Macross Frontier – Nyan Kuri

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COMPLETE MACROSS GIGANTIC POLL!!

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So the big international Macross poll just happened and there is much tumult in a few VERY small circles about the results. There isn’t much that really surprises me, except for the low showing of the Macross 7 movie, which I think is EXCELLENT, one of the greatest Macross productions ever, but I guess we all have our complaints. In fairness, I didn’t vote for it, because I still think Do You Remember Love? is one of the greatest movies of all time.

(And yes, some of the votes were definitely split, unfairly. The YF-19 would’ve gotten WAY more votes had it not been divided between the Plus OVA and movie.)

Anyway, we have the results now, despite my complaints (although I have NO complaints about the lowest ranked production), and the complaints of other fortysomethings trying to convince themselves that nobody ever liked Delta (and they’re apparently REALLY invested in it failing, despite the fact that the failure of Delta means no more Macross), so here they are:

(If you want to see the breakdowns of gender and age, which is different than you might think, please check with Gwyn. He’s got all the screencaps.)

(And the results are here. Just click on 結果発表. It’ll give you the options of “Productions,” “Characters,” “Mecha,” and “Songs.”)

TOP PRODUCTIONS

  1. Macross Frontier (TV) (2007)
  2. Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? (Movie) (1984)
  3. Macross 7 (TV) (1994)
  4. Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~ (Movie) (2011)
  5. Super Dimension Fortress Macross (TV) (1982)
  6. Macross Delta (TV) (2015)
  7. Macross Plus (OVA) (1994)
  8. Macross Plus Movie Edition (Movie) (1995)
  9. Movie Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre  (Movie) (2018)
  10. Macross Dynamite 7 (OVA) (1997)
  11. Macross Zero (OVA) 2002
  12. Movie Macross F ~The False Diva~ (Movie) (2009)
  13. Super Dimension Fortress Macross II – LOVERS AGAIN (OVA) (1992)
  14. Movie Macross 7: The Galaxy is Calling Me! (Movie) (1995)
  15. Super Dimension Fortress Macross Flashback 2012 (OVA) (1987)
  16. Macross FB7 (Movie) (2012)

TOP FIFTY CHARACTERS

  1. Sheryl Nome (Macross F)
  2. Basara Nekki (Macross 7)
  3. Ranka Lee (Macross F)
  4. Sheryl Nome (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~)
  5. Kaname Buccaneer (Macross Delta)
  6. Lynn Minmay (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  7. Isamu Dyson (Macross Plus)
  8. Freyja Wion (Macross Delta)
  9. Roy Focker (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  10. Lynn Minmay (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  11. Misa Hayase (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  12. Roy Focker (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  13. Ranka Lee (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~)
  14. Mikumo Guynemer (Macross Delta)
  15. Mylene Flare Jenius (Macross 7)
  16. Misa Hayase (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  17. Alto Saotome (Macross F)
  18. Messer Ihlefeld (Macross Delta)
  19. Sheryl Nome (Movie Macross F ~The False Diva~)
  20. Mikhail [Michael/Michel] Braun (Macross F)
  21. Maximilian Jenius (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  22. Klan Klang (Macross F)
  23. Makina Nakajima (Macross Delta)
  24. Kaname Buccaneer (Movie Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre)
  25. Alto Saotome (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~)
  26. Hikaru Ichijo (Super Dimension Fortress Macross) [FINALLY!!]
  27. Gamlin Kizaki (Macross 7)
  28. Guld Goa Bowman (Macross Plus)
  29. Hayao Kakizaki (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  30. Flower Girl (Macross 7)
  31. Reina Prowler (Macross Delta)
  32. Hikaru Ichijo (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  33. Brera Stern (Macross F)
  34. Sharon Apple (Macross Plus) [REALLY??]
  35. Basara Nekki (Macross Dynamite 7)
  36. Ozma Lee (Macross F)
  37. Hayate Immelman (Macross Delta)
  38. Milia Fallyna (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  39. Ranka Lee (Movie Macross F ~The False Diva~)
  40. Ishter (Super Dimension Fortress Macross II – LOVERS AGAIN)
  41. Maximilian Jenius (Macross 7)
  42. Keith Aero Windermere (Macross Delta)
  43. Hayao Kakizaki (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  44. Mirage Fallyna Jenius (Macross Delta)
  45. Messer Ihlefeld (Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre)
  46. Freyja Wion (Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre)
  47. Maximilian Jenius (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  48. Mikumo Guynemer (Movie Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre)
  49. Gigil (Macross 7)
  50. Lynn Minmay (Super Dimension Fortress Macross Flashback 2012)

