Macross Frontier Anime Review

Macross Frontier
Makurosu Furontia
Bandai Visual
Complete Collection - 5 discs
600 mins. - 25 episodes
MSRP - n/a (no official US release available)
¥33,600 (2013) Blu-Ray
¥3,990 (2008-2009) Vol. 1-9/ea.
¥7,350 (2008-2009) Vol. 1-9/ea. Blu-Ray
ISBN - n/a
Japanese Audio - English Subtitles (only on HK bootleg version, not official Japanese version)
Director - Shoji Kawamori/Yasuhito Kikuchi
Studio - Satelight

Synopsis: The human race was almost wiped out in Space War I when a massive alien spacecraft crash-landed on Earth in 1999 and then a hostile alien race attempted to reclaim it ten years later.  The alien race was the Zentraedi, giant humanoids bred only for war by a mysterious ancient race called the Protoculture.  The alien craft was studied and rebuilt by a consortium of the world's governments called U.N. Spacy and commissioned as the SDF-1 - Super-Dimensional Fortress.  Incredible technology allowed the creation of variable fighter planes called Valkyries.  The brave crew managed to defeat the race of giants by exposing them to the rich culture of humanity - music, love, and laughter.  They were victorious, but not before the Earth was razed by the giants' leaders.

Macross Frontier colony ship with Battle Frontier space fortress in front.
A small fleet of auxiliary ships serve as main line of defense.

The world was rebuilt and a strategic plan was launched to colonize the stars in an effort to safeguard humanity from extinction.  Massive colony ships containing an entire city were built and each was guided by a space fortress into the far reaches of the universe to find habitable planets.  Most of the Zentraedi were assimilated into human culture, but some pockets of resistance still existed.  These colony ships were a combination of both races and encountered new dangers in uncharted star territories.  Valkyrie and AI (artificial intelligence) technologies flourished.

The latest Valkyrie type is the VF-25 Messiah (shown with upgrade armor and
 reactive missiles) which has only been deployed in limited numbers to special
 groups within the fleets. Standard NUNS variable fighter is the VF-171 Nightmare

It's 47 years after the first encounter with the Zentraedi the colony fleet called Macross Frontier is travelling through space.  There is a New U.N. Spacy government (NUNS) which controls and coordinates between the colony fleets and planets.  They are visited by Sheryl Nome, a famous idol singer known as the "Galactic Fairy", who comes from the Macross Galaxy fleet.  Alto Saotome is the heir to a prestigious kabuki family, but has chosen to become a pilot instead in an effort to escape his rigid upbringing.  He is part of a group of aerialists who perform as part of Sheryl's concert on the Frontier.  During the concert a group of hostile alien lifeforms attack the fleet.  Alto saves the life of teenager Ranka Lee who is an aspiring singer.

Sheryl Nome's first concert on the Frontier with Alto flying aerial
acrobatics and Ranka watching in the crowd

The lifeforms are an incredibly deadly organism called the Vajra.  They continue to trouble the Frontier while Alto becomes friends with both Ranka and Sheryl.  Alto pilots a new VF-25 Messiah Valkyrie during a Vajra attack and later is accepted into a private military force known as the SMS (Strategic Military Force).  Both of his aerialist partners were secretly part of this group as well.  They are Mikhail Blanc, pilot of a VF-25G sniper type Valkyrie, and Luca Angelloni, pilot of a RVF-25 reconnaissance type Valkyrie with three Ghost drones.  The three pilots go to flight school together as well as serve with the SMS.

A swarm of Vajra spot the Frontier fleet.  They are deemed the first
Super Dimension Life Form due to their ability to fold space

Leader of the SMS squadron is ace pilot Ozma Lee who also happens to be Ranka's older brother.  He is very protective of her and gives Alto a very hard time for being her friend.  During the fierce battles with the Vajra it becomes clear the creatures are a potentially devastating threat to the entire fleet.  The Macross Galaxy later is assailed by a swarm of Vajra and Sheryl is stranded on the Frontier.  She and Alto become close friends despite her galactic fame.  She gives Ranka singing advice and she later joins a Miss Macross contest.  It soon becomes clear Ranka has real singing talent and her career begins.

