Okay, now that I’m watching the Macross Frontier movies, Alto is like 10x more trans in these than in the series. I’m kinda freaking out (in a good way).
Watched Macross Frontier! Dearly in love with this one, heart and soul. More under the cut.
A human colony ship, light-years away from help or home, finds itself batting the hornet's nest of a previously undiscovered alien species. Meanwhile, the axis of space culture itself is beginning to shift with a passing of the torch between those who stand at the top of stardom.
The show's efforts to give its female leads such well rounded catalogs rings so, so true. Singers Megumi Nakajima and May'n pour a ton of heart into their characters' singles in the roles that launched them into the spotlight, and I personally think the songs themselves are worth the price of admission.
The cool story? The fun cast? All bonuses.
Despite a couple of hiccups, Frontier really nails its pacing and writing, making for a super compelling space opera. There's a ton of cool world details and character moments here, as well as peeks into the grander Macross universe for cute fan-service and stage-setting. This is for a new generation, after all.
Of particular note is the relationship between the galaxy's idol Sheryl Nome and rising star Ranka Lee. With a lot of more rote ~girl rivalries~, you might see a lot more cattiness as though respect is out of the question. With these two, though, you can see a lot of their chemistry come through in the care Sheryl takes to push Ranka in the right direction, and the trust and love Ranka has for Sheryl as her favorite performer turned rival. It's a lot of fun to see them on screen, even if they're subject to an otherwise kind of stilted love triangle.
There's a lot of love found in all the cast members' dynamics, something that is becoming a clear calling card of Kawamori works. I think what is so vital is that the relationships in the core love triangle span beyond just "love" as desire; faith, confidence, hopes, jealousy. The kind of thing that makes that sense of longing really hit when it all comes down to it. This too is yuri, if you squint.
The series also has a male protagonist, Alto Saotome. From the start he has this very abrasive and stubborn personality that keeps him stuck in old ways of thinking; it's a character trait I can really roll with. I like Alto. He's a hater. He wants to feel free but can't unstick himself without a lot of help.
The main problem ends up being that because of his stubbornness and laziness, he doesn't get a ton to do outside of being The Plane Boy. He doesn't get a lot of chances to interact with people from his past, and while I won't fully speculate on /why/ he comes up so short, it definitely feels like there's a lot missing when all is said and done.
All of this is only really an issue when you compare his situation to how rich Sheryl and Ranka's dynamic is. Alto is at least interesting/likeable enough to make the drama he DOES have compelling; he's not a Kira Yamato, he's just underwritten in an otherwise strong showing.
Enough about Alto. Go watch Frontier! See a fun space plane battle. Get one of those songs stuck in your head until the end of time. It's one of those slightly radioactive, fun-all-the-way 2008-era anime that deserves to be loved.