Macross Δ (Delta) - NYE Special Talkback - READ 1st POST

[mickyg]

Finally got some time to watch (the subbed version) and really enjoyed it.

After reading all the comments, I actually expected to feel neutral or maybe even negative about it. I was pleasantly surprised. For me, Macross has always had a fun element to it that I can't quite describe. But in the midst of a serious story (mankind getting wiped out, enslaved, mind controlled, to name a few) there's always this feel in the stories that engages and entertains.

Delta feels no different. Yes, there are some wild concepts here that need to be properly fleshed out - those boomerangs and the fields they project are incredible and downright "magic" looking. But in the past, when we've all wondered about similar "wizardry" we inevitably get a plausible explanation about what's happening. The vajra and their fold communication and adaptation comes to mind.

Anyway, I enjoyed it and am on board for the series for sure!

[milty66]

Generally disliked it. Seems like lazy writing with no heart. Looks like the creators went through a checklist of what they think Macross is. Who knows.

would have been nice to get a full tv series of ZERO. I miss Mikimoto's character designs!

[kajnrig]

@mickyg: I think what you're looking for is that Delta is optimistic. All of Macross is, now I think about it, especially compared to its older brother Gundam, where almost everyone mopes and no one knows how to crack a smile.

Edited January 4, 2016 by kajnrig

[1st Border Red Devil]

[Roy Focker]

Hey I've watched and enjoyed programming that was intended more for female audiences. Most of it tried to maintain a balance that all audience could enjoy something. The focus on Delta is just too directed towards girls that like cutesy magical girls. Maybe grown men liking this type of anime is like grown men liking My Little Pony.

[Karaoke Ninja]

Hey I've watched and enjoyed programming that was intended more for female audiences. Most of it tried to maintain a balance that all audience could enjoy something. The focus on Delta is just too directed towards girls that like cutesy magical girls. Maybe grown men liking this type of anime is like grown men liking My Little Pony.

I think Delta had a pretty good balance of mecha action and cute girls. Hell, there was more mecha footage than idol footage in that preview episode. Even when Walkure was singing the VFs were right there with them doing something and the Draken/Siegfried battles lasted longer than the Walkure performance.

[Gubaba]

Hey I've watched and enjoyed programming that was intended more for female audiences. Most of it tried to maintain a balance that all audience could enjoy something. The focus on Delta is just too directed towards girls that like cutesy magical girls. Maybe grown men liking this type of anime is like grown men liking My Little Pony.

I've never seen My Little Pony, but I have to ask... Is there something wrong with grown men watching it?

Because that's the tone I get from your posts about Delta: that if men like it, there's something wrong with them, or they aren't "grown-up" enough, or SOMETHING.

now maybe I'm mistaken about that, but that's the vibe your posts give off.

[Ganbare]

It's sad thing that some folks don't like the show. It's still 1st episode, anything could happen. Just like I'm Watching Macross 7. It instantly felt bored seeing ep 1- to 10. But after that, it turn interesting, in story telling manner. Usually good movie begin with dull/boring episode.

[treatment]

I've never seen My Little Pony, but I have to ask... Is there something wrong with grown men watching it?

I reckon it's just really creepy for grown men to be doing that If they're not doing it for the lulz...

[Gubaba]

I reckon it's just really creepy for grown men to be doing that If they're not doing it for the lulz...

I've heard it's wholesome, well-written family entertainment. It doesn't appeal to me, but I don't see much that's creepy about it.

(What some audience members DO with it is another story, but I feel the same way about, say Simpsons porn.)

[Roy Focker]

It just seems a little strange for grown men to like things intended for the exact opposite audience. Is there something wrong with that? Maybe or maybe not but it still is strange.

[Gubaba]

It just seems a little strange for grown men to like things intended for the exact opposite audience. Is there something wrong with that? Maybe or maybe not but it still is strange.

Strange how?

[Kelsain]

I just finished watching it. I hope we get an explanation of the Walkure tech, probably once Freya joins the team. As someone said before, the group is a logical extension of the in-universe culture.

Cool designs, 262s are badass. 2nd song was catchy. I like that we'll probably see a lot of zentradi around too.

We'll have to see what the 262 battroid looks like, but I think I'm sold on a Delta-01 toy.

