I give this sequence a B-minus, for what it's worth.

(Sure as hell better than the first Gundam 00 opening sequence, which did such a poor job matching the rhythm of the song that it kinda turned me off of the show. Shame, too; I understand the show wasn't half bad.)

This is Macross Frontier opening theme & sequence. My pal Levi remarked upon it to me this evening, so I figured I should watch it. Now you can, too.



Things I noticed:

-- Unlike the December cut of the first episode, the opening sequence only really has one familiar shot, the final one where the Valkyrie poses in front of the flagship, though it reminds me much more of the one from Macross II than the one from the original Macross. Something about the way the Valkyrie moves, y'know?

-- Actually, I guess if you were in a pissy mood (like I was after watching the first episode back in December), you could call the Valkyrie launch sequence in the middle of the sequence an homage/rip-off of the VF-1J takeoff in the original Macross open, even though it's much more reminiscent of Gundam opening theme launch sequences (see the Gundam SEED shows) than anything in the Macross canon.

-- There's a few pointy-eared (half-breed Zentradi, I assume) people in the cast, based on who's showcased in the open. Certain individuals I know will be pleased.

-- There's a shot of a Monster Destroid for a half-second right before the shot of the "bridge bunnies," along with a dark red-haired girl who I assume is the mecha's pilot. I kinda wonder if it's a transforming Monster ala the Macross VF-X 2 video game, since there haven't been any other Destroids in evidence in the one episode of the show or any of the art for it thus far.

-- In the background of that same shot is a blue-haired girl in a completely ridiculous tight blue and pink outfit with big, shiny breasts. Oh, modern anime character & costume design, how you continue to disappoint me with your shameless pandering ...

-- This show's psuedo-Macross is a lot more Macrossy than Macross 7's Battle 7. But then, this has a much more "we want to be taken seriously this time" tone than Macross 7, so of course it's going to be a lot less like a super-giant robot and far more "parts of a battleship moved around to sort of look humanoid" in its shape.

-- The Valkryie in the opening is taking on a red something that looks very mechanical, unlike the things that the Valkyries were fighting in the first episode (at least, as far as I remember), and at the end of the open zips past another Valkyrie as though it was a rival or enemy. Transforming fighters versus transforming fighters again? Hmm.

-- Is the weird flying people imagery just stupid anime opening nonsense, or will the two girls both have funny Protoculture magic going on? I mean, the first shot, with the girls flying up as a sorta comet thing and then flashing into the Valkyrie really reminded me of the weird-ass ending of Macross Zero ...

-- Can't judge the lyrics, but the song doesn't measure up to previous Maaya Sakamoto anime opening themes -- it's nowhere near the level of, say, "Yakusoku wa Iranai" (though what is, really?) or "Hemisphere." Come to think of it, though, both of those themes worked well to present the feeling and tone of the shows that followed them -- The Vision of Escaflowne and RahXephon, respectively. So I guess it works along the same lines, giving off the bland and interchangeable feeling of this show -- again, based on what I've seen of it, the December cut of the first episode.

So, am I going to watch the show to see the answers to all the questions I offered?

No.

Sorry, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and with me, they blew it. Though I certainly wouldn't begrudge anyone else for watching the show. I'm not that much of a jerk. It just came off to me like boring, empty calorie Macross fan comfort food, bringing nothing new to the table, unlike the previous sequels. Kawamori has trained me to expect more from this franchise than from, say, Gundam or Transformers, and now that he appears to have delivered a sequel along the lines of the later TV series from those two franchises, filled with recycled ideas and imagery and doing very little to push, stretch, or expand the franchise's parameters conceptually, I just can't get excited about it.