And it’s finally here, Chapter 3 of Part III of my translation of Sukehiro Tomita’s Do You Remember Love novelization! As always, it tends to follow the general arc of the movie rather than being a scene-for-scene adaptation of it, and here especially it fills in some points that are simply skipped over in the film.
And as always, if you missed the earlier parts, they’re here.
Since July 21 is the anniversary of the Tokyo premiere of Do You Remember Love, I wanted to commemorate it, so here are the next two chapters of the novelization. As you can see, it again diverges pretty widely from the film. It also features Misa’s first-ever OFFICIAL nude scene!
As always, if you missed out on the previous parts of the novel, you can find them here.
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
TOP FIFTY CHARACTERS
TOP FIFTY MECHA
TOP FIFTY SONGS
So this isn’t really a news blog, but this is pretty big: at the Walküre event last night, they announced a Crossover Live on June 1 and 2, 2019, as well as a new (COMPLETELY new, according to the sign) Delta movie.
I assume this will push further back the “2018 TV project” that was announced back in 2017 (if it hadn’t been pushed back already… that was announced before the first Delta movie, so it may have been off the table since then), but I think the success of Passionate Walküre caught everyone by surprise.
There’s no date listed yet, nor any information about the movie itself. Any of that will probably be a long time in coming.
For the concert, though, it’s going to feature Mari Iijima (Minmay), Yoshiki Fukuyama (Basara), Chie Kajiura (Mylene), May’n (Sheryl), Megumi Nakajima (Ranka), and the five members of Walküre. If it’s anything like previous concerts, there will also be surprise guests, like perhaps Yoko Kanno. Me, I’m hoping that Holy Raz (Sara) is there, since she seems to have fallen off the face of the earth (or just been whisked away across the dimensions).
Anyway, good times ahead!
(And as always… for the latest Macross News, check decultureshock.com. It will ALWAYS be there first!)
(Previous synopses: #1, #2, and #3)
As seems par for the course now, there’s very little new material here from the previous version of the manga, although the scene where Hikaru joins the military is made a little more oblique.
THE SYNOPSIS
#4 transformation(1)
Pages 1-5
Hikaru notes the tuna again. Minmay is gesticulating wildly from the window. He can’t understand her, but she’s suggesting that he grab the tuna and bring it back so they can eat it. Hikaru grits his teeth, thinking he’ll have to hold his breath much longer than normal. He pushes off and grabs the tuna… then starts to panic, since it’s difficult to move, and his ears are ringing from holding his breath so long. He makes it back, but passes out.
Pages 6-8
He awakes to Minmay calling his name. She exclaims that she really thought he was a goner, since he had no way to breathe. He points to his lips, “subtly” asking her to kiss him. She declines and calls him an idiot. Suddenly, he thinks of the tuna, and looks back to find that only the head made it into the ship. Minmay apologizes, saying she closed the airlock door too soon.
Pages 8-12
The Zentradi are catching up to the Macross, so Global is in the engineering staff room, talking with the Chief Engineer, Maj. Gina Baltrow (and her fishnet stockings), about how to get the main cannon to fire. She says (as in the show) that many of the energy conduits vanished with the fold system. The conduits were made from a special metal, and they don’t have any of it to spare, so repair is impossible. However, they can use the modular block structure of the Macross to connect the main reactor to the cannon. She calls this a “transformation,” and Global seems uneasy about it.
Pages 12-14
Minmay tries to cheer Hikaru up, saying that no one’s ever caught a tuna in space before, and he’ll be in the Guinness Book of World Records. When he still seems glum, she apologies again and says that if she hadn’t noticed the tuna, none of this would’ve happened. He notes that she actually saved his life, since even getting back to the airlock from as close as he was was a challenge, and if he had tried to go further, to find the next airlock, he wouldn’t have made it. Minmay calls him an idiot again.
Pages 1-2
Hikaru says that since he hasn’t been able to find food or an exit, their only hope is that Focker will find them. Then he remembers that the last time he talked to Focker, he called him a “murderer.” Minmay gets upset, saying that Hikaru is talking like he’ll never see Focker again. Hikaru apologizes, and Minmay starts singing the song “Cinderella” (as heard in Macross Episode 4, as well as Do You Remember Love).
Pages 3-7
Hikaru compliments Minmay’s voice and Minmay says that she really wants to be a singer, and even writes her own songs (which, I want to point out, is unusual for idols like Minmay, but Mari Iijima did indeed write “Cinderella” (and a few other Macross songs, as well as everything on her own albums) herself). Hikaru says that he’s always only been into planes. Minmay (as in the show) replies that she thinks throwing everything you’ve got into one thing is great.
Hikaru asks her if she has any other dreams. She blushes, hugs her knees, and says she’s always wanted to be a bride (again, just as in the show).
Then Minmay’s mood changes, and she points out that they haven’t found an exit, they can’t find food, everyone’s probably forgotten about them… and she wishes she could’ve worn a wedding dress.
Hikaru suggests that they have a wedding ceremony, but wonders if it’s okay that there’s no one but him for the groom.
