Macross Frontier 25: Your Sound (Anata no Oto, アナタノオト)
Grace’s transformation, Burera’s will, Ranka and Sheryl’s song, Minmay, Alto’s choice, tribute to Michael, and of course… mecha pr0n. Macross Frontier movie announced!
They did what I was afraid they do… they rushed it. I’ll have to see a subbed version to form my final opinion, but the sequence of events seemed too unrealistic to me…
As most of you expected, Alto is alive
Looks like he did enject before the explosion
Leon’s arrest. They should put him on trial, but he’ll escape from the prison in the movie 😛
You can hear two people talking to Grace in that scene. I wonder who they are? Woman: “Looks like they found us out.” Man: “Those boys are surprizingly competent.”
Poor guy…
Micro Kuran Kuran ❤ What a great tribute to Michael 🙂 Probably, she never tried to fly like this before – it was very brave of her to do it at such a time. However, she knows that guardian angel Michael is with her 🙂
Sheryl starts to sing again 🙂
This is a homage to Isamu from Macross Plus 🙂
Yay Kuran the sniper 😀
Um… I really don’t like this scene. Burera’s harmonica is a very special object that belonged to him for a very long time. He gives this precious item to Ranka as a protector, so that her wish could be heard. In this scene harmonica is seen as the object that really controlled Ranka. This was just not the case. She was not controlled in any magical way, it was her own psychological state induced by the events and brainwashing. Breaking a precious present from a brother to lift the spell just doesn’t look right to me.
“With the power which even the Protoculture feared, adored, and defied, to the extent of imitating its form. The super-dimensional life form, Vajra!” That is a very strong statement. It seems like Vajra is the highest life form of the galaxy.
Looks like Sheryl’s disease is taking over
Burara comes to support Ranka 🙂 It looks like he broke a part of his system that was used by Grace to control him.
Ok… This is another strange scene. The slap was totally uncolled for! If we look back a few episodes, Sheryl did slap Ranka, but it was very appropriate action for the situation. The situation is very different here. Sheryl does tell Ranka that she can’t do anything, but she lost almost all of her strength due to the virus and is dying. Slapping in this case is a very low thing to do actually.
Oh wow… Ranka has a heavy hand…
Ranka shows Alto how to kiss a woman properly 😛
It was very nice of Ranka to cure Sheryl 🙂
I really like this picture 🙂
Sheryl sings again with rejuvenated enthusiasm 🙂
Their kids will have cyan hair 😛
Vajra sacrifice themselves to protect the frontier.
Ranka feels Vajra’s pain…
Alto and Sheryl salute to each other 🙂
Ai-kun is actually a fairy 😛
Vajra break the defense field.
That attack was just awesome – one of the best moments in the entire episode! 🙂
Another great tribute to Michael 🙂
Burera helps Alto and tells him to shoot for the head because Grace is residing there. They also mention that the stomach is the main part of the Vajra. Stomach is quite important in Asian cultures because it contains Dantian that is important in many spiritual and martial arts application. Dantian is also a center of gravity in humans. For the translation of this scene generously provided by VF-25 Messiah, scroll down to comments 🙂
Well, there you have it people. Ranka or Sheryl? No, Alto has some other things in mind 😛
Another very nice picture 🙂
Basically, this entire episode was about fanservice, be it mecha or regular pr0n
Alto’s wings
Alto was so intense that he actually broke the protective glass on his helmet
This was very intense scene with Alto screaming a line that seems quite important: “Because we’re alone, we can love somebody!” (scroll down to comments for the entire dialog). This line looks like an indication that Alto may really love someone.
I was very intrigued by this scene. Look at these two expressions carefully. This one can be classified as surprise with some elements of fear perhaps.
This expression is much more subtle though. It seems like she is accepting her fate, but we don’t see any smirks that might have indicated a plan to escape. I wonder if Grace is reallly dead or not. I wonder if she could have transferred her consciousness somewhere before the explosion.
“Vajra couldn’t understand why humans were all so different from each other. That is why Vajra wanted to rescue me (Ranka), who can emit fold waves, from the humans whose abnormality they couldn’t understand. But after hearing the message of Sheryl’s song that we are all different, they finally understood.” Wow… what a perfect explanation… >.>
Aimo is a love song that is used once in hundreds of millioins of years to gather and crossbreed with the other groups in the galaxy.
Note Mao Nome in the background 🙂
Lynn Minmei 🙂
I wonder what is his relationship to her? This scene is shown when Ranka talks about Aimo being Vajra’s love song. Speaking of Aimo, is it just me or the words were changed in the version of this episode?
This is what happens when you make girls wait too long 😛
I really don’t like this scene. They act like fangirls without any self respect. Alto just fies away and they still cheer for him.
“This is the sky, the real sky that Sheryl and Ranka opend up.”
Sheryl: “The idiot is flying off”
Ranka: “I will not loose in song or love!”
Sheryl: “I accept your challenge!”
Go Luca! He will confess!
What is that thing on the foreground?
Burera looks at the sky and notices hime
Soon…
This picture is very telling. Observe where the priorities of the girls are. Ranka protects her head and eyes, while Sheryl protects her hair and… something else 😛
Ranka and Sheryl together: “It all starts here.”
Macross Frontier Movie was announced (Sources: ANN, Gigazine)
Final song and Macross Quarter and Battle Frontier Attack
Awesome overload on this episode. Truly jaw-dropping action. Kawamori had said the episode would turn things around completely, and it sure did. Some threads were left hanging, buuut, during the commercials a movie was confirmed to be in the making. Awesome. Hoping the last of them to be tied up there.
Yup, plenty of epic action in this episode 🙂 I doubt they will create a movie on the level of Do You Remember Love, but I hope they will make a good effort 🙂
Satelight with a Theatrical feature size production budget? Oh yes please! You can be sure that however it turns out, it’s going to be dang sweet to look at, at least.
Anyway, having calmed down a little, I can admit that I did feel the episode was kind of rushed. Simply too many things to do in that little time frame. The narrated ‘montage’ towards the middle of the episode especially told us of this. They could easily have filled 45 minutes or even an hour with this and still not having a ‘dull moment’.
Well, the feed you were watching is to blame for that 😉 I was more referring to the fact that they had to resort to ‘narrating’ at all. Means they had no time to show us these things, rather than telling it to us directly. Of course I can’t justly blame them for poor time managament either. Seeing that last episode was meant to end like it did all revelations had to be delivered to us in this episode, along with their resolving, which they wasted no time in doing. Heck they even cut out the opening and ending to cram more events in. It was some very well filled 25 minutes.
Yes, this episode was very dense, and they even had to resort to narration.
Well, they did exclude the opening and closing, but they included parts of those in the episode 😛 They put so many song in this episode too… It was like eating a soup with 100 different vegetables 😛
Well, I am not sure about the details, Devilangel, but it seems that Ranka used her power and removed metastatic cells with crystals from Sheryl’s brain. Now both Ranka and Sheryl have them in their dantian.
if someone has watched the first macross saga, then you should’ve noticed that the love triangle also did not end. minmay still loves hikaru although he has chosen misa 🙂
there will be the same here at the end too, but this is kept as a small secret between the three so the audience may decide whom he picked.
but at the end i am very fascinated of the series as it has taken too long to see a macross series. but i am still missing the old VF-1 designs
look forward. they have to colonize a new planet so why thinkin more about. If I had 2 girls chosen as my wings and both are willing to go into this relationship, hell yeah. every boy is dreaming of such a situation 😀 and consider they are between 17/18 years old. 😛
@Kitsune: If that’s the case then this *might* be a harem ending. Or an option for Kawamori to do the movie or season 2. Haven’t read the mangas or the light novels, so who’s to know?
Father Hentai, personally, I feel that it is best to be committed to only one girl because she deserves to have all your attention rather than just a part of it. Also I believe there can be only one true love. You can be a friend of many girls, but truly love only one of them 🙂
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Drunken Economist, yes, many options are open now, but I want to see a resolution of the triangle.
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Lurker, yup, they had to squeeze many events into that episode.
Alto is awesome like that 😛
I think that was Minmay, but Sheryl’s mom is another possibility.
Eh, well it was just a passing remark as he fought Grace. She comments on how everyone would be connected or some such. Then Alto says that “People are alone. But because we are alone we can love somebody!”. I’m guessing they’ll let us know in the movie who he means.
ok I really want to comment and like to find out if he picked someone….and all that other exciting stuff going on in the episode. I am understanding the first part of episode 25 but where is the rest? i’m dying here! can someone put the link up here? please?
I guess it is possible that he is one of those commanders, but, if I recall correctly, they were mostly green – he is kind of purple lol Maybe that is how they age 😛
if you have already seen all parts, then you will see a ranka chan with a sad face. maybe this says some more about the romance triangle than somebody can guess on the first sight. I just wait for the first translations now.
i am glad to see a lot of wrecked metall at the end as in macross 7.
btw. for our shounen ai fans: maybe hime sama and brera are going to have a relationship! the last fight both VF 25 and VF 27 reminds me of myria and max jenius 😛
Ranka did have a sad face for a second, but I think Ranka was quite energetic at the end actually. “I will not loose in song or love.” Something like that 😛
well let’s see what comes. looking forward for a dramatic happy? end.
actually I had another scenario in mind, where one will loose his life but this is also a good ending a series. and i never believed that alto would die in episode 24 🙂
well i think the ending was alright i mean like 4 real he should have picked one and then they would not leave the fans cluless and then the series would continue on from there but personally i think alto should pick ranka
i think shelry should be greatful and backof that ranka saved her life
well thats what i think oh well ill just have to wait={
Ka, thank you for that note – I didn’t count how many times Ranka and Alto been on the same plane together 🙂 I think it was much easier in the case of Hikaru to choose Misa, in part, due to all the hard times they’ve been together (based on the movie). Alto on the other hand, stayed with and helped both girls relatively equally.
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Karen, yes, I think Sheryl is grateful to Ranka for saving her live 🙂 We’ll see how what the movie will do with the triangle.
First, I’ll have to get a confirmation that the movie is a sequel rather than a retelling, but I think that a sequel is more likely. Also they might make a retelling with a resolution 😛
It is not really clear whom he’ll choose. Based on this episode, it looks like he chose the sky, but, as VF-25 Messiah pointed out, he might have one person in mind. Based on that roof scene in episode 23, It looked to me that Alto really loves Ranka, but we had other interesting events in subsequent episodes that might indicate otherwise.
Ha, Alto pwns Ichijou-kun in VF destruction. C’mon, he let Brera hit him repeatedly in ep 24, and *then* the SMS gives him back his Messiah, and he trashes *that*.
Methinks he may be given desk duty or become Richard Bilrer’s ‘special little conductor’ on one of his model trains.
There were 2 Planes that Hikaru screwed. One was when he saved Lin Minmay during the Zentraedi attack on earth. The other one is not quite sure, but I think it was the scene where roy died and Hikaru took the training plane to escape from the zentraedis. The plane was very messed up and it was most of the time only in gerwalk mode.
Kitsune-san, ‘go-yukuri’ with the footage.. it’s not like everyone’s gonna not download it all later anyway.
Anywho, let this bake your noodles: I really like Ranka. She not only cured her rival of the V-Strain Virus, she ‘leveled up’ her to ‘little queen’ status. So she’s past the Minmei meter for me.
So whoever Alto-hime picks, he better not piss off the other one. Or, he’d better not take off his Ex-Gear.
