Macross Delta - Episode 16 Discussion / Poll

[Kairin]

Welcome to the discussion thread for Macross Delta, Episode 16.

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[Stark700]

Spoiler:

A date episode! I kinda like how are keeping the trio's relationship balanced between Mirage/Hayate/Freyja.

[ReddyRedWolf]

Spoiler:

Pretty much Freyja's birthday episode. Last time we saw a girl turn 15 in Macross was Mylene. Freyja also wore the NyanNyan uniform in this ep.

Everybody readies for a surprise party and readying their presents. Mirage and Hayate go to buy at the mall. Makina, Reina and Chuck trail them shipping. Mirage goes straight to the point what is Hayate's relationship with Freyja. Hayate doesn't know himself. As they were shopping Freyja's singing affects his senses. As Freyja looks to the constellation where Windermere is. Mikumo joins in speaking as if she has been on Wndermere before. (500,000 years ago)

Mirage's comment about home gives Hayate an idea.

Everybody surprises, minus Hayate, Freyja with a B-day party. Mikumo starts singing Happy Birthday which the rest of Walkure follows. Freyja get teary. Back home when she was a kid she sung to lift the spirits of her village which suffered after the war.

Hayate finally come with his present. Snow via snow machines. He and Freyja have nice moments as Mirage watches. Eventually tears come down due to Mirage's own feelings for Hayate.

On other fronts.

Mikumo presents a strategy to free the cluster. Last time she sung at a ruin she had a newtype moment with Heinz. So the next mission involves one of the ruins.

Arad talks to his old teammate about Wright Immelmen. They agree not to tell Hayate anything.

On Windermere Heinz commits himself to escalating the war. Meanwhile the cracks on the Aerial Knights are becoming apparent.

[Alhazred]

Spoiler:

More suggestive teases about Mikumo's past: When Kaname initially asked her if she was coming to the birthday party, Mikumo said she'd think about it. At the party when Kaname commented that Mikumo came after all, Mikumo responded that she wanted to know what it was like since she can't remember ever having her birthday celebrated.

Edit: Also, at the mall Hayate has a moment of self-doubt when he realizes that by becoming a pilot it's like he's just following in his father's footsteps. Mirage cheers him up by countering that he became a pilot before he knew that his father was one as well, so he's still following his own path. Mirage was likely set up to do this expressly because she probably feels like can't step out of her own family's shadow so easily. They are still making tiny moves toward doing something with her eventually, but they're doing it so sloooowly.

[Gravitas Free Zone]

Spoiler for Usual business:

I wonder if either of the boys was expecting Heinz to suddenly gain assertiveness on the throne. The little guy certainly looked like it.

[ValvraveTruth]

Freyja's ship getting bigger but it won't sail. Now Freyja already live thru half of her life, she will continue to sing till the end with the love lock in her heart and pass away. The other way around Mirage's ship getting smaller, but her love for Hayate will become even stronger(thats the reason for her tears). Mirage confirm win in the end, this is Macross after all.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Freyja already made her choice; she will sing and die, rather than not sing and live. To have a relationship, leading to a family, means wanting to spend as much time with the ones you love as possible. Her singing is literally directly opposing a future of love and romance. She would have to choose.

And in a sense, she had chosen even before the show began. She escaped marriage to sing, knowing it will kill her one day.

[Tak]

Wow, this episode brought a tear...

- Tak

[Shinji103]

I wouldn't be drawing any conclusions on Freyja yet. We're 8 or 9 episodes away from the end of the series, and if storytelling has told us anything, if a major story/plot point appears to have been determined this early, it's going to flip over by the end.
That's not to say "Freyja will win, Mirage loses!" either, but the fact that Freyja seems to have chosen singing over having a love life (or at least that being what the viewers interpret it as) so long before the end of the series makes me think it's going to flip around and Freyja will choose to be with Hayate after all. Otherwise, what is there left to do with the love triangle? Might as well declare Mirage the winner and have her and Hayate get together. But that won't happen here because we're only a little past halfway through the series. It just wouldn't be good storytelling to end the triangle here by having Freyja's path determined already. So there will definitely be another development down the line and at the end of the series that will determine whether Freyja chooses love or singing.