Alto and Ranka become good friends. He is constantly folding paper airplanes

Something is not right within the NUNS government when it is revealed the Vajra have come into contact with the colony fleets before attacking the Frontier.  What is their strange link to Ranka and Sheryl's past?  Ozma's former lover, Catherine Glass, is the daughter of the Frontier's President and Ozma tries to get clues to the mystery surrounding the Vajra from her.  She is sent to keep tabs on the SMS which possess a small version of a Macross class space fortress called the Macross Quarter.  Vajra attacks become heavier and the Frontier's fleet is in real danger.

Ranka enters the Miss Macross contest and competes against
some majorly hot girls!  Does she even have a chance?

The true threat is slowly revealed as Alto must choose between supporting Sheryl or Ranka.  The SMS goes into action, but will the corruption plaguing the NUNS government stop them?  Will Ozma Lee's love of pineapple-cake spell his doom?  It's an epic continuation to the grand Macross story, but will humanity prevail?

Sheryl gets Alto to take her on a 'date' to see the sights of the Frontier

Pros: Complex story with several exciting plot twists, excellent variable (transforming) mecha designs (VF-25 Messiah, VF-171 Cannon Fodder, and Koenig Monster), Shoji Kawamori directs, incredible musical score and original songs (May'n!), pays homage to every Macross release that has come before, validates Macross Zero due to the addition of Mao Nome references and Bird-Human movie, excellent music by legendary Yoko Kanno!

The Frontier's colony dome closes to protect the city during a Vajra
attack.  A powerful pinpoint barrier system deflects any direct hits.

Cons: No official U.S. release (EVER, due to the Macross copyright dispute between Harmony Gold and Big West), CG rendering of mecha is pretty stiff, HK version subtitles are not great (some missed timing in later episodes), no English subtitles in the official Japanese release, Alto is a former Kabuki actor who was prized for his female portrayals (his hairstyle is very feminine) - ha!

One of the Vajra beams breaches the Frontier's protective dome

Mike Tells It Straight: This latest Macross series is absolutely incredible!  The sheer amount of production values present are staggering and I was quite impressed.  Shoji Kawamori and Studio Nue really pulled out all the stops to create this epic series.  It was released during the 25th anniversary of the original Macross series and firmly established a continuing legacy.  One of my first introductions to Japanese animation was the highly edited cartoon series Robotech from the 1980s.  It was spliced together from three separate anime series and Super Dimension Fortress Macross was the first season (Super Dimension Calvarly Southern Cross was the second and Genesis Climber Mospeada was the third).  I truly loved Robotech when it aired and later discovered the original series (shout out to Sean and Graham's MacrossWorld).  Due to a copyright conflict the original Macross owners Big West have with Robotech producers Harmony Gold it has been almost impossible to release Macross-related merchandise domestically.

Ranka and Alto discover a destroyed space fortress

Super Dimension Fortress Macross was developed into a movie called Macross: Do You Remember Love? (DYRL) which was a retelling (with better animation) of the original series.  It was wildly popular in Japan and had a cult following in the West thanks to Robotech.  DYRL had an epilogue released as an OVA (original video animation) called Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Flash Back 2012, a sequel OVA (released domestically as a movie) called Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lover's Again which was a resounding failure (lacked story involvement from Kawamori and Studio Nue - relegated to 'parallel' world status), a highly successful OVA (later spliced into a theatrical feature) called Macross Plus (this time Kawamori/Studio Nue were involved and the show was able to be released domestically), a 49-episode series called Macross 7, a movie and OVA series of Macross 7, a prequel OVA to the original series called Macross Zero, and then this series Macross Frontier.

Klan Klang is a macronized Meltran who leads the Pixie Squadron for the SMS.
  She and Mikhail are childhood friends, but they have never dated because
she turns into a child when micronized.  Bummer!

Macross is one of the most popular mecha anime series next to Mobile Suit Gundam, but with far less 'parallel world' and spinoff series in its production history.  Macross Frontier represents a major leap forward in storyline and evolution of production values, but managed to pay homage and includes almost every single preceding Macross story.  The love triangle between Alto, Sheryl, and Ranka hearkened back to the classic one with Hikaru, Minmay, and Misa from the original SDFM and DYRL.  Ranka works in a Chinese restaurant and competes in a Miss Macross contest just like Lynn Minmay in SDFM.  Ozma Lee is highly reminiscent of Roy Focker right down to enjoying pineapple deserts - will he suffer the same fate?  A movie called Bird-Human is produced on the Frontier and based on the events of Macross Zero.  Artificial intelligence plays a big role as it did in Macross Plus.  VF-17 Nightmares are the cannon fodder planes of the Frontier and first debuted in Macross 7.