Edited January 4, 2016 by Kelsain

[Dio]

My criticism of Delta actually has nothing to do with the specifics of the content (ie how realistic the tech is) or the target audience. What I don't like is the trend in contemporary anime to jump wildly from one mood to another.

A perfect example of this is FMA Brotherhood, where you get characters dealing with extremely deep emotional impact, resurrection of dead loved ones and the consequences of their very mature decisions, and then you spontaneously get scenes where the animation turns into grade-school doodles with tears streaming out across the screen.

The same thing happens constantly in another couple of recent anime I watched, Kekkaishi and Soul Eater. I remember remarking to my wife that I felt like those shows had a bit of ADD going on, because they couldn't maintain a steady trajectory for me as a viewer to stay hooked on.

Conversely, Macross 7 had a completely zany premise (weaponized song energy), but maintained a consistent tone throughout. Even though it was lighthearted, it took you along for the ride and worked the serious moments into the story with good narrative pacing and logical story progression. Probably the most mature moment in the series was Gamlin dealing with Physica's loss, but it had perfect context to accompany it and wasn't interspersed with sight gags.

Macross Frontier had a concert, then a space battle, teen high school drama, space battle, an episode centered around the fight to reclaim Sheryl's underwear, then a guy getting torn in half and a main character graphically sacrificing himself to save his grieving lover before the final couple episodes of space battle. Very back and forth.

Delta is, to me, following the trend of jarring the viewer between wacky over-the-top situations and serious ones, which makes it very hard to stay focused on as a viewer. In this episode we had some well-paced character introduction of Freya and Hayate (light pacing), but then the Var activates and it's the Walkure Super Spies jumping into action with their VF-31 backup dancers to combat it (zany). Spontaneously, the unknown enemy Valkyries show up, destroy some military vessels, and it's back to Macross aerial dogfights (serious).

All of these styles can work effectively, and I've enjoyed shows developed around all of the same elements, but jumping between them makes me feel like I'm changing the channel every few minutes. I hope Delta can rein that in and carry me between the moments of seriousness and levity, rather than yanking me between them like anime post-2005 has seemed to track towards. Knowing the trends (as well as the otaku culture that has more say in what's popular) has me a little worried though.

[Chicago]

Did not like this show one bit. The magical girl theme just wrong on so many levels. I will likely skip this show and can't recommend it.

[Oskull]

I just watched and overall dont like it. Of course I will wait the full series to be released and see how the plot developes.

Does anybody have and idea of how many chapters are considered?

[Raptor One]

My criticism of Delta actually has nothing to do with the specifics of the content (ie how realistic the tech is) or the target audience. What I don't like is the trend in contemporary anime to jump wildly from one mood to another.

A perfect example of this is FMA Brotherhood, where you get characters dealing with extremely deep emotional impact, resurrection of dead loved ones and the consequences of their very mature decisions, and then you spontaneously get scenes where the animation turns into grade-school doodles with tears streaming out across the screen.

That's interesting, because it's one of the things I loved about FMA: B, and anime in general. But I will agree that it definitely doesn't work for every series.

Regarding FMA, I'm pretty sure that slapstick stuff lessened significantly as the series went on, iirc.

Edited January 4, 2016 by Raptor One

[Zinjo]

I get the sense that Hyate is a deserter. He mentions that he's been around a lot, tried many things, but he has quite the skill with a mecha loader. So I wonder if perhaps he is hiding out on a backwater world. Just my impression.

i also believe this is the first time we've seen 3 dimensional maneuvering in space. The Aerial Knights used in space combat when they first attack.

I finally see how the mounted gun pods will be used Very much like the Q-Rau/Rhea's. I'm not so skeptical now.

Edited January 4, 2016 by Zinjo

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Thinking again about a possible tabloid issue I can see some rag alleging Mirage is the daughter of Basara and Mylene like Basara was alleged as Hikaru and Minmay's son.

yeah, she's 18 and wondering if Max is aging like a human or has a Zentran 500,000 lifecyle since he was enlarged at one point hmmm....

well it seems like Isamu doesn't age either.... maybe she is Max's after all...

