Macross F

*A Stunning Revival of a 25 Years Old Series.*

"Simple, easy to comprehend plot. Skillfully developed love triangle. Masterpiece level animation and music."

To those who are new to the Macross franchise, you can find some info on it here. Now first to clarify a thing for those who are confused with the "Macross Frontier Deculture Edition". The difference is simply that the Deculture Edition is the "pilot episode" of the TV series. Another way of putting it is an OVA version of episode 1 of the TV series which was aired ~3 months later.

Taking place 47 years (story-wise) after the original series, Super Dimension Fortress Macross. ... We are now in the year 2059 AD. The Space War with the Zentradi was long since over and the new migration fleet, Macross Frontier, is now under attack by a new alien race. The story revolves around a love triangle and how the three cope with each other while dealing with the threats from the aliens.

The battle animations are absolutely STUNNING. Fluid CG battle animations to very detailed character outlook are very much the highly for the show. One can even tell that the background for most scenery were well thought out and well designed. Oh, and very consistent quality of animation.

"1st Anime Album in 11 Years to Rank in Japan's Top 3"

"Two Macross Frontier Singles in Japan's Weekly Top 10"

"All four of the Macross Frontier singles that have been released have debuted at #5 or higher."

How does that sound for starter? The Macross series were largely famous for its music as they all played an integral part in every single Macross title. However, one can say Macross Frontier have taken the anime song industry to a whole new golden era! Both the singer and seiyu responsible for singing the second OP won awards for their fabulous works.

A lot of characters developments happened in the latter half of the series making it a bit boring to watching in the beginning (as far as characters are concerned). However this is balanced by Sheryl Nome's character development which was extremely well done especially toward to the end of the series.We also be Alto and Ranka mature over time (albeit very late in the series).

The series as a whole was very well made with amazing sound effects and graphic. The love triangle between the 3 protagonists was interesting to watch as well. It was painful to see the show end, but at least it was announced that a movie is underway.


*Update on February 10, 2009*
If you liked Macross Frontier, you may be happy to know that it was voted by anime fans a week ago as THE anime of 2008. In addtion, May'n (Sheryl's singing VA) also got voted as one of the top anime singer.

Macross Frontier, the latest installment to the 25-year-old mecha franchise, is so promising in every aspect early on that once the flaws become more apparent and begin to hinder to the series, it still remains watchable. But despite the rough patches the series hits, it is ultimately a very worthwhile watch.

One of Frontier's most endearing aspects is that it carries the Macross mythos while never alienating new audiences. Bringing with it all the cliches and plot devices that relegate the Macross universe, Frontier tells an solid stand-alone story that still connects well with the previous series before it. Frontier also succeeds in carrying as many ... twists as red herrings. This is bound to keep the audience on their feet and doubting any obvious plot twist. Viewers may be disappointed later on though, when some plot twists turn out just like they predicted.

The cast of Frontier is one of those red herrings. From the start, the characters are fresh, lively and interesting, but it's all a lie because about a quarter of the way through, they all turn into relegated one-dimensional personas and some, like the sad case of main character Alto, stay that way the entire series. Frontier also suffers character-wise from a large starting cast. Many members of the cast will often be unseen for several episodes because so much time is rightfully demanded of Ranka and Sheryl. Because of this, the series does not properly develop anyone's character, outside an episode dedicated to a single character.

Comparing Frontier to it's primary ancestor is a dramatic change in animation. Frontier makes full use of CG for concert scenes and battle scenes, and does so without giving the series a tacky feel. Everything looks fluid and detailed, but the series has a penchant for being too detailed in which so much goes on in a single frame that it's hard to follow, though its arguable if that's a flaw or not given the psychedelic feel of the concert scenes.

Though Yoko Kanno's OST is not one of her better works, the sound spotlight falls heavily on newcomers Megumi Nakajima and May'n, who lend their singing talents to Ranka and Sheryl respectively, giving us a jukebox's worth of catchy tunes each with their own distinctive style. From the viral Deculture jingle to the solemn "Diamond Crevasse" to the surrealistic bubblegum pop of "What 'Bout My Star", there's more than enough here to keep your ears happy the whole series length.

Macross Frontier was a series whose characters irritated the bejeezus out of me, but with a solid story, beautiful animation, and steller music, I could tolerate them enough to end this series with a smile on my face. If you're unfamiliar with the lengthly Macross franchise, this latest installment to the mythos has enough great elements to sell you on checking out the rest for sure. I know it has for me.

Overall, I give Macross Frontier an 8 out of 10.

--- Warning: Contains spoilers ---

Most series can be summed up in a few words, and regardless of their implications, some descriptions may throw you for a loop. When you hear the words triangles, music, missiles, more music and even more missiles, what is it that you think of? Most well-versed anime viewers should be thinking of the Macross franchise, as this can effectively sum up a great portion of what it's all about, ranging from the original series to the latest installment entitled Frontier.

Macross Frontier happens to be a fairly ordinary anime that in its simplicity, loses direction as it progresses, only to attempt ... to get back on track after wasting lots of time. When you break it down, at least half of the episodes are fillers, and a majority of the rest are short arcs that don't really connect and flow together to form a solid plot like any good series would. Since this is not an episodic series, this format begins to hurt itself in the long run, as only little bits of crucial information about the grand scheme of things are revealed throughout the series. This makes the progression of the main plot very slow and unnecessarily dragged out. It's not until the final third of the series that it decides to focus on what can be considered the main plot. Up until this point, the plot was nothing more than a simple "Defend the human race from unknown aliens", which is already weak in and of itself as it's really just a poor excuse for some mecha action, but it decided to take a sharp 180 and go down the oh so wonderful conspiracy route.

With this development that couldn't help but be expected many episodes prior, everything starts to become a giant mess. This was hinted to a few times throughout the beginning of the series, usually only for a very short time period in select episodes displaying things like undercover discussions or trades, so it's not like it came on unforeseen by the audience. If anything, it happened far too late, as the motives behind Grace and Leon who were originally working together are hardly delved into, and they simply play the bad-guy role because the series needed a better antagonist than random aliens. Both individuals having very grandiose goals of wanting to rule the universe, you can't help but wonder how they actually planned on executing this in the first place. It is only explained after Grace O'Connor, the great evil mastermind behind everything, had her plans proceed to completion without any hitch at all. Now, having full control over the Vajra, it's pretty safe to say she holds much more power than anyone else currently, yet, of course, is defeated by the power of... music (Catchy j-pop music at that). A lot of build up was wasted in favor of going this predictable route, and it is basically the equivalent of beating the bad guy through the power of friendship. At the very least, they tried to give some basis for this being possible with information from earlier episodes explaining the power of music within the Macross universe.

Seeing as this all happened in the span of a few episodes, it's safe to say that pacing became a huge issue, and solidified the fact that most of the other episodes were nothing more than "filler" and short arcs. They could have used this time to begin to develop the plot, but that wasn't the case. They may as well have cut out these episodes in favor of getting straight to the point, rather than extending the series unnecessarily. With the remaining episodes not being devoted to plot advancement, some character development should be expected in them, however, it's nowhere near as much as there should have been for how much time was devoted to this aspect. A majority of the remaining episodes used most of their time focused on the love triangle between the three main characters, but the events and developments that took place were usually undermined due to the indecisive and undeveloped protagonist of the series, Alto Saotome. He is also better known by some of the characters as Princess Alto, and for good reason.