The Macross Quarter goes to battle the oncoming Vajra swarm

Music is always a primary component to any Macross series and Frontier has incredible music.  Yoko Kanno is a preeminent anime soundtrack composer and was responsible for the epic Macross Plus soundtrack.  She returns to Macross and delivers another set of breathtaking songs.  Rising star singer May'n was the vocal talent for Sheryl Nome and her career has taken off after Frontier.  The voice of Ranka Lee was Megumi Nakajima who was discovered for Macross Frontier and has started a promising career.

Alto pilots his VF-25 against a mysterious VF-27 during a Vajra battle

Macross Frontier was a crossover media sensation and truly unforgettable chapter in the Macross franchise.  The characters were endearing and story contained all of the rich history built over the years.  Great music, awesome new mecha designs (VF-25, VF-27), complex plot, and spawned two compilation movies (slightly altered from the series and deemed 'alternate timeline') - The False Songstress and The Wings of Goodbye.  I'm a huge Macross fan and this series was an absolute treat.  Don't get me wrong, a few things didn't resonate with me - the mecha were all CG rendered (just like in Macross Zero and Aquarion) and felt it, some of the characters were lame, a few scenes of the Macross Quarter reminded me of old super-robot shows, and the ending could have been more definitive.  None of these nit-picks matter because seeing this amazing Macross series and being held at the edge of my seat was so much fun.

Sheryl falls mysteriously ill and Grace, her singing manager, gives her
an unknown medicine to make her better.  What is the shocking
secret behind her ailment?

It breaks my heart to say this series will probably never see a domestic release due to the Robotech/Harmony Gold copyright issues.  With the advent of Blu-Ray and new region assignments putting Japan and the US in Region A I really wish Japanese companies would add English subtitles or dub to their releases.  I would literally kill to have an official (not HK bootleg) Macross Frontier Blu-Ray set with English subs!  As of this post the new BD box set is not going to have subs or a dub (the only Japanese BD Macross release I know of with subs or dub is Macross Plus BD).  I had to resort to getting this series as an HK bootleg in order to watch it, but find it any way you can and check it out!  Highest possible recommendation!

Sheryl and Ranka sing together for the survival of the Frontier!

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Simoun Anime Review

Simoun
Shimun
Anime Works-Media Blasters
Complete Collection - 5 discs
650 mins. - 26 episodes
$19.99 (2012)
$49.99 (2009)
$19.99 (2008) Vol. 2-5/ea.
$19.95 (2007) Vol. 1
ISBN 631595092974
Japanese Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Junji Nishimura
Studio - Studio Deen

Synopsis: In the land of Simulacrum all children are born female and journey to the Spring on their seventeenth birthdays to choose a permanent sex.  Some remain female and some become male.  An ancient technology based on helical motors is used in Simulacrum for advanced flying machines.  These include large flying airships and smaller craft called 'Simouns'.  Special girls are chosen as priestesses, called sibyllae, to pilot the Simouns which respond to the emotions of the pilots.  Each craft is piloted by two girls who kiss each other and then kiss a glowing green ball on their Simoun to start it.

First the girls kiss each other

The Simouns are impossibly fast and maneuverable compared to other mechanical craft.  The pilots can trace magical glyphs in the air which release powerful waves of energy.  These glyphs are called Ri Majons.  Simulacrum has prospered with the power of the helical motors and neighboring lands are jealous.  These nations have declared war and attack Simulacrum in order to discover the secret of the motors.

Then they kiss the green ball in the Simoun

Now the young priestesses who pilot the Simouns must use their sacred knowledge to destroy the lives of the enemy soldiers.  If they do not then Simulacrum will fall and everyone they love will suffer.  The girls rail against the cruel fate of turning their devotions into murderous weapons.  They come face to face with the despicable enemy and find them to be hopeless men.  These foreign nations' technology pollutes the planet and their bodies in order to compete with Simulacrum.

