Macross 7: First time to view the series

[Bri]

I just like Basara. He is a free spirit without much interest in what others think of him. The character doesn't development much as he knows who he is and what he wants and doesn't conform to other peoples standards. He reminds me in some ways of Isamu Dyson, who is Basaras military counterpart. Much like Macross Plus and Macross 7 are at the opposite end of the spectrum. M7 is mostly about the daily lives of the cast and the action seems like an afterthought. M+ on the other hand is pure mecha love, imo the real triangle in M+ are the YF19, the YF21 and Sharon Apple. The characters are just some scrubs to further the plot device .

Took me a while to fully apreciate M7. Before I had seen SDFM, DYRL and Plus so the series came as something of a shock. It's slow, a lot less serious and had few cool Valks. But on the bright side it has great character designs (Mikimoto fan here), it gives a lot of background information about the Macross universe and the music is great. In short if you can live with little mecha action, are not in a hurry and don't mind the sillyness, then M7 can very enjoyable.

[crescens]

Ya know what..Give it a try.

/agree

What dont interests others dosent mean you wont be interested ._.

[Star Dragon]

Basara's a douche bag. And for once I just want to see him actually fight the enemy. I can't help but wonder how good he can be.

It would take a serious kick in the nutz for him to change his fundamental viewpoint....

I am working on it. I'm on like chapter 33 of my fanfic and he's about to get a glimpse or reality. Maybe in 20 more chapters I might actually get him to pull a frigging trigger!

As for M7, I found it to be refreshingly different yet the same as SDF-m (if you can understand my meaning).

Although the music is great (I totally love FireBomber), teh music they use is too limited and repetative. It's almost orgasmic when you hear a NEW SONG!!!

I am so glad I found this site, I finally got MORE FB music and especially the Tribute album! I intend to use it in a few videos later...

I defiantly think it could have been a better series but still say it's a MUST SEE for any MACROSS fan!

Edited September 5, 2008 by Star Dragon

[Agent ONE]

Who are you and what have you done to our Agent ONE? -jk

Come on, tell us what's on your mind. Roy already is braced for it.

Hey, I was asked to hold back.. Besides you guys know how I feel about M7.

[Macross007]

Hey, I was asked to hold back.. Besides you guys know how I feel about M7.

Let me guess. Your heart is filled with joy and love while watching Macross 7.

Edited September 5, 2008 by Macross007

[Duke Togo]

Just watch it. If you hate it, you hate it. If you like it, you like it.

But please, don't whine about it being so long. There are people out there currently watching some longer series, then watching M7 and whining about its length.

You seem to have mistaken quantity for quality.

[Agent ONE]

You seem to have mistaken quantity for quality.

No kidding, I have never seen anyone complain about how long it is.

[JB0]

I just like Basara. He is a free spirit without much interest in what others think of him. The character doesn't development much as he knows who he is and what he wants and doesn't conform to other peoples standards.

But how did he get where he is?

Basara's annoying to a lot of people, and I thnk part of that's because there's no attempt made to show people WHY he is how he is.

What gives him this burning passion? Why does he believe so strongly in his music's ability to change the world? What made him such an extreme pacifist?

We have ONE flashback of him trying to move a mountain with a guitar. That's simply not adequate, especially for a character that gets mad at OTHER PEOPLE when he's forced to resort to violence(the VERY FIRST episode has him yelling at Mylene because she MADE HIM punch someone).

He's not a well-established character by any stretch, and it really hurts the show.

[Macross007]

What gives him this burning passion?

The Galaxy. He wants to sing for everybody in the Galaxy. LISTEN TO MY SONG !!! remember.

Why does he believe so strongly in his music's ability to change the world?

Lynn Minmay. Basara is a Minmay fan. This is why he believe in music so much : To touch the enemy heart like Minmay did with the Zentradis.

What made him such an extreme pacifist?

