Forum - View topicCan I cut straight to Macross Frontier?
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Sengura
 Posts: 19 |
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Quick question, I'm interested in watching Macross Frontier. But there are several previous versions of this anime that I have never seen. Do I have to watch the previous series (like Dynamite 7) in order to understand this one, or is this like a reboot of the story?
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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To catch all of the references then yes, previous experience with the Macross franchise is essential. After all, Macross Frontier was commissioned to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary, and it has shout-outs, homages and references to many of its predecessors.
However, do you need to have watched any of the previous works to enjoy the series on its own merits? Heck no. I hadn't watched anything Macross before I watched Macross Frontier, and I loved it. It wasn't very confusing either, the first couple of episodes do explain some things so I wasn't completely in the dark. Although it is a sequel and not a reboot, the overarching plot is fairly self-contained, so there were few problems. To answer your question, yes, you can cut straight to Macross Frontier without incident, and I would advise you to watch it as soon as is convenient. It really is a great Mecha title. The singing aspect is weird, but it's best to just roll with it. |
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Ggultra2764
 Posts: 4053 Location: New York state. |
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At the very least, you might want to see the first Macross series. The earlier titles are either spinoffs (Do You Remember Love and Macross II) or take place earlier in the show's continuity. Frontier makes frequent mention to a number of the elements found in earlier titles in the Macross franchise such as the alien race fought by humanity in the first series, Zentradi, and Lynn Minmay, the popular pop idol character from same said series. You could still watch the show, but the nods to earlier titles in the franchise might be lost to you if you see and hear about them.
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Westlo
 Posts: 1684 |
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You can cut straight to Macross Frontier, sure a few things might go over your head but it's not needed to know them and it's mainly fanservice for fans and a nod to prior series.
MF is like the 10th best selling tv anime on record... considering the age group anime is aimed at I doubt a lot of the audience even watched the prior series... Don't forget the movies as well btw... first has been out for a while and the second and final one is coming out this October... if you're disappointed in how the tv series ended you might like the Movie ending better. |
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TatsuGero23
 Posts: 1277 Location: Sniper Island, USA (It's in your heart!) |
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Honestly I think you can cut straight to Macross Frontier once you visit Wikipedia about Macross and Macross 7. You just need a wikish general background knowledge of things like Minmay, Zentradi, Minmay Attack, and the fact Macross 7 used music to fight their bad guys as well.
Heck, I could give you the foot notes. Minmay was a idol singer in Macross whos singing help distill the hostility in the War Driven Zentradi, a giant race of aliens. Eventually they team up to fight off the Zentradi who didn't want peace whiling playing Minmay's concert to break or stagger the evil Zentradi's spirits to fight ie, the Minmay Attack. Macross 7 just pushed the idea that they us music to fight and bring about peace. There you go. General info. Hope you get around to watching at least the first series too. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 19143 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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In addition to the above, the other essential detail that you need to know is that the giant-sized Zentradi can use special tech to transform themselves into human-sized bodies and back, a process called "micloning." That's how Zentradi have been able to mate with humans and, thus, why some human characters in Frontier are part-Zentradi.
Really, though, the most important thing to know up front is that songs being used effectively as weapons against enemies of the human race is a pervasive recurring theme throughout all of the Macross titles. Knowing that in advance will help make sense of why certain things happen the way they do in the later stages of the series. Last edited by Key on Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:45 am; edited 2 times in total |
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EricDent
 Posts: 997 Location: Georgetown, TX |
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I kind of wish somebody would get off their high horse so they could release the later Macross stuff in the USA through legal methods.
Never seen anything after Macross Plus, and would love to see it, but refuse to take the illegal ways (and don't really have access to streaming). |
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Sengura
Posts: 19 |
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Cool thanks, I think I will DL the earlier series before diving into this one. Sounds like it's a worthwhile anime to watch.
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Guren Alchemist4
 Posts: 347 |
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I didn't watch any of the previous editions and was able to follow the series just fine. They do give you limited explanations of what happened in the past which should suffice.
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 19143 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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While we're on this issue, a question for someone who has seen the movies: are they just essentially condensed retellings of the TV series story or do they change/add on things? I haven't gotten around to checking them out yet myself.
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Beltane70
 Posts: 4187 |
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For the first movie it's a bit of both. There's a lot of scenes that were in the series, but there were also quite a few new scenes as well. There was also a few changes in the way things happened. Unfortunately, I have yet to see the second film, so I don't know how much of the story was changed for it. |
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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To the OP, yeah, in the discussion thread for Frontier that started when it was airing, we had 4 people on the first page proudly proclaiming it was their first experience with the franchise.
Key, a little warning about the movie: the opening concert is weird. Almost Lady Gaga level weird. A panelist at ACen's Macross fan panel explained that there was a part where it was Sheryl watching Sheryl-on-Sheryl. Then she played that part of it. It's... yeah. Her description of the movie in general is pretty much the same as Beltane's analysis (I haven't seen it either), and she hadn't seen the second, so that's all I got. |
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Cam0
 Posts: 4975 |
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About the movies, I've been wondering why the first movie is listed as "alternate retelling" in ANN, while the second one is listed as a sequel to the the TV series AND the movie. I haven't seen either of these movies yet, but I do hope we get a spoiler[proper ending in terms of romance].
I can't even remember any references to any past Macross characters in Macross Frontier. MF is the only Macross title I've ever seen and I think they did explain the necessary background info. Atleast I can't remember anything that just went straight over my head. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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spoiler[Minmay, the whole episode with the filming the movie was one huge shout out, attaching the speakers to Michael's fighter, that sort of thing. Some things are more obvious than others, I only got a few of them, since the only experience I have with previous editions of the franchise is by way of Wikipedia.] |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 19143 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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The movie that they're making in the movie-making episode is the story of Macross Zero - that was, by far, the biggest and most obvious bone thrown out to fans, who went giddy when they saw Ranka in the role of Mao (which was fitting for a lot of reasons). One of the main characters from Zero appears very briefly, in much older form, on a couple of occasions in Frontier, and one of the major characters in Frontier is strongly implied to be a descendant (granddaughter, maybe?) of a main character from Zero. The song that Ranka sings in the Miss Macross contest in Frontier, "My Boyfriend is a Pilot," was the same song that Linn Minmay sang to help win the inaugural version of the contest in SDF Macross. Late in the series, spoiler[the old Zentradi guy whom Alto goes to see on various occasions is looking at a picture in a locket. It is a picture of Linn Minmay.] I know there were at least a couple of others, but these are the ones that I remember off the top of my head. The Trivia link on the Encyclopedia entry for MF should have more details. |
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