As for her running from her marriage as evidence of which she has chosen, that's not good evidence because by all accounts there was never any feelings between her and her partner in the first place, or at the very least not actual romantic feelings. Didn't the manga say that even Freyja's marriage partner helped her get away?

[CriiGV]

In terms of what we've seen so far my conclusion is that viewers are placing too much on Mirage competing in the triangle but failing to realize that the point story of Mirage is that she has to learn to love herself, what she does and realize that she can stand on her own two feet. To me that's what an ideal Mirage development should be. That's the point of her character. Making her suddenly be OK just because LOVE! ROMANCE! BOY LIKES ME! Would be terrible writing. Basically, Mirage's journey = to be happy by herself without relying on others.

Anyway, Heinz finally being assertive and determined was a huge 180 of character. I like it. Even though I still think he's being manipulated by Roid.

[Thousand Mistress]

This episode nearly made me cry. The moment Mikumo started singing Happy Birthday (in good Engrish!) was one start of a tearjerker.

Even more when Mirage cried. Like...that was...out of nowhere.
Heinz being so determined...well I guess like Freyja, he has no choice but to sing to protect. And fight. I hope the Knights won't split up because of their different views.

The song was pretty good too. Are we getting that in the next album btw?

[Father Hentai]

Originally Posted by CriiGV

In terms of what we've seen so far my conclusion is that viewers are placing too much on Mirage competing in the triangle but failing to realize that the point story of Mirage is that she has to learn to love herself, what she does and realize that she can stand on her own two feet. To me that's what an ideal Mirage development should be. That's the point of her character. Making her suddenly be OK just because LOVE! ROMANCE! BOY LIKES ME! Would be terrible writing. Basically, Mirage's journey = to be happy by herself without relying on others.

Anyway, Heinz finally being assertive and determined was a huge 180 of character. I like it. Even though I still think he's being manipulated by Roid.

I don't think that loving herself is the problem. Freyja and Hayate are "sync" in terms of friendship and loyalty. They are partner in crime and the series has proven that the one would sacrifice his/her life for the other.

Mirage started to feel affection for Hayate the more and more they came "closer" as squad members. Mirage has saved Hayates live and vice versa and in these events they start to come close. It became more complicated when Hayate hugged her during the invasion on Ragna. All in all. I'd say the problem with her is that she does not realize yet that she is special, although not being special. I am just wondering what Hayate tried to tell when he wanted to reach out with his hand to Freyja but then he hesiated.

In regards to love scenes.

Raina and Makina - very cute scene
Arad and Kaname - they have to open their hearts again. Are they still haunted by Messers death?
Freyja, Hayate, Mirage - still complicated.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Father Hentai

I am just wondering what Hayate tried to tell when he wanted to reach out with his hand to Freyja but then he hesiated.

Isn't it obvious?

Spoiler for ep16:

Until now poking her rune was just some meaningless teasing. Now things are changing. After Mirage questioned him about his feelings for Freyja, he started to realize there might be more to his relationship with her than he thought. With all that in his mind, touching her rune isn't the same thing anymore.

[CriiGV]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

Isn't it obvious?

Spoiler for ep16:

Until now poking her rune was just some meaningless teasing. Now things are changing. After Mirage questioned him about his feelings for Freyja, he's starting to realize there might be more to his relationship with her than he thought. With all that in his mind, touching her rune isn't the same thing anymore.

Spoiler for slight shenanigans:

I thought it was cute that when Mirage questioned him about it he was unable to label his relationship with Freyja, admitting that "friends" didn't feel quite right. I'm just happy he's finally opened his eyes and realized things. I'm ready for this.

