Macross Zero Discussion Thread

[Yebyosh]

In the current November issue of NewType ( which of course is on sale in early October ), these two advertisements are found.





The DVD company would not be releasing the incorrect release date in a recent publication twice now, would they.

[Fel]

Let's hope not

[Sylf]

I just finished watching chapter 5.
Wow. Just wow. Even though I'm not a Macross fan, it's been very worth the watch. I'll be going back and watching it from chapter 1 again in not too long of a future... If' you crave the fast paced battloid actions, this chapter is full of those once again. But even those seems insignificant now.

(now I'm off to translating it...)


P.S.
BTW, that 11/10 date is for OST2 release.

[Alterscape]

Is a raw up online? If so, am I allowed to ask for a URL here? I know a lot of fansub groups will release this in the very near future, but I'd like to grab the raw and take a shot at seeing how much my meager Japanese will let me understand. I want to see the conclusion that badly.. >.>

[JPZ]

Originally Posted by Sylf

I just finished watching chapter 5.
Wow. Just wow. Even though I'm not a Macross fan, it's been very worth the watch. I'll be going back and watching it from chapter 1 again in not too long of a future... If' you crave the fast paced battloid actions, this chapter is full of those once again. But even those seems insignificant now.

(now I'm off to translating it...)


P.S.
BTW, that 11/10 date is for OST2 release.

great to hear the ending isnt dissapointing

[Fel]

Originally Posted by Sylf

I just finished watching chapter 5.

Wow, I wasn't expecting 05 to be released until the 23rd

Cool!

[Baba]

I just can't wait for this one, I hopt it will be great, and I expect nothing lesss . I hope subs will be available soon, but just knowing that someone has seen it means it must be getting near

[Yebyosh]

It ends, it ends... *sob*

A fairy tale at the end, people who refuses to acknowledge psychic powers would be flabbergasted at the ending.

At the end, they tried to and succeeded at playing my emotions slightly for the lovers. Darn them

Yes, the veritech combat was indeed intense and exciting. Shin made me give out some "Yahoo!!!"'s.

Fokker even made a fun pun of Shin *chuckle*

Now the screenies ( from the first Chinese sub out )...

Open Wide...


Translation: "If the Birdman awakens, he will sing the Song of Destruction"
( translating cause I cannot think of punny lines to say :P )


Ready to take off with newfangled thingees


No... that is not an animation error. David Blaine and Copperfield, eat your hearts out!


Woohoo!!! Ride 'em, cowboy!!


The Peacock King cometh again!!! ( Nah, it is the Birdman actually... )


She got a new outfit


3 Guesses on who is that she's pointing at...


Woot!!! Guess who?

[CalamitiesEnd]

Holy sugaryshit! How I wish I had that much firepower between my legs!

[dreamless]

not just psychic powers, this is now going all over the top supernatural in ep5... people making astral projections, generating anti-grav fields, sending out black flames (Yami Barai? ) etc. etc. like nothing...

Overall it is okay I guess... I don't really feel anything for the characters... but the air combat actions are really over the top beautiful and crazy... I'm kinda wondering how they intend to fit the Birdman into the Macross universe...

[USB500]

Originally Posted by Yebyosh

Ready to take off with newfangled thingees


Woohoo!!! Ride 'em, cowboy!!

*drool drool drool* that was uberly beautiful... *drool drool drool* dang, I wanna watch ep5 already

[Yebyosh]

Originally Posted by dreamless

not just psychic powers, this is now going all over the top supernatural in ep5... people making astral projections, generating anti-grav fields, sending out black flames (Yami Barai? ) etc. etc. like nothing...

Uh... psychic powers are astral projections, telekinesis, and such.

Spoiler:

Sara sees the black evil aura through the filters of the Birdman. No one else sees the Kaduns like her.

Originally Posted by dreamless

Overall it is okay I guess... I don't really feel anything for the characters... but the air combat actions are really over the top beautiful and crazy... I'm kinda wondering how they intend to fit the Birdman into the Macross universe...

