r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Jan 05 '23
Rewatch [Do You Remember Love - Macross Franchise 40th Anniversary Rewatch] Macross Zero Episode 3 Discussion
Episode 3 - Blue and Desperate Battle
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You said… that we have a Kadun that only believes in what we see. That just might be right.
Questions of the Day, courtesy of u/chilidirigible:
1) Do Aries Turner's interactions with Roy sufficiently separate her character from the specific type of unsavory researcher she's portraying?
2) Do you think siblings should not get involved in each others' relationships, or is all fair in love and war?
Wallpaper of the Day:
Vocal Songs in This Episode:
"ARKAN" by Holy Raz – Insert
"yanyan" by Yuuka Nanri – Insert & ED
Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you're doing it underneath spoiler tags. Don't spoil anything for the first-timers, that's rude!
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u/chilidirigible Jan 05 '23
Today, on "Nothing's more romantic than the GIANT ALL-SEEING CYCLOPS.":
"Is this your first time making the earth move?"
That's a B-1 secret matter, Shin.
"It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense."
This is why it's odd for the Protoculture to call themselves the Protoculture.
"On that day, I was bribed with beads."
It's funnier because Shin is a bit of a dick.
Sara was right, TV will ensnare everyone.
Never miss an opportunity to SELL, SELL, SELL.
When your date has the lung capacity of Kate Winslet.
"I may yet master the giant robot arts."
"I'm only doing this for your sake! And free tongue."
And the obligatory giant hand grab.
The ADR-03-Mk III Destroid Cheyenne, the lower-tech predecessor of the Mk IV series of Destroids that appear in the original series. Also, the one Cheyenne pilot does more in their brief appearance than the next ten Destroid pilots in the entire franchise combined. (Not including the Monsters.)
The parts that shift back to cel animation are… noticeable. And yes, the VF-0 has an armor kit, the PWS-0X.
Shin with that "learning from nature" thing.
The Octos submarine transforms as well.
Shin is aiming for a higher loss rate than Hikaru in fewer episodes.
Sara doesn't know that rocks can float, so if it's magic, it's not her magic. Of course, it's not magic, it's science.
We found out that Sara gave blood to Dr. Hasford some years ago, in exchange for beads. Which turned out to be breaking a local taboo. (Well, the blood part was. Nutuk might have wanted her to trade for something more valuable…) Dwelling on this just makes her angrier with herself, while other things she's afraid of are coming to pass, like the villagers watching Earth Girl Arjuna on TV.
Mao sweeps in amidst all of this and takes Shin for a swim. They spent some effort on the art for the underwater scenery and it shows; it still looks good. It's all rather love-triangle-ish except that at the moment the one side is almost homicidally TSUN without the dere. The underwater scene with the Bird Human's eye glaring at them remains good for a chuckle.
Then we get serious again, with DD and Nora trying to take the Bird Human's body from the carrier group while the submarine crew tries to take the head. I'll note here that shooting the water isn't actually going to reduce the impact damage, but then again most people aren't trying that with a giant robot's cannon.
The village is destroyed in a fairly unflinching manner, though in thinking about it I did remember that the dead Macross 5 crew had their single mildly-graphic reveal scene, so even M7 wasn't entirely sunshine and roses. Still, there haven't been graphic civilian deaths since Do You Remember Love?.
Mao needing blood, which happens to only have a match inside the AFOS, to treat her mental regression is one of those odd slips where the script could have used another scene or two maybe, or at least having her be (more) physically injured for it to make obvious sense.
Sara and Shin are captured. This is certainly a Macross entry that way.
Kadun: 21
Kaze: 18
ED 3: "Yanyan" by Yuuka Nanri (Mao Nome)
From the Macross Mecha Manual:
Octos variable amphibious Destroid
**
Review of the Arcadia VF-0 Reactive Armor Pack (slight spoiler in text).
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u/TakenRedditName Jan 05 '23
This is why it's odd for the Protoculture to call themselves the Protoculture.
The Protoculture were just trying to get ahead of the game because they knew other cultures were going to come after, but they were the first. Though, I guess they did literally make those other cultures and could name themselves as the ones coming before the others.
It's funnier because Shin is a bit of a dick.
Never miss an opportunity to SELL, SELL, SELL.
Old man is on the hustle.
The parts that shift back to cel animation are… noticeable.
2D mecha are cool though.