Again because of Minmay. Basara took notes of how Minmay fought the Zentradis without using violence. In a Macross 7 episode, Doctor Chiba stated that Basara was following Minmay footsteps.

Edited September 5, 2008 by Macross007

[VFTF1]

So nice to see another M7 thread

Contrary to popular opinion - I would recomend watching it straight through. Preferably in winter, when it's cold and ugly outside, with multiple beers and pizzas. It really is a great series; and watching it straight through doesn't make it boring at all; but all the more exciting.

Depending on your musical taste, you will love or hate some segments because most of i is heavily colored by the music track; but overall personally I like everything Bassara sings besides Planet Dance.

overall, this is probably the best Macross series - even though Frontier is lovely, Macross 7 has a unique lasting power because of the character of Bassara. MF is more of an homage to all of Macross lore, whereas M7 is a very unique piece of that lore...

Even if you hate Basara in the beginning - keep watching - eventually he will open your heart to flowers, peace, love and the power of song.

VFTF1

[Agent ONE]

...

overall, this is probably the best Macross series - even though Frontier is lovely, Macross 7 has a unique lasting power because of the character of Bassara....

Well.. I'm off to take a cold shower.

[David Hingtgen]

Lynn Minmay. Basara is a Minmay fan. This is why he believe in music so much : To touch the enemy heart like Minmay did with the Zentradis.

Again because of Minmay. Basara took notes of how Minmay fought the Zentradis without using violence. In a Macross 7 episode, Doctor Chiba stated that Basara was following Minmay footsteps.

All of that is clearly said by and explaining Dr Chiba's passion---but not Basara. Why does such a minor character as Chiba have a full explanation for his "music can change the world" idea, but Basara doesn't?

[badboy00z]

What I want to know is how he got that good as a pilot.

[Max Jenius]

Macross 7 is a fun show, but if you're into more serious Macross action, then you'll be disappointed.

Cool highlights -

Gigile's true form

Max/Millia doin their thang

DIAMOND FORCE

EMERALD FORCE

I really dug the Macross 7 fleet... it "did it for me" plus there are some key eps involving the fleet as a whole.

Other than that... it's meh. I mean, I like it.. but it's not my favorite.

[Agent ONE]

What I want to know is how he got that good as a pilot.

The show was designed for 6 year olds man... To a 6 year old, flying a plane/robot with a guitar makes sense.

[David Hingtgen]

That's one of the better explanations I've seen, actually...

[VFTF1]

All of that is clearly said by and explaining Dr Chiba's passion---but not Basara. Why does such a minor character as Chiba have a full explanation for his "music can change the world" idea, but Basara doesn't?

Basara doesn't explain because reducing artistic endeavors to their component parts, to the "first principles" is an exercise in extreme pathos that artists usually dislike both on aesthetic grounds (it demeans the otherwise lofty nature of their craft) as well as on theoretical grounds (once you "explain" your art, the explanation suddenly sets boundaries to your creativity). This is likely why Basara doesn't explain his own art - or, he lets the art explain itself; and for those of us unable to fully appreciate the language in which Basara's art speaks (music), there's Dr. Chiba - music expert - to explain it to us. But expecting Basara to put down his guitar and give a symposium explaining his actions and character misses the point.

The show was designed for 6 year olds man... To a 6 year old, flying a plane/robot with a guitar makes sense.

Whereas flying a plane/robot with a stick is the logical and obvious means by which to do so? This is, I think, a case where the conventions of our technology are so set in practice, that it's hard for us to realize that something like how you stear a plane is - in the last analysis - somebody's bright idea.

Imagine for a moment that you didn't know planes existed; that you'd never seen one; heck - you hadn't even seen a car or a bike or any other vehicle "steered" by people. You have, however, seen birds. Birds fly - they flap their wings.

Then someone leads you to a plane and says "this too can fly." Initially you say - yeah, I sort'a see it...it's got wings and looks birdy like...but how do you fly it? Do people have to stand inside and grab long rods internally attached to the wings and "flap" them? Kind of like rowers in a boat?"

