Macross Frontier – Episode 24
September 18, 2008
Macross Frontier 24: Last Frontier (ラスト・フロンティア, Rasuto Furontia)
Altooooo!!!! Well, this episode featured a crazy mix of Terminator and The End of Evangelion 
Traumatic past.
Now…. Either this is just an exaggerated unrealistic representation of a character with severe burns or Grace was a bot already back then.
Ozuma was present at the event as well.
Poor Ranka…
Back to present time.
In the meantime SMS discover the remains of the ship.
Network.
I will be back! This is a good time to remind you that Grace’s last name is O’Connor
The text reads: “Your grand daughter, Sheryl.”
Ok… This is just for reference from episode 19 No need to choose anymore: one will be Alto’s wife and the other one – his sister :3 Mao + Bilrer (SMS owner) => Miyo (Alto’s Mother) => Sheryl and Alto. Lynn Minmay => Ranshe Mei (Ranka’s mother) => Ranka. That is just too crazy, isn’t it?
SMS Team.
Get ready for the epic battle!
Alto is ready to cook some Vajra Chowder!
The objective.
Kuran talks to Michael.
That tiny amulet is Michal’s glasses. “I don’t know if you would be happy , Micheal… but I as Zentradi can’t fogive those that killed the man that I loved. LETS GO! ” (Source)
Go Luca!
Richard Bilrer says that he’ll meet with someone soon. I wonder if he is talking about Mao.
Another beautiful Alto x Sheryl scene!
Sneaky Sheryl 
Sheryl: Let’s stop pretending to be lovers.
Alto: Wait, Sheryl! I–
[she kisses him]
Sheryl: Don’t say a thing. If you tell me now, no matter what you want to say to me, I know I…I won’t be able to sing. So, please, don’t say anything.
[she walks away]
Sheryl: After it’s all over, we can continue this conversation. So…so, please, Alto! Please save Ranka-chan.
[she takes off her earring and gives it to him]
Sheryl: If you can do that, I’ll listen to what you have to say.
[she smiles as she puts it on him]
Sheryl: You have to come back, understand, Alto?
Alto: [whispering] Sheryl…
Sheryl: Don’t forget, you don’t come across a woman this good every day!
[Alto, tosses his head so earring sparkles]
Alto: Yeah.
As I mentioned before, those crystals might be some kind of analog of DNA or a communication system.
The attack begins…
Compare the two smiles
Ikeeeeee! Luca just gained a level
Grace is brainwashing Ranka via Burera.
Rei.. I mean Ranka!
Sheryl is no match for Ranka’s power.
Ranka sings the song Do You Remember Love? This is the original performance.
The devil herself.
Somewhat resembles the creature from Macross Zero.
Now… the highlight of the episode…
Burera tells Alto that Ranka is his younger sister.
Kuran Kuran tries to protect Alto, but gets hit.
The end….
See the ending sequence in action! It starts when Sheryl begins to sing and runs till the end
I really have difficulty imagining how they can fit the resolution in a single episode…. Second season?
Preview of the Macross Frontier 25 – final episode:
Synopsis for the next episode from the official website:
バジュラたちとの決死の攻防を繰り返すクォーター。
しかしバジュラを操る新たな存在が現れ、
フロンティアの居住区アイランドワンは危機に瀕する。
敵母艦に向かうバトルフロンティア。
その時、戦艦のステージに現れたシルエットがあった・・・
Thanks to translation by VF-25 Messiah
“Quarter faces a repeated life or death battle against the Vajra. However, a new existence that’s manipulating the Vajra appears and Frontiers residental area, Island One is endangered.
Battle Frontier faces the enemy mother ship.
At that moment a silhouette of a person starts projecting on the battleships stage.”
Macross Frontier 25 Summary from Wiki:
After arriving at the planet of origin of the Vajra, the Frontier fleet commences an all-out attack and Battle Frontier manages to charge directly into the center of the enemy forces. However, Island One (the main residential area of the fleet) receives a fierce counterattack from the Vajra and becomes endangered. During that time of crisis, the silhouette of a person starts projecting on the stage at the Battle 25 bridge.
Can you guess who is that silhouette?
See Previous Episodes of Macross Frontier
[...] Next Episode => [...]
My Alto-hime is not dead and now with Sheryl’s earring hime’s rendition of Sakura-hime Azuma Bunsho shall overcome Ranka’s song. If Alto-hime is not the silhouette, then it will be none other than Mr. Bilrer singing Zentradi war song in a duet with Tokugawa-san. Ranka is beyond redemption she didn’t even try to put up a fight against Grace, nor did Ranka snap out of it when Alto-hime’s VF-171EX was shot down. Thanks for caring Ranka, now Alto-hime will go back to Sheryl like hime promised.
