Macross Frontier Episode 8 Talkback Thread *READ 1st Post*

[Final Vegeta]

Alto (who seems to have fallen into the self-absorbed jerk mold, that has plaged the Macross universe from the start).

Finally, for weeks I have been trying to figure out why I don't like Ms. Nome and it finally hit me while watching this episode: she acts too much like Asuka from Evangelion!

They are tsundere, a Japanese character archetype . They are combative in the beginning and then they turn more loving in the end.

Actually, Asuka seemed like she was supposed to end like this, then around midseries Anno changed his mind and Asuka kinda became the opposite, a yandere (as seen in The End).

(tsundere and yandere are part of "gap girls", girls that goes from an extreme to the other. This is Japanese version of bipolar disorder )

FV

[Final Vegeta]

Brera looks really gay with the long nails and outfit.

Unisex is a better word. We didn't even know he was a guy at first Future has pushed gender equality a bit too far

I wonder if he can shoot his fingernails like Klima claws

I wonder if the ex-gear has ECA as well? It doesn't seem to take damage and it just effs up the walls and ground. Lol.

It's slapstick armor

FV

[RichterX]

i am impressed on how Sheryl defies gravity as she should have hit the ground at the same time the ex-gear did.

Edited May 24, 2008 by RichterX

[Shun]

If that were the case, she wouldn't have said, "It's you..." when she saw him.

She said "You..."

could be interpreted as "oh its you!"

or "you... are?"

but from the tone it sounds more like the latter to me. i don't think Ranka knows Brera at this time. she seems surprised that someone else knows the song, and not surprised because someone she knows shows up. i could be wrong though maybe we'll get something next ep.

And i agree, there's a good possibility Brera is Ranka's brother, but Ranka might be too young during that incident to remember him or even remember having a brother, PLUS all the dis-associative disorder memory loss... Brera on the other hand could be old enough to remember having a little sister... Ranka.

I understand...

Not many girls can pull off the "carrot look," but Ranka is one of the few.

Now if we could only get Nanase into a tomato costume...

Tomato Nanase?!! yes please... but nothing that covers too much please

Wasn't it mentioned somewhere that Mihoshi allowed a greater degree of freedom as compared to real world school systems?

yup from one of the trivial spoilers, it says Mihoshi has "Emergency First Aid" as a compulsory subject. one of the two(?) core subjects that must be taken. but we know its just a plot excuse to put everyone together

notice the girl who seemed to be interested in Alto is sitting in front of him?

Edited May 24, 2008 by Shun

[dreamweaver13]

i am impressed on how Sheryl defies gravity as she should have hit the ground at the same time the ex-gear did.

haha. that's why i love sheryl. she's so cool, she defies physics.

it was probably the panties. it's aerodynamic nature slowed her fall.

[Morpheus]

Hmm, high school drama now, was thinking this:

1. Queen Sheryl

2. Princess Alto

3. Waitress Ranka

[RichterX]

Hmm, high school drama now, was thinking this:

1. Queen Sheryl

2. Princess Alto

3. Waitress Ranka

Go Ranka Go!!!

[dreamweaver13]

Wasn't it mentioned somewhere that Mihoshi allowed a greater degree of freedom as compared to real world school systems?

yup, definitely. but she also said that everything is related. at least from the sub i read. that would indicate at least some core curriculum subjects.

and ultimately, as shun pointed out, it's a plot point to put them all together.

[dreamweaver13]

Hmm, high school drama now, was thinking this:

1. Queen Sheryl

2. Princess Alto

3. Waitress Ranka

no, she would be court jester ranka. '"amuse us, jester. wear your carrot suit and sing!"

in any case, gambatte ranka-chan!!!

[mike_s_6]

haha. that's why i love sheryl. she's so cool, she defies physics.

it was probably the panties. it's aerodynamic nature slowed her fall.

Defied twice, if you fall that far and someone catches you, you will hit the person with a lot of impact, distributed between two arms. Metal arms. Or then again, Alto could have decelerated her by going down a bit

Trust me, it's her billowing dress that slowed her down.

