Macross Δ (Delta) - Mission 7 - READ 1st POST

[Scyla]

Good thing they mixed science and magic to explain why only military personnel get infected.

Wasn't this foreshadowed in the first episode of Delta? If I remember correctly you can see the guy blowing himself up at the very beginning eating an apple and throwing away a bottle of water? I have to watch it again to make sure .

[Karaoke Ninja]

This episode is getting my first ever negative vote so far in the series and it's not because of any lack of mecha porn.

On the positive side, the episode did move the story forward and give us more information about the political situation and the cause of Var.

And the cat ear military helmets were cool.

On the negative side, the episode was a bit too silly for my taste.

• The whole VR hacking using Pacmen while singing...........urghhhh. Yes, real hacking may look visually boring, but what was shown in this episode was just way over the top.
• Sending your Elite team of pilots and famous (and thus potentially easily recognized) idol singers on a covert, intelligence gathering, infiltration mission behind enemy lines......double urghhh. I'm sorry, I can't believe that an organization with the obvious resources of Chaos doesn't have a few ex-military recconaissance/intelligence gathering specialists on the payroll, who would be better trained to handle such a mission. Yeah, I understand from a story perspective, they had to keep the focus on the main characters, but using such specialized and valuable assets as Delta and Walkure for a role they are mostly not trained and experienced in doing is pretty silly. At most they should have just sent Mikumo, Mirage and Messer, as Messer and Mirage at least have some military experience and Mikumo is the most capable, oh and Reina (for her hacking abilities).

Considering they never blew their cover I'd say they did just fine. Until the Knights somehow detected them. And it's definitely shown in the first episode this isn't the first time they've gone undercover before.

[Graham]

I definitely would have left Freyja and Hayate behind as the least experienced (and most annoying) members of the team.

Probably a good idea to keep Kaname and Makina behind as well, that way if the infiltration team is captured or killed, the whole of Walkure has not been lost in a single mission.

[Kelsain]

To me, it's just like Picard & Kirk always beaming down on the away teams.

You want to show the action & how it relates to your characters, not have them hear about it from some redshirt! Is it realistic? Hell no.

Thus, all the cracks about it at the beginning of the episode. That was just the producers telling us: "Yes, this concept is silly. Now we will put a Neko headband on our badass pilot." Besides, I believe Arad's words (if the translation is accurate) were "Experiences build character." That is literally what they're doing on the planet.

I like it when Macross gets all self-aware. It brings it back to it's parody roots.

And then they heap on the melodrama with the 2 kids & get all serious.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Kelsain

[Roy Focker]

There's always a chance that the people in charge knew they were on a doomed mission. The real mission could have always been in the hands of Mikomu and the mission we saw was just a distraction because no one in their right mind would approved the mission team that we saw.

or

The show is meant to be comedy.

I'm somewhat worried about Mikomu's story. The more mystery that surrounds her continues the more our expectation for a great answer will increase. When they do the big reveal it will never be as good as the answers that we've imagined.

[azrael]

Freyja should have been kept back. Kaname as team leader was fine. Mikumo seems the best at keeping a low-profile so she would have been fine. MakiMaki and ReiRei could have gone either way. Complications may have forced one or both to go into the field so that was a toss-up. Either way, the story called for them to be out there so who am I to judge.

[Duke Togo]

A planet full of cat people, exactly what Delta needed to help ground it a little! And that's the most realistic visual representation of hacking since Hackers came out. Zero Cool, indeed.

NUNS sure is lucky Scooby and the gang were able to solve the mystery of the Var. They'd have never figured out without Wulkure's crack infiltration unit.

[kajnrig]

Not sure where else to say this, but here's to the songs sounding better when listened to in isolation. Love Halation the War! (or however it's spelled) still isn't anywhere near my favorite J-pop, but listening to the entire thing without extra sound effects and mixing muddying things up helps it come across better.

Same with the other vocals. The myriad singers seem to balance each other out much better than in-show.

On topic: What a surprisingly fun episode. I'm glad they relegated the VFs to pure background ornamentation for a change, and hopefully it stays that way for an episode or two longer. The cat puns, both in-audio and in the subs, were a treat. I wasn't paying too close attention to the contents (same can be said of the past few episodes as well... :/ ) so I'm still a bit lost on fine details of characterizations and motivations and such, but I'm sure those will all clarify themselves with a second watch. Also, leave it to Kawamori to turn something as banal as computer hacking into a high-pitched Itano circus.

