Macross Frontier Episode 9 Talkback Thread *READ 1st Post*

[d3v]

Grace is eeeeeeeevil, man, eeeeeevil. She's the one who keeps on hacking the website that Ranka's agent said he tried to put up, obviously. I guess she also thought she could break up the S.M.S. and cause them to fail to find out the truth, whatever that is.

For me, the questions are now:

- Are Grace and Leon in cahoots?

- Were the Vajra originally found in a derelict run by this guy?: http://www.starstore.com/acatalog/Space_Jockey-Kubricks.jpg

- Or, were the Vajra created by modern-day folks?

- How come Brera and co. want to breed the Vajra?

I don't think that Grace and Leon are in cahoots, well at least we haven't been shown anything that would link them, in fact, it seems that Grace was spying on them.

As far as Leon, while he does know more about the Vajra than he's letting on, I don't think he's involved with the Galaxy or whoever is behind the Brera and co.

[ComicKaze]

Just noticed that Kawamori must really like the french language,

in the tombstone of Mikhail's sister it says "Repose en paix" which is Rest in Peace in french. It makes sense since Blanc is a french lastname. So Mikhail is a French/Zentran descendant?

Sheryl writes notes to Grace in french as well.

[Master Dex]

Grace is eeeeeeeevil, man, eeeeeevil. She's the one who keeps on hacking the website that Ranka's agent said he tried to put up, obviously. I guess she also thought she could break up the S.M.S. and cause them to fail to find out the truth, whatever that is.

I assumed it was Leon that hacked and took down the website, we know he has been halting Ranka's progress and that he is 'interested' in her. After all he made sure she didn't win Miss Macross, he stopped her TV spot, and now the website bit.

[ComicKaze]

Galaxy seems like a very sinister and commercially oriented ship with a unethical or boundary pushing culture with all their genetic enhancements and bio-tech that is illegal on other ships and other colonies. It would be no surprise that they were trying to harness the Vajra for their own gain and it backfired. And I was the one who brought up the aliens analogy. I think it's still the most apt at the moment.

[d3v]

I assumed it was Leon that hacked and took down the website, we know he has been halting Ranka's progress and that he is 'interested' in her. After all he made sure she didn't win Miss Macross, he stopped her TV spot, and now the website bit.

At the very least, he knows that Ranka affects the Vajra somewhat and would like to avoid any possible risk that may occur with her becoming a star.

Galaxy seems like a very sinister and commercially oriented ship with a unethical or boundary pushing culture with all their genetic enhancements and bio-tech that is illegal on other ships and other colonies. It would be no surprise that they were trying to harness the Vajra for their own gain and it backfired. And I was the one who brought up the aliens analogy. I think it's still the most apt at the moment.

Speaking of the Galaxy, I'm wondering if the fleet isn't named after one of the major corporate backers?

[Gubaba]

I assumed it was Leon that hacked and took down the website, we know he has been halting Ranka's progress and that he is 'interested' in her. After all he made sure she didn't win Miss Macross, he stopped her TV spot, and now the website bit.

That's what I figured, too...Grace has shown no anti-Ranka inclinations as of yet, but Leon...

Clearly, though...whoever hacked her website seems to have missed her blog.

[d3v]

That's what I figured, too...Grace has shown no anti-Ranka inclinations as of yet, but Leon...

Clearly, though...whoever hacked her website seems to have missed her blog.

Speaking of blogs, looks like they've reserved a site for Alto as well.

Maybe if you're lucky, Nanase will get one too.

[Gubaba]

Speaking of blogs, looks like they've reserved a site for Alto as well.

Maybe if you're lucky, Nanase will get one too.

Actually, I think Michael's would make the most interesting reading...

[taksraven]

Alto: "You can be my wingman anytime, Michel!"

If it wasn't for that not-so-manly moment, this episode would have been 101% perfect. Instead, it's only 100% perfect. It's episodes like this that keep me watching and keep the series from dipping into yet another anime.

Also, I predict the following happening in a future episode:

Leon: "Use short, controlled bursts."

Ozma: "What are we supposed to fight the vajra with, harsh language?"

Alto: "Back away from my Ranka you bitch!"

Luca: "Game over man, game over!"

I would have thought we would hear this.

Mikhail: "Is this going to be a straight fight sir or another bug hunt"

Taksraven

[RichterX]

I don't think that Grace and Leon are in cahoots, well at least we haven't been shown anything that would link them, in fact, it seems that Grace was spying on them.

As far as Leon, while he does know more about the Vajra than he's letting on, I don't think he's involved with the Galaxy or whoever is behind the Brera and co.

I don't think Leon and Grace, if she gives the orders to Brera, are on working together. If so, instead of she hacking into the meeting we would have gotten an scene in which mysterious voice that order Brera talked with Leon over the phone.

[junior]

What I want to know is why Grace brought that up about his sister?

