Hot Macross Buns

Going into this season, one of the series I was most looking forward to was Macross Delta. Although far from the biggest Macross fan, I respect its important place in anime history as a strong work of both romance and science fiction. The most recent entry, Macross Frontier, was good enough that I was inspired to praise it in writing upon my initial viewing last year. Which is why, with a heavy heart, I must admit that the currently-airing show seems to be . . . missing something.

My immediate instinct is to blame the characters, which might not be quite fair in this case. Macross leads have always been on the simple side, from gung-ho pilots to starry-eyed idols to more jaded characters who exist to lighten up by the climax. But Hayate just feels especially bland; not particularly rebellious despite his reputation, not particularly into anything other than flying planes. He doesn't even seem as invested in the requisite love triangle as his two not-girlfriends. Wanna-be (read: soon-to-be) idol Freyja is difficult to relate to because she waltzes right into her dreams, undergoing depressingly few struggles along the way. Other Macross properties at least showed the hardship involved in being an idol, but here I find myself kinda hoping for Freyja to get fired so she can find a real job. Something blue-collar; that'll build her character a little. And Mirage, the military not-girlfriend, is so hilariously by-the-books that you can practically see her character arc laid out in front of her. Hint: it involves acknowledging those embarrassing feelings of her. A few side characters have lately started picking up some of the emotional slack, but it feels like too little too late.

By god, do the villains drop the ball, though. I'm still trying to figure out why the Windermere race is hell-bent on fighting the New United Government, even though it's been explained. So, the Government scarred their planet with a dimensional bomb, but it might have been the Windermere's fault, too? And the Windermere believe the Government is oppressing other planets (even though none of that has been shown to be true), but Windermere themselves are clearly shown using drugs to brainwash the citizens of planets they conquer? Every attempt to humanize this race falls flat, as the copious screentime we spend with their leaders and Aerial Knights proves only one thing; Windermeres are pompous-ass jerks who wouldn't know justice if it burned their house down.

This is a shame because the Zentradi, Macross's original villains, were so interesting. Even at their most destructive, you felt for this race which has never known anything but war, which views every aspect of our culture as frighteningly alien. Their conversion into humanity's friend and ally was satisfying because they struggled hard to comprehend ideas of love and peace before realizing that our races could truly understand each other. The Windermeres, in comparison, act more like a group of rebellious teens that graffitis your house because of some perceived insult. You understand each other pretty well already, but one party needs to chill the fuck out before peace can be achieved. Right now I'm more interested in the Windermere race's historical relation to the Protoculture than what any of its members are going through now, and for a show that barely acknowledges its science fiction ideas (another departure from Macross's original intent), this is really grasping at straws.

The visuals have taken a step up since Macross Frontier; you'll see CGI planes perform aerial acrobatics more fluidly than ever before, for instance. Sadly, there are still issues present, most glaring whenever the idols take part in combat as Macross always seems to require. Far from providing a support role as in previous incarnations, Delta puts them on the front lines with jets under their skirts, flying shields in front, and their faces projected onto every flat surface. Sounds awesome, right? It would be, if we knew what was going on. But the director throws so much flashing, dancing, sparkling shit in our faces that not a single concert impresses. 

At the very least, they don't feel skillfully put together the way similar bits in the Symphogear franchise do, and for Macross to come in second place at a sing-off is just sad. It's like if a film that homages giant monster movies turned out to be better than an honest-to-god Godzlla movie. Oh, wait...

When all's said and done, it's not like Macross Delta is an awful show, or even particularly bad. But it lacks a certain magic that other Macross incarnations have had, that keeps people coming back to this old-ass franchise. Whether it's a matter of skill, ideals, or something I can't quite pinpoint, and I probably wouldn't be so harsh did I not hold this show to high standards. But as one of the great pillars of anime, here's hoping Macross will rise out of mediocrity to make us all remember love once more.