This is where I try to make a Vajira with teeth pun. Hah.
=___= Omg…Incoming rant. I’m glad they were able to live under a real sky (although that was a dead give away for a happy ending) but do they really have to leave things hanging just to get people to watch the movie?
Everything just felt so rushed. The drama that was supposed to peak last episode was resolved rather too quickly. Like….when Alto saw the Vajra protect them. He was all, “What? They’re good? K, we’re buddies.” No buts, no ifs, he just accepted it like that. I wanted to see more remorse from him given how much he loathed the things, but since the staff was in a Rush, it just sucked.
I was expecting a full version of Anata no Oto but again, it was rushed because they had to fit the other bajillion songs in. They even butchered Seikan Hikou with its fast-paced tempo.
What is up with Bilrer and Minmei? How about Leon? Did Grace really die? Did Galaxy, an uber powerful fleet, go down just like that? How about the Vajra? Are they going to be accepted by EVERYONE? Ranka and Brera included?
I wanted to see a more dramatic scene between Alto and Ranka’s reunion but since it was so chaotic all over, it had to be rushed yet Again. Given how there’s so much left unresolved between them after their abrupt parting in 21. The fact that Ranka sang for Alto and Alto fought for Ranka was never relayed. They’re just suddenly in good terms. Smiling. Glad to see each other. No awkwardness? No ‘oops my bad, didn’t know it was like that’ moment? So it turned out Alto’s reason for joining SMS was still the same ol’ Ranka-chan. What will he do now?
But I guess there was no time for that since they’re in the middle of a war lol Which is why I’m complaining that they didn’t show any aftermath and instead did another episode 15 despite the events prior to it.
From the first 4 episodes, the events leading to Galia arc, Ranka attack, episode 21, Alto’s confession in 23, I still think Alto and Ranka love each other and that hasn’t changed. But really -__- It doesn’t matter anymore. This final episode doesn’t really conclude the debate or anything. It just made me more tired of the LT.
Although I’m not going to lie that I loved the princess charming to the rescue scene. ^_^
“RAAAANKA!”
“Alto-kunnn!”
lol! So Ranka really can go outer space without a suit? I feel like the movie will just be another episode 25 or 15, but who am I kidding? I’m still going to watch it regardless. x__x Did I say I’m glad Brera didn’t die?
Finally got to see the episode in decent quality. Was blown away again by all the over-the-top action. Really awesome episode. Decided to make a quick translation of the dialouge part I mentioned earlier:
G: Why don’t you understand? This is the ultimate face of human evolution!
A: What evolution? Turning the Vajra into sacrifices!
A: Oh shi-
B: I’m here to give you backup!
A: Brera!
R: Brother!
B: Alto, aim for the head of the queen.
A: Head?
B: The Vajra mind isn’t in their heads, but their stomachs!
R: Vajra sing with their stomachs.
A: I see!
G: You damn bugs!
B: Being connected to you I learned that no matter where people go they are alone.
G; That’s why we’re-
B: But!
A: Because we’re alone, we can love somebody!
So…I guess I’ll refrain from saying it. By the way, does anyone want to storm Sunrise with me and threaten to torch HQ unless they have a FOR SURE Ranka/Alto resolution? ROFL.
Love is not an easy thing… Realising you love somebody and be ready or willing to have a relationship with them it’s different things. Also, there are various types of love… You might love somebody, just not “that way”.
Dont think the script writers went this deep though.. They just left the triangle to fill the theatres up 😉
hahaha lol, and for me that scene from 23 episode was showing that Alto, though he said he hated Macross F world, trully loved that WORLD and not Ranka or Sheryl…
i’m pointing it out, cause i was left with mixed feelings for some time after that episode XDD
Alto’s like a baby :3 i bet he’ll want a new toy since he’d destroyed two previous ones xD
and… kyaaaaaa! i loved this episode! i want a movie now :]]]
Some people liked the mix of songs, but it just didn’t seem appropriate to me. It felt like a fast forward run.
You raise very important questions. Is Bilrer Minmei’s fan or something more? If we look at the context when his scene was shown, they were talking about Aimo being a love song. They arrested Leon, and he’ll go on trial. Grace is very resilient, so it is possible that she survived. I think given Ranka’s and Brera’s upbringing, they will have no trouble living with Vajra, but it will take more time for others to get used to Vajra.
Yes, I felt that the meeting of Alto and Ranka should have been the highlight of the episode. They spent very little time on it unfortunately.
Yup, the rescue scene was nice and Sheryl even sang pilot boyfriend song lol
I am glad that most people survived this episode 🙂
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Thank you for translating that scene, VF-25 Messiah 🙂
Given the context, it might be the case that Alto really loves Ranka 😉
One other scene especially intrigued me. When Grace enters into the queen mode, you can hear two people talking to her. First is a woman, and the other one is a man. The man says something “.. those boys”. I am just wondering who they are and if what they told Grace is of any significance.
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Father Hentai, Kuran has great sniper skill!
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Silent_hill, yes, it was Minmay and Macross 11 🙂
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Kanzeon, tears of joy? 😛
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Fionn, haha You’ll have to do that asap before they make a movie then 😛
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G, yes, love is complex, but it looks like they decided to dedicate the last episode to mecha. They will certainly achieve their goal of filling the theaters lol
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Sakura, yup, the events helped Ranka grow 🙂
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Viki92, yes, you are correct to point out that Alto really wants to protect the world, but given the context of the scene it appeared, at least to me, that his choice was Ranka. More toys for Alto! 😛
Well,I guess the movie will stick with the idea from the other Macross series!
I don’t think it’s really clear whom he chooses but it’s better that they came back with the idea from the first episodes,I mean with the action,I am sick of cheap love triangles that have no real base, to be frank!Where I am standing I would have said that any normal guy would have chose the person who shared the most moments with him and was the closest to him.And well it’s hilarious,the episode ended up with a harem and also the fact that the girls are on such good terms and the magical cure and so on…I would have preferred a tragic end to this one,it just seemed good from the action point of view and stupid from every other point of view.
It was better than nothing!I am afraid that it happened as usual good animes with pretty dumb endings and also mangas.We have a lots of them already:Inuyasha, Prince of Tennis,Paradise Kiss,Trinity Blood,Evangelion , Saiunkoku Monogatari, Elfen Lied…and all the stupid endings for what for….another season or movie that again leaves things unclear.
If you want to contradict me,you can but you got to admit that they crowd all the important events in the last episode and come up with an ending that is more like a beginning.
Mira-chan, I agree with you. I didn’t like the ending and would have preferred a more tragic, but realistic finale. They rushed the final episode with very high density of events and made many things look unrealistic.
Poor impulse control… I burned my family’s satellite quota watching ep 25 in lo qual on Youtube.
VF-25, did I hear wrong, or was Sheryl *kinda* getting coy with Ranka there?? I mean, we have Bobby Margot, a cool gay ‘flirty okama’ type… and I *think* I heard:
R: I won’t lose! In either singing or love!
S: [Getting a little submissive / breathless] Well, we can always ‘sing’ as a pair…..
Seriously, it was VERY cool that Ranka made Sheryl a ‘Little Queen Sista’… and did you notice at the end of *this* Macross *they* hugged? Methinks this triangle might end up having equal sides…!
Of course, I am no match for Kawamori-sama, troll-fu master. And *of course* I’m gonna see the movie. Maybe even in Nihon.
I believe Brera tells him to shoot the Queen’s head because this is where Grace is, but having its head blown off won’t actually harm the Queen much, because its mind is housed in the stomach.
Drunken Economist, you have to be careful with those quotas!
Sing as a pair…
VF-25 Messiah, oh, I see now. I was somewhat confused about the identity of the queen and that suit that Grace integrated with. So Grace is residing in the head, but the stomach is the main part of the queen. Thus, they killed Grace, but the queen is stile alive?
That’s how I understood it. Brera tells him to aim directly for the head, and that the important part is stomach. The head is blown clean off with a missile barrage, before Alto picks Grace off with the sniper gunpod. After we see a breif shot of the Vajra queen, now headless, with something glowing in its stomach region. Then que Aimo.
Ah, thank you for clarification, VF-25 Messiah 🙂 I wonder how Ranka’s mother is related to the queen. Remember how in episode 14 she sang Aimo to Ranka? It seemed like she either was the queen herself or was a part of her consciousness.
That queen should be the same one that was in the large tank aboard the Global we saw at the beginning of episode 23. So it had met with Ranshe before, and probably was the one who taught her Aimo (who then taught it to Ranka). In episode 14 this very same queen tries to communicate with Ranka by using an image of Ranshe singing Aimo. But I don’t think it was Ranshe herself.
Again, that’s how I interpret it. It could certainly be something like Ranshe was absorbed into the Vajra consciousness (perhaps that’s the fate awaiting anyone who dies from V-type?), but I personally doubt it. The image didn’t seem to recognise Ranka, and it seemed more like the Queen speaking “We want to tell you something”. Perhaps the movie will expand on it.
Yes, it would be nice if we could see some explanation in the movie, but I have this suspicion that the movie wouldn’t have time on those kinds of details. It will come out sometime next year probably, so we’ll see.
You know, for sheer entertainment value I rate this episode very highly. It was fast pace with the glorious mecha action sequences intersperse with a medley of songs flowing from beginning to end. I was thoroughly entertained. It’s only when my brain has settle down and I re-watch it again that I begin to notice the story. I don’t mind so much the non-resolution of the LT but plot wise there’s a fair bit of story still to tell and was left open. Perhaps the writers did that on purpose and leave it for the movie. No doubt, in this episode they want to carry the main point across and this pertains to the fact that Vajras are not the enemies and also to reveal who the real perpetrators are. It would have been better if they expand the episode over an hour long special to have an even pacing. But they probably have this episode plan out a long while ago and had intended it to be this way. And ya, I’m laughing at the epic rage still going on at the forums. I’m still too frazzled to write my own review…but all in all, it was still enjoyable and it does not in any way dent my impression of the MF series. The key is not to take it too seriously. It’s just a cartoon after all but it’s a damn good one…*laughs*.
Ayumikat, I don’t mind the absence of resolution and open ended questions. What bothered me is the way they put the episode together. It would have been much better to make a decently paced episode and continue with the second season. Certainly writers did it on purpose because they want to make more money with least effort 😛
Yes, it is best to keep things in perspective, but the series also invites the spectators to contemplate about storytelling. If you were the writer, how would you proceed? What would you do to make more money vs what would you do to create a story that transcends generations? Unfortunately, most anime focus on the former.
The Alto/Ranka pic wherein they were extending their hands (sort of inviting) Sheryl after the “healing”, I believe, was the first giveaway at ep 25 (the previous was the rooftop scene re: Alto’s statement with Kran- and overheard by Sheryl btw).
The Alto/Sheryl salute I believe was the other giveaway. Maybe it’s just me, but I really find it awkward to salute to someone I have feelings for (especially that Sheryl is not in the military anyways). For me it is more of a “good job” and “let’s finish this” kind of thing, something I’d likely tell with a friend.
The Brara/Alto quote was already discussed here several times, and I believe a lot of us are already sold with the idea. ^^
Last but not the least, notice which hand Alto extended at the very last part, and which girl was on that side. Also, take note of which hands the girls were using at their close up shot. On the farther shot, (last screenie) Ranka just extended her hand while Sheryl shifted the other. For me it tells a lot about which girl Alto chose and I believe that Sheryl had already accepted the truth.