TOP FIFTY MECHA

  1. YF-19 (Macross Plus)
  2. VF-1S [Roy Focker Special] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  3. YF-29 Durandal [Alto Special] (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~)
  4. VF-19 Custom Excalibur “Basara Nekki Special” (Macross 7)
  5. VF-1S Strike Valkyrie [Roy Focker Special] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  6. VF-1S Strike Valkyrie [Hikaru Special] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  7. YF-19 (Macross Plus Movie Edition)
  8. VF-31F Siegfried [Messer Use] (Macross Delta)
  9. VF-25F Messiah [Alto Type] (Macross F)
  10. VF-1J Valkyrie [Hikaru Type] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  11. SDF-1 Macross (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  12. VB-6 König Monster (Macross F)
  13. HWR-00-MkII Monster (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  14. YF-21 (Macross Plus)
  15. Sv-262Hs Draken III [Keith Use] (Macross Delta)
  16. SDF-1 Macross (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  17. VF-19EF/A “Isamu Special” (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~)
  18. Macross Quarter (Macross F)
  19. VF-27γ Lucifer (Macross F)
  20. VF-25S Messiah [Ozma Special] (Macross F)
  21. VF-1A Super Valkyrie [Hikaru Type] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  22. YF-21 (Macross Plus Movie Edition)
  23. VF-25G Messiah [Michael Type] (Macross F)
  24. VF-1J Armored Valkyrie (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  25. HWR-00-MkII Monster (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  26. 26. VF-0S Phoenix (Macross Zero)
  27. VF-31J [Hayate Use] (Macross Delta)
  28. VF-31F [Messer Use] (Movie Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre)
  29. VF-1S Super Valkyrie [Hikaru Special] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  30. VF-31F Siegfried [with Lilldrakens] (Movie Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre)
  31. Reguld (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  32. VF-1A Valkyrie [Max Type] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  33. VF-25F Messiah [Alto Type] (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~)
  34. VF-22S Sturmvögel II [Max Special] (Macross 7)
  35. Battle Frontier (Macross F)
  36. SLV-111 Daedalus (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  37. VF-4 Lightning III (Super Dimension Fortress Macross Flashback 2012)
  38. MBR-04-MkVI Tomahawk (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  39. VF-171EX Nightmare Plus EX [Alto Type] (Macross F)
  40. Sv-262Ba Draken III [Mirage Color] (Movie Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre)
  41. VF-11 MAXL Custom [Mylene Type] (Macross 7)
  42. VF-31J Custom [Hayate Use] (Macross Delta)
  43. Glauj (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  44. VF-31C Siegfried [Mirage Use] (Macross Delta)
  45. VF-1J Valkyrie [Max Type] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  46. Macross Quarter (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~)
  47. Ghost X-9 (Macross Plus)
  48. Queadluun-Rau [Milia Type] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  49. VF-19P Excalibur (Macross Dynamite 7)
  50. TIE. Battle 7 (Macross 7) / VB-6 König Monster (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~) / VF-31S Armored Siegfried (Movie Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre)