"No...you just sit in this compfy share, push that thing up, flip those switches and hold this stick."

???!!!!!

That is just as equally crazy as using a guitar to fly a plane. So I see nothing abnormal or childish about the fact that Basara customized his Valk so that he could fly it while playing music at the same time. After all - that's the point - to be able to play music and fly at the same time.

Compare this to the Jamming Birds, who needs a two seater...

VFTF1

[JB0]

But expecting Basara to put down his guitar and give a symposium explaining his actions and character misses the point.

Only in the most ham-handed of shows does a character sit down and say "So yeah, I'm a dirty pacifist hippie with a guitar because when I was younger ..."

There are ways to develop things WITHOUT the character just sitting down and explaining things.

Ray seemed to have some knowledge, but as a third-tier character(tier-1 = Basara, tier-2 = Gamlin+Mylene), he wasn't allowed to share this information. Not to Mylene, not to Gamlin, and not to us.

That is just as equally crazy as using a guitar to fly a plane. So I see nothing abnormal or childish about the fact that Basara customized his Valk so that he could fly it while playing music at the same time. After all - that's the point - to be able to play music and fly at the same time.

If I recall, Basara didn't do the customization. He got the plane from Ray as-is.

Compare this to the Jamming Birds, who needs a two seater...

And while the Jamming Birds were a complete and utter failure, this is through no fault of the 2-seater approach.

In fact, there's a distinct advantage there, since the pilot is free to focus on piloty things while the musician is free to focus on musicy things.

Also note that Ray and Veffidas were in a 2-seater.

Because as third-tier characters(and I'm being generous including Veffidas here instead of with the flower girl and background scenery), they weren't important enough to get their own mechs.

[Bri]

But how did he get where he is?

Basara's annoying to a lot of people, and I thnk part of that's because there's no attempt made to show people WHY he is how he is.

What gives him this burning passion? Why does he believe so strongly in his music's ability to change the world? What made him such an extreme pacifist?

He's not a well-established character by any stretch, and it really hurts the show.

True, his origens or motivations are never truly explained, but does it really matter? Basara's unpredictability is part of the character. The more you define him the more he will lose that. His actions usually lead other characters to respond or comment and his actions set events in motion. In real life I can like or dislike a person without knowing much about their background so why should it be much different with an anime character?

[JB0]

True, his origens or motivations are never truly explained, but does it really matter? Basara's unpredictability is part of the character. The more you define him the more he will lose that. His actions usually lead other characters to respond or comment and his actions set events in motion. In real life I can like or dislike a person without knowing much about their background so why should it be much different with an anime character?

Real life isn't built around the adventures of a single person, nor is it attempting to tell an interesting story.

Macross 7 IS built around the adventures of a single person, and IS attempting to tell an interesting story. Unfortunately, it's built around a fundamentally unrelatable person.

[VF-25 Messiah]

Concerning the guitar interface. I think it could be fairly reasonable to control a fighter through an odd interface like say a guitar, instead of the normal control stick and throttle. As long as the guitar has the same number of possible input options as the regular setup, sure why not. It guess could work, but I'd find it silly anyway. What I don't believe would work, is playing a song on said guitar, while still making the fighter do what you want. Given that the guitar controls the plane, playing a song on it would be nothing short of suicidal (maybe not in space, but certainly within gravity or in proximity to things you can crash into).

You'd have to choose basicly. Steer the plane in a way you have control over it while producing random noise from your guitar interface. Or die a horrible death as the plane spins out of control from the random input you're giving it as you're playing your latest hit single...

Edited September 6, 2008 by VF-25 Messiah

[VFTF1]

You'd have to choose basicly. Steer the plane in a way you have control over it while producing random noise from your guitar interface. Or die a horrible death as the plane spins out of control from the random input you're giving it as you're playing your latest hit single...

