Worse Macross Moments

[VFTF1]

This thread is inspired by the fact that to this day, I can't help but frown whenever I think of the scene in Macross Frontier where Alto is talking to Sheryl about the upcoming battle with the (supposedly) Ranka-controlled Vajra, and he says that if it comes to it "I'll kill Ranka!"

To me, that line was so over-the-top and juvenille - even for Alto. I mean, Alto knows Ranka very well as a thoughtful girl. So she suddenly decides to defend Ai-kun and go run off with her brother - and not once does Alto ask "why?" He just hates the Vajra so much and is so blinded by blood lust, that even when his closest girlfriend - in tears and with a broken heart - makes the choice to go off with Brera and Ai-Kun...he doesn't even wonder for a moment why?

I dunno...I think that just from the standpoint of plot - it would have been better to have the conversation with Sheryl go something like:

"How could Ranka do this? I don't understand..."

"Understanding eachother is something that is difficult"

Or something more complex - anything but "I will kill Ranka!"

To this day, it's the one part of Macross that I would honestly love to retcon, cut, liquidate.

What's YOUR worse Macross moment?

Pete

[taksraven]

What about animation errors?

Or how about Robotech as a whole??

[VFTF1]

Robotech isn't a Macross moment.

Animation errors - fine - but the idea is for it to be something that in some ways otherwise ruins a great experience.

Pete

[BlueMax]

Right at the end of Macross Frontier, both Series and movie alike, the characters act as if everything oh-so-happy-in-my-own-world and oblivious to everything else. Even the hundreds and thousands of people who have perished in the Vajra attacks just mere hours, or even minutes before. Just isn't right.

[shiroth]

Guess it's only a matter of time before episode 8 of Macross Frontier is mentioned.

[taksraven]

Right at the end of Macross Frontier, both Series and movie alike, the characters act as if everything oh-so-happy-in-my-own-world and oblivious to everything else. Even the hundreds and thousands of people who have perished in the Vajra attacks just mere hours, or even minutes before. Just isn't right.

Good point. But people in reality do tend to go over the top when a war ends, regardless of the cost of the conflict......

[VFTF1]

Right at the end of Macross Frontier, both Series and movie alike, the characters act as if everything oh-so-happy-in-my-own-world and oblivious to everything else. Even the hundreds and thousands of people who have perished in the Vajra attacks just mere hours, or even minutes before. Just isn't right.

Good point. But people in reality do tend to go over the top when a war ends, regardless of the cost of the conflict......

Both really good points. The problem dealt with in the first post is sort of generic to all action/war stories - almost. The way Taks explains it is really good - but I also wonder whether the over-the-top celebrations are merely the public manifestation, while the trauma and grieving take place on a smaller, quieter scale...

Then again - I guess if billions have died, then you're kind of happy if you and your girlfriend survived?

I dunno... but then again...other than Macross Frontier and Macross 7, which both end of similarly bizarre happy-goody notes following mass death - most Macross series don't do this. SDFM TV didn't end like this for certain. Neither did the OVAs like Zero and Plus.

In the case of Macross 7 I would defend the happy-goody ending in the sense that Bassara's optimistic spirit wins out against the universe - the thrust of the whole series was actually dark, with Basara's enthusiasm often runing counter to events in reality - so it makes sense, plot wise, to make Basara's victory so total - and thus the happy ending.

But in Frontier...yeah... that's just way out of place....

And...

Guess it's only a matter of time before episode 8 of Macross Frontier is mentioned.

This is one of my favorite episodes - I was so happy to watch it after the overly mecha-intense episode 7 :-)

Pete

[Ghost Train]

omg macross is PERFECT. IT CAN NEVER HAVE PROBLEMS. Anyone who disagrees must undergo chemical or physical sterilization, and 100+ hours of community service.

[Seanzilla]

This thread is inspired by the fact that to this day, I can't help but frown whenever I think of the scene in Macross Frontier where Alto is talking to Sheryl about the upcoming battle with the (supposedly) Ranka-controlled Vajra, and he says that if it comes to it "I'll kill Ranka!"

To me, that line was so over-the-top and juvenille - even for Alto. I mean, Alto knows Ranka very well as a thoughtful girl. So she suddenly decides to defend Ai-kun and go run off with her brother - and not once does Alto ask "why?" He just hates the Vajra so much and is so blinded by blood lust, that even when his closest girlfriend - in tears and with a broken heart - makes the choice to go off with Brera and Ai-Kun...he doesn't even wonder for a moment why?

Don't mean to be picky, but that was Klan he was talking to. Sheryl was just ease-dropping in on the conversation. Otherwise I agree, it was a little over the top. I guess at that point he bought in that she was a traiter and was going to help the Vajra, but still seemed a little short sighted on his part. Especially after getting to really know Ranka, there is no way she would actively look to destroy the Frontier and all of it's inhabitants.