[Zinjo]

A planet full of cat people, exactly what Delta needed to help ground it a little! And that's the most realistic visual representation of hacking since Hackers came out. Zero Cool, indeed.

NUNS sure is lucky Scooby and the gang were able to solve the mystery of the Var. They'd have never figured out without Wulkure's crack infiltration unit.

Yeah, we watch anime and media in general to be reminded of how amazingly exciting and dramatic reality is.... It's a good thing entertainment is so grounded in reality or we might actually enjoy ourselves once in a while!

[Graham]

I'm glad they relegated the VFs to pure background ornamentation for a change, and hopefully it stays that way for an episode or two longer.

I really hope not. I want to see several minutes of VFs in every episode. It doesn't necessarily have to be Valk on Valk combat, but at least I want to see VFs doing something, anything, even if it's just launching, flying around or being shown in maintenance, etc.

[calubin_175]

Would it be safe to presume that the VF-171 is currently an obsolete model and therefore only used by outer rim planets at the moment? Perhaps inner worlds and colonisation fleets would be using something else. Can't tell if we are seeing the VF-171EX at the moment, someone will need to check on the Ex-gear seat.

The M7 Zola example of VF-5000s were not local UN garrisons though.

Edited May 18, 2016 by calubin_175

[Saruta]

Neutral vote.

I did like the hacking animation, actually. It takes a "very Macross" approach do it with song, dance (of pacmans this time) and cuteness. Ahd sneer coolness. Of a lesbian couple, too.

I also liked the cat part in general. I mean, everything is better with catgirls. And, cat puns.

And the sudden drama - with reversal of Basara's tricks. People (and Protodeviln, and Zolans) covering Basara tended to do well, but this kittengirl sadly failed when she tried to cover Walkure (though, was this a Walkure song at all?)

And character development. And Mikumo, And the "binary poison" nature of Var.

But...

The part I disliked is that it's very hard to suspend disbelief here. Mainly because the makeup of the mission is just improbable. Come on, sending someone with a cat allergy on a mission to a cat planet? This can actually end up with an anaphylactic shock and a dead pilot, hey, Arad!

Freyja's personality too, though she might actually be a better fit than she seems; she is bad at spying, but she might naturally behave closely to the way catgirls behave. Note how she caught the smell of the apples - exactly as one expects a cat to do, and the trader was not surprised at all when he said "you have a good nose".

And, yes, an idol group. What if they were to encounter a Walkure fan who would recognize one or more of them?

On the other hand, IF this was all a ruse, if the operation was intended as a cover for the true one (which would be a one-woman Mikumo job, probably), then making it bound to be detected sounds different. If this turns out to be the case I might have to review that neutral vote.

[Strumvogel]

I find it strange that the show is trying to present the Aerial Knights as sympathetic actors by the amount of time is spent with them but their actions thus far has been anything but. There's an incredible high bodycount behind everything they done so far.

[PrimumMobile]

Zentradi had an extremely high body count too but we are expected to just accept that they are allies now. Such is war.

[Karaoke Ninja]

A planet full of cat people, exactly what Delta needed to help ground it a little! And that's the most realistic visual representation of hacking since Hackers came out. Zero Cool, indeed.

NUNS sure is lucky Scooby and the gang were able to solve the mystery of the Var. They'd have never figured out without Wulkure's crack infiltration unit.

So I take it you liked this episode?

[RedWolf]

I find it strange that the show is trying to present the Aerial Knights as sympathetic actors by the amount of time is spent with them but their actions thus far has been anything but. There's an incredible high bodycount behind everything they done so far.

They haven't. So far the Aerial Knights are a bunch of immature idiots.

Zentradi had an extremely high body count too but we are expected to just accept that they are allies now. Such is war.

Well that isn't fair. The reason Boddole Zer wanted to kill Humans was that there were those that already defected to humanity's side.

Plus it was Supervision Army dickery that caused First Contact to go hostile.

Edited May 18, 2016 by RedWolf

[d3v]

I don't think they've even tried to make the sympathetic. They're still in the "cool, pretty, bad-boy" phase.

[Einherjar]

We just need a species with huge, feathered wings and this will be Star Ocean with mecha and idols. Or if you want, another callback to Escaflowne.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Einherjar

[Strumvogel]

Perhaps it was the benefit of the doubt I gave them that they may have very real humane grievances at the start but by the last two episodes, particularly this one, they've crossed into people doing horrible because "..reasons..."

