DeeBot

Take this with a grain of salt, since the last time I re-watched Zero was back when "Legend of Zero" came out, but I actually recall not liking the Zero dogfights all that much. They came across to me as a bit too frantic, which may be realistic (I can't really say what dogfighting in variable fighters would really be like), but seemed like little more than excuses to splurge on the mecha pr0n. I didn't feel like the storytelling was being moved forward much by the combat sequences. In contrast, I always enjoyed the dogfights in the original series, which is all the more amazing considering that they were hand-drawn vs. Zero's flashy CGI. The pace was slower, the action simpler, and I felt like I could sit back and take it all in. Max's scenes were always a treat, in particular. They were just fast enough that you could be impressed with his virtuosity, but slow enough to still take in all the action. That's not to say that Zero's combat sequences weren't gorgeously rendered, and there were some real spectacular, impressive moments that I enjoyed, but most of the time the fights were just a blur to me. I mainly waited for all the explosions to end so we could move on to the next plot point. Sadly, I think Frontier's dogfights come across pretty much the same way to me.

Nah, Ozma wasn't shooting to kill, it's just that Luca sucked more than he was expecting, and let two through. Well, by that logic the CF-25s were all destroyed, too. Ozma was firing into asteroids a lot to create a lot of debris. I get more the feeling that the NUNS fighters weren't able to keep up with Alto, Luca, et al., rather than being destroyed in combat. Yeah, that's what I figured. And Ozma looked over at Alto's and Luca's fighters, and seemed regretful that they hadn't come. Of course, presumably if they had gotten the message and wanted to stop the SMS leaving, they would have gotten there sooner... odd. (We have an explanation for Alto, of course, and I guess Luca was preoccupied with his fold wave thingie, or maybe he never got the message because it was clear he was a NUNS rat by now.) It's all a bit confusing. I'm not sure a more careful sub would fix this, or if it's just confusing dialogue in the episode itself. (Also, Wilder super-rocks in this episode. I was a bit thrown by Bobby's use of English, though. I wonder if this turn prompted the PotC-sounding theme earlier...)

Having finished watching the sub, I've gotta say... I'm really looking forward to next week's episode. It looks like it's going to be heavy on flashbacks and background information. Hopefully, we'll finally be told what this is all about.

I like the idea (mentioned in the episode 22 discussion thread, I believe) that the Frontier fleet will have to learn to live in harmony with the Vajra, and settle down on their planet, as their supplies make further colonization efforts impossible. As we near the end, I've been reflecting on Macross endings. Other than the original series, we really haven't had endings that wrap up the loose ends. If we look at the planned original run for each Macross series, they all end in what some might call an inconclusive manner. I think the same will probably hold true for Frontier, too. Considering the episode count (which coincides nicely for numerological reasons, but is a bit shorter than speculated), we'll probably get the main plot closed out (the mystery of the Vajra and the ultimate fate of Frontier and its inhabitants), but I imagine a lot will still be left open-ended. In a way, a Macross series never really ends; even though you know you'll probably never see this particular cast of characters ever again, you know the larger world goes on. An OAV might be nice to wrap things up. I'm not sure what it could be about, though. In short: I think a lot of what we're wondering about with regards to Galaxy, Grace, the Protoculture, etc. will be left unresolved. I also think we'll get some startling revelations, but left with plenty of mysteries as well. The general fate of the major characters will be decided, but we won't see the details.

I'm betting Sheryl dies at the end of episode 23. Episode 24 has Alto coming to terms with this, and comparing notes with Klan, who lost Micheal back in episode 20. Actually, I don't think any of that is going to happen, but it certainly could, couldn't it?

It's a Wiki, so if you want to make it "more accurate," you're free to. However, the tvtropes.org Wiki is a lot less formal than Wikipedia; they almost encourage a certain level of "wrongness." In the end, it's a matter of opinion, and the discussion is all in good fun.

Some points... I find the cheers of the AxS faction to be a bit amusing, since I've had a pet theory going for some time that Sheryl might bite it well before the final episode. Hey, if it happened to Michael... the next episode, in fact, would be a terrific time to bump Sheryl off. My inclination that it was probably just a kiss, just from the perceived time lag. I find it hard to believe that Alto could have scrambled to go after the Quarter if he'd spent any significant time with Sheryl. Concerning the planet, perhaps the Birdman flew back to the PC home world, then spawned the Vajra. I'm inclined to believe the Vajra are a relatively recent phenomena, in galactic terms, since they apparently replicate like mad and would undoubtedly have overrun the galaxy by now if they dated back to the end of the PC civilization. Possible culture shock may involve some sort of PC artifact on that planet, which would stun Frontier with its revelations. After all, consider how hate-filled and war-like the Frontier fleet has become. In a way, they've lost the culture that kept them human (almost literally, in the sense of Ranka flying off), and like the original Zentradi, will need to be re-cultured to return to peace and harmony with the Vajra (which is where this all seems to be heading, in true Macross fashion).

Let's hope all of you people here who criticize Ranka for running from her responsibilities that you never perform anything less than completely admirably when called upon. Ever.

"Die for our 'ship!" Yeah, I liked this episode, too. Maybe even loved it. Don't see why people have such a problem with it.

Wait, you mean he's been paying attention to them? Instead of folding paper airplanes and saying, "Ranka..." and "Sheryl..." a lot? And somehow continuing to remain oblivious? Here's my latest crazy plot idea: Alto and Klan fall in love in the wake of Michael's tragic death. Ranka and Sheryl are left in the cold, swear off men, and go on a galactic singing tour together.

