MACROSS MEGA MARATHON | EPISODE 27: LOVE DRIFTS AWAY

Iconic Scene: Quite a few really. Just see the following photos.

Quotable Quotes: The entire surface! It's been annihilated!

Best Character: Hikaru for finally giving up on Minmay... for now at least.

Best Death: Bodolza, of course.

--------------

This was supposed to be the final episode of the series and it definitely shows it. The entire surface of the Earth (well maybe not all, see following episodes) gets glassed (a scifi term meaning it was blasted so much it turned into volcanic glass) and it's pretty much up to the Macross and their new Zentradi allies to save what's left. This was something of a leftover from when Macross had its much more apocalyptic 52 episode outline where the earth would be slowly devastated over the course of the series and pretty much only the crew of the Macross would be left. Also, the love triangle is SEEMINGLY resolved with Hikaru formally giving up on Minmay, and even doing a gallant rescue of Misa from where she was trapped in the ruins of the UN Spacy Alaska Base. Then they fly off into the sunset where the Macross stands silhouetted. All's well that ends well, right? RIGHT?!

--------------

If this had been where the series ended, this would have been the ONLY time we would have seen an actual Destroid pilot.







Monster pilots. Perhaps even almost literally.







Is this a regular occurrence?







The mighty UN Spacy fleet... right before being totally annihilated.









War spares no one. Also, I find it hilarious that in the Robotech version of this episode they felt the need to stuff in some dialogue here even though the characters are on screen for all of 2 seconds.






The Grand Cannon is fired way too damn late but at least it gives Britai, Laplamiz and the Macross an opening.






Loli, Conda and Warera wish Minmay good luck. Also, Minmay has a derp face here.






All wings, standing by.






Finally some Nousjaduel-Ger! I'm pretty sure this is the only time besides the DYRL movie that they show up.






We also finally get to see the Macross's other weapons used in concert.






Max and Milia's Super VF-1Js going into battle!






Minmay, you're gonna really wish you were with Hikaru two years from now...






You know Hikaru, that's what the head lasers are for. Jeez, even in the final battle (sort of) he still sorta gets shot down.






The famous Orguss battroid






I don't think this Zentradi ship has any official lineart?






Damage to the Cafe Variation. Apparently the civilian population of the Macross was eventually whittled down from 58,000 to 40,000 and I would bet a lot of that happened here as the Macross took several bad hits.






Not sure why this was done in white and gray...






Go for the power regulator on the north tower, Wedge! Oh wait, wrong thing...






Should have left well enough alone, Bodolza.






Thanks to Star Wars now everyone has destroy large objects in space spectacularly






So if this really is where Macross City will be established... how did they get all that water to fill the lake?









So they're together now, right? RIGHT?

MACROSS MEGA MARATHON | EPISODE 26: MESSENGER

ICONIC SCENE: The Macross and about 1,200 of Britai and Laplamiz's ships against 4,790,260 ships of the Bodol Main Fleet. Brown Trousers on standby.

QUOTABLE QUOTES: "What is the function of that flimsy garment? [lingerie]

BEST CHARACTER: Exedol, especially for his gloriously awful attempt at My Boyfriend Is A Pilot.

BEST DEATH: The Quamzin squad schmucks that Britai has to shoot down because Quamzin is himself a schmuck.

------------

The places are set, the roles cast, the deep breath before the plunge is taken. Exedol finally gets to meet directly with the command staff of the Macross, Misa, Hikaru, Max, Millia, Minmay and, unfortunately, Kaifun. Although, I do have to laugh uproariously at how even though this seems to be the exact kind of thing that Kaifun would want, i.e. the military sitting down with one of the leaders of their enemy to talk rather than fight, he remain so self-righteously stubborn about it all. He's even the first one to give up and declare things hopeless when the Bodol Main Fleet shows up! What a little pissant.
Anyway, even though it looks like the Britai/Laplamiz fleet will be calling a ceasefire with the Macross, it doesn't much matter as the massive bulk of the Bodol Main Fleet shows up in Earth orbit. Pants to be darkened.

MACROSS MEGA MARATHON | EPISODE 25: VIRGIN ROAD

Iconic Scene: Ya think ya got enough cake there?

Quotable Quotes: Our love is strong enough to conquer all that!!

Best Character: Global for his speech that starts out sounding like a blistering indictment against aliens... and then becomes a call for peace so much better than Kaifun's bawling.

Best Death: Nobody notable

------------

The various problems with this episode have been elaborated on at length by Richard Clark, so I'll just say that I really am not surprised Max and Milia have problems in their marriage in Macross 7 considering how "whirlwind" their romance is here. Seriously, it goes from attempted murder to matrimony in like five minutes.

MACROSS MEGA MARATHON | INTERLUDE THE SECOND

And so the second third of the series ends.

This is where the series really came into its own with a unique story that took the real robot concepts made famous by Mobile Suit Gundam and puts their own twist on it. The only negative would be the appearance of Kaifun. As I said before, if he was designed to be hated, they succeeded in SPADES.

MACROSS MEGA MARATHON | EPISODE 24: GOOD-BYE GIRL

Iconic Scene: Not a duck.

Quotable Quotes: Shammy! Launch the Booby Duck!

Best Character: Hikaru because not only does he fly the Super Valkyrie but he seems to finally be getting it that he and Misa have something much more tangible than emotional stress after being trapped for two weeks.

Best Death: Again, the poor Zentradi that messed with Max and his new VF-1J

----------

The beloved Super Valkyrie makes its debut and Hikaru now has another woman walk out of his life, sort of. At least he sort of seems to be getting that he has a thing with Misa.

MACROSS MEGA MARATHON | EPISODE 23: DROP OUT

Iconic Scene: Hikaru and Misa have a moment in the Nyan Nyan Cafe.

Quotable Quotes: Who knows? War is the only thing our enemy knows, right? But we'll put an end to it someday.

Best Character: Misa, for just being awesome this time around.

Best Death: Nobody notable.

----------

There's hope now in the form of the Zentradi defectors... and that Misa has FINALLY given up on that douche-nozzle Kaifun... even though she already did that back in episode 16... whatever.