Indeed Sheryl you don’t come across a woman this good like Alto-hime every day! Oh wait…never mind the earring looks better on hime.
My Alto-hime probably folded back to Sheryl or controlled that VF-171EX remotely using hime’s EX-gear from behind that hulk. Here’s hoping that Klein onee-chan and her imouto-hime will have a b2b fighting moment in memory of Mikhail.
If nothing else it is good that Alto-hime loves Ranka like Ranka loves Frontier…
My Hime is 100% alive, until they confirm otherwise I will not believe it.
The silhouette is Alto-Hime! XD
I’d say it really looks like our Hime has chosen Sheryl…
The translation you got from Wiki seems to be one of magazine spoilers from a few weeks back. The text from the main site differs in few ways. Here’s how I’d translate it:
“Quarter faces a repeated life or death battle against the Vajra. However, a new existence that’s manipulating the Vajra appears and Frontiers residental area, Island One is endangered.
Battle Frontier faces the enemy mother ship.
At that moment a silhouette of a person starts projecting on the battleships stage.”
Given that there was oh so very brief shot of it in this episode, I do not doubt that the “new existence” and “enemy mothership” both refer to what looked like the Battle Galaxy ^_^.
Crusader, looks like you really want Alto so sing
Bilrer + Tokugawa lol
Ranka didn’t resist because she was sedated and brainwashed by Grace. Ranka cares deeply for Alto. She didn’t show any reaction because: 1) She might not have noticed it 2) She actually saw him eject from the ship
3) We are yet to see her reaction in the next episode because it was best to show Sheryl’s reaction first. In fact, we only see reactions of only three people in a very rapid sequence: Kuran, Luca, and Sheryl.
—
Sakura, yes, Alto must be alive. Actually when I saw his ship explode, I didn’t feel anything
It just seemed so obvious that it is all just a set up, but explosion in Ranka’s hands was a nice shot.
Yup, it is likely that the silhouette is Alto. However, I wouldn’t call Sheryl his choice yet. We have to see a meeting of Ranka and Alto with Sheryl’s earing. Ranka will see that earring and think that Alto really loves Sheryl, but he will deny it and confess to Ranka :3
I think authors are not evil enough to let Sheryl die a horrible painful death from the disease. They will have mercy, they will give her heroic death by blowing her up with the ship.
—
VF-25 Messiah, thank you very much for the translation!
Looks like there will be an epic battle between humans and Macross Galaxy cyborgs lol
If Sheryl gets blown up, Hime will never forgive Ranka.
The silhouette is either Alto or since this is the 25th anniversary… MINMEI!
Well it looked like Hime might have been about to tell Sheryl he didn’t think of it as a fake love at all, but Sheryl shushed him.
Actually what’s really going to happen, is that Hime, sick of all the dorama, will stop Klan crying by running away with her XD
Well, it is not Ranka’s fault if they blow up Sheryl. It was an act of self-defense against invaders!
Minmei will be really old then, but I it would be great to see her! I wish they would bring some characters from the previous series. Some of them were mentioned, but have not appeared yet.
It might have been the case that Alto wanted to confess, but we’ll have to see how it will turn out
Alto and Kuran! lol Well, I think it is certainly too early for that, and I am not sure if Kuran will be able to truly love someone again.
P.S. I added a video of the last battle sequence
*Head Desk* Alto, he’s at it again!! “I’ll snog Sheryl and then run off and get jealous and fight for Ranka…!” (Why did I snog? I’m not British!)He’s such a dork and he looks like he could pass for a girl with Sheryl’s earing on. Lol, I like pretty boys…but this one pisses me off! *Grabs Flamethrower*
Amayalee, Alto is just knackered of all this dorama. Maybe he also has ADHD and can’t focus on just one girl
Oh, he looks like a girl even without an earring 
Don’t worry, he’ll redeem himself in the next season or the next episode 
But Sheryl kissed him, he didn’t initiate!
True, true Klan’s heart is still fragile!
Sakura, Sheryl is a very sneaky person!
She did it in birdhuman episode and she did it again in this one! Kuran has taught us well that kisses are deadly!!! 
Sneaky she is, but then considering her upbringing, she’s got to take her opportunities as they come right!
