SDF Macross 16-18: Cycling to the Moon

Intense skirmishes. Enthralling developments. Sweet moments. Aerial battles.

Ah, Macross. How I missed you.

Episode 16 “Kung Fu Dandy”

• Love the spunk of the lady in green (Claudia), talking shit about the high command
• Kaifun reunites with his mom – TEARS! (Nani?!)
• Daddy issues? (nah, just difficulty with communication)
• The three spies try stealing food… that’s not edible and get sympathy treatment from the restaurant owner
• The ladies of Team Macross are drooling over Kaifun (especially Cpt. Hayase)
• Kaifun drops the mood with his anti-war sentiments (fucking judgmental buzzkill)
• MINMAY’S ON TV! (yeessss)
• INTERRTUPTED BY MESSAGE (noooo) “CIVILIANS AREN’T ALLOWED OFF MACROSS”, How DARE-
• The people are understandably mad
• Max knocks out a civilian – “Uh-oh” is right lol – in retaliation to some provocation (after the civilian grabs Lt. Hayase and threatens violence)
• It’s a mob brawl on Team Macross – “Kung Fu Dandy” indeed
• Even Kaifun is fighting! Not hitting, but blocking, evading, and countering (like a true pacifist lol); only used defensive techniques
• Minmay should really stop accepting and encouraging Kaifun’s judgmental attitude
• Enemy ship attack on Macross!
• [ACTION SEQUENCES GALORE]
• Misa spaces out during the most critical moment – costing Hikaru serious harm + almost losing the encounter and Macross with it

RANT: The hatred for Kaifun is legendary, and not without good reason. It’s hard not to loathe clueless Kaifun. He is a thick-headed sanctimonious simpleton full of misguided resentment who spews oversimplified extreme interpretations of complex matters, while outright shutting his eyes to what’s actually going on. “All war ever leads to is destruction”, so says the contemptuous pacifist who profoundly pauperizes his perfectly good values by pretentiously proclaiming such proverbial protestations perpetually in an imprudent manner.

Apparently Kaifun needs both a history check and a reality check, since war, while terrible and often involves a great deal of tragedy, bloodshed and loss, has also led to numerous advances in technology, medicine, and even national/international relations. And as is the case a lot of the time, battles and wars are fought out of necessity, particularly when the infinitely more desired alternative (negotiations) falls through. Of course the preferable option is peace and understanding, but to disregard the many, many circumstances, decisions, and other factors that affect and potentially impede such things, is a perniciously pigheaded perspective and an especially blindly idealistic one at that.

However, while annoying, I will give Macross the credit that Kaifun does still manage to work as a foil to Hikaru and Minmay, especially in terms of being an obstacle for their romance. Also oddly enough, Kaifun acts as an interesting distinction between being pro-peace and anti-militaristic, as well as potentially being a commentary on the ever-present hopelessly hypocritical pestiferous pacifist found in any number of real robot shows. But the Zentraedi spies are another good contrast of set of values in how they come from an uber militant background and through exploring another’s culture (humanity) discover the wonder and joy of civilian life. Which I think does a far better job of driving the message home than Kaifun’s ceaseless combative caviling. /END RANT

Episode 17 “Phantasm”