An airship carrier - notice the massive helical motor powering it

What is the secret behind the helical motors and the Spring?  The most powerful of the glyphs is the Emerald Ri Majon which has never been completed successfully and most are afraid of what will happen it when it is. The sibylla question their beliefs and the Simouns as they are both used as tools for war.  Will they live to make a choice at the Spring or be swallowed by war?

A swarm of enemy airships using propellers

Pros: Nice character designs, very pretty girls who kiss each other numerous times, plot is full of wartime drama, the relationships between the girls are complex, offbeat and not cookie-cutter, good ending

The beautiful Neviril - greatest sybillae of Chor Tempest

Cons: Excruciatingly slow-paced, music was very bland (sort of like classical, but not very elegant), mechanical designs are weird, the CG (computer generated) elements (like the Simouns and airships) were crude, the backgrounds were all static drawings, a lot of pan-and-scan, a very young girl paired with an older girl, sick of hearing everyone call 'Neviril!' 'Neviril!' over and over again

These men all used to be girls

Mike Tells It Straight: This title is labeled 'yuri' which is female-on-female love, but it's all very tame.  Sure, the girls kiss many times and a few profess their love for each other, but I wouldn't call it 'lesbian'.  I think the promotional visuals for this series are misleading as the girls are shown in passionate embraces and this rarely happens.  The story is more concerned with their political exploitation as tools of war and coming of age.

The Simouns trace magical trails as they perform a Ri Majon

The premise and overall look of Simoun is rather unique.  It has an all-female voice cast, even for the male characters which makes then sound like they were all once female.  I loved the character designs and thought Neviril was fairly stunning.  The characterizations were really well done and we get a wonderful ending for most of the girls.

A side shot of the Simouns used by Chor Tempest

I found a lot of things lacking in the show however and give it a low recommendation because of them.  It felt boring despite all of the wartime happenings and battles.  I guess it was focused on the relationships between the girls, but I almost stopped watching at several points (particularly when Neviril was moping about).  Only until the last third of the series did my interest renew as the mystery of the Spring got deeper.  The opening/ending themes were bland and so was the entire soundtrack.  I may not be able to appreciate lively accordion music.

The sybilla of Chor Tempest (from left) - Floe, Kaim, Mamina, Paraietta, Neviril,
Alty, Morinas, Roatreamon (not pictured - Aer, Dominura, and Rimone)

The visuals, especially the backgrounds and mechanical designs, were poor.  Every outdoor shot of sky, forest, or ground looked like a rough colored pencil drawing which the camera panned through to feebly simulate movement.  The CGI were crude and unsophisticated.  The Simoun and airship designs were unique, but plain awful.  Heinous-looking stuff.

An enemy Simoun, wait, I thought only Simulacrum had helical technology!?

Despite being ambivalent towards the visuals and plot I would say Simoun shows a lot of effort and risk-taking.  It's a decent show, but I wouldn't come to it with the wrong expectations of a sordid yuri lovefest.  If you're looking for fan-service, girl-on-girl action then look elsewhere.  This show has solid characters and a thought-provoking (although slow-paced) story.

A promo shot of Neviril and Aer kissing - this doesn't show up in the anime

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Stratos 4: Return to Base OVA Anime Review

Stratos 4: Return to Base
Bandai Entertainment
Complete Collection - 1 disc
65 mins. - 2 episodes
$29.98 (2005)
ISBN 669198254109
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Takeshi Mori
Studio - Studio Fantasia/Bandai Visual

Synopsis: Giant meteors have been falling to Earth and endangering the population.  The organization CEMA (Comet Emergency Management Agency) was set up with the mission to stop the meteors. They put in place two levels of deterrent - the Comet Blasters intercept meteors in space by launching from orbital space stations while the Meteor Sweepers intercept any meteors which break through to the atmosphere.  The job is tough and Mikaze is one of the Meteor Sweepers based on Shimoji Island in Japan.  Her dream is to one day work in space as a Comet Blaster.

The meteor strikes are part of a covert alien invasion and the aliens can take over the bodies of humans.  Orbital Station 7 was taken over by aliens, but were stopped by Mikaze and her team.  CEMA has hushed up the alien invasion and quarantined all of the infected personnel on Earth.  The space station is undergoing repairs when it is struck by stray space debris and enters a terminal orbit.

