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

[lososaurus]

BTW Ranka was kissing Sheryl's boobs at the end of the ep 25, so there u go, its a Ranka x Sheryl ending.

I like the way you think

[Final Vegeta]

the only way to solve this without Sheryl x Ranka fan wars is for the movie to skip several years and start with Alto being married or in a relationship with some other person - a completely new character.

That would still be lame, and would not be appreciated by the audience. The real solution is merging Ranka and Sheryl together in a single body. Alto would choose one girl but get both, nobody could complain about that

FV

[RedWolf]

theory: vajra mating cycles take eons. they might also have a hibernation cycle that takes eons and coincided with civil war, thus they were out of the picture.

or at that time they might have gone to another galaxy to mate as they are not restricted to one galaxy as PC tech is (as far as we know). the vajra might actually have departed, to answer a booty call in another galaxy, before the civil war thus paving the way for the PC rise to power in this galaxy. the PC might have encountered the vajra, when the PC were still just a nascent civilization (ie. not primitive as in caveman, rather, already space-faring but relatively early in their galactic expansion as the humans are by the time of MF). the vajra encounter could've inspired the PC and provided another leap-frog in PC tech, but either the encounter was brief or the PC simply did not have enough time or contact with the vajra to sufficiently understand and emulate vajra tech prior to the departure, hence PC tech is "imperfect" (eg. PC fold capabilities are inferior to vajra fold) but the PC kept trying to develop anyway leading to their distinct flavor of PC tech with vajra influences. a brief encounter and the departure may also provide a basis of why the PC view of the vajra is almost mythological. they were basically a young race apparently deserted by their gods, but were left with the gift of fire (or fold in this case). without the vajra around, the stellar republic rose to become the dominant power in the galaxy, but collapsed and disappeared by the time the vajra returned from their honeymoon.

all theory of course..

I think the so called Ancestors of the Zolans who recorded the Vahla Ena or Galactic Whale migration were in fact the Protoculture.

Ancestors called the White Whale a god which existed for millions of years. Vahla Ena can also fold for their galactic migration.

Which makes me rethink the Mayan legend of creation. For the Protoculture the Vajra are the Birdman while the Vahla Ena are the Fishman.

It could explain an aspect of Protoculture society. They believe in Animism when it comes to fold creatures. Each of the two fold species have a central figure. For the Vahla Ena it is the White Whale, for the Vajra it is the Queen.

Notice the Zolans snakes which is with them. Telepathic and able to read ancient script they bear a resemblance to Vajra larva with three eyes. Which makes me think they are the Protoculture's imititation of Vajra young.

I think Zentran ships are an imitation of the Vahla Ena. While the Birdman and some aspects of the Evil Series were imitation of the Vajra.

[The346L3]

Or have them both die then at least there would be a reason he had to find someone else. It would also add a revenge factor to the story if they were killed that way.

[nemesis_trooper]

This episode is just pure win on so many levels...

[junior]

C'mon, man...it's unresolved. It's meant to be unresolved, and no matter how many little clues you think you find, it will always be unresolved.

Not really. What it comes down to is this - do you think that Alto was faking it for Sheryl in episodes 22 and 23?

If you don't think Alto was faking his affection for Sheryl, then you think that he ends up with Sheryl.

If you think that Alto was faking, then you think that he ends up with Ranka.

The comment at the end of the episode between Ranka and Sheryl really means nothing in the larger scheme of things. Ranka was gone in episodes 22 and 23, so she doesn't know about what happened. Sheryl is under the impression that Alto was only paying attention to her because he felt sorry for her because she was dying. So neither of them really know what's going on in his head. Alto's the only person who knows, and he's too busy finally getting to fulfill a life-long dream (episode 12 and 13 doesn't count since his plane crashed rather unexpectedly).

The scene five minutes after the end of the episode when Alto finally lands could be very instructive.

Personally, I've been leaning Sheryl since episode 5, and have been pretty certain that she's who Alto preferred since the end of the Ranka concert. But I know that not everyone has that view.

[yaiba]

the only way to solve this without Sheryl x Ranka fan wars is for the movie to skip several years and start with Alto being married or in a relationship with some other person - a completely new character.

Unfortunately for Alto, in a couple of years, Ranka's Zentraedi genes will kick in, and she will take on her Meltran heritage and turn into Ryofu Housen.