And while it may not all necessarily be because of him, he is directly involved in many of the simple plot conveniences used to keep the love triangle from moving forward. Whether it be going out to fight against the Vajra during a crucial time when he was supposed to be with Ranka, or Ranka seeing him with Sheryl and then wallowing in her own sadness about it afterwards. However, with Alto being the resident princess of the series, it's not a far stretch to say he certainly can act like one at times. Ranging from his daddy issues leading to him running away from home to become a pilot, or how he likes to ignore any real problems that he faces, there's almost nothing about him that doesn't scream "Princess". He even has gorgeous flowing locks of hair to accentuate this. In fact, I have no doubt that some would start to question his manhood, as he practically ignores any advances from both Sheryl and Ranka, which goes back to him being largely at fault for the triangle never progressing. Any time it seems like he's made up his mind about who he wants to be with, the next episode has some bad news for you, as he basically does the equivalent of saying "Just kidding!", and begins to show what can be considered interest in the opposite girl. As for the whole "Princess" nickname and his daddy issues, they are touched on briefly, but it comes off as nothing more than the writers quickly throwing together some semblance of a back story so that they could pass him off as more than your average self-insert main character.

Having Alto bounce back and forth between who it seemed he was interested in clearly shows which characters are supposed to be the selling point of the series, and of course, I can only be talking about Ranka and Sheryl. Long winded fan boy name calling and debates aside for now, they both have their ups and downs as characters.

Ranka, who is easily the character who receives the most focus in the series, happens to be the one who receives the least development for all the time she spent on screen (Go figure). She manages to slowly get over her timid nature when it comes to singing, but only because of the encouragement Alto gives her throughout the series. Although this was good however, even with her having the most interaction with other characters and general screen time, she never developed a reason for singing past doing it for Alto's affection. Due to the fact that the time spent on her was poorly utilized, her development was hindered in the long run. This is made especially apparent when you see that a few of the side characters have more motivation for their actions than she does. For the sheer amount of focus the series gave her character, seeing them do nothing with it past the first few episodes was disappointing to say the least.

Sheryl, on the other hand, plays a much more interesting role in the series. Many pass her off as "Bitchy", "Overly arrogant" and many other demeaning terms from the moment she appears on screen, but she manages to easily become the best character in the cast. With her status established right from the beginning, it's not unfitting for her to act much like she runs the place. Providing a stark contrast from Ranka, Sheryl is confident and domineering to an extent, yet still caring of others, shown by her attitude towards Ranka and Alto. She eventually softens up a bit, mostly due to her feelings for Alto since he doesn't worship her like everyone else in the colonies. The struggle she goes through while falling from the top as Ranka took over is far more believable than anything Ranka or Alto went through. Having to cope with her fall from stardom, as well as her impending death due to a disease, she accepts these facts and still tries to move forward, doing the only thing she can do: sing. This made her far more endearing to the audience by the end of the series, as this shows her confidence wasn't simply based on her status as the Galactic Fairy, but her strength of will that was built up through living her old lifestyle of complete poverty. While she did remain mostly static, what she went through didn't feel contrived, much like the case was with Ranka.

But of course, like many other series, one of the biggest problems Macross Frontier presents is the ending. Again, I find myself questioning Alto's sexuality, as the ending provides zero closure for what is considered the main focus of the series: the love triangle between the three main characters. This is Macross, the plot is only there to help move the romance forward, and that's one thing Frontier severely failed at. Not only was Alto himself preventing it from taking a big step forward with his indecisiveness and constant character changes, the sheer amount of conveniences that kept the character's relationships from developing sure didn't help either. Like I mentioned, the filler episodes would mostly focus on the love triangle, but focusing on it is not the same as actually having it progress. Regardless of how much it actually progressed by the end, a conclusion is needed, and that's something the series never provided. While it was very heavily suggested that Sheryl "won" before the finale, the final moments of the series throw the entirety of the few episodes Alto was together with Sheryl right out the window, and has Ranka enter the competition once more.

As we all know, Alto has a major fascination for the sky, more so than for the two girls who fawned over him for the entire series. So what does he do? He doesn't clearly choose either girl, but instead chooses the mother fucking sky. Whether it was intentionally done this way so that the Sheryl and Ranka factions wouldn't destroy the world due to a simultaneous outburst of angry fan boys crying over the fact that their waifu "lost", or because they wanted to leave it up for interpretation, it doesn't change the fact that giving no closure severely impacts the series in a bad way. And when one of the main selling points of the Macross franchise is left untouched, it leaves nothing more than disappointment in the eyes of fans and newcomers alike. While making no decision on which girl the main character wants to be with may be a common occurrence in most harem series, it should not be the case when there is only a love triangle at hand. When ample time is given to devote to two characters and their interactions with the main character, going down this route is nothing more than a bad decision as it should be nearly impossible to get fans to feel satisfied with this kind of ending. It was a shame to see them use this kind of cheap exit strategy after putting forth the effort to develop the relationships in the series.

After all of this, there's nothing left but disappointment in the series. There may have been good j-pop, great action scenes, as well as throwbacks to previous entries in the franchise ranging from songs, to name drops and simple phrases, but that only adds to the enjoyment factor. And as most intelligent people will know, even that isn't enough to save a series which continually makes mistakes along the way. At the end of the day, Macross Frontier had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it was ruined by Alto who could not manage to keep the series flying smoothly.

*SPOILERS FOR MACROSS FRONTIER. YOKO KANNO DID THE MUSIC*

If you asked someone if they`ve seen a Macross show, chances are, they`d say no. If the say yes, then ask them what their favorite one is. Some might say Macross Plus, others may say the original Macross from 1982 (my personal favorite). However, it`s undeniable that the most popular Macross series is Macross Frontier. I`ve already covered the alternate timeline movies that came out after this, so why not look back at the show that spawned them. So, did this soar into the skies, or come crashing down like an idol career? Let`s find out, shall ... we?

STORY: 8/10

It`s been over 40 years since the SDF-1 was destroyed, and in those 40+ years, humanity has set up space colonies as they expand their reach to the stars above. Now, after an enemy alien race known as the Vajra start attacking, causing our main lead/ex performer, Alto Saotome, to get on a Veritech to kick some alien ass while saving a girl he just met, Ranka Lee. Together, along with the famous songstress, Sheryl Nome, they end performing their daily lives waiting for the next attack, so that Alto, and the rest of Frontier`s military (which Alto signed up for) to combat the alien threat. Over the course of the series, many characters are revealed with their own evil agenda, like Leon`s coup d'état, or Grace O`Connor`s plan to use Sheryl, and eventually, rising star, Ranka, to lure the Vajra in order to control them, thus proving her scientific theory to be correct. It gets crazy in the latter half of the series, let me tell `ya, but not as crazy as Gurren Lagann.

CHARACTERS: 8/10

Alto, starts off a bit of a Tsundere-ish jerkass to Ranka (all he`s missing is "BAKA"), but through learning of his stressful past, and watching him develop during his time spent with Sheryl Nome, and the Frontier military, we see him become a great individual. Sheryl Nome starts out as a very egotistical jackass of a woman, before not only cozying up to Alto and their new friend Ranka (whom Sheryl inspires to become a songstress in the first place), but finding out that her gruesome past comes to bite her as she`s been inflicted with a terminal Vajra V-Type disease as a result of an illegal experiment/surgery Grace put her through. Ranka is very upbeat most of the time, even despite her apocalyptic past involving the death and destruction of her family and home, only really breaking towards the end when she discovers not only the damage done to her new home, not only that the enigmatic badass and overprotective cyborg is her long lost brother, but also the fact tat she is the missing queen of the Vajras, and the accidental cause of her home`s annihilation...