[Gubaba]

Nine posts in this thread and no one's mentioned the knife fight...?

Y'all are gettin' soft.

[hulagu]

Exsedol doing the "My Boyfriend is a Pilot" song and dance routine in SDF Macross.

Edited December 5, 2010 by hulagu

[Gubaba]

Exsedol doing the "My Boyfriend is a Pilot" song and dance routine in SDF Macross.

No, no, the topic is for WORST scenes, not AWESOMEST scenes.

[VFTF1]

Don't mean to be picky, but that was Klan he was talking to. Sheryl was just ease-dropping in on the conversation. Otherwise I agree, it was a little over the top. I guess at that point he bought in that she was a traiter and was going to help the Vajra, but still seemed a little short sighted on his part. Especially after getting to really know Ranka, there is no way she would actively look to destroy the Frontier and all of it's inhabitants.

Oops. Well - I haven't seen Frontier since 2007, so it's been a while. As soon as I get done downloading SDFMTV (only 5 more eps to go) and 7 (only about 30 eps to go), I'll finally get around to giving Frontier a proper reviewing. It was by far my favorite Macross Series - but if I got back into it now, my brain would blow up or something. Thanks for correcting me.

Exsedol doing the "My Boyfriend is a Pilot" song and dance routine in SDF Macross.

No, no, the topic is for WORST scenes, not AWESOMEST scenes.

Agreed - Exedol's song was great :-) In fact, but then again - I thought Episode 8 of MF was also great, so....

Pete

[Vic Mancini]

Guess it's only a matter of time before episode 8 of Macross Frontier is mentioned.

Episode 8 in it's entirety was the first thing that came to mind when I read this topic title. Probably because I skipped over it just yesterday in my most recent watching of Frontier.

[anime52k8]

I liked episode 8, it made me lol.

[ff95gj]

My worst moment is when a rock singer piloting a red valk with a mouth piece, with a guitar controller, rushed into a battle and sang, and complained that no one listened to him.

I hope I were Gamlin and shot him down.

[Xx-SKULL-ONE-xX]

My worst moment is when a rock singer piloting a red valk with a mouth piece, with a guitar controller, rushed into a battle and sang, and complained that no one listened to him.

I hope I were Gamlin and shot him down.

+1

On a side note I like to pretend the Macross Frontier characters go to a specialized Tech college, not a high school, and this enhances their Space warfare proficiency.

[anime52k8]

That one time in SDF:M where the SDF-1 transformed into a giant robot, and punched another ship with it's ship arm. I've always felt that it it was a rather silly, unnecessary element to an otherwise dead serious hard science fiction program.

Also I've never been sold on the idea of aircraft transforming into robots in general. again, it just doesn't fit with the serious nature of the show.

[Seto Kaiba]

My worst moment is when a rock singer piloting a red valk with a mouth piece, with a guitar controller, rushed into a battle and sang, and complained that no one listened to him.

Yup... gonna have to second that emotion the same way Xx-SKULL-ONE-xX's did. +1 again. It breaks my heart to think of what Macross 7 could've been if Gamlin had just pulled the damn trigger!

[VFTF1]

That one time in SDF:M where the SDF-1 transformed into a giant robot, and punched another ship with it's ship arm. I've always felt that it it was a rather silly, unnecessary element to an otherwise dead serious hard science fiction program.

Also I've never been sold on the idea of aircraft transforming into robots in general. again, it just doesn't fit with the serious nature of the show.

You've made some good points.

The Daedelas attack always struck me as being a case of the show creators saying: ok - so...let's take a generic super-robot action sequence and try to imagine what it would look like in real life, in a real robot show? So, first and foremost, the goal of the attack was merely to rupture the hull and enable the Destroids to fire their missiles.

I'll grant that it's a far-fetched concept - but...

As for the transformation itself - that one is even wierder - couldn't they have just run the connections for those tubes or whatever through the ship instead of shifting everything around? And was the transformation something in the design, or litterally a fancy on the spot innovation to get those cannons working again?

As for the transforming robots - well... if you're sold on the idea of giant alien biogenetical soldiers, I guess you need battle suits to fight them. They had two choices here:

1. Make seperate battle suits..mobile suits like Gundam to be the ground warriors

2. Make the variable fighter

I think opting for the variable fighter - presuming its' doable - is the best idea. Much more efficient.

In any event - these things certainly didn't bother me that much - I never had any trouble accepting the idea of aliens, transforming robots and interplanetary travel.

Pete

[BlueMax]

That one time in SDF:M where the SDF-1 transformed into a giant robot, and punched another ship with it's ship arm. I've always felt that it it was a rather silly, unnecessary element to an otherwise dead serious hard science fiction program.

Also I've never been sold on the idea of aircraft transforming into robots in general. again, it just doesn't fit with the serious nature of the show.

These 2 aspects, especially the part on transforming aircraft, form the core of Macross and the basis for the existence of this very forum. So....if this was the worst moment and you are not into the transforming aircraft concept.... can I ask why you are here at this very forum and regularly posting?

