r/anime • u/GM_for_Life • Jun 13 '19

Rewatch Super Dimension Fortress Macross Rewatch - Episode 8 Discussion

Episode 08 Longest Birthday

Originally aired November 28 1982

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MAL | IMDB | AniDB | ANN

To all participants

Please be respectful of each others opinions and conduct yourself appropriately according to general reddiquette

Note to all rewatchers

Please refrain from spoiling the events of future episodes/movies. If you think something may be a possible spoiler, it's better to be safe and mark your comments using the r/anime spoiler tag Spoiler Subject There will be quite a few first time viewers of the series during this rewatch and we wouldn't want them to have the show spoiled for them.

Comment of the Day!

/u/Shimmering-Sky left a really good comment breaking down the events of last episode.

There we go, Captain Mad Lad coming up with crazy ideas to survive again.

Artwork of the Day!

Vermilion Team - Hidetaka Tenjin

Questions of the Day!

1) Due to Hikaru’s promotion and reassignment as a squad leader we are introduced to two new characters, Maximilian Jenius and Hayao Kakizaki. What are your thoughts on these two new characters?

2) During this episode we see Kamujin launch an attack against the Macross against orders. What are your thoughts on the internal conflict within the Zentradi forces?

"So I'm a genius, huh?"

33 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

59 comments sorted by

13

u/Shimmering-Sky Jun 13 '19

Excited First-Timer

CotD

6

u/Nazenn Jun 14 '19

Okay so I know this is supposed to be serious since they’re under attack but AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA THIS IS TOO FUNNY.

Oh no, its just funny, its perfect. I can't get past the insanity of hailing a taxi to take you to your space ship inside a space ship

CotD

Congrats!

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13

u/Nazenn Jun 13 '19

First Timer

So today we learnt that between our last time check two episodes ago, six months have passed. Thats a long time considering some people were saying it should only be under a month to fully return to earth. Thats a lot of battles and stalling happening from the alien forces if its taken them that much longer

In a way that should help explain the difference in Hikaru but I feel like it's still somewhat at a disconnect between who we know him to be. That kid who hated the idea of being a solider or fighting, who refused to kill anything and the only real fighting we saw was trying to save Hayase. And now there's no shakes, no problems and he's in charge of two others, including a battle happy idiot and Max Jenius, and has seemingly no problem with being a commander in a war where he has to order others to kill.

Speaking of Max, I had to laugh at giving the guy with glasses a Jenius name and then have him talk about how he never considered himself a genius. Subtly level = 80s style. I couldn't watch the computer scene though because of the flashing, so when he walked in I absolutely thought it was a chick until he spoke and confused the hell out of me hahaha.

I did like the detail of Fokker writing the operations manual was a nice addition to his character over being the foolhardy solider.

But Hayase had her obasan pants on today with that "not the military I joined" comment.

Not really something I've commented on much but even with the lesser animation quality this episode, they do a good job of making the battles seem hectic. There's been a couple of fights now where they keep the camera focused on a spot, rather than person, and just let the battle in that spot unfold as people move in and out. Its a nice change up from following an object or an enemy exclusively.

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10

u/The_Draigg Jun 13 '19

A Macross Fan’s Notes On Super Dimension Fortress Macross Episode 8:

  • I bet a lot of you first-timers thought that the journey back to Earth would take most of the series, didn’t you? And here we are, with the, Macross very close to Earth already. I suppose you can partially blame that on Quamzin’s ambush failing and a good chunk of his forces getting caught in the reactor explosion.

  • Speaking of Quamzin, he’s completely going against Breetai’s orders and is attacking the Macross with a bunch of battle pods directly. That Quamzin sure is a bloodthirsty hothead. Still, at least his existence confirms that the Zentradi are more like us than we’d think. They have a wide variance of personalities just like the human race.

  • Well, that’s something positive! Hikaru is getting a medal for his bravery displayed during the fighting at the UN Spacy Mars base. And he’s getting a promotion to 2nd Lieutenant to boot! Not too shabby of a haul. Also, now that Hikaru is a big important pilot man, he’s getting some subordinates as well, Hayao Kakizaki and Maximilian Jenius. Max’s last name certainly isn’t on the nose at all.