[sodakar]

Not really. What it comes down to is this - do you think that Alto was faking it for Sheryl in episodes 22 and 23?

If you don't think Alto was faking his affection for Sheryl, then you think that he ends up with Sheryl.

If you think that Alto was faking, then you think that he ends up with Ranka

My humble 2 cents.

I don't think it's definitive. It's undeniable that Alto has feelings for Sheryl, but he's not at the point where he's about to commit. But... I think it's an understandable case where Alto was trying really hard to "Do the right thing " and take care of Sheryl and give her what she wants during her last days -- which is exactly what Sheryl was afraid of. Sure, she would love to be loved, but... she would want Alto to love her and choose her -strictly- on the basis of her person -- not just because she's dying, right? She, of course, recognizes what's going on, and thanks him for "playing along", but tells him that he can stop (being so awkwardly nice).

Now that both Ranka and Sheryl are not near-death, everything's back to nearly even ground...

[evirus]

did Battle Frontier do a "dedalus attack" on battle galaxy just after Macross Quarter did the attack on Galaxies' cannon?

[Gubaba]

Not really. What it comes down to is this - do you think that Alto was faking it for Sheryl in episodes 22 and 23?

If you don't think Alto was faking his affection for Sheryl, then you think that he ends up with Sheryl.

If you think that Alto was faking, then you think that he ends up with Ranka.

The comment at the end of the episode between Ranka and Sheryl really means nothing in the larger scheme of things. Ranka was gone in episodes 22 and 23, so she doesn't know about what happened. Sheryl is under the impression that Alto was only paying attention to her because he felt sorry for her because she was dying. So neither of them really know what's going on in his head. Alto's the only person who knows, and he's too busy finally getting to fulfill a life-long dream (episode 12 and 13 doesn't count since his plane crashed rather unexpectedly).

The scene five minutes after the end of the episode when Alto finally lands could be very instructive.

Personally, I've been leaning Sheryl since episode 5, and have been pretty certain that she's who Alto preferred since the end of the Ranka concert. But I know that not everyone has that view.

I wrote a long reply to this...it was a fine and noble thing, full of truth, beauty, symmetry, wit, tenderness, and urbanity. It was heartfelt and touching, and its arguments were rigorously logical and utterly convincing to all.

And of course, my computer died before I could finish it. So, here I go again (*deep breath*)...

I'm still not convinced. It seems like those pulling for Sheryl have found many hints that Alto picked the Galactic Faerie, while those pulling for Ranka have found an equal number of hints that Alto chose the Little Queen. People find what they expect to find.

For me, pulling for neither (although leaning slightly towards Sheryl...she's got more pizazz, and it would leave Ranka free to give MY favorite character the happy ending she so desperately desires ), the love triangle seems well-balanced. Alto has had every chance in the world to choose one girl and tell the other one that he doesn't like her "that" way, but he hasn't. He's been given ample opportunity to show favoritism, and he's resisted every time. He flies to protect Ranka, but he also takes care of Sheryl when she needs him. I think he loves both girls deeply, and would gladly die to save either of them. But while there's something stronger than friendship there, I'm not sure he loves either girl in a romantic or sexual way. (Quick: how would you react if you saw Sheryl's "tuna buns"? Or got to see if Ranka's green hair was really natural? Oh, you'd play it cool, I'm sure...but you'd be thinking about it A LOT afterwards, wouldn't you? Me too. But not Alto.)

But getting away from in-universe explanations for a moment, I suspect that the writers deliberately tried to make the love triangle as equal as possible, a real "Lady or the Tiger" ending, and I think they did a good job of it. If someone can say, "Oh, obviously, Alto picked X, and here's why," then to that extent, the writers failed. To say that they are secretly indicating Alto chose one or the other...well, that just doesn't seem to fit with how carefully they made sure that neither girl had the upper hand for long.

That's why I don't buy any of these supposed hints, and until someone can give me something more substantial than "Alto was going to tell Sheryl that he loves her," or "Alto was going to tell Sheryl that he loves Ranka," or "Alto only saluted Sheryl," or "After the salute, Alto gave a キラ☆! sign," I'm going to say that the love triangle was left deliberately unresolved.

Edited September 28, 2008 by Gubaba

[papabear]

I think leaving it unresolved fits Alto's character and his age...