Minmay isn’t buying his self-deprecation act and gets a little angry at him, saying that he should be more confident and say something like, “I’m the one who saved you!” Hikaru is ashamed.
Page 8-9
No dialogue on pages 8 or 9, so you’re on your own, champ. If you don’t understand this, I have to assume you’ve never seen Macross.
Pages 10-13
Hikaru tells Minmay she’s beautiful. They seem about to kiss. But reality always has its way of telling Hikaru he’s making the wrong choice. Here, the Zentradi attack outside shakes the ship, which alarms Hikaru and Minmay. Minmay finally goes crazy and (as in Episode 4, infamously), suggests that if they’re going to die anyway, they should throw themselves into space.
Hikaru (again, as in the show) points out how Minmay has survived so much so far, and that she needs to keep going.
Then (as in the movie), the gravity fails.
Pages 14-17
Because of the transformation, the gravity goes haywire, and the comic cuts between the (successful) transformation, and Hikaru and Minmay hurtling towards the ceiling. The bridge crew’s dialogue is straight out of the show (“Right side at 80%!” “Left side at 75%!”) while Hikaru just thinks that they’re about to ram into the ceiling, and that he needs to protect Minmay.
Pages 18-20
The transformation is complete and the Macross fires its cannon.
#4 transformation(3)
Pages 1-6
The Macross’s cannon destroys the Zentradi ships, and Misa notices VT-102. Hikaru and Minmay are shocked to see the city rebuilt inside the Macross, and Misa is so shocked to see VT-102 that she passes out.
Minmay reunites with her aunt and uncle, and regales them about her adventures. Hikaru isn’t sure how he feels about Minmay having “other people” in her life.
Pages 7-8
Aboard the Daedalus, some underlings are explaining to Roy that there are a bunch of destroids they can use, as well as the Daedalus’s own on-board weapons systems. Roy sees Hikaru’s wrecked fanracer and thinks “What about him?” and then says “!!” followed by “……..”
Page 9-10
It’s big, salacious news that an aerobatic pilot named Hikaru Ichijo was trapped with a beautiful 15-year-old girl in an unexplored hold of the Macross. The headline is “ZERO-G HUG!!!”
We see crowds going to Nyan-Nyan to catch a glimpse of this “beautiful 15-year-old girl.” Minmay says that she’s glad the restaurant is popular, but still…
Pages 11-14
Narration tells us that the city has been completely rebuilt inside the Macross. Hikaru is staying in a (rather plush) military dorm, free of charge. Roy confronts him, asking him if he’s going to enlist in the military, since he’s currently freeloading off of them. Hikaru waffles, and Roy points out that the room is meant to ease the souls of those who have to fight, and that maybe the previous occupant of the room died protecting Hikaru and Minmay and the other civilians.
Hikaru replies that in protecting others, HE would need to be protected (based on past experience). Roy tells him that he’s not wrong, and that he’ll have to get his hands dirty, and still use them, dirty as they are.
At that point, Hikaru gets a text from Minmay. Roy notices and excuses him from the lecture, saying that going after a girl is “a man’s true battlefield,” where one victory makes up for innumerable failures.
Pages 15-16
He also tells Hikaru to send a get-well card to Lt. Hayase, since she worked overtime trying to find him.
Hikaru shows up at the place where Minmay said to meet him, but he can’t find her. She replies back when she sees him and complains that she recognized him before he saw her. He points out that she looks different (that is, her hair is pulled up under a cap), but she retorts that she saw him, even though (as we’ll find out soon) he’s wearing Focker’s cast-off clothing, which is too big for him.
#4 transformation(4)
Pages 1-5
Hikaru and Minmay go on a date. She notes that he’s dressed strangely, and he says that Focker loaned him his old clothes. They reminisce a bit about when they first met, and then she asks him if he’s decided whether or not to join the military. She adds that she thinks it would be cool for him to do something that’s necessary, and that she likes Hikaru best when he’s flying, and that she’s fan number one of Hikaru Ichijo, Valkyrie pilot.
Suddenly, she notices the time, and needs to get back to the restaurant. She holds her hand out, mistaking the flowers Hikaru’s carrying (for Misa) as a gift to commemorate the opening of the restaurant. Hikaru gives them to her.
Pages 5-7
Having picked up another bouquet, Hikaru goes to visit Misa in the hospital, only to find that she’s already been discharged. He stares at the UN Spacy recruitment poster (but unlike in the original version of the manga, we don’t see him actually sign up). The slogan on the poster, by the way, says “for cutting through to the future!” which you might recall as a variation of Minmay’s catchphrase from Macross 30.
Pages 7-12
Hikaru gets something of a hero’s welcome at Nyan-Nyan, although the Mayor causes a little bit of worry by talking about how all the guys like Minmay. Hikaru gets roped into making a food delivery (to a family named “Ishiguro”(!!!)), and sees Minmay, who seems to be out on a date with a handsome older guy (we’ll find out who he is next time). Miserable, he goes off and sulks.
Pages 13
Misa’s back on duty, and Shammy finds Hikaru’s bouquet of flowers, and suggests that Misa has a secret admirer.
