The Kingdom of Windemere has declared war on the New UN
Spacey government. To the shock of all,
they are able to use Var Syndrome as a way to mind control the military’s of
various worlds, seizing them without a fight. Pressed into service, Walkure
undertakes a risky recon mission.
Waiting for them are Windermere’s elite Aeriel Knights and their first
taste of war. Hayate and Freya face pressure
from their peers to perform well in these new conditions. But this isnt what either of them signed up
for. Will true combat make or break the
two of them?
I don’t get why people have been ragging on Macross
Delta.
From what I’ve heard, this show
is supposedly so idol focused over the Mecha action that it could very well be
the reason we haven’t heard a peep from Macross in over a decade.
But I call fowl on that assumption because
this second outing was just as strong as last weeks premiere and it hasn’t
skimped on anything that makes Macross, Macross.
It isnt perfect but there’s still 15 episodes
left to iron out some continuing wrinkles.
Anyway, onto this latest set of episodes.
One area this set improved on was Hayate.
My concerns over him being a little too
Basara in his boasting and ideology about wanting to fly but not kill were
assuaged when Hayate netted his first kill saving Mirage’s life.
It proved that not only was he up to it, but
he was able to process his feelings with the help of Mirage and not let it
break him.
It’s not an easy thing but
again, my fear was that he’d run the risk of someone dying just to satisfy his
own convictions, a la Basara.
Nope,
Hayate is actually growing and learning to understand more and more what he
fights for through his bonds with Freya and Mirage, both of whom bring out the
best in our series lead.
Freya continues to be Macross Delta’s secret weapon.
Her enthusiasm and happy go lucky attitude
was tested big time by her encounter with the Aerial Knights.
Even then though, she chided them for using
Windermere’s produce to secretly spread their war efforts and told them to
apologize.
That had me chuckling,
Freya’s awesome.
Same goes for her
solos.
Episode 8’s “Girrafe Song” is a
stellar tune and it’s made all the better by Freya herself.
She really does pour her heart and soul into
her music and it shows.
Mirage eased up
a bit this week too.
She’s spending more
and more time with Hayate and their bond is getting her to open up and be a bit
more friendly with him and they have good chemistry together.
I’d be convinced they were a couple already
if I didn’t know any better.
Truth be
told though, the love triangle could go either way on this one much like
Macross Frontier.
The action continues to be Top Gun levels of crazy, a
true testament to how far Satelite has come with the Macross Franchise.
Though the real masterwork came from Messer
and Keith’s multiple showdowns.
I
couldn’t help but get Macross Plus vibes from how the set pieces played out,
right down to Messer’s unfortunate demise.
I had a feeling he wasn’t long for the series after his Var infection
was discovered but I expected a repeat of Gould’s death from Plus.
Sadly, Messer didn’t get nearly as heroic a
send off and it only makes me despise the Aerial Knights all the more.
Arad might be positioned as the Roy Focker of
this series but Messer got the Roy level shocking death scene, even I had to
gasp and cry fowl.
Speaking of the Windermereans, it’s hard to get a read on
these guys.
There’s a bunch of
personalities and philosophies clashing amongst themselves so much that it’s a
miracle they could even muster a united war effort.
Between continuous talks about wind,
liberation and Bogue blood lust against Walkure, they lack the intrigue and fun
of the Zentradi or the complexity of Sharon Apple.
Were I to sum up the Aerial Knights right
now, they’re just Primadonna’s cosplaying as Final Fantasy villains: all style,
no substance with over inflated egos to match.
What is Windermere’s war really about?
Revenge? Liberation?
An excuse to
kill a bunch of outsiders?
I just don’t
get them yet.
My dislike for the Aerial Knights is only surpassed by my
continued dislike for Mikumo.
There isnt
a moment she was on screen where I wasn’t annoyed by her attitude or any words
coming out of her mouth.
If she’s
supposed to be a wisened, ethereal figure, it’s not showing.
She’s arrogant to the point of why do they
need Walkure when she seems like a solo act who’s voice and talent cant be
matched?
Her constant trash talking of
Freya ticks me off too.
Actually, the
moment that really got me was Kaname sharing her own solo idol history and
revealing she was Walkure’s “Ace” before Mikumo came along.
News Flash: Kaname’s AXIA song was perfect
and I can see why it kept Messer in check for so long.
And you know I’m in Freya’s corner 100% and I
hope she surpasses Mikumo to become Walkure’s new Ace before the series closes
out.
Some other thoughts.
Hayate having the same kind of special gene certainly explains why his
flight ability seems to become even better when Freya gets involved.
While that’ll definitely play into the
central love triangle of Hayate, Freya and Mirage, theirs isnt the only love in
the air.
Messers crush on Kaname was
kind of last minute considering we’ve mostly seen Kaname hanging around Arad,
though he’s oblivious to her crush on him.
Not sure why we needed a second love triangle but hey, it did give Messer
some good character moments before his death so he could be more than just a
jerk to Hayate and Mirage most of the time.
Also Makima and Reina are a couple right? They’re so in sync and
inseparable and so close, yeah theyre definitely hooked up in that way for
sure.
Also, also I love the eyecatches
on this show.
The little Gatcha
Valkyries I want them all.
Week Two of Macross Delta continued to push things
forward with better action and character development and even a shocking demise
for a supporting character to show that this series is still very much
Macross.
The action and music are being
used in equal measure with one not overshadowing the other, which is a huge
relief for me.
Now if only the villains
were better fleshed out and Mikumo could tone down the holier than thou persona
(Side note: it wouldn’t shock me if she’s this mysterious Lady M that Ernest
and Arad mentioned a couple of times.).
Macross Delta continues it’s musical battle tour Next Monday right here
over at the Gundam Anime Corner.
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