Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple_R
As much as I disagree with Thess on Windermere in general, I agree with her on just about everything else. I even get what she means by two stories clashing. A mostly bright mahou shoujo/idol anime story with Freyja as the lead character (and Hayate her love interest, Mirage her friend but love-rival, Walkure the group she's in, etc...). And a much darker war narrative with Keith as the lead character. These stories didn't gel that well, perhaps because Freyja and Keith had extremely minimal interaction. That and tonal clash.
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We can agree to disagree, I couldn’t care less anymore because the story is done. I agree that Windermere wasn't handled as well as they could be despite the heavy-handed authorial intent which was what I was arguing for (same happened to the Vajra and TV Ranka), but a movie can easily smooth things over like happened to Vajra and Ranka (and they ended up using the movie version of Frontier: where Vajra left the Galaxy). We must always keep in mind all is fictionalization anyway. This is why in general, I like to see the meta of the meta in Macross. Fr example, I don't think NUNS are likely the Devil, but they are portrayed in that simplistic way here, so I wonder
why - The show isn't actual events that happen but a fictionalization of history which surely has details changed to make it appealing to their target audience. This is, in general, my interest in this, if it makes sense. If the NUNS had the same power and prestige as earlier entries by the time Delta was made, why would the media portray them so negatively? In fact, the previous Macross are all human centered with some Zentraedi-love, here the characters who shone in the finale
are all Windermerians, whether they are affiliated with Roid or Windermere: Freyja and Keith saved the galaxy; and Roid was the antagonist. The so-called human protagonist and zentraedi hybrid were like sidekicks/love interests. It's a really interesting
shift from a meta perspective.
However what is more worrisome is that the story in general is kind of a mess. It was like a mood whiplash: the show after episode 13. It felt that they tried to push two main characters for their side of the stories: Keith of the Aerial Knights and Freyja of Walkure (I would add Hayate of Delta Squadron, but he really just felt like a love interest in the end). In retrospect, when the show was announced, the two key images were Aerial Knights and Walkure (with Keith and Freyja as respective centers) and both of them have their POV story manga. So it might have been purposeful? Mikumo and Roid were characters that joined both plot arcs (more than any other) which were done in a shoddily done way. The mood whiplash sensation was also strong in the finale. It was like watching a crossover put together and not in the most professional way. I think I
liked both stories, but I
didn’t like the way they combined together. I enjoyed it, but some stuff made me pause and go "Huh???"
They really should have done two separate shows instead of trying something like
this (I realize that image sums perfectly the second half of Delta
). Mikumo could have been a minor character in Freyja's as (I don't know) Freyja's mentor and the plot could have been focused on Var healing and singers boosting pilots (like Kawamori wanted). Then Mikumo would have made her return as the main heroine (maybe in a triangle with Roid and Keith?) in the serious war Macross and Protoculture stuff. It'll possibly work better that way and give all the giant cast of characters more focus and more development.
I dug Freyja’s love and passion to end this and called everyone to sing along. It was contagious. As I liked Keith’s message to the audience (not just Roid): live today, your present is what matters the most. For all those who are concerned about the future (or eternity), for all those who are haunted by the past. I think Keith’s last lines were supposed to be the message. Still, it doesn’t change that’s a 180º of a character who used to be hung about the past, but I’m sort of
about Keith’s portrayal. Keith from episode 13 and after episode 13 seemed completely different (it was less on his personality change and more like Keith, before 13, was the main rival ace, after that he sort of became like the male lead of the show sometimes). I know they just tried to bait and switch Keith and Roid to make them trade roles (that’s the oldest cliché in the book: first impressions/appearances are deceiving) but it was poorly executed. While novel Keith seems like a consistent character (but hey we got his POV thus avoids being just that 'pretty jerkass ace' until his loses his eye).
Anyway, with that said. What is your Macross Ranking? My ranking so far:
1. SDFM = Flashback = DYRL
2. Plus
3. Frontier Movies. Delta first half.
4. Zero. Frontier second half.
5. Seven.
6. Frontier first half.
7. Delta second half.
8. All the Seven OVAS.
9. Lovers again.