The Meteor Sweeper crew from Shimoji Island

Impossible to repair and restore orbital status, the station will crash land on Earth with devastating effect.  It has been decided the station must be blown apart in the upper atmosphere to mitigate its potential for collateral damage to the surface.  Too bad the repair crew is trapped on the station.  Now a pair of Comet Blasters must stage a daring rescue while Mikaze and her team prepare to blow apart the station.  It's a race against the clock - will they make it in time?

Pros: Lots of fan-service and an extended swimming scene, CG planes were well done, Admiral the cat remains a funny part of the show, hilarious parody episode where the Stratos 4 planes become a combiner mecha

Mikaze has a deep moment underwater

Cons: Expensive for only two episodes, side cover says 'Retern to Base' - nice job production team, not much additional story progression, story is pretty silly, no more episodes released in North America after these two (although more episodes were made in Japan to continue/conclude the story)

Mike Tells It Straight: Stratos 4 (reviewed here) continues with two OVA (original video animation) episodes entitled Return to Base.  We get to see Mikaze and the Meteor Sweepers back in action.  The story continues directly after the events in the original series ending.  The director and animation team are the same.  These two episodes are pretty good when taken in the context of the previous 13 episodes.

Mikaze gets serious to get the job done

By themselves however, these two episodes don't stand on their own very well.  They progress the story only the slightest bit and leave it unresolved.  Another six episodes were produced in Japan entitled Stratos 4: Advance along with two final episodes called Stratos 4: Advance Final to end the series.  These episodes will presumably never see an official North America release (with dub).

It's always a shame to see an unfinished series, but I can't say this series was ever truly compelling.  Just a bit of cheesecake featuring pretty girls and a paper thin plot.  I'm just going to assume the ending was super-happy with the alien invasion stopped and Mikaze's dreams fulfilled.  Go check out Divergence EVE if you want cheesecake with a better story.

Yeah, that's how I felt about this series too

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again Anime Review

Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again
Manga Entertainment
Complete Collection - 1 disc
160 mins. - 6 episodes
$29.95 (1998)
$29.95 (2000)
ISBN 660200405625
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Kenichi Yatagai
Studio - AIC

Synopsis: It has been eighty years since the human race was almost wiped out by an invading alien force known as the Zentradi in the first Space War.  Ten years prior to the war a mysterious ship crashlanded on Earth and was rebuilt by the unified world governments.  The rebuilt ship was called the Super Dimension Fortress Macross (SDF-1 Macross).  Its reconstruction was completed just in time to repel the first wave of Zentradi forces.  Over the course of the war the Macross executed a space fold to the outer edge of our solar system and contained a small city of civilians.  The Zentradi were giant humanoids and feared humans (called 'microns') possessed the secrets of the Protoculture (thought to be the creators and masters of the Zentradi).  99% of Earth's population was annihilated over the course of the war, but the crew of the Macross and its civilians were able to defeat the Zentradi through a combination of variable mecha fighters (transforming planes called Valkyries) and human culture.  The Zentradi race was consumed by war to the point where males (Zentradi) and females (Meltrandi) stayed in separate fleets and never mixed together.  They used cloning for procreation and had lost all aspects of culture to the point where a simple love song could irreparably disrupt their composure.

The SDF-1 Macross main cannon lights up to fire on the new alien threat

The human race has repopulated the Earth and the Macross is now considered an ancient relic.  It sits lifeless in the center of Macross City.  Renegade Zentradi forces still attack the planet occasionally, but the 'Minmay Attack' (where love songs are broadcast to throw the Zentradi forces off-balance) has successfully prevailed ever since the original war.  The U.N. Spacy forces have grown complacent and soft without a true threat to challenge them.   Hibiki Kanzaki is a young reporter for Scramble News Network (SNN) who is trying to make a name for himself.  He is critical of the government due to their tendency to censor any broadcasts which don't portray them in a positive light.

Silvie and Hibiki disagree due to their differing views of the U.N. Spacy 

Enter the Marduk - an alien micron race seeking to destroy every other culture they come into contact with in the universe.  They use enslaved Zentradi (both male and female) warriors as their main combat force through the singing of specially trained female Marduk called Emulators.  They sing songs of war and destruction to boil the blood of their fighters.  Needless to say, the Minmay Attack fails miserably and the U.N. Spacy forces are being crushed mercilessly by the Marduk.  Hibiki rushes out to cover the combat with veteran reporter Dennis Lone (who is drunk) who values seeing both sides of any conflict and urges Hibiki to break enemy lines to get more information.

