Macross Frontier Novelizations - A MTL Journey

[PixelatedShinobi]

After being enthralled by the Macross 30 Novelization and the short story "A Day in Alcatraz", I've decided to go through the Macross Frontier novelizations with the aid of Google Translate. I've purchased them digitally off of BookWalker and am copying all the translated text into Google Docs to record for later. In this thread I'll be compiling intereting bits of characterization, worldbuilding, mechanical lore, good prose, or just funny moment. I'm no translator, and I don't know a lick of written Japanese, so on my end I'm putting blind faith in the MTL - I'm happy to post the original Japanese snippets on request for those in here who have more skill.

[Graham]

Interesting.

[PixelatedShinobi]

Alright, so, I've already gone through what was available of the book's summary on Bookwalker, so here's some highlights.

The opening passage of the book really puts Kodachi's excellent prose skills on full display - even through the MTL, this is really impressive stuff. "Air flowed into Alto's lungs like a burst engine" is really evocative.

 

Some neat things from the life of a colonist, especially one on the sterile (putting it lightly) Galaxy.

 

This thread can and will turn into me just gushing over how much I love Kodachi's prose writing.

 

I never knew these things were called "bio-cell phones" which is neat. we love you froggyphone.

 

More evidence for my "theory"/"belief" etc. that weird anime hair is an indicator of Zentradi blood.

 

this felt like a flashbang going off in my face.

 

incredibly, incredibly powerful stuff!!!!

 

Incredible way to tie Zero's theming into the general arc of Macross as a whole and Alto's character arc in particular.

 

We have our top analysts working on this and they have confirmed that yes, Alto Saotome is a very pretty princess.

 

That's all I've got so far. We continue onwards!

[Seto Kaiba]

2 hours ago, PixelatedShinobi said:

Some neat things from the life of a colonist, especially one on the sterile (putting it lightly) Galaxy.

Yeah, that's touched on a bit more in Macross the Ride, when they visit the Macross Galaxy fleet and witness that its public spaces are all utilitarian and barren since the actual ceature comforts in the fleet are largely products of implant-induced augmented reality and sense manipulation.

 

 

2 hours ago, PixelatedShinobi said:

I never knew these things were called "bio-cell phones" which is neat. we love you froggyphone.

That term is, I think, possibly unique to the novelization.  They're referred to as just "cell phone" in the artbooks and such.

Also, Ranka's phone is not a frog.  It's a salamander.  Specifically, the Japanese giant salamander.  IIRC, Macross Ace had a joke comic showing her wearing a realistic looking life-size one as a backpack to everyone's horror.  (They get quite large, close to 2m long at full size.) 

EDIT: I partially misremembered... it's not a single panel, it's a whole series of jokes in a comic titled "Ranka Note" in Macross Ace No.004.  In it, Ranka learns that giant salamanders are real and proceeds to buy a series of increasingly terrifying realistic goods modeled on giant salamanders including a phone and backpack that traumatize Alto severely, and a full-body realistic giant salamander costume that reduces Sheryl to a gibbering wreck. She caps the experience by horrifying everyone with an (abnormally huge) real giant salamander Klan made in a lab that promptly attempts to eat Alto.

 

 

2 hours ago, PixelatedShinobi said:

More evidence for my "theory"/"belief" etc. that weird anime hair is an indicator of Zentradi blood.

That theory's been pretty conclusively refuted over the years.

 

EDIT 2: Just for shiggles, here are some panels from the comic hastily photographed on my phone.

Edited Thursday at 10:43 PM by Seto Kaiba

[PixelatedShinobi]

3 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Yeah, that's touched on a bit more in Macross the Ride, when they visit the Macross Galaxy fleet and witness that its public spaces are all utilitarian and barren since the actual ceature comforts in the fleet are largely products of implant-induced augmented reality and sense manipulation.

 

I'll get you someday, The Ride. Someday. (whenever a translator is freed up to do LN commissions)
On that note, I believe you mentioned the short story "Wired Warrior" as another example of the Galaxy's... nightmarish conditions. Where was this story released? I'd love to take a look at it.

 

4 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

 

That term is, I think, possibly unique to the novelization.  They're referred to as just "cell phone" in the artbooks and such.

 

Also, Ranka's phone is not a frog.  It's a salamander.  Specifically, the Japanese giant salamander.  IIRC, Macross Ace had a joke comic showing her wearing a realistic looking life-size one as a backpack to everyone's horror.  (They get quite large, close to 2m long at full size.) 

Oh, huh! That thing is huge, holy crap. The more you know.

 

5 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

That theory's been pretty conclusively refuted over the years.

*shrug* Hey, it's what the book says.