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Originally Posted by Wildstar
Sheryl is a creation of her evil manager, Grace. All of Shery'l's achievements have been while under essentially the same conditions as an olympic gymnast in a totalitarian country only more so.
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Totalitarian or not, training is training, where Sheryl accepted her role and did her best to participate. She made a choice then, and she did not regret it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildstar
Sheryl's response to EVERY previous challenge has been "I am Sheryl" ...and what is Sheryl? Grace's creation. Sheryl was massaged, prodded, cajoled, praised, manipulated, etc into what she was... with billions of screaming cheerleaders in the audience affirming her ego every step of the way and a manager clearing (knowing Grace, blazing really) every step of the way.
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While the fruit known as the Galactic Fairy was propelled by Grace, it was Sheryl's own efforts that she became what she was. Moreover, no matter how manipulative Grace was, Grace cannot fabricate fans. If it was not for Sheryl's dedication to her performance, acknowledging her role as the
Galactic Fairy, and acted professionally about it, she would not have been the
most beautiful voice in the galaxy during the initial phase of the series.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildstar
Sheryl did everything with that "oh well I'm SHERYL" attitude... she joined flight school but didn't seem to apply herself at all, considering she couldn't fly the Valkyrie even a little bit.
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You forgot to take into consideration that Sheryl joined the flight school for mere days compared to Alto and Mikhail's months (if not longer) of training. Never mind that she never touched a fighter before, and not just any fighter, but the top secret military weapon known as the VF-25. If you remember from episode 1, Alto initially had trouble operating the VF-25 as well, which nearly got himself and Ranka both killed.
Before Alto was able to take the VF-25 for a spin in space, he went through a series of military training after he joined the SMS, while Sheryl never had the same benefit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildstar
The very first time we see Sheryl standing on her own two feet is when she stands up and sings in the bunker - the first time she sings for something other than her own ego and her manager's agenda
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That is incorrect. I would suggest referring to episode 7. Sheryl stated quite clearly that if Alto's job as a pilot is to fly and fight, then her job "is to sing" for the audience. She had a chance to cancel her concert during that very episode, but she refused, not because her manager told her to, or she had an inflated ego, but because that was her
duty. She made a promise to fans for a goodbye concert, and no way in hell was she going to let them down.
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Originally Posted by Wildstar
Contrast that with Ranka, who is younger and less confident, but agreed to use an experimental fold device to go far, far away from her home with just Michael to confront several thousand rabid Zentradi... and has gone into battle to help Frontier.
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If Alto was not there, she would not have gone to save them. The problem with Ranka's case is that, she uses Alto as a catalyst to nearly everything she does. From singing in Folmo to the Macross Zero movie, Alto was the catalyst to her every doing. Even when she miraculously saved Galia 4 from a rebellion, she was once again using Alto as a catalyst to her timely rescue.
You might not think that is the case, but consider this:
For all Sheryl had done for her, giving her timely encouragement with her career, Ranka never even bothered asking about Sheryl's wellbeing during her time in Galia IV. She was quite content just spending time with Alto as if nothing else in the universe existed!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildstar
Sheryl hears the father saying something selfless to his child and decides to do a little something like that FOR THE FIRST TIME. By comparison, singing doesn't seem like much compared to a father giving up his life to save his daughter, but Sheryl is learning. In the bomb shelter, she stands on her own two feet for the first time. The importance in her singing in the shelter is the SMALLNESS of it and that she knowingly chose it as her small act trying to do something for the small group of people there.
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It had nothing to do with her perspective of her ego or the crowd. She simply done what she does best, as it was her
duty.
Alto told Sheryl her songs were the hopes of the people during their brief moment of intimacy, and Sheryl realized that she was once the
hopes and dreams of the people. Although she had been discarded and now on the verge of dying, She thought even if her voice could bring just a tiny hope for the people, she should sing even while her life force is fading away. She sought to live her life to the fullest, which is very admirable of her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildstar
Mark my words, we may find that Sheryl actually does have an effect on the Varja now, because she truly sang for a reason for the first time... it's nice to see a character development on Sheryl... she looks good in it.