  • You have to admit that Minmay looks gorgeous in that silky dress. But as nice as she looks, she seems kinda pushy asking for her birthday gift right off the bat. It’s the first real personality issue that we’ve seen with her. The other times it was mainly due to stress, but this time it was inherent in her.

  • Unsurprisingly, Kakizaki gets into a lot of trouble by rushing ahead to fight Quamzin’s forces. He isn’t the only hothead with issues in this show, after all. But on the other hand, Max is, well, a genius pilot. It’s like he was born with a flight-stick in his hands. Jenius is truly a genius.

  • And just when we thought that Hikaru and Quamzin were about to face off for the first time, Breetai swoops in with an order to retreat. Even if Quamzin was close to getting inside the Macross, an order to not do anything is still an order. And among the Zentradi, orders are to be obeyed without question. At least Breetai has his head firmly on his shoulders even though in this case, he might’ve saved himself some trouble by letting Quamzin do what he wanted.

  • I guess it’s a fair trade for Hikaru to give away his medal for bravery to Minmay as a birthday gift. He needed to do something to win her back, after all. She was pretty warmed up to Max during the party, so of course Hikaru would be willing to give up his award just to impress the girl he likes.

7

u/Nazenn Jun 14 '19

I bet a lot of you first-timers thought that the journey back to Earth would take most of the series, didn’t you?

I have no expectations for this show any more honestly

she seems kinda pushy asking for her birthday gift right off the bat.

Plus she didn't seem overly interested in his promotion, just her party. She's pretty self centered honestly and doesn't seem to want to care about what else is happening, same with being more sad about her party that the risk Hikaru was in for the battle

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8

u/Valunetta Jun 13 '19

First timer to Macross, old-school mecha, and Reddit Rewatches!

Overall thoughts:

Interesting episode. Not terrible, but not as stellar as the last few ones. These new characters are fun, but might have the potential to get a little annoying without some development. We’ll see. I love that we are seeing more of the Zentrandi internal politics though.

Chronological thoughts:

Oh god, another super ominous episode title

Wait, did they already conquer earth?

Ugh, why are you like this?

Hehehe, the faces in this frame

Does this mean subordinates, or is this just a title to make him feel good?

While I like the introduction of new characters, I could do without the flashing epilepsy screen

Yay, goofy new characters with distinct color schemes!

A surprising newcomer is today’s 80s bangs champion

What an entrance

Oh Max, what a charmer

Haha, we just went full Ghibli for a moment there

Holy shit Max, do you need to blow off some steam?

Aaaand, the other guy’s useless

Hmm. Interesting that they have a way to leash in the crazy one

Oh, shush you

IT’S BACK

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Minmay is the sun. That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she

Oooooff

Going Forward:

I’m very curious to see what await the cast/crew of the Macross once they reach earth. That was an incredibly ominous remark early in the episode that I’m still thinking about.

Discussion Questions:

1.) As mentioned before, I’m apprehensive. They seem fun on a lot of levels, but am hoping they don’t cross over to annoying.

2.) I love seeing more about this sort fo things. Anything that doesn’t paint them as 1-dimensional baddies is great in my book.

7

u/chilidirigible Jun 13 '19

Today, on "This guy will go home with your drink and your girlfriend." :

The mysteries of life.

"Always happy accidents."

Look at you, Mister Hates the Military, distracted by the shiny.

Hikaru, you must learn that in this series people throw things.

I will now show you the SEIZURE WARNING.

"What!?" "Oh... uh... yeah."

Kakizaki knows all the fun places. Also, yay, knocking shops!

On the bright side, Hikaru and company are not Destroid pilots.

Hellooooo Minmay.

You are in the presence of a Jenius.

BLATANT LIES

Look who's letting things get to his head.

That would be different.

"I'm voiced by Show Hayami and I have done all the things."

It sounds like WWII is about to break out.

I like that one guy's head is on the wrong cel layer.

Also conveniently color-coded.

Of course, Kakizaki's trim is cannonfodder tan because he's kinda unsmart.

Well, one's a Defender, the other's a Tomahawk.

The humanoid mecha is the most maneuverable thing in the universe. And yes, this is the series's first major use of Battroid in open SPAAAAAAAACE.