TOP FIFTY SONGS

  1. “Do You Remember Love?” by Lynn Minmay [Mari Iijima] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  2. “Lion” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n/Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima (Macross F) [Funny… the single was only attributed to the singers, not the characters…]
  3. “Charging Loveheart” by Fire Bomber (Macross 7)
  4. “Interstellar Journey” by Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima (Macross F)
  5. “The Wings of Farewell ~ The End of Triangle” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n, Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~)
  6. “AXIA~I Love You but I Hate You” by Walküre (Macross Delta)
  7. “Diamond Crevasse” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n (Macross F)
  8. “Sagittarius 9PM Don’t Be Late” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n (Macross F)
  9. “INFORMATION HIGH” by Sharon Apple [and NOT, again I must add, by Yoko Kanno] (Macross Plus)
  10. “An Angel’s Paints” by Lynn Minmay [Mari Iijima] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?)
  11. “Forbidden Borderline” by Walküre (Macross Delta)
  12. “Northern Cross” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n (Macross F)
  13. “TRY AGAIN” by Fire Bomber (Macross 7)
  14. “VOICES” by Myung Fan Lone [Akino Arai] (Macross Plus)
  15. “Macross” by Makoto Fujiwara (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  16. “Nyan Nyan Service Medley” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n, Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima (Macross F)
  17. “Angel Voice” by Basara Nekki (Macross Dynamite 7)
  18. “Afterschool Overflow” by Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~)
  19. “DYNAMITE EXPLOSION” by Fire Bomber (Macross Dynamite 7… naturally)
  20. “Empty Diamond Crevasse” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n (Macross F) (this is the one from Episode 20)
  21. “My Boyfriend is a Pilot” by Lynn Minmay [Mari Iijima] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross) [The ORIGINAL Macross hit!!]
  22. “Obelisk” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n (Movie Macross F ~The False Diva~)
  23. “Triangler” by Maaya Sakamoto (Macross F)
  24. “Absolute 5” by Walküre (Macross Delta)
  25. “If I Love Only Once” by Walküre (Macross Delta)
  26. “HOLY LONELY LIGHT” by Fire Bomber (Macross 7)
  27. “SEVENTH MOON” by Fire Bomber (Macross 7)
  28. “Universal Bunny” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n (Movie Macross F ~The False Diva~)
  29. “Nyan Nyan FINAL ATTACK – Frontier Greatest Hits” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n, Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~)
  30. “Love Drifts Away” by Lynn Minmay [Mari Iijima] (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  31. “WANNA BE AN ANGEL” by Sharon Apple [Akino Arai] (Macross Plus Movie Edition)
  32. “Runner” by Makoto Fujiwara (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  33. “Walküre Won’t Betray You” by Walküre (Movie Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre)
  34. “Our Battlefield” by Walküre (Macross Delta)
  35. “AXIA~I Love You but I Hate You” by Walküre (Movie Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre)
  36. “REMEMBER 16” by Fire Bomber (Macross 7)
  37. “The Destruction of Innocence” by Walküre (Macross Delta)
  38. “Change!!!!!” by Walküre (Movie Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre)
  39. “GIRAFFE BLUES” by Walküre (Macross Delta)
  40. “Hoshikira” by Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima (Movie Macross F ~The False Diva~)
  41. “Walküre Won’t Stop” by Walküre (Movie Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre)
  42. “HEART&SOUL” by EMILIA with BASARA NEKKI (Movie Macross 7: The Galaxy is Calling Me!)
  43. “PLANET DANCE” by Fire Bomber (Macross 7)
  44. “Lion” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n/Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima (Movie Macross F ~The False Diva~)
  45. “Fairy” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n (Macross F)
  46. “dShooting Starb” by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n, Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~)
  47. “Triangler (fight on Stage) by Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n, Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima (Macross F)
  48. “God Bless You” by Walküre (Macross Delta)
  49. “Rainbow Bear-Bear” by Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima (Movie Macross F ~The Wings of Farewell~)
  50. “What ’bout my star@Formo” by Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima, Sheryl Nome STARRING May’n (Macross F)
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THE GREAT MACROSS REWATCH – CONCLUSION

Conclusion

THE GREAT MACROSS REWATCH – CONCLUSION

It feels weird to be writing a “conclusion” when the newest series is right in the middle of airing. And yeah, this is more of a long pause than a total wrap-up (it’ll probably be a few years before I do a full Delta rewatch). I’ve still got lots more material for the blog, but for now, the Great Macross Rewatch is done. It’s been an interesting journey to watch, for me at least, as the original series (which was never really an underdog) managed to generate so many years of anime, and stands now as, well, not quite a household name, but very highly-regarded in many circles. Pretty good for a series that was designed as a merchandise-friendly throwaway series so that Studio Nue could then do what they REALLY wanted to do: Genocidas (which of course, they never did).