Has it ever occured to you that Basara just lip-sincs?

But seriously- I highly doubt he's "playing" the guitar in the Kai. I mean - we don't see him strumming it (then again, you rarely see strumming during the live concerts due to poor animation...) ...

I always figured the guitar is more an aesthetic thing - he might have a switch there with which he chooses the backround music.. and then he sings.

It is concievably possible to sing while flying - why not?

The guitar definitely doesn't function autonomosly of the fighter - I don't recall Bassara ever taking it out.

QUOTE (JB0 @ Sep 5 2008, 09:47 PM) *

But how did he get where he is?

Basara's annoying to a lot of people, and I thnk part of that's because there's no attempt made to show people WHY he is how he is.

What gives him this burning passion? Why does he believe so strongly in his music's ability to change the world? What made him such an extreme pacifist?

He's not a well-established character by any stretch, and it really hurts the show.

True, his origens or motivations are never truly explained, but does it really matter? Basara's unpredictability is part of the character. The more you define him the more he will lose that. His actions usually lead other characters to respond or comment and his actions set events in motion. In real life I can like or dislike a person without knowing much about their background so why should it be much different with an anime character?

I actually disagree with this notion that character development entails a detailed knowledge of the character's past. Perhaps Basara's past is as mysterious to him as it is to others?

Besides, character development is not the same thing as a biography. Macross 7 is not meant to be a biography of Basara; and to the extent that his past is a mystery- well - so? It's a mystery.

The notion that something had to "happen" to make him "become" a pacifist is a bit preposterous IMO. Why? Because can't people just HAVE beliefs? I mean - do we need to experience everything in order to come to conclusions about it?

It's an old debate; and I've always found the empirical argument kind of silly. Do we have to experience murder to know it's a bad thing? Must we experience war in order to claim that peace is better? Can't we just come to these conclusions based on independent thought?

Basara seems to have had a wanderer's childhood - no family, no traditions, no society - this made him open to the world and he grew up with no prejudice; no conventions; no psychological complexes. He liked singing and felt deep in his heart that his songs could move mountains - and I think he also liked nature.

Does he really require any more reason for being?

VFTF1

[JB0]

Concerning the guitar interface. I think it could be fairly reasonable to control a fighter through an odd interface like say a guitar, instead of the normal control stick and throttle. As long as the guitar has the same number of possible input options as the regular setup, sure why not. It guess could work, but I'd find it silly anyway. What I don't believe would work, is playing a song on said guitar, while still making the fighter do what you want. Given that the guitar controls the plane, playing a song on it would be nothing short of suicidal (maybe not in space, but certainly within gravity or in proximity to things you can crash into).

You'd have to choose basicly. Steer the plane in a way you have control over it while producing random noise from your guitar interface. Or die a horrible death as the plane spins out of control from the random input you're giving it as you're playing your latest hit single...

Well, swinging the guitar around is unrelated to playing it. So the flight stick part is okay... sort of.

So we've got a guitarstick, that's kinda almost maybe reasonable, if you squint a little.

Now, the real question is how do we do the throttle.

And the pedals.

And the everything else.

We already know that there's buttons mounted on the neck of the guitar for secondary functions(including real honest-to-goodness missiles, thank you, Ray!)

Maybe twist the guitar neck for throttle? I know you can't get away with it on a real guitar, but... this isn't a real guitar. It shouldn't be hard to build one that doesn't rely on the vibration of strings, even without overtechnology(in fact, real-world guitar-based MIDI controllers have existed since the 80s).

Pressure-sensitive pads down the neck for finger position detection and strings at the base for continuity with conventional guitars. Or even a set of strings at the base and a second independent set down the neck. The actual soundwave creation is all done digitally in either case, with the plucking of strings serving to issue MIDI commands(or some future replacement of MIDI) rather than create an actual soundwave(or electronic equivalent thereof).