Hibiki kidnaps the beautiful Ishtar, a Marduk Emulator

Inside a Marduk ship, Hibiki and Dennis discover Ishtar, one of the Marduk Emulators.  Dennis is killed and Hibiki steals Ishtar away to Earth.  He becomes obsessed with showing the truth after his footage of the initial defeat by the Marduk is censored by the U.N. Spacy government.  Ishtar is delighted by the rich human culture she witnesses with Hibiki because the Marduk only wage war.  Lord Feff is the Marduk commander in charge of Ishtar and attempts to get her back by invading Macross City.  He pilots a fearsome battle armor against the U.N. Spacy's current variable fighter - the VF-2SS Valkyrie II.

Hibiki introduces Ishtar to human culture

After being exposed to Earth's culture, Ishtar renounces the war-like ways of the Marduk and wishes to see peace among the three cultures (Marduk, human, and Zentradi).  Can Hibiki with the help of ace pilots Silvie Gena and Nexx Gilbert get Ishtar back to the Marduk to spread the word?  They had better figure it out fast as Lord Emperor Ingues, the xenophobic and despotic ruler of the Marduk, has ordered all of his forces to crush Earth!

The fearsome Emperor Ingues - more machine than organic being

Pros: Marduk are cool villains (except that bastard Ingues!), Ishtar is beautiful, Haruhiko Mikimoto's character designs are great (he did the original SDF Macross designs), new mecha designs for practically all of the original series' mecha (VF-2SS Valkyrie II is particularly striking along with the Macross Cannons), songs are slightly decent in the old J-Pop 1980s way

The VF-2SS Valkyrie 2

Cons: Quite possibly the worst anime dub ever perpetrated upon the American public, plot is so bad it was expunged from canonical Macross history, none of the original Macross characters are seen or referenced (except the SDF-1 Macross itself), original creators Shoji Kawamori and Studio Nue were absent from this production, characters are terrible - Hibiki, Silvie, Nexx, Mash, Ishtar, and Feff, death of Dennis Lone in the beginning was almost comical in its absurdity, mecha designs are very different from original Macross series

Marduk-controlled Zentradi/Meltrandi battle armors

Mike Tells It Straight: Macross II is almost universally despised by the anime fan community for being one of the worst sequels in history.  I see where the producers went wrong - the original movie Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? (which was an original retelling of the Super Dimension Fortress Macross television series, i.e. original = no reused footage from the show) was a huge success and they wanted to capitalize on the franchise by creating a sequel.  Unfortunately the majority of the original creators didn't sign on for the sequel - writer/mechanical designer Shoji Kawamori, director Noburu Ishiguro, composer Kentaro Haneda, and the art studios: Studio Nue/Artland/Tatsunoko.

Ishtar implores Lord Feff to spare the humans

Only three original creators joined the sequel production team: character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto, the scripter, and the sound director.  The sequel had an all new writer, director, mechanical designer, composer, and animation studio with incredibly big shoes to fill.  Expectations were high and only perfection would be satisfactory to the fans.  I believe the creators did their best and produced a relatively good quality work, but nothing close to the cultural phenomenon of the first Macross.

Emperor Ingues supreme battle fortress closes in on Earth

The storyline itself was mildly compelling with the Marduk a clever foil to the established Minmay Attack of the first Space War.  This time around the love triangle felt forced between Hibiki, Silvia and Ishtar.  They should have focused on Hibiki and Ishtar by themselves.  The character of Hibiki himself was slightly dubious as he seemed to be more interested in breaking a story to make his career than truly caring about Ishtar.  The mecha designs were also highly controversial and a departure from the original series.  The VF-2SS and practically all the mecha are love-it-or-hate-it - over-complicated upgrades to the originals.  Ending was too similar to the first movie as well - final battle with alien fleet and finishing barrage to destroy the head bad guy (it was satisfying to see Ingues get his in the end).