I haven't been following this very closely, but from what I gather, GG has a policy that they only want to release a really high quality file, and the other subs usually arrive a bit later. I don't think beggars can be choosers in this regard (after all, you could just wait for Lunar to release a sub you find acceptable), and since this is apparently part of GG's "branding," if you will, I don't think they're going to change their minds just to satisfy complaints. They want to put out the highest quality release they can, not necessarily the easiest to view. It's part of the ethos that drives volunteer groups like this. If you really want a solution to this, it's probably to have a third party take the GG-released MKV file, re-encode it with a more lenient codec/resolution, and then re-distribute that (probably as a torrent). As long as you give credit and don't try to pass it off as a real GG release, that would probably be OK. And it's something one suitably-dedicated person could do, not a whole fansub group. There's something a bit ironic about this, of course, in that a lot of people here probably get their fansubs via BitTorrent. And yet most people I know would find BitTorrent horribly mysterious, and complain loudly that they want a direct download option (nay, that it was their right not to have to use BitTorrent). Ultimately, we're pretty privileged that fansub groups and the modern Internet allow at least a select few of us (among anime fans overall) to follow series like Macross Frontier almost as they air. Waiting a few extra days for a Lunar release, if GG really gives you that much indigestion, isn't that big a deal, in the big picture.

I wouldn't be that surprised. To me, Luca always seemed to try to act younger than his age. If he matured, he would have dropped some years of fake youth, and toss on some added years of abruptly forced maturity.

Whatever it is, I hope it gets A LOT of screentime... Hrm... perhaps a means for the VF-171 to fire MDE rounds? It might be the Macross equivalent of trying to strap a GAU-8 to an airplane.

People keep saying this (particularly in the who-do-you-want-to-die-next thread), but I can't say I really get the sentiment. How does killing off either of these two really solve anything? I don't care if they die or not, as long as they're ultimately foiled. Just killing either of them isn't really a comeuppance of any sort (Grace in particular; I think she almost doesn't care if she lives or dies, her aims are bigger than an individual).

Gah, this is why I hate message boards 99% of the time. Look, there's clearly a whole bunch of bias on both sides here from the Sheryl fans and the Ranka fans. I think both characters have their good points and their bad points, and you're not being intellectually honest if you try to cast their differences in black and white terms. I like Sheryl, and I never bought into the "ice queen" image so many people seemed to seize on when she was sitting in her car in episode 1 while Frontier was under attack. She did the right thing by doing what she was told by security; her fans were being evacuated, would staying behind really have helped anything? If anything, it seemed the one who needed to learn a lesson was Alto: his pointless heroics got Gilliam killed. Yet many of the same people who sing Sheryl's graces now pointed at the incident as if it made her the devil incarnate. I also like Ranka, and don't buy into the "she's a selfish immature child" argument, either. Well yes, she's a bit immature, but so is everyone else in the love triangle. Sheesh, Frontier was billed as Macross-in-high-school, for goodness sakes. We aren't dealing with fully-grown personalities here. Alto's a moping, inarticulate jerk with a heart of gold, and Sheryl's a sheltered diva who hasn't had much time to be a real person instead of just a celebrity. In terms of character development, both Alto and Ranka share a similar flaw: they're not the most expressive people. Alto's brooding and taciturn by nature, and Ranka's painfully shy. Oh, sure, she babbles, but you can tell it's an obvious cover because she never talks about anything meaningful, or what's really on her mind, because she's afraid of getting hurt. Similarly, Alto routinely spouts off like the biggest jerk in the whole fleet, but his actions generally bear out a kinder personality. If you try to read their characters at the most superficial level, you're going to get a completely distorted idea about who they really are. It's an exercise always fraught with the possibility of being really, really wrong, but you really do have to read between the lines with these two. For Sheryl's part, she's pretty much an open book. It's her nature to be outgoing and upfront, although she, too, can be quite vulnerable at times. Still, it's a lot easier to get a read on her than the others. Her way of covering up is to loudly and extravagantly protest the exact opposite of whatever she really feels. She'll probe, then retreat. In the final analysis, I don't much care who Alto ends up with. I like all three of the characters involved. I don't think of any of them as a villain who is somehow less deserving of being happy than the others. On the balance, I do think a Sheryl-Alto pairing is somewhat more likely than Ranka-Alto, but I think the actual most likely outcome will be an unconventional and complete surprise. The resolution of Macross love triangles have always been a bit complicated, have always left things a bit shaded in gray.

I think that's sorta the idea. It's a natural ecosystem in space, rather than a mechanical one like earlier generation colonies used. One more in harmony with nature and all that. Think Biosphere 2, without resorting to pumping in extra oxygen because you got the ecological balance wrong.

I think we'll have a few more major character deaths, but not nearly as many as everyone here keeps speculating. On the other hand, the entire Frontier fleet (and everyone in it) could end up being destroyed, with just Ranka flying off into the the sunset as a sole survivor, and leaving a big question mark for follow-up generations.

Michael had a decent death scene, but I'd still rank Guld's far above it. I mean, killing yourself to win? That's pretty hardcore. Michael just got unlucky when that Vajra ambushed him.

I think the economic argument is basically right. I mean, you could ask the same question about why tanks in Frontier are so weak compared to destroids. Since tanks are low to the ground and run on tracks, surely they should have even more effective armor than a bipedal war machine? But it doesn't quite work that way.

That seems a bit small-minded for Grace. Who cares about ?

Hrm... I thought there was armor in at least some of these areas. I don't think it would matter either way, though. We saw the Vajra crush one of the EX-Gears flat in the very first episode. I think the Vajra are just incredibly strong and tough. No way to defend against that except to dodge, or kill the other guy first.

We know Grace & company prompted the Vajra to attack Frontier. The Vajra may be following a perfectly logical course of action in doing their utmost to destroy the Frontier fleet and everyone in it. Just because they're brutally effective doesn't mean what they're doing doesn't make logical sense, from their perspective.