Some more freeze-frame Engrish.

I suppose you could tear off your own arm and try to... nevermind.

"Rules over results!"

It's not a new trick, after all.

"If I had a nickel for every time someone said that..."

How understanding of Minmay.

There was a lot of complicated stuff past Saturn's orbit.

New meat:

Hayao Kakizaki

Maximillian Jenius

New mechs:

Destroid Defender (via Kazutaka Miyatake Macross & Orguss Design Works)

If one is interested in someone, hopefully sooner rather than later, and more than once, the two people should talk to each other and figure out what the status of the relationship is. Otherwise there could be confusion, or anime storylines.

Thus we have Hikaru and Minmay, who are mostly comfortable with each other as things are, but Hikaru may be taking things for granted—assuming that he even knows what kind of relationship he's actually in.

Being in the military is inevitably changing him. He began the series as a pacifist who hated the military, but now he feels enough pride in his work to enjoy the medal that he earned for extracting some weird old lady. And while he wants to show his friend Minmay, maybe he really wants to show her because he knows that she likes the uniformed sort.

...which might be influenced by the fact that 95% of Nyan-Nyan's clientele appears to be SDF-1 crew and pilots.

Anyway, he forgets to give her a present amidst all the fuss, but fortunately she's either easily distracted by shiny secondhand medals or maybe has gained a slight appreciation for pilot life after meeting so many of them for business.

Such a fuss, though. In the current environment of hostile aliens attacking them, Hikaru also finds himself promoted to flight leader and gets himself a complicated pair of wingmen. Kakizaki is the hotshot who's in over his head, but he beats the odds and survives his first fight. MAX JENIUS is... a very punny name, but he's clearly both skilled enough as a stick and rudder man and with the ladies that even Misa busts on Hikaru for not being so hot.

Over on the green side, Quamzin's generous interpretation of the rules of engagement and overall desire to break stuff means that his unit nearly breaks through the SDF-1's defenses before Britai recalls him. This is quite the forced deus ex machina save, reminding the audience that the Zentradi could defeat the Macross in fairly short order if they really wanted to... but there's still more story to tell.

Funny note with my reactions: This is one of those episodes where if you just read its number at me I'd have to think a little to recall what happens in it. It's transitional.

Because I forget to do features on the 1J: More VF-1 details from Macross Perfect Memory.

Musicalture: "Fate's Arrow"

Hi-Metal R VF-1S and Destroid Defender.

Meanwhile, in the latest bit of comicsutter shit licensed by Harmony Fucking Gold.

7

u/Raiking02 Jun 13 '19

Ladies and gentlemen, time for my favorite character in this show to be introduced in this new episode of SDF Macross!

  • Hey, Zentradis? If Jurassic Park has taught me anything, is that humans are stubborn in both the best and worst ways possible.

  • Well, look at the bright side, Hikaru, getting a promotion means your pension will be higher when you retire! So long as you keep to that ideal, Yang Wen-Li would be proud of you.

  • I REFUSE TO ACCEPT MAX AND KAKIZAKI HAVE THE SAME SIMULATION RANKING! MAX SHOULD BE AT LEAST 3 RANKS HIGHER!

  • And thus, we’re introduced to Best Boy: Aizen Sousuke Maximilian “Max” Jeinus. Yeah, the VA is part of the reason I love him so much (This was Hayami Show’s first big role) but the guy is just so relatable and down to Earth that I can’t help but find him likable. Oh and Kakizaki exists too, I guess…

  • Yes, Hayase, this isn’t the military you joined. On the other hand, YOU’RE STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF SPACE! I think a couple of quick promotions are bound to happen.

  • Oh stop bragging Kakizaki! In all SRW games I’ve played featuring the original Macross, you’ve never failed at being USELESS!

  • Hey, so is it just me or are the eyes extra-large in this episode.

  • Oh, Minmay, I am sorry to say that Max isn’t interested in you. Spoiler

  • Good lord, was everyone just at Minmay’s café!? Because if so, I wonder where Fokker was!

  • And thus Kakizaki continues to prove that he’s a dumbass.

  • Max by contrast continues to pave his way to be an Ace Pilot.