SOMEONE GIVE THESE PEOPLE A HUG!!!!

Other characters like Michael, the Zentradi with a problem involving the efficiency of shrinking her body to proper proportions when shrinking aka Klan Klein, and a few other military members with their own comparisons and parallels to some of the characters of the original Macross (who are al great, but extremely numerous) are also great. Even if one of them in particular faces a rather tragic death. Leon, is a total snake, and so is Grace, but despite how brutal and messed up they are, they make for entertaining backstabbers.

ART: 8/10

Let`s get the bad out of the way. In the early portions of the show, there are a few moments where the animation quality dips, and no where is this more apparent in the chase scene in episode 10, where it looks like utter ass. And this was done by Studio Satelight. For most of the rest of the normal scenes, they look fine for `08 standards. Then, the concert and fight scenes. The CG mechs look incredible, and the action scenes look beautiful and epic, and get increasingly awesome over the course of the show. The concert scenes are full of flashing stage lights, great digital visuals and costumes, and awesome lighting. If it weren`t for the occasional dips in animation quality in the first half of the show, this section would likely be a 10.

SOUND: 9/10

If you know about Macross, then you`d know that it`s known for three things. Mech fights, syncretic blending of cultures, and of course, music. Particularly, music that`s supposed to help put the conflict to an end, and give our heroes to keep fighting when their back`s against the wall. Gabriella Robin aka Yoko freakin' Kanno had a hand in the soundtrack, which explains why this OST is so amazing. May `N (voice of Sheryl) and who ever voices Ranka Lee both do some stellar vocals, and both the concert scenes, and the OPs and EDs reflect that. OP 1 is rather great, and sets up the tone for a lot of the first half. OP 2 (for episode 17 exclusively) is rather nice, even if it`s just a rehash of one of the recurring songs of the series. OP 3, is amazing. Done by both singers, the glittering sound effects, futuristic sounding instruments, the guitar, and the vocals, all blend together to create this amazing OP, and the visuals only compound this praise further. ED 1 is also great, and a good emotional piece, and the other endings, unfortunately don`t compare. However, some songs like Aimo, and a few others, along with some of the orchestral pieces, particularly that guitar bit at the preview of each new episode, are all great as well.

ENJOYMENT: 8/10

Most of this series surprised me a how good it was (except for episode 8. 8 sucks) considering how bitter episode 1 made me feel. It was an epic blast from beginning to end, and if you can put up with CG and lyrical music in the middle of your battles, you`ll find tis as enjoyable as I did, or at least I hope. I also really enjoyed all the little nods to previous Macross shows like the original and Macross Zero (a prequel to the original), as well as the concert performances. It may not have made me feel as great watching it as most other installments, but it was still very fun regardless.

OVERALL: 8/10 RAW SCORE: 79/100

Despite a few narrative holes, and the mediocre beginning episode, and episode 8, I love this show, and I find it to be a must see for all Macross fans. It certainly doesn't beat or the original, or some of the other older installments lf the franchise, but it was a damn good ride regardless with a decent love triangle, lovely songs, and surpringly great aerial dogfight action. With that said, I bid you adieu.

This review is from the point of view of someone who does not like mecha anime and has never watched the Macross series from the beginning because when people mention Macross, they mention mecha. This fear was unfounded as I sat down to watch the first episode. Variable Fighters aren't mecha. I will say it again, Variable Fighters are not mecha. With my bias firmly established, let's go into my review.

The story itself is well executed with small revelations trickling in, tying together a bigger mystery. There's even a love triangle involved, which also insinuates itself very well to the action. ... Otherwise, there is nothing much different from the standard humans vs. aliens in a fight for survival kind of story that it really is.

Variable Fighters are sexy, so sexy its criminal. Yes they are the focal point of the show and yes, it deserves this praise. Character design, on the other hand, could use a little less glowy hair. In fact, Sheryl Nome looks like a woman who puts out, very very often because of it. They must have forgotten that they left the dial at 11. The setting and background are passable as well, no real blemishes and varied palettes make this one a winner.

Personally, I'm not a fan of pop music, but well it goes great with the anime, being centred around pop superstars anyway. Yes, I will also admit to having acquired the Original Sound track, by Yoko Kanno et al., who is one of my favourite composers. As I'm listening to it as I type this review, it does a fine job of standing alone and the chance remains high that I'll be leaving this on in the background as I do other things. The sound effects on the other hand, aren't that spectacular, doing a good job, but that's about it. Voice acting is well done, I can't say its bad. The tones really bring out the nuances in a character, which I applaud.

Speaking of characters, they are all well thought out. A point made during the show even calls into question Alto's motivation for fighting and its in that exploration that makes Alto such a good character. He really grows into his own and for once in a blue moon, does not have an emo moment as most child soldiers are want to do. Not to be outdone, supporting characters are even fleshed out well, Mikhail to name one. Cherish them, for you never know when they're going to be taken away from you.

Enjoyment? Well, let's just say I thought this was like watching a better Top Gun, IN SPACE. Awesome. This kind of makes me regret not having gotten in to Macross earlier. WellI think I'll go acquire Super Dimension Fortress Macross now. One last thing, Variable Fighters are not mecha, if you want to dispute that claim, please use my comments box.

Being the most anticipated anime of the spring season 08, I am NOT a bit surprised that MF turned out to be the most disappointing one. Except the incredible CG-implemented starwar-like battle scenes, there is nothing else to it, absolutely nothing. Even the music is average. The plot and the characterization are terrible too...Wait a minute, what am I talking about? There is no plot and characterization in this show. I can summarize the plot of the first eight episodes I watched into one sentence: two girls whoring around one guy plus some random battles against aliens. I'm sorry if I offended the fans but ... that's how it seems to me.

Then there is the horrible characterization. None of the characters serve any purposes nor add anything to the show. Alto is OK but he doesn't have any strong points that can make the audiences remember him. He is just a very normal very boring very bland character. The other ones are even worse. I don't know what the writers were thinking when they created Sheryl. She was first introduced as a bi...a very mean lady (ep1). Then the writer suddently decided to drop this side of her and switched her into someone who looks out for Ranka. In recent episodes she changed her personality again and apparently became jealous of Ranka for no reasons(ep6). There is not even transitions between these changes. What a messed-up character development this is. Lastly Ranka, well, I think she is only there to attract fanboys. I absolute don't see any personality in her.

I'm starting to get a little disappointed about these new animes. None of them is even close to the ones like Eureka Seven or Ayakashi. As a matter of fact, this Macross Frontier makes Gundam Seed look like a masterpiece, and I think Seed only deserves a 7/10 at most. And may I remind you that MF is the most anticipated series of the season? I think you get my point.

Watched this show 3 times now, and I have to say, it just may be my favorite anime to date. With a great story, the best sounds track i have ever heard, fantastic animation quality, great character design that i will never forget, I almost feel bad for those who have not gotten to enjoy the show yet. I need to comment on the music. If you're a macross fan you know that the show revolves around music and the power of song, and these tunes are rockin. With the second OP "Lion" or Sheryl Nomes Diamond Crevasse, The music keeps the flow of the ... show going.

The Battles, fought in the depths of space are full of action and beautiful animation, they all have an electric flow, and are generally in sync with the Music, making all fights extremely engaging, both for your ears and your eyes.

Macross frontier is so intense that the first episode, to me, felt more like a finale than a first episode. When macross quarter punched a certain opposing enemy IN THE FACE I had a shiver of win creep down my spine.