Edited May 24, 2008 by mike_s_6

[mike_s_6]

Hmm, high school drama now, was thinking this:

1. Queen Sheryl

2. Princess Alto

3. Waitress Ranka

I don't know which one is more tragic, 2 or 3?

[RichterX]

Was i the only one disappointed that there was no girl on girl action on the shower scene? I sometimes not sure if Ranka wants to be with Alto or Sheryl... maybe she wants with Alto cause she thought he was a she when they met?

[Graham]

Fun episode, pushing various elements of the story and character relationships forward nicely.

I doubt it was the usual studio on character art duties through.

IMO character faces, especially Ranka and Sheryl were pretty poorly drawn in the first half befoe the eye catch, but seemed to improve slightly in the second half.

My biggest complaint about the character art is that Sheryl looked like she'd lost 20 to 30 lbs this episode, they drew her so skinny.

Graham

[dreamweaver13]

ok why hasn't anyone said anything by now? especially the nanase-philes.

am i the only the one that got the impression that nanase could be... lesbian? and in love with ranka?

[dreamweaver13]

Defied twice, if you fall that far and someone catches you, you will hit the person with a lot of impact, distributed between two arms. Metal arms. Or then again, Alto could have decelerated her by going down a bit

Trust me, it's her billowing dress that slowed her down.

her billowing dress and.... she's not wearing her panties!! that alone could have decreased her speed an additional 50%.

don't ask me how. the physics of it are... complicated.

[Final Vegeta]

ok why hasn't anyone said anything by now? especially the nanase-philes.

am i the only the one that got the impression that nanase could be... lesbian? and in love with ranka?

Yup, there was definitively an Aquarion feeling

FV

[Shun]

hmmm i felt that Nanase might be somewhat interested in Michel? remember she blushed when Michel commented about her in ep5(?). but it could be that she's just shy.

i realised that this group of buddies are actually the "popular" folks at school.

Alto - Princess is pretty boy, lots of girl admirers

Michel - Very suave and popular playboy, who can get any girl he "targets" and never misses just like his sniper skills.

Nanase - i remember reading that Nanase is very popular among guys, for the same reasons like the fan club she has here. i'm sure she's been fantasized by many guys in the school.

New members:

Sheryl - pop diva, 'nuff said

Ranka - she was immediately spotted by the students even though she didn't win the Miss Macross contest, goes to show she has natural chrisma and is popular/noticed among the students.

Luca - perhaps not as popular as the above, but he's

a VERY rich man's son.

see? the popular folks stick together... as usual.

Edited May 24, 2008 by Shun

[Final Vegeta]

No Tomanase, but all other characters are covered

-Let's go find my panties!

-Why are we wearing a costume too?!?

FV

[Radd]

Why all the neg votes for this episode? Thought it was great fun. Not as flash as the previous episode, sure, but all action and no whimsy is much less fun. I also think this episode further pushes Frontier into its own, with the further development of Ranka's professional growth.

Looking forward to seeing where the Ranka/Sheryl conflict is going. Both characters are just so great.

[TehPW]

... I guess not every episode can be like 'City on the Edge of Forever...' Neutral.

[Heron]

... I guess not every episode can be like 'City on the Edge of Forever...' Neutral.

Man dude either you're a hardcore star trek fan or old or both. I mean If I want City on the Edge of Forever, I'll wait until episode 26, not 8.

[Vinnie]

Finished the subs and here's my new favorite episode ranking:

#1 Star Date

#2 High School Queen

#3 Bye Bye Sheryl

Also, is Sheryl's school uniform blue and white because she's in the pilot program, whereas Nanase and Ranka are in the Performing Arts program?

[Swampstorm]

I just saw the sub for episode 8, and I loved it (animation and all)! I like the way Ranka has to struggle and faces defeat and disapointment. Unlike Minmay, Ranka loses the Miss Macross contest, and it looks like her road to fame will not come quite as easy as our original Miss Macross.

It'll come easily enough once they deal with Leon's meddling. She didn't have too much trouble getting the TV debut aside from that. It's just one of those cases of "persist until you win". It's fairly obvious that Ranka will win the popularity that she yearns for by the time the show is through, so there's nothing really to worry about.