Battlechaser, your observations are very interesting 🙂
Yes, I really liked that shot of Alto and Ranka extending their arms to Sheryl 🙂 It might be a hint or we might be just overanalyzing it 😛
The salute scene is ambiguous as well. As you mention, it can be interpreted as a farewell, but some other people interpreted it in the opposite way, suggesting that Alto’s choice is Sheryl.
The interpretation of the last scene you mentioned surprised me. I didn’t pay attention to this detail, but it might indicate something. My interpretation of the scene is that Alto is right handed and they showed that picture just because it looked cool 😛
Overall, we’ll have to wait at least for the movie because the series lacked clear clues to Alto’s preference. I expect to see many fanart and fanfiction possibilities in the coning months 😛
Geh, gomen. I listened to the Sheryl’s ‘the challenge stands’ thing.. yeah, it’s what gg’s guys say.
I have some thoughts for battlechaser…
If you’ve seen DYRL the saluting sequence is a homage. As I remember Hikaru saluted Misa before going off to shoot Boldoza. *This time* he salutes Ranka, but Sheryl is on the screen. And of course, uh, he’s ‘on duty’ so it’s a salute to the bridge crew too. You’ll note that Sheryl salutes him back. 😉
Have you noticed already that most of the aniems that currently appear have a pretty slow plot,just like this,and they squeeze pretty much everything in the last 2 episodes and they don’t even complete them.
Okay and now guys let’s not start over again with whom he choose…it is stupid to say he chose either of them since there weren’t really moments to show which one of them he chose…this ending was mostly about action,which if you asked me comes a little bit late….I mean lately they’ve been developing all the triangle with no real foundation anyway and they left it hanging by coming back with the action part.
Another thing that I disliked somehow was pretty much the idea of all turning well…that is for the movie probably,so what does that mean that after Grace is gone we’ll now have a disgusting full of love triangle movie?I don’t know,I am getting more and more unsatisfied and all those comments he chose that one or that one,have no real foundation anyway…at this moment to me it’s pretty clear that he somehow feels something for both but he doesn’t love any of them like the sky.
All this stuff are like screaming:buy the mangas/novels when they appear,if they appear and to be honest they will probably make mangas for most of the animes just to leave us with no money,it’s a marketing strategy of theirs.
And another thing that is annoying…was the episode before…the conversation between Alto and Sheryl….she didn’t leave him to say everything but if you promise to someone that you’ll be back for him/her…how could that be if you chose another one,like you guys say?
So now pretty much your hints fall.The salute as a commander to Sheryl…didn’t really show disappointment on her face and he extended his hand towards Sheryl in a screencap while Ranka was doing another thing and afterwards the two of them extended their hands but still those are not at all enough hints,I would have said that the 24th episode was much clearer with the hints but the ending was like a slap in the face!
So sorry for the double post,I don’t see any edit button and I felt that I should add this opinion!
Drunken Economist, you are correct about that homage. See this post for comparison of pictures between Macross Frontier and Do You Remember Love? 🙂 Now, don’t let this make you think that Alto’s choice is definitely Sheryl 😛
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Mira-chan, I replied to your first of the two consecutive comments before I noticed the second one, so I’ll keep the reply to the first and add the reply to the second.
To post #1:
I wonder it a poor budget or planning have to do with slow-fast-end trend.
Yes, a more tragic, but more realistic ending might have been better.
Certainly, we have very little information to work with, but I still find it interesting trying to pick up those little nuances. We can consider the possibilities, but I agree that it is too early to make any definitive conclusions.
Yup, they know how to earn money. Most people who watched the series will watch the movie.
To post #2:
The promise to be back does not equate to the promise to be back with her forever 😛
Yes, the hints were there in episodes 24 and 25, but they are not conclusive.
Don’t worry about double posts – thank you for expressing your opinions 🙂
I’m pretty convinced he saluted both girls. His Valkyrie stops in between both bridges and looks straight ahead as it salutes. If you look closely at the scene, you’ll notice that both bridges look to be closer to each other than they could logically be, so there’s some magnification going on, throwing off the perception of distance. We only see him in the Valkyrie from the Battle Frontier bridge, but given the above I’m sure it’d look the same from the Quarter bridge. Also feels like both girls acknowledge the salute, Sheryl with a salute of her own, while Ranka who is currently singing, has her hand stretched out to him.
Also, to all people who were clamoring for a darker end, I can only remind you that is Macross, not Gundam 😉
The salute scene is not easy to interpret because one can refer to the direction each party was facing and other factors, but we should keep in mind that in animation, visual characteristics of the scene often have precedence over the accurate depiction.
I updated the post with some details and quotes based on the subbed version, including Protoculture reference among other things. I also added final battle video sequence and Mari Iijima’s Ai Oboete Imasu Ka live performance from 1984 🙂
kitsune-
Yup we may be overanalyzing it and that makes it more exciting as we wait for the movie.
For the last scene, would it be more apt if he extended both hands? But he extended just one, and I believe that tells us he already chose someone. Or maybe just because it would look cooler like you’ve said, and that he would look like belldandy in one of her more popular poses in A!MG if he extends both. 😛
I still believe the question on who Alto chose was already answered several episodes before, when he had the rooftop scene with Kran.
d. economist-
I didn’t watch DYRL, so I just kinda interpreted it that way. So nice that they prolly did it for homage. 🙂
mira-chan-
Sheryl at that point had no one, but Alto, plus the fact that she was dying . I believe it was as difficult to her as Alto’s. To come back for her will give Sheryl the courage to continue.
1/ Kawamori had a *lot of fun* thwacking all you ‘love triangle’ fans about. C’mon, a song called ‘Triangler’ ?? The angler was out there, reeling you in.
2/ 24 + 25 were homage episodes? You wanted Macross: The movie? you got it. ‘Ao wo oboemasuka?’ in spades. I had such a sense of deja vu that I pulled out my old DVD of Macross: DYRL and saw it. Twice. Someone: “What was that song? Misa/Ranka: Oh, just a love song. From 1000s [or more, etc] years ago.” Another homage.
3/ I didn’t mind the pacing because they ended it just like Macross: DYRL, which [I think] was the whole point. Even tho’ Hikaru chose Misa a bit earlier, you didn’t see him in the last scene either, did you? All that was said earlier when he got the lyrics to the song from Misa.
I *think* Kawamori will probably do the same thing that he did with Macross 7. He’ll do ‘reunion’ and ‘side stories’ like with Macross 7: Movie and Macross D7.
So I give a 50% chance of seeing Alto in ‘hadaka apron’ slicing slicing up daikon for __________’s miso soup. And Sheryl will drink. Again. 😉
Never posted before, but as I am so desperate to watch this episode after 24 I read your comments in a self-indulgent spoiler for myself. XD
All I can say is that I am *so* glad to hear Sheryl is cured. I know it is cheesy but I really love Sheryl to bits and I am a big sappy Sheryl/Alto fan. 😛
I know my friend is going to be happy with the Michael tributes and sniper Klan. ^_^
Curse them for not resolving the LT though! *shakes fist*
Also, great screencap of Bobby doing his awesome hero shouting rescue. XD
Oh,my God you guys…sorry to ask you this but what are your ages?I mean,I don’t mean to offend anyone but what are those ideas you have “to salute Sheryl in a military way”,”his hand was near Ranka’s”,”he joined the battle in the first place for Ranka”(he did so not only for Ranka’s sake,let’s face it it was mostly for his “sky complex”….lol,except the sister complex(for Ranka) and the mother complex(for Sheryl) we could say he has a “sky complex”…lol,my new invention),”he flew near Sheryl”,”he saluted only Sheryl”….come on,are you guys for real,what hints are there clear… 1st-there are equal on both sides,2ndly they aren’t really hints enough to say whom he chose.And episode 23,I think you are pretty much mistaking his discussion …”Alto…your love!”…how do you know it’s about Ranka and not about the Earth.Now another mistake in this episode was “Sheryl heard Alto that he loves Ranka and cries”….she was pretty far away to hear him in the first place,if you ask me,or even if she was closer what do we expect for her to have ultrasonic ears.And now you are forgetting episode 24,where he talked to Sheryl and the discussion seemed almost like a confession and not that he loves Ranka to be honest.
Now another thing would anyone chose to kill the person he/she loves?I don’t think so,I mean anyone would try his best to save that person or if the love is true.
But anyway all you guys are saying has no foundation,to be honest!
Yes I would love him to choose Sheryl,I guess all people are too much of “poor Ranka”…why is she so poor anyway:she is famous,she is the savior of the world(the image of Sailor Moon which is not at all appropriate for her),everyone pities her and tries to protect her not only characters but also real people,I mean I think she really needs to be shaken off and for God’s sake grow already retarded kid.
This idea of being a star implies to be strong enough to resist everything.
Another thing I’d say,I think she doesn’t really love Alto that much,she needs pampering,I mean she chose to sing before Alto and Alto pretty much spent most of his time with Sheryl anyway,so how can to people that live pretty separably love each other love each other,is pretty unrealistic.
Anyway many people call her shy,but if one remembers correctly one of the episodes with her wearing a bra and no-panties in a picture put on a plane,where is that being shy?I mean is that for real you are shy and you pose with a small bra on you and no panties!!!
Plus her age,I mean sorry to the Japanese,I respect them and their works and everything but they are going beyond normal stuff,I mean isn’t that illegal for a kid to pose almost naked when she doesn’t even have 18 years and well I don’t say that kids these day don’t grow faster,I mean I know of kids who have 12 years and they have girl/boyfriends and they even smoke but anyone who would pose a kid like that would be punished by the law.
Except that why is it with all this lolis,I mean Ranka isn’t really loli if we look at her face(just because she is short and has no breasts that doesn’t make her loli) but her retarded acts make her pretty much like a loli so what is with all this pedophile stuff,does that mean that Japanese or men generally are pedophiles?
Now really if I were a guy I would chose a woman over a kid.
Now I would say that you should wait for the movie or just make yourself an ending and try not to come up with so many so-called hints,it’s already obvious that the guy pretty much doesn’t know it himself whom he loves and one thing that he knows is that he would pick the sky over anything.To be honest Alto was supposed to be cool at the beginning but he became lame,I would say that most of the characters didn’t suffer much changes in the end at least Alto.
Another thing why I prefer Sheryl over Ranka,not considering the beauty here which is obvious who looks better,is that Sheryl evolved from the beginning till the end while Ranka started to act a little bit differently only at the end.
this is one of the best threads I’ve ever read :p So full of Macross information about an episode and no nonsense feedbacks =D Or Maybe Macross is one of the few animes that I have a good grasp and thus shares the sentiments of (or at least understands) most of the issues that people have raised in the posts.
To Kitsune-san, job well done for your blogposts! 😉
I agree that Alto might have already chosen someone. Yes, it would be more appropriate to extend two hands probably, but, just based on visual properties, extending one hand looks much better because the picture is more dynamic this way and the focus is on the hand and on reaching someone.
haha Belldandy! I prefer her picture with one hand extended though 😛
Yup, rooftop scene might have been an indicator.
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Drunken Economist,
1) Yes, he is very evil 😛
2) Twice! That is a great movie, isn’t it? 🙂
Oh, I look forward to more cooking by Alto, but I say Sheryl should slow down on drinking 😛
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PrincessMark,
Sheryl’s cure was a nice gesture 🙂 They decided to make a happy ending after all.
