KaminaKai

*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.

Splitter

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 manytwists 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.