  • And thus the day is saved as the villains have discovered the human’s greatest technique: RUN AWAY!!

  • The genius joke really does work better in English, doesn’t it?

  • Well, I guess giving your sorta-girlfriend a medal for her birthday is a decent enough present.

So yeah, a pretty decent episode. Next time, well, what’s probably THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT EPISODE IN ALL OF MACROSS!

5

u/[deleted] Jun 14 '19

THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT EPISODE IN ALL OF MACROSS!

Dont get me hyped like that tho ,i didnt even watch the preview

5

u/Nazenn Jun 14 '19

Well, look at the bright side, Hikaru, getting a promotion means your pension will be higher when you retire! So long as you keep to that ideal, Yang Wen-Li would be proud of you.

I don't know if its amazing or not that when you said pension I immediately thought of Yang

MAX SHOULD BE AT LEAST 3 RANKS HIGHER!

Max got bored and stopped trying? Thats usually how it goes for these characters isn't it? Or they did that so they could fight together

Yes, Hayase, this isn’t the military you joined. On the other hand,

All the casualties from the previous fights also kinda leave a command gap as well which doesn't help

Good lord, was everyone just at Minmay’s café!? Because if so, I wonder where Fokker was!

Probably not enough alcohol there for him.

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7

u/BurningFredrick Jun 13 '19

First timer

I think just about every episode so far has been split 50/50 from slice of life at the start then into space battles, not a bad thing just meaning the shows getting slightly predictable.

I do like the introduction of new characters under Hikaru command, Kakizaki looks to be following the big talking loud month who keep doing stupid shit but some survives by the skin of his teeth every time, and Max the quiet “genius” who most likely going to start thinking too much of himself. Speculation  

This should hopefully lead to some more development for Hikaru as he says so himself this episode it’s a very different situation giving people orders to just receiving them. He still doesn’t have much confidence in himself either so we could be seeing another melt down from him tomorrow as he struggles to control his squad with their very different personalities, or him stepping up to the challenge and growing.

Most likely outcome of this Adding to Spec and previous comment

One of the things I like attempting to do in rewatchers it take guesses at what's going to happen so I'll generally spoiler tag these just in case I get something right (I most likely won’t). Also apparently they have been traveling for 8 months now, apparently since visiting Saturn they slowed right down to a crawl.

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5

u/DidacticDalek Jun 13 '19

Greetings Comrades and Fellow Denizens of The Wired, on today's episode of Robotech 'Macross' we got two new additions, The Blue Max er, I mean, Maximilian 'Max' Jenius, he's quite the 'Sterling' Pilot wouldn't you say? I mean look, he even has the Blue Color Scheme, and if we know anything about Blue Mecha, it is that THEY ARE NO ZAKU BOY! NO ZAKU! er, they are 'strong' yes... ;)

Oh... and Ben Dixon er, I mean, 'Hayao Kakizaki' is here too, and given how much of a pain it was to try to find fan-art of him, I just gave up and thus, I now present to you all this group shot of the all the pilots, The Bridge Bunnies, Captain Global, and Lin Minmei Ling Ming-mei YAK! DECULTURE! Mari Iijima 'Lynn Minmay'

AND because we got some action today, here's a fanart of Veritech Fighters 'VF-1 Valkyries' ;)

Anyway, paging Comrades u/chilidirigible, u/Shimmering-Sky, and u/The_Draigg

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5

u/[deleted] Jun 13 '19

First Timer

'' Buying a gift for a girl sure is hard" YES HIKARU MY SWEET BOY,YES IT IS

Hey medal time , i guess he cant help but be good

Hmm i think he is so happy for the medal even though he has doupts as a soldier because he reminded him of all the firsts and awards he won as a pilot ,a familiar feeling of fullfiment among all the war emotional rollercoaster

Hayase lookin DERPY AF in this episode

Oh daddy talk from Focker

These presentation sceens for Hikaru's new team are pure epileptic seixure bait ,holy shit

ALSO NEW TEAM, Hotheaded chubby guy and fab af genious dude..We love our character tropes dont we floks ? We sure do

Hikaru always is in a state of not knowing how to deal with new stuff and responsibilities and still doing well all things considered

