Macross Frontier - Episode 25 Discussion / Poll [END]

[ReddyRedWolf]

Originally Posted by stormy001_M1A2

Few questions I notice here:

Galaxy Fleet was destroyed, the only thing left is the Battler which Grace retained for her nefarious purposes. It would suggest that the Vajra might killed the entire population of Galaxy Fleet. I don't think Grace and the co has any use for Galaxy Colonial Fleet, hence she killed them off.

Ranshe could have died in flames whereas Mao could dead earlier due to old age? I mean chronologically, Mao was first seen in Macross Zero which took place around 2008-2009. She is like mid to late teens.

Mao was 11 when she was snogging Shin.

Also we only saw Battle Galaxy and the Dulfim.

We don't know where the Galaxy main colony and fleet are.

By this action Galaxy has made themselves pariahs to the entire Human-Zentradi-Zolan civilization.

[stormy001_M1A2]

I bet my 10 bucks that it will be sequel.

[Ja-Y-Ce]

Originally Posted by stormy001_M1A2

I bet my 10 bucks that it will be sequel.

give that 10bucks to Kawamori and ask him to give us a GOOD one... anymore open ended conclusion - tear that 10 bucks in front of him...

[davie]

Okay, putting aside the plot for a while; This episode was really entertaining: Great animation, sounds effects, excellent seiyus, and beautiful execution. I was on the edge of the seats during the whole episode which rarely happens for me :O!

Overall, simply one of the best series I've seen in my life. Some may be disappointed at alto's indecisiveness but to be honest I like how all three became even greater friends (I wouldn't want sheryl or ranka to be left out b/c alto chose one of them). I love the happy ending; no bittersweet ending for me

Episode is full of music <3!!

[solothurn]

After watching the episode in the full, I don't even know what kind of reaction is suitable.

Disappointment is a given. Maybe I was expecting more but after what has been showed, I was underwhelmed by resolution, though the logical part in me was screaming the possibility of such an ending since the middle of the series, in the style of the Tifa-Aerith wars, as a friend of mine had suggested; while the Sheryl fan is screaming murder at it all.

Ecstatic regarding all the mecha action and the ARMD attack sequences, although I was annoyed at how they managed to squeeze in recycled scenes during the last episode.

"HELL YEAH"'d at the Macross song medley, mixed in with Minmay songs. Oh I would love to have that on the soundtrack.

"WTF'd" at Ranka's abrupt Mary Sue persona. It's like she's turned into Lacus Clyne or something. Suddenly, she knows about the Vajra. Suddenly she knows about Sheryl's disease. Suddenly she can control the bacteria. A convenient plot device, Ranka's nature is. Could have been more believable, if not were it squeezed into one episode.

Lastly, "meh"'d at all the various unresolved plots. Michael's sister. Bilrer's purpose. Ranshe Mei and Mao Nome.

All in all, a rather mediocre way of ending one of the best series of 2008 when it comes to character-driven plots.

The Northern Cross is crying.

[W-General]

I'll give Kawamori 100 bucks to make the movie a remake of the ending with Sheryl end.

[stormy001_M1A2]

Originally Posted by ReddyRedWolf

Mao was 11 when she was snogging Shin.

Also we only saw Battle Galaxy and the Dulfim.

We don't know where the Galaxy main colony and fleet are.

By this action Galaxy has made themselves pariahs to the entire Human-Zentradi-Zolan civilization.

The last time we hear about Galaxy that is under severe distress and screaming for help from other Colonial Fleet. Then next we saw the Battle Galaxy which appears to be defeated and assimilated by Vajra which the reconnaissance team of Frontier saw before they were destroyed. I can safely assume if the best armed element of fleet is defeated, there is no reason not to believe that the main fleet is also destroyed by Vajra. Grace could be helping Vajra to do so.

We don't see a single human/Zentran crew in Galaxy Battler in ep 25. That is possible since Galaxy is state of art and fully autonomous weapon system which did not require human touch to work. But that also makes it relatively inflexible since there is zero human decisions to operate it.

Something like what happened to 12 Colonies in Battlestar Galactica. Their over reliance on network system has cost them dearly and made them inflexible in face of Cyclon assault. I would dare say that Galaxy over dependence on network and autonomous system made them vulnerable to hacking and Grace is expert hacker. She could have turn the system against the entire Fleet, made the destruction by Vajra easier.