Edited January 4, 2016 by davidwhangchoi

[Cdr Fokker]

Delta is, to me, following the trend of jarring the viewer between wacky over-the-top situations and serious ones, which makes it very hard to stay focused on as a viewer. In this episode we had some well-paced character introduction of Freya and Hayate (light pacing), but then the Var activates and it's the Walkure Super Spies jumping into action with their VF-31 backup dancers to combat it (zany). Spontaneously, the unknown enemy Valkyries show up, destroy some military vessels, and it's back to Macross aerial dogfights (serious).

To be fair, they could just be doing this for the first episode. That is, they are just trying to cram all of the elements into the opener to be able to sort of "lay the stage" as it were. Without another episode or two (heck, we really don't even have the full first episode), you can't really make that call yet.

[Cdr Fokker]

It just seems a little strange for grown men to like things intended for the exact opposite audience. Is there something wrong with that? Maybe or maybe not but it still is strange.

Don't forget who forms a big segment of the target market for Delta.

And I don't find it strange at all to like material that may be intended for some particular audience than another. Different groups can find different value in entertainment - and this can be especially true of "kids' shows", which often contain humor elements that go completely over the heads of the so-called "target audience", instead being aimed at adults (usually parents), who will find things entertaining for an entirely different reason. MLP:FiM happens to be one that has cranked this up a lot as time has gone on, as they recognize the larger appeal to a wide audience.

But that's neither here nor there, really. Do we really need to keep derailing the Delta talk in the Delta thread?

[Zinjo]

My criticism of Delta actually has nothing to do with the specifics of the content (ie how realistic the tech is) or the target audience. What I don't like is the trend in contemporary anime to jump wildly from one mood to another.

A perfect example of this is FMA Brotherhood, where you get characters dealing with extremely deep emotional impact, resurrection of dead loved ones and the consequences of their very mature decisions, and then you spontaneously get scenes where the animation turns into grade-school doodles with tears streaming out across the screen.

The same thing happens constantly in another couple of recent anime I watched, Kekkaishi and Soul Eater. I remember remarking to my wife that I felt like those shows had a bit of ADD going on, because they couldn't maintain a steady trajectory for me as a viewer to stay hooked on.

Conversely, Macross 7 had a completely zany premise (weaponized song energy), but maintained a consistent tone throughout. Even though it was lighthearted, it took you along for the ride and worked the serious moments into the story with good narrative pacing and logical story progression. Probably the most mature moment in the series was Gamlin dealing with Physica's loss, but it had perfect context to accompany it and wasn't interspersed with sight gags.

Macross Frontier had a concert, then a space battle, teen high school drama, space battle, an episode centered around the fight to reclaim Sheryl's underwear, then a guy getting torn in half and a main character graphically sacrificing himself to save his grieving lover before the final couple episodes of space battle. Very back and forth.

Delta is, to me, following the trend of jarring the viewer between wacky over-the-top situations and serious ones, which makes it very hard to stay focused on as a viewer. In this episode we had some well-paced character introduction of Freya and Hayate (light pacing), but then the Var activates and it's the Walkure Super Spies jumping into action with their VF-31 backup dancers to combat it (zany). Spontaneously, the unknown enemy Valkyries show up, destroy some military vessels, and it's back to Macross aerial dogfights (serious).

All of these styles can work effectively, and I've enjoyed shows developed around all of the same elements, but jumping between them makes me feel like I'm changing the channel every few minutes. I hope Delta can rein that in and carry me between the moments of seriousness and levity, rather than yanking me between them like anime post-2005 has seemed to track towards. Knowing the trends (as well as the otaku culture that has more say in what's popular) has me a little worried though.

Well if Kawamori can successfully change tones between episodes it would be easier to take than doing so in mid-episode.

[MisaForever]

I'm just gonna..... leave this here.

http://www.animemaru.com/harmony-gold-to-adapt-macross-delta-as-robotech-spin-off/

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

I'm just gonna..... leave this here.

http://www.animemaru.com/harmony-gold-to-adapt-macross-delta-as-robotech-spin-off/

^LOL

[Raptor One]

That articles reaks of satire though. And I cant find a Harmony Gold twitter account anywhere

[Valkyrie addict]

Watched the subbed version, still not very impressed. I'm happy there's more Macross, but it's not what I was hoping, I hope the show develops to something more suited to us old Macross fans and not entirely aimed at younger audiences but only time will tell. Whatever it becomes I will watch it and enjoy it the best way I can.

