Macross Frontier Character Discussion - Alto Saotome

[Tak]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

With or without the kabuki make up he's sporting in the op?

I don't think I want to know.

- Tak

[Darial]

Well, Alto's character design would fit perfectly into a bishonen setting. Of course, his attitude is a completely different story

[Evangelion Xgouki]

Got a question: what color is Alto's hair? With the different lighting it's hard to make it out exactly . I ask because I'm trying to find a matching wig for a cosplay I'm working on . Or if you know of the color wigs that might might match, even better .

(and pics of the school patch and the 2 patches on the black jackets would be nice, too)

[zalem]

Kind of OT....Darial, where'd you get that pic you're using as an avatar? Is there a full size version of it around? It's very pretty.

[Darial]

Originally Posted by zalem

Kind of OT....Darial, where'd you get that pic you're using as an avatar? Is there a full size version of it around? It's very pretty.

It's the CD jacket cover for the new MF OP/ED - Lion/Northern Cross coming out in August. The jpg in the OP/ED thread is only 125 p x 125 p, and I haven't seen a bigger one around yet.

[Zaresh]

Dark Blue. In fact, I think is this blue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_blue

Variations 3 to 6

[kari-no-sugata]

Back in episode 10, when Ranka is asking Alto for advice about her role, he uses his father's say/teaching to become the role - not just act it.

For Alto as an onnagata, that would mean becoming a woman (mentally).

In episode 18 we're reminded again of how Alto is sometimes mistaken for a woman and that he hates it. Hopefully we'll get some actual background on this in ep 19.

Another aspect of Alto seems to be that he hates being powerless (unable to do something in a crisis situation). I wonder if this is related to his mother - for example, maybe he had to watch his mother die and felt powerless at the time.

It's unfortunate that we rarely see Alto dealing with other girls/women in a similar situation to Ranka and Sheryl. Alto does seem to be the type who wants to help people if he can - maybe not so much a hero complex but a desire to not just sit around and do nothing. For example, he didn't have any trouble volunteering for the "stunt" scene in ep 10. So, though we see these scenes of Alto wanting to help Ranka and Sheryl, I wonder just how much is due to specific/individual feelings for them... and how much is part of his general desires.


PS Please Alto, don't sing enka to any uncultured Zentradi. I fear the effects...

[CaptGloval]

Any of you got the stills showing Sheryl's (hallucinatory) vision of Alto in ep 18? Alto got quite a figure in there.

[Lostdreams]

I think I know why Alto does the things he does. I think Alto is angry cuz of his mom's death, and probably because his dad wasn't sad of her death. I think Alto loves Sheryl because she reminds him of his mom. Strong etc. I think he wants to protect Ranka because he doesn't want to lose another person he cares for. Idk these are my opinions and this is the basic anime stuff.

[Tak]

Originally Posted by Lostdreams

I think I know why Alto does the things he does. I think Alto is angry cuz of his mom's death,

We don't know that really, other than the fact that Alto's mother had a yearning for the sky just as much as Alto did.

Originally Posted by Lostdreams

and probably because his dad wasn't sad of her death.

That is totally unknown, it is something we simply cannot assume.

Originally Posted by Lostdreams

I think Alto loves Sheryl because she reminds him of his mom. Strong etc. I think he wants to protect Ranka because he doesn't want to lose another person he cares for. Idk these are my opinions and this is the basic anime stuff.

With so little information regarding his mother, I doubt thats all he sees in Sheryl. Rather, Sheryl and Alto possibly have feeling towards another but no party is willing to admit it. After all, to admit feelings is to admit some sort of a defeat. With both sides obsessed with some form of equality, there will be further friction in episodes to come. Once they overcome that however... oh boy

- Tak

[Lostdreams]

Originally Posted by Tak

We don't know that really, other than the fact that Alto's mother had a yearning for the sky just as much as Alto did.



That is totally unknown, it is something we simply cannot assume.



With so little information regarding his mother, I doubt thats all he sees in Sheryl. Rather, Sheryl and Alto possibly have feeling towards another but no party is willing to admit it. After all, to admit feelings is to admit some sort of a defeat. With both sides obsessed with some form of equality, there will be further friction in episodes to come. Once they overcome that however... oh boy

- Tak

true, I can't assume. When they overcome it their gonna become like the Vajras and make more Ai kuns.(Crap metaphor) Anyways, but the thing is can the Macross staff really explain everything about Alto in such a short time? What happened with his mom, his family etc.?

[Deryns]

I find it a little strange that we've gone this long to finally get some background and development on the male protagonist of the story. It seems like Kawamori might take a break from Sheryl and Ranka. I guess with the triangle shaping up he needed some work.

[kari-no-sugata]

Originally Posted by Deryns

I find it a little strange that we've gone this long to finally get some background and development on the male protagonist of the story. It seems like Kawamori might take a break from Sheryl and Ranka. I guess with the triangle shaping up he needed some work.

I vaguely remember reading an interview with Kawamori where he seemed to suggest that Alto had made up his mind long ago, but was keeping it to himself. Putting it another way, maybe the whole reason why we have had little background info on Alto is because it would "give away" the resolution to the love-triangle too early. If I'm seeming vague on this it's because I don't have the interview to hand to double-check.

