So. I had time to myself and rather than brave the 33 degree temperature outside, I ended up in a four hour rewatch binge of the Macross Frontier feature films Itsuwari no Utahime and Sayonara no Tsubasa (in that order).
With the Macross franchise as a whole being mired in a legal scrum that sees no sign of abating any time soon, thanks to Harmony Gold's continued legal challenge of international rights, you're unlikely to ever see Macross Frontier outside Japan, which is a shame, given how large of a smash hit it was when it released in 2008. This is a huge shame, especially since the original Macross was part of the components of the Frankenstein's creation known as Robotech and Macross Plus was a seminal work of the 90s (with a good chunk of the Cowboy Bebop crew cutting their teeth there).
Either way, four hours later, no regrets.
Since it's unlikely to ever get a release outside Japan (and the fact that many foreign sources don't even know about it's existence), I figured I might as well shill it. (Also, for the record, I own the Blu Rays and they are pretty)
![[Image: Macross2.jpg]](https://i2.wp.com/i50.photobucket.com/albums/f350/kurosagara/Randomness/Macross2.jpg)
For the uninitiated, true to it's series roots, the Macross Frontier films are a heady mix of slice-of-life, space opera and a really really rowdy J-Pop concert. Set aboard the eponymous Frontier, a massive colony vessel meandering across the Milky Way Galaxy searching for a habitable world to terraform (along with director Shoji Kawamori's love affair with the city of San Francisco, lovingly recreated aboard the ship), the film focuses on the budding relationship between pilot cadet Alto Saotome, pop star Sheryl Nome and up-and-coming starlet Ranka Lee.
This idyllic sojourn across the stars is disrupted when the Frontier fleet smacks face first into the Vajra, an aggressive insectoid species kicking off an interstellar bug-war and Alto finds himself caught up in the action alongside SMS, a private military contractor.
At it's core though, despite being epic in scope, Macross Frontier manages to keep itself tightly focused on telling a personal story, and the focus on the trio of protagonists keeps the whole thing grounded despite the film haring off in pursuit of eye-popping spectacle. It's two 120 minute films full of pseudo-science, physics defying dog fights, pop concerts, love triangles, government conspiracies, giant transforming fighter plane robots and really really really high credit card limits.
It's also the story of a girl pursuing her dreams, a woman desperately seeking belonging and a man trying to find his way in the world and despite scenes involving surfing aircraft carriers (don't ask), it also never forgets that at it's core, it's a story about human emotions, despite the bells and whistles.
Being a war story, there's blood. That should go without saying. Some casualties border on the slightly gratuitous. There's minor nudity, though nothing you wouldn't see on cable.
If you like love stories, it probably won't hurt.
If you like space opera, it probably won't hurt.
If you like aircraft dogfights, it probably won't hurt.
If you like pop concerts, it probably won't hurt.
Summary: Giant Robot Dogfights: The Love Story: The Musical
![[Image: Macross4.jpg]](https://i2.wp.com/i50.photobucket.com/albums/f350/kurosagara/Randomness/Macross4.jpg)
Streamable Sources:
Macross Frontier 1:Itsuwari no Utahime (The False Songstress)
Macross Frontier 2: Sayonara no Tsubasa (Wings of Goodbye)
With the Macross franchise as a whole being mired in a legal scrum that sees no sign of abating any time soon, thanks to Harmony Gold's continued legal challenge of international rights, you're unlikely to ever see Macross Frontier outside Japan, which is a shame, given how large of a smash hit it was when it released in 2008. This is a huge shame, especially since the original Macross was part of the components of the Frankenstein's creation known as Robotech and Macross Plus was a seminal work of the 90s (with a good chunk of the Cowboy Bebop crew cutting their teeth there).
Either way, four hours later, no regrets.
Since it's unlikely to ever get a release outside Japan (and the fact that many foreign sources don't even know about it's existence), I figured I might as well shill it. (Also, for the record, I own the Blu Rays and they are pretty)
For the uninitiated, true to it's series roots, the Macross Frontier films are a heady mix of slice-of-life, space opera and a really really rowdy J-Pop concert. Set aboard the eponymous Frontier, a massive colony vessel meandering across the Milky Way Galaxy searching for a habitable world to terraform (along with director Shoji Kawamori's love affair with the city of San Francisco, lovingly recreated aboard the ship), the film focuses on the budding relationship between pilot cadet Alto Saotome, pop star Sheryl Nome and up-and-coming starlet Ranka Lee.
This idyllic sojourn across the stars is disrupted when the Frontier fleet smacks face first into the Vajra, an aggressive insectoid species kicking off an interstellar bug-war and Alto finds himself caught up in the action alongside SMS, a private military contractor.
At it's core though, despite being epic in scope, Macross Frontier manages to keep itself tightly focused on telling a personal story, and the focus on the trio of protagonists keeps the whole thing grounded despite the film haring off in pursuit of eye-popping spectacle. It's two 120 minute films full of pseudo-science, physics defying dog fights, pop concerts, love triangles, government conspiracies, giant transforming fighter plane robots and really really really high credit card limits.
It's also the story of a girl pursuing her dreams, a woman desperately seeking belonging and a man trying to find his way in the world and despite scenes involving surfing aircraft carriers (don't ask), it also never forgets that at it's core, it's a story about human emotions, despite the bells and whistles.
Being a war story, there's blood. That should go without saying. Some casualties border on the slightly gratuitous. There's minor nudity, though nothing you wouldn't see on cable.
If you like love stories, it probably won't hurt.
If you like space opera, it probably won't hurt.
If you like aircraft dogfights, it probably won't hurt.
If you like pop concerts, it probably won't hurt.
Summary: Giant Robot Dogfights: The Love Story: The Musical
Streamable Sources:
Macross Frontier 1:Itsuwari no Utahime (The False Songstress)
Macross Frontier 2: Sayonara no Tsubasa (Wings of Goodbye)