[MisaForever]

Listen to this INSANITY from HARMONY GOLD:

"Though firm details are sparse on the level of changes that will be made to Macross Delta, rumors persist that it will be set some time after the 2007 Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles film and will take place in an era where a horrible virus mutated from corrupt Protoculture and spread by the remnants of the ancient Robotech Masters has plunged the galaxy into chaos, with only young men and women raised on the legends of such heroes as the idol Lynn Minmay and ace pilot Rick Hunter able to save humans and Zentraedi alike from destroying themselves."

That articles reaks of satire though. And I cant find a Harmony Gold twitter account anywhere

I really, really, REALLY hope you're right and that it's not true.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Hoax made to troll MW

[MisaForever]

So I realized just how many Macross female names there are starting with "M"

Minmay

Misa

Mylene

Milia

Mirage

Mikumo

Makina

Myung

I may be missing a few.

[Einherjar]

Got it, needs more space helicopters.

[jenius]

That articles reaks of satire though. And I cant find a Harmony Gold twitter account anywhere

Note to self: Create Harmony Gold twitter account and begin trolling company.

[kajnrig]

I quite enjoyed the first two seasons of MLP, actually. Lots of smart writing that didn't talk down (much) to the children it was aimed at. It respected traditional gender ideas without limiting gender, which was (one of the reasons) why it worked as well as it did. The brony phenomenon I think actually hurt that aspect of the show as time went on; the showrunners started catering more towards that (very vocal, very male) audience, and eventually you had a fourth season that ended with a Dragonball Z Kamehameha battle. But the first two seasons are solid.

Delta I think is doing some similar things (ie not limiting gender). I've said before that I think Kawamori tends to be more feminist than most other creators, and it's just especially evident now. I think Macross, like most of the anime industry and most of Japan (and most of the world), still has a lot of issues to work through with regards to gender/sexual equality, but still, it's taking some good steps toward rebalancing the scales.

[Bariaburu Faita]

Excellent! I was afraid you would be one of the minority standouts who would not enjoy it. As the saying goes there is more where that came from. While there is no anime to watch of that doujinshi, there is a biannual event where fans of Golgo13(as well as other characters) who like to cosplay as magical girls can meet.

The popularity of this genre may help people to understand how Macross Delta can combine elements that are considered masculine with elements that are considered feminine.

I would watch this

[Actar]

It just seems a little strange for grown men to like things intended for the exact opposite audience. Is there something wrong with that? Maybe or maybe not but it still is strange.

Okay, let's flip that around then. Do you feel that it's strange for grown women who like watching movies like Transformers (that are targeted towards teen boys)?

Also, I actually watched the episode raw as I'm not a fan of gg in the slightest... I didn't want to ruin the experience with their notorious trolling. "Japanese doughnuts"? Yeah... Same old, same old.

Edited January 4, 2016 by Actar

[mechaninac]

Finally watched the .89 episode in its fansub form and... umm, call me neutral with a moderate lean towards mildly hopeful. It wasn't bad, but neither did it grab me the way Frontier's preview did; and right off the gate this new entry into Macross had some massive groan-inducing moments for me.

The Good:

• The Mecha, specially the SV-262... can't wait to see it G and B modes.
• The "Emulator" induced, Fold Wave derived-affecting Var Syndrome.
• The planet bound setting thus far.

The Bad:

• Cookie-cutter characters lifted from the every recent Anime cliche bin, at least at first glance and/or until they are developed as the series unfolds.
• Combat choreography was way too fast paced to follow sometimes. Frontier suffered from this at times too.

The Silly:

• Walkure... magical girls singing group is a major turn off for me. I know it can be viewed as a natural progression from Minmay to Basara/Sound Force/Humming Birds (the very aspect I did not care for in M7) to Sherryl and Ranka; but as presented in Delta, presently, it takes this concept to ludicrous levels, specially with its Sailor Moon-esque wardrobe transformations... its eye-rolling-ly Verp inducing.

I'll certainly give it a chance, but so far it did not instill me with any sense of excitement. It's a shame because I really wanted to be blown away by it.