I've finally got a chance to catch up with the last few episodes, and I'm quite impressed. They're not quite as good as episodes 5 and 13, but they're enough to cement Macross Frontier's position as one of my favorite shows (ironically enough, right behind the original SDF Macross).
Some additional thoughts on episode 22:
Ranka: I think that her character has developed quite a lot in the last few episodes, and mostly for the better at that. Her voice reaches the Vajra, so it shouldn't be surprising that their voices reach her as well. As a result, she can feel empathy for them that no one else does. So far, this is couched in terms of "helping Ai-kun", but it's really a manifestation of something that's been building since episode 14. Back then, I thought it was ironic that Ranka's singing evoked a feeling of hope of peace (for everyone) while it helped SMS and NUNS to slaughter the Vajra. It was only a matter of time until the problems inherent in that dichotomy.
Sheryl: She's more awesome now than she had ever been, 'nuff said.
Alto and Sheryl: Their relationship has progressed a great deal. Episode 22 strongly suggests that they had sex, although we won't have any confirmation until we see them interact again. In a way, it's not important whatever the case since the important points are that Sheryl had laid everything out front, and that Alto has effectively committed his all to supporting her. Any act physical initimacy pales in comparison to that, and would only serve to accent the level of commitment.
Grace: She's a much more effective and sinister villain than I had expected. I hope that the last few episodes will do a good job of revealing her motivations.
The SMS mutiny: They were given a very difficult choice once they knew that Leon had murdered the President Glass. To be subsumed into NUNS would mean likely death for whomever Leon suspected knew about his betrayal, and that the survivors would have to work for a tyrant (undoubtedly under the close scrutiny of his secret police). Mutinying is outright treason, but it also buys the Macross Quarter group time to find a way to take down Leon. Bilrer passed the warning on probably because he knew that Leon was up to no good, and by doing so, he gave the SMS crew a chance to do something about it while still maintaining plausible deniability.
On a different note, Klein Klan's send off was superb.
Alto not joining the mutiny: This makes sense on a couple of levels. First off, he didn't get a chance to read the SMS message until he had already made his committment to Sheryl. Second, his attitude makes it obvious that the message didn't say anything about Leon being a traitor. As such, he saw it in terms of Macross Quarter abandoning Frontier (and Sheryl) in its hour of need. In a way, this is the way that Ozma wanted it as well, since a clean separation like this would mean that the SMS people who stayed behind would be under far less suspicion.
OP: Lion is probably my favorite vocal in Macross Frontier - I love duets, and I'm only disappointed that there isn't any prominent male singer in the show for a male-female duet. The OP animation itself is also excellent; and I think that it shows how the climax will have to happen: Sheryl and Ranka joining in song. Another interesting note is that unlike the vast majority of OPs of the last few years, instead of showing us the plethora of characters, it focuses primarily on the main cast along with a single shot of Brera. This kind of OP direction was a lot more common a few years ago, and I wish more shows used it.
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Originally Posted by kilroy0097
Normally I would say yes I agree with you on this one. However knowing the caliber of Kawamori's storytelling ability I believe that even by having Sheryl die via her illness, it would be the tragic death of a heroine, which might vault Alto into a different mindset sending him down the path of legendary characters of previous series.
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The thing is, Sheryl is a much more interesting character than Alto is. Having her die at the end of a show (either in the climax or the epilogue) makes sense. Using this death as a catalyst for the actions of another character doesn't.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kilroy0097
Alright. So you don't want a Season 2 without Sheryl? Because personally I'm able to get over the fact that she's not there in order to enjoy more Macross. Sheryl is not the reason I started watching Macross and she won't be the reason I stop watching Macross. But you can go hold your breath if you want.
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If a second season is a totally different story rather than being an extension of the first, I think it'd be better if it were to have an all-new cast with only a couple of holdovers.
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