ShizumaRobo

Frontier/City 25 itself was also one of my favorite things about this show. It just looked so beautiful and inviting. Not only was I amazed at the sheer size of it compared to the other fleets, but the pure imagination and detail. I loved the combination of San Francisco and Shibuya. City 25 to me,was every bit as interesting a setting as Eden from Macross Plus. As the earlier posts said, the city just seemed to have a vibe and personality all its own. The backgrounds in this show are pretty mindblowing and really made me imagine what it would be like living in a city floating in space. Also, there are a lot of other little touches I loved on this show. A big thing I loved the the incredible editing and direction. Episode 7 is a prime example, even though its stock footage, I absolutely loved how the battle was combined with scenes from Sheryl's concert, and the way the battle just moved along to the music of "Don't be Late." (Especially when it hits the refrain right when Ozma unloads his "Itano circus" at the enemy. Too, too awesome. ) I also really loved how none of the endings were the same, and the "movie-style" closings to episodes such as 7 and 20 only made the show feel even more epic to me.

I'm shocked that there are so little votes for Klan. But still I have to agree, Sheryl Nome is probably the best character in the series. She went through so much change and character growth over the course of these 25 episodes.

I find it funny that Kawamori didn't even mention Episode 8.

I really hope they go all out with the OST releases, much like they did with Macross 7. I'd love to hear all of the show's music.

While I agree with the review, I disagree with him saying that they should drop Macross Zero. It definetly wasn't the series' best, but a lot of Frontier's plot was connected to it.

http://www.therossman.com/rrr/anime/macross_frontier.html Say what you want about Rossman, but I agree with every word.

I just heard people are already listening to OST2. I have a question..... Is the Episode preview theme on it? And the Orchestral piece from the beginning of Episode 2? (It was a remix of "The Target" when Alto and Ranka were escaping from the Vajra.)

Yeah, its funny that the very same thing that got us into Macross, is also the cause of its hinderance in the U.S.

Back then, there used to be a local station that used to show a lot of anime movies. (Locke the Superman, Dallos) And "Clash of the Bionoids" happened to be one of them. I had no idea what the movie was, but it looked interesting. I came in from school one day and caught the part where Hikaru and Misa are camping out on a devestated Earth. I was practically blown away from what I saw afterwards. Then for the first time I watched all of the Macross saga of Robotech on Toonami (R.I.P.) and it truly won me over. I had to see more Macross, so I checked out Macross Plus and II.

Personally, I don't know whether to call Macross 7 a brilliant anime or a horrible one. Because in reality, Macross 7 culture shocked us. I still remember when I was younger, I first discovered Macross through Robotech when it ran on Toonami. I loved it so much and I wanted to see more. Then I was absolutely floored by Macross Plus (the movie version) and I enjoyed every minute of it. Hell, I even liked Macross II. I remember seeing posters of Macross 7 and I thought it looked pretty interesting. I dug the character and mecha designs (espeically Basara's VF-19 Fire VF) My very first experience with it was the movie.... "WTF is this crap?!" That was my first reaction. Where the story? Where's the high-flying drama, romance and character development? All we got was an anime where the main character wanders around and fights sentai villains with the power of music. I pretty much reacted the same way the Zentredi did when they were introduced to Earth culture. I guess that was just one point M7 was trying to make. It wasn't the Macross we once knew, it wasn't anything close to it. It was a huge departure from the more mature stories of SDFM and Plus. It was like taking Macross and having a 5 year old tell the rest of the story and draw with crayons all over it. It as especially jarring watching this right after Macross Plus. Granted, Macross 7 is easily the most light-hearted entry of the series, however the laid-back nature of the show being extended for such a long time made it tough for me to watch. I probably would have liked it more if it mixed the crazy antics of Firebomber along with the more tension-filled action packed heroics of SDFM and Plus. But I guess any of the latter wouldn't have went with Basara's philosophy..... The production quality also kind of took me out of it, I can't remember any of the action sequences because they were so stale, and despite the great music of Firebomber they repeated stuff way too much. I also wished it had an original BGM score. Recycling stuff from II and Plus sort of cheapened things for me. Still despite all that Macross 7 has proably one of the best Openings I've seen out of any anime. My jaw actually dropped when I saw the opening CGI shot of Basara looking over City 7, revealing itself to be a ship in space as the title appears on-screen. (It looked every bit as badass as Macross Plus) I love "Seventh Moon" and the visuals themselves just seemed to ooze a certain style that I felt the show itself lacked. However, I guess Macross 7 can be good if you approach it the right way. I think it makes a lot of sense to have a story where the secondary characters are changed by the main one. And I guess like Minmay, it needs to take time to win us over much like the she did with the Zentraedi in Space War I. However, to me that made the show much less accessible compared to the others. (Even the best episodes of the show made me go "Meh.") However, I'll give it some credit, because it culture shocked us, much like Basara did to the main cast. In a way, it is a bit clever in that aspect. Overall, I still think Macross 7 will never have the same rewatch quality that SDFM, Plus and Frontier did. But it's all a matter of taste....

Here's my personal series ranking. 1. Super Dimensional Fortress Macross/DYRL (The original is still the best...) 2. Macross Frontier (As a Macross fan, I must ask "Where have you been all my life?" ) 3. Macross Plus (Still Macross at its finest. Never gets old no matter how many times I watch it.) 4. Macross Zero (Great, as long as you don't watch it for the plot. ) 5. Macross II: Lover's Again (Not a bad series for being non-canon) 6. Macross 7 (This was the toughest one for me to watch. Especially jarring if you're expecting another SDFM or Plus.)