One point i would like to make. I dont like exagerating. I dont like lying. When I tell you now that macross frontier has the very best finale I have ever seen, I mean it. I have never seen a more satisfying end. Closure, new songs and mixes, a bit of a twist and the best space battle EVER.

Though, I cant say ALL positives so i will say this. with the three main characters, alto, sheryl, and ranka, I feel that rankas character fell apart. It was at first a close love triangle, then as their story's progressed, they changed, but it seemed as though the writers were not sure what to do with ranka lee's character at one point, and it kind of trailed off.

All in all, this show was GREAT, and even if you havnt seen another macross series, you can fully enjoy this one. I give this show a perfect 10, I was totally blown away. thank you for reading my review

Where to start....So it's been essentially 4 years since the last Macross installment and a 12 year time skip since the prequel of this series: Macross Dynamite 7.

Story: After the Deculture Special during Christmas in 2007, I was rather impressed with the series alone with just that one episode, especially with the introduction of another member of the Nome family. However, it was almost obvious from not only the deculture episode, but the first few episodes of this series that it was going to turn into a love triangle series...a big no-no since it began to carry too much of the weight of the ... plot and we really didn't get much of a thorough development of the plot. Results were almost like magic for the most part, especially with Sheryl's case in episode 25 when she is magically cured from the V-Type Infection and no other explanation followed of how Ranka helped her. To some extent, it almost came to the point of Gundam Seed Destiny, but I'm glad it didn't cross the line. Had the series not wasted on a few episodes of love triangle, they could have gone far more in depth with the cases of the Vajra, Sheryl's past, and Ranka's past. Character development was weak for this show, and had they used those episodes to emphasize on these, it would have aided in both the score of the story and character. This is almost a failure in comparison with Macross Zero, but when compared to the prequel: Macross 7 and Dynamite 7, this is an epic piece of work.
Only two other factors are keeping this score up: 1) the announcement of a movie and 2) the tying together of most if not all the previous Macross series. The upcoming movie gives hope to the series from just ending as if it were a waste of time by focusing on the love triangle. Perhaps we will get something as tragic as the first Macross series or even Macross Zero with the movie? Macross being notorious for sad moments of important and likeable characters (ie Lynn Minmay, Sara Nome, etc...) may bring this series around and thus raises confidence that this series is not out of steam yet despite the relatively decent ending to the TV series. For the second factor, Macross fans will remember various bits and parts as well as the famous Lynn Minmay and Mao Nome who are showed and hinted at throughout many times during the series. Macross Zero and the first Macross series were heavily emphasized in this series and that really helped put everything in place for Macross fans. New viewers to the series may seem a bit confused as to some of the references and terminology, but the series does not completely alienate them as some explanation is provided making these viewers feel a bit more at ease. 8/10

Art and Animation: There's really nothing much to say here. Although tv rips were bad and made animation look like it was deteriorating as episodes went by, especially episode 25, after checking this show out on DVD/Blu-ray, animation was nearly flawless. You could almost see every bit of frame work involved in perfect the fight and concert scenes. It was absolutely beautiful to watch and the best part is that there's no strain on the eyes when watching :D Drawings were also a bit off at times, but that I'm sure will be fixed as more DVDs and Blu-Rays are released. 10/10

Sound: Does this really need to be commented on for this series? When you bring Yoko Kanno into the picture, you might as well just give a 10/10 immediately. She is the only anime music composer to have made top 3 in Oricon charts AFTER 1 WEEK of sales, and continues to remain as so with the addition of both Macross Frontier OSTs and soon a third OST this coming December. Her first work to do so was End of Evangelion and ever since then, no other series or artists have done the same for an anime production. In addition, the recruiting of May'n and Megumi Nakajima to sing as Sheryl Nome and Ranka Lee made it all the more better. This is something to really look forward to if the movie in the making contains even more of Kanno, Nakajima, and May'n's masterpieces. 10/10

Character: As stated earlier, character development as overall relatively weak. We got some insights on Sheryl's, Alto's, and Ranka's past, but it still feels lacking. All we got were bits of flashbacks with no real detail. The viewer is essentially being told to accept these things as if they did occur. With nothing bridging the time skip as well as the many references to previous Macross series, it really does not bring out the actual identity of these characters. One big example is Brera...If he was blown to bits by the Vajra, how did he survive even revived as a cyborg? Another is Mikhail/Michael; they made a huge deal out of his death in episode 20, and yet we didn't learn much about him except his deceased sister, which again we are suppose to take in as a fact with no further explanation. The series just doesn't do very well bringing out what viewers want to know about the characters. If anything, this series could have gone at least 30 episodes to really develop the characters and the love triangle rather than have wasted our time in 1997-98 with the 1 year, 49 episodes trash of Macross 7. Those additional episodes could have been well spent here. Length for this series would have been better if were around the length of the first Macross series: 36 episodes, which really brought out the meaning of Macross and its characters. 6/10

Enjoyment: All in all, this was a great watch. I looked forward to this series every time it had aired. The first couple episodes weren't great, but episode 7 onwards really hit the spot. Episodes 7, 15, 20-25 really nailed the series for me and more of those kind of episodes were needed in this series. Ranka was always enjoyable to watch and Sheryl always trying to act tough as well as her deeply emotional side was also great. Alto was really just a wimp except the last two episodes where he really stood out a bit. Ozma was badass and that really made numerous scenes even more enjoyable. The characters themselves made the series enjoyable regardless of lack of development and the announcement of a movie after the final episode made it even more exciting. 10/10

Overall: Considering how I gave Code Geass R2 a 9/10, I would have to give this series a 10/10. Why? Because it was better than Geass R2. Macross Frontier had been overshadowed by Geass R2 for more than half the air time, and what does Geass R2 do? It gives us a crappy result...again Sunrise fails at sequels. Geass R2 was the most anticipated series in Spring 2008 by most anime audiences and left Macross Frontier literally to rot. By Summer 2008, both series seem to begin to get their acts together. They were literally on par with each other, and from there, the curves go separate paths where Macross gets better and better with each episode while Geass R2 began to go down the drain. R2, ended okay but only after 5-10 episodes of pain, a completely supernatural and unbelievable/uneasy plot, and train-wreck anticipations. Macross Frontier on the other hand was relatively consistent to the end, holding a steady plot for the most part and giving at least a non-rushed ending, an awesome duet medley, and better yet the opportunity for further explanations for the series, or even a sequel! Geass R2 on the other hand is now left in the dust with the cliffhanger ending of wondering whether or not Lelouch is dead or not and something fans will never know. Therefore, Macross Frontier deserves better than for not only its underdog status, but also its lack of attention. 10/10

This is my first review, so hopefully I don't say anything to out of place. I've heard a lot about Macross from a lot of my classmates and I decided that I wanted to take a shot at it. I will say that I was not disappointed at all.

Story 8/10
The story of Macross Frontier features colonies of people that are scattered around the galaxy in mega-sized domes similar to earth. The story overall wasn't completely original. Hostile Aliens threatening to exterminate the human race. Mecha units that are reminiscent to StarScream of the Transformer series. The thing that caught my eye was how music ... played a huge factor in the series. Macross has always had a history of having music have a large impact and in this case, music was an integral part. At times, there were moments when the series would sometimes get a little corny, but it was tolerable with some great action scenes that came with it. In my opinion, Macross has never made Jets look so cool.

Art 10/10
The Art in Frontier is pretty good to stay the least. The visuals were excellent, and since I was able to find a website that had pretty good quality in it, I was able to enjoy it much more. There were a decent amount of scenes that had the characters emotions shown quite vividly.