Considering it is only 5 episodes, anybody is not likely to feel anything for any characters unless they like the mold the characters are cast in right from the start. The Birdman might be one of the servants of the master race ( or one of them ) that experimented on Earth as stated in the episode. Since almost every one has been killed, it is likely records of the UN would just put it down as an unknown anomoly caused by the impact of nukes on the AFOS that eradicated every force except for the Asuka and its complement. No one else would have been able to explain it to anyone, especially since Aries and Hartford died as well, the Mayans will keep mum as well. It will only be remembered as a footnote in Macross history?

[dreamless]

Originally Posted by Yebyosh

Uh... psychic powers are astral projections, telekinesis, and such.

Spoiler:

Sara sees the black evil aura through the filters of the Birdman. No one else sees the Kaduns like her.

well,

Spoiler:

Sara sent out a stream of "blackness" when she thought Shin was killed, which destroyed the surrounding and levitated her to the Birdman head

[Yebyosh]

Originally Posted by dreamless

well,

Spoiler:

Sara sent out a stream of "blackness" when she thought Shin was killed, which destroyed the surrounding and levitated her to the Birdman head

Spoiler:

It is the Birdman that is destroying the bridge and lifting her via telekinesis, as already indicated by Mao saying that something dreadful has awakened. That black energy waveform is a manifestation of his telekinetic powers as evidenced by Sara's surprise at the bridge's destruction.

His energy waves are lined in blue unlike the Black Kaduns Sara sees

[dreamless]

Originally Posted by Yebyosh

Spoiler:

It is the Birdman that is destroying the bridge and lifting her via telekinesis, as already indicated by Mao saying that something dreadful has awakened. That black energy waveform is a manifestation of his telekinetic powers as evidenced by Sara's surprise at the bridge's destruction.

His energy waves are lined in blue unlike the Black Kaduns Sara sees

Spoiler:

Is that from the Birdman, I think Mao said something like "as dark as the depth of the sea, the pain of losing someone...", which was clearly referring to Sara thinking that Shin was killed? So I guess that black energy is a manifestation of Sara's negative emotion at that time?

Considering it is only 5 episodes, anybody is not likely to feel anything for any characters unless they like the mold the characters are cast in right from the start.

well, Macross Plus did make me feel for the characters, despite being only 4 episodes, so are many 90 minutes movies... I think Macross Zero just lacks some proper character/emotional buildup

[Yebyosh]

Originally Posted by dreamless

Spoiler:

Is that from the Birdman, I think Mao said something like "as dark as the depth of the sea, the pain of losing someone...", which was clearly referring to Sara thinking that Shin was killed? So I guess that black energy is a manifestation of Sara's negative emotion at that time?

鳥の人目覚め！
The Birdman has been awakened.

That was the last sentence said by Mao before we switch back to Sara fallen in despair. Sara's despair and possibly need for vengeance triggered the awakening of the Birdman who destroyed its confinements and surroundings and brought Sara to itself. Sara was not the one doing anything. The Eye was already opened when the bridge was destroyed ( by Mao's statement before the energy waves even started ) and if Sara was the one that dictated her transport, she would be concious right at the start of her cacooning and would not be surprised at destroying the bridge.

well, Macross Plus did make me feel for the characters, despite being only 4 episodes, so are many 90 minutes movies... I think Macross Zero just lacks some proper character/emotional buildup

Macross Plus did nothing to make me feel for them, we get a brash young kid, another brash idiotic Zentraed and a woman whom just get ping-ponged between them and an A.I. infatuated with the first brash young kid. Nada. So what is the point you are trying to bring up? You felt something for Plus because they fit the character molds you like for them, so you think there is something going on there whereas for Zero, the characters are probably something that does not fit your liking and hence you think there is something deficient. In any case, you are helping to prove my theory actually

If you do not mind, you can read my short review of Macross Zero here. I got some thoughts there on the story and characters, so at least you would know where I stand on this.