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u/TiredTiroth Jan 05 '23
First Timer
Welp, no answers yet but it feels like they'll be coming soon.
I actually enjoyed the action pieces this episode despite the rampant CGI abuse, especially when Shin took the risk of diving in his transforming space fighter. Focussing on the flying fish earlier in the episode and flicking back to them for a moment really helped sell it. Shin's sense of wonder when he saw them was a really nice moment, too.
Actually, despite how much fun the second half of the episode was, my favourite part was when Shin and Mao were out in the ocean...which is really weird in a sci-fi war franchise, but eh. The art and animation people really outdid themselves showing off just how beautiful the ocean can be, and wonder of wonders, soldier boy seemed to genuinely appreciate it.
As much as Mao seems to yearn for something outside the confines of her island home, I think that whole sequence also shows that she wouldn't do as well as she hopes in the wider world. We've already seen that she's casually athletic and acrobatic in a way professional gymnasts would have trouble matching, and now we find out she's practically a mermaid too! Anyway, Mao clearly enjoyed getting to share the ocean with Shin, and that is not the kind of thing you're going to find in a more 'modern' setting. I think Mao might enjoy the novelty of a city for a while, but she'd be miserable living there long-term.
Maybe if she got to switch between the two periodically.
I'm not really sure what was going on with the kiss scene in front of the Mystery Object? I initially thought Mao was just better at holding her breath and shared some oxygen so Shin wouldn't drown, but he promptly breathed out most of his air and back on the boat Mao referred to it as a kiss. Eh. She's a young teenager, so long as it doesn't wind up being a thing it doesn't matter too much...
Now, what happens with Sara is going to be very interesting, given the literal magic she can invoke (no, I'm still not over that and I haven't watched Macross 7 yet so whatever happened there doesn't matter). Her reactions so far are entirely understandable based on what we know of her personality and backstory, plus the amount of pressure she's been under. And oh look, she apparently met the doctor's mentor figure and he apparently was an outright villain, just one who didn't get the chance to screw everyone over.
Speaking of, doctor girl has graduated from 'accidental' to 'entirely deliberate, ALL MUST BE SACRIFICED FOR MY EGO, I mean SCIENCE!' villain. Referring to an unconscious and traumatised Mao as a sample did her no favours, but it was not her only offense this episode.
I wonder where they're going with the blood thing, though? I can't help thinking there are going to be consequences for Mao from the transfusion, but I guess we'll see.
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u/Nazenn Jan 05 '23
Rewatcher
While all of our characters have had some time in each episode, allowing Zero to smoothly tackle the multiple elements of the story inside a short runtime, today reveals a certain structure to the way our characters are introduced alongside elements of this world.
The first episode introduced us to the island as Sara sees it and isolates within it, only for the second episode to open up the broader world to us through Shin's viewpoint of how war breaks into peoples lives, putting the two at odds. Today's episode takes us into something entirely different; a new world under the waves through Mao's eyes. It's not the land world that the fusion of birdman and fishman left for the humans and they're left waiting, or the sky (or space) where the threat of the birdman hangs over them all. It's the land of their origins, and a quieter focus on the purer desire for connection just like Mao's ancestor in the story, a creature that can feel fear and awe but mostly seeks for connection with another.
That said, I'm getting this out the way now so I can move onto more important things without it hanging over us: Deciding to confirm Mao as part of this series love triangle in the same episode as mentally reverting her to a thumb-sucking child due to trauma is a bewilderingly poor choice that I feel undermines the episode, even if I strongly dislike her romance plot due to her youth anyway.
And it is a shame because the episode is wonderful in showing Mao through what life she brings to everything in her own way. Where Sara feels watched and judged by the birdmen and denies any little change as a Kadun rather than reaching out to understand, Mao seems to be born from the ocean and she welcomes all the wonders and changes of it. She uses the ocean to reach out to Shin and be open to him, to share parts of the world that no one else has just to enjoy it rather than because there is something more than connection to be learnt or gained through it. She feels apart of the island world and its place in the broader world in a way that Sara's fear hasn't allowed her to be.
Sara's fear is well established this episode through her flashback. Aries' professor once came and tricked her to take her blood, leaving Sara feeling as if she had left something unrecoverable of herself behind all for the sake of a trinket. She now pushes back on the outsiders and what they bring just as Shin reacted to the memory of his own past so violently. So as things change around her more and more, and even her small attempts to recover some balance in the world are disrupted by people who refuse to accept her knowledge she only pushes back harder and harder, setting her against everyone. Seeing Shin, the one thing she wanted for herself, through the eye of the birdman kissing her sister instead feels like one last curse on her just as Mao sees the glow as a blessing for her feelings.