Sound 10/10
Macross has always been known for its music, and in this case it wasn't any different. The music was pretty catchy, especially the songs that were sung by Nakajima Megumi. I even downloaded one of the soundtracks. One of my favorite songs from her now is Seikan Hikou. The opening and ending songs were pretty catchy too which led me to enjoy the series even more.

Character 7/10
This is probably the only drop off point for me. The main character Alto is a pretty generic character that has been featured in a whole lot of series. He may have a few bravado moments, but he its the fact that he is completely oblivious to the feelings of the female characters that frustrates me. The next main character Sheryl Nome/Norm is one of the two heroines and she is a little bit more decent. She hides her true feelings with strength and seeing flashbacks of her past shows some reasons why. Though as I have stated above, I am still unsure how she can fall for a character such as Alto. The final main character Ranza Mei is the only reason why Im rating the character portion a 7. She is adorable to say the least, and her personality fits her character a lot. Since she is deemed adorable, she is one of the most likeable characters in the series. Though she may fall off as the damsel in distress at times, she does have some moments where she shows that she even has her own moments of a "fighting spirit".

Enjoyment 10/10
Even though the main cast may not have been perfect. I absolutely loved the fighting scenes. I even found it even more interesting how the much music was a large part of it which made me enjoy it anymore. Though Macross has been doing this for awhile, it has always been quite ambitious for them to have songs a part of an intense fighting scene. Some of the music that was a part of the fighting scenes were quite catchy as well which made the dog fights that much more enjoyable.

Overall 9/10
I was inclined to first give this a 8, but this is a series that I would definitely love to watch again. My only regret would be that I have not watched a whole lot of Macross and this is the first series that I have watched. I will probably watch the rest of the Macross Series in order to understand the universe much more.

Thanks for reading!

As a guy who grew up on the original SDF Macross some 18 or so years ago, it isn't really a surprise that I would end up watching this show. I was wondering when we would get a next Macross series.

Story:
A little disappointing that the story is moving at a snail's pace but it seems to be taking a much needed boost, after episode 9 threw a whole boatload of information at us. Seems like Macross Galaxy (related to General Galaxy?) could be Frontier's Weyland-Yutani...? Who knows, but it's starting to be a whole lot more interesting.

Art:
Much like SDF ... Macross, this series has some of the best and worst animation I have seen in a long time. The backgrounds are amazing, the attention to detail is great, and the CG is generally extremely well done. A real shame that the character animation at times can be really poor.

Character:
What I like about Macross is that the character development is much more subtle. People have commented that Sheryl's behavior makes little sense. Pay attention, it does make sense. On the flipside, we haven't seen much from Alto which is a damn shame because he's the main lead. Anyhow, it's nice that the show addresses Alto's feminine appearance.

Side characters could use some work though. Still, we're not even half way so I'm not worried yet.

Sound:
It's no Macross Plus, but it's generally been impressive. The songs are catchy (she's the bloody Galactic Fairy...of course it's going to be *trashy* bubblegum pop) and some are nice in their own right such as Aimo and Diamond Crevasse. The battle music was better in the other Macross shows, but it's hardly something to complain about when it's still pretty solid.

Enjoyment:
It has been a long time since I've enjoyed the action so much. The reuse of some animation is obvious, but generally it's nothing to worry too much about until we see the same VF-171 or tan-coloured VF-25 get blown up again and again. Everything is fast, crisp, and well choreographed. Helps too that the CG is pretty damn impressive.

Too long, didn't read? Macross Frontier is not 'deep'. Macross Frontier is not philosophical. Macross Frontier is good old fun with a spark of quality to it. I wouldn't have my Macross any other way.

Love mechas? Love-Triangles? Dog-fights? Memorable soundtracks? Jaw-droping CG?
If you answered yes to 2 or more of the above then you'll find Macross Frontier and anime worth your time and heck it might even end up being on your top favorite animes.


[story]:
To start the story itself does a pretty good job to start by explaining everything that has happened to mankind in this version of reality, so I much give this anime props for not being one that simply throws its viewers into a sea of information and drama for us to sort out ourselves.

To put it simply the story revolves around a galaxy-known singer named ... "Sheryl Nome" who has come to be also known as the "Galactic Fairy", a pilot named "Alto Saotome" who left his prestigious family of actors and he's also known as "Princess" due to his long hair and the fact that he played such an excellent role as a princess in a past play, and finally there is the rising star "Ranka Lee" who through the help and encouragement from Sheryl and Alto is able to reach goals she once thought impossible for her.

This group of three then coincidentally meet up on a space colony known as "The Frontier" and soon become friends, obviously. Through this friendship the story continues to progress as a new threat to mankind appears in the form of the "Vajra." The "Vajra" are insect-mech like creatures that appeared out of the blue and have the potential to bring man to the brink of extinction once again, but will our three heroes be able to do anything before mankind becomes another distant memory in the vast universe?


[Art:]
I'm pretty sure that if you already watched this anime then I don't need to cover this part of the review since if anyone who watched this show would know that the CG animated battles scenes are easily one the biggest highlights of the show, with the other being the soundtrack but I'll go into more detail about the Soundtrack later in the review.

I must also bring up that not only was the CG animation fluid and brilliantly done but the mechanical and overall art designs of the anime were excellent, so you get 2 thumbs up from me Design Staff d(0w0)b
I mean seriously when I was watching this I felt like Macross Frontier was causing me Eye Orgasms, which may explain why I couldn't take my eyes off the screen XP

The only problem I had with the animation was the repeated use of specific scenes in the space battles with the Vajra. Closer to the end of the series I noticed an increase use of past scenes such as when one specific Vajra would spin and launch its missiles, please excuse my vague description.
Hopefully I'm not the only one that noticed this, but other than that the animation was basically flawless ;D


[Sound]:
This anime isn't also known as a Space Opera for nothing. It has got epic battle scenes and emotional music to accompany it, so who wouldn't love this soundtrack. In fact, I recommend that you go and find the soundtrack and listen to a few of your favorite songs because some of them are just that good.
I'd also like to give a big around of applause for Megumi Nakajima and May Nakabayashi for their exquisite vocal performances as Ranka Lee and Sheryl Nome.
Let us not forget about the one that brought them all together and produced these masterful works of music for our ears, Masafumi Mima.

The only con that I could possibly find in the Sound department of this anime would be the tad bit overuse of certain songs such as "Aimo." I understand that the song "Aimo" plays an important role in overall story but I quite confident that I'm not the only one who thinks it was being used a bit too much. Hey don't get me wrong I seriously love the song "Aimo" heck it's one of my favorite musical pieces in this whole anime what I'm just trying to say is that some of the soundtrack would be been better enjoyed if they weren't sung so often throughout the show.


[Character]:
This is one of those animes that thanks to it having a longer run-time (more episodes), it was able to establish a close bond between the audience and the characters. Which is usually the main fault in nearly any anime I've watch these days.

For the most part this anime will allow you to grow closer to the characters but maybe not as much as other animes or make you as depressed... *cough* "Clannad" *cough*

Overall you'll be able to come to understand Sheryl Nome as someone who is not arrogant diva but someone who has, through her own will, climbed the ladder to the top. We'll also learn of the latent potential and strength of Ranka Lee and her powerful voice. Finally we will bear witness to our main male protagonist, Alto Saotome, grow from naive boy who seeks only his dream to fly through an endless sky to someone who learns what he needs to protect and fight for, but most importantly that though reaching one's dreams brings satisfaction, reaching one's dreams with the ones you love is that much sweeter.