[dreamless]

Originally Posted by Yebyosh

Macross Plus did nothing to make me feel for them, we get a brash young kid, another brash idiotic Zentraed and a woman whom just get ping-ponged between them and an A.I. infatuated with the first brash young kid. Nada. So what is the point you are trying to bring up? You felt something for Plus because they fit the character molds you like for them, so you think there is something going on there whereas for Zero, the characters are probably something that does not fit your liking and hence you think there is something deficient. In any case, you are helping to prove my theory actually

If you do not mind, you can read my short review of Macross Zero here. I got some thoughts there on the story and characters, so at least you would know where I stand on this.

well, maybe you don't feel for the Macross Plus characters because you don't like them, and I understand what you try to say, however for Macross Zero... now I have finished watching it, I can't even remember much about the characters... it seems the characters just lack any distinct personality, that I can't really like or dislike them, I just don't feel anything for them... Except maybe for Mao. she's a bit annoying, but she somehow stands out as a somewhat well-developed character IMO... too bad she doesn't have much role in the end... actually I think none of the characters has much role in the end. It's the all too cliched "I'll save my girl with love" and "I'll save my boy with love" stuff, everything else are over the top beautiful special effects and actions. I'd say the only character who showed some surprising development in the last episode is D.D. but he's just a minor character.

I think the problem is not whether I like them or they fit in some molds or not, but that Macross Zero doesn't spend much time on building up their characters. For example, Sara, the only thing I got from the anime is that she loves nature, and that's pretty much about it, we don't really see any emotional or personal side of her except her constant "nature is beautiful, kadun is bad" kind of stuff. At least for the girl in Macross Plus, we know she loves to sing, and we also get to see more of her emotional and personal side. I don't think time constraint is that much a factor here, there are those around 90 minutes movies where they develop their characters quite well, I guess Macross Zero never intends to do much character development anyway...

[CalamitiesEnd]

Got the same idea too. Macross Zero is all baout the mechs not the people

[Yebyosh]

Originally Posted by dreamless

well, maybe you don't feel for the Macross Plus characters because you don't like them, and I understand what you try to say, however for Macross Zero... now I have finished watching it, I can't even remember much about the characters... it seems the characters just lack any distinct personality, that I can't really like or dislike them, I just don't feel anything for them...

Uh... if you had read my review you would know that I too did not get a 'unique' feel of the Zero characters as well. The same with Plus. Short OVAs to me do not convey a 'grand' story. It is difficult for them to do so unless they specifically devote whole episodes or a huge chunk of the time to develop scenarios which exposes unique traits of the characters or to induce your empathy with them. As CalamitiesEnd stated, Macross Zero, actually the entire Macross series is primarily about transformable mechas battling across time and space, with the love story as an accompanying dish. Character developments and good plots are bonuses.

So for short series where serious drama is not a focus ( and which tonnes of short 1 to 6 episode OVAs are not serious drama focused ), unless the first impression you get from the characters is favourable ( that means, you really like this kind of person, subconciously or not ), you will not be bothered to remember this fella.

[Lord Raiden]

Originally Posted by Yebyosh

In the current November issue of NewType ( which of course is on sale in early October ), these two advertisements are found.





The DVD company would not be releasing the incorrect release date in a recent publication twice now, would they.

Good grief, I saw 3 different release dates in those pics! 11/10, 11/22, and 11/25. What's more amazing is there were two separate dates for the same DVD on the same page!! Uh, gee. I think the company us uber confused about their own release dates. o_0

EDIT: Ready a little farther and saw that one of those was for the OST, but it still leaves 2 dates not matching each other, plus the date I have. OH, yeah. And someone said that the video is out already and subbed in chinese complete with screenshots and yet the dvd isn't due out yet?? Uh, someone's got their wires crossed at anime corporate headquaters. -_-