Given she is Mao’s grand daughter, I think she had a very good life when she was very young, but Grace killed her parents, and poor kid was forced to live on the streets
why are you guys defend the pink haired girl? seriously, she manipulates everyone around her, hence alto is only sure that he loves ranka when he is away fron her. poor ranka being forced to watch people she loves hurt.
Peasantbutcher, while some of Sheryl’s traits might appear artificial, manipulative, and brattish, she has a warm heart and cares about others.
Let’s hope he redeems himself…>.< If he doesn’t, I’m dedicating a post to how much he sucks!
Let the flame war begin!
Alto will be resurrected in the next episode and will save the day ( given enough time 
), the only question is whom the authors will kill? Ozuma? Grace? Burera? Someone else?
Also I am wondering about that projection. Remember in episode 14 Ranka’s mother appeared and sang Aimo. I wonder if we’ll see her or Mao again.
If Ranka’s brother can be blown up into a thousand pieces then come back as a cyborg, then so can Alto. Of course he isn’t dead, he is way too important to the story. Minmei is gonna appear next episode, or Hikaru’s ghost or something equally Macrossy.
lol, one more thing.. I love the super cheese photo album ending. Straight out of the old school Macross series. If you haven’t at least watched the movie, please do.. it might be old but it’s absolutely great.
MrJibaku, lol True, they will find a way
Oh yeah, I support Macrossy people in the next episode
I’ve seen the movie and I loved it
Here are a couple of AMVs that combine scenes from the series, the movie, and the 2012 follow up 
@kitsune i don’t think she has any redeming qualities……to me it seems that her warmth is quite often faked, she is a performer after all :p
Let’s face Alto was out of site just long enough to switch planes.I say he comes back with his rebuilt super valkarie and kicks it up a notch. Another thing, hope alto ends up with Sheryl just because she truly loves him.Ranka now has a brother Sheryl is still all alone.
Peasantbutcher, yes, Sheryl is a performer. However, she chooses to sing despite her internal struggles, like many other great performers did. She had a difficult childhood and now it looks like she lost everything: her career, her love, and her life is coming to the end due to the virus. Yet she goes on with the singing.
“Inside my heart is breaking,
My make-up may be flaking,
But my smile, still, stays on!”
—
Par167, yup, Alto had some time to eject
That’s a good point. “The only things I have now are music and myself,” says Sheryl. Now, we have two possibilities: Sheryl will be either alive or dead. If she will survive, they have to find a cure for the virus. “The fold waves surpass time and the law of cause and effect,” said SMS owner, while thinking about meeting with someone. This just might be the possible cure for Sheryl.
Wow…@o@ That was a good episode, despite the fact I wanted to tear Sheryl’s head off and use it as a basketball.
That is all I can say at this point.
Oh, and another thing, I really don’t see this ending in the next two episodes.
Oh my, how cruel of you, Fionn
Would you mind elaborating at some point when your mood is back to equilibrium?
Well, as far as I know, Macross Frontier is scheduled to have 25 episodes. Therefore, we have only one episode left. Some people, including myself, have been contemplating about the possibility of the second season.
It would work out quite nicely actually. They will bring Macross Galaxy into the play, show that Alto is alive, the queen will reveal her true nature, and people will have to wait for the next season
Oh, I see so many fan fiction possibilities… lol
XDD I’ve red all your comments and I have to say that it’s funny but at the same time very interesting to look through your opinions
I have to agree that Sheryl now has almost nothing left, so killing her in next episode wouldn’t really affect spectators (in this case: me). Maybe they showed us hers reaction instead of Ranka’s awakening to make us shed a tear after her. She’s been annoying me for past few episodes and the scene in the kitchen seriously pissed me even tho it might’ve been for no reason; so intention ‘me felling mercy for her’ is really senseless and total failure [someone said there could be a basketball ball from her head - I want it! I have a game tomorrow
]
Alto is alive. Simply ’cause himes usually stay alive. They made just a good drama from this scene [and from this point using loving-Sheryl instead of brainwashed-Ranka looks better
] I bet he’s now falling straight to that hole where Ranka’s kept to slap her face like miss Nome did few episodes back.
And maybe somebody knows when will be realased the 25th episode ?
Viki92, I am glad you had fun reading the comments
Indeed, it seems that Sheryl has nothing left, but her death would affect spectators significantly ( at least it will affect those who don’t like playing basketball
). I can see why some people might hate her though.
Yes, Alto is probably alive, but something more than slapping have to be employed on Ranka
Unless they deviate from their regular schedule, the last episode ( of the first season
) is supposed to air on Thursday, September 25.
