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Well, Totsugeki Love Heart was playing in Ozma's car in Episode 2, but I know what you mean. I doubt it'll happen though.

Guess I'm going to have to hunt down that game and play it (along with VF-X and VF-X2).

I'll bet that's how she got her part as an extra in the first place. So for all those who said that her manager was an idiot for coming up with that particular method of promotion (handing out cards/packets, or, knowing that this has a basis in Japanese culture, perhaps that was kleenex or toilet paper?? Hey, when you're in the public can and have nothing better to read...) can eat a little crow because it actually resulted in some ULTRA SUPER BIG NEWS for Ranka! How about that?

Just saw the Chihiro sub, and I'm having a hard time figuring out the connection between the Hydra (a creature that lives only on Eden) and the Vajra and that we'd soon see the "true terror" of the Vajra. Unless, those who have been positing that the Vajra were created by a corporation (General Galaxy?) are correct. Then perhaps they altered the Hydra into the glowing eyed freak that we saw, and it was attracted to Ranka for the same reasons that the Vajra are attracted to her (whatever they may be). It also looks like those who thought the corporation were experimenting on those crystals might be correct, if what they want from exchange from Leon is their research into crystal technology (or more crystals; was hard to figure out what s/he meant). Anyways, the Hydra's now dead thanks to Brera, but I wonder what the purple-haired man-chick meant by the "true terror" of the Hydra.

Robocop was more machine than man, but he was a good guy! However, since this is Macross, Brera's probably somewhere in between. As in, he's just an ass. A well-meaning one (re: saves Ranka's life), but an ass all the same.

Oh, I probably am. Personally, I think that Brera will play the role of the "mysterious transfer student" adding yet one more anime cliche to this series. But I love the fact that Frontier is motivating people to speculate. You can't say that many shows on either side of the Pacific is worthy enough to stimulate that kind of discussion.

Could also be Ranka's mother as well (since it's been established that she has dissociative amnesia and doesn't remember her parents). And the way that Ranka keeps going on about her "Big Brother" every time she's in danger, could imply that there was a brother too. Makes you wonder if it's Brera, what with the Aimo connection and all and his Robocop like enhancements... . <- Holy crap, now that I think about it, that makes a lot of sense! I'm going to put that in the Plot thread because I like that theory!

Posted this in the episode 10 discussion, but I'm just going to put this here as a matter of record since I think it's a cool theory. Mao is Sheryl's mom. She's also Ranka's (since Ranka has dissociative amnesia and can't remember her parents). Finally, Ranka keeps going on about "Big Brother" every time she's in danger. I think Brera's that brother, whom she thought had died, but was saved due to cybernetics. Brera knows this though, and that's why he was quick to save Ranka in episode 10 (although my Japanese is rusty, so I don't know what his superior officer had said to him after the rescue). That's why they both know Aimo, and since it hasn't been established on screen yet that Sheryl has heard Aimo sung by Ranka, I'm willing to bet she knows that song too somehow and will be all like "WTF?" when she hears Ranka singing that song (although now that I think about it, she would have seen it at the Macross Zero airing, so perhaps that particular theory is a bust). I still think Brera and Ranka are related though. How about that?

Oh I agree with that. A lot of people have complained about the animation quality at times, and I don't necessarily agree. I think that they've been fine, although given the previous output of Chinese studios on other projects, I'm more prone to blame them rather than the Filipino studios at this point in time. It's just that the main animators for this episode was Nara Animation and Satellite and the quality of their previous episodes has been very consistent. This particular scene wasn't, so I'm willing to bet that above the rest of the last nine episodes, that scene will definitely be redone, simply because it's the in-between frames that need the work. Other scenes in previous episodes would have to be completely re-done to fix them (ex. Sheryl's concert scenes in episode 7) because the key frames were crap as well, but not this particular scene since the key frames are fine. Anyways, that scene is a very minor quibble and I'm not one to normally complain about the animation quality. I loved this episode.

I didn't have too much of a problem with it, although watching it a second time, it was the in-betweeners that really suffered. I'm fairly certain that'll be fixed for home release. There was absolutely no detail in the in-between animations. You can tell because as soon as the action paused, all of this detail would magically appear. Obviously, those frames were rushed.

Along with the exact wording and spelling of "Macross" (as opposed to its katakana spelling or romaji equivalent), although granted, that was just on the eyecatch and who knows if those will be included in the home video release (they probably will though). Of course, maybe they're just trying to cut down on the number of uses, even though it's inevitable that they'll need to show it.

You can't beat that logic!

Given Alto's kabuki roots, and the fact that the creators are fond of using the familiar with a twist and borrowing from every type of anime cliche out there, I'm 90% certain if a third person is introduced, it'll be a guy (probably played by a female voice) in order to attract all the yaoi fans.

FYI, the information on "Sakurahime azuma bunsho" that Cathy and the Bridge Bunnies (for lack of a better term) are looking at on their terminal on the Quarter is taken directly from this page here: http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/kabuki/en/5/5_04_16.html So you don't need access to the HD raw to read what's on the screen (although it helps; I doubt that you'd be able to make out the wording if it was on standard-def 420p).

The bottom line is that all of these easter eggs they're throwing in has no impact whatsoever on the story. So it should still be accessible to new or casual viewers. That said, if you've been following Macross for the last 25 years, there's so much here to enjoy. It is obviously a love letter to the fans as much as anything.

One other question: is the voice actor of the actor playing Shin the same as the voice actor that played Shin in Zero? It sounds like the same guy to me. If so, then that's pretty funny. Would be even better if the voices of Miranda and Ranka were played by the actresses of Sara and Mao, but I suppose that'd be too much to ask for.

Assuming Spurs lots of theories. In any case, I'm very interested in seeing where this is all leading up. Oh, and did anyone notice Also, since my Japanese is kind of rusty,

You forgot the music.

You mean General Galaxy, the makers of the famous YF-21? I wouldn't be surprised if this were the case, given the lack of mechanical controls seen in the VF-27's cockpit. Conspiracies abound!

Anyways, thanks for that. My Japanese isn't that good so I wasn't quite sure what he said to get himself slapped. Knowing that, it seems an appropriate reaction.