Kawamori's Frontier Episode Commentary

[Gubaba]

1st Diva VF pilot. Hehe. The Jenius' already hold the 1st female VF pilot (Milia) and 1st female Singer (Mylene). All we need now is some older woman pilot going after the young newbie pilots and she'd be the 1st Cougar VF pilot.

And Klan was the first loli pilot...

Really, though, I just picked "diva" because I can't think of any better way to translate 歌姫...

[dreamweaver13]

Here's the next group. Again, all episodes are listed as being written by Yoshino. Kawamori is credited (along with someone else) for storyboards for episode 14.

#12 - Fastest Delivery

This episode is really focused around Ranka singing "Seikan Hikou." Anyway, the really charming point here is the "Kira!☆" Animation director Takahashi (Yuichi) watched a lot of choreography videos in order ot animate this scene well, and I think it made a strong impression. And of course, the first audience to hear Ranka's singing is Zentradi.

#13 - Memory of Global

In this episode, the heartwarming mood of the first half, as Alto enters the Global, expands in a heartbeat in the second half into something much harder. And finally, Alto, having wished to fly in a real sky, of course finds joy in flying his Valkryie in the atmosphere. This episode crosses the halfway point of the series, and moves towards the second half, as Sheryl's sickness and Grace's conspiracy come to the forefront.

#14 - Mother's Lullaby

An all-out attack by the Vajra, and the war intensifies. This episode is the turning point for the war getting larger, but we also wanted to show that Grace is still lurking in the shadows. Ranka's power is revealed, and Sheryl's standing and position changes. Mylene was special, but Sheryl is the first diva to fly a Valkyrie in this series. Even though she gets shot down almost immediately (laugh).

I had a feeling they took some time to animate or prepare the animation for the kira choreography. in some ways, it was a "make or break" moment for Ranka with respect to the macross fans.

How about the first Diva to pilot a Macross? Doesn't Bobby count??

And come on SK, not even a mention of the trolling you did in ep12??

1st Diva VF pilot. Hehe. The Jenius' already hold the 1st female VF pilot (Milia) and 1st female Singer (Mylene). All we need now is some older woman pilot going after the young newbie pilots and she'd be the 1st Cougar VF pilot.

Well, she may not be a VF pilot, but we do have our first cougar in Misa. hehe.

Edited June 8, 2009 by dreamweaver13

[Gubaba]

I had a feeling they took some time to animate or prepare the animation for the kira choreography. in some ways, it was a "make or break" moment for Ranka with respect to the macross fans.

How about the first Diva to pilot a Macross? Doesn't Bobby count??

And come on SK, not even a mention of the trolling you did in ep12??

I don't know if it was "make or break" for Ranka, but it certainly made the series for me. More than anything else, the Macross Quarter in ep. 7, "Seikan Hikou" in ep. 12, and the song battle in ep. 15 made me realize that Frontier was flat-out awesome.

Well, she may not be a VF pilot, but we do have our first cougar in Misa. hehe.

"so...even dreamweaver13 thinks she looks like an old lady..."

[dreamweaver13]

"so...even dreamweaver13 thinks she looks like an old lady..."

hence, my avatar.

[sketchley]

And Klan was the first loli pilot...

Really, though, I just picked "diva" because I can't think of any better way to translate 歌姫...

songstress - http://linear.mv.com/cgi-bin/j-e/sjis/dict

Female professional singer - http://honyaku.nifty.com/

I'd go with Jeffrey's, but it doesn't sound very colloquial.

[Gubaba]

songstress - http://linear.mv.com/cgi-bin/j-e/sjis/dict

Female professional singer - http://honyaku.nifty.com/

I'd go with Jeffrey's, but it doesn't sound very colloquial.

No, the meaning is easy to understand (and I've seen it dozens of times already), but "songstress" sounds more what you'd call, say, Bette Midler or Aretha Franklin...not Sheryl Nome.

"Diva" came to me, and I think it works.