• Poor Hikaru – his coma is making him miss Minmay’s performance
• Camera crew on point – taking their job very seriously
• “Kyun! Kyun!” How can you hate Minmay? I don’t understand
• Giant Zentraedi hand out of nowhere grabs Minmay!? – Wha-Oh, it’s part of Hikaru’s fever dream
• Seems to be remembering his journey from civilian to accidental faux military pilot to the real genuine article (official air force material / full-fledged soldier)
• Considering the context, this is an acceptable recap of the events leading up to now
• YESSSSS! The theme is playing mid-ep!
• Interesting how the events are changed by his dream to heighten the derision of his actions/decisions (notably added laughter where there wasn’t any there before)
• “Earlier this morning, First Lt. Ichijo Hikaru, also known as the Crash King, tried unsuccessfully to pedal his bicycle into outer space” is not a sentence I thought I would hear from the otherwise fairly grounded series Macross, but it’s justified by the context (lol)
• Operation ‘Rescue Minmay’ is a go! (in Hikaru’s dream, that is) + disguise time (epic trench coat)
• WHOOOSH OF FIRE! (bye giant figment of Hikaru’s imagination)
• Even in his dreams, captured, Minmay still sings
• “Zero-g love! Zero-g love!”
• Ah, this was a great way to have Hikaru confront the idea that he loves Minmay; demonstrates his willingness to give up being a soldier and “defeat” Kaifun (rofl) to win Minmay’s heart
• The “bad dream” also allows for the excuse to put Minmay in situations she wasn’t in before and a decent excuse to reuse animation/footage from earlier eps
• Hikaru’s Minmay marriage fantasy gets interrupted by his kiss with Lt. Hayase (Ooooooh); talk about love triangle, haha

From dogfight to delusive dream, it’s interesting to see Hikaru reflect on his romantic and career flight paths as he recovers from his head trauma and potentially other indistinctly delineated wounds. Here he seemingly comes to realize his desire for Minmay’s affection (going by the reconstructed image of their almost a kiss moment together), and finally acknowledges Misa as someone significant to him after, in his eyes, somehow subtly slipping her way into his life. This is delicious love triangle fare without really being love triangle fare.

Episode 18 “Pineapple Salad”

• Hikaru still in hospital – now seemingly conscious and no longer in his fever dream
• Lt. Hayase drops by – at the door looking down (and feeling guilty for what happened to Hikaru) with a bouquet of flowers for Hikaru *cue “Careless Whisper*
• SHE APOLOGIZED (AAAAH) – Can you feel the character development?! (PROGRESS!!)
• Hikaru responds quite humbly – its’ so funny to think back at how much they used to quarrel (LOL)

• At the bridge Claudia kindly tells Hayase not to mope about, while rhetorically inquiring about Hikaru’s condition so she can segue to her love life with Focker and onto Hayase’s feelings for Hikaru (applause for the deft verbal peregrinating from work to romance)
• And with the same level of certainty as the sun setting and rising, Lt. Hayase predictably deflects with awkward denial of her feelings for Hikaru
• Captain Global on bridge! – It seems negotiations of supplies are in the works (regarding all the civilians Macross now has to take (further) responsibility for) – Good to know
• Hikaru’s listening to Minmay’s new song (Zero-g love! Zero-g love!) on radio and getting depressed about the distance between him and her now that she’s become a big, rising star
• Focker and company show up with a get-well present and some grilling from Hikaru’s team (Hikaru’s pouting is warranted after Minmay is brought up lol)
• MINMAY DOLLS (ahahahaha!) – okay, they’re actually kinda cute/cool, not gonna lie
• The three spy stooges all want one lol
• “What’s a disco”?” LMAO proto-culture fail
• Milia and Quamzin have an epic exchange of syllabic verbiage… just kidding, it was mostly just Milia roasting Quamzin and Quamzin acting overly defensive about his ego lol

• Focker meets with Minmay

• She’s making a Kung Fu movie (oh my god yeesss!)
• And she’s wondering where Hikaru is immediately (hmmm)
• Good guy Focker looking out for Hikaru by arranging a visit from Minmay and having the enemy attack be kept secret from him

• The Zentraedi are here, you what that means: EPIC SPACE BATTLES! (okay, not yet)
• Macross jets take-off!
• Okay, NOW for the epic space battle
• MAX VS MILIA! YEAHHH!
• Lovely Minmay visit (beautiful red coat)
• She only gets 2 hours of sleep per day! My goodness, such a hard-working, amazing girl (hang in there)
• Sleepy-sleep time for Minmay
• Goddamn Macross alarm got Hikaru out of bed
• And now Milia’s slipped into Macross base with her ship!
• AWESOME chase through the city is awesome – Max fucking OWNS Milia (she was forced to retreat in the end)
• Focker plays guitar like a gentle soul and-OH MY GOD NO! NOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I… I can’t find the words anymore.