[magnuskn]

That would still be lame, and would not be appreciated by the audience. The real solution is merging Ranka and Sheryl together in a single body. Alto would choose one girl but get both, nobody could complain about that

FV

Errr... yeah, I guess about *every* fan of Sheryl would complain that she would get her awesome personality merged with whiny "Save me!" Ranka. I mean, really. Only a complete and utter moron would like that.

I wrote a long reply to this...it was a fine and noble thing, full of truth, beauty, symmetry, wit, tenderness, and urbanity. It was heartfelt and touching, and its arguments were rigorously logical and utterly convincing to all.

And of course, my computer died before I could finish it. So, here I go again (*deep breath*)...

I'm still not convinced. It seems like those pulling for Sheryl have found many hints that Alto picked the Galactic Faerie, while those pulling for Ranka have found an equal number of hints that Alto chose the Little Queen. People find what they expect to find.

For me, pulling for neither (although leaning slightly towards Sheryl...she's got more pizazz, and it would leave Ranka free to give MY favorite character the happy ending she so desperately desires ), the love triangle seems well-balanced. Alto has had every chance in the world to choose one girl and tell the other one that he doesn't like her "that" way, but he hasn't. He's been given ample opportunity to show favoritism, and he's resisted every time. He flies to protect Ranka, but he also takes care of Sheryl when she needs him. I think he loves both girls deeply, and would gladly die to save either of them. But while there's something stronger than friendship there, I'm not sure he loves either girl in a romantic or sexual way. (Quick: how would you react if you saw Sheryl's "tuna buns"? Or got to see if Ranka's green hair was really natural? Oh, you'd play it cool, I'm sure...but you'd be thinking about it A LOT afterwards, wouldn't you? Me too. But not Alto.)

But getting away from in-universe explanations for a moment, I suspect that the writers deliberately tried to make the love triangle as equal as possible, a real "Lady or the Tiger" ending, and I think they did a good job of it. If someone can say, "Oh, obviously, Alto picked X, and here's why," then to that extent, the writers failed. To say that they are secretly indicating Alto chose one or the other...well, that just doesn't seem to fit with how carefully they made sure that neither girl had the upper hand for long.

That's why I don't buy any of these supposed hints, and until someone can give me something more substantial than "Alto was going to tell Sheryl that he loves her," or "Alto was going to tell Sheryl that he loves Ranka," or "Alto only saluted Sheryl," or "After the salute, Alto gave a キラ☆! sign," I'm going to say that the love triangle was left deliberately unresolved.

And that is exactly why some people need it spelled out in big neon letters... and others don´t. They left it *somewhat* ambiguos by never stating it outright, but all the hints, all the signs are there to point to Alto having chosen Sheryl. Ranka removed herself from the competition in ep 21 and the only thing that prevented Sheryl from closing the deal was herself still thinking that Alto stayed with her because of pity.

Still, while I liked the last episode good enough on all other terms, Alto not outright stating his ultimate choice at the end is a let-down. Not because I think he may not have chosen Sheryl, but because they had made an awesome build-up for it just last episode with Sheryl sending him off, and they chose not to cash in on it.

But then again I think that *someone* decided on a last-minute rewrite of the final minutes. The rather poor animation quality ( compared to much of the rest of the episode ) is a big clue, IMO. I mean, why exactly do the last few minutes of the show look so much worse than the earlier parts of the episode or even the whole episode before that ( Look at the big Sheryl/Alto scene in ep 24 and compare to the end of 25. I mean, WTF? )? Doesn´t make much sense, because you´d think they would want to go out looking the best they can, not rather "meh" in comparison.

I guess a bigger milking of the Frontier franchise seemed more important than a proper resolution.

Edited September 28, 2008 by magnuskn

[Graham]

Only had time to watch it 4 times so far, but I gotta say that in my opinion, this is a fantastic ending episode.

In fact I rate it as one of the best, if not the best ending episode of an anime TV series ever.

Kawamori and crew did an absolutely stellar job.

It sends shivers down my spine each time I watch it.

Fantastic close to a fantastic series. Gets a 10/10 from me).

Graham

[Vegas]

what a great ending.....lots of scenes that reminded me of the old series. very emotional. love macross so much

[Gubaba]

And that is exactly why some people need it spelled out in big neon letters... and others don´t. They left it *somewhat* ambiguos by never stating it outright, but all the hints, all the signs are there to point to Alto having chosen Sheryl.