Pages 14-16
Hikaru sees an ad for the Miss Macross Contest and remembers the mock ceremony that he and Minmay had back in Chapter 2.
Page 17
Minmay is shocked that Hikaru was asked to help out at the restaurant, since he’s now become a soldier and has other things to do.
(#1 is available here, and #2 is here.)
As with #2, not much is changed from the original publication in this section. Some panels are rearranged, but nothing major has been altered. I’m guessing that, moving forward, Chapters 4 to 8 (the remaining chapters that were originally published in Macross Ace Magazine, and collected in Volumes 2 and 3 of the books) will also be divided into four parts each, taking us up to the end of September. After that, the chapters will get shorter.
THE SYNOPSIS
#3 alone with(1)
Pages 1-2
The Macross folds, taking the island with it.
Pages 3-4
In dialogue lifted directly from the series, Britai and Exsedol express amazement that the Macross folded directly from the Earth’s surface, and begin trying to figure out where it went.
Pages 5-6
Alarm bells go off all over Alaska Base as High Command realizes that the Macross has folded, and there’s no indication of a de-fold. Admiral Hayase salutes the sky and murmurs Misa’s name.
Pages 7-12
The Macross de-folds. Misa picks up the ID signal from VT-102. Minmay’s excited and starts singing… until she and Hikaru see a battle pod heading towards them. Back on the ship, Global prepares to attack the enemy battle pods that have been dragged along with them through the fold. Then Vanessa examines the object beneath them and discovers that it’s primarily composed of seawater. They realize that it’s the entire island of South Ataria. More bad news comes when they find out that they’re in the vicinity of Pluto.
#3 alone with(2)
Pages 1-2
Trying to make the best of the situation, Global says that after they defeat the enemy pods, they can just fold back to earth… but then Kim gets a call from the engine room saying that the fold system has vanished. Global notes that it’s going to be a long trip…
Pages 2-9
Hikaru tries to avoid the pod attacking him and Minmay. He notes that while he’s a first class pilot, he’s strictly a third-rate shot. However, he hits the pod. He sees the Macross’s hull get punctured and flies into the hole.
Pages 9-10
Misa notices that VT-102’s ID signal has disappeared suddenly. Claudia teases her, saying that the civilian pilot probably got to a shelter, and that Misa’s just imagining things because he called her an “old lady.”
Then, having mopped up the enemy pods, Global orders the ship to land on the island, rescue any survivors in the shelters, and bring aboard the supplies that are floating around.
Pages 11-16
In the unexplored area of the ship, Minmay is waiting for Hikaru. She sees that she’s not getting a signal on her phone. Hikaru comes back after exploring the area, and Minmay optimistically asks if the exit is very far. He replies that every room is just a network of pipes and he has no idea where they are. With the plane’s communicator busted, it would be best if they mapped the area, and they can use the compass in his watch to keep track of their location.
Minmay, rather uncomfortable, asks if this means they’re going to have to spend the night here. When Hikaru says it may be even longer than that, Minmay opens a section on the Valk’s nose and pulls out survival rations. She says that a soldier who once took her on a sightseeing flight told her about it, and had said that if they had to make an emergency landing, they’d have enough supplies for a while.
Hikaru, a little jealous, suggests that the soldier was only trying to mack on her, and probably would make a fake emergency landing just so she’d have to spend the night with him. Minmay asks if this means that Hikaru himself is currently trying to make a pass at her.
Hikaru denies it, and insists he’s looking after her because Focker told him to. Minmay retorts that he should fire a missile or something and get them out of here.
This gives Hikaru an idea, and he ejects one of the seats, hoping (I guess…?) that it will break through the ceiling.
#3 alone with(3)
Pages 1-2
We open with Claudia exasperatedly explaining to Focker that the ship’s personnel is all occupied with rescuing the civilians, and they can’t spare anyone to search specifically for Hikaru. Focker blows up. Misa takes over and says that she’s checking all the footage from every monitor aboard the Macross as well as all the Valks’ recorders, in an effort to figure out what happened to VT-102.
Claudia expresses shock Misa hasn’t taken a break yet, and Misa says that since she’s the one that ordered VT-102 into combat AND since she’s the one who lost its signal, Hikaru’s life is her responsibility.
Pages 3-9
Minmay notes that Hikaru has seemed depressed since his plan to break a hole in the ceiling by ejecting one of the seats didn’t work, and points out that they can use the parachute as a tent.
She says that it’s only been one day so far, and is concerned about her aunt and uncle. Hikaru says that if they got to the shelter, they should be fine. When Minmay agrees, saying that the soldiers will protect them, Hikaru gets jealous again and says that her Chinese dress was too revealing (like it’s any of his business…). Minmay gets annoyed, so Hikaru backs off and says that it’s just because she’s very attractive. Minmay replies that that’s the first nice thing he’s said to her. He blusters a bit and says that they just met earlier that day (so it’s not like he’s had a lot of time or reason to compliment her). She says that guys usually start complimenting her immediately upon meeting her. Hikaru, still jealous, implies that they’re just trying to flatter her, but admits that she must be a very popular girl. Minmay asks Hikaru if he’s popular, and he says that he’s only really interested in planes, and that when he meets girls, he always ends up as “just a friend” or else as their “backup plan.” Minmay falls asleep on his shoulder, and he muses that being a backup isn’t all THAT bad.
