Destroy All Podcasts DX Episode 211 - Macross Frontier The Movie: The False Diva
Hosts: Jeremy, Mike
This is about green squirrels with no legs, remote control giant robots, and SPIES.
Click [HERE] to save a girl from a space crab by jumping into the sewer.
Video after the cut.
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| DAPDX-211.mp3 | 78.51 MB |
| Posted 6 November, 2011 - 20:24 by Destroy All Pod... |
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Comments
10 comments postedI've been waiting a long time for you guys to cover this movie. Looking forward to your review of the 2nd movie. Since you liked the changes in this, you should be pleased with the next one.
The general concensus from the macross fanbase (at least at MW.com) is that the characters are much more likeable in the 2 movies than the TV series and i agree. I hated Ranka in the TV series but I least find her tolerable in the movies. Sheryl was always my favourite character from MacF, but the movies make her even better, especially the 2nd movie.
When you guys do the 2nd movie, I'd like to hear how you feel the franchise ( i know Jeremy hates that word) is going just in general terms.
p.s. That move Ozma does (switching to GERWALK to avoid the Vajra's attack) was actually in the TV series)
p.s.2 Are you ever gonna cover the new live action Space Battleship Yamato movie?
Dammit, I was afraid of that. Oh well, it was a cool move anyway.
Boy, it sure doesn't feel like the what, 3 or 4 YEARS since the Frontier TV podcasts, does it? But yeah, I'm totally with you guys in that Macross Frontier was a mostly great show hampered by all the "appeal to every non-mecha otaku sub-interest" fanservice they spent quite a bit of time on, so I'm glad the movies reduce all that stuff to far more manageable levels.
Where I differ from Jeremy is that even though I believe this is an improvement over the TV series, I don't believe these movies work as a viable substitute for it. You can't say to your friends who tried Macross Frontier and didn't really dig it (or never watched it at all) "hey, just watch the movies instead." (Then again, I'm also TOTALLY not buying the "Macross Plus is better as a movie than as OAVs" sentiment expressed here...)
As you noted, you know how Ozma Lee in the TV show was basically there to mess with the longtime Macross fan's contextual expectations? THESE ENTIRE MOVIES are devoted to deliberately screwing with the Macross Frontier TV fans' contextual expectations. Those Ozma Lee moments make sense if you never saw the original Macross, sure. But are they as AWESOME? No way. These movies work on similar levels: the ebbs and flows of these films' emotional structures depend on the viewer already being a fan.
And for a fan like myself this is great because I can really enjoy what I'm watching, but it's also a bit frustrating because I can't use it to make new fans out of people. The False Diva is THIS close to being an accessible point of entry for new fans until the final act, during which what Mike pointed out comes to pass: cutting back the supporting cast development (the right move to make) makes things confusing as Hell should they occupy the foreground. If you don't already have the context of the Macross Frontier TV series, you can't know that--to use but one example you brought up--the blue-haired little kid and the blue-haired giant pilot are actually the same person. The movie assumes you know this stuff already, but to its credit the plot does at least make "sense" even if you don't. You just won't have NEARLY as much fun watching.
I'll be interested to hear the podcast regarding the second movie. My gut instinct tells me that you'll either love it immensely or really hate it. I don't want to go into the details just yet, but for what it's worth I liked it IMMENSELY.
"These movies work on similar levels: the ebbs and flows of these films' emotional structures depend on the viewer already being a fan."
I think that's pretty much what I was fumbling towards: The idea that while these movies are more enjoyable than the series, that enjoyment depends on you already knowing who the characters are.
I know how nerdy this sounds, but it's like "Firefly" and "Serenity". The movie is great--IF you already like the story. If you don't already like the story then the movie isn't going to do a whole lot to bring you into it.
"(Then again, I'm also TOTALLY not buying the "Macross Plus is better as a movie than as OAVs" sentiment expressed here...)"
This one I don't agree with. I think that the M+ movie is better on nearly every level than the M+ OAVs (which is not to say that the OAVs were bad, just that the movie took the best parts of them and added good stuff to that.)
"I'll be interested to hear the podcast regarding the second movie."
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see where they go with the story. I'm hoping that the "Klan Klan wearing Valkyrie super-pack armor" is just a joke figure that someone made and isn't something that actually happens in the show, because that's a bit much to expect us to swallow.
"Klan Klan wearing Valkyrie super-pack armor" is just a joke figure that someone made and isn't something that actually happens in the show, because that's a bit much to expect us to swallow."
wat
are you kidding me
you really don't know?
KHAAAANNN! KHAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!
With a bit of luck, his life was ruined forever.
I think the movies expanded on the TV show's major flaw which is that having two full time idol singers was too much. But to their credit I'm glad they ditched the poorly done family drama that Alto had over leaving his budding kabuki career.
So you guys should do the sequel next. Its pretty amazing
Have y'all done one already?
Thanks.