This last weekend, Shoji Kawamori was, of course, a guest at Anime Expo, and I was lucky enough to help out a bit at the booth for Satelight, which is his animation studio. It was the second time I’d done so, the first being the previous year, when Satelight designer Thomas Romain was one of the guests of honor. I was introduced to him as “a big Macross fan,” and his response, “Ah, yes… Zat is what zhey dragged me away from to come ‘ere,” was the ONLY thing anyone told me about Delta. This time, Kawamori was pretty busy the entire time, and so I only got to meet him once, when he came by the booth Sunday morning. We didn’t talk much; I was introduced to him by the other Satelight employees, and I thanked him for his work.

The previous night, Saturday, July Second, had been his big panel, mostly talking about his childhood and the development of Macross, and in particular the VF-1. Much of the content of the talk would not have been a surprise to anyone who has followed this blog from the start, but one thing that I hadn’t known was that after trying to get Genocidas funded and having no luck, Macross (which he termed a “dummy project”) was basically created in a single night. Of course, it went through many changes during pre-production, but most of the core concepts were decided upon in that one session.

(There was a great bit after the talk, when he came out and posed for a big group photograph with all the cosplayers who were there. The cosplay was mostly Delta (lots of Walküre members, plus a Hayate and a Mirage), but there was also a Minmay, a Basara, a Sheryl, a Ranka, and a Shin Kudo. Only Macross II and Plus were not represented.)

I think it’s indisputable that as far as the history of anime goes, the first series (with Do You Remember Love) is the most important, both at home (as the flagship series produced by the first generation of what would become “otaku”) and abroad (even in somewhat muffled form, as Robotech, the first series retains most of its force and power, and remains popular, despite Harmony Gold’s constant inadvertent attempts to sabotage it). Following that I would say that, for Japan, Frontier is the second-most important, for ushering in the “ani-son boom,” whereas in the west, it’s Macross Plus, for being an absolutely must-see series at a time when anime was first really beginning to take off in the US.

But really, if there’s anything I hope you take away from this Rewatch project, it’s how central the concept of music was even for the first series (although, again, Carl Macek downplayed its importance in Robotech). It fits squarely into the history of idol anime as much as it does mecha anime, and as I said during Episode 12 of the original series, the use of idol music during the space battle was one of the things, apparently, that the fans really went nuts about, since no one had ever tried anything like that before. The music is one of Macross’s signature features, and one of the things that makes it different from other mecha anime.

THE END.

Okay, not quite.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’ve had A LOT of help on this. The SpeakerPODCast Crew (Adrian, Gwyn, and Renato), VF5SS, and Karice67 have all been extremely generous with their time and knowledge, and generally helped me look a lot smarter than I actually am.

Thanks to the Facebook groups Robits, Macross Fans US, Macross Fans of Malaysia, Macross △ Delta, and Robotech Freedom for putting up with my twice-weekly invasions (and often being kind enough to actually READ the blog post before commenting… well, in Robits, at any rate).

And thanks to CaptainJLS, whose acknowledgment here probably surprises him as much as it does you, for inspiring the whole thing in the first place. Years ago, I stumbled over his wonderful “365 Days of Robotech” blog posts, and thought, “Huh… I wish someone would do something like this for Macross…”

And thanks to YOU for reading this, especially if you’ve actually made it through the entire Rewatch. Your dedication is impressive, especially considering my digressive, self-interrupting, and completely tangled and annoying writing style. I really appreciate it!

Okay, NOW… THE END.

No, wait…

Okay, now that the Rewatch is all nicely wrapped up, there are going to be some changes. First, the updates to the blog will be less frequent, probably once a week (or less) rather than the twice a week I’ve been doing. I’ve got a few topics that spiraled out of control and had to be pruned while I was doing the the Rewatch, and there are other topics that got spread out over many posts that I would like to consolidate. And there’s the post about the  dRobotech/Macross rights issue, which I’ve been working on for a while, and which is getting fearsomely long (It’s looking like it’ll be at least two parts. Maybe three). And also, I’ve got a few translations I’ve finished (or started) and nowhere to put them. So that’s what’s coming up in the next while.