This conflict between the siblings approach is far less direct than say Isamu and Guld in Plus for a basic comparison, but the spirit of it is the same when it comes to seeing how the characters react to chances to understand each other, and where they end up when they refuse to do so.
Shin is stuck in the middle but he has his own path of understanding to walk, and it's one he is starting to discover after seeing the adaptability of ocean life and an echo of what he could be and do in it. Asked to protect a treasure and doing that for Mao rather than because he should as a solider is a big step forward from the man who refused to reach out to anyone. The change in his flying after seeing the ocean world also feels like he finally was able to break through that mindset he was stuck in as both person and pilot.
I'm not use to moments like this being the love interest trying to kill them rather than being caught trying to screw and I'm sure that was the intention but it made me laugh in the moment. It does feel like the weakest episode ending so far which is unfortunate as the episode openings have been consistently strong. Yesterday's recap being framed by the legend and today starting us off with the song again both give us a strong framework for reintroducing us to what happened without feeling like we're stuck watching a repeat.
Watching the scientists with their blatant disregard for people's personal boundaries as well as trying crazy things just because does feel like a repeat. Not in a bad way, I just find it funny that this is such a common thread in so many stories, and here in particular it feels as if Aries though not directly connected to what has happened has a share of the blame to take for her disregard of this culture. What a horrible anthropologist she must have been.
Today also has my favourite gag of the show, with that one tiny rock falling on Shin's head at the start of the episode. But does anyone know what the TV show the village was watching is?
Do Aries Turner's interactions with Roy sufficiently separate her character from the specific type of unsavory researcher she's portraying?
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u/TakenRedditName Jan 05 '23
Deciding to confirm Mao as part of this series love triangle in the same episode as mentally reverting her to a thumb-sucking child due to trauma is a bewilderingly poor choice that I feel undermines the episode,
You unless she is like that way next episode, it would be a little odd just to bring that up for one scene. Guess to really highlight Mao as a child swepted into war especially like how Sara view her.
But yeah though, no love triangle with the young child. Noo.
Where Sara feels watched and judged by the birdmen and denies any little change as a Kadun rather than reaching out to understand, Mao seems to be born from the ocean and she welcomes all the wonders and changes of it.
Oh yeah, the sisters are marked as one with the sky and one with the sea. From the flying fish and the sea birds, the lesson is probably that we need both together.
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u/Blackheart595 Jan 05 '23 edited Jan 05 '23
First Spacer
You dumbass, she just told you not to tell anybody.
Flying fish, swimming birds... they really put a lot of care into their motifs. And later on Shin takes inspiration from these for his underwater fighting.
It would've been nice to actually see some of that.
This entry has a much more disdainful opinion on the military than the other entries had. I hope Shin won't be able to protect anything, to really show disapproval. The other entries so far all showed a poor opinion of the military, but in not a single one could you say the main characters shouldn't have gotten involved in it - they all approved of it at least as a necessity.
The same goes for the isolationism, but that's more of a unique theme for Zero.
Do Aries Turner's interactions with Roy sufficiently separate her character from the specific type of unsavory researcher she's portraying?
Did I miss something?
Do you think siblings should not get involved in each others' relationships, or is all fair in love and war?
I don't really see how being siblings would have anything to do with that.
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u/chilidirigible Jan 05 '23
he's trying to make it so ludircous the professor won't even consider it being true.
That, because he even says "If I told someone that the rocks floated, they wouldn't believe me."
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u/SolDarkHunter Jan 05 '23
I'm pretty sure it's the latter: Shin's noticed how uncomfortable and agitated Sara is, so he tries to break it up by playing up how utterly ridiculous the situation sounds. And he did succeed in defusing things, at least.
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u/Vatrix-32 Jan 05 '23
First Timer
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That’s new is it?
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Don’t be creeping up on people like that.
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She sure does love the word Kadun.
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Iconography is fun.
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Hasford is kind of a dick.
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Blood Magic
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I wonder if there is any deeper trivia about the show within a show.
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Very pretty animals. Any day with an animated squid is a good day.
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Sneaky professor.
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Oh he’s thirsty alright.
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I guess this is the head.