Beautiful artwork by Haruhiko Mikimoto

Weak characters, horrendous dialogue and general plot issues combined with impossibly high expectations and the lack of original creative staff doomed this sequel from the beginning.  The voice acting and dub are particularly bad along with quite a few animation issues.  I wanted to like this sequel due to my absolute love of the first television series and movie, but the show was downright bad.  It had some good moments yet overall was a tremendous letdown.  It has since been relegated to alternate universe status and purged from canonical Macross history - that just about sums it up.

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Stratos 4 Anime Review

Stratos 4
Bandai Entertainment
Complete Collection - 4 discs
325 mins. - 13 episodes
$39.98 (2006)
ISBN 669198254116
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Takeshi Mori
Studio - Studio Fantasia/Bandai Visual

Synopsis: 50 years ago scientists determined a huge meteor cloud would intercept with Earth and the world government organization CEMA (Comet Emergency Management Agency) was formed.  Two stages of interception/deterrence are developed - the first line of defense are orbital space planes launched from space stations, the Comet Blasters, and the second are high-altitude planes, the Meteor Sweepers.  These planes would carry payloads to destroy/break up the largest comets with any large remaining pieces intercepted within the atmosphere. 

Meteor successfully destroyed and lives saved

The Comet Blasters garner much higher status than their ground-based counterparts in the Meteor Sweepers.  One MS base is located on Shimoji Island near Japan and the story focuses on an all-female squad - Mikaze, Shizuha, Ayamo, and Karin are the pilots and co-pilots of two BAC TSR-2MS high-altitude interceptors.

Mikaze and crew (she's got the pigtails) in a typically compromising pose

Mikaze is having a hard time committing herself to being a part of the Meteor Sweepers and is incredibly jealous of the Comet Blasters.  She feels like a second-stringer cleaning up their sloppy seconds.  Her teammates are the opposite and are enjoy being part of the ground team.  For Mikaze the journey cannot end until she reaches space.  Can she focus herself enough to become the best pilot and take that next step into outer space?  Will she let her teammates get close enough to help her?

The Meteor Sweepers have to pilot lying down for some reason

There was a rift in the CEMA organization many years ago which caused the creation of the separate CB and MS teams.  They have a heated rivalry and the CB teams openly snub the MS.  What could have caused the rift and is there a secret behind the meteors?

Something is not quite right on Orbital Station 7

Pros: Lots of fan-service (if you like that sort of thing) and the ubiquitous hot springs trip, orbital and high-altitude planes were pretty cool, overall message of trying your best to follow your dreams and sticking together with your friends was positive, a bunch of cool extras including voice actresses/director/staff visit to the real Shimoji Island plus official aerospace consultant commentary (this guy's comments were hilarious, but his teeth were awful!), Admiral the cat is pretty funny (loved the episode where we follow it around)

Mikaze and the girls show off their work on the prototype Stratos 0

Cons: Not much action, heavy on the soap-opera drama, CG elements were just okay, overall simple animation style (especially the character designs), highly superficial plot for most of the show (goofy), the plot shift to space at the end was a bit silly

The Comet Blasters scramble for an intercept mission

Mike Tells It Straight: Stratos 4 is a lighthearted anime title with a very positive message - try your best to live your dreams and stick together with your friends.  The writers needed to use a lot of fan-service to get their message across and it appears they were very successful because there is a lot of fan-service.  The show is entertaining with a lot of comedy and some drama centered around the girls doing their best to stop meteors from hitting Earth.  

One of the male instructors 'accidentally' wanders into the hot
springs while all of the girls are bathing

The message would be great for kids, but the abundance of fan-service disqualifies its suitability.  As an adult show the plot progresses too slowly and its too silly at times.  Things get a bit more serious at the end as the secret behind the meteors is revealed, but the conspiracy theory felt like a digression.  I guess this show could be considered charming if you buy into the characters and like some fan-service with your comedy.

The Meteor Sweeper cast from Shimoji Island

It just didn't resonate with me and my recommendation is pretty low.  Some parts of the plot didn't make sense - like why did the girls work at a restaurant when they were full-time pilots?  I think Divergence EVE and Misaki Chronicles were better in comparison (plotwise only, their CG was heinous).  Amusing, but definitely not a keeper. Oddly enough, this show spawned three sequel OVAs (only one has been released in North America - Stratos 4: Return to Base).  Guess it resonated with some fans and they kept it going to see where the final plot thread would lead. I guess you can never underestimate the power of fan-service on otaku.

TO BUY and Recommendations: