My Cultural Diet

In the year 2059, the Macross Frontier fleet is traveling to the galactic center in search of a planet to colonize when it’s attacked by a mysterious alien race known only as the Vajra. Alto Saotome is a 17-year-old pilot who gets caught up in the conflict and also finds himself in the middle of a romantic triangle with Sheryl Nome, the galaxy’s most popular singing idol, and Ranka Lee, a young girl who dreams of becoming a pop star herself. Macross Frontier certainly checks all of the Macross boxes: space combat, romantic triangles, pop stars, etc. But it’s so poorly plotted that its 25 episodes ultimately become a slog, and when the grand twists are revealed, they’re quite underwhelming. The uneven artwork and animation certainly don’t help, which is a shame because the mecha designs rank among my favorites in the entire Macross franchise, and neither does the ridiculous fan service. (One episode, for instance, revolves around a character trying to retrieve her panties.) There are moments when the series’ melodrama becomes legitimately affecting, but they’re few and far between. Maaya Sakamoto’s “Triangler” is a pretty catchy theme song, though.

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