Back when VCRs still existed, one of the first anime tapes I purchased was “Macross II”, a direct sequel to the original Macross/Robotech series from the 80s, of which I’ve sadly only seen a few episodes.
In the original series, the Super Dimensional Fortress Macross was an alien warship which had crashed to earth; with this odd intruder, mankind united under one rule and progressed rapidly due to the alien vessel’s advanced technology. Eventually the vessel is restored to its former status, just in time as its owners are about to arrive and they don’t look friendly..
That was the 80s though, and even though mankind was pretty much wiped out, all’s well that end’s well in the end. In Macross Frontier, space colonization has become a reality and humanity is spreading out across the galaxy.
The anime takes place at a military expedition fleet, with in the center of it a mobile space colony, basically a small floating world in space. Characters are introduced in a variety of forms, including waitresses, fighter pilots and military recruits. And a musical idol, which is a central theme in every Macross series, and a good excuse for a decent soundtrack.
But meanwhile an unknown alien force emerges out of nowhere and attacks as well, effectively breaking through the military’s defenses, as one of the enemy vessels bursts into the colony and starts blowing up. A Variable Fighter, a space fighter capable of transforming into a human-shaped robot, follows the enemy but its pilot gets killed, rather messily I might add, and a series of events places one of the recruits in the pilot’s seat, ending this episode with a cliffhanger…
I must say it has been a while since I’ve seen some Macross, but this episode definitely had the feel of the series of old, upgraded with new animation techniques, without needlessly throwing computer animations around. And I liked that. I wonder what episode two will bring…
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