Pages 10-14
The next day. While the images show Hikaru breaking the water pipe and Minmay taking her shower, the dialogue tells of a different conversation. Minmay asks Hikaru why he became a pilot, and he tells how his father had a aerobatic team, and so he (Hikaru) has been flying since he was a child.
Then Hikaru asks her if she wants to be an entertainer, since she entered the Miss Macross Contest. She replies that her “onii-chan” (undoubtedly Kaifun) signed her up for that without her knowing, and that she wants to make it on her own, without help. She says that she’s taken a lot of singing and dancing classes, since she didn’t want to take over her parents’ restaurant in Yokohama and thus had a lot of spare time.
She thinks that the day when she becomes a professional entertainer is a long ways off, and chides herself for even thinking it’s a possibility.
Pages 15-16
On the bridge, nearly a week later, the Macross has docked with the Prometheus and the Daedalus, and is working on getting their weapons systems back on line. Misa is distracted, and Claudia scolds her again for focusing on the disappearance of VT-102 rather than on her real job. Misa retorts that taking care of ALL of the civilians IS her job.
Pages 16-20
Minmay surprises Hikaru with a snapshot (taken with her cell phone). She says she’s collecting memories, and shows Hikaru a bunch of food pics she’s taken. He gets angry, and yells that if she wants to take photos of their meals, the cans are right there. She apologizes and says she was just trying to cheer him up (by showing him photos of gourmet meals like bird’s nest soup…? I’m not sure she’s helping…). He says that girls always seem cheerful and never distraught about anything, and she says she’ll become, for the first time, that kind of girl.
HIkaru goes off for yet another day of trying to find an exit (or, failing that, more food), and thinks to himself that he feels as lost as a mouse in the middle of the desert, since the ship (built for the giants) is simply too large…
#3 alone with(4)
Pages 1-2
Checking footage filmed by the Regulds, Britai and Exsedol realize that the earth people are “miclones.” Exsedol mentions an old Zentradi legend warning about contact with miclones, so they decide to stay away from Earth and focus only on capturing the Macross.
Pages 3-4
Hikaru explains his stupid plan to leave through the airlock, float through space and find another airlock, somehow get in, and send help. Minmay raises objections, like the fact that he doesn’t have an oxygen tank. He says he’ll hold his breath, just as if he were diving in the ocean. “Oh, you dive, too?” Minmay asks. “No,” he replies. Minmay suggests they exchange cell phone numbers so they can stay in touch, and Hikaru dismisses the idea.
Page 5-7
They go to the window to see where the closest airlock is, and are confronted with a ton of dead sea animals floating in space. Minmay thinks it’s beautiful, and says it makes her want to go to Enoshima (a small island near Kamakura, known for its aquarium). Hikaru says he’ll take her there once they escape. She says it’s a promise, and says she also wants to see the peony garden at nearby Tsurugaoka Hachimangu temple.
Pages 8-11
Hikaru confirms that Minmay knows how to work the airlock controls. He says that if he doesn’t make it back, there should be enough food for her to survive on for a little while longer, but that he’ll definitely get help. Minmay wishes him good luck, and then blurts out that he’s not a “backup plan” to her. He’s a little surprised, but then focuses on the mission at hand. As the airlock door opens, he sees a giant tuna directly ahead…
(Intro and previous chapter available here.)
Well… this took a little longer than I thought it would. After chapter 1 of the series was split into three parts, I assumed this this chapter (which is slightly longer, but not by much) would follow suit. However, it looks like the fifty-page slice that we got at the beginning of Chapter 1 was just for the debut, and the regular chapters will be around twenty pages or so. So this ninety-plus-page chapter got divided into five sections.
Initially, I thought it would take about nine months for the series to get caught up to where it left off a couple of years ago, but now I’m assuming it’ll take around a year.
This chapter is less revised in this new release than Chapter 1 was. That had a couple entirely new scenes thrown in, and a lot of scenes shuffled around. This one merely compresses a couple of Britai and Exsedol scenes together (since they didn’t appear in the new version of Chapter 1) and changes some of the page layouts. There’s some new art, but not much. Most of this version is exactly the same as the old version from nine years ago.
THE SYNOPSIS
#2 lynn minmay(1)
Minmay is changing outfits, and seems awfully calm considering there’s just been an alien attack. She tells her pet ferret-thing “Kogé” (who, according to background info, is the sole survivor from aboard the SDF-1(!!!)) that he’s also male, so he shouldn’t watch her changing, and throws one of her hair buns at him. She starts taking off her clothes, but is shocked to hear a loud crash nearby.
Pages 5-10
We finally meet Britai and Exsedol. Most of their dialogue here is directly lifted from the TV show, but it’s a mash-up from several different scenes. On pages six and seven, they confirm that the Macross is the ship they’re looking for, and express shock that humans possess “the lost technology” of being able to rebuild it. Exsedol also points out that he’s pretty sure that humanity used reaction weapons against them, and so just wiping humanity out is not really advisable. On page eight, Britai orders a ground attack, and the battle pods land.