...which is why all the Sheryl-shippers at Animesuki simply SHOWERED this episode with praise, right? And why absolutely NO ONE shouted "Harem ending!" or got upset over this supoposedly inconclusive ending to the love triangle.

For every "Sheryl won" clue you could come up, I'm sure someone could find a "Ranka won" hint. And yeah, I guess I need big neon letters to explain why niggling Sheryl hints are superior to niggling Ranka hints.

[VF-18S Hornet]

It was the most epic and exciting episode I watched I was practically rooting for Grace and Galaxy to be killed, I haven't cheered for the death of the most dispicable villian, since Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny (Captain Sutherland, Azreal, Lord Dribri). I'm glad Sheryl didn't have to die thanks to Ranka reversing what was happening to her. Loved the songs I was trying to sing them in english well mostly from the translations supplied by lunar subs couldn't keep up. And Damn I didn't know that Galaxy had a battle Galaxy it wan't shown in episode 6 or episode 14 it most deffinately looked like a giant VF-27. And last Quarter and Battle Frontier pulling a double whammy on Galaxy espeicially Quarter using the infamous Daedalus Attack totally rocked this episode Kawamori Rocks Edited September 28, 2008 by VF-18S Hornet

[Twoducks]

Long-time fan, first-time poster who's just curious to see what other fans made of it, and eager to share.

Glad to hear that the overall response was positive -- I thought the final episode was perhaps the most non-stop, action-packed, final episode I've ever seen, and the series did an excellent job of paying homage to the past series. I can understand the slight annoyance the countless references might cause some, but I suspect that the overwhelming joy it brings fans like me easily make up for it. All the little scenes and references took me back to my childhood when I watched it 25 years ago.

What I perhaps love most about the Macross series is that so much of the story revolves around singing and music. As a native speaker, I'm constantly worried that my non-Japanese speaking friends won't get the full experience, so I am always pleased to find how needless my worries are, and that singing and music are indeed universal.

The only contribution I have to this thread is... that when you hear the トライアングラー (Triangler) song during the end credits, it's amusing to note that the lyrics are different from the original song.

Per http://www.kasi-time.com/item-32075.html , the original song goes:

君は誰とキスをする / Who are you going to kiss?

わたし それともあの娘 / Me, or perhaps that girl?

In the final episode, it changes to:

君は誰とキスをする / Who are you going to kiss?

わたし それともわたし / Me, or perhaps me? (with italicized vocals interchanging)

Sorry if that was already mentioned in this thread -- I did a quick search and it didn't come up.

I'm looking forward to the movie!!

Welcome and thanks for your contribution!

I really like the easy to miss little detail this series has.

As somebody pointed out in the mecha thread... a Sheryl 'nose art' emblem on the back of a vf-171 ex XD - HOPE THEY RELEASE THIS DECAL IN THE VF-171EX BANDAI KIT YAY! XD

too bad it was the one that got kakizaki-ed T_T hope this does not mean anything in the future haha lol

I just love them little details

Edited September 28, 2008 by Twoducks

[m0n5t3r]

Unfortunately for Alto, in a couple of years, Ranka's Zentraedi genes will kick in, and she will take on her Meltran heritage and turn into Ryofu Housen.

ROLMFAO!

[SkullLeaderVF-X]

Wow...just Wow.. I just dowloaded to my psp and watched it, and wow. It made me feel all giddy and happy and grateful to be a Macross fan. I loved it. Although like all Macross seires ending's, it left me wanting more. I loved all the omages in the series, MF shows how to do a omage right. I was yelling and talking to my psp while watching the final episode that my cousin thought I was going crazy.It has been so long since a series has sparked my emotions, and it is always a Macross series that does it when it happens.

[Mellow Yellow]

Only had time to watch it 4 times so far, but I gotta say that in my opinion, this is the a fantastic ending episode.

In fact I rate it as one of the best, if not the best ending episode of an anime TV series ever.

Kawamori and crew did an absolutely stellar job.

It sends shivers down my spine each time I watch it.

Fantastic close to a fantastic series. Gets a 10/10 from me).

Graham

Agreed. Possibly the most epic 24 mins of anime I have ever witnessed

[DHX]

Am I the only one who DIDN'T care who Alto ended up with from start to finish of the series?

[SkullLeaderVF-X]

Am I the only one who DIDN'T care who Alto ended up with from start to finish of the series?