Of the Knights, all of them seem pretty level headed sympathetic characters, the exception being with the prince with a massive chip on his shoulder and the red-headed fool who one way or another seem to be destined for a future as a flaming wreck somewhere. Both of them seem quite content with causing mass carnage to their ends while the others, not so much.

[Einherjar]

I'd be worried about Theo and Xao Jussila. They give off vibes of those Cobra twins from GI Joe.

[RedWolf]

We just need a species with huge, feathered wings and this will be Star Ocean with mecha and idols. Or if you want, another callback to Escaflowne.

Umm...

[Einherjar]

Not like that.

[Valkyrie addict]

LOL!!!!! Oh...7

[d3v]

Some of the stuff from the Knights (and Roid) sounds almost like space Nazi talk. Not surprising since they've basically been portrayed as Macross's Zeon.

Umm...

Protodevlin.jpg

I want to see KumoKumo try to go against Basara (BasaBasa? NekkiNekki?) in a sing off to see who can get Gepelnitch to sing along with them.

Dammit, now I have Gepelnitch singing "Kiss kiss, feel love" in my head.

Edited May 18, 2016 by d3v

[Master Dex]

I want to see KumoKumo try to go against Basara (BasaBasa? NekkiNekki?) in a sing off to see who can get Gepelnitch to sing along with them.

Dammit, now I have Gepelnitch singing "Kiss kiss, feel love" in my head.

Basara will turn it into an epic duet and get Gepelwhatshisname singing even faster. Mountains will finally move, Mylene will be annoyed, and Galactic peace will be achieved.

Bombaa!

[starla]

come on guys... let's go karaoke! i wanna get my "...todoke... todoke..." on... ichido dake no koi nara is total earworm

[Kelsain]

I hate Space Nazis!

[Duke Togo]

Yeah, we watch anime and media in general to be reminded of how amazingly exciting and dramatic reality is.... It's a good thing entertainment is so grounded in reality or we might actually enjoy ourselves once in a while!

I'm sorry, but what does your reply have to do with what I said? It doesn't even make any sense.

[JB0]

I'm giving the hacker animation a pass. I choose to take it as a simple artistic effect, and the "real" hacking was just poking at a holokeyboard.

Better yet... cyberpacman was the screensaver. Freyja was just impressed because she thought the screensaver was the ACTUAL hacking.

I'm ... amused... by Reina singing "silent hacker", just for the paradox factor.

I am MORE amused by Messer in a catear hoodie, which is likely going to be my favorite visual out of the show for a while.

If Hayate is really allergic to cats, he should've been absolutely friggin' miserable. Watery eyes, stuffy nose, the whole nine yards. Not sneeze and we're done... unless he has prescription-grade antihistamines in his system and he's still sneezing at the cat dander, in which case I pity the poor guy..

Speaking of cats, they shoulda brought Scarfish. His absence was greatly felt.

I note with great interest that windemerean apples are apparently critical to the spread of var syndrome, and that they've been exporting them LIKE CRAZY.

And once they take over a planet, they ban local produce, forcing everyone to eat the varfruit?

[sharky]

I find it strange that the show is trying to present the Aerial Knights as sympathetic actors by the amount of time is spent with them but their actions thus far has been anything but. There's an incredible high bodycount behind everything they done so far.

They're more like the Aerial Douche Squad. None of their characters are very likable by design by the writers I'm sure.

[Scyla]

They're more like the Aerial Douche Squad. None of their characters are very likable by design by the writers I'm sure.

I like Master Hermann.

[d3v]

come on guys... let's go karaoke! i wanna get my "...todoke... todoke..." on... ichido dake no koi nara is total earworm

Did someone say Karaoke?

ORE NO UTA WO KIKE!

yozora wo kakeru RABU HA-TO

moeru omoi wo nosete

kanashimi to nikushimi wo uchiotoshite yuke

[JB0]

Bomba!

[PrimumMobile]

I dont think Aerial Knights immature only Bogue. They are soldiers in a war that they thinj is just. Im actually expecting Hermanand Quasim as the voice of reason. The show wont paint the Windermerians as completely in the wrong. Also inevitable cute Freyja and Bogue moments they both cant control their runes. Hope Herman survives and becomes an apple farmer.

Edited May 18, 2016 by PrimumMobile

[Duke Togo]

They're more like the Aerial Douche Squad.

Henceforth, the Aerial Knights shall be known as the ADS.