I am also glad they did Michael tributes and sniper Klan 🙂
Hopefully, we’ll see the resolution in the movie.
Yes, Bobby is great!
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Mira-chan,
Another nice long response from you 🙂
What are our ages? We are too old.. 😦
“To make mistakes is human, to stumble is commonplace, to be able to laugh at yourself is maturity.”
William A. Ward
Yes, the writers are very skilled at messing with people 😛 Indeed, the hints are not sufficient to make final conclusions, but when the truth is revealed, people will be so happy and point out that they foresaw it ages ago as they keenly deciphered that ambiguous Alto blink in one of the episodes 😛
The rooftop scene is significant in many ways. Kuran’s “your love” statement is important, but not as much as Alto’s expressions and body language. Sheryl heard the conversation well because she was just a few meters away from them. Alto loves Ranka, but he is open to possibility of killing her if necessary to save thousands of lives. Certainly, it is not easy for him, and you can see it in this scene. However, this is not a definitive indication of this love.
Strong individual preference often blinds people. Ranka had a very traumatic past and was born with an incredible power that carries a heavy burden of responsibility as well. Add to this all the events that happened to her recently, and you have a situation that is not very easy to cope with, especially for a teenager.
Oh, distance is not an obstacle for a true love :3 Ranka had many significant moments with Alto as well.
Oh, now I know what you are referring to! Monster Girl! Well, that fanart (Not Safe for Work) featured in episode 18 was clearly drawn by some perverted pilots – Ranka was not involved in its creation at all! 🙂 However, I agree with you that kids should not be involved with such activities, and the abusers should be dealt with appropriately. Men in general and Japanese men in particular are not pedophiles, but there is a disturbing increasing trend in Japan.
Alto was still trying to deal with his past. His mother was very important to him and he really wanted to see the true sky. He achieved this goal now and can move on with his life. His father will approve his career choice too probably.
Who looks better is a matter of preference 😛 I agree that Sheryl has a strong character and changed since the beginning of the series.
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Criz,
Thank you 🙂 I am grateful to all the people who voiced their opinions and clarified many issues 🙂
Yup, it might something related to bird human. Macross Frontier referred to Macross Zero quite often. Notice Sheryl’s earrings by the photograph of Mao Nome’s parents in this Macross Zero screenshot. (Source)
Perhaps the slap did seem uncalled for considering that Sheryl was sick at the time, but! it wasn’t a “Physical” slap of Sheryl’s body; rather a slap to her mental state, because later we see that Ranka was still not saved and was only communicating to both Sheryl and Alto.
The slap I do believe was a wake up call for Sheryl, who appeared to giving up – (for one Sheryl doesn’t ever give up so she was not being herself), plus she was needed in this situation in order to win against Grace and help save everyone! She got cured after that!
Similary to the Sheryl>Ranka slap, she woke her up then gave her a hug to “heal” her.
Ranka got the initial slap LOL, but as the saying goes, “What goes around comes around.”
Yup, it was not a physical slap, but Ranka sure has uber mind power that left a big red mark on Sheryl’s cheek 😛 Certainly, many people felt satisfied for the reciprocity, but I still don’t support such action in that context.
It’s a shame but I think episode 23 is the “closest” scene we’ll ever get for a LT resolution–followed up by 24. I guess I’m okay with that. 🙂
My disappointment on the unresolved LT has dissipated. While the last episode was filled with plot holes and loose ends, I think that’s the best they could’ve done if they’re really adamant in promoting the triangle all the while creating a happy ending for everyone. At a span of One episode to boot. Apparently, Kawamori thinks that resolving the LT is stereotypical.
Rewatching the earlier episodes, Ranka and Alto’s moments were really given more emphasis than the other. I mean, aside from how the beginning was more about them, the two were given a romantic skygazing trip with Ranka’s Neko Nikki playing. They didn’t do this with Sheryl/Alto. The way Ranka realized her feelings for Alto, Sheryl was never given such scene d/t lack of focus. Ranka turned out to be the girl Alto opened up to about his mother, they daydreamed about the real sky together and the amount of drama the Blue Ether scene brought. ETC ETC.
They’re just so heavily emphasized and their flashbacks of each other make them the more significant. I can barely remember Alto recalling a sweet moment he had with Sheryl. If he ever did.
It’s like how the staff did a sing-off right after the Galia arc. Despite the romantic development, they evened things out because of the triangle. They should’ve made the focus between Ranka and Sheryl equal ever since the start. Making Sheryl little queen #2 in the last episode really did look forced to me. I never even knew Ranka can control those V-virus. x_x Plus the fact that Alto suddenly said that they’re both his wings when he couldn’t even find it in him to return Sheryl’s kiss last episode lol That line made him look more like a pimp to me more than anything. Anything to promote Kawamori’s triangle. Tsk tsk….
Yes, given the time of one episode, they did a pretty good job. Oh, resolving the LT is stereotypical? Then no resolution in a movie! lol
Ah, that is an interesting point – I didn’t get a chance to re-watch the episodes yet. Initially I thought that the time spent on each angle was about equal, but it does seem like they spent more time and emphasis on Alto and Ranka based on your summary. Yes, opening up can be an important indicator and Blue Ether scene was very nice 🙂
Alto the Pimp! lol Yeah, they are evil like that. We’ll see how far they’ll go in the movie.
– – –
P.S. If anyone is starting to feel Macross Frontier withdrawal symptoms, have not fear! While not really mecha genre, a space opera Tytania made by the team involved in Legend of the Galactic Heroes will premiere next week.
Director: Noboru Ishiguro (Legend of the Galactic Heroes, The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?). He is 70 years old, so it might be his last work.
Original creator: Yoshiki Tanaka (Legend of the Galactic Heroes)
Oh great, I told myself I’ll take a break from anime after this but you just have to introduce Tytania lol I’m liking the vibe. I’ll definitely check it out. ^_^
IMO the problem about the scenes is that, you quickly forget how moving/cool/romantic it was if they present you with the next episode. Without flashbacks related to that certain scene or constant reminder, it loses its flair and becomes insignificant as the story moves along. Most scenes of Alto and Ranka were often being referenced as along the story i.e their first encounter, their moments in Galia 4, esp. in Griffith’s park and others. Ranka has flashbacks of Alto. Alto has flashbacks of Ranka. There’s a follow-up from the story to show significance of those moments to them as a character. As opposed to Sheryl…=/ I think it’s because in the very beginning, there was Ranka and Alto so naturally they’re not going to let all those development go to waste. And they didn’t, they put it on hold instead lol
I think there’s one article where Kawamori stated that LT resolution is monotonous in a society. I’m pretty surprised by that because I think the opposite. And I’m not sure if this is confirmed but I heard that the movie will just be remake of the TV series ala DYRL.
Oh noes! Take a break from anime if you want, Ani_d! You can always come back to it later 🙂
Ah, yes, they should have included more moments like that, but, since it is Macross, the priority goes to the regular doze of mecha. Indeed, the development started from the very beginning and was referenced along the story.
Do you mean that in real life the triangles tend not to be resolved? I don’t mind for a movie to be a remake as long as the quality will be close to DYRL 😛
i felt that the series and the episode were spoilt by the lack of resolution….he needs to pick someone…..i agree with your comment about the harmonica, but at least now ranka has 2 brothers 🙂
Macross shows have two ways of resolving love triangles: someone dies/shoved out of the picture (SDF Macross, Macross Plus, Macross Zero), or the triangle is left unresolved (Macross 7). My vote is for the latter. It’s nice for main characters to not get the shaft for once.
And I actually thought the harmonica breaking was very appropriate. It was like Ranka being free from the physical representation of her dark past that always kept her scared and shackled.
I thought the best ending was in Do You Remember Love because the triangle was resolved, but the people remained friends 🙂
Perhaps, the harmonica can be thought of as the symbol of the dark past, but to me it is associated with good times Ranka had with her family and mother’s lullaby Aimo.
I wish Alto can pick Sheryl…cuz im not a big fan of Alto’s personality and it just seems like he’s in love with the “SKY”…. IF its possible i wish for rankaXsheryl or find sum1 else…cuz i think both of the girls are waay too good for Alto…
I dont pity Ranka AT ALL(prolly cuz ive watched lots of sad animes). she’s overall a very immature yet a super cute character to me…but ppl around ranka don’t pity her on purpose..her appearence one of those type of girls ppl want to protect AND saving Sheryl was prolly the most touching moment in the anime…cuz if Ranka was sooo childish and retarded..she would just let Sheryl die and wipe out the competition…
ive seen posts saying that Ranka is a traitor she left frontier because Alto rejected her…to me it seems like she’s trying to do what she think is right…ending the war, fulfulling her mother’s wish, and returning her super cute friend…it seems like Ranka understands that continuous killing is not going to end the war…whereas Alto does not comprehend and tried to kill Ai-kun
Sheryl…im like the complete opposite…i LOVED Sheryl in the beginning, hauty, self-assured and etc. but when she went through that personality change…it’s just not the Sheryl i expect anymore…sort of cheesy to me…
Even though in epi. 23 Alto said his feelings bout Ranka.. He’s going to pick Sheryl…Hikaru did not pick Lynn Minmei and she has like a chinese name…Ranka lee…guess what also chinese! I know that Japanese people tend to like caucasians and mixes better so i think Alto is going to pick Sheryl.. even though this is like a rele controvsial theory..it’s just my thoughts.. overall i give this anime a 7..not enough fighting scenes..more like a shoujo anime..Alto is my biggest problem he seems so indecisive as a man!
Going to chime in and say: The scene in episode 23 was mean to explain Alto’s love for Frontier, not either girl. It was a big moment for his character development. So it was revealed in the commentary and a interview with the scriptwriter. He’s willing to kill Ranka (the one he claimed he would protect) for the sake of Frontier after shaking his denial of his love for the ship and the people in there. He’s no longer the boy who might have flew for Ranka, but a man.
Sheryl was sad, apparently, for Ranka’s sake and averted her demise by asking Alto to save her (and she gave him the tool to do it: her earring). In the end, Sheryl saved Ranka, then Ranka saved Sheryl.
Those who watched the second movie, know well who Alto’s heart belongs to. It was obvious since the beginning.
As for who is the winner of the triangle… New fans need to realize this is Macross that has a long established traditions (besides the music/culture power and mecha porn), not a shoujo high school series. Has a cute, young girl who the male protagonist got along since the beginning ever beat the older, tsundere woman who was antagonistic with our hero in a love triangle in Macross history?
No. Never.
Frontier continues a long tradition established in the 80s.
Any and every veteran knew since the designs were out Ranka had no chance. A girl of Mao Nome’s psychical traits, compared to Minmay and has some weird Ishtar-like powers? It was a very indiscreet way to slap a “triangle loser” tag on her forehead. 😦
Kitsune's Thoughts 
Awesome overload on this episode. Truly jaw-dropping action. Kawamori had said the episode would turn things around completely, and it sure did. Some threads were left hanging, buuut, during the commercials a movie was confirmed to be in the making. Awesome. Hoping the last of them to be tied up there.
Yup, plenty of epic action in this episode 🙂 I doubt they will create a movie on the level of Do You Remember Love, but I hope they will make a good effort 🙂
Satelight with a Theatrical feature size production budget? Oh yes please! You can be sure that however it turns out, it’s going to be dang sweet to look at, at least.