I dunno to me it seems Alto shunned both girls to be with sky.You just won one of the most epic battles in Macross history next to SDFM, and now you can be with the girl/girls you love, and what do you do? You just fly around in the sky.

[aerocombatpilot]

Am I the only one who DIDN'T care who Alto ended up with from start to finish of the series?

No. But if you say that, some people get mad.

[magnuskn]

...which is why all the Sheryl-shippers at Animesuki simply SHOWERED this episode with praise, right? And why absolutely NO ONE shouted "Harem ending!" or got upset over this supoposedly inconclusive ending to the love triangle.

For every "Sheryl won" clue you could come up, I'm sure someone could find a "Ranka won" hint. And yeah, I guess I need big neon letters to explain why niggling Sheryl hints are superior to niggling Ranka hints.

Really? Then, come on... show me those "Ranka won" hints. "Alto screams RANKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" doesn´t count, he´s done that way before and still nothing happened between the two of them in 25 episodes, besides a staged kiss in ep 10.

Besides, while some of us Sheryl shippers were very disappointed ( Justin, for example ), others were fine and saw the clues ( Tak, to take another example ).

And, let´s see, just off the top of my hat, Alto moved in together with Sheryl ( prove to me the contrary ^^ ) , shared multiple kisses, probably made love to her, came back to her before the battle, promised to come back to her after the battle, gave *her* a salute before going into battle, wore her earring. And her panties. Okay, I made that last one up. But besides the actual declaration of love, everything is there.

What has he done together with Ranka since, um, episode 15? Visited her for a pep talk, which was so asexual that I think everybody noticed it. Had a talk with her on the steps of that monument, where she ditched him for her onii-chan and Ai-kun. Not exactly a track record of romantic involvement, isn´t it?

Therefore I find it *ridiculous* that people now want to renege on the quite obvious, only because some dick executive probably decided that the movie would sell more if people would fret about the resolution until its release. The Alto X Ranka romance has been dead in the water since episode 16, and that´s a fact. Sheryl X Alto was happening before out eyes, it was just delayed to about 5 hours after the episode finished ( in-universe, of course ).

[SkullLeaderVF-X]

Really? Then, come on... show me those "Ranka won" hints. "Alto screams RANKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" doesn´t count, he´s done that way before and still nothing happened between the two of them in 25 episodes, besides a staged kiss in ep 10.

Well he did save her from Battle galaxy.

[magnuskn]

Well he did save her from Battle galaxy.

Yeah, okay, he could of course have let his friend Ranka get killed. Ahem. Not to mention that she was kinda important to pacify the Vajra.

[Funkenstein]

I think this is the most important question so far.

What class ship was the Battle Galaxy? It sort of looked like a New Macross, but sort of didn't , especially the head.

[Gubaba]

Really? Then, come on... show me those "Ranka won" hints. "Alto screams RANKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" doesn´t count, he´s done that way before and still nothing happened between the two of them in 25 episodes, besides a staged kiss in ep 10.

Besides, while some of us Sheryl shippers were very disappointed ( Justin, for example ), others were fine and saw the clues ( Tak, to take another example ).

And, let´s see, just off the top of my hat, Alto moved in together with Sheryl ( prove to me the contrary ^^ ) , shared multiple kisses, probably made love to her, came back to her before the battle, promised to come back to her after the battle, gave *her* a salute before going into battle, wore her earring. And her panties. Okay, I made that last one up. But besides the actual declaration of love, everything is there.

What has he done together with Ranka since, um, episode 15? Visited her for a pep talk, which was so asexual that I think everybody noticed it. Had a talk with her on the steps of that monument, where she ditched him for her onii-chan and Ai-kun. Not exactly a track record of romantic involvement, isn´t it?

Therefore I find it *ridiculous* that people now want to renege on the quite obvious, only because some dick executive probably decided that the movie would sell more if people would fret about the resolution until its release. The Alto X Ranka romance has been dead in the water since episode 16, and that´s a fact. Sheryl X Alto was happening before out eyes, it was just delayed to about 5 hours after the episode finished ( in-universe, of course ).

My answer was getting WAAAAY too long (and probably dull for anyone who isn't you or me), so I'm keeping this short. If you'd like a fuller answer, PM me.