Really, something less conventional would probably suit their purposes better. But it would require a bit of retraining, and who knows if Basara would agree to use something less than a "real" guitar.

http://www.hollis.co.uk/john/synthaxe.html

Speaking of 80s MIDI guitars...

[VF-25 Messiah]

The guitar definitely doesn't function autonomosly of the fighter - I don't recall Bassara ever taking it out.

Actually he does. I seem to recall him doing so several times. I just checked "Galaxy is calling me" quick since I had that close by, and yep, one minute he's in the cockpit with that guitar, next he's jumped out carrying it, next has him playing it.

Edited September 6, 2008 by VF-25 Messiah

[JB0]

Has it ever occured to you that Basara just lip-sincs?

But seriously- I highly doubt he's "playing" the guitar in the Kai. I mean - we don't see him strumming it (then again, you rarely see strumming during the live concerts due to poor animation...) ...

I always figured the guitar is more an aesthetic thing - he might have a switch there with which he chooses the backround music.. and then he sings.

It is concievably possible to sing while flying - why not?

That would definitely explain the magic accompaniment.

It wouldn't explain how the music knows to go into a holding pattern when he needs to talk to someone, but... a smart player could probably be set up to do it, and they seemed to have enough funding(I mean, they got the first VF-19 on the Macross 7 fleet, that says something right there).

The guitar definitely doesn't function autonomosly of the fighter - I don't recall Bassara ever taking it out.

It's actually a physical part of the cockpit. There's a big post sticking out of the back that connects it to the rest of the plane.

Presumably for tracking purposes.

...

Ehh, I guess it snaps out. Oh well...

I actually disagree with this notion that character development entails a detailed knowledge of the character's past. Perhaps Basara's past is as mysterious to him as it is to others?

We don't even know that. All we know is that when he was little, he got mad at a mountain for not appreciating his music.

The notion that something had to "happen" to make him "become" a pacifist is a bit preposterous IMO. Why? Because can't people just HAVE beliefs?

No, not really.

There may not be a single dramatic incident, but people's decisions are based on their life's experience.

It's an old debate; and I've always found the empirical argument kind of silly. Do we have to experience murder to know it's a bad thing? Must we experience war in order to claim that peace is better? Can't we just come to these conclusions based on independent thought?

And the stronger it's affected you, the stronger your take on the issue is likely to be.

And I can point to examples where the cost of peace was higher than that of war.

There's examples in Macross 7, too.

Heck, Basara's stubborn aural assault on the protodeviln was arguably an act of agression, though he didn't seem to view it as such, until it became a clear matter of "them or us."

And even then he flip-flopped, first participating in the operation to trap Gavil and Glavil for the Battle 7's cannon, then turning around and objecting to Operation Stargazer. He only participated because he was been told he could make them LISTEN TO HIS SONG! if he beat the nukes to the cave.

Basara seems to have had a wanderer's childhood - no family, no traditions, no society - this made him open to the world and he grew up with no prejudice; no conventions; no psychological complexes.

EVERYONE has prejudices. They don't always choose to acknowledge them, but they have them.

And I think Basara has a superiority complex, personally.

He liked singing and felt deep in his heart that his songs could move mountains - and I think he also liked nature.

I still don't get the whole mountain thing. That's a bizarre obsession, even for a kid.

And he DOES seem fod of the wild outdoors, which raises questions about how he wound up on a colony ship in the first place. Much less in an abandoned ghetto as a stowaway on a colony ship(I got the impression he wasn't on the official roster, though clearly no one's gonna space the stowaways).

Maybe he traded the freedom of an untamed planet for a larger audience? But Basara wasn't really about the size of the audience.

I assume Ray is somehow responsible, but... it's still a big question mark.

Does he really require any more reason for being?

He exists for my amusement, and he fails at it.