[Enjoyment]:
Through and through I enjoyed this anime greatly, but maybe not to the point of it making it to my list of favorites unfortunately. However, I will say that this anime does deserve the spot for my favorite anime OST since who wouldn't find a song or 2 they like in an anime that has like what 49 songs in its soundtrack? xD

Oh and don't get me started with the eye-gasmic CG animation and designs!! I mean WOW I haven't seen that level of visual beauty since I saw something like "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" or maybe even the "Mona Lisa?" xD

I just loved everything about this anime and though it wasn't perfect it had just so much going for it that I could actually ignore the faults it had.

In the end, I will definitely recommend this anime for anyone who answered yes to most of the questions I posted at the beginning of this review.
Or even to those who just want to watch something fun and action packed since Macross Frontier definitely fits that bill.

Allow me to say: epic final battle was epic, spoilers abound, etc

Story: Definitely interesting. In broad, it seems quite cliche (Aliens attack space colony, humans fight back), but if looked closer and given more detail, it's actually quite an intersting, but not totally original story. So far, it had focused a lot on developing the characters while throwing out the occasional dogfight and twist (Episode 13 = major twist), but it is laid out so it fits together well, and it's very interesting. Unfortunately, it suffers pretty bad pacing, which is very noticable towards the end, where they crammed tons of information and sudden revelations, ... resulting in information overload. I thought they could've lengthened it by a few more episodes to properly fit the whole story in, but wouldn't want the ruin the 25 theme (25th anniversary, 25 episodes, final episode aired September 25th, VF-25, etc). There are also many references to previous Macross titles, such as some Macross 7 songs and titles, Deculture, Macross Zero and the movie, pineapple salad, so it will appeal to the fans of the whole franchise.

Art: I have to say, the CGI in Macross F is the best I've ever seen in an anime. Dogfights between the Macross Frontier Galaxy fleet and the Vajra are absolutely stunning, with flowing visuals and beautifully rendered variable fighters and Vajra. They certaintly didn't skimp on this area of animation, and it must have cost shitloads to make. Some people do complain that it feels "out of place" and prefer hand-drawn scenes. I myself think that this addition and mix of CGI and traditional drawn scenes is very innovative, and feels natural (Unlike GONZO LOL quality CGI) The CGI alone is enough to warrant a 10. However, the character art and animation are not so pleasing. Out of scenes using CGI, I would say that the animation is mediocre, and looks out of place compared to the near flawless CGI scenes. The characters are sometimes badly animated, and aren't drawn well. Ultimately, the mediocre character animations bring down the overall quality of the art to an 8.

Sound: I do know that Macross is renowned for its music, and Macross F does not disappoint in this area. The quality of the music is consistently high throughout the series, and it actually gets even better towards the end. The music is probably the best as it can get nowadays. They've managed to weave quite an amount of music into the anime without it sounding out of place or inappropriate, resulting in some kickass scenes, notably episode 7, where a massive dogfight took place with Sheryl singing Infinity at the same time. Aimo is also a very nice song, but was overused in the 2nd half. The best scene where the music truly shines the brightest is the final fight, where Sheryl and Ranka duke it out in a duet that lasted more than 8 minutes, and coupled with the epic final battle which was taking place at the same time. tl;dr: Music is nothing less than awesome.

The VAs are also very good, especially Ranka's because she actually sings some of the songs, and she is a newcomer into the VA industry. Fantastic stuff.



Character: Macross F has a wide plethora of characters, and the main characters are shown in the plot without overwhelming the numerous side characters. The characters are all very interesting, whether they be main characters or side, and so far there is lots of character development and interesting background information pertaining certain characters. The events portraying side characters are just as, if not more exciting than the main characters' event, and it's quite pleasing, as most animes and mangas focus too much on the central, main characters whilst leaving the side characters out. However, I disliked Alto, because he was extremely indecisive about his relationship with the two girls (Love Triangle), and it didn't feel right about how he was handling the situation. Hell, the side characters are actually more likeable and interesting than the main characters, like Bobby, he was just plain greatness as a GAR pilot for the Macross Quarter, and hilarious when not battling.

Enjoyment: Macross F is a damn interesting anime, and it almost never fails to grab the interest of the viewers, especially during space fights, which don't occur often, but when they do, it is a huge dose of awesomeness. The music too is very enjoyable to listen to, and live performances with Sheryl in them are simply an excellent blend of above average character animation and fanservice. Fanservice is not uncommon in Macross F, and it is often used more for humour's sake than just showing body parts to the viewers. Which reminds me, the humour in Macross F is sometimes spontaneous, but when it is, it is generally very enjoyable. The music, and the mecha porn is what makes the series so fun to watch and springs forth the "WHERE ARE MY MACROSS F SUBS FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUU-" sort of attitude. The love triangle will probably frustrate you to no end, however, as it's not much fun watching Alto acting like a massive idiot when it comes to the two girls.

Macross Frontier was a great anime, with great music, great artwork, and an interesting storyline, unfortunately marred by somewhat bad main characters interaction and bad pacing. It wasn't quite epic win as I earlier predicted, but the final battle was more than enough to redeem it.

It's a great watch for both fans of the previous Macross series and newcomers, and it will definitely catch your attention. I say go for it, if you haven't watched it yet.

A real great sequel to the Macross Series done in the full tradition of the Macross series. Traveling the Galaxy, Mecha fighters, Love Triangle, Unconventional weapons (Singing) and outstanding soundtrack.

Story: Really great story but I knocked off a point because I feel they stuffed too many events into the last episode. They should have done it over 2 episodes or made the 25th episode longer (like the De-culture extended 1st episode). I wish they also resolved the Love Triangle at bit better.

Art: Fantastic CG effects and battle scenes with great shots all over. Very little or no shots were "repeated" scenes. ... 1 point off though because some character shots looked super deformed or poorly drawn. Different artists or rushing deadlines?

Sound: THE standard by which Anime soundtracks must be judged. Few animes can compare to the complexity, originality, and just damn good listening of Macross. And it all started with the legendary soundtracks of the Original Macross series. Megumi Nakajima (Ranka's voice & singing talent) is fantastic, coming out fresh and sweet like the character should be. May'n (Sheryl's singing voice) also stuck me as a perfect match to Sheryl's personality as a hardcore performing and established diva.

Characters: Not entirely deep but overall good. Nobody seemed like a useless unnecessary character. I found Ranka's character to have the most life and biggest struggle. Alto's personal struggles with his family seemed irrelevant.

Overall, Macross F will satisfy hardcore Macross fans and mainstream viewers alike. It has enough drama & action for casual viewers to enjoy but 50% is a lot of Nostalgia from SDF Macross, Macross 7, & Macross Zero. If this was a standalone series I probably would still have given it an 9 Overall. But since I'm a fan of the series it gets that extra point for my personal satisfaction:)

Maybe we will see new footage and closure when the compiled "movie" version is released.