Suffice to say that I never said Alto didn't love Sheryl deeply...he clearly does, it's just that I don't see a whole lot of romantic interest on his part. I don't think he's romantically interested in Ranka, either, so ALL the supposed "hints" fall flat to me.

Yes, Sheryl kissed him many times, but as far as I can recall, HE never kissed HER. Yes, they moved in together, because she needed him. The idea that they made love is interesting, but purely speculative. Yes, he took the earring, but so what? He took Michael's sniper rifle, too.

And, over and over again, it's Ranka who he has risked life and limb to rescue, it's Ranka who inspired him to fly, it's Ranka who he has given encouragement to. But that doesn't mean he wants to marry her, or even spend a jazzy weekend with her.

I stand by my original assertion. He loves both of them, he cares very deeply for both of them. And yes, he feels some attraction for both of them. But he doesn't really want to "be" with either of them.

EDIT: And yes, he wore Shery's panties, but only because they were the ones Ai-kun stole. AltoxAi-kun FTW!!!

Edited September 28, 2008 by Gubaba

[Mr March]

I think this is the most important question so far.

What class ship was the Battle Galaxy? It sort of looked like a New Macross, but sort of didn't , especially the head.

Most of the New Macross Class ships do not look alike. Almost all the NMCs we've seen so far have been different from each other. Other than a few cosmetic differences, the Battle Galaxy looks like a NMC to me. It's the proper size, the proper shape, has all the proper features (like the long legs, the docking bay torso, and the carrier deck forearms) and lastly it has the same gunship as all the other NMCs. The biggest differences seem to be largely stylistic, such as the bridge. The port and starboard amidships (which become the shoulders in Attack Mode) also feature one big cannon each, which is probably the most significant weapon difference from other NMC vessels. The Battle Galaxy is certainly an NMC.

[Shun]

Alto has had every chance in the world to choose one girl and tell the other one that he doesn't like her "that" way, but he hasn't. He's been given ample opportunity to show favoritism, and he's resisted every time. He flies to protect Ranka, but he also takes care of Sheryl when she needs him. I think he loves both girls deeply, and would gladly die to save either of them. But while there's something stronger than friendship there, I'm not sure he loves either girl in a romantic or sexual way.

totally agree with you on this. Alto loves one thing for sure - flying, in a real sky.

Yes, Sheryl kissed him many times, but as far as I can recall, HE never kissed HER. Yes, they moved in together, because she needed him. The idea that they made love is interesting, but purely speculative. Yes, he took the earring, but so what? He took Michael's sniper rifle, too.

And, over and over again, it's Ranka who he has risked life and limb to rescue, it's Ranka who inspired him to fly, it's Ranka who he has given encouragement to. But that doesn't mean he wants to marry her, or even spend a jazzy weekend with her.

I stand by my original assertion. He loves both of them, he cares very deeply for both of them. And yes, he feels some attraction for both of them. But he doesn't really want to "be" with either of them.

EDIT: And yes, he wore Shery's panties, but only because they were the ones Ai-kun stole. AltoxAi-kun FTW!!!

HEY!!! Seriously!! I was thinking of Alto x Ai-kun pairing joke.. lol... while Ranka x Sheryl after they both dumped Alto.

Alto never chose anyone. Period. anyone who argues otherwise is really in denial. In fact, since Alto probably didn't really seriously consider either of them in a romantic way, they ain't even contenders to begin with

Alto being gay would solve the 'shipping wars. And we'll have a good ending for Bobby too - one he deserves so well!

Bobby FTW!!

Edited September 29, 2008 by Shun

[grss1982]

did Battle Frontier do a "dedalus attack" on battle galaxy just after Macross Quarter did the attack on Galaxies' cannon?

NO. Macross Quarter delivered a "Daedalus Attack" on Battle Galaxy's gunship. Battle Frontier then followed it up with a NMC-sized "Falcon Punch" a.k.a. "Machida Punch."

[Morpheus]

I was thinking about Macross Galaxy. AFAIK it was an imlplant-based colony launched from Eden, I think the main sponsor is General Galaxy backed up by Macross Consortium. Macross Consortium has been known for its many incident (Sharon Apple AI, Ghost X-9 incident). I think Macross Consortium want total domination from the first place (since circa 2040) starting with project Supernova.

