marthf1

Hmm, I'd say I'm ambivalent about Basara. The series definitely could have been shorter or perhaps found a way for Basara to grate less. I learn a bit about the series & him every time I read through these threads, so I can't really point to specifics without embarrassing myself. Heh, haven't watched it for probably a decade now. Although various people have pointed out Dr. Chiba has explanations for everything & there is lots of built-upon themes, I still recall it coming across more like magic than I expected. It's kind of why I lost interest in Macross Zero as it progressed. Macross Frontier is a whole other bag of worms for me. Due to much of the anime & manga in the past decade (I think), I've actually been thinking it'd be refreshing to see more to 'force-of-nature' type characters where we're just along for the ride or watching them help out other characters. Then I see these debates & wonder, if its really something that'd be much better. I guess some point might point to this series as why it was a good plot point for Kamina to die (since someone mentioned TTGL).

Wow, I haven't bought any since the 1/72s, but this....this is definitely a must-buy. Initially, I didn't like it or the YF-21 (preferring the YF-19), but both have grown on me so much, that the VF-4 & YF-21 are my favorites. Huh, it's interesting that the VF-4 seems to have the most complex transformation scheme since the YF-19 & YF-21 are designed far afterwords (in canon, at least). This design is really one-of-a-kind - I guess for a good reason, hah hah. Hmm, since I haven't perused the past discussions, I wonder if it took any cues from the Queadluun-Rau like the YF-21. The VF-4 & YF-21 seem to be the only two mainstream designs that are 'top-heavy', as the VA-3M Invader & Feios Valkyrie are even more obscure. I guess there might be a few others, but they don't have the boxer-look quite down. Eh, I guess this question falls apart since the fighter mode stands pretty much alone & other than the P-38 Lightning, I think only the SR-71 shares the design.

Seriously people, David Hingtgen has already commented on the VF-4's transformation capabilities. On page 3, post 88, he links to The Macross Compendium: Fallacies. It is the third-to-last fallacy. Unless there is more accurate information someone would like to present? For me, it is one of those grow-to-love designs. I enjoy it top-down in all modes. I feel only the VF-11 & further back, the VF-1 rival it.

I weird thing that I think I am noticing is that the more hardline people want Gundam, just with the Macross characters in it, that is, a rehash of the series dressed up as something else. Er, if a new series was wanted at all. Macross was classic because of its cataclysmic aspects and when the humans succeeded - the end. Macross 7 and Frontier run into other species, but humanity has expanded, so there will never be a similar situation unless there is a human genocide. Macross Plus is the sidestory of characters that exist within such an universe. Macross Zero is the first contact - the first couple of minutes glossed over in the beginning of the series. As somebody mentioned, Kawamori is great because he has tried to make every series unique, something often lacking in Gundam. Well, perhaps outside of UC Gundam. If the various interpretations of the universe beyond Macross are disliked, that kind of originality is probably disliked as well. Edit: Erk, I am mostly repeating what various people have been suggesting... My brain must have been shut down.