[Gubaba]

These 2 aspects, especially the part on transforming aircraft, form the core of Macross and the basis for the existence of this very forum. So....if this was the worst moment and you are not into the transforming aircraft concept.... can I ask why you are here at this very forum and regularly posting?

Because he's being sarcastic, silly.

[BlueMax]

*takes a look at his interests.....* D'oh!! Pwned.... lol~!

[valkyriechild]

I always thought transforming mecha is already an existing technology since the time of protoculture, they had fought against their own giants enemy way longer than human.

For worst moment, i feels something is missing in macross f which once existed in SDF tv series, i don't feel the intense during the battle scenes like in SDF, zero or plus when watching F. But i still love the songs.

[VFTF1]

Because he's being sarcastic, silly.

He is?

And here I thought Mike was like me, and watched Macross mainly for the ubber-cute girls!

Speaking of which - that brings me to my "Mini-Worse Macross Moment" which happens not to be a moment, but about 40 something episodes of moments...

Mylene... I just don't think she's cute. I don't like her hair - the way it does that twirl thing in front...I hate her concert outfit - she looks like she's got a wedgy in her butt the whole time, and like she's wearing wool long underwear straight out of Borat's Kazahstan, and I hate the sci-fi "hair band" which makes her look like she's half android...

Come to think of if, Basara has terrible clothes too, but his hair is good and I'm not extremely fussed over how guys dress anyways....

But Mylene is so hard to love...

And she doesn't look better in civilian clothes either.

In fact - the ONLY animation of her I like is in the closing credits; the picture where she's come out of the shower in a shower towel and has her hair tied back.

And this is also testified to by the fact that hardly any Mylene cosplayers have ever managed to look hot - because in that get up...how can you??

Pete

[Dynaman]

Both really good points. The problem dealt with in the first post is sort of generic to all action/war stories - almost. The way Taks explains it is really good - but I also wonder whether the over-the-top celebrations are merely the public manifestation, while the trauma and grieving take place on a smaller, quieter scale...

Yes - look at the victory celebration at the end of almost any war (for the winners), WWI and WWII spring readily to mind - the most people killed in conflicts ever, up to that point and the celebrations when they were done were huge.

[ff95gj]

OT: Luke Skywalker was overjoyed after destroying Death Star, even though his childhood best friend Biggs had just been shot down a moment ago.

I believe the ending of a war would give people enough joy to forget grief briefly. When they cool down and look at their legacies, they would begin to feel sad and miss the departed.

[Vic Mancini]

He is?

And here I thought Mike was like me, and watched Macross mainly for the ubber-cute girls!

Yes he is. He's saying we're hypocrites for disliking the silliness of Frontier Episode 8, when one could argue that the very notion of transformable space ships is equally silly.

[ATLMYK]

Every moment of Macross 7 without a VF-22 on screen.

[nexxstrait]

It breaks my heart to think of what Macross 7 could've been if Gamlin had just pulled the damn trigger!

Merely a rehash

Worst Macross moments for me are scenes with fanservice in MF

[VFTF1]

Merely a rehash

Worst Macross moments for me are scenes with fanservice in MF

Is this a subtle, ironic jab suggesting that all of Macross Frontier is horrible - because...seriously...were there scenes WITHOUT fanservice in MF?

Pete (overly paranoid after missing Mike's irony that he's falling for yet another rhetorical jab)

[anime52k8]

Yes he is. He's saying we're hypocrites for disliking the silliness of Frontier Episode 8, when one could argue that the very notion of transformable space ships is equally silly.

Actually it was more in response to the "basera sucks because his robot has a mouth and he sings rock songs in the middle of battles instead of blowing people up".

Seriously though, the one thing that did bug me about 7 was how the fire Valkyrie had a gunpod that shot speakers. I mean there's a definite logic to it, but I feel like it would be way cooler and make more sense in context to have the fire Valk carry a robot sized guitar instead of a gunpod.

[valkyriechild]

Perhaps the valkyrie acts as an amplifier and speakers since basara already playing guitar inside the cockpit.

No need for the robot to have a guitar too.

I just noticed basara wearing that glasses looks like john lennon. ~_~

[Vic Mancini]

Actually it was more in response to the "basera sucks because his robot has a mouth and he sings rock songs in the middle of battles instead of blowing people up".

I stand corrected.

Worst Macross moments for me are scenes with fanservice

QFT.

Edited December 6, 2010 by Vic Mancini

[ff95gj]

Actually it was more in response to the "basera sucks because his robot has a mouth and he sings rock songs in the middle of battles instead of blowing people up".

Don't forget he bitches about people only care to fight but not listen to music in the battlefield! The moments are not as bad when that pink valk with boobs sings among enemies, because she doesn't complain.

P.S. You make this thread difficult. Now I don't know who is sarcastic and who is genuine.