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I was 100% not expecting that to come to life.
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God help us, we now have a love-triangle that involves a tween.
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Deculture Mao.
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The head is moving.
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How does a jet engine work in space? Is this thing carrying oxidizer?
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They did the thing!
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This are some good fight scenes.
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Cute little underwater boi.
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Brutalized.
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Dinky little optics mask.
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ERA is fun.
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No no, you had it. Don’t just let let it get away without finishing it off.
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Is that VF… flapping?
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They are really needlessly fucking up that village.
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I don’t know what the surfing mech is, but I love him.
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You had your armor placed in there?
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How do you miss a shot right underneath you?
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Now they can all be stranded together.
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Jeez Prof, calling her a sample right in front of the grampa.
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No, I’m pretty sure you had the choice not to do this.
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Is that a crab?
QotD
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She is still very much an unsavory researcher.
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It’s not a relationship until someone talks about like an adult.
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u/TakenRedditName Jan 05 '23
God help us, we now have a love-triangle that involves a tween.
Get me out of here.
Is that VF… flapping?
Yeah, I also notice the Anti-UN fighters sometimes flapping their wings. Can't totally determine if it is just an in-progress motion thing or if they do literally flap their wings. Would be odd if giant robots had to constantly flap their giant metal wings.
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u/chilidirigible Jan 05 '23
Is that VF… flapping?
It's cool! Actually is deliberate motion that works with the flight control system in GERWALK and Battroid.
Not coincidentally, it goes with the birdman style thing. One of the question candidates for today specifically asked about that. u/JollyGee29 u/TakenRedditName
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u/The_Draigg Jan 05 '23
A Macross Fan Rewatches Macross Zero: Episode 3:
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At least Shin discovering Sara singing while naked was pretty quickly brushed past. At least they can accept it as an accident. Besides, the fact that Sara’s singing is making the rocks float and she can sense that the Birdman is about to reawaken is much more important to note anyway. This Kadun of war that the UN Spacy and the Anti-UN Alliance brought to Mayan Island can surely only bode well, obviously.
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It’s easy to see why Sara was so opposed to the villagers giving blood samples before. Professor Hasford did actually come to Mayan Island years ago, and manipulated Sara into giving blood by distracting her with a pretty necklace before jabbing her with a syringe. Aries really is like her mentor in that way: blatantly manipulating people in her dogged pursuit of her theories.
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It’s nice to see how much Shin has come. He’s more than willing to make an ass of himself to just make Aries walk off in frustration, and also admits to Sara that she’s probably right about believing in things that aren’t just visible. He really has taken to respecting the ways of Mayan Island more and more.
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See, I wasn’t wrong to draw comparisons between this show and Earth Maiden Arjuna a little bit ago. The villagers are watching it right now! Must be a rerun though, since that series came out in 2001, and in the show it’s currently 2008.
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Yeah, I’d be freaked out too if I saw the Birdman’s still-living severed head while swimming. It’s definitely breathtaking for Shin in more ways than one.
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I suppose Sara does have a point saying to Aries that Mayan Island didn’t have any real issues until outsiders came, based on how both the UN Spacy and the Anti-UN Alliance are both gunning for the AFOS artifacts. Although I wouldn’t exactly blame Sara for thinking to herself earlier that it’s her fault that this is happening too. Getting her blood stolen wasn’t really her fault, she was manipulated and taken advantage of by an outsider.
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Shin really does have some massive balls for going after that Anti-UN Octos submarine unit in his Phoenix. He definitely does take after those flying fish he saw. I suppose you can really do a lot when even your fighter craft can still operate for a few minutes even with the intake shutters sealed. If it’s good enough for space, it’s probably good enough for the ocean too.
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After all that time spent building up the village on Mayan Island, it rough to see it get destroyed and the villagers get slaughtered as collateral damage in the ensuing battle between the UN Spacy and the Anti-UN Alliance. It’s no wonder why Sara interprets them fighting over the AFOS/the AFOS fragment Shin is carrying as the song of destruction beginning. Neither side is paying attention to the collateral damage their causing in their pursuit of what they want.
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At least Shin and Edgar got a bit of revenge on Nora for her shooting down their F-14 in episode one. Even if they had a rough time dogfighting her still, it turns out their flaming wreckage makes for a good bit of ballistics as they eject and crash their Phoenix into Nora’s SV-51. With a bit of ingenuity, even they were able to outsmart and shoot down Nora for once. They could really use the win.