One of the reasons I stuck with Macross 7 through the slow beginning is that I wanted to know WTF was up with Basara. It was my first and largest question about the show, and it was left untouched.

How did he get involved with Ray and Sound Force initially?

I can't imagine Ray just walked up, said "Hey, wanna sing in a jetplane?" and Basara went "Yeah, sounds cool."

...

Okay, I lie. I CAN imagine it. And I hate myself for it.

The point is, he remains a VERY unrelatable main character, made all the worse by the fact that he takes most of the available camera time that could be devoted to characters with actual personalities.

Edited September 6, 2008 by JB0

[Agent ONE]

Ok, so you guys are trying to make sense out of flying a plane/robot with a guitar... Do your parents know that you guys are on the internet?

You can still like M7, but I can't really get you kids trying to make sense of it... Its just stupid kiddie stuff. Its like doing an anatomy chart for Sponge Bob Square Pants.

It doesn't matter how many Kidneys Sponge Bob has.. The subject is just completely stupid.

[Dio]

Pre-disclaimer: I'm a Mac7 lover. The show ranks easily as one of my favorites among all the different iterations of Macross we've been given to date.

In response to the original post:

"Expect to have fun with this Macross." Nothing serious, nothing that will spur a deep philosophical discussion on the metaphysical reasons behind the things you see in the show - just fun.

The main character is what you see in the first episode. He does not change, does not develop, does not experience any new revelations over the entire 49-episode run. However, he's also really not the character the series meant to develop - instead, you've got a show where the secondary characters all develop around him - a sort of interesting way to engage in a story, if you think about it.

Regarding the animation quality... well, 49 episodes of a series, you should expect some recycled footage. This series takes it to excess, with only the major plot-turning moments introducing anything revoutionary, which you'll then see, ad-nauseum over the next 5-10 episodes, with the exception of the armored VF-11 (sexy!).

Same goes for the music. Good J-pop, bad to hear it over and over again every time the recycled battle footage gets presented. That being said, I never really got sick of it, and to this day I still pop in the Fire Bomber CD occasionally when I want to get fired up.

Expect the first couple dozen episodes to drag. They spend a very hefty amount of time developing the secondary characters (which the show is about), but nothing really starts to form around a single plot arc till about episode 28 or 29. From there, it's a pretty good ride through the rest of the series, where the stage has been set and they pretty much stay on-topic with the major plot of the series.

Would I recommend it? Of course - but going in, you have to be aware that you shouldn't expect the serious personal development/war story that you saw in Robotech/Macross. This isn't that kind of series. As some have said above, it's a story for a much younger audience - if you've got no problem indulging your inner child, I say go for it.

[Gubaba]

Ok, so you guys are trying to make sense out of flying a plane/robot with a guitar... Do your parents know that you guys are on the internet?

You can still like M7, but I can't really get you kids trying to make sense of it... Its just stupid kiddie stuff. Its like doing an anatomy chart for Sponge Bob Square Pants.

It doesn't matter how many Kidneys Sponge Bob has.. The subject is just completely stupid.

Considering that this entire website is devoted to a show most of us saw when we were just little tykes, your argument makes me uneasy...

But yes, I think you either go with the (as one of my friends pithily put it) "absurd red Valkyrie," or you don't. Trying to figure out exactly how the guitar stick works is relatively profitless.

But it is slightly more profitable than trying to figure out how Basara flew the VT-1C in D7 with a REAL guitar...

And Basara...love 'im or hate 'im, at least he's not the most unpopular Macross character (that would be Kaifun, I'm sure).

[azrael]

I suspend my disbelief when ever I watch anime or any drama on TV. I see the lack of doing this a disturbing trend.

[Final Vegeta]

I suspend my disbelief when ever I watch anime or any drama on TV. I see the lack of doing this a disturbing trend.

Serious business ruined the entertainment industry forever

FV

[Agent ONE]

Considering that this entire website is devoted to a show most of us saw when we were just little tykes, your argument makes me uneasy...