Pages 11-15
The crashing of Hikaru’s VF-1D knocks Minmay over. She gets up to take a look and sees the battroid, splayed out on the ground. She cries, “What is that?”
Pages 16-18
Minmay notes that it fell from the sky and wonders if it’s alive. Then it stands up and she realizes that it’s a robot.
MIKIMOTO’S POSTSCRIPT
“Because it’s been a while since I’ve worked on the comic, it’s a constant war with deciding what I want to revise and correct. After 30 years, I feel like I should just change EVERYTHING. *wry grin*
(The next author comment will appear when #3 is published.)”
#2 lynn minmay(2)
Pages 1-6
Hikaru crashes into Minmay’s bedroom. He asks if she’s okay, and she says yes. She recognizes his voice, but he can’t quite place her. She pulls her hair up into the twintails that she had at the Launch Ceremony, and then he recognizes her. Taking her hands off her stuffed animal, though, makes it drop from covering her chest, and Hikaru ALMOST gets an eyeful, but Roy’s face pops up on the screen at just that moment. Roy says he’ll be right there.
Pages 6-7
A helicopter patrol is checking everything out over the sea, and gets shot down by battle pods.
Pages 8-12
Vanessa reports that the helicopter patrol has been taken out, and that unidentified objects are on their way to the island. Global asks why they couldn’t be detected earlier and Vanessa says that the reaction weapons used earlier interfered with the radar (as in the show). Global notes that the air attack was a decoy, and orders the Valkyries to be resupplied and the ship prepared for launch.
Hyman Gwent strides in, smoking a cigar, demanding that the Macross launch and dock with the ARMDs. Shammy tells him that there’s no smoking on the bridge, which pisses him off. Global introduces Gwent to the crew, saying that the Macross would never have been rebuilt without his financial assistance. Claudia retorts that even so, he has to follow regulations.
Gwent says it would be a “disgrace” if the Macross were destroyed on the ground. Misa tells him that in the middle of a battle, only trained personnel are allowed on the bridge and that he should leave.
Gwent, super-angry now, demands to know Misa’s name. She tells him. He backs down a bit, since she’s Admiral Hayase’s daughter. Global, pulling out his pipe, says that he’s already preparing the Macross to launch, and that Gwent should go back to his quarters. He does so. Then Shammy yells, “No smoking on the bridge!” and Global says, “I know! I know!”
Pages 12-13
Roy asks Hikaru how it felt being shot down. Hikaru says, “Not very good.” Hikaru then asks what’s up with these planes that turn into robots, and Focker says he can’t talk about that.
Repairs done, Roy tells Hikaru to press both foot pedals to stand up.
Pages 14-17
Hikaru breathes a sigh of relief. Roy tells him not to be so proud, that even “that girl” (Minmay) could make the battroid stand up. Minmay resents that.
Roy tells Hikaru to take Minmay to the shelter, and Hikaru tries to get Roy to do it instead. Roy says that since his plane in a one-seater, Minmay would probably (ahem) “lose her innocence” by the time she got to the shelter. Minmay looks rather horrified.
Hikaru (suddenly, inexplicably in gerwalk mode) picks Minmay up and notices that she’s wearing sweat pants under her school uniform. She says, “So what?” and he says, “Nothing!”
Pages 18-20
The “9th Macross Guard ground unit” tanks are on the shore as the battle pods reach land.
#2 lynn minmay(3)
Page 1
The Zentradi pods are headed towards the city. The Macross orders all Valkyries to intercept them.
Pages 2-4
Hikaru lets slip that he’s never piloted any aircraft like this before. Minmay’s rather horrified by his lack of experience, and demands to be let off. Roy tells Minmay not to worry, since Hikaru is a first-class pilot. Hikaru tells her to have faith in him, and Minmay says she’ll wait for evidence that he actually is competent.
Then Roy gets called off to defend the city against the invaders, and tells Hikaru to get Minmay to the shelter.
Pages 5-7
Minmay gets very coy and asks Hikaru if he can make a detour. It turns out that she wants to see the area where the Miss Macross Contest (which she had entered) would have been held. Hikaru, on the other hand, is worried that if anyone sees the gerwalk, he’ll get in trouble for letting such a big military secret out.
Pages 8-11
The Zentradi battleships prepare for a laser bombardment on the island. Misa (unaware of that) contacts all Valkyries to defend against the arriving pods. She calls VT-102, to no avail.
Minmay says she should’ve changed into her Miss Macross Contest clothes, which Hikaru thinks is the Chinese dress she wore earlier. She says that that’s her restaurant delivery uniform, and that it was very popular with all the soldiers visiting Nyan-Nyan.
Hikaru gets back into the Valkyrie and shines a spotlight on the stage, saying that if Minmay wanted to be in the contest this badly, she should go for it. She takes off her gym pants.