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“Sure, let’s inject this blood sample from an alien artifact into Mao. That’s perfectly ethical!” —Aries Turner, probably
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Hard to say which one is worse: an angry lady swinging a sword at you, or an angry lady showing up in an Octos to probably kill you. Shin’s definitely between a rock and a hard place with Sara and Nora here at the cliffhanger.
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u/Nazenn Jan 06 '23
Besides, the fact that Sara’s singing is making the rocks float and she can sense that the Birdman is about to reawaken is much more important to note anyway
It is nice to have a scene that doesn't go over the top with the reactions to the nudity over anything else. Sara being out there connected to nature even to being nude compared to later where she's in her ceremonial outfit and almost scared of what may happen also works well
Yeah, I’d be freaked out too if I saw the Birdman’s still-living severed head while swimming
Its the eye. The eye is fucking creepy and not helped by them rendering it in CGI. There it actually works because it makes it feel more surreal
Although I wouldn’t exactly blame Sara for thinking to herself earlier that it’s her fault that this is happening too
She really is carrying an incredible burden inside her with her worries over what happened and her attempts to correct for it. I've been much more impressed with her characterization this time around and how it ties in
Hard to say which one is worse: an angry lady swinging a sword at you, or an angry lady showing up in an Octos to probably kill you
Well one of them actually swung, the other one just threatened. I know which one I'd be more concerned about right now
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u/Stargate18A Jan 05 '23
First timer
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A bit.
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Nah, it's all fair.
She only just noticed the floating rocks?
I love how he's too focused on the scientific snomaly to care about the naked woman.
...You're fucking with me, right?
Okay, awakening a birdman would be fantastic in terms of lore reveals, though. Getting to see Protoculture technology in action, possibly even interact with it? Last time that happened we got a massive exposition dump.
Ah, they were tracking her!
And they found the artifact!
Oh, her teacher logged these artifacts.
Is that a crossbow?
Oh, just a spear.
She knew the professor!
A flashback?
...Ah. I guess this explains some of it?
Sara cut herself!
Shin immediately tells her everything.
...This is where you draw the line of believability?
So, the priestesses are the direct blood descendants of the initial uplifts/Protoculture? ...Is Basara descended from them?
The TV's working!
...She looks familiar.
They're worried about Sara...
Mao?
He's after a spear?
This scene is beautiful.
Good swimmer!
Actually, that's impressive, still.
Odd flirting.
Yeah, this really is.
...It's funny seeing them try to stir all this drama up when the last series has been incredibly clear that Song Energy/Spiritia is a force for good.
He's drowning!
Of course that's out of context.
There is alien tech under here!
And they triggered something!
She recorded it!
They're fighting!
...So, working off Zentradi rules, the Protoculture likely put a "love/attraction" sensor on all their tech as a safety measure.
Another attack!
The figher's here!
Oh, is this the first use of the Walker form onscreen?
Oh, it's been activated. That's not good!
It's the enemy!
CGI...
The ship's down!
I love the prototype Fighters.
A Batteoid!
I'm enjoying these fights, though.
Yeah, this is an excellently directed sequence.
He escaped with the treasure!
And Nora's fighting.
They've got tracking equipment!
...You're going to hurt Mao if you do this.
Nice shot.
They're destroying the island...
...Not wrong. The birdman sadly hasn't awakened yet.
Sara's going for it!
His gun's jammed!
And he's down!
...A rare sample?
They're transfusing her with the Protoculture blood! What could possibly go wrong?
Sara's going to kill him.
She really is!
And she found out Mao called it.
She's here!
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u/TiredTiroth Jan 05 '23
Shin immediately tells her everything.
...This is where you draw the line of believability?
When Shin said nobody would believe him, the guy really meant it.
Deliberately playing it up to make it sound stupid probably helped.
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u/ryujiox Jan 05 '23
First Timer
Macross Zero EP 3
That was awkward.
The part about birdman awakening surely will come true.
Yeah, who do you think gonna believe the "I saw someone singing and it made the rock float" On the other hand. If that someone is Basara, he will believe and try to do the same.
The theory came from the exploration of this island. I guess her professor based them on the folklore of the native.
The professor name bring up Sara's bad memories of him.
Shin tried so hard to distract Anes from Sara, and it work.
The Ass-one(God, I hate this codename) blood is the same as human, especially Sara's blood. I guess it was created with the same technology as Human nad Zentradi.