They introduce the unmanned Ghost X-9 as the replacement for he main VF at that time and it was proven superior compared with the other AVF prototype at that time. My speculation says that Macross Consortium are planning to use a backdoor program on the Ghost X-9 once its mass produced to gain control on UN Spacy. However this plan failed, so they proceed to the next plan. They asked permission from NUNS/UN Spacy to launch a colony fleet, in which they experiment with fold implant and also mass-produced Ghost V-9 and VF-27.

So in short, Macross Consortium is the ultimate villain here.

(my head hurts, thus explain this horrible post )

Edited September 29, 2008 by Morpheus

[junior]

Yes, Sheryl kissed him many times, but as far as I can recall, HE never kissed HER. Yes, they moved in together, because she needed him. The idea that they made love is interesting, but purely speculative. Yes, he took the earring, but so what? He took Michael's sniper rifle, too.

People keep citing statistics regarding Alto's reticence like, "But Alto never kissed her!" But they keep ignoring WHY Alto never kissed her. Sheryl gives him mixed signals up through episode 22. Every time she acts in a forward manner toward him, she then clams up again and mocks him for suspecting that she might like him. The classic example is episode 10, but there are plenty of other instances. And when she even SUSPECTS that Alto might be making a move on her, she reacts in a defensive manner (case in point, episode 17 when he finds her collapsed outside SMS and smuggles her into his cabin while she's unconscious). So OF COURSE Alto isn't going to try and kiss her instead. Why do people keep ignoring the effect of Sheryl's own actions to discourage Alto? Sheryl does nearly as much to discourage Alto as she does to encourage him, but we never hear anyone argue, "But Sheryl doesn't really like Alto!" or "We can't really be sure if Sheryl likes Alto!"

Open your eyes, people!

Besides, given the way that the scene fades out in episode 22, it's 90% certain that Alto sleeps with her. There are certain scene indicators that you recognize when you've been around long enough. And a scene change with the camera rising away from a couple in privacy toward the night sky is pretty much as big of a clue as a train traveling into a dark tunnel used to be back in the old days of film. Or in other words, Alto did a lot more than just kiss the girl. Just because you didn't see Sheryl naked doesn't mean that the writers didn't blatantly telegraph it. The scene ending tells us, "There's more going on here, but we're going to give the couple their privacy."

So unless you somehow think they stayed up all night playing pinochle, then it's pretty clear that the two of them slept together.

Given the way that things work out, the only time that it might be appropriate for Alto to kiss her would be from episode 23 onward. Unfortunately, in episode 23 Sheryl falls asleep right after their shared dinner, meaning that all that Alto was able to do was to take her upstairs, tuck her in, and go home. Episode 24 has Alto visit her... and Sheryl basically tells him, "Don't tell me whether or not you like me because regardless of the answer I won't be able to do my job." So once again, Alto doesn't have an opportunity to express his feelings.

imo, the answer has been pretty clear since the end of episode 20. Alto talks to Sheryl on the roof, Ranka bursts through the door, bursts into tears, and then runs away. And Alto doesn't run after her. As far as I'm concerned, that's the end of the argument.

The end of episode 25? It's only something that he's been waiting several years to do (episode 12 doesn't count since his plane was brought down). The girls can wait a few minutes. I mean, it's not like he wasn't just talking to Sheryl thirty minutes earlier or something...

Earring/Sniper Rifle - Um, yeah. Actually, it was Clan's sniper rifle at that point. But that's beside the point. If you think that the earring wasn't important, then you need to rekindle a little romance in your soul.

Sniper Rifle - useful instrument of destruction that is capable of blowing holes in heavily armored targets.

Earring - A token of his girlfriend and a sign of her affections. Also has a secondary function of allowing someone to tap into fold wave communications, but Alto and Sheryl clearly aren't thinking about that when she loans it to him.

[RedWolf]

junior please stop speculating that Sheryl had sex with Alto because Sheryl is aware of her condition.

V-type is transmitted by blood and fluids. Sheryl is careful about that.

[tankf77]

So unless you somehow think they stayed up all night playing pinochle, then it's pretty clear that the two of them slept together.

IMHO, I don't think that is possible given her condition. Luca already said it is transmitted via bodily fluids, remember? So we can rule that out.

As I said, it is a deliberate ploy by SK to ensure that a "fair" and "just" ending is given to both Asian (Ranka's heritage) and Western (Sheryl's heritage) audience that the triangular love is unresolved. I think it is likely that the movie will not resolve it either, for business reasons of course.