Alto's the lynch-pin in the love-triangle and all the wrangling between Ranka and Sheryl fans won't change the fact that it's Alto's viewpoint and Alto's preferences that matter.

Though I'm mostly watching the series for entertainment, I would like a sensibly resolved solution. I'll leave to doujinshi the possibility that Alto was actually born a girl and was forcibly given a sex-change by his father (who wanted a onnagata not a onna) and decides in the end to go back to being a girl and finishes the series with a yuri-yuri threesome

[MaiHikari]

Originally Posted by kari-no-sugata

I'll leave to doujinshi the possibility that Alto was actually born a girl and was forcibly given a sex-change by his father (who wanted a onnagata not a onna) and decides in the end to go back to being a girl and finishes the series with a yuri-yuri threesome

May be he's already decided on Bobby a long time ago but held back his feelings.

I think he's already decided on Sheryl when he went with her to Galia4. The rest of the stuff he's doing for Ranka is duty, plus he doesn't wanna hurt her feelings. He's seeing her more as an imouto or a kohai with all the pats on the head and the joking around. He doesn't have any duty or responsibility toward Sheryl, besides being her body guard for 2 episodes, and he still goes after her anyway. He's also affected greatly by her views on taking destiny into her own hands.

The dude's not as daft has he appears. He's an actor, and was probably playing dumb the whole series. Adding fuel to flame for all the Ranka & Sheryl fans conflict.

[Mughi]

Originally Posted by MaiHikari

...The dude's not as daft has he appears. He's an actor, and was probably playing dumb the whole series. Adding fuel to flame for all the Ranka & Sheryl fans conflict.

Or maybe at the end, we find out that this has all been a staged play.

[Shiroth]

So what do you people think are the chances that he'll return to acting at the end of the series?

[stray]

Originally Posted by MaiHikari

The dude's not as daft has he appears. He's an actor, and was probably playing dumb the whole series. Adding fuel to flame for all the Ranka & Sheryl fans conflict.

Alto's definitely not as daft as he appears, but I don't think it comes down to a clear cut black/white choice. I dunno... I've never been a big fan of the attitude that "Alto needs to pick already!"

I tend to think he "picked" Ranka around ~13, not that it means very much in the grand scheme of things considering how he ditched her at the end of 11. But, his actions are really pretty telling for someone caught in a triangle. It's going to be an interesting run to the end from here, regardless, esp. next episode...

[kari-no-sugata]

Originally Posted by MaiHikari

I think he's already decided on Sheryl when he went with her to Galia4. The rest of the stuff he's doing for Ranka is duty, plus he doesn't wanna hurt her feelings. He's seeing her more as an imouto or a kohai with all the pats on the head and the joking around. He doesn't have any duty or responsibility toward Sheryl, besides being her body guard for 2 episodes, and he still goes after her anyway. He's also affected greatly by her views on taking destiny into her own hands.

I'd say he treats her too seriously for "imouto", though "kouhai" seems plausible. However, he acts rather relaxed around her and it doesn't really feel like he's taken her under his wing, as it were - he's not trying to shape or guide her.

If he did fall in love with one of the two (it's not like you "decide" to love someone) long ago and has been keeping quiet about it, I'd say he's more likely to go with Ranka, though I can see a couple of things that could have made him fall for Sheryl. There's definitely a couple of points early on where Ranka seems to have affected him, but to Alto, Sheryl's attitude when trapped in the shelter may have had a big impact on him, for example (Alto's a guy who hates to feel powerless and he may have been impressed by her example).

The only time I get a feeling from Alto of something like love is in ep 12 when Alto takes off in his Valkyrie to get a closer look at Ranka part-way through her song - there was no "need" for him to do that. It feels kinda like "I just wanted to get closer to her". Well, actually, there's also that scene in ep 5 when he sees Ranka going off with Michael and seems like he wanted to go after them - kinda feels like jealousy. However, both cases are rather faint and subtle. There's certainly some cases of things he's done for Sheryl that could be interpreted as being out of love, but equally could be out a of sense of duty/responsibility.

The dude's not as daft has he appears. He's an actor, and was probably playing dumb the whole series. Adding fuel to flame for all the Ranka & Sheryl fans conflict.

I rather get the feeling from him that he's all too aware of his own problems and that he's trying to resolve them, but knows he hasn't done it yet - he may be keeping quiet about who he really loves precisely because he feels he hasn't dealt with his own problems yet.

[kari-no-sugata]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

So what do you people think are the chances that he'll return to acting at the end of the series?

Quite low, I'd say. His brother hopes Alto will remember the thrill of acting, but I don't think Alto joined SMS just so he could fly (or because he's an adrenaline junkie). I think he wants to be able to *do* things (like protect people) rather than just watch passively.

But since we don't really know why he left the stage in the first place, it's hard to say for sure. It could be something really serious and painful - maybe not about acting as such, but being an onnagata. He definitely doesn't like being treated like a girl, yet played one on stage. Or it could be unrelated to that. But for now, I'm expecting a fairly straightforward answer - for example, Yasaburo seems just a bit too keen to get Alto back.

[Lostdreams]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

So what do you people think are the chances that he'll return to acting at the end of the series?

almost 100% guranteed imo. When the conflict with the vajras are over there's no need for Alto to fly anymore. Hoping for duet SherylxAlto acting.