(And yes, I know Sheryl's English signs say "Songstress of the Galaxy." I don't care. It makes her sound boring to me.)

[sketchley]

No, the meaning is easy to understand (and I've seen it dozens of times already), but "songstress" sounds more what you'd call, say, Bette Midler or Aretha Franklin...not Sheryl Nome.

"Diva" came to me, and I think it works.

(And yes, I know Sheryl's English signs say "Songstress of the Galaxy." I don't care. It makes her sound boring to me.)

Well, I DID say that it doesn't sound very colloquial

Just so everyone is on board, I'm not disputing Gubaba's translation. A translation is more than just a literal "this word = that word" process. Just pointing out the literal translation of a single term in the translation.

Anyhow, diva is ディーバ.

[azrael]

No, the meaning is easy to understand (and I've seen it dozens of times already), but "songstress" sounds more what you'd call, say, Bette Midler or Aretha Franklin...not Sheryl Nome.

"Diva" came to me, and I think it works.

(And yes, I know Sheryl's English signs say "Songstress of the Galaxy." I don't care. It makes her sound boring to me.)

Aretha Franklin and (in some instances) Bette Midler are "divas".

Merriam-Webster

: a usually glamorous and successful female performer or personality <a fashion diva> ; especially : a popular female singer <pop divas>

[TheLoneWolf]

Really, though, I just picked "diva" because I can't think of any better way to translate 歌姫...

I understand why you chose to go with "diva," but I believe that "songstress" would be a better long-term option. I say "long-term" because I've noticed that sports and entertainment journalists have begun to increasingly associate "diva" with a negative connotation. For example, "T.O. threw a diva-like temper tantrum when the coach benched him." If this connotation persists, future readers may mistakenly believe that Sheryl is a publically acknowledged "b1tch" in the Frontier universe.

Makes me wonder now if Ramaria's sudden and barely visible death was pushed into episode 14 so at least one named SMS character would die in the battle.

You make a very good point, it would explain why Ramaria's death seemed oddly placed, at least to me anyways.

[azrael]

If this connotation persists, future readers may mistakenly believe that Sheryl is a publically acknowledged "b1tch" in the Frontier universe.

I don't know...episode 1 of MF seemed to reinforce that perception.

[Killer Robot]

I don't know...episode 1 of MF seemed to reinforce that perception.

Not to mention Ranka was a fan of how Sheryl would spout off impulsively during interviews, it sounded like. And ever read her blog? She might have been a real professional rather than just making a show, and exacting rather than unfair, but her public face is diva all the way. Proud and demanding.

[VFTF1]

Thanks again for these most recent commentary translations. Always fun to read these.

I personally like "Songstress of the Galaxy" because it is so "engRishy" and does indeed sound "boring" - but that's what makes it endearing... I don't know about "diva" - makes me think of black lace too much and Sheryl didn't really have that going for her... but it's all semantic and connotations...

Still, I think the point is that in contradistinction to Mylene who was a young girl, Sheryl is an older woman who sings and flies valkyries...well... wiggles the stick in a valykrie for a few minutes and gets blown up.... I guess you could call it flying

And yeah - I do agree that the work they put into the choreography in episode 12 showed very well - it was one of the best moments in the entire series - and one of the few very very overt Macross 7 nods

sniff. ah - the sweet memories

Pete

[BeyondTheGrave]

Yes - now that Gubaba has jogged our memories; indeed Birdman was also a reference to the equivalent episode in M7, where Bassara plays Ichijo Hikaru, and they put retro VF-1 fastpacks on the VF-19. However, as filming is underway, the protodevilin attack and Bassara needs to go sing to them.

But there are other more explicite M7 references in MF - most notably episode 12 where Ranka saves the day and Micheal's VF is equiped with Sound Force like speakers.

As for other obscure references to M7...

Did anybody else think of Physica from M7 when Alto got the "lucky charm" from Sheryl?

Pete

its coming back to me now.

I still have to finish all the extra episodes of m7. *shutters*