Macross Δ

I want to say up top that I like Macross Delta. The usual dig is it has shortcomings in comparison to Macross Frontier because it doesn't have an unlimited budget and the immortal Yoko Kanno (AKA the basis for Ed in Cowboy Bebop) given permission to write FUCK JAMS; this is certainly true. However, Walkure's songs are still immensely catchy, and while the idols certainly follow the process of combining various molds, they still work enough as individuals to be enjoyable. It's one of the few Macross shows where the pacing is just about right. I would've preferred the story use some time to internalize ... Mikumo's feelings instead of being a plot device for the climax, but what can ya' do? Macross has also gotten wise to what is a loving connection and what is something else. Yeah, there's all the usual love triangle melodrama and overage of people hearing things they shouldn't and not saying things to each other, but it knows what love is and definitely shows it to you. They even changed the ending of the Macross Frontier movie ending because how they changed the character dynamics changed how the relationships worked. It's lately been weirdly keen for these types of general audience franchises.

It works as a usual Macross series does with flashy jet fighting, awesome songs, and fun characters. However, Macross is edging towards a drop it possibly can't recover similar to the Kelvin timeline in Star Trek where the need to tell "darker" stories completely eclipses the appeal of the show itself. Certainly, the series hasn't shied away from the grim reality of war (The famous "Do You Remember Love?" sequence from original Macross literally has someone getting beheaded by a pillar), but I wouldn't be surprised if the next major series is about a bright, shiny group of songstresses showing the people the value of love and Deculture in a bloody civil war with New U.N. Spacy that is costing billions of lives.

N.U.N.S. (Who have info about the A.S.S.-1) is arrogant and stupid in Macross II as the perfect opener to the 1990s where the attitude was, "Eh, war, racism, and everything else is over." Then their soldiers become the same cannon fodder as the U.N. in Evangelion. It then starts to balloon to N.U.N.S. potentially "Nanking"-ing countries that didn't join it in Zero with no follow-up (Not helping is the Valkyries in the series are called "Zeroes." DON'T), and outright being villainous in Frontier and Delta. It's baked in since the utopia is built on consumerism, which requires maintaining resources at minimum cost and potentially undermining and even enslaving certain "partners," but we're beyond that (Though micro-purchases utilizing predatory behavior acting as a good thing does give one pause). The inciting incident in Delta deals with the use of a weapon that is even stronger than the franchise's metaphor/analog to nuclear weapons strictly banned by the universe. There is a lot of waiting for the explanation that redeems a certain person, and when it happens, it amounts to... oh, it's absolutely as bad as it looks, but without one person, it could've been worse. Well, that fixes everything, doesn't it? Also, the idea from Frontier and Delta that the civilian contractors are the real heroes needs to meet Blackwater.

Look, there are two wolves inside Shoji Kawamori: The one who made Macross which loudly proclaims the utopia of mankind involves malls and pop songs, and the one who made Arjuna about how mankind is the greatest virus the Earth has and probably needs to not exist anymore. He has not decided which one he's going to feed, and that has led us to this mess. We are at the point where there are multiple civilizations chosen by Proculture; they have music, they have love, and what do we have as humanity have besides the need to undermine other civilizations out of their resources and control? Tourist trinkets? Sure, the villain sucks because he ultimately wants to become the universe's civil engineer without anyone's permission, but his way of going about it sure sounds more up Arjuna Kawamori's alley.

I LIKE Macross Delta, but from now on, Macross needs more the main cast disguising themselves as a cat civilization and saving some kids' father from being mind-controlled by an invasive force, and not humanity being so awful and stupid, we nearly suicide ourselves and the universe. Also, don't do the stereotype Middle Eastern guy who plays all sides against the middle for more money and gets to essentially escape the series unscratched.

As a newcomer to the Macross franchise, I started with Macross Δ simply because its premise caught my eye. Singers working for the military is such a bizarre concept, but that's what made this show entertaining. The worldbuilding as a whole was really interesting. I've only watched one mecha anime before, so I can't really comment on the animation quality. But I can say that the music is great, so it makes every fight scene exciting. When it comes to the core of the show, though, it's really a mixed bag.

What I love about Macross ∆ is that both male and female characters take action. ... The Walküre don't just sing but also help the pilots with all their missions. There's even a female pilot and a singing prince. Hayate also isn't an OP protagonist - the main trio rely on each other, which is great. But the best thing about this show is that it follows Hayate and Freya equally. They're both endearing protagonists who become more mature over time. Freya is only 14 at the start of the show, so I'm glad that their dynamic was so wholesome. Their senior, Mirage, was also a likeable character who had some really good moments.

Nevertheless, Mirage is clearly more of a side character, which makes the whole love triangle totally pointless. The character interactions just become awkward, and the second half of the show suffers for it. There are also too many supporting characters. We don't learn much about the other pilots or Walküre, and the protagonists don't really bond with them. The Aerial Knights are especially flat, so it's hard to get invested in their side of the conflict.

As for the story itself, I found it quite enjoyable but the ending was pretty disappointing. The main conflict is already very interesting, as our heroes are working under a colonial government. But in the climax, a bigger conflict arises, and the main one is left unresolved. The second half of the show also introduces a plot involving Hayate and Freya that just feels like forced drama. Besides that, I also had an issue with the fan service in some episodes.

In a nutshell, Macross ∆ is a show of contradictions. It has a unique premise with clear parallels to Japan during WWII, and the main trio is really likeable. However, the way the series treats colonialism is kinda problematic.

The series has a decent start, but as a whole, it doesn't amount to much and really falls apart in the second half. I really wanted to like this series. It's just not good, though.

With a little more planning and a higher budget, this could have been a great show. It has elements that could easily be expanded into something great. It is a shame it was all wasted.

Music
I really liked Borderline and Giraffe Blues. I found the other songs forgettable.

Art
They needed more budget for what they wanted to do. The first episode introduces what is supposed to be a unique fighting style ... for the main character, but you never really see it again. The series is plagued with things like that. At a concept stage the art is fine, in execution it's all lacking. Again, I suspect this is due to budget or not enough time.

Story
The story feels like they didn't plan it out. It has some strong elements, especially during the first part of the show, but as a full package it doesn't come together well and all of the characters suffer as a result.