SEE YOU NEXT DECULTURE.

gubabablog

THE GREAT MACROSS REWATCH 139 – NYAN KURI

F Nyan Kuri

MACROSS FRONTIER – NYAN KURI (NYANx2 MUSIC CLIP)

ICONIC SCENE: They want to survive… so why are they standing right on the runway…?

STORY DATE: 2059

RELEASE DATE: December 15, 2010

1. Now the second Frontier movie was initially scheduled for release in late 2010. We didn’t get it then, but received this instead. And indeed, the movie was apparently deliberately delayed while the staff was moved over to this project.

(Oh, and the title is one of those untranslatable puns, since “Clip” would be, in Japanse-English, “kurippu,” and “kuri,” the abbreviation, means “chestnut,” which is why there’s a chestnut in the logo.)

Now at this point, I’d been living in Tokyo since late June of 2010, teaching English, and scraping by (barely). I had met up with what would eventually become the Macross SpeakerPODCast Crew… First Renato (at Shibuya Station), then Adrian (the same day, in Shibuya Mandarake), then Gwyn (sometime later, in Akihabara Excelsior Café). Already, Gwyn was showing almost inexhaustible zeal as the English-language historian of Macross (and Yamato 2199) events and celebrations, appendicitis notwithstanding. As he rightly points out, often he would be the only non-Japanese person present at these events, and if he didn’t document the proceedings, they would be lost to the English-speaking fandom forever (this would become especially important during the 30th Anniversary in 2012, which was very little EXCEPT a series of events… but more about that later).

That said, I was the only member of the soon-to-be-formed podcast crew (and, likewise, the only non-Japanese person, at least among the people I saw) who, on November 26, showed up at Sunshine Cinema in Ikebukuro to see a special advance screening of this. I had been lucky to get a ticket, since it was the first time I’d gotten a ticket from the ATM-like ticket vendor that every convenience store has, and I initially made a mistake, getting a ticket for the screening in Nagoya rather than in Tokyo. Thankfully, there were still seats available in Tokyo by the time I had realized my error. Also thankfully, the tickets had been cheap (¥1000, about thirteen US dollars at that time), so I wasn’t out by TOO much. The screening (which was over four nights: November 26 and 27, and a week later, December 3 and 4) on that first night wasn’t sold out, but it was nearly full. So yeah, it started and there was a projector mix-up, where only the bottom half of the picture was on the screen… They fixed it soon, though (before the trailer for “May’n the Movie” was finished, if I recall correctly).

2. I initially figured that this would be a lot like Flashback 2012, and in a way it is. It’s a collection of music videos for various Sheryl and Ranka songs, but instead of being presented as a concert, as Flashback was, this is more of a miscellany, featuring also interviews with both singers as well as number of fake ads.

It begins rather unpromisingly… after a short interview with Sheryl (untranslatable: she says she hates “jikan,” one word for time, but loves “toki,” another word for time. For you hardcore Madeleine L’Engle fans, she hates “Chronos” but loves “Kairos”… but there’s no good English equivalent), it goes right into “Universal Bunny,” and it’s almost exactly the same as it was in the movie, just with the Vajra and VF-171 scenes cut out (and a few short cuts added). Thankfully, it gets (A LOT) more creative after that.

There’s plenty of reused footage, but even then (like the “Lion” opening titles for the series) it gets manipulated, filtered, and essentially altered so that it feels “familiar” but not like a clip show. And some of the videos (like “Anata no Oto,” in which Ranka LITERALLY walks on water, and “Diamond Crevasse,” with Sheryl gliding through what looks like Venice) are all or nearly-all new animation.

