ranka to hang out with Sheryl, and apparently it was actually a scheme to lure Alto into a trap. Well, serves him right for leaving Ranka, but at least he had Michel inform her. I can understand that Alto loves flying and that perhaps what made him choose to go with Sheryl instead is because he wants to prove to Nii-san that his dream is to fly and not act.

Oh, lookie, I have a never-ending stash of papers up my ass

We get to see more of Alto’s past, but sadly, we still don’t know how he conjures up all those papers to make his airplanes. He was pretty cute as well, and I think it was his mother who told him blah blah blah about being able to fly. And he looks so happy here.

It’s the rarest Pokemon

This green-squishy-bubbly thing is too cute. I wonder if it has some connection with the Vajra, or with Brera himself and that’s why it continues to follow Ranka. The red gem on its head probably holds some significance as well, and I get this feeling that it will someday save Ranka.

DoTA is extremely addicting

And high-schoolers love it

Cathy’s quite a dirty woman, trying to look to sneak a peak at Klan’s breasts

Klan and Cathy had some important discussion, but I lost track of what they were going on about half-way. Shortie Klan is definitely a cute. Grace and Leon also have this secret business going on that has something to do with Alto, of course, and I think Ranka as well and Brera. They’re probably trying to search for a reason behind the several Vajra attack and have already theororized that it has something to do with Ranka, and now they need to know what makes Ranka’s voice call to them. I don’t know, but I suppose it’s something like that, or perhaps they’re just having fun ruining Ranka’s day.

Funny, I thought it would be the reverse: the ones who can see help the blind

So the ol’ man is dying and if Alto visits him on his birthday then the geezer will accept Alto as his son again. I don’t like Yotsuba (is that even his name? can’t remember) because he’s kindaa creepy and also rather hideous lols. Usually 24/7 smiling guys are cute, but this one ain’t.

Are you in dire need for someone to help you with your love life?

Yes, I’d like you to make Alto visit me at Clark Cliff, please!

Why, of course, that can be arranged *cough cough*

So I don’t know if Sheryl intentionally meant to call Alto and meet her up on the same day Ranka was planning on meeting him, and I suppose she used his passion for flying to her advantage by giving him the description of a “vast and limitless sky.” She’s cool and lovable, but she’s also really hard to understand because she’s so cheery sometimes, and it’s pretty obvious that she holds feelings for Alto, and like Shirukii mentioned, she’s always so flirtacious. She helps Ranka and yet does things behind her back.

The new ED song (it’s new, right?) was awesome, and I’m so happy that Ranka sings it. I loved the extra Ranka images they added at the end.

Honestly, I got so pissed every time Sheryl met up with Alto. I’m glad that the green-bubbly creature appeared once more to comfort Ranka and I thought that Ranka was just going to give Alto a ticket to her concert, and the airplane cookies made me so hungry. It was such a sweet gift too! I’m extremely relieved that this episode focused a lot on Ranka and her new life-style too.

Next week looks like there’s going to be loads of mecha action and I am thrilled that Ranka will also be in it. I’d shoot Sheryl for stealing Alto, and Grace and Leon for their “everything went according to plan.” I had hoped that Brera and Ranka wouldn’t be siblings, but nothing’s wrong with a dose of anime incest love.

Secret language only AltoxRanka fans will understand:

SDFJSHDJK! SKDJFHJWEOIMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SDFJS SOIDFU EKON SOGHSDLFUHSLIDJBLAI DFUSGHDLIGJBSKDJBFSODFSDIHFOSDIJFOSDK OSDJKHOSDFHIS DOFISDJOIFHSDFH SDFSAMPROGIH FISDHFOISD FOSIDFHOSDINF OSIDJ FOSDI FJOISDFJ IOSDFJ OISD FOISDH FHSGEL UAH LEIUGFH SLIEGUH SRG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA ALTOXRANKA AKSJDH AISUDHIAULSHD ILUASH DLIUASH ILDUH ASILUDH ILASU DGHILHUA SLIUDEH ILAWKJH VAILWUH E~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Extra thoughts:

Preview: Missing Birthday

So next week it looks like Ranka is going to be the next Sheryl, we finally get to find out how the bloody fcuk Alto manages to conjure up paper, and more fanservice will ensue! No doubt Ranka and Alto were going to become distant due to her fame rising, but it shouldn’t be that horrible if Alto still gets to talk with Sheryl a lot. BANZAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!