...

It shouldn't. SDF M stands the test of time, and DYRL does a better job. Noting goofy, nothing kiddie, nothing stupid, no tones of Care Bears..

My Father watches SDF Macross and thinks its a solid show.

[badboy00z]

Why was the VF-19 customized? I know that it's part of a military project but I forgot its objective.

[Gubaba]

It shouldn't. SDF M stands the test of time, and DYRL does a better job. Noting goofy, nothing kiddie, nothing stupid, no tones of Care Bears..

My Father watches SDF Macross and thinks its a solid show.

That's a fair point...but I think trying to figure out exactly how the head lasers on a VF-1S are controlled isn't much different than trying to understand how the Guitar Control Stick is used...although I'm sure a lot of the nuts'n'bolts mecha guys here would disagree.

Tangentally, though, your post makes me wonder. Most people (here at any rate) watched Macross 7 because of its connection to SDFM. And we've seen recently that some people who are getting into Frontier first are going back and watching the other Macross stories for the first time.

I wonder how many people became SDFM fans because they saw and loved Macross 7, and wanted to see what happened before? How much did it build up the fan base?

Why was the VF-19 customized? I know that it's part of a military project but I forgot its objective.

Did they ever say what the objective was...? I don't think they ever said how Ray even got the damn thing in the first place (apart from some vague "He had connections because he was in the Pink Pecker Squadron" excuse). I like Macross 7, but it's not strong on the hows and whys of almost anything in the backstory.

[Agent ONE]

...

I wonder how many people became SDFM fans because they saw and loved Macross 7, and wanted to see what happened before? How much did it build up the fan base?

...

Curious about that myself... But I'd also want to know their age. I would not believe that someone over the age of 8 who is a straight male could get into Macross because of M7.

(I hate to add this but I want to be fair) I watch every second of M7 because I wanted to see how it turned out, how Max and Millia, and Exodol ended up. I have to say that there were maybe like 20 min out of the entire show that had some value.

Edited September 6, 2008 by Agent ONE

[VFTF1]

I actually think that Macross 7 is ingenious precisely because of the fact that rather than building up a large fan base, it is able to build up a large anti-pathy base.

I know there are some shows out there which people "love to hate," but usually they hate the show because it doesn't fulfill expectations; because it doesn't live up to the plot or spirit or whatever...

Macross 7 seems to be disliked because of the way it IS, not because of what it isn't.

This makes me think that Macross 7 is actually pretty successful. It's like Jesus - he goes around telling people he's God, and that angers and annoys lots of folks. They don't like him precisely for that reason. Macross 7 does the same thing - it goes around saying "all your mecha and missiles and bombs are nothing compared to the power of love music!" and this annoys people.

Also - when comparing Bassara and Lyn Kaifun - I think it helps to be mindful of the fact that Kaifun wound up being a phoney.

The one and only time when Kaifun was impressive was during the brawl at Nian Nian when he used Chinese Kung-Fu to ward off attackers without hurting them.

But clearly, what made him annoying was the fact that he treated Minmey's singing as a business rather than a cause. Sure, he did say "keep singing!" when the Zentrans attacked inside the Macross - another big up for him - but beyond that and the aforementioned Kung Fu scene - he seemed to be intent on just marketing Minmey as such. He didn't care about the people Minmey sang for and - especially in the period after Space Wars I ended, he became a drunk, violent, disrespectful... he had very much antipathy for people.

Also - he became a rabble rouser. He made his stand by rousing emotions of anger (not love) - anger towards the military, anger towards the government, anger towards soldiers.

Bassara doesn't do this. Basara loves everyone and his songs bring out the emotions of love and friendship in others. Bassara does everything for the people who he wants to move with his music. He also goes directly to the enemy and sings to them (I'm thinking of Sivil in the forrest here).

Love him or hate him, Bassara is not a phoney like Kaifun.

VFTF1