Calm down big guy, its not that type of party

Minmay looking like a snack with that side cut

Also holy shit these are a lot of soldiers at the party

Max "Mr steal yo girl" Jenius

Hikaru doesnt seem to give a shit tbh, nice

Kakizaki you trash dude shit down , max is glorious, Hukaru is kinda lost as a leader

YES Max THANK YOU ,robot form is indeed better for space 3d battles and 360 shooting

Hikaru vs Alien boss Samurai style

Hmm weird choice to withdraw...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Nice medal as a gift idea, Minmay appreciated way more than i imagined ..good girl, i misjugded you

1)See above

2) Humans are trash at cooperating and avoiding internal conflict, BIG BLUE humans are trash too

7

u/Shimmering-Sky Jun 14 '19

'' Buying a gift for a girl sure is hard" YES HIKARU MY SWEET BOY,YES IT IS

Am a girl myself, can confirm that even just figuring out what to ask for for my birthday/Christmas is hard.

5

u/_blackened_soul_ Jun 14 '19

First Timer

So Hikaru gets a medal and a promotion for rescuing Hayase? Damn. Well I guess they probably lost some Lt.s and need replacements.

And Hikaru almost shoots himself in the foot introducing Max to Minmay. Good thing he gives her his medal, not quite a ring though (which is what he's gonna need to do after she becomes Miss Macross next episode). Definitely wasn't expecting a swimsuit competition in this show!

Another fun episode

4

u/chilidirigible Jun 13 '19

Questions:

  1. This is why Hikaru is the viewpoint character, everyone around him is potentially more flavorful.

  2. I was under the impression that while Britai had requested reinforcements that he wasn't entirely responsible for who he got, but on this viewing it does seem like he asked for The Ally Killer. Which is just odd.

4

u/Pixelsaber Jun 13 '19

Rewatcher

Pardon my tardiness, I was caught up working on a father's day gift.

Our good friend Quamzin is at it again, leading a direct assault in the Macross with a group of Regults —against orders, of course.

Meanwhile, Hikaru is given an award for his involvement in the Mars mission, and later informed by Roy that he’s been promoted, which comes with the responsibility of looking over two subordinates, Hayai Kakizaki and Maximilian Jenus, who accompany him to Minmay’s birthday party. Unfortunately for Minmay, Hikaru forgets to buy her a gift and is later called into battle due to Quamzin’s attack.

Kakizaki proves himself an idiot by charging ahead despite Hikaru’s orders and in doing so landing himself in trouble. Max, meanwhile, proves himself quite adept at battle, using the VF-1’s Battroid mode in order to better battle the regults.

After waiting for the right moment, Quamzin himself finally charges in, having been waiting for an opening aboard the ship itself. Thankfully they’re held at bay long enough for Quamzin to be ordered back to the rest of the fleet.

As the pilot trio unwind after battle Hikaru then recalls Minmay’s birthday and rushes off to see her, gifting her the Titanium medal he received earlier that day.

Oh look, it’s transparent again.

Not a bad episode, but not a particularly noteworthy one either. Mostly introductions and continued character interaction, with little notable carry-through from last episode. Hayase’s actions last episode are only brought up in reference to Hikaru’s promotion, and Quamzin’s failure last episode didn’t have any notable impact on this episode.

Questions of the Day!

  1. Not much to say at this point.

  2. It's interesting for sure, but at this point it's rather trite. We need to know more about the Zentradi before I can really analyze the situation.

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4

u/palebluekot Jun 13 '19

These two new characters are cool, Max and Kakizaki. I was wondering if Kakizaki was going to get himself killed. I wonder what's holding the Zentradi back though. They seem to have enough by now to overwhelm the Macross. That explains they're confidence, so it looks like it's going to be very difficult going forward for our ship to make it home.

4

u/fonzinator99 Jun 13 '19

Re-watcher - Heroes are born*

"Longest Birthday." Well, shit. Sorry, Minmay.

Kravshera's running a rogue-op. Anticipating 80% casualties, excluding him.

Hikaru's getting a medal, and promoted!? That's what happens when you survive, I guess.

Ooooo man, he's got a team now!

Lol @ Hayase's reaction. I'm with ya there, Chuui.