Page 12
The Gravity System is ready for use. ARMD-1 and ARMD-2 will be a little late to the rendezvous point, but Global announces that the Macross will lift off in thirty seconds. Once they gain some altitude, they’ll execute a fold.
Pages 13-15
Hikaru gets a little nosebleed from Minmay removing her pants. He announces her as “Entry No. Infinity,” and asks her to introduce herself, which she does.
Pages 16-18
The pods fire a volley of missiles into the city. Hikaru notes that the fighting has started up again, and then a battle pod appears behind his gerwalk.
Britai commands all his battleships to fire on the island.
Pages 19-23
As the Zentradi beams hit the atmosphere, the Macross launches. Unlike in the TV series, the gravity control system cancels the gravity all across the island. Everything starts floating, including Minmay! Hikaru chases after her as she rises up.
#2 lynn minmay(4)
Pages 1-5
The Macross rises, but then the gravity control units (as in the show) break out of the hull and float upward. As they ascend, their field of effect ascends with them, and the negated gravity on the island’s surface comes back. Minmay starts to fall.
Pages 6-16
As Minmay falls towards Hikaru’s Valk, she reflexively shouts at him not to look up her skirt, and he reflexively closes his eyes, missing his chance to rescue her. He turns around and dives after her. He sees the battle pod from before, but it appears just as confused as he is. He finally grabs Minmay and pulls her into the cockpit.
Pages 17-18
The Macross crashes to the ground.
#2 lynn minmay(5)
Pages 1-2
Vanessa notes that it looks like the enemy is DELIBERATELY missing the Macross in their attacks. Global says they’re probably interested in recapturing the ship. Then he orders the ship to launch (using the rockets) and fold when they gain enough altitude. Misa voices disapproval at using more alien technology.
Pages 2-15
Minmay complains about the rough landing. Hikaru says it isn’t his fault, and wonders if there was an earthquake (actually, of course, it was the Macross crashing to the ground). Minmay then complains that Hikaru “touched” her. He insists that that’s also not his fault, since she’s sitting on his lap.
Minmay then catches sight of herself in the mirror, and then comes the famous exchange: “My hair’s a mess!” “What’s more important, your hair or your life?” “My hair, of course!”
Minmay finally relents and tells Hikaru that he is indeed a first-class pilot. Misa contacts the fighter to tell them to rendezvous with the Macross (and gets a view of Minmay’s crotch on her monitor), and Hikaru lies and says he’s at the shelter.
Hikaru sees his wrecked fan racer, and then Minmay cries out. The downed battle pod from before is stirring, and a Zentradi gets out of it (just like in the show) Hikaru thinks that it’s just another robot, so he shoots it… and then realizes that it looks completely human.
Pages 15-18
The Macross is back in the air, preparations for the fold are complete, and the ship executes the fold.
Macross the First
It may or may not come as a surprise that a couple of weeks ago, Haruhiko Mikimoto’s comic, Super Dimension Fortress Macross the First, was “rebooted” on the online manga site Cycomi. I’ll be honest, I certainly wasn’t expecting this. It seemed to me that, as much as I enjoyed Macross the First, it was dead, sentenced to remain unfinished forever.
But no, it’s back. And unlike when it first went from print to online, you don’t have to switch the site’s settings to Japanese in order to see it.
However, there’s a catch: it’s starting over from the beginning, meaning it’ll be about eight or nine months before it catches up to where we left off, nearly two years ago.
The catch, however, has its own catch: a substantial portion of the comic has been redrawn, and the whole thing has been reorganized, with new scenes, dropped scenes, things taking place in a different order. It’s the most thoroughgoing revamp of an already-printed manga that I’ve seen since Five Star Stories (although Osamu Tezuka also did stuff like this a lot).
Anyway, the comic has a new chapter every Sunday, and I implore you to check it out (and if you REALLY want to see it continue, I’d suggest that you take a couple of minutes to create a Cycomi account (it’s nothing difficult, just your email, a password, and a username) so that you can press the “LIKE” button every week). And of course, buy any collected books that come out.
Anyway, since there ARE new scenes (and unlike the previous version of The First, much of the dialogue is NOT taken from the TV show), I figured it wouldn’t be a bad thing to explain what’s going on. So my intention is, whenever a “chapter” finishes (in this case, the first three installments), I’ll give a synopsis. It’s not as good as a scanlation, I know, but considering how low the sales have been for The First (it’s been canceled FOUR TIMES already… the fact that it’s still around AT ALL is pretty amazing), I strenuously urge every Macross fan to SUPPORT it. The art alone is EASILY worth the price of admission, and if every Macross fan in the world bought the books, it would be a massive hit.
(Of course, the enormous question that’s hanging over the whole project is… will Mikimoto actually follow through and tell the whole story? He sort of addresses this in the post-script for the latest section (#1 booby trap(3)), and simply says that he doesn’t know if he can stick to the deadlines. Which, I admit, is not comforting.)
Anyway, let’s focus on the present for now… and so…
THE SYNOPSIS
#1 booby trap (1)
Pages 1-4
Well, there’s a lot of English here, although some of it is illegible. Anyway, it’s Minmay from Flashback 2012, going through her snapshots and then leaving on the Megaroad. You probably already know this.