One of the biggest surprises, though, is a full version of “Koi wa Dogfight” (which, I noticed for the first time on THIS rewatch, has lyrics written by Kawamori’s alter-ego, Eiji Kurokawa…) which only got a snippet on the “CM Ranka” album. And this is still the only place to hear the studio version, in all its auto-tune glory, since the (overlong) version that’s on the NEXT album has “live” vocals. It’s also the video that, although we didn’t know it yet, has the most hints for the second movie, since it features the debut of Ranka’s concert costume for the song and also has a lot of pop-up book effects (like “Rainbow Bear-Bear” will). Although “Diamond Crevasse” also shows us the cathedral which appears at the beginning of that film.

Speaking of which… of the videos, I think “Diamond Crevasse” is probably my favorite… it’s elegant, beautiful, and evocative (and shows up during a pivotal scene in the next movie). As far as recycling footage in new and surprising ways, I think “Iteza Gogo Kuji Don’t Be Late” is probably the best. Although I also really like “Lion,” because it seems, unlike the others, like a deliberate throwback to the type of video made for Flashback 2012, even to the point of having a cheering crowd that abruptly goes silent. It’s not the most inventive video in the group, but it’s got old-school style.

The carrot ad is appropriately adorable, and the natto ad is appropriately nauseating.

And I note that “Universal Bunny” and “Northern Cross” were storyboarded by Kawamori, and “Lion” was storyboarded by Frontier TV director Kikuchi.

3. One of the “selling points” for the video before it came out was that there would be some CGI dancing scenes (in “Anata no Oto” for Ranka and “Northern Cross” for Sheryl), deliberately reminiscent of the “Miku Miku Dance” animation program (in which you can create a character and choreograph your own music video for them… just search for “MMD” on YouTube, and you’re sure to come across MANY examples. Link “MMD” with “Everybody” in the search and you’re sure to come across most of the best… although if you’re an ’80s anime fan, you might prefer (as I do) “MMD” and “Twilight”). I think the point of this (here and in the scenes added to the credits of the movie blu-ray re-release) was lost on most western fans, who just complained that it looked cheap and unrealistic. Well, yes… it does. Because they were trying to make it look like Miku Miku Dance. I even saw a few people who thought that the ENTIRE DVD would be done this way, but no, both scenes are extremely short.

4. It’s kind of funny when both Ranka and Sheryl get flustered during their respective interviews. Ranka when she’s asked about what “love” means to her, and she lets slip that there’s a guy she likes, which causes the interviewer to press her about it; Sheryl when she’s asked about her earring, and she lets slip that only one of them is currently in her possession. Both of the girls try their best to cover over having said too much, and neither is terribly successful.

5. So yeah… hardly a necessary addition to the canon, but a really entertaining one. It’s much more varied than its closest relative, Flashback 2012, with no two videos really looking all that much alike (indeed, each one had different Satelight staff working on it, and thus each one has a unique, personal style to it).

But my question, which I kinda brought up last time but put off for here… if people often (apparently) try to introduce their friends to Macross through the movies rather than the TV shows, because the movies are shorter, why does no one suggest starting with the clip videos, which are the shortest of all? Many people castigate Do You Remember Love, saying some variation of, “If you saw this before you saw the TV series, you’d be totally lost!” And yet no one says that about Flashback 2012, even though it’s even more true there. I mean, I know the answer (they don’t tell a story), but you’d think SOMEONE would’ve suggested it at SOME point… and these ARE the shortest segments… (My point here, and I do have one, is that rather than agonizing about whether or not the movie or the series (or the OVA) is the best way to introduce someone to Macross, just give them the first TV series disc. If they like it, they’ll WANT to continue. If not, oh well…  move on to what’s next.)

But back to the main subject, though… again, the thing that always impresses me about the Macross works done by Satelight (i.e. everything from Zero onwards) is the amount of care and effort put into every project. As Adrian has been saying on the Macross SpeakerPODcast regarding Delta, this is clearly a staff of real professionals who love the work and want to make it look as good as possible. And this video is a great place to see them at the very top of their game. The eye for detail really comes through, and there’s something wonderful and, yes, touching about it. If Flashback 2012 was always the video I’d go to whenever I needed a little Macross “jolt” (as I often did in the late ’80s and early ’90s), this is the one I go to now when I want to be CHARMED by Macross, which is just as important. And perhaps even more so as I get older, and charm becomes more necessary than jolt.