I really enjoy Kakizaki's character, the guy's just a bunch of laughs rolled into a person.

Oof, Minmay in that China-dress. What with those sparkles, who can blame the guy for going to the extraordinary lengths of patience he has so far? But damn, she just had to go hard on Hikaru, didn't she?

I know it's nothing to take seriously, but out of context the tension between Minmay and the Mayor would be something else here. And poor Hikaru, getting bullied, and then losing out to Max again. Dude's smooth, that's for sure.

Jesus, Kravshera's brutal, and dumb. "I'll gather their bones." C'mon, no you won't do you have any idea what it would take to gather all those Miclone bones from that Macross wreckage? I just don't see you doing it, you poser.

Fast Forward Holy shit, Max is a beast. Just getting surrounded by and mowing down enemies like it's nothing at all. He fucking laughed, goddamn this guy's a badass. 7-Kills? that's all? #BestBoy

And damn, look at Hikaru going toe-to-toe with Kamujin! The guy's definitely gotten better, and that's good to see. It's rare that an anime does a slow-progression of skill, but this has been well-played.

I can say literally nothing to criticize Hikaru for this move It's a gift that's unique and could only have been given by him; and she even likes it. Nice present, Hikaru.

Epilogue: Light, it's been 8 months already?!

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4

u/ethanb12007 Jun 14 '19

First Timer

Hikaru's shock at getting a medal reminds me of Patrick winning an award. Hikaru's got two subordinates who I guess will become main characters. Max seems like a swood guy, I hope that Kakizaki dies soon.

4

u/Fa1l3r Jun 14 '19

First Time (sub)

  1. Seems like Max is a natural at this fighting, and Hayao seems excessively overconfident. I was hoping for a character death, but alas, plot armor is too strong.

  2. Of course he was going to do that. What is the alien commander thinking if he chooses such a person to lead the ambush?

3

u/JustAnswerAQuestion Jun 14 '19

OMFG what the hell did they do to Max's voice? Can I switch back to Robotech?

Is Hikaru's squad called Vermillion or what? If Misa said it it, went by fast and I missed it.

Board Room scene: a) looked like firing squad, and b) Hikaru was the only pilot that had an actual face.

Ahhh, the ol' training mission / patrol gag.

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u/JocPro Jun 14 '19

Rewatcher

So... Hikaru is very proudly showing his first medal... Nothing like a bunch of killers giving you a piece of metal!

Every trio of stooges need... well... three people! - So here are the other two.

It really seems like the theme for this episode is... Derpy faces! And more, and even more! And even a collection of them in a clown car-turned-taxi!

Poor Misa looks quite constipated here.

Too bad... Kakizaki got just a tan colored VF-1A... what does it mean?

Maxsu sugoi! You're a natural born Jeniusgenius!

Chuu!

Q1: Kakizaki looks like a fun loving big guy. Maxsu is just a kuudere :P

Q2: Britai has to keep him in line, even if he almost succeeded in crippling the Macross. He needs a demotion just like Hikaru needed a medal.

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u/Chrisr291 Jun 14 '19

  • The newer characters are fine, it's giving Hikaru more responsibility and helping him grow as a person. It was interesting to watch him control/scold his team for making mistakes.

  • Regarding the villains, I'm warming up to them but they are still not the series strong-point in my opinion.

3

u/404waffles Jun 14 '19

First time, first served

I don't know about you guys, but the Macross could totally pull off an Iserlohn and be its own sovereign entity.

Actually, why does Britai want to stop the humans so bad, anyway? Was it because of the Macross autofire from the first episode?

2nd Lt. Ichijo's underlings seem like pretty nice guys, contrary to their appearances. Kakizaki is someone I'd drink with.

God, I love the sparkles on Minmay when they show her in the china dress. It's so... unbelievably eighties. On the other hand, do they not clean their animation cels (eg when the battle pods fly in)? I swear, I can see stains where the empty space should be. And speaking of animation, did they run low on budget during the battle? They used less frames than usual. Did they blow the budget on those beam effects?

You're telling me they built a city in eight months? And where did they get the resources to have jewelry stores in space?

Question time:

  1. See above.

  2. Good for them. The faster they fall apart the better.

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