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Actually her character developed significantly throughout the show, but it is not how she changed over time that is the primary focus, rather, its the fostering of our understanding of her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildstar
Think about this... of all the people in Macross, RANKA knew that she shouldn't sing. Her mistake wasn't in hesitating to sing, it was in not refusing to sing more forcefully!!! Instead, everyone assumes she is just an ignorant, selfish little girl and slaps her into singing, making the Varja go ballistic. Her singing was still very powerful... it just went negative.
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Ah, now here is your problem with the Ranka analysis. After Ranka was
discovered by Grace and co., she was immediately tested during a scouting mission, where her songs proved to be useful against the Vajra. She suddenly found her duties as Frontier's savior then, and enjoyed the fame that came with it. She later
volunteered to sing in the battle again, without Grace or others pushing her to do so. Needless to say, her fame again grew by leaps and bounds and again she was clearly enjoying her status. Then after she was denied of her man, she suddenly regressed into a crybaby and refused to be the
tool despite the fact that she had volunteered and enjoyed her status as one.
Her original intention was to sing for the sake of singing. It was not for anyone, but for those who would listen to her (or thats what she told Alto). Gradually, her intentions narrowed, and by ep. 20, she shifted her focus to simply Alto, whom she took for granted although they were never in a relationship to begin with. That, to me is quite selfish, if not delusional.
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Originally Posted by Wildstar
We've now had it illustrated plain as day that the power Ranka wields and Ranka are one and the same... it isn't a superhero power slapped on as sort of an add-on to a silly little girl... Ranka's singing IS Ranka and JUST AS SHE WARNED EVERYONE,
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She never
warned anyone. She simply
refused to sing because her man was with someone else. When she finally got her acts together and sang, she had
no idea that it produced a negative effect. She certainly did not know it would end the way it did.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildstar
Ranka has a character development arc too... she figured something out about her singing and why she sings, she found the courage to tell Alto she loves him.
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No, she never figured it out. Her original intention, her intentions in between, and her intentions now tell me of a confused girl trying to get a sense of her life and the world around her. Unfortunately, she has yet to grasp any of it.
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Originally Posted by Wildstar
Who tolerated being whisked away by Grace from their personal life and everything that means something to her because she thought it might help Frontier?
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She did not tolerate, she
volunteered. And if she thought her songs would help the Frontier, she certainly made a bad choice contradicting herself by suddenly narrowing of her scope to that of Alto.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildstar
Who has the courage to get on with their life despite witnessing the genocide of their entire fleet? ...practically everyone she cared about, possibly watching some of them get slaughtered in front of her. Who is still having flashbacks and trouble remembering her past?
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And Sheryl did not? Never mind that she is dying? Never mind that Sheryl's past is as messed up as Ranka's and her recollection of it is murky at best. Yet, the difference is that Sheryl stood on her own two damn feet regardless of her life's misgivings, while Ranka virtually collapsed after one disappointment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildstar
Who has ACTUALLY lost everything already? Who has had the true "journey through hell," Sheryl or Ranka?
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Sheryl started in hell, from nothing, digging her way through dirt to survive until Grace salvaged her. When she was discarded, she went back to hell again. The difference? She refused to give up while living life to its fullest.
Ranka on the other hand, had been pampered since childhood. Even without her singing career, she still had a place to go back to. She was never disappointed, and Ozma made sure she was pampered to the excess. If you noticed throughout the show, Ranka always had her way with Ozma. Whatever she wanted, Ozma granted. She wanted to become a singer, Ozma granted that. She wanted to be transferred to the academy? Ozma granted that. She wanted to act, Ozma granted that, albeit with a lot of reluctance. Yet, the point stands, she had her way almost all the time. Now she met one disappointment and suddenly she was emotionally disabled. That is not going through hell, that is her simply refusing to extend her hand to turn the doorknob of the gate to heaven! Somebody else had to do that for her!
- Tak
IT Support
Fly since ↔...