Pages 5-13
The Macross crashing, plus the Unification Wars that follow. This should be obvious to any Macross fan, and I feel a little silly explaining it, but for those who said, “I’m not gonna buy a book I can’t read!!” I feel like I have to. One added bit makes the Nostradamus connection that the staff had in mind when choosing July 1999 (“The year 1999, the seventh month / From the sky will come a great king of terror.“) as the date for the Macross’s fall explicit (p.6, bottom caption).
Pages 14-19
It’s 2009, and the Macross is ready to launch. A reporter in a helicopter oohs and ash about how big it is, and (foreshadowing? What’s that?) points out the Daedalus and Prometheus. There’s a launch ceremony festival, and the Unified Forces ambassador (later named “Hyman Gwent”) arrives in a limo with Global. He tells Global to wave at the crowd. Global does. In a departure from both the TV show and the earlier version of the manga, Gwent doesn’t suggest that Global has a hangover.
Pages 20-21
Misa arrives as the emcee, and introduces the VF-1 Valkyrie. In a bit of new dialogue, she says that it’s 20% smaller and 20% better than the VF-0 prototype.
Pages 22-24
Okay, this bit (new for this edition of the comic) needs some explanation. The Bridge Bunnies are watching Misa’s performance, and Shammy is gushing over how awesome and wonderful Misa is. Vanessa points out that the Macross is completely untested and that humanity doesn’t even completely understand how it works, so it seems strange that such an elite officer (top of her class, with an admiral for a father) would end up getting assigned to such a dangerous, unpredictable ship. This admittedly intriguing idea is cut short when Claudia shows up and tells them all to stop gossiping.
Pages 25-31
This section also needs explanation. Shammy is horrified to see Minmay posing for photos on the display grounds, because she (Minmay) was meant to be delivering take-out to the bridge. Indeed, the Bridge Crew see their delivery waiting for them (and reminisces about what they ordered), on the ground near Minmay.
As in the first version of the comic, Minmay gets upset because the photographers seem to be trying to get pictures of her crotch. She chides them for it, and they point out that she’s the one who climbed up high enough so that kind of photo could be taken. Minmay protests that she’s just trying to show off her legs.
On Page 31, Shammy rants that girls like Minmay, since they’re cute, are always coddled by the men around them, and will come to a bad end.
Pages 32-39
Vanessa talks to Hikaru, who’s arriving because Focker invited him. Vanessa tells him that his current course is dangerous, since some Valkyries (led by Roy) are doing an aerobatics show. Hikaru buzzes them anyway, and manages not to get killed. Misa is relieved.
Pages 40-45
As in the TV show, Roy teases Hikaru about aways tagging along behind him, so Hikaru has to show him and his pilots up. He does so.
Pages 46-49
Misa calls out to Hikaru, which gets Minmay’s attention. Misa dresses the guy down, but Minmay is thinking, “Hikaru… Ichijo…”
MIKIMOTO’S POSTSCRIPT:
“Time for a fresh start on a new serialization!
We’re working hard to make this comic enjoyable even for those who haven’t seen the anime or have never heard of it, so welcome!!”
#1 booby trap(2)
Page 1
The announcer is announcing that you can actually CHECK OUT a REAL Valkyrie cockpit, and that Hyman Gwent and Bruno J. Global will be giving an introductory speech later.
Pages 2-6
Some wind comes by and Minmay’s skirt flies up, causing the dirty-minded photographers to take tons of snapshots. Hikaru and Roy have a conversation over a couple of colas, about how Roy never came back to the aerobatic group, and how things are different since he started flying fighters. Roy also waves at Minmay, which is probably a step up from just staring at her ass.
Pages 6-9
Misa comes back from her emcee job, annoyed that she even had to do it. She and Claudia (just like in the TV show) get into an argument about how Claudia spent the night with Focker. An alarm interrupts the argument.
Pages 10-14
The Zentradi arrive. Unlike in the original version of the comic, we don’t meet Britai and Exsedol at all here.
Pages 15-22
The main cannon fires and destroys some Zentradi ships.
Pages 23-28
The bridge crew gathers information. Global shows up and says that it was a booby trap. Roy tells Hikaru he’ll check it all out. Global explains what a booby trap is. (Again, do I really need to explain this? I’ve come across a good number of people who out-and-out REFUSE to buy Macross the First until it’s in English, because otherwise, they can’t understand it. I think it’s just an excuse not to BUY it, because this all pretty clear if you’ve seen the show…)
Pages 28-30
The Unified Space Forces fare poorly, and Global says (as he did in the TV show) that the Unified Earth Government had decided that if they were to encounter any alien race, they would not initiate hostilities. “How ironic… Launch all fighters!”
MIKIMOTO’S POSTSCRIPT:
“It’s strange, but at the same time I started this serialization, everything started falling apart. My refrigerator’s busted, my PC crashed, my car broke down on the road… even work is having some issues. At least I’ve got about ten years… no, maybe twenty… before my body starts falling apart, too! (*Rueful laugh*)”
#1 booby trap(3)
Page 1-8
The Zentradi fire beams at the city while the Macross is trying to get its fighters launched. Misa ends up focusing of VT-102, in which Hikaru is sitting, and he launches (just like in the TV show. Same dialogue and everything). He calls her an “old lady.” She gets upset and calls him a chauvinist. Then he launches.