[Eurys]

Originally Posted by KNIGHTMAREGUNDAM

OK!! What kind of people vote this as painful, HELL what kind of people wouldn't vote this excellent - perfect? What the hell were they watching?

I have no shame. The anime teased and banked on the love triangle from the begining, and it all fell flat in the end, making Alto an eternal indecisive idiot. No wonder the voice actor was mobed.

Plus, I hate this kind of "everyone is happy" end when it feels so rushed and the change of mood is so glaring compared to previous episodes. No, I'm not asking for death left and right, just for some sacrifices, people learning to let go, etc.

And lol at the forced slap, just to make sure Ranka lands one on Sheryl to balance the previous slap.

[elfboy]

I haven't had an opportunity to watch this yet, but this consumed so much of my attention I couldn't function normally -- I just had to know. I had to.

And while I'm disappointed that Sheryl wasn't 'the choice', I'm philosophical -- at least I get to see more of her in a movie or a second season or whatever they want to do.

From everyone's comments, if anything this entire last episode should have spanned a 3-ep or 6-ep OVA. Plus, maybe with Ranka's super God like curative powers... maybe she can even resurrect Michel!!!

Kawamori might have chickened out on a conclusion -- but Bandai might have forced him to, plus what about members of his staff (no giggling) who might have been equally divided over a Ranka x Alto x Sheryl ending? Who knows, maybe his original idea for a Ranka x Alto ending had to be changed when a clear majority in Sheryl's favor showed up. So quick quick rewrite?

I personally would have gone with a Sheryl x Alto end, but with Ranka being more self assured, and (in an almost impossible, but will be incredible if pulled off right) a non-annoying Ranka stating that just because Sheryl has won the battle (for Alto's heart) doesn't mean she's won the war. A friendly but fierce love rivalry. (I know... cop-out of the millennium.)

That way, even if Alto makes a choice, even if he knocks up Sheryl with mini-Saotome's, Ranka is free to love whomever she wants, and that's the theme of the show.

Everyone has freedom to do what they want to do -- and the only crime is if you hurt someone else doing it. It's ok to hurt yourself -- even kill yourself, but hey, play nice with other people, ok?

Though without a real love triangle for a movie it could suffer... although... what if Alto chose Sheryl, and they start their lives together... Ranka goes on to become the biggest star in the history of the universe... a new alien life form is encountered, and Alto is assigned to accompany Ranka to meet them while Sheryl holds down the fort. Alto + Ranka's fleet are attacked, they are stranded on a deserted planet while on the run from the enemy... Alto needs to calm / handle Ranka's feelings (of guilt? someone/lot of people are killed trying to save her?) but he can't hurt her (with outright rejection) and he can't cheat on Sheryl... forget it, this sucks.

Ranka... bring Michel back to life! You have the power. Or damn... Grace not dead, creates a new cyborg slave... Michel! Noooooo....

I can't wait to watch this ep... can't wait for the movie. Heck, if they released an OVA of the current eps just reedited, I probably can't wait for that too.

[raile]

Originally Posted by Eurys

I have no shame. The anime teased and banked on the love triangle from the begining, and it all fell flat in the end, making Alto an eternal indecisive idiot. No wonder the voice actor was mobed.

Plus, I hate this kind of "everyone is happy" end when it feels so rushed and the change of mood is so glaring compared to previous episodes. No, I'm not asking for death left and right, just for some sacrifices, people learning to let go, etc.

And lol at the forced slap, just to make sure Ranka lands one on Sheryl to balance the previous slap.

Your post pretty much sums up why some--or most of the fandom feel that way. The triangle was the central focus. Majority were watching Macross for the romance, the mecha was a juicy bonus in all this.

[Ja-Y-Ce]

yea, by making the finale into a 30 episode show - this is really a bit rushed to cover all the battle, trying to tie the loose knots for the villians to get off scene, with the heroic acts from the main characters, sing songs and making merry session....

all he left is less than 5 mins to resolve the triangle... and ta-da, he juz leave it unresolved so that he can troll us hard and milk us by having a movie.... (to please the raging fans and for his $_$ sake)

but what really pissed me off a bit was last episode - when he should be back to continue "his conversation with Sheryl" after saving Ranka. and ermm... he went "kite flying" instead, leaving the 2 girls there?

hopefully, his movie will cover from where he left off...