I'm sure it was just a way of being nice. She offered her condolences when she did it. She had no way of knowing that it would affect him like it did. And even if she is associated with Brera (and I've stated that I don't think that the voice sounds like her), she would have had no way of knowing that Mikhail would be going up against Brera very shortly afterwards.

If she did have any ill intent, then it was probably merely to get Mikhail to leave her alone. Remember that Mikhail was hitting on her at the time...

[vanpang]

There is a shot when one of the Vajra's eggs cracked, you see the three eyes of a vajra hatching glowing from the dark, the next shot you see the green alien squirrel/slug, that has been following Ranka, has 3 eyes ! My guess Ranka's "pet stalker" is a Vajra !

BTW, how come Klan's team mates from Pixie was not with her ?! She would not have so much trouble with Brera if the other 2 meltrans was flying with her ! Klan was the only one flying alone in that mission.

Too bad it was Alto who flew to Klan's rescue and not Ozma, Ozma would have kicked a@@ !

Edited June 1, 2008 by vanpang

[Shun]

There is a shot when one of the Vajra's eggs cracked, you see the three eyes of a vajra hatching glowing from the dark, the next shot you see the green alien squirrel/slug, that has been following Ranka, has 3 eyes ! My guess Ranka's "pet stalker" is a Vajra !

BTW, how come Klan's team mates from Pixie was not with her ?! She would not have so much trouble with Brera if the other 2 meltrans was flying with her ! Klan was the only one flying alone in that mission.

Too bad it was Alto who flew to Klan's rescue and not Ozma, Ozma would have kicked a@@ !

yeah, the 3 eyes thing was noticed back in page 2? its possible that thing is a vajra, but the red and small vajra don't have 3 eyes right? maybe this is the young form before it metamorphoses into the big guys, or it could be a completely new (more deadly?) vajra. but the small thing dont seem hostile towards ranka...

just some thoughts:

Macross F brought in ideas such as capitalism, lust for technological advances, Protoculture civil wars, and mankind being a "re-make"/heir of Protoculture who "were trying to correct their mistakes"... ironically, it may turn out that history is repeating itself! What we're seeing in this MFrontier story (a civil war?) might be suggesting that the Protoculture fought between themselves for similar reasons, with one faction being very staunch on technology advances that ends up creating the Protodevilns and the other faction perhaps were the ones who had to clean up the shi+ with "culture" (anima spirita/ music?).

[d3v]

There is a shot when one of the Vajra's eggs cracked, you see the three eyes of a vajra hatching glowing from the dark, the next shot you see the green alien squirrel/slug, that has been following Ranka, has 3 eyes ! My guess Ranka's "pet stalker" is a Vajra !

BTW, how come Klan's team mates from Pixie was not with her ?! She would not have so much trouble with Brera if the other 2 meltrans was flying with her ! Klan was the only one flying alone in that mission.

Too bad it was Alto who flew to Klan's rescue and not Ozma, Ozma would have kicked a@@ !

I got the impression that they all split up into groups of two to cover more ground with Klan being the odd one out.

Also, Alto pretty much held his own against Brera, sticking to the latters six the whole time and not eltting him get a chance to shoot. The only thing IMO that made him grab the 27 was that Mikhail was there and slowing it down for Mikhail to get a shot was probably a quicker way to get a kill than an extended dog-fight. That and probably Alto's need to show Mikhail in his own way that he understood the latters reasons for joining.

[junior]

That and probably Alto's need to show Mikhail in his own way that he understood the latters reasons for joining.

I think this is the most important part of it. Contrast it with the earlier scene with the Vajra, and Alto was insisting that he didn't need Mikhail's help and could finish the Vajra off on his own. In contrast, when Alto grabs Brera he specifically drags Brera over to where Mikhail will have a good vantage point to get the sniper shot in. In the first scene, he's disdainful of Mikhail's help, whereas in the second scene he intentionally seeks it out.

And I don't know why anyone would discount Alto's skills in the fight. He blew Brera's leg off, which was no small feat given that even Clan Clan only got a single good shot in (that unfortunately got stopped by the asteroid).

The series has made it clear from the start that Alto's piloting skills are excellent. His only real problem at the moment is that he's still not fully used to combat, so he tends to get distracted by the things going on around him. As he gets more used to the confusion of combat, then even that problem should go away.

[Duke Togo]

Ok, I'm a bit confused... is Klan Klan actually a Zolan? We have several characters with the Zentradi ears, and hers are FAR more pronounced, and very Zolan-like. I mean, is it just me?

[RichterX]

Ok, I'm a bit confused... is Klan Klan actually a Zolan? We have several characters with the Zentradi ears, and hers are FAR more pronounced, and very Zolan-like. I mean, is it just me?

I think it is just animation style, considering that the ears things was started in Macross 7. I think they are still sorting out how to do them.