Pages 9-11
Just like in the show, he’s shocked by the reality of combat. He gets hit.
Pages 11-13
He has a vision (memory?) of flying in biplanes with Focker. Unlike the original version of the comic, the Macross doesn’t crash in the middle of their flight.
Pages 13-18
Hikaru is spiraling out of control. Misa tells him he’s heading right for the SDF-1. He doesn’t know what to do, so she tells him to (DYRL-style) turn the throttle up to turn to battroid. He does this, and is astonished that his fighter is changing.
MIKIMOTO’S POSTSCRIPT:
“Right now, I’m in the middle of revising the comic. Previously, being a contrary person, I had a bad habit of making puzzle-like panel layouts. But this time, we’re working on making it easier to read, and making the characters (and the staff the mecha scenes) more proficient overall. And the work continues on… I don’t know if we’ll be able to meet the deadlines, but please enjoy the comic!”
Super Dimension Fortress Macross (TV)
Before the Launch (Chapter 1 of the SDF Macross TV Novelization. Published in 1983. The rest of the book is verbatim from the TV series (or compresses it into near-incomprehensibility), so this is all I plan to translate from it. The story of what happened BEFORE Episode 1. The title, I should add, is my own invention.)
Dreaming Prelude ~My Fair Minmay~ (a book of new script-style stories covering the events of Episodes 8 through 12 from Minmay’s perspective. Published in 1983. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!)
Misa Hayase: White Reminiscences (An illustrated novella about Misa’s childhood and adolescence. Published in 1984. Includes a lot of information about Riber and about the Unification Wars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!)
Macross Outside Story (From Macross Perfect Memory. Published in 1983. Features the first comprehensive Macross timeline, as well as “The Plundering Fleet” (about Global as a submarine captain, and the story from Episode 15 about him and Admiral Hayase pretending to be Anti-Unification forces and stealing rations), and “The Lost Two Years” (about what happened in the gap between Episodes 27 and 28).)
Macross Vol. III – Miss D.J. (The first Macross drama album, released in 1983. A broadcast of Minmay’s radio show, covering many events happening in the ship and including nearly all of the show’s main characters. And the advertisements are amazing.)
Macross Vol. IV – Distantly Fading Memories (The second Macross drama album. Released in 1983. Misa’s thoughts throughout the series, right up to the end of Episode 36. Features most of the main characters, and has some beautiful Kentaro Haneda piano music created specifically for this album. Er, of course, this is just a translation of the dialogue, not the actual album (which is still in print.))
Macross Vol. V – Macross Love (The second record of the fifth soundtrack (a two-record set), Rhapsody in Love. Released in 1983. A condensation of the TV series, focusing on the love story, with newly recorded vocals.)
Macross – Snow Falling in the Galaxy and its companion story, Macross – White Christmas (From the Macross Christmas album, Snow Falling in the Galaxy. Released in 1985. Features new music, as well as some new scenes featuring the Bridge Bunnies and Misa. The “companion story” is a short story by Noboru Ishiguro about the first Christmas aboard the Macross (NOT Episode 35) which was published as the liner notes for the album.)
Super Dimension Fortress Macross – Do You Remember Love?
Macross – Do You Remember Love? The Novelization (The official novelization of the movie, by the movie’s scriptwriter, Sukehiro Tomita. Published in 1984. VERY different from the film! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!)
Super Dimension Fortress Macross the First (SYNOPSIS)
(The manga by Haruhiko Mikimoto, previously published in Macross Ace, Newtype Ace, and so on. Currently serialized here, but first published in 2009 (with some pages revised in 2018). This is just a synopsis, not a word-for-word translation.)
Macross Delta
Macross Delta Vol.1 – The Girl of Al Shahal
Macross Delta Vol.2 – The Aerial Knights (COMING SOON EVENTUALLY)
(The novelization of the Macross Delta series, by Ukyou Kodachi, who also worked on the show, and wrote the novels for Macross Frontier, Macross the Ride, and Macross 30. Published in 2016. Features characters and connections from previous Macross series that you might not expect.)
You’ll notice that the file name for the latest upload is different than the previous ones… rather than “DYRL Ch.1-5,” it’s “DYRL Part One.” There’s a reason for that, and the reason is simply that the Do You Remember Love novelization is divided into several longish parts, and I’ve just finished the first one. So good news: I’ve hit the first big milestone in the novel. Bad news: I want to get halfway through Part Two before I start uploading it, and I haven’t even started yet.
So yeah, this will be the last Do You Remember Love upload for a few months. Part Two is the longest section of the book and will, I’m sure, take the longest time to translate.
Anyway, I’m going to keep my nose to the grindstone on it, so I hope to start uploading it by April or so.
Delta Chapter 3 is coming along as well, so that’ll be up soon, too.
Gubaba Blog 