Personally, I like Ranka better than Ms. Nome and hopes she does not end up with Alto (who seems to have fallen into the self-absorbed jerk mold, that has plaged the Macross universe from the start). He can't help it, he's just written that way!

Alto doesn't strike me as self-absorbed. While it does look like he doesn't want to be distracted from piloting by the constant troubles that seem to plague him (Sheryl ), he doesn't seem like the sort of guy who's willing to let people around him get hurt. But he's tsundere through and through, so it's only natural that he'd show it in sparks (i.e.when they need him the most).

I like the way the "Ranka Lee fan club" is looking out for her, and the shower confrontation scene was priceless; they really seem to have her back, unlike Alto who appears to care less.

While they do look out for her, I don't think that has much to do with her friendship with Alto. The guys seem mainly interested in getting the latest scoop to tease Alto with, and Nanase looks like she's gunning for Alto herself.

One thing that struck me as interesting is that while much of the school seems enamoured with Sheryl's stardom, there do seem to be those who resent her for it. There's the shot of two girls shooting daggers at the washroom, and Nanase's reaction as well. Until people start to see the real Sheryl, she's bound to continue to be isolated, as she always has. You have to remember that while Ranka has her own posse to always back her up, there's always going to be something of a wall between Sheryl and almost everyone else (exception of Alto, who doesn't acknowledge her stardom to begin with), no matter how hard she tries. Sheryl is extremely strong, but everyone needs support.

One thing that I noticed both through Sheryl's talk with Alto before her last concert and the earlier episodes is that she seems to have grown up too fast; had I not known otherwise, I would have guessed that she was in her mid to late twenties given only the first few episodes. It's only through these interactions with Alto that she's been able to act her own age and have some fun (which was vital in making her so likable). I think that part of her future development as a character will depend on how successful she is in bridging the gap between herself and the others. (In a sense, it's the same problem as Ranka, from a different angle; Ranka needs to overcome her insecurities to understand that she's not being left out by Alto and her brother, and Sheryl needs to dispel the myths about her public persona to avoid feeling left out by Alto and his circle of friends.)

Finally, for weeks I have been trying to figure out why I don't like Ms. Nome and it finally hit me while watching this episode: she acts too much like Asuka from Evangelion! AND I DON'T LIKE ASUKA FROM EVANGELION!!

I think the Eva comparison was mainly just a consequence of this episode, as part of the whole "high school hijinks" routine. The whole "master-slave" comedy duo wasn't nearly as evident during the date episode, for example. While Sheryl is supremely confident, the twist to her character comes from the fact that she's appealing even when she succeeds! Despite the sheer stupidity of jumping off the school roof, there was something utterly charming in her expression as she caught those panties. She set her mind on it, and she got it, regardless of the cost or how silly she looked. The reason: her confidence doesn't come from what other people think; it comes from her own belief in herself. And that's something that I can respect.

Edited May 24, 2008 by Swampstorm

[DeeBot]

After watching the sub (which came out really fast!), I decided I liked this episode; it was a lot of fun. (Though I'm not a, ahem, fan of the fanservice; I can understand it's a different culture, though.)

I think a good TV series needs a mix of different types of episodes; I think a lot of the early complaints about this episode (and many others) come from people who watch the raws without understanding the context, and are just eager to comment. (Or maybe they really do just care about the mecha pr0n. ) I always reserve judgment until after I get to watch the sub, since I don't understand the language and just use the raw to try and get a sense for what might be going on.

When I watched the raw, I certainly noticed the change in the character animation. (Although in a way, the rougher, less nuanced quality does sorta fit the slapstick nature of the episode, so I wasn't entirely sure if some of the stylistic changes weren't intentional.)

However, on viewing the sub? Honestly, I didn't really notice it that much, and this was my second viewing. I found the story engaging enough, lightweight as it might be, as I think it moved forward the character development of the high school cast by quite a bit. And I thought there were certainly plenty of good bits of animation, too.

Closing out: Ranka in his entertainment class, and Sheryl in his piloting class? Poor Alto. Can't he have just one activity where he's free of those two?