Story:
I tried to like the story but it opted for cheesy melodrama, bad action sequences and a love triangle that I did not care about. It tries to go for gut wrenching emotions but falls short because it does not bother to establish a conflict we truly care about, nor does it establish characters that I really cared about much at all.
Art:
The art ranges from absolutely awful, to pretty good, sometimes varying wildly between episodes. One thing that I absolutely hated was the CGI dogfight scenes, the action and the choreography were well done, but the computer generated graphics felt clunky and out ... of place, and could have been replaced with hand drawn frames with more fluidity.
Sound:
The music and sound effects in this anime are absolutely wonderful. I am a major fan of Kanno Yoko's work, and the music here is her working masterfully. I loved both Sheryl's Techno arena hits and Ranka's ballads also the classical mood music is wonderful and it evokes the traditional feel of the Macross franchise.
Characters:
Truthfully I can't stand most of the major characters, Sheryl is the only one that I like and that I feel plays out realistically. Alto is a major jerk to everyone, and it's a wonder to me that he even has two love interests, thinking on how he treats them. Ranka is whiny and timid, except when she sings, we can see this play out throughout the the series, her character never changes from that mold. Sheryl at least is the only one that acts in a believable and likable way. She is confident and arrogant in a way you would expect a star of her caliber to be, yet she is not unkind and shows streaks of humor that I find to be very likable.
Enjoyment / Overall:
I enjoy Macross Frontier mostly for its characters and the wonderful music. I keep hoping for interesting dramatic developments or good action scenes but I come away disappointed every episode. So it earns a mild recommendation on my part.

Music - everybody love music, it's a way to get through people heart, an universal way who transcend langage, and everybody knows it.

Indeed I was listening to some Macross Frontier's music since some times ago, without even knowing this was from an anime.
Two weeks ago I was looking for a good mecha anime, and I heard about Macross Frontier, then realised where these musics came from.

The story of Macross Frontier is pretty a basic one, humanity who seeks to expand to survive, put a male protagonist who is a pilot who fight for humanity's sake and two lovely girls with it. There, you got a ... hint of what is about the anime.

Talking about the caracters, Alto is the kind guy you will found in most of the anime, a basic. Sheryl is the girl who will never admit how she feel, and is kinda annoying in the start of the anime, but Ranka is the one outstanding, working hard to get what she want, and make you smile trough her cutness.

The art and animation of Macross Frontier are really amazing, even if I didn't watch it in the best quality.

Now the best part, the musics...
How should I put it, I simply love May'n and Megumi's both voices, you often hear them sing, especially when Alto is fighting, and somehow, it really fits good in the fights.
The more you advance in the episodes, the more the singing is good, wich makes the finals episode really wonderful.

Well, in the all, it's an anime I really recommend, the story is a classic one who always works, the visual art is impressive, and if you like May'n and Megumi's voices, your ears will burst of pleasure.

I'm not really into mecha oriented type animes. But this one, as it's predecesors, has love-drama and some others elements that are taken to such a high level of importance and just become essential in the development and coclusion of the anime itself. I think that this is what makes it different from almost any other mecha-type animes.

The story starts up strong, full of mysteries and incognits but as it develops it downfalls a bit and concludes poorly at the end. The theme is the same as the other Macross series in the saga, In a galaxy far away in the future. But ... this time the Macross Convoy faces a new enemy: the Vajra, bug like robots that are surrounded by secrecy and darkness. The good thing about the story is the love-triangle development, I really enjoyed the moments that Ranka-Sheryl and Alto spent together but, again, the way they end it up is really mediocre, so it starts really promising but it ends with no as it's started. Also the story has MANY musical events, scenes that are full of live performances or battles combined with music, being the two female lead characters musicians. So expect a lot of interruptions during the story, but don't worry the music is so good that you won't be bothered at all by this. Expect as well numerous references to older Macross animes in some episodes.

The art and design are just beautiful. The characters look colourful and really movie-style. The space battles look amazing, the action sequences and fights are really entertaining to watch. The world inside the Macross Convoy is just amazing: some parts of it look like San Francisco and others like China, so we've got a lot of variety here, really pleasant to watch. Other stuff to note are the gadgets like the cellphones that are crucial for the love-romance part of the story.Also I found the design of this cellphones quite amusing and funny as well as innovative, they go on par with the rest of the theme perfectly. The design of the females characters blew me away. Ranka looks amazing with her green hair and pretty red eyes and Sheryl just looks so hot with her unique color of hair and the sexy and revealing different oufits she wears during her live performances, definitely eyedrops for the eyes. The only thing I found to be out of place about the artistic part of this anime is the exagerated similarities between the Valkyries (mechas). I mean, one has a sniper riffle and other doesn't and then one is gray colored and the other one blue and... that's it! I really feel that the producers could have done a better job (having the mecha battles a important role in this anime) in putting sort of a spark to each mecha, something that REALLY made one different from another. Other than this, the animation feels taken off a next generation show; the animation quality suggest that Macross Frontier is a movie of some sort, a very high budget movie.

God the sound. What can I say here? The opening and ending singles are still on the top in Japan charts I think so? Well everything is just perfect about the sound being this a music-conflict resolution anime. The songs in this anime are all just performed for the sake of it and are genius, both in quality and lyrics. There is actually a song from a older Macross "Watashi no Kare wa Pilot" that is interpreted in this newer Macross. But putting aside this song the other ones are all new and made exclusively for the series. The sound is definitely the most outstanding aspect of this anime, the music is everywhere, in the love scenes, in the battles sequences, or even in the streets overview! Normally it would be annoying but the music is just that good that it does make up for it. Also the BMG's are adequate for each ocassion and make one feel a stronger impact depending the situation the story is going through.

The characters are very well done in looks and personality. Love Ranka's personality and love Sheryl's Looks XD! The development is another matter that needs pointing out. The main male character Saotome Alto just progresses well as the story advances and goes from a simple high schooler to a SMS-Skull Squadron Pilot. The other characters like Ranka and Sheryl have a good development as well: Sheryl goes downfall, being a famous artist at the begining and finishing being opacated by Ranka who goes from singing for fun and in the streets to finally became a famous pop idol and the savior of the Galaxy. But characters like Michael and Lucca just appear out of nowhere and are from the begining members of the SMS, just like that. I found this a bit weird. They are taken into account half way trough and almost when the story reaches it's climax which proves they are vital, at last.

In the end I truly enjoyed this anime from the begining 'till episode 24. The episode 25 wasn't as satisfying and concluding as I expected but it definitely thrilled me enough at the end. I really recommend this anime if you are looking for something really impressive to listen or to watch and you don't care how, to such a extend, a good story can be spoiled at the end, then this should be your first choice because, even if are are not a mecha fan, this anime will be one for you to remember and rewatch on several occassions.

OK so heres my first review, i'd like to set straight that Frontier is the only Macross series ive watched so i have nothing to compare it with.

Story - I loved the story here, just when you think you've sussed where its going it twists some more. Also not too much time was focused on backstory but enough for me to understand the setting without watching the previous Macrosses.

Art - The artwork and animation was incredible, i was actually recomended this anime on the basis of the artwork and I have to agree with the guy, HD is well worth it here. For anyone ... who loves the style of Shinkai Makoto this is definately for you.

Sound - The soundtrack is a tricky one for me. The J-pop undoubtedly deserves a 10/10 if only for the fact that they've completely changed my attitude towards J-pop. However the instrumental themes are lacking somewhat and seem to have heavily influenced in places by "Pirates of the Carribean", as in there were moments when it becomes undiscernable. Fortunately these are minimal in the series but if youre looking to download the soundtrack be sure to search out the "Nyan Tama Vocal Collection".

Character - Each character in this is beautifully fleshed out, not just the main characters but the supporting ones aswell. But also the relationships between characters are so well thought out.

Enjoyment - this anime successfully joins action, mecha, romance and comedy. Keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout and really gives you chance to empathise with the characters. Whats not to love?

I really would recommend this to everyone and anyone so if your plan to watch list isnt to clogged up you should definately throw this on there!

I like campiness sometimes. Macross and Robotech were campy but enjoyable. Sure I never liked most of the main cast but there were elements that made me enjoy the series, both when I was a kid and later when I grew older.