Alto was wearing his S.M.S flight suit, not the standard NUNS issued flight suit, this would give him limited flight capabilities. He may have ejected and started a descent unto the planet below assuming he won’t be burnt up upon re-entry.
Notice the Vajra Queen at the end of this episode. It appears to be the same specimen contained in the tube at the beginning of episode 23 showing Ranka and Brera as children.
It was Bilrer’s comment that made me think the silhouette could be Minmei.
Since my other scenario for Alto is that he did indeed eject, will get picked up by SMS and get back out there in his spiffy VF-25.
Of course maybe its Ranka’s mother Bilrer wants to meet or possibly Sheryl’s mother.
I actually rather enjoyed the scene with Sheryl and Alto. I like that Sheryl once she found out she was being used was determined that if she was going to be used as a puppet, at least it would be on her own terms.
Sheryl in the last episode was just WIN SAUCE!
I don’t hate her, I just found annoying the way she behaves even tho she knows she’s more experienced in comparison to Ranka who… up till some moment played this completely shy freshman in the game. I realise it’s good to know how to look after someone’s interests, but I still feel this not-fair feeling; and that’s why I don’t like her (tho she might be useful in the game
)
then what, you want him to kick her ass x.O that’s quite cruel XD
and thanks, I can’t wait
Energy, yes, Alto will take advantage of that suit
Also, if you observe carefully, it seems there is some kind of loud sound when we see Alto’s ship fly towards Ranka’s projection. This sound might be a mini explosion or an ejection.
Yup, it seems like the same creature, but we still don’t know her true identity.
—
Sakura, I expect Alto to show that signature move of his
Yes, there are many possibilities about the person Bilrer wants to meet. I hope we’ll find out in the next episode!
I agree about Sheryl, she put her soul into that song
—
Viki92, Ranka as a freshman is an interesting comparison
Then I want Alto to kiss Ranka :3
—
Overall, I find it fascinating that people have such a wide range of reactions about Sheryl: from basketball to win sauce lol There is really no right or wrong opinion – I appreciate all your voices. That just shows how good the writers are
LOL @ some of the hilarious comments here. The general feeling that came off this episode after the Alto cliffhanger…no one seems to feel any grief..unlike Michel’s death. Even if Alto is really dead, the impact is really lost on viewers. I feel more sorry for Sheryl and Ranka than I do for Alto.
With all the twists the show’s been pulling, I’m wondering if they’ll do another *wtf* moment at the penultimate episode. Having said that, I’m hoping they’ll wrap up all the major plot issues satisfactorily.
Ayumikat, clearly the writers pseudo-killed Alto on purpose. Overtime, some people developed hatred for Alto, in part, due to his indecisiveness. Giving an impression that a character is dead might provide some catharsis for those people. Moreover, Alto’s death would further highlight Sheryl’s tragic situation.
I agree that the impact is very different from Michael’s death. It was very clear that Michael died (although some people still were in a state of denial), but with Alto the event is quite foggy. That is why many people didn’t feel much for Alto. On the other hand, both Ranka and Sheryl are miserable now and can evoke much stronger sympathy.
Wrapping all the major issues in one episode will be quite a challenge.
Why is it that all the people defend Ranka,why is she that good anyway…because she sits and whines every single episode and she burdens everybody around her.Is Sheryl really sneaky…and Ranka isn’t the same…come on Ranka is sneaky just by appearing all the time to burden everybody,even Sheryl helped her many times and she didn’t really appreciated it.How much does she care about Alto anyway,what does she know about him…she was to busy to talk about herself and so on.
Why shouldn’t Sheryl be considered as better,just because she is stronger,she is far more reliable and she doesn’t need pampering!
To be honest,I think that if Sheryl and Ranka were guys and Alto the girl,you would all have loved Sheryl better,but since she is a woman why not bashing her.I personally didn’t have so much with Ranka,I mean I considered her ugly and uninteresting but I started disliking her more and more seeing that her behaviour is the same:that of a retarded kid.I mean everybody symphatizes her because she had a hard time but didn’t Sheryl have a even harder time?But the difference is that Sheryl didn’t chose to get people to feel pity for her,she worked for everything she got and she acts like a true star,how do you think true stars act?Come on:how many of them lament themselves to everyone,how many of them keep the burden all on their shoulders seeing that they have maybe no real friends?