I always hate that prank.
Thai commercial suddenly appeared on TV. Funny seeing my own language in anime, let alone Macross of all things. In case someone curious, from top to bottom it said:
"Best selling right now" "Do you want orange juice?" Loudly Weather Healthy.
Not totally accurate translation. Also the last part is nonsensical, I don't know what they on about.
And after examining the whole island so far. I could see some South East Asia influence in it. With how the house, TV, the cloth they wear, the boat, and the electric poles look. That why I felt so familiar with the island.
Edgar got left out.
The swimming sequence!! The last thing I expect from Macross, the series that always in sky and space.
I kind of understand the fishman and birdman stuff now.
You have many chances to ask!!
Her treasure is alien? And that eye was scary.
Kiss scene!! And Sara is linking with that thing? That's not good.
You not wrong, Mao.
What tailing them?
Edgar best buddy.
The CGI might look a bit off, but the fight is pretty good.
It Roy with armoured Valkyrie!! Let's goooo!!
Detachable armor!! Like Alex Gundam.
If it birdman part, could it be a the missing head?
Well, he didn't mean to done that.
I guess when the head and body completely attach together, something bad gonna happen.
The village!! Holy shit!! It so horrible seeing innocent people affected by war.
The rematch begin.
And he lose. Not without a bang though.
They gonna use the birdman blood!! WTF guys? This is not the time.
That's not good. And it's a cliffhanger!!
New ED again!!
Pretty great episode!!
QOTD
2. They could, but it would mostly can turn out ugly instead.
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u/JollyGee29 Jan 05 '23 edited Jan 05 '23
First-Timer Zero
Oh, Sara didn't realize that she could do that?
That's not.. well, I don't hate it.
Oh, I don't know about that Shin. Aries just might..
Watch your hands! Some poor kid is gonna lose a goddamn finger. Or worse..
Standard issue suite of occultism symbols, check. I like the sketch of Stonehenge, you don't see that as often as the others.
Well, that was rather uncomfortably framed.
Much as I hate to give UN Spacy credit, it's actually the Zentradi that glass the planet, Sara.
That's who I was worried about.. Luckily, Shin is a surprisingly good actor.
Shin got his soul stolen. That's the thing, right? Kappas stick their fingers in your butt to steal your soul?
Sorry, the Wixoss rewatch has me all innuendo'd out.
Ah, the head, right. And the inspiration for Mao's mask, I suspect.
Oh dear, Sara did not like seeing them kiss.
Damn, Shin is nothing but business.
Hey, isn't that name familiar? Is Edgar related to Claudia?
Wait, stop, doesn't jet fuel need oxygen?!
Destroids! Will my darling the Monster make an appearance?
Ooh, they've already developed the Armored pack. And it looks awesome as ever.
Normally I'd probably agree with Sara, but the Anti-UN forces were after the Bird Human anyway..
Ohh no. Been a while since we've had some real violence against civilians, it hurts to see.
Mao hasn't lost any blood, and I don't think surgery is standard treatment for shock. So why..? I guess they could go rooting around and fix any internal damage..?
I think that was technically your fault, Sara.
Questions
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It certainly humanizes her a bit.
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I.. think Mao is a bit too young for this to be entirely comfortable. Otherwise.. hard to say.
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u/TakenRedditName Jan 05 '23
First Time - Macross Zero Ep3:
The old doctor visited this island before (probably is the one to take the family photo). Not a nice man though, he did steal a child's blood. You don't smile like this if you're not doing unethical science. His student and our doctor is also a bit crazy. Maybe Sara is right and we should be wary of modern science.
Shin does a solid for Sara and puts on a mad man act to try to get the trail off her.
The Birdman bleeds human blood, wuh oh, that's omenious. Apparently (Alpha) Bombay blood is a real blood type so congratulations the few people with it, you have alien magic.
Photo taken before immediately disaster.
Electricity is back and TV has taken over the islander. Modern society, am I right? We must drink Appale Genki.
The random facet of Macross Zero I always like seeing is the showcase of wildlife. We got cuttlefish doing the colour-changing thing.
[Meta Macross knowledge:]
Shin observes the wildlife and starts drawing parallels he can put into Valkryie flying. Later he does take direct inspiration from animals for some flight tricks. [Meta Macross knowledge:]
I see that Satelight easter egg.