Why would people be disappointed? Episode 6 was merely buildup for the next episode. I'm also surprised that a filler episode did better than the beautiful tapestry of mecha porn that was "First Attack."

If you think about it, if Grace hadn't been stopped by Frontier, there probably would have been a Space War II.

So, which Macross Kanno soundtrack do you prefer? Plus or Frontier?

I concur. Episode 25 put a huge smile on my face.

However, while I think the original is still the best, Frontier still had the best production values out of a Macross TV series.

It seems like a lot of people are split on the ending. Some loved it. (Raises hand) and some hated it for not resolving the triangle. Personally, I think if Alto chose someone, fans would still be pissed off. The losing side would be hating the ending just as much. No matter the result of the love triangle, I don't think everyone could have been happy. Also, I think Kawamori meant for the triangle to be a joke. Much like he pranked us on the implied death of Ozma. In fact, judging by the Openings, I think he was only making fun of the love triangle aspect. Frontier mirrored a lot of the original Macross series, however he turned a lot of traditional elements on its head, and kept the show from being predictable. In a way, I thought it made sense that Alto chose flying over the girls. As a character he seemed to have way too many issues to pursue a relationship yet.

Someone hasn't watched Macross Zero.

Pretty damn clever of Kawamori if you ask me. However, I should have known when we seen his train sets and maids. Bilrer is pretty much a Zentraedi fanboy.

Well, with only one episode left, what did you expect? A cliffhanger? Or a Tomino-style "kill-em-all" ending? I do kinda agree with you on the music though.

One small nitpick. When the Grace-controlled Vajra were folding all over the Galaxy, I kinda wish we saw more locations. Such as....I dunno....Macross 7? It was still pretty epic though, I was satisfied to see Earth and the Macross just as it was in Plus. Still, I can't see why some people are so upset over the ending. It's still more conclusive than Zero.

I guess a lot of the Galaxy fleet was blown away. But I think some escaped. Still, as someone mentioned, their actions could possibly isolate them from NUNS. By the way, did anyone else notice a lot more people linked into the Fold Network with Grace? They could be more of Galaxy's inhabitants. That's one of my only gripes with the show, Galaxy was always in the shadows. We never really got to know them.

Did anyone else think it was clever that so much of this episode's imagery was seen on both Openings? (Ranka and Sheryl flying through fold space, Battle Frontier with fleet/Koenig Monster in front, the multiple triangles) I guess Kawamori really did have this ending all planed out.

Dang. My mistake.

Well, what do I think overall? Frontier rules. While it certainly doesn't beat out the original SDF Macross, its still a fantastic anime its definetly the Macross sequel I've been waiting for for a long time. I think its the best the Macross universe has to offer and it certainly beats the pants off Macross 7. Pros: - The animation is gorgeous, while I agree that some of the character animation is a little off, and a few episodes use some stock footage, its still a breathtaking show visually. And it has some of the most awesome and eye-popping battles I've seen in a Macross show. The awesome CGI work certainly elevates it. - The music is just incredible and I think its some of Yoko Kanno's finest work. (However, she really isn't capable of letting me down in any soundtrack.) The excellent vocal work of Megumi and May'n help a lot and the fantastic orchestral themes are very memorable. Looking back, the soundtrack is pretty big. I don't think Frontier would have had the same impact without Kanno. I'm so glad they brought her back. She will always be the "John Williams" of anime music IMO. - The show has some really solid direction. I really felt a sense of doom and dread whenever the Vajra attacked, and actually felt for the characters when the time called for it. I also loved how Frontier was portrayed as a society. Also, the music is just so wonderfully woven into the plot. - The characters were very memorable, I actually ended up caring for a lot of them in the end. I loved how the show focused on them just as much as it did on the juicy mecha porn. - It finally goes back to the darker edge that SDF Macross and Plus had. Wars are fought and people die. It wasn't afraid to show the casualties of war, which is something I really missed in Macross. - LOTS of memorable villains. The Vajra are probably some of the most menacing aliens I've seen in Macross and Leon and Grace were awesome bad guys as well. I loved how it wasn't just about "Humans vs. Vajra" but it also showed that not everyone could be trusted on the human side. - The shout outs and references to earlier Macross productions. From Luca's use of the Ghost VF's to Ozma's love of Firebomber. Cons: - It's too short. While I liked its "quality over quantity" approach, things did feel rather rushed toward the end. - Everything could have been fleshed out a little more. I wish we knew more about the whole Global incident and the whole deal with Galaxy. Beyond Grace and Sheryl's flashbacks, we never really saw what Galaxy was like. They were always hidden in the shadows. The show could have benefited from a few more episodes. Had it done that it would have been equal to the original series IMO. (SDF Macross always had the advantage of them showing the aftermath of the war.) - No resolution to the love triangle. However, I was fairly content with this. But that depends on your point of view. I still find the reaction of most fans interesting. - Bilra was interesting. I wish we knew more about him his dreams and his obsession over Minmay. - We never really got so see Battle Frontier transform. So overall, I give the entire series a 9/10. Well done Kawamori. I hope the movie takes the opportunity to buffer out the rougher edges of the show.