[Gubaba]

Ok, I'm a bit confused... is Klan Klan actually a Zolan? We have several characters with the Zentradi ears, and hers are FAR more pronounced, and very Zolan-like. I mean, is it just me?

Maybe, since they started listening to music, Zentradi ears have been evolving to get bigger...? Maybe...?

Or maybe the Bodolzaa Fleet simply had smaller ears than the rest of the population.

[MisaForever]

What's a Zolan?

[junior]

Maybe, since they started listening to music, Zentradi ears have been evolving to get bigger...? Maybe...?

So when a series ends up being set in the year 2200, are we going to be nicknaming the Zentraedi characters "Bugs Bunny"?

[Mr March]

What's a Zolan?

Taken from the Macross Mecha Manual

Zolan (Race)

Zolans are a human-like race native to the Planet Zola. They appear nearly identical to humans except for their large, pointed ears and some males feature prominent hair covered forearms.

[RichterX]

What's a Zolan?

Aliens with two different hair colours on their heads and that carry around their necks some snake like animal, they also have pointy long ears and appeared in Dynamite 7.

[VF5SS]

I think it is just animation style, considering that the ears things was started in Macross 7. I think they are still sorting out how to do them.

Actually this was started in DYRL when the micronized version of Warea, Rori, and Konda had really big ears.

[MisaForever]

What's a Zolan?

Ah, ok thanks guys.

[Valkyrie addict]

why would Mikhail go out to practice in the shooting range with FAST packs!???

[Gubaba]

So when a series ends up being set in the year 2200, are we going to be nicknaming the Zentraedi characters "Bugs Bunny"?

And when they come out with "Macross 3000," they'll be able to fly like Dumbo!

why would Mikhail go out to practice in the shooting range with FAST packs!???

Um...'cause he's just a badass that way...?

[Vinnie]

why would Mikhail go out to practice in the shooting range with FAST packs!???

a) So if an order to scramble comes in, he's good to go and doesn't have to return to the ship for re-armament. Military aircraft in a "ready" capacity will do this if they have to take care of an administrative flight and either don't have someone to cover the "ready position" or simply need to be able to accomplish the mission should the need arise.

b) Local SOP could be that all EVA requires FAST Packs. The additional verniers, thrusters, and fuel add in a safety factor should something go wrong.

c) Artistic License - the animators did it because they thought it was cooler.

EDIT: d) train as you fight. When I go out to the range on my own, I'll wear my flight gear and body armour to get used to how I have to handle the weapon with the additional load, vision or movement restrictions.

Edited June 1, 2008 by Vinnie

[jenius]

This was a pretty decent episode if not a bit heavy-hearted in comparison to the last. This episode's gripe? The editing. The episode felt jumpy and kinda slapped together. I also didn't like the VF-27 having a gun so amazing it can blow up entire battleships... that's a wee bit much for me.

[VF5SS]

It didn't blow up the entire battleship. It shot the engine which caused the ship to explode. It's entirely different than Klan's cannon or a Varja blast obliterating something.

[jenius]

Isn't the old ship just space debris? I guess it's a lot like the ol' Hollywood exploding car syndrome.

[junior]

Isn't the old ship just space debris? I guess it's a lot like the ol' Hollywood exploding car syndrome.

Considering that Clan Clan generated a gigantic fireball by hitting an asteroid, of all things, I'm hardly going to complain if the animators decided to make the ship have a pretty explosion.

Edited June 1, 2008 by junior

[Duke Togo]

I also didn't like the VF-27 having a gun so amazing it can blow up entire battleships... that's a wee bit much for me.

Vajra technology, its all part of the big story.

[taksraven]

There is a shot when one of the Vajra's eggs cracked, you see the three eyes of a vajra hatching glowing from the dark, the next shot you see the green alien squirrel/slug, that has been following Ranka, has 3 eyes ! My guess Ranka's "pet stalker" is a Vajra !

Already noted a couple of hundred posts ago. *yawn*

BTW, how come Klan's team mates from Pixie was not with her ?! She would not have so much trouble with Brera if the other 2 meltrans was flying with her ! Klan was the only one flying alone in that mission.

Probably not on the combat roster. They made a few statements that indicated that the pilots have been flying plenty of sorties against the Vajra so they would probably have to be selective in the mecha that is sent out to give the pilots a break. Klan is a big girl (in many ways) and is probably expected to look after herself.

Taksraven

[taksraven]

I think it is just animation style, considering that the ears things was started in Macross 7. I think they are still sorting out how to do them.

Guld had pretty weird ears in M+. Not trying to contradict you, just pointing it out.

Taksraven

[Duke Togo]

Atleast one of the other QR's was seen in that sequence, but they did all split up, its hard to say where the others were. My question is (and I should get a SS of it), what the hell was that thing floating above an asteroid when the SMS is first heading into the asteroid field during the end combat sequence?