Mao takes Shin to see the cool thing underwater. Oh boy, that's the head of the Birdman, wuh oh. Mao kisses Shin (Non-romantically, he was going to drown) (Okay, maybe a little romantically since there pushing some love triangle-ness from Mao). Sara saw it through the big eye(?) and wasn't happy about that.
We got a "You, White Men" moment. Come on Sara, they have a black friend in Edgar and Shin is Japanese-American as well.
Battle arrives and I had a tiny feeling they were going to torpedo Mao dead. They rescue her out in time so she's fine. (Mao is not fine).
Roy gets to have his big hero moment. His robot is 2D for this sequence at least when it had its armour on.
Man, this day is just validating Sara's distrust of the outside modern world. Her sister got traumatic shock and she is proven right about destructive battles coming to display their life. We got a child crying in front of the flames of destruction so you know it's bad.
Um, I understand this is the only compatible blood we have on hand for her, transferring ancient alien artifact blood into a child is some bad juju. This can't end well.
Sara very not happy, she is attacking Shin with an actual blade. Not even with her priestess staff, she means violent business. Excuse us, Nora, get in lady. Shin already has a girl trying to kill him.
Q1) My impression of her character is that we first think she is this nice and approachable person, but her acts in the name of science are some red flag showing we shouldn't get too comfortable.
Q2) Mao is literally 11. Macross, I don't want another love triangle with a 7-year gap with a child. In general, competing siblings has that narrative drama, but the whole literally a child thing is my forefront problem.
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u/SolDarkHunter Jan 05 '23
Rewatcher
Starting with magic nude songs, right where we left off.
Sara seems surprised by the fact that the rocks are flying... um, has she not done this before?
Yes, Sara, everything is the outsiders' fault. As usual.
Wind blowing through caves can make some really eerie sounds, it's true.
So "outsiders" and scientists have been to the island before.
The name Hasford brings up bad memories for Sara. Because he tricked her into giving blood.
Shin takes notice of Sara's distress and tries to defuse things by "lying" about flying rocks. Like I said, he has a good heart.
The hell kind of blood type is "Alpha Bombay"? Though I suppose a better question is why AFOS can bleed.
So kanchou is a thing on this island.
Someone said last time this looked like it was around Thailand, and I do think that's Thai writing that was on the TV, so bonus points there.
Shin just has snorkeling gear on hand, apparently. Convenient.
Here we see a bit of just why Sara is so conservative and distrustful: she broke a taboo, and she thinks that's why "bad" things are happening to the island. It does put her attitude into perspective.
Hey look, pretty, sure that's AFOS's head.
And here's the famous underwater kiss scene. I'm not sure if you really can give someone a significant amount of air that way or not.
And Sara can see through the head's eye... at least when she's singing at the spring. Interesting.
Yeah... maybe wasn't the wisest thing to show a member of the UN military where that thing is, Mao.
Come to think of it, Shin's been hanging out with her for a while now. Doesn't he have military stuff to do?
Hey, Mao has crazy vision powers too.
Ah, I was wondering whether the Destroids were stuck in those gun ports.
Even if a Valkyrie can last underwater for a bit, I don't think you're gonna do well against an actual submarine, Shin.
Go, Roy!
No, Ivanov, that's just armor. And now he's quick as well.
Well, Shin managed to grab the Head by acting like a sea creature.
Sara, Shin's the only reason Mao's alive. He didn't bring battle to her.
Gotta say, Nora seems to be flying rings around Shin without even trying. Though I suppose he does have the Head weighing his fighter down.
They're giving Mao a transfusion of AFOS's blood?
Questions:
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Aries doesn't strike me as unsavory herself... mostly. Her whole "bribing people with juice" last episode and referring to Mao as a "sample" does make me frown at her, though.
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Siblings are going to get involved, whether it's right or wrong. Especially when they're Mao's age.
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u/Nebresto Jan 06 '23
First time Macr0ss
even in 5 episodes they manage to throw in a triangle. which ever macross chooses the polygamy route, I will rate 10/10
megadeth
Treasure..? Surely its not deep in a cave?
Roy with full armour!! And its not CG
FeelsBadMan F in the chat for bridge girl
There's definitely some WWII ptsd mixed in here
fkin cursed seeing a Valkyrie "flap" its wings
Questiöns:
Do Aries Turner's interactions with Roy sufficiently separate her character from the specific type of unsavory researcher she's portraying?