[stormy001_M1A2]

More like he is flying between so the wind will blow up to see their panties? LOL. Cheeky long haired dude.

[glyph]

Originally Posted by Mughi

In the end, I TOTALLY didn't get the whole purpose of Blirer in the whole series... I mean the guy never left his train room, had only limited scenes and influence, never micronized, and other than warning Wilder about the folding of SMS into NUNS, did nothing! And then he's looking forward to meeting..... Minmay!?!?! WTF??? Talk about an open ended subject! And people are complaning about the LT? What's with this big Zentradi guy, huh? Can anyone explain why we needed him? There's GOT to be a resolution to this guy in the movie... and this fact leads me to believe that the movie was part of the plan all along.

Fake villain to keep us guessing? Plot seed for spinoff "The Search for Megaroad"? Allegory to the classic fans want closure about happened to the main characters of SDFM?

Or it could be like the WTF-1 on Gallia 4. It's actually Mao Nome cosplaying as Lynn Minmay, LOL.

[Tak]

I just finished watching 25, checked the Japanese BBS and pleased to find that their reaction is similar to that of ours.

Basically, it sums up like this:

*Ahem*

WHAT THE FUCK!?

That being said, it was a forced negotiation of sorts. It appears that the crew wanted to appease Ranka fans at the very last moment, so they throw in the slap, and well... just the slap. On a person who was supposedly dying, good job.

However, the ingenuity of Kawamori comes in when the camera focused on Alto's earring. Now, in Japanese culture, when a woman trusts an ornament to a man, it pretty much means marriage. Given that Alto still wears it at the end, that entire scene speaks volumes.

Then Ranka said to Sheryl "I will not lose to you! In love and others...", which while not defeated, is a clear indication that she is way behind.

But here is what Kawamori is going to do. He will release two OVAs, one for the Sheryl fans, and the other for the pedophiles. Kind of like a dating sim, only better.

- Tak

[W-General]

This is capitalism at its best:
1) Make indecisive end to love triangle of Macross F
2) Get lots of RAGING FAN RESPONSE (for Sheryl end of course)
3) Make movie, which is a remake of the ending with all loose ends cleared up (with Sheryl end). Fans will RUSH to watch it. Buy DVDs, etc.
4) ??????
5) PROFIT!!!




Well Kawamori, well played. You got me. I will be waiting eagerly for the movie.

[Ja-Y-Ce]

Originally Posted by Tak

I just finished watching 25, checked the Japanese BBS and pleased to find that their reaction is similar to that of ours.

Basically, it sums up like this:

*Ahem*

WHAT THE FUCK!?

That being said, it was a forced negotiation of sorts. It appears that the crew wanted to appease Ranka fans at the very last moment, so they throw in the slap, and well... just the slap. On a person who was supposedly dying, good job.

However, the ingenuity of Kawamori comes in when the camera focused on Alto's earring. Now, in Japanese culture, when a woman trusts an ornament to a man, it pretty much means marriage. Given that Alto still wears it at the end, that entire scene speaks volumes.

Then Ranka said to Sheryl "I will not lose to you! In love and others...", which while not defeated, is a clear indication that she is way behind.

But here is what Kawamori is going to do. He will release two OVAs, one for the Sheryl fans, and the other for the pedophiles. Kind of like a dating sim, only better.

- Tak

yes, we know...but to be honest, way too subtle to please A x S fans...

[raile]

Kawamori better be prepared for the death-threat mails. XD
Then again...that guy is worse than Grace, so he can take anything you throw at him.

[Ja-Y-Ce]

Originally Posted by raile

Kawamori better be prepared for the death-threat mails. XD
Then again...that guy is worse than Grace, so he can take anything you throw at him.

yea, prolly with a smile and said.."why so serious?"

[solothurn]

Originally Posted by Tak

Then Ranka said to Sheryl "I will not lose to you! In love and others...", which while not defeated, is a clear indication that she is way behind.

Way behind includes the matter of songs as well. She'd better learn how to compose/write lyrics for them soon.

Originally Posted by Tak

But here is what Kawamori is going to do. He will release two OVAs, one for the Sheryl fans, and the other for the pedophiles. Kind of like a dating sim, only better.

Gainax-style money-milking, at its best.

[stormy001_M1A2]

And download himself to another place while the whole Macross fans becoming Vajra to chase after him for a sequel.