I just want to keep my realistic eye…though we are talking about anime they are getting inspired more and more from real stuff…and I don’t think that in reality that idea of “protecting someone” is the same with “loving someone” and also can we really have a couple in this style,I mean Ranka doesn’t really show that much interest in Alto,she seems to forget important things in a relation:a relation isn’t all about yourself,a relation is about give and take and she doesn’t seem “to give” much to Alto,except huge headaches,I mean she doesn’t show much importance to his problems,she keeps burdening everyone around her.
I am not really satisfied about this anime at this moment,they gave too much attention to the love triangle that if you ask me the possibility for it to really exist was zero to begin with and why is that:that is because Ranka doesn’t seem to really love Alto,Alto has some sort of problems : mother complex & sister complex,Sheryl is the only one among this triangle who is precise with what she wants and showed many times that she loves Alto,though with all that people hate her.I would probably do as she did and chose not to burden the person I love with anything,she even tells him to bring Ranka back and she kisses him,so what,is that considered being selfish,I consider it as a very natural thing especially when the guy that you love hasn’t really declared,isn’t clear enough with whom he wants to be his girlfriend and also considering that he leaves for a battle and not for collecting stamps anyway,you want to give him a lucky charm,a kiss,an earring and in the idea that you might not see him again,one could just stand there and say a cold goodbye?That was a natural thing to do and this anime got as a soap-opera,to be honest.
It’s another one that somehow disappoints me,one was Saiunkoku Monogatari -2 seasons and only the beginning was interesting the rest got somehow boring:not enough action,not enough romance and the same thing with one not being capable to decide.In a sort of way people love a lot Shuurei because she is strong no matter what happened to her,I appreciate her too,no matter her other faults.
So now should we hate every strong character from animes?
Mira, thank you for your detailed comment
Ranka has great power and responsibility at a young age. Teenage years is quite a turbulent time, but Ranka has to deal with both her past and her current situation. She has a heavy weight on her shoulders.
Often we are quick to judge someone’s behavior as immature, but given the same circumstances, it is not clear how we would react ourselves.
Ranka didn’t choose to be born with such an ability and she didn’t choose to get people to feel pity for her – she took her own path and did what she thought was right ( unlike some other hime with blue hair
).
Indeed, loving and protecting someone can be different things. Unlike Sheryl, Ranka is much more shy. I would refer you to the song Blue Ether from the episode 21. I think it reflects Ranka’s feelings quite well.
Mother and sister complex of Alto is an interesting observation
Yes, Sheryl takes the right decision. “If you love someone, let them go. If they come back, they were always yours, and if they don’t – they never were” Richard Bach.
No, we should not hate every strong character from anime. Hatred is not a healthy disposition.
Thanks my dear,no it’s not really hatred for Ranka…it’s rather annoying,I feel annoyed.I am pretty shy too and I wish I wasn’t,in a relation,when you want to get a job and especially when you want to be a star there shouldn’t be no such thing as being shy,especially today!I mean she is supposed to be shy but in some episodes she didn’t really seemed so,especially when I’ve seen those pictures on the plane,or whatever it was called,lol!I think that is what I dislike at her,Sheryl is a little bit shy too when it comes to Alto,to be honest a woman who would want a guy at all costs wouldn’t act like her and would really make the guy fall for her ,but well we can’t expect to see more than kisses anyway!You know the idea used in mangas “guys are simple minded/ simple creatures ” which to be honest in a way it’s a real statement and in the other way it seems something a feminist would say and the idea of girls being stupid,not precise in what they want,klutz and even ugly,while the guys are smart,beautiful,rich too)it’s like the authors are both feminists and misogynists!And this type of coupling is usually too unreal to be true no matter if the stories are pretty much painted like in real life.Maybe that is why Ranka doesn’t attract me and all the suffering she could get would serve her right,there is a saying by a male author in my country “a woman become stronger and her beauty blossoms when she suffers”,it sounds pretty much like this,which is pretty true!
Yes, shyness can be a problem sometimes, but it is possible to overcome it with practice, and it may diminish with age.
I can’t quite recall Ranka The Seductress plane pictures
“we can’t expect to see more than kisses anyway” lol
I dislike any kind of stereotyping used in any media.
“a woman become stronger and her beauty blossoms when she suffers”
I disagree with this author, but understand what s/he is trying to say. Suffering can be a source of personal growth if an individual copes productively with it. However, I don’t think this is gender specific: both men and women would become more integrated people given the successful resolve when faced with suffering.
P.S. I posted the last episode of Macross Frontier
Love that pink-eyed mad picture of Grace. I’m going to set it as the picture ringtone for my control-freak of a boss!
haha Yes, she does look very evil