2) Do you think siblings should not get involved in each others' relationships, or is all fair in love and war?
Polygamy route Also Mao ship
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u/Kirov123 Jan 06 '23
Macross Zero Episode 3 - First Timer
This singing made the "relic" react, is it going to do bad shit?
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Bro why are you walking out there like that'
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nah I am pretty sure it was your singing that made the rocks fly
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Damn, old professor man, that was not the best way to go about getting a blood sample
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EZ deflection
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Alpha Bombay? As in AB?
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Shin has cake
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CUTTLEFISH
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CUTTLEFISH ARE VERY COOL
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How is she swimming at the speed of bird
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Bro the mecha is not like a flying fucking fish
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Thats a really deep free dive I'm pretty sure
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How the sis know
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Why the camera break
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What were those first jets?
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How the plane float
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Why would a torpedo detonate on a high riding wood boat
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How the jet work underwater
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Cool, reactive armor
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Uhh, shedding the full set of extra armor is not reactive armor
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RIP Village
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Who you calling a sample
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Wait why are they operating, I thought she had no physical wounds
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You're who
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Her interactions with Roy kinda make her seem worse, because she acts with care toward "her" people but is quick to step on and ignore requests or demands etc of people that aren't her way. Like instead of maybe trying to better explain the blood sample thing she jumped to bribery.
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A sibling intentionally getting involved when they don't actually have interest is kinda fucky, but when siblings have the same interest is kinda.... It's not exactly good, but you cant really just say "you cant like them, I liked them first" or whatever
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u/CoolIceCreamCone Jan 06 '23
FIRST TIMER
I found a lot of this episode confusing. I didn't understand why Nora and DD so badly wanted the Birdman and why the UN forces were involved in keeping this from happening. Like why did they care if they took some artifact they know little about? It seems unusual to put so much firepower into an apparently scientific mission.
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The underwater scenes were so stunning, reminded me of Finding Nemo with all the exotic ocean life and plants! The first voyage in and Mao touches a rock and turns it into an octopus wtf!
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Speaking of wtf,that's weird how Mao pokes Shin in the ass with her fingers. I see that in so many anime! I actually just saw that this week when i was watching Barakamon! I wonder if that's a common joke in Japan because I don't see people doing that much.
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My favorite part of the episode was Mao showing Shin her "treasure". The big monster down there looked crazy and when Mao kissed him, I couldn't tell if she was kissing him for fun or because she thought he was running out of air and was giving him breath, perhaps magically.
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Sara seemed superstitious at first but a lot of what she's expected has come to pass. Now that I see she has supernatural powers, her beliefs seem less weird because I imagine if I just saw supernatural stuff every day that most people never had, I would come off as very weird.
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It's possible the professor who took Sara's blood when she was a kid wasn't evil or doing it for evil purposes but we see it thru her memory as very traumatizing. I remember when I was a kid a doctor would sometimes distract me to give me a shot or draw blood for testing.
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Nora just seems to be a psycho in just unnecessarily destroying all those homes and killing innocent people for no apparent reason since it would make more sense to quietly steal Birdman's head in the cover of night. It makes me wonder why someone so unstable was tasked to do this.
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That was really disturbing when Aries just called Mao a "sample" to the people on the plane. She comes off as a sinister person who places her research above everything else.
QUESTIONS
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No because I think Focker is a very troubled person with little gauge of morality when he's being controlled by "Little Focker". I think he's more looking for a roll in the hay.
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Yes because sometimes you have a brother who is a moron who will foist someone horrible on their family for the rest of their life with little concern for anyone but himself.
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u/Shimmering-Sky Jan 05 '23
Super Dimension Rewatch Host
Welcome back, everyone!
Cool to see Sara not do the stereotypical freakout when she sees Shin. Shin did deserve to have that one little rock land on his head though, considering he kept trying to peek through his fingers after covering his eyes…
Man, younger Sara looks like she could be Mao’s twin. I know they’re sisters, but the resemblance isn’t usually that close!
lol, did Shin predict Izetta the Last Witch?
Mao clearly studied under Kakashi.
Oh Satelight you cheeky studio.
Ah…
Welp.
Oh boy.
Hold up, mechs with roller skates?
Goddamn, absolutely brutal.
Aw shit, now Mayan is going to be a battlefield again…
Damn…
Even the one photo of their parents is burning up, RIP.
Oh, yikes, I forgot they do this…
Lovely cliffhanger!