[ackem]

Defied twice, if you fall that far and someone catches you, you will hit the person with a lot of impact, distributed between two arms. Metal arms. Or then again, Alto could have decelerated her by going down a bit

Trust me, it's her billowing dress that slowed her down.

Actually if you look closely, Alto catches her like 10-20ft above the ground and then descends almost to the ground.

[DeeBot]

Actually if you look closely, Alto catches her like 10-20ft above the ground and then descends almost to the ground.

I was going to point this out as well, although who knows if the physics are perfectly accurate; the sequence was clearly dictated by the Rule of Cool, not a numeric simulation. As for Sheryl not hitting the ground at the same time as the Ex-Gear, if she pushed off it, then they'd start off with a velocity differential that might explain it. But again, Rule of Cool; animation is done by artists for artistic effect, not accuracy. I'm reminded of the story of Twister's tornadoes, and how they were much thinner and whipped around much faster than real tornadoes do, and all of this was intentional, even though the CGI artists knew they weren't doing it with scientific accuracy...

[d3v]

While Sheryl is supremely confident, the twist to her character comes from the fact that she's appealing even when she succeeds! Despite the sheer stupidity of jumping off the school roof, there was something utterly charming in her expression as she caught those panties. She set her mind on it, and she got it, regardless of the cost or how silly she looked. The reason: her confidence doesn't come from what other people think; it comes from her own belief in herself. And that's something that I can respect.

I think this is something that sets her apart from most typical characters in most anime. Most of the time, such confidence is made to be superficial, especially when it seems to come of as a bit arrogant. Makes me wonder if some anime viewers have been conditioned to that type of characterization and as a result tesnd to dilsike Sheryl.

If anything actually, Sheryl reminds me of Basara except maybe not as arrogant/insensitive as him.

[Duke Togo]

I said that earlier Gubaba. My feeling is they are possibly related because she seemed to recognize him. Plus we have to pick through all of Ranka repressed memories.

Except they look nothing alike, and he has Zentradi ears.

[Heron]

Except they look nothing alike, and he has Zentradi ears.

...hated for his looks, despised for his musical instrument, loathed for his piloting skills. Who is this man you ask?

[Strumvogel]

Huh. Why do I feel like trying some carrots after watching this episode?

[Gubaba]

She said "You..."

could be interpreted as "oh its you!"

or "you... are?"

but from the tone it sounds more like the latter to me. i don't think Ranka knows Brera at this time. she seems surprised that someone else knows the song, and not surprised because someone she knows shows up. i could be wrong though maybe we'll get something next ep.

But if she didn't know him, wouldn't she have said, "Anata wa?" Even with a question mark, just "Anata?" makes it sound like they've met before.

ok why hasn't anyone said anything by now? especially the nanase-philes.

am i the only the one that got the impression that nanase could be... lesbian? and in love with ranka?

HUH? How do you figure?

Edited May 24, 2008 by Gubaba

[Shouta]

And again...RANKA KNOWS BRERA!!! Am I the only one who thought that that was the biggest plot point in this episode?

Actually, not necessarily. Ranka just says "Anata." or "You..." which could mean anything. Her expression is likely in regards to the fact that he knows the tune to Aimo and not the fact she knows who he is.

[Gubaba]

Actually, not necessarily. Ranka just says "Anata." or "You..." which could mean anything. Her expression is likely in regards to the fact that he knows the tune to Aimo and not the fact she knows who he is.

Still...I'd be willing to bet money that they've met before.

And, uh...I wonder how Brera got on the Frontier in the first place...?

[Shouta]

Still...I'd be willing to bet money that they've met before.

And, uh...I wonder how Brera got on the Frontier in the first place...?

Well, the possibility of Sterne working for UN Spacy may be there. Leon does view the footage and asks about any other footage leaking out. He isn't as surprised when he mentions a foo fighter during his conversation with Cathy either.

Edited May 24, 2008 by Shouta

[Vinnie]

...hated for his looks, despised for his musical instrument, loathed for his piloting skills. Who is this man you ask?

Any other day of the week, and I'd think you were talking about me.