As for the rune touching, I'm wondering if he blushed because Freyja let him touch it without calling him a pervert or because in that instant he saw her in a new light, all blushed and smiling.

The new music this ep was top notch. Perfect for all the emotional intensity we experienced. Also, Freyja trying to hold back her tears had ME in tears.

[Father Hentai]

Originally Posted by CriiGV

Spoiler for slight shenanigans:

I thought it was cute that when Mirage questioned him about it he was unable to label his relationship with Freyja, admitting that "friends" didn't feel quite right. I'm just happy he's finally opened his eyes and realized things. I'm ready for this.

As for the rune touching, I'm wondering if he blushed because Freyja let him touch it without calling him a pervert or because in that instant he saw her in a new light, all blushed and smiling.

The new music this ep was top notch. Perfect for all the emotional intensity we experienced. Also, Freyja trying to hold back her tears had ME in tears.

Spoiler for Music:

I had to hear twice and more but when she starts to sing you can hear a soft heartbeat. I thought first it was Freyjas, but at the end I think it was both of Freyja and Mirage

[Dash_Hunter]

It was a nice episode, even though I could categorize it as a "filler" episode since nothing substancial happened with the plot (and Delta is a plot-driven series right?) I liked it.

I liked how Mirage was direct with Hayate and asked him if he likes Freyja, poor Mirage I think that question is precisely what will make Hayate to notice his feelings for Freya, but we'll see. And what happened to Hayate when Freyja started singing? are they reaching the point where he will start to see her memories/feelings like Alto did with Sheryl through her earring?.

It seems all members of Chaos are shippers lol, first the bridge bunnies, and now this, it was funny seeing Chuck, Makina and Reina following Hayate and Mirage.

The theory about Hayate's father being the one to drop the dimensional weapon on windermere is becoming more plausible with Arad and that NUNS pilot watching the recording and agreeing to not tell him anything.

Also all that subtle and unspoken drama between Kaname and Arad, this is the first time that Kaname is not next to Arad when all the characters are together.
In the first half of the series she would always be next to him, be it at briefings, at the Ragnyannyan or in other places, even at the ceremony they did at the beach for Messer she was sitting with him and standing next to him before going to the sea to sing.

But in this one Kaname was with the other girls, and then when Arad was alone she just looked at him and then looked away. I doubt she's shy or was embarassed to approach him when normally she would ask him to eat together or would drink with him at parties, so what is happening?

Now to wait for the subs, and I really, really hope that next episode we get some good action.

[magnuskn]

A plot without characters is just a landscape portrait.

[Dash_Hunter]

Originally Posted by magnuskn

A plot without characters is just a landscape portrait.

Agreed, which is why I still like Frontier more than Delta so far, I mean we're just getting some backstory (info about Hayate's dad) and development (him apparently realizing his feelings for Freyja) for our protagonist this late in the series, and development for other characters including the two female leads has been scarce, specially for Mirage for example.

[foxbox360]

Hayato dad must of did something major if Arad want to keep mum about it. Was he pilot who nuke windermere?

[FlareKnight]

I think it is hard to draw conclusions of how things will turn out, there is plenty of time for things to flip around a few times really .

I'm not sure either that Freyja is choosing singing over life or anything like that. She just has a passion that she's dedicated herself to. It'd be like saying Hayate will end up with no one since he loves flying more than anything. People can have passions and still love others. I don't think Freyja's desire to sing is mutually exclusive to her having romantic happiness. Frankly I think if pressed she'd like to have both .

In the end I have no idea how things will play out. Could say that they might push things forward some more since it's not like Freyja and Hayate actually reached the point of being a couple in this episode. They might wrap it around and have the end result be with Mirage. Or I suppose they go nuts and just have Hayate focus on his passion for flight .

Regardless it was a nice birthday episode for Freyja. The story moved along a bit in the background, but good to just make this a big deal. After all it is a big deal for her. While I would have supported Hayate being on time....it was nice that he pulled off a great present in the end.

The singing was great as always, no complaints there .