*Holy F*****
S*** I didn’t plan this but the schedule can surprise you when you’re putting
it together. Today’s Series Finale
Review of Macross 7 marks my 1000th Review for the Gundam Anime Corner.
1000 reviews…forgive my lack of censoring but Holy SHIT!!! Wish it could be a much more worthy title
but 1000 is still 1000 and…wow just…I have no words this is such a major
achievement. And you know what, Macross
7 might not be worthy of being a GOOD reviewed Anime. But I can have just as much fun tearing it a
new one as I like to do for Anime I don’t like, stress relief and all
that. Thank you so much to anyone who
has been reading since the beginning and…well…here’s to 1000 more. Ok before I get to teary eyed, onto the review.*
The best thing I
can say about the finale of Macross 7 is it is finally freaking done and I can
put it behind me. I’m not looking at the
two pairs of 3 episode OVA follow ups and I’m definitely not looking at the “Galaxy
is Calling Me” sequel film. This has
been one of the toughest and more grueling shows I’ve ever reviewed on this
blog and I’m happy to see it done. It
shouldn’t come as a surprise after that kind of an intro that I don’t have many
nice things to say about the final four episodes of the series. From a continued overall near Jesus level
dependence on Basara to even dumber designed Protodevlin, Macross 7 ends just
as it began: nonsensical and borderline intolerable. Still, guess I should look at how the show
closed out. Let’s get this over with.
In our final
Basara BS List, what can I say that hasn’t already been said before? Basara is a character that hasn’t changed
since the beginning of the show. His
personality, mindset and petty mannerisms were set in stone after Episode 1 and
it’s astounding how nothing’s changed after 49 episodes. And while he does spend a nice chunk of these
four episodes in a coma, the air about the Macross 7 Fleets survival without
him hits critical levels. There’s never
any other solution other than “Have Basara sing”. God Mylene tries her best but it isnt enough
and in the end it’s Basara (with a slight assist from Sivil) that prevents the
end of the universe. The moment that I
basically signed off from anything else was in the final episode when pretty
much all of City 7 showed up outside the hospital to sing for Basara. If that’s not borderline worshiping him as a
God, I don’t know what is. By that point
I’d had it. Whether he won or won, I’m
done with Basara Nekki and his “band” aka him, himself and he. Oh and Macross 7, don’t you dare tease me
with a title like “The Death of Basara” and expect me to believe you’ll
deliver. That’s just one more insult to
injury.
But complaints
don’t fall soley at the feet of Macross 7’s resident brainless songster. The entire finale felt lacking in most
departments from emotional investment to resolution. Some arcs do conclude but they feel secondary
compared to Basara must save the universe.
Max and Milia not only reconcile but fly together again. That’s great.
Wish we could see more of that.
Mylene takes the lead when Basara is knocked out and is thanklessly
pummeled rather than giving her a chance to properly save the day. Gamlin actually sings to wake Basara the hell
up, he’s one of the few if only characters to actually grow as a person from
when we first met him. And wow even the
poor Battle 7 ended up getting destroyed after a futile attempt to take out Geppernich. Nothing was fair and anything earned didn’t
get enough spotlight.
The final battle
itself was one big loud commotion. At
one point you had three different song sets going on at once and the way the
episode kept cutting back to them was like turning a radio dial back and forth
in a fit of indecision. Two more
Protodevlin were awakened and they had to be the worst designed of the bunch,
even more so than Geppernich’s final form as a Final Fantasy boss. Instead of yapping about “dreams” or
“beauty”, they just laughed and finished each others sentences, joy. Then there’s the matter of Sivil. She’s spent a good quarter of the series in a
stasis bubble. And ever since she’s
woken up her powers been relegated to virtually nothing against her fellow
Protodevlin. However, her true time to
shine came when she sang with Basara to stop the Spiritia Black Hole. Wow, if only we could have had more Sivil and
Basara interactions if only to see Sivil fleshed out as a character and not as
a last minute save for Basara when his HP is critical.
