Taking place in 2059 A.D., Macross Frontier chronicles the events of the 25th Frontier fleet, located near the center of the Galaxy. The Frontier comes under attack by a mysterious and deadly force of aliens known as the Vajra. Alto Saotome, a young piloting student bored with his life in the colony, joins a special force of Valkyrie pilots formed in order to combat the Vajra. Macross Frontier is the latest story in the Macross Saga. This Series is a visually stunning masterpiece. Having watched the original macross series and the stunning animation that has become this series signature, I was not disappointed when I watched this animation gem.<br/><br/>The story continues the tale of humans and zentradi coexisting and now fighting a new enemy called the Vajra. This plot combines with the focus on the lives of the pilots entwined with a couple of female leads involved in the music industry. This focus on giant hightech robot warfare as well as song is nothing new to the regular fans.<br/><br/>The interesting thing about this storyline is that although the setting is original I find the story to be heavily inspired by the American Robotech series. Now I know that some of you will say that it's the other way around. I am not denying that. I'm simply saying that Robotech fans will easily recognize much of the frontier storyline as it closely follows the Robotech series story line. But the Macross Frontier story line non the less stays true to the Macross storyline. As a Robotech fan I thoroughly enjoyed watching scenes which was pretty much identical in both series (but of course hugely better animated an executed in the Macross Frontier series). And yet the macross storyline will also deviate quite a bit and make up a completely new story.<br/><br/>I do however have a problem with the characters of the show. I quite simply don't find the feelings between characters to be as engaging and realistic as some of the previous series… then again, I believe that part of this reaction is due to the fact that I watched the first macross shows with English dub. I believe that there is a big gap between the American and Japanese way of conveying believable drama and emotion. Likewise I find the music inferior to the beautiful soundtracks in the Macross Plus series. But if the Japanese style works for you then my critique might very well be of little relevance to you.<br/><br/>My conclusion as such is that this show is definitely worth watching. The animation is a 10 for me. The story is 7 while the characters receive a 5 for lack of believability (so far). The Macross Plus as well as the Robotech series did a much better job with realistic characters in a realistic drama. I hope that an English dub will be forthcoming which will better suite my taste… I think this is one of the best animes of all time. Sure, it hails the original Robotech/Macross in its plot, however as it was specifically made for the 25th anniversary, it was meant to. I loved nearly every bit of the series, and felt much remorse when it ended. To be honest, it was much better than "The Shadow Chronicles" in terms of animation and story. Of course, the original characters are dear to us, yet I have grown fond of the new characters in this series as well. Actually I think that it is the most deserving sequel, and that it actually lives up to the Macross Universe (having watched all the others).<br/><br/>The series is well directed and can stand up to any motion picture in terms of animation and plot. It is a must see for all Macross/Robotech fans.
Wakezanth replied
365 weeks ago