While not as gut wrenching as the last set, todays collection of Macross episodes had some major developments on pretty much every front of the series. I was actually a little worried about how things would play out in the wake of the loss of two major characters and the Macross’ exile from Earth. But my concerns about this being an oddly numbered 36 episode series were put to wrest a bit. Battle lines were crossed and redrawn, some romances continued to grow and evolve while other floundered about. All in all, Macross today was about making major advancement while setting the stage for a major showdown when we return next week.
It was only a matter of time before the domino effect of having Loli, Conda and Warera sneak human culture into their fleet began to take effect. And boy did it. Not only were these three desperate to return to the Macross but they managed to convince about 30 or so of their crew members to get micronized and accompany them. That might seem like a tiny number but so was the number “3” not too long ago. And this avalanche didn’t just stop at this little defection. Towards the end of this set, mutinies were popping up all over Bretai’s fleet, causing him to call off an major offensive against the Macross and consider possibly opening peace negotiations. Bretai may be an effective commander and a pretty bad ass warrior but I’ve never gotten the same cold hearted, ruthless vibe from say Kamjin or his Supreme Commander Boddolza. And since he’s had the most experience battling the Macross, Bretai might be the guy to spear head peace talks…if theyre even allowed to happen.
Loli, Conda and Warera’s return to the Macross found them crossing paths with Hikaru and Misa once more (it’s ok if you forgot they were at their little First Contact meeting with Bretai, Exedore and Boddolza). And much like Bretai being a potential peace broker for the Zentradi side, Hikaru and Misa made good cases for why they should be the ambassadors for humanity in this matter. Hikaru did take some convincing of his own, particularly when he recognized the trio initially. But Misa, who’s had plenty of time to rethink her soldier’s life sadly thanks to her own interactions with Kaifun (or lack thereof but I’ll get to that). Thanks to her, Hikaru was reminded of how the Zentradi have known nothing but war for generations and if there’s a chance they can reconnect with something other than fighting, like peace, love and Minmay, they should take it. Thank God we have the ever reliable Commodore Global to have the final say in things. If there were anyone else in charge of the Macross right now, like say Misa’s father, this whole defection might not have gone so smoothly. But his faith in peace, his second in command and one of his best pilots was all Global needed to welcome the rogue Zentradi into the Macross family.
For all their success at starting the path to peace, Hikaru and Misa had plenty of growing and frustrations to work through. The pair found themselves isolated during a battle and had a very nice chat that shows how far they’ve come since the first time Misa chewed Hikaru out for flying into battle as a civilian. Misa’s more mature, more kind and more in tune with Hikaru’s own heart than a certain other larger than life idol that I’d hoped Hikaru would’ve let go of by now. Minmay did make a push to try and get Hikaru back into her purview but even fates giving her a hard NO on that. Misa wasn’t doing much better earlier, admitting that her love for Kaifun stems entirely from him looking like her old boyfriend, Riber. At one point Misa even mentions that nothing could really happen between her and Kaifun because he hates the military…could it also be because they’ve barely shared a scene together and Kaifun hasn’t even given Misa a passing glance? Still, Misa seemed to make peace with that and let go of her infatuation with him. I only wish Hikaru could follow her example but Minmay continues to be a cloud he can never fully escape from. That didn’t stop Hikaru from rescuing Misa from an attack as she flew back to Earth. They shared a very sweet farewell that emphasized their more mature standing and how much they’ve come to care for one another, even if neither truly realizes it yet. Here’s hoping they figure that out quick with all the chaos that’s about to come their way.
Turns out, the defection of several Zentradi wasn’t the biggest development in the ongoing Earth/Zentradi War…it was a wedding and a very instantaneous one at that. Don’t get me wrong, Max is so freaking awesome that if anyone deserves a good girl, it’s him. And given his unknown shared history with Miriya, their pairing makes perfect sense. Buuuuuuut for Max to propose marriage after a first date turned into a duel that ended in a kiss…that’s like Disney levels of “whoa you just met the girl wtf dude?” Its here where one of Macross’ greatest weaknesses comes into play. With such an emphasis on the love triangle between Hikaru, Misa and Minmay, there hasn’t been too much time to see other relationships grow over time. Sure Roy and Claudia got their fair share of screentime, which was why Roy’s death before Claudia’s eyes was so powerful. But how about giving Max and Miriya a couple more episodes before they suddenly jumped to getting married? I could do with more of them and less Minmay and her “I’m always right and get my way” asshat cousin Kaifun, who pretty much made his own love for Minmay known, much to her shock. Being insanely rushed aside, I do see the significance of Max and Miriya’s wedding. If a Human and Zentradi can learn to love, something either side thought impossible, there may be hope for the future yet. It’s also fun to chuckle at the homelife problems Max and Miriya are having already that are keeping Hikaru up at night.
But Bolddoza isn’t having any mutiny’s or Protoculture screwing up his fleet and Misa’s father has a mega cannon that he wants to fire first to force the Zentradi into negotiations through fear. I guess the question is: which of these two idiots is gonna light this spark that unleashes fire across the galaxy? Next Monday, we start the last act of Macross with the fight to end all fights. Will love and peace prevail or are Humans and Zentradi destined to slaughter each other? (and even then my money is on the Zentradi with their sheer numbers alone). Check back Next Monday to find out right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.
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