Problem is, I haven't seen a Macross that's captured the same spirit as the originals except from possibly Macross Plus. I never could understand this, it's not a difficult formula but it's never executed the same.

Let's start with the premise: it's a love triangle story (coincidentally, the 1st opening theme is called "Triangular") where you the three main characters ... are unlikable because of their glaring faults: Alto is a stubborn sissy that accidentally became a pilot from the circus (sound familiar?), Sheryl is a pompous star that can't express her true feelings but her pride just ruins her character, and Ranka who had the most potential was never fully explored throughout and thus you can't decide if you want to like her, much less care for her.

I guess you could compare that to Hikaru/Minmei/Misa (Rick/Minmay/Lisa for the Robotech junkies) and Isamu/Guld/Myung thing too, yet you can actually feel bad for each character. Macross F doesn't really let you do that, for 22 episodes (at least), the story flounders around everyday life while dabbling with the overlying plot. Nothing really advances with any of the characters except some secrets that *eventually* get uncovered. Problem is, sometimes those potentially plot-twisting secrets pop up, but then disappear for episodes until you kind of forget about it. It's fine once or twice in a series, but when you pile layers upon layers of secrets to the point you don't even know what's most important, then you've lost the viewer.

The Macross factor: the music. I don't believe everything Yoko Kanno is necessarily gold and while I enjoy this soundtrack, it's not the best thing I've heard of in my life. There's only about 3 songs I enjoy listening too, the rest...meh. Nothing is really memorable that really sticks unfortunately, maybe it's because they introduce 28934239 tracks by both singers and constantly bombard you either with the same song over and over, or recurring songs layered with another new song. It gets irritating. You don't need a huge berth of new mediocre vocal tracks, stick with a couple solid songs and let it be that.

This series could have easily been knocked down to 13 episodes, took out a few characters and/or combined a few elements. It's relatively predictable, feels like a lot of filler, characters aren't really all that likable, and the music is OK. The series does go out with a great bang (the final song is incredible), but getting there was painful. I wouldn't put it on par with Macross Plus, but definitely not the worst I've seen.

Having just finished the Macross Frontier, I have to say that this one falls way short of its predecessors. Hiroyuki Yoshino (who is also responsible for the abominations that are Code Gaess and Guilty Crown) seems to think that throwing together everything from his previous shows and whatever’s popular in other successful shows will make a great show. As one blogger rightly commented, “It’s not the number of ingredients that make a delicious dish”.

Now before I get into the meat of what didn’t work here; I want to give credit where credit is due. The music by Yoko Kanno, as always, was top notch. Although ... the pop music was a bit Engrishy, that’s common to all J-Pop and they can’t really be faulted there. I loved the overall designs of Macross Frontier with its whole San Francisco vibe. The fleet shot was also interesting as it made it look like a group of turtles or insects as well as giving the impression of the large-scale of these ships. I enjoyed all the concert scenes and thought the use of holography in some of Sheryl’s early concerts was pretty inventive and shows a progression in technology from the Sharon Apple concerts in Macross Plus. But despite this base design, the series went horribly askew when Yoshino took the reins of series composition.

Characters

The characters, although well-designed, were poorly developed. I couldn’t consider any of these characters endearing or lovable, and in a year’s time I will have probably forgotten all about them. They were shallow puppets that were used as tools to achieve the creator’s ends, without ever taking on a life of their own. While Ozama and Catherine’s relationship seems realistic and mature, but the vast majority of relationships were the typical high school romance crap. But they go above-and-beyond the call of duty here; not only are these relationships implausible, but they come out of nowhere and are resolved so poorly.

The cast, though well-designed, has obvious analogs in Super Dimension Fortress Macross or later incarnations in the series. The Captain resembles Global. You have the standard chatty girls on the bridge. The enemy, like Gepellnich (in Macross 7) is shrouded in mystery and you don’t get a good look at his/her face 'til the final few episodes. Ranka’s aesthetic is largely influenced by the design for Mao Nome from Macross Zero. Ozama Lee’s role takes on a lot of characteristics of Roy Focker from SDF Macross and Catherine Glass is a clone of Lt. Hayasse.

Finally, the villains are utterly worthless. Their plans are at times transparently obvious and at other times so vague that you could never be expected to understand what they’re talking about. The Vajira themselves, unlike the Zentradi or the Protodevilins of the previous series, are not sentient and react like worker bees to some queen. Even though these hive-mind creatures don’t really think for themselves (except for the pet), they seem to react to Ranka’s songs. Sounds stupid huh? Well, their explanation is equally stupid. I wont spoil it.

Plot

The plot was scattered and lazy. Political intrigue was full of plot holes and unrealistic to both the way other Macross ships are governed and the way governments function in reality (though this seems to be a consistent problem with Hiroyuki Yoshino). As stated before, they went out of their way to have lots of screen-time with villains saying a lot while remaining so vague that you could never decipher what they were saying.

In every previous incarnation, Macross ships have had a civilian leader (a mayor or president) and a military leader. In Frontier, part of the military is contracted out to SMS, some sort of private security firm; there doesn’t seem to be any reason for this arrangement. Most of the series only shows SMS getting involved in the conflicts, but toward the end, they start showing another full-sized military force operating out of the Frontier. Yoshino, having no political savvy whatsoever, portrays the President having absolute authority over the military; this goes against all precedent and seems to undermine the notion of separation of power clearly portrayed in Macross 7 and in the original SDF Macross. Though one might mistake the Captain of SMS as the equivalent of Max Genius, he is clearly not a military captain and in fact no one seems to fit this role. The military leaders outside SMS are a bunch of sniveling sycophants who do nothing but react to what’s going on outside the ship (almost as if Yoshino was trying to tell the audience how to react).

The foreshadowing flashbacks were poorly used and basically showed the same things over and over, trying to make the same obvious point. These flashbacks continue throughout through the end of the series, even though the message is already clear by Episode 10. The ending was particularly incoherent, and it really answered none of the questions. Relationships are abruptly resolved, if resolved at all, many other threads were just left dangling.

Conclusions

All in all, the plot was a sloppy mess. It wasn’t fun to watch and wasn’t engaging either emotionally or intellectually. There was never really a moment where I didn’t know where this was heading – no surprises. I don’t feel that this series did anything to expand the Macross universe or the underlying mysteries of the franchise; and despite lots of cameos we really learn nothing of the fate of characters from previous series (with a couple exceptions).

The worst part though, is while letting this man work on Macross series was possibly a good financial decision, it has ruined what was otherwise an original and authentic saga. Yoshino didn’t seem to care about what came before, except that there was material there to exploit. He merely saw fans of the franchise as potential viewers, then he roped in pop music fans, mecha fans, high school anime fans, and a dozen other tropes in order to maximize his viewership. The man has no integrity as an artist and no respect for a classic property that’s been going since 1982. It had been ten years since Macross 7, so I hope in 2017 (or hopefully sooner) when they get around to making another series, that the original creators don’t let this jackass anywhere near it.

There are really no comparable animes worthy of the Macross series.. It's a whole new genre, combining intense mecha battles with intense singing..

The first Macross series was more about relationships.. However, in Frontier, it has changed all that. The Valkyrie art is superb, the plot and setting is realistic, the music and songs, oh the songs are just too good to be true!!! The characters are amazingly interesting, cute and loveable too..

In just 25 episodes, Macross Frontier has brought a whole new genre up front. It's a genre never before explored, not in Gundam, not in Evangelion, not even in FMP.

It makes ... it clear to us the strong relationship between culture, war, evolution and technology.

Only one word to describe this series overall : Deculture!!!