Speaking of Basara and Sivil, Macross 7 totally f’ed up
the prerequisite love triangle of a Macross series with Mylene. Why the heck is she even interested in Basara
in a romantic sense? The doofus treats
her like a little sister almost all the time and rarely sees her as an equal
unless she’s doing what he tells her to do.
Despite the age gap making things a bit awkward, Mylene and Gamlin have
had solid scenes together and she helped Gamlin become less uptight and more
accepting of Fire Bomber and her music.
And yet Mylene says she likes him and Basara about equally (but clearly
more in Basara’s direction). But wait,
in that pointless Gamlin gets possessed episode didn’t Mylene’s music once
again succeed when Basara’s failed when it came to freeing Gamlin? This feels like a smack in the face to two of
the only characters I’ve been ok with throughout this entire show. If they didn’t end up together for now,
that’s fine. But Mylene basically
telling Gamlin Basara’s a possible romantic love interest for herself…wow way
to let me down in the end Mylene. Not to
mention it wastes the potential Sivil had besides being a temporarily
overpowered alien murder machine that got freaky whenever she heard Basara’s
music.
So the galaxy is
saved. The fleet is in various states of
disrepair around Varauta IV and Battle 7 has been completely destroyed. Job well done? I don’t know but it’s about time we get to my
Final Thoughts on Macross 7.
Uuuuuuuuuuuugh this was a really, really, really terrible watch. The show doesn’t look anywhere near as good
as a Macross title should. Most of the legacy characters act like shadows of
their former selves while only a very select few new characters shine in almost
every scene their in. The action is unimpressive and most times boring,
something Macross action should never EVER be.
The villains are cartoonishly incompetent and more annoying than
threatening. And the much praised
music…is for the most part ok but the overplaying of Planet Dance and Tosugeki
Love Heart had me muting the TV cause I was so sick of hearing them used over
and over and over again. As for Fire Bomber
themselves: what do we know about them that we didn’t already learn by Episode
3? Basara’s a self absorbed idiot who
would rather let people die rather than save lives by doing something other
than singing. Ray and Veffidas do next
to nothing: the former being Basara’s enabler and excuse maker and the latter
being a super hot but one note drum player who just taps sticks on whatever she
can. We don’t know how they came
together or how they can tolerate Basara’s selfishness, no matter how good
their music is. Gamlin, Mylene, a couple
of more emotionally charged and surprisingly exciting battles and a mostly
solid musical setlist (burn in hell Planet Dance) are the only things I can
praise about this 49 episode torture fest…oh and Gubaba, Macross 7 definitely
doesn’t deserve a mascot as awesomely adorable as you.
As the first
Macross TV Sequel Macross 7 falls wayyyyy short of its game changing
predecessor. Too much goofiness, too
much filler and a lot of stagnant progression hinder a potentially promising
new chapter in the Macross franchise.
But when you emphasize stupidity over decent storytelling, you’re asking
a lot from your audience. I don’t get
why this show is as long lasting as it is and I don’t care. If you enjoy Macross 7, flaws and all, I
respect that. Me? Macross Plus is still the vastly superior sequel
to revisit time and time again, or hell just revisit the OG Super Dimension
Fortress Macross. I waited a long time
to check out Macross 7 and much like Gundam Seed Destiny, I want my 49 episodes
of time back.
3/10
Whew, I barely
made it through that one and trust me it was touch and go. That said, I need a little bit of a Macross
break even though Otakon is tomorrow. So
I’m switching things up a bit for the next slew of reviews. We’ll be back in the Macross universe once we
cross into September as we blast into the hopefully much better sequel series, Macross Frontier. HOWEVER…there may be a very slim
chance Fire Bomber might poke its pesky head around my neck of the woods again
later in the year. What fresh hell am I
bringing upon myself? You’ll just have
to find out. Til then, see ya at Otakon
and see ya back here Friday, August 15th for Mobile Police Patlabor right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.
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