Anyway, having calmed down a little, I can admit that I did feel the episode was kind of rushed. Simply too many things to do in that little time frame. The narrated ‘montage’ towards the middle of the episode especially told us of this. They could easily have filled 45 minutes or even an hour with this and still not having a ‘dull moment’.
Yes, latest technology can make anything look pretty 😛
Yeah, they could have, but somewhere in the middle of the episode all I could see was still pictures due to lag 😛 Then it improved closer to the end.
Well, the feed you were watching is to blame for that 😉 I was more referring to the fact that they had to resort to ‘narrating’ at all. Means they had no time to show us these things, rather than telling it to us directly. Of course I can’t justly blame them for poor time managament either. Seeing that last episode was meant to end like it did all revelations had to be delivered to us in this episode, along with their resolving, which they wasted no time in doing. Heck they even cut out the opening and ending to cram more events in. It was some very well filled 25 minutes.
Yes, this episode was very dense, and they even had to resort to narration.
Well, they did exclude the opening and closing, but they included parts of those in the episode 😛 They put so many song in this episode too… It was like eating a soup with 100 different vegetables 😛
so, who got hooked up with alto at the end?
That is a good question, Ed 😛 We’ll have to see a movie to answer it 🙂
well… ill rate a 7/10 for the entire series, it could have been better, so in the end sheryl is saved??
hope for a 2nd season
Well, I am not sure about the details, Devilangel, but it seems that Ranka used her power and removed metastatic cells with crystals from Sheryl’s brain. Now both Ranka and Sheryl have them in their dantian.
WHAT THE HELL?!!!! They leave me hanging on who gets with whom? (ò.ó) Not very happy…
Yeah… Mecha fans had fun, but forums are filled with rage from those who care about love triangles 😛
Personally, I prefer Harem route ^^
I hope the movie is a direct sequel.
Yup, I hope the move will be a sequel rather than retelling. I didn’t like harem ending though.
Not a harem ending. The triangle simply remains unresolved, but Frontiers story is not over yet.
They should do a movie, and then a second season 😛
if someone has watched the first macross saga, then you should’ve noticed that the love triangle also did not end. minmay still loves hikaru although he has chosen misa 🙂
there will be the same here at the end too, but this is kept as a small secret between the three so the audience may decide whom he picked.
but at the end i am very fascinated of the series as it has taken too long to see a macross series. but i am still missing the old VF-1 designs
Well, Hikaru has chosen Misa, but Alto just says that the girls are his wings and flies away 😛
look forward. they have to colonize a new planet so why thinkin more about. If I had 2 girls chosen as my wings and both are willing to go into this relationship, hell yeah. every boy is dreaming of such a situation 😀 and consider they are between 17/18 years old. 😛
@Kitsune: If that’s the case then this *might* be a harem ending. Or an option for Kawamori to do the movie or season 2. Haven’t read the mangas or the light novels, so who’s to know?
This finale was pretty awesome, albiet a bit rushed, but we all knew this last episode had to move at MACROSSPEED to resolve everything. Plus…
I love how ALTO MANAGED TO DESTROY ANOTHER VF-25 LOL
Not that Bilrer even cares anymore, he got to see his ???? who was that girl in the photo…Minmei? Sheryl’s mom?
Father Hentai, personally, I feel that it is best to be committed to only one girl because she deserves to have all your attention rather than just a part of it. Also I believe there can be only one true love. You can be a friend of many girls, but truly love only one of them 🙂
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Drunken Economist, yes, many options are open now, but I want to see a resolution of the triangle.
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Lurker, yup, they had to squeeze many events into that episode.
Alto is awesome like that 😛
I think that was Minmay, but Sheryl’s mom is another possibility.
Listening to Alto’s lines in this episode. It seems to me like he has chosen. We just don’t know who yet.
Oh?!!! Please do share 🙂
the ship from cameo on this episode, is the macross II megaroad?? if this is true, means the original crew is alive, or very old…
Gabriel, unfortunately, I am not an expert on mecha, so can’t tell if this was macross II megaroad. If anyone knows, please tell us 🙂
Eh, well it was just a passing remark as he fought Grace. She comments on how everyone would be connected or some such. Then Alto says that “People are alone. But because we are alone we can love somebody!”. I’m guessing they’ll let us know in the movie who he means.
ok I really want to comment and like to find out if he picked someone….and all that other exciting stuff going on in the episode. I am understanding the first part of episode 25 but where is the rest? i’m dying here! can someone put the link up here? please?
my personell thougt is that he already confessed in episode 24. 🙂
Thank you, VF-25 Messiah 🙂 It is an interesting remark by Alto. Yes, they should show the meaning in a movie 🙂
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Judith, you can find the rest on YouTube 😉
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Father Hentai, oh, what about the rooftop scene? 😛
if it’s minmay on the pic, then i guess bilrer the same zentradi commmander form macross the movie.
I guess it is possible that he is one of those commanders, but, if I recall correctly, they were mostly green – he is kind of purple lol Maybe that is how they age 😛
could be. but i found his implant looked very familiar. 🙂
btw. which scene you mean with rooftop? where ranka confessed to alto?
When Alto was talking with Kuran and said that he’ll kill Ranka if necessary 🙂
well, i guess what he tries to say is that he will either kill her rather that she will lose innocence.
sorry i did not find a better word for the german phrase for “unschuld”.
btw. it’s minmay.
Alto said many things to both Sheryl and Ranka, but we’ll just have to wait for the follow up on the series.
Looks like he is a big fan of Minmay 🙂
if you have already seen all parts, then you will see a ranka chan with a sad face. maybe this says some more about the romance triangle than somebody can guess on the first sight. I just wait for the first translations now.
i am glad to see a lot of wrecked metall at the end as in macross 7.
btw. for our shounen ai fans: maybe hime sama and brera are going to have a relationship! the last fight both VF 25 and VF 27 reminds me of myria and max jenius 😛
Ranka did have a sad face for a second, but I think Ranka was quite energetic at the end actually. “I will not loose in song or love.” Something like that 😛
well let’s see what comes. looking forward for a dramatic happy? end.
actually I had another scenario in mind, where one will loose his life but this is also a good ending a series. and i never believed that alto would die in episode 24 🙂
Probably, some kind of happy ending for the movie. It might even end without resolution as well lol
I’m rooting for Ranka/Alto~
To me Ranka has more advantage. She’s been in the back of Alto’s plane 2 times 8D
well i think the ending was alright i mean like 4 real he should have picked one and then they would not leave the fans cluless and then the series would continue on from there but personally i think alto should pick ranka
i think shelry should be greatful and backof that ranka saved her life
well thats what i think oh well ill just have to wait={
*Spoiler warning for Do You Remember Love?*
Ka, thank you for that note – I didn’t count how many times Ranka and Alto been on the same plane together 🙂 I think it was much easier in the case of Hikaru to choose Misa, in part, due to all the hard times they’ve been together (based on the movie). Alto on the other hand, stayed with and helped both girls relatively equally.
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Karen, yes, I think Sheryl is grateful to Ranka for saving her live 🙂 We’ll see how what the movie will do with the triangle.
so there will be a movie right cause im not much inform in all of this but yeah i do wish alto picks ranka
Yup, an image was shown during this episode that said Gekijouban Macross F Start. That means theater version based on what I read.
oh ok thats great thanks well now i know but im wondering how long do we have to wait to see the movie
I think there will be an announcement in the beginning of November based on that Japanese article. Have to find the link again…
oh ok thanks for the info now that i knoe i wont be clueless so who do you think alto will end up with
First, I’ll have to get a confirmation that the movie is a sequel rather than a retelling, but I think that a sequel is more likely. Also they might make a retelling with a resolution 😛
It is not really clear whom he’ll choose. Based on this episode, it looks like he chose the sky, but, as VF-25 Messiah pointed out, he might have one person in mind. Based on that roof scene in episode 23, It looked to me that Alto really loves Ranka, but we had other interesting events in subsequent episodes that might indicate otherwise.
I knew my Hime wasn’t dead, and what a wonderful tribute to Michel-kun!
Soooo much action, D.J was so so happy.
And yes Alto destroyed another ship which puts him on a par with Hikaru I think.
No resolution to the triangle -_- But it was win sauce in other aspects.
Go SMS!
oh yeah ok thanks u knoe cause mostly all links are in japanese but i cant read japanese so now im informed about the movie well now im so excited =]
Sakura, of course Hime is a survivor 🙂
Tribute to Michel-kun was my favorite part of the episode actually, but more on that later 😉
On par with Hikaru you say? Hmm…
SMS were great 🙂
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Karen, I don’t know much Japanese myself 😛 I am glad you are a little more informed now 🙂
Ha, Alto pwns Ichijou-kun in VF destruction. C’mon, he let Brera hit him repeatedly in ep 24, and *then* the SMS gives him back his Messiah, and he trashes *that*.
Methinks he may be given desk duty or become Richard Bilrer’s ‘special little conductor’ on one of his model trains.
Oh wait, this is anime, and not real life.
There were 2 Planes that Hikaru screwed. One was when he saved Lin Minmay during the Zentraedi attack on earth. The other one is not quite sure, but I think it was the scene where roy died and Hikaru took the training plane to escape from the zentraedis. The plane was very messed up and it was most of the time only in gerwalk mode.
haha Yeah, let hime trash as much as he wants, it is all good 🙂
Kitsune-san, ‘go-yukuri’ with the footage.. it’s not like everyone’s gonna not download it all later anyway.
Anywho, let this bake your noodles: I really like Ranka. She not only cured her rival of the V-Strain Virus, she ‘leveled up’ her to ‘little queen’ status. So she’s past the Minmei meter for me.
So whoever Alto-hime picks, he better not piss off the other one. Or, he’d better not take off his Ex-Gear.
This is where I try to make a Vajira with teeth pun. Hah.
Yup, it was nice of Ranka to cure Sheryl 🙂
I updated the post with new images, but will post my impressions later.
=___= Omg…Incoming rant. I’m glad they were able to live under a real sky (although that was a dead give away for a happy ending) but do they really have to leave things hanging just to get people to watch the movie?
Everything just felt so rushed. The drama that was supposed to peak last episode was resolved rather too quickly. Like….when Alto saw the Vajra protect them. He was all, “What? They’re good? K, we’re buddies.” No buts, no ifs, he just accepted it like that. I wanted to see more remorse from him given how much he loathed the things, but since the staff was in a Rush, it just sucked.
I was expecting a full version of Anata no Oto but again, it was rushed because they had to fit the other bajillion songs in. They even butchered Seikan Hikou with its fast-paced tempo.
What is up with Bilrer and Minmei? How about Leon? Did Grace really die? Did Galaxy, an uber powerful fleet, go down just like that? How about the Vajra? Are they going to be accepted by EVERYONE? Ranka and Brera included?
I wanted to see a more dramatic scene between Alto and Ranka’s reunion but since it was so chaotic all over, it had to be rushed yet Again. Given how there’s so much left unresolved between them after their abrupt parting in 21. The fact that Ranka sang for Alto and Alto fought for Ranka was never relayed. They’re just suddenly in good terms. Smiling. Glad to see each other. No awkwardness? No ‘oops my bad, didn’t know it was like that’ moment? So it turned out Alto’s reason for joining SMS was still the same ol’ Ranka-chan. What will he do now?
But I guess there was no time for that since they’re in the middle of a war lol Which is why I’m complaining that they didn’t show any aftermath and instead did another episode 15 despite the events prior to it.
From the first 4 episodes, the events leading to Galia arc, Ranka attack, episode 21, Alto’s confession in 23, I still think Alto and Ranka love each other and that hasn’t changed. But really -__- It doesn’t matter anymore. This final episode doesn’t really conclude the debate or anything. It just made me more tired of the LT.
Although I’m not going to lie that I loved the princess charming to the rescue scene. ^_^
“RAAAANKA!”
“Alto-kunnn!”
lol! So Ranka really can go outer space without a suit? I feel like the movie will just be another episode 25 or 15, but who am I kidding? I’m still going to watch it regardless. x__x Did I say I’m glad Brera didn’t die?
Finally got to see the episode in decent quality. Was blown away again by all the over-the-top action. Really awesome episode. Decided to make a quick translation of the dialouge part I mentioned earlier:
G: Why don’t you understand? This is the ultimate face of human evolution!
A: What evolution? Turning the Vajra into sacrifices!
A: Oh shi-
B: I’m here to give you backup!
A: Brera!
R: Brother!
B: Alto, aim for the head of the queen.
A: Head?
B: The Vajra mind isn’t in their heads, but their stomachs!
R: Vajra sing with their stomachs.
A: I see!
G: You damn bugs!
B: Being connected to you I learned that no matter where people go they are alone.
G; That’s why we’re-
B: But!
A: Because we’re alone, we can love somebody!
btw. did someone recognize that kuran lacks in sniper skills? 😀
That was Minmay in Bilrer’s locket. Yay?
And the other Macross was Eleven, not Two.
There’s just no pleasing some people.
OMG tears are running down on my cheeks right now… I can’t wait for the subs to come out!!!
Mmm…I don’t know what to say.
So…I guess I’ll refrain from saying it. By the way, does anyone want to storm Sunrise with me and threaten to torch HQ unless they have a FOR SURE Ranka/Alto resolution? ROFL.
Love is not an easy thing… Realising you love somebody and be ready or willing to have a relationship with them it’s different things. Also, there are various types of love… You might love somebody, just not “that way”.
Dont think the script writers went this deep though.. They just left the triangle to fill the theatres up 😉
Well if you count Hikaru’s stunt plane, that’s three ^-^
Well Ranka did get more ballsy at the end there with her, I won’t lose in song or love line.
hahaha lol, and for me that scene from 23 episode was showing that Alto, though he said he hated Macross F world, trully loved that WORLD and not Ranka or Sheryl…
i’m pointing it out, cause i was left with mixed feelings for some time after that episode XDD
Alto’s like a baby :3 i bet he’ll want a new toy since he’d destroyed two previous ones xD
and… kyaaaaaa! i loved this episode! i want a movie now :]]]
Thank you everyone for your comments 🙂
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Ani_d, I agree that the episode felt too rushed.
Yes, Alto change of heart come too quickly.
Some people liked the mix of songs, but it just didn’t seem appropriate to me. It felt like a fast forward run.
You raise very important questions. Is Bilrer Minmei’s fan or something more? If we look at the context when his scene was shown, they were talking about Aimo being a love song. They arrested Leon, and he’ll go on trial. Grace is very resilient, so it is possible that she survived. I think given Ranka’s and Brera’s upbringing, they will have no trouble living with Vajra, but it will take more time for others to get used to Vajra.
Yes, I felt that the meeting of Alto and Ranka should have been the highlight of the episode. They spent very little time on it unfortunately.
Yup, the rescue scene was nice and Sheryl even sang pilot boyfriend song lol
I am glad that most people survived this episode 🙂
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Thank you for translating that scene, VF-25 Messiah 🙂
Given the context, it might be the case that Alto really loves Ranka 😉
One other scene especially intrigued me. When Grace enters into the queen mode, you can hear two people talking to her. First is a woman, and the other one is a man. The man says something “.. those boys”. I am just wondering who they are and if what they told Grace is of any significance.
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Father Hentai, Kuran has great sniper skill!
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Silent_hill, yes, it was Minmay and Macross 11 🙂
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Kanzeon, tears of joy? 😛
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Fionn, haha You’ll have to do that asap before they make a movie then 😛
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G, yes, love is complex, but it looks like they decided to dedicate the last episode to mecha. They will certainly achieve their goal of filling the theaters lol
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Sakura, yup, the events helped Ranka grow 🙂
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Viki92, yes, you are correct to point out that Alto really wants to protect the world, but given the context of the scene it appeared, at least to me, that his choice was Ranka. More toys for Alto! 😛
Well,I guess the movie will stick with the idea from the other Macross series!
I don’t think it’s really clear whom he chooses but it’s better that they came back with the idea from the first episodes,I mean with the action,I am sick of cheap love triangles that have no real base, to be frank!Where I am standing I would have said that any normal guy would have chose the person who shared the most moments with him and was the closest to him.And well it’s hilarious,the episode ended up with a harem and also the fact that the girls are on such good terms and the magical cure and so on…I would have preferred a tragic end to this one,it just seemed good from the action point of view and stupid from every other point of view.
It was better than nothing!I am afraid that it happened as usual good animes with pretty dumb endings and also mangas.We have a lots of them already:Inuyasha, Prince of Tennis,Paradise Kiss,Trinity Blood,Evangelion , Saiunkoku Monogatari, Elfen Lied…and all the stupid endings for what for….another season or movie that again leaves things unclear.
If you want to contradict me,you can but you got to admit that they crowd all the important events in the last episode and come up with an ending that is more like a beginning.
Mira-chan, I agree with you. I didn’t like the ending and would have preferred a more tragic, but realistic finale. They rushed the final episode with very high density of events and made many things look unrealistic.
I updated the post with my impression for some scenes 🙂
Poor impulse control… I burned my family’s satellite quota watching ep 25 in lo qual on Youtube.
VF-25, did I hear wrong, or was Sheryl *kinda* getting coy with Ranka there?? I mean, we have Bobby Margot, a cool gay ‘flirty okama’ type… and I *think* I heard:
R: I won’t lose! In either singing or love!
S: [Getting a little submissive / breathless] Well, we can always ‘sing’ as a pair…..
Seriously, it was VERY cool that Ranka made Sheryl a ‘Little Queen Sista’… and did you notice at the end of *this* Macross *they* hugged? Methinks this triangle might end up having equal sides…!
Of course, I am no match for Kawamori-sama, troll-fu master. And *of course* I’m gonna see the movie. Maybe even in Nihon.
I believe Brera tells him to shoot the Queen’s head because this is where Grace is, but having its head blown off won’t actually harm the Queen much, because its mind is housed in the stomach.
Drunken Economist, you have to be careful with those quotas!
Sing as a pair…
VF-25 Messiah, oh, I see now. I was somewhat confused about the identity of the queen and that suit that Grace integrated with. So Grace is residing in the head, but the stomach is the main part of the queen. Thus, they killed Grace, but the queen is stile alive?
@Drunken Economist
I believe she’s simply accepting Ranka’s challange. Don’t let me stop you from interpreting however you want though 😉
That’s how I understood it. Brera tells him to aim directly for the head, and that the important part is stomach. The head is blown clean off with a missile barrage, before Alto picks Grace off with the sniper gunpod. After we see a breif shot of the Vajra queen, now headless, with something glowing in its stomach region. Then que Aimo.
Ah, thank you for clarification, VF-25 Messiah 🙂 I wonder how Ranka’s mother is related to the queen. Remember how in episode 14 she sang Aimo to Ranka? It seemed like she either was the queen herself or was a part of her consciousness.
That queen should be the same one that was in the large tank aboard the Global we saw at the beginning of episode 23. So it had met with Ranshe before, and probably was the one who taught her Aimo (who then taught it to Ranka). In episode 14 this very same queen tries to communicate with Ranka by using an image of Ranshe singing Aimo. But I don’t think it was Ranshe herself.
I see, so Vajra just chose an image of Ranshe to ease the communication with Ranka 🙂
Again, that’s how I interpret it. It could certainly be something like Ranshe was absorbed into the Vajra consciousness (perhaps that’s the fate awaiting anyone who dies from V-type?), but I personally doubt it. The image didn’t seem to recognise Ranka, and it seemed more like the Queen speaking “We want to tell you something”. Perhaps the movie will expand on it.
Yes, it would be nice if we could see some explanation in the movie, but I have this suspicion that the movie wouldn’t have time on those kinds of details. It will come out sometime next year probably, so we’ll see.
You know, for sheer entertainment value I rate this episode very highly. It was fast pace with the glorious mecha action sequences intersperse with a medley of songs flowing from beginning to end. I was thoroughly entertained. It’s only when my brain has settle down and I re-watch it again that I begin to notice the story. I don’t mind so much the non-resolution of the LT but plot wise there’s a fair bit of story still to tell and was left open. Perhaps the writers did that on purpose and leave it for the movie. No doubt, in this episode they want to carry the main point across and this pertains to the fact that Vajras are not the enemies and also to reveal who the real perpetrators are. It would have been better if they expand the episode over an hour long special to have an even pacing. But they probably have this episode plan out a long while ago and had intended it to be this way. And ya, I’m laughing at the epic rage still going on at the forums. I’m still too frazzled to write my own review…but all in all, it was still enjoyable and it does not in any way dent my impression of the MF series. The key is not to take it too seriously. It’s just a cartoon after all but it’s a damn good one…*laughs*.
Ayumikat, I don’t mind the absence of resolution and open ended questions. What bothered me is the way they put the episode together. It would have been much better to make a decently paced episode and continue with the second season. Certainly writers did it on purpose because they want to make more money with least effort 😛
Yes, it is best to keep things in perspective, but the series also invites the spectators to contemplate about storytelling. If you were the writer, how would you proceed? What would you do to make more money vs what would you do to create a story that transcends generations? Unfortunately, most anime focus on the former.
The end is just the beginning.
The question is beginning of what, and how that will develop? 😛
The Alto/Ranka pic wherein they were extending their hands (sort of inviting) Sheryl after the “healing”, I believe, was the first giveaway at ep 25 (the previous was the rooftop scene re: Alto’s statement with Kran- and overheard by Sheryl btw).
The Alto/Sheryl salute I believe was the other giveaway. Maybe it’s just me, but I really find it awkward to salute to someone I have feelings for (especially that Sheryl is not in the military anyways). For me it is more of a “good job” and “let’s finish this” kind of thing, something I’d likely tell with a friend.
The Brara/Alto quote was already discussed here several times, and I believe a lot of us are already sold with the idea. ^^
Last but not the least, notice which hand Alto extended at the very last part, and which girl was on that side. Also, take note of which hands the girls were using at their close up shot. On the farther shot, (last screenie) Ranka just extended her hand while Sheryl shifted the other. For me it tells a lot about which girl Alto chose and I believe that Sheryl had already accepted the truth.
Just some thoughts. ^_~
Battlechaser, your observations are very interesting 🙂
Yes, I really liked that shot of Alto and Ranka extending their arms to Sheryl 🙂 It might be a hint or we might be just overanalyzing it 😛
The salute scene is ambiguous as well. As you mention, it can be interpreted as a farewell, but some other people interpreted it in the opposite way, suggesting that Alto’s choice is Sheryl.
The interpretation of the last scene you mentioned surprised me. I didn’t pay attention to this detail, but it might indicate something. My interpretation of the scene is that Alto is right handed and they showed that picture just because it looked cool 😛
Overall, we’ll have to wait at least for the movie because the series lacked clear clues to Alto’s preference. I expect to see many fanart and fanfiction possibilities in the coning months 😛
Geh, gomen. I listened to the Sheryl’s ‘the challenge stands’ thing.. yeah, it’s what gg’s guys say.
I have some thoughts for battlechaser…
If you’ve seen DYRL the saluting sequence is a homage. As I remember Hikaru saluted Misa before going off to shoot Boldoza. *This time* he salutes Ranka, but Sheryl is on the screen. And of course, uh, he’s ‘on duty’ so it’s a salute to the bridge crew too. You’ll note that Sheryl salutes him back. 😉
Have you noticed already that most of the aniems that currently appear have a pretty slow plot,just like this,and they squeeze pretty much everything in the last 2 episodes and they don’t even complete them.
Okay and now guys let’s not start over again with whom he choose…it is stupid to say he chose either of them since there weren’t really moments to show which one of them he chose…this ending was mostly about action,which if you asked me comes a little bit late….I mean lately they’ve been developing all the triangle with no real foundation anyway and they left it hanging by coming back with the action part.
Another thing that I disliked somehow was pretty much the idea of all turning well…that is for the movie probably,so what does that mean that after Grace is gone we’ll now have a disgusting full of love triangle movie?I don’t know,I am getting more and more unsatisfied and all those comments he chose that one or that one,have no real foundation anyway…at this moment to me it’s pretty clear that he somehow feels something for both but he doesn’t love any of them like the sky.
All this stuff are like screaming:buy the mangas/novels when they appear,if they appear and to be honest they will probably make mangas for most of the animes just to leave us with no money,it’s a marketing strategy of theirs.
And another thing that is annoying…was the episode before…the conversation between Alto and Sheryl….she didn’t leave him to say everything but if you promise to someone that you’ll be back for him/her…how could that be if you chose another one,like you guys say?
So now pretty much your hints fall.The salute as a commander to Sheryl…didn’t really show disappointment on her face and he extended his hand towards Sheryl in a screencap while Ranka was doing another thing and afterwards the two of them extended their hands but still those are not at all enough hints,I would have said that the 24th episode was much clearer with the hints but the ending was like a slap in the face!
So sorry for the double post,I don’t see any edit button and I felt that I should add this opinion!
Drunken Economist, you are correct about that homage. See this post for comparison of pictures between Macross Frontier and Do You Remember Love? 🙂 Now, don’t let this make you think that Alto’s choice is definitely Sheryl 😛
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Mira-chan, I replied to your first of the two consecutive comments before I noticed the second one, so I’ll keep the reply to the first and add the reply to the second.
To post #1:
I wonder it a poor budget or planning have to do with slow-fast-end trend.
Yes, a more tragic, but more realistic ending might have been better.
Certainly, we have very little information to work with, but I still find it interesting trying to pick up those little nuances. We can consider the possibilities, but I agree that it is too early to make any definitive conclusions.
Yup, they know how to earn money. Most people who watched the series will watch the movie.
To post #2:
The promise to be back does not equate to the promise to be back with her forever 😛
Yes, the hints were there in episodes 24 and 25, but they are not conclusive.
Don’t worry about double posts – thank you for expressing your opinions 🙂
I’m pretty convinced he saluted both girls. His Valkyrie stops in between both bridges and looks straight ahead as it salutes. If you look closely at the scene, you’ll notice that both bridges look to be closer to each other than they could logically be, so there’s some magnification going on, throwing off the perception of distance. We only see him in the Valkyrie from the Battle Frontier bridge, but given the above I’m sure it’d look the same from the Quarter bridge. Also feels like both girls acknowledge the salute, Sheryl with a salute of her own, while Ranka who is currently singing, has her hand stretched out to him.
Also, to all people who were clamoring for a darker end, I can only remind you that is Macross, not Gundam 😉
The salute scene is not easy to interpret because one can refer to the direction each party was facing and other factors, but we should keep in mind that in animation, visual characteristics of the scene often have precedence over the accurate depiction.
I updated the post with some details and quotes based on the subbed version, including Protoculture reference among other things. I also added final battle video sequence and Mari Iijima’s Ai Oboete Imasu Ka live performance from 1984 🙂
kitsune-
Yup we may be overanalyzing it and that makes it more exciting as we wait for the movie.
For the last scene, would it be more apt if he extended both hands? But he extended just one, and I believe that tells us he already chose someone. Or maybe just because it would look cooler like you’ve said, and that he would look like belldandy in one of her more popular poses in A!MG if he extends both. 😛
I still believe the question on who Alto chose was already answered several episodes before, when he had the rooftop scene with Kran.
d. economist-
I didn’t watch DYRL, so I just kinda interpreted it that way. So nice that they prolly did it for homage. 🙂
mira-chan-
Sheryl at that point had no one, but Alto, plus the fact that she was dying . I believe it was as difficult to her as Alto’s. To come back for her will give Sheryl the courage to continue.
vf-25-
yup, not gundam indeed. 😛
This is just me, but …
1/ Kawamori had a *lot of fun* thwacking all you ‘love triangle’ fans about. C’mon, a song called ‘Triangler’ ?? The angler was out there, reeling you in.
2/ 24 + 25 were homage episodes? You wanted Macross: The movie? you got it. ‘Ao wo oboemasuka?’ in spades. I had such a sense of deja vu that I pulled out my old DVD of Macross: DYRL and saw it. Twice. Someone: “What was that song? Misa/Ranka: Oh, just a love song. From 1000s [or more, etc] years ago.” Another homage.
3/ I didn’t mind the pacing because they ended it just like Macross: DYRL, which [I think] was the whole point. Even tho’ Hikaru chose Misa a bit earlier, you didn’t see him in the last scene either, did you? All that was said earlier when he got the lyrics to the song from Misa.
I *think* Kawamori will probably do the same thing that he did with Macross 7. He’ll do ‘reunion’ and ‘side stories’ like with Macross 7: Movie and Macross D7.
So I give a 50% chance of seeing Alto in ‘hadaka apron’ slicing slicing up daikon for __________’s miso soup. And Sheryl will drink. Again. 😉
Never posted before, but as I am so desperate to watch this episode after 24 I read your comments in a self-indulgent spoiler for myself. XD
All I can say is that I am *so* glad to hear Sheryl is cured. I know it is cheesy but I really love Sheryl to bits and I am a big sappy Sheryl/Alto fan. 😛
I know my friend is going to be happy with the Michael tributes and sniper Klan. ^_^
Curse them for not resolving the LT though! *shakes fist*
Also, great screencap of Bobby doing his awesome hero shouting rescue. XD
Oh,my God you guys…sorry to ask you this but what are your ages?I mean,I don’t mean to offend anyone but what are those ideas you have “to salute Sheryl in a military way”,”his hand was near Ranka’s”,”he joined the battle in the first place for Ranka”(he did so not only for Ranka’s sake,let’s face it it was mostly for his “sky complex”….lol,except the sister complex(for Ranka) and the mother complex(for Sheryl) we could say he has a “sky complex”…lol,my new invention),”he flew near Sheryl”,”he saluted only Sheryl”….come on,are you guys for real,what hints are there clear… 1st-there are equal on both sides,2ndly they aren’t really hints enough to say whom he chose.And episode 23,I think you are pretty much mistaking his discussion …”Alto…your love!”…how do you know it’s about Ranka and not about the Earth.Now another mistake in this episode was “Sheryl heard Alto that he loves Ranka and cries”….she was pretty far away to hear him in the first place,if you ask me,or even if she was closer what do we expect for her to have ultrasonic ears.And now you are forgetting episode 24,where he talked to Sheryl and the discussion seemed almost like a confession and not that he loves Ranka to be honest.
Now another thing would anyone chose to kill the person he/she loves?I don’t think so,I mean anyone would try his best to save that person or if the love is true.
But anyway all you guys are saying has no foundation,to be honest!
Yes I would love him to choose Sheryl,I guess all people are too much of “poor Ranka”…why is she so poor anyway:she is famous,she is the savior of the world(the image of Sailor Moon which is not at all appropriate for her),everyone pities her and tries to protect her not only characters but also real people,I mean I think she really needs to be shaken off and for God’s sake grow already retarded kid.
This idea of being a star implies to be strong enough to resist everything.
Another thing I’d say,I think she doesn’t really love Alto that much,she needs pampering,I mean she chose to sing before Alto and Alto pretty much spent most of his time with Sheryl anyway,so how can to people that live pretty separably love each other love each other,is pretty unrealistic.
Anyway many people call her shy,but if one remembers correctly one of the episodes with her wearing a bra and no-panties in a picture put on a plane,where is that being shy?I mean is that for real you are shy and you pose with a small bra on you and no panties!!!
Plus her age,I mean sorry to the Japanese,I respect them and their works and everything but they are going beyond normal stuff,I mean isn’t that illegal for a kid to pose almost naked when she doesn’t even have 18 years and well I don’t say that kids these day don’t grow faster,I mean I know of kids who have 12 years and they have girl/boyfriends and they even smoke but anyone who would pose a kid like that would be punished by the law.
Except that why is it with all this lolis,I mean Ranka isn’t really loli if we look at her face(just because she is short and has no breasts that doesn’t make her loli) but her retarded acts make her pretty much like a loli so what is with all this pedophile stuff,does that mean that Japanese or men generally are pedophiles?
Now really if I were a guy I would chose a woman over a kid.
Now I would say that you should wait for the movie or just make yourself an ending and try not to come up with so many so-called hints,it’s already obvious that the guy pretty much doesn’t know it himself whom he loves and one thing that he knows is that he would pick the sky over anything.To be honest Alto was supposed to be cool at the beginning but he became lame,I would say that most of the characters didn’t suffer much changes in the end at least Alto.
Another thing why I prefer Sheryl over Ranka,not considering the beauty here which is obvious who looks better,is that Sheryl evolved from the beginning till the end while Ranka started to act a little bit differently only at the end.
this is one of the best threads I’ve ever read :p So full of Macross information about an episode and no nonsense feedbacks =D Or Maybe Macross is one of the few animes that I have a good grasp and thus shares the sentiments of (or at least understands) most of the issues that people have raised in the posts.
To Kitsune-san, job well done for your blogposts! 😉
Battlechaser,
I agree that Alto might have already chosen someone. Yes, it would be more appropriate to extend two hands probably, but, just based on visual properties, extending one hand looks much better because the picture is more dynamic this way and the focus is on the hand and on reaching someone.
haha Belldandy! I prefer her picture with one hand extended though 😛
Yup, rooftop scene might have been an indicator.
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Drunken Economist,
1) Yes, he is very evil 😛
2) Twice! That is a great movie, isn’t it? 🙂
Oh, I look forward to more cooking by Alto, but I say Sheryl should slow down on drinking 😛
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PrincessMark,
Sheryl’s cure was a nice gesture 🙂 They decided to make a happy ending after all.
I am also glad they did Michael tributes and sniper Klan 🙂
Hopefully, we’ll see the resolution in the movie.
Yes, Bobby is great!
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Mira-chan,
Another nice long response from you 🙂
What are our ages? We are too old.. 😦
“To make mistakes is human, to stumble is commonplace, to be able to laugh at yourself is maturity.”
William A. Ward
Yes, the writers are very skilled at messing with people 😛 Indeed, the hints are not sufficient to make final conclusions, but when the truth is revealed, people will be so happy and point out that they foresaw it ages ago as they keenly deciphered that ambiguous Alto blink in one of the episodes 😛
The rooftop scene is significant in many ways. Kuran’s “your love” statement is important, but not as much as Alto’s expressions and body language. Sheryl heard the conversation well because she was just a few meters away from them. Alto loves Ranka, but he is open to possibility of killing her if necessary to save thousands of lives. Certainly, it is not easy for him, and you can see it in this scene. However, this is not a definitive indication of this love.
Strong individual preference often blinds people. Ranka had a very traumatic past and was born with an incredible power that carries a heavy burden of responsibility as well. Add to this all the events that happened to her recently, and you have a situation that is not very easy to cope with, especially for a teenager.
Oh, distance is not an obstacle for a true love :3 Ranka had many significant moments with Alto as well.
Oh, now I know what you are referring to! Monster Girl! Well, that fanart (Not Safe for Work) featured in episode 18 was clearly drawn by some perverted pilots – Ranka was not involved in its creation at all! 🙂 However, I agree with you that kids should not be involved with such activities, and the abusers should be dealt with appropriately. Men in general and Japanese men in particular are not pedophiles, but there is a disturbing increasing trend in Japan.
Alto was still trying to deal with his past. His mother was very important to him and he really wanted to see the true sky. He achieved this goal now and can move on with his life. His father will approve his career choice too probably.
Who looks better is a matter of preference 😛 I agree that Sheryl has a strong character and changed since the beginning of the series.
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Criz,
Thank you 🙂 I am grateful to all the people who voiced their opinions and clarified many issues 🙂
kitsune-
come to think of it- alto resembles belldandy on that last pic… now, he’s not just a princess… but a goddess as well. 😛
good job in maintaining this blog and more power!
Battlechaser,
Goddess Alto! lol
Oh, that is a nice picture of Belldandy 🙂 Someone should make an Alto version of it 😛
Thanks!
I think that the head of Torinohito is in one of the last scenes of the episode…
Oh, what do you think is it doing there?
burera is looking at something that looks like the relics of macross zero, the bird human.
Yup, it might something related to bird human. Macross Frontier referred to Macross Zero quite often. Notice Sheryl’s earrings by the photograph of Mao Nome’s parents in this Macross Zero screenshot. (Source)
In reference to the Ranka slapping Sheryl scene:
Perhaps the slap did seem uncalled for considering that Sheryl was sick at the time, but! it wasn’t a “Physical” slap of Sheryl’s body; rather a slap to her mental state, because later we see that Ranka was still not saved and was only communicating to both Sheryl and Alto.
The slap I do believe was a wake up call for Sheryl, who appeared to giving up – (for one Sheryl doesn’t ever give up so she was not being herself), plus she was needed in this situation in order to win against Grace and help save everyone! She got cured after that!
Similary to the Sheryl>Ranka slap, she woke her up then gave her a hug to “heal” her.
Ranka got the initial slap LOL, but as the saying goes, “What goes around comes around.”
Yup, it was not a physical slap, but Ranka sure has uber mind power that left a big red mark on Sheryl’s cheek 😛 Certainly, many people felt satisfied for the reciprocity, but I still don’t support such action in that context.
It’s a shame but I think episode 23 is the “closest” scene we’ll ever get for a LT resolution–followed up by 24. I guess I’m okay with that. 🙂
My disappointment on the unresolved LT has dissipated. While the last episode was filled with plot holes and loose ends, I think that’s the best they could’ve done if they’re really adamant in promoting the triangle all the while creating a happy ending for everyone. At a span of One episode to boot. Apparently, Kawamori thinks that resolving the LT is stereotypical.
Rewatching the earlier episodes, Ranka and Alto’s moments were really given more emphasis than the other. I mean, aside from how the beginning was more about them, the two were given a romantic skygazing trip with Ranka’s Neko Nikki playing. They didn’t do this with Sheryl/Alto. The way Ranka realized her feelings for Alto, Sheryl was never given such scene d/t lack of focus. Ranka turned out to be the girl Alto opened up to about his mother, they daydreamed about the real sky together and the amount of drama the Blue Ether scene brought. ETC ETC.
They’re just so heavily emphasized and their flashbacks of each other make them the more significant. I can barely remember Alto recalling a sweet moment he had with Sheryl. If he ever did.
It’s like how the staff did a sing-off right after the Galia arc. Despite the romantic development, they evened things out because of the triangle. They should’ve made the focus between Ranka and Sheryl equal ever since the start. Making Sheryl little queen #2 in the last episode really did look forced to me. I never even knew Ranka can control those V-virus. x_x Plus the fact that Alto suddenly said that they’re both his wings when he couldn’t even find it in him to return Sheryl’s kiss last episode lol That line made him look more like a pimp to me more than anything. Anything to promote Kawamori’s triangle. Tsk tsk….
Ani_d, thank you for another detailed analysis 🙂
Yes, given the time of one episode, they did a pretty good job. Oh, resolving the LT is stereotypical? Then no resolution in a movie! lol
Ah, that is an interesting point – I didn’t get a chance to re-watch the episodes yet. Initially I thought that the time spent on each angle was about equal, but it does seem like they spent more time and emphasis on Alto and Ranka based on your summary. Yes, opening up can be an important indicator and Blue Ether scene was very nice 🙂
Alto the Pimp! lol Yeah, they are evil like that. We’ll see how far they’ll go in the movie.
– – –
P.S. If anyone is starting to feel Macross Frontier withdrawal symptoms, have not fear! While not really mecha genre, a space opera Tytania made by the team involved in Legend of the Galactic Heroes will premiere next week.
Director: Noboru Ishiguro (Legend of the Galactic Heroes, The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?). He is 70 years old, so it might be his last work.
Original creator: Yoshiki Tanaka (Legend of the Galactic Heroes)
Oh great, I told myself I’ll take a break from anime after this but you just have to introduce Tytania lol I’m liking the vibe. I’ll definitely check it out. ^_^
IMO the problem about the scenes is that, you quickly forget how moving/cool/romantic it was if they present you with the next episode. Without flashbacks related to that certain scene or constant reminder, it loses its flair and becomes insignificant as the story moves along. Most scenes of Alto and Ranka were often being referenced as along the story i.e their first encounter, their moments in Galia 4, esp. in Griffith’s park and others. Ranka has flashbacks of Alto. Alto has flashbacks of Ranka. There’s a follow-up from the story to show significance of those moments to them as a character. As opposed to Sheryl…=/ I think it’s because in the very beginning, there was Ranka and Alto so naturally they’re not going to let all those development go to waste. And they didn’t, they put it on hold instead lol
I think there’s one article where Kawamori stated that LT resolution is monotonous in a society. I’m pretty surprised by that because I think the opposite. And I’m not sure if this is confirmed but I heard that the movie will just be remake of the TV series ala DYRL.
Oh noes! Take a break from anime if you want, Ani_d! You can always come back to it later 🙂
Ah, yes, they should have included more moments like that, but, since it is Macross, the priority goes to the regular doze of mecha. Indeed, the development started from the very beginning and was referenced along the story.
Do you mean that in real life the triangles tend not to be resolved? I don’t mind for a movie to be a remake as long as the quality will be close to DYRL 😛
i felt that the series and the episode were spoilt by the lack of resolution….he needs to pick someone…..i agree with your comment about the harmonica, but at least now ranka has 2 brothers 🙂
Well, Alto actually chose Burera, they just showed it indirectly 😛
I thought that one of the brothers will die heroic death, but that didn’t happen. Happy ending for Ranka 🙂
Macross shows have two ways of resolving love triangles: someone dies/shoved out of the picture (SDF Macross, Macross Plus, Macross Zero), or the triangle is left unresolved (Macross 7). My vote is for the latter. It’s nice for main characters to not get the shaft for once.
And I actually thought the harmonica breaking was very appropriate. It was like Ranka being free from the physical representation of her dark past that always kept her scared and shackled.
I thought the best ending was in Do You Remember Love because the triangle was resolved, but the people remained friends 🙂
Perhaps, the harmonica can be thought of as the symbol of the dark past, but to me it is associated with good times Ranka had with her family and mother’s lullaby Aimo.
I hope they didn’t kill Michael… poor Klan Klang
By the way, whats the thing on the ground that Burera looking at?so mysterious
Yes, it is an interesting object, but we don’t know the details. Perhaps, the movie will clarify it.
I wish Alto can pick Sheryl…cuz im not a big fan of Alto’s personality and it just seems like he’s in love with the “SKY”…. IF its possible i wish for rankaXsheryl or find sum1 else…cuz i think both of the girls are waay too good for Alto…
I dont pity Ranka AT ALL(prolly cuz ive watched lots of sad animes). she’s overall a very immature yet a super cute character to me…but ppl around ranka don’t pity her on purpose..her appearence one of those type of girls ppl want to protect AND saving Sheryl was prolly the most touching moment in the anime…cuz if Ranka was sooo childish and retarded..she would just let Sheryl die and wipe out the competition…
ive seen posts saying that Ranka is a traitor she left frontier because Alto rejected her…to me it seems like she’s trying to do what she think is right…ending the war, fulfulling her mother’s wish, and returning her super cute friend…it seems like Ranka understands that continuous killing is not going to end the war…whereas Alto does not comprehend and tried to kill Ai-kun
Sheryl…im like the complete opposite…i LOVED Sheryl in the beginning, hauty, self-assured and etc. but when she went through that personality change…it’s just not the Sheryl i expect anymore…sort of cheesy to me…
Even though in epi. 23 Alto said his feelings bout Ranka.. He’s going to pick Sheryl…Hikaru did not pick Lynn Minmei and she has like a chinese name…Ranka lee…guess what also chinese! I know that Japanese people tend to like caucasians and mixes better so i think Alto is going to pick Sheryl.. even though this is like a rele controvsial theory..it’s just my thoughts.. overall i give this anime a 7..not enough fighting scenes..more like a shoujo anime..Alto is my biggest problem he seems so indecisive as a man!
haha Ranka x Sheryl sounds like fun 😛
Well, Ranka does deserve some pity because her situation was quite difficult.
Indeed, Alto is too indecisive!
Oh, that is an interesting hypothesis about the origin of the names 🙂
Thank you for sharing your perspective 🙂
Going to chime in and say: The scene in episode 23 was mean to explain Alto’s love for Frontier, not either girl. It was a big moment for his character development. So it was revealed in the commentary and a interview with the scriptwriter. He’s willing to kill Ranka (the one he claimed he would protect) for the sake of Frontier after shaking his denial of his love for the ship and the people in there. He’s no longer the boy who might have flew for Ranka, but a man.
Sheryl was sad, apparently, for Ranka’s sake and averted her demise by asking Alto to save her (and she gave him the tool to do it: her earring). In the end, Sheryl saved Ranka, then Ranka saved Sheryl.
Those who watched the second movie, know well who Alto’s heart belongs to. It was obvious since the beginning.
Thank you for your detailed comment 🙂
No problem.
As for who is the winner of the triangle… New fans need to realize this is Macross that has a long established traditions (besides the music/culture power and mecha porn), not a shoujo high school series. Has a cute, young girl who the male protagonist got along since the beginning ever beat the older, tsundere woman who was antagonistic with our hero in a love triangle in Macross history?
No. Never.
Frontier continues a long tradition established in the 80s.
Any and every veteran knew since the designs were out Ranka had no chance. A girl of Mao Nome’s psychical traits, compared to Minmay and has some weird Ishtar-like powers? It was a very indiscreet way to slap a “triangle loser” tag on her forehead. 😦
You know Macross very well, and I like your eloquent explanations! 🙂