As a writer, I try and look at a show, and figure out what direction the writers and directors are trying to go with each character. One has to look at each character and look at where they stand, where they want to go, and where they are really going. I'll focus on the big 3 and what I see after more than 1/3 of the show.
Alto:
A young man who is somewhat haunted by his Kabuki(sp?) past, and non-relationship with his father. He's in the pilot cadet program at the academy, and is second in his class(behind Michel correct?). He's shown with his paper airplanes, and always looking up at the sky, that his true passion is flying. He complains about feeling suffocated inside Macross Frontier, and yearns to be free. He also has a bit of a reckless side, that I would say is both because of him being a teenager, but also because of his 'needing' to prove to everyone else(and himself), that he is his own man, and that he is serious about flying and being free. He also doesn't open up about his past, or what he's thinking. What are the possible goals for him throughout the series, and for the end? Here's my thoughts on this.
1) Finding out exactly why he and his father don't talk anymore. Why he's completely dropped the Kabaki namesake and anything to do with acting. Will he reconsile with his father? Will he return to acting as a side hobby/job when he's not flying?
2) He's still young and rash, and needs to mature and grow up. His recklessness, while able to get through certain situations, it also gets him into other possibly deadly situations. Characters in his position generally have to get over their immature and recklessness, and become eventual leader/ace/adult. His experiences in the series will force him to mature and age, and become a more balanced person.
3) He's shown absolutely no interest in relationships and love at the beginning of this story. One can assume(and I think rightfully so), if he's receptive at all to the females who will try and reach for his heart, that he will eventually find out what love is, and what it's like to love someone. I think Basara loved singing far more than anything else, and has the least chances of finding love as a main character in the Macross Universe, but I believe Alto has shown some reaction to both Ranka and Sheryl(blushing, smiling from his first encounter with Ranka, and the kiss on the cheek from Sheryl in episode 5, etc). I believe even if he doesn't end up with one female, that there will be focus on him experiencing love. I think Ranka and Sheryl will be both responsible for this, though in their own ways(we know where I stand on who he should end up with at this point in the story, but I don't deny Ranka's role)
I think all three of these points will be his main focus throughout the story.
Ranka:
1) She is a young girl with a sad past. Her family was killed 11 years before, and she's being raised by an ex-military fighter pilot who has become a brother to her. Thanks to her mind blocking out those events of the past, she hasn't dealt with her past yet, and will need to become stronger mentally, so that she can finally move on and look to the future.
2) She has dreams of being like Sheryl. She loves to sing, and she wants others to hear her sing. She's alot like Lynn Minmei here, however, she's more grounded and humble as a person. How she becomes a star, and how she changes as a person because of it(does she stay grounded, or does she become like Lynn Minmei, or end up with a fake persona like Sheryl showed in the beginning episodes?).
3) At the start, she is a 14/15 year old girl, who has no thoughts on love and relationships, beyond that of what any typical young teenager girl might have. Right now, she only sees thinks in how they relate to her. Examples are of how she always talks about her brother won't let her do this, she wants to do that. She thinks this. She wishes that. She's all about herself. Not in a selfish way exactly, just that she hasn't really had a chance to grow up yet, and see what other people are going through around her. This will also be a focus as time goes on I believe. She will learn to be receptive to the people around her, and react accordingly(Luca in the restaurant, giving Alto and Ranka space is a prime example of someone who is aware).
4) Ranka doesn't know what love is. Or I should say, she hasn't fallen in love yet, so she hasn't really dived deep into what it is, and how it is. Her experiences with Sheryl and Alto, are both different, and similar. On one hand, Sheryl is this famous star that she strives to be. A goal for her as a career you can say. Alto, immediately becomes like a big brother to her. Offering advice, listening to her complain, helping her find herself, and her direction. She looks up to him in this way for the most part(it's obviously changing and going to continue to change as she changes, and she experiences different interactions with Alto and Sheryl). At the same time, she cares about both of them, and even if none of them had feelings for each other, I could see the three of them being good friends. I see Ranka seeing love and friendship very, very differently, by the end of this series, thanks to Sheryl and Alto. The Love Triangle will also force her to move at a pace that in a normal life, she wouldn't have had to do quite so quickly. I guess you could say point 4 is interwoven with point 3, but it deserves it's own discussion in my opinion.
Sheryl:
She is the biggest superstar in the Macross: Galaxy colony. Extremely confident and arrogant of her own abilities, she prefers to rely on herself, rather than rely on others. She has no family, and her manager is probably her closest friend. Her earrings are keepsakes of a mother she doesn't remember, but they are precious to her. She has no real friends, and is all business.
1) Like Alto, she has an inability in the beginning, to open up to others. She comes across defensive, professionally cold, outright bitchy to some. As she befriends Alto, Ranka, Michel, Luca, Nanase, and others, she will learn to open up, and not have to keep a wall up between her and the rest of humanity. She is SHERYL NOME(sp?) the Super star. But she's also, Sheryl Nome, the woman, the girl, someone who needs interaction with others, though she doesn't realize it at the beginning. She will fall back down to Earth so to speak, thanks to Ranka and Alto, in a good way.
2) Just as she needs interactions with others, she also knows nothing of love or family. Dependant on no one, she will find herself with unknown emotions(to her), as she spends time, and interacts with Alto, that she won't get with anyone else in the series. Is it love? Is it feelings a Master has for a slave(haha sorry just a joke
). Not only will she learn the value of friendship, but she will learn the benefits in relying on one person emotionally, physically, mentally. Someone she can break down infront of. Someone she can confide in on even embarrassing things. Someone who can make her feel as someone other than the super star, and touches her heart. What started as just teasing, and a possible friendship with Alto, is quickly accelerating past that, to something more intimate and deep. Whether there will be a happy romantic ending for her, considering the war, Alto's feelings, and Ranka's own participation in this love triangle, only the writers truly know.
Okay I kept having to come back to this message over the past 2 hours, and didn't go back and re-read through it, so I'm sure it's a mess, but I pray I did a fair write up on all three characters, and what directions I see the director/writers need to go with them. Since they are obviously the big three in this story, the main focus will be about them, their life experiences, and how they change from the beginning, to the end of this journey.
Please correct me in anything that you feel is twisted, false, or just mistaken. Thanks.
Will
She doesn't need to learn love from just Alto. What about her billions of fans who truly love her to pieces? All those emotions matter and should have enough meaning for her as much as the person who doesn't treat her as Sheryl Nome. I read the translation in her blog saying she gave an autograph to a ten year old but said that she wouldn't do it again. What about those other Sherrified lil kiddos? She'll break their lil hearts? =/ Seriously, she needs to get down her almighty horse and acknowledge her fans more--more than she's doing right now. She needs to realize in the future--if ever that kind of depression hits her--that she's not alone with or without Alto.
Then we can finally put this issue at rest.
