Anime Review: Macross Zero
- Very Average Joe
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
English Title: Macross Zero
Japanese Title: マクロス ゼロ
Director(s): Kawamori Shoji
Screenwriter(s): Onogi Hiroshi
Studio: Satelight
Released: 2002–2004
Series Runtime: 5 episodes, ~30m each.
Starring: Suzumura Kenichi, Nanri Yuka, Kobayashi Sanae, Kamiya Akira, Ootomo Ryuuzaburou, Takayama Minami, Shindo Naomi
After two sequels, it made enough sense at the time for the next installment of Macross to be a prequel even if prequels were becoming a bit of a fad at the time.
Macross Zero opens with a reminder of the history: in 1999, a large alien spacecraft crashed on Earth and, given the politics, there was subsequently ten years of war.
The story is set in 2008, towards the end of the war between the UN and Anti-UN forces—just before the start of the original series. The main character is UN fighter pilot Kudo Shin, who is shot down in his F-14 by Anti-UN’s new variable (transforming) fighter.
Shin wakes up to find himself on an island. He had washed up on its shores where the inhabitants, of Mayan-like culture, rescued him. The village’s priestess, Sara Nome, wishes to hold onto tradition and their peaceful existence, particularly in light of Mayan prophecy. As such, she is against outside influence and therefore skeptical of outsiders. Her younger sister, Mao Nome, considers their beliefs to be superstition, and is more open and welcoming to outside influence.
So, Shin, Sara and Mao form the love triangle in this series. Thankfully, the story does not force the romance; the undertones are apparent but it is not intense, and mostly feels natural enough given the circumstances.
Not surprisingly, the writers have used images inspired by Mayan-like beliefs and shaped them for Macross’s lore regarding protoculture. Although not a bad idea for storytelling purposes, it is the usual “advanced aliens playing a role in ancient human history”.
The UN is studying the alien artifacts, trying to understand their origins and to find a missing piece which is tied to the island. As expected, the Anti-UN forces are also interested and so they fight for it. One of UN’s chief scientists is Dr Aries Turner who is an old flame of Major Roy Focker.
The story weaves together three main threads with Shin mostly being the main viewpoint character: Shin trying to survive the war, the UN’s study of the alien artifacts which is connected to the Mayan island, and the inhabitants of which have to deal with the war threatening their peaceful existence.
Meanwhile, Focker has to lead his squadron, which Shin is a part of, against Anti-UN aces using the UN’s own new variable fighter. Shin is against the destruction of the island and its people even if he doesn’t understand them but, thankfully, the story avoids being too much like Dances with Wolves (1990) or Avatar (2009).
Visually, the designs are very nice with a lot of detail. Many shots are beautifully rendered although some are not as clean as others. The linework is deliberately fuzzy at lines, presumably to reflect the setting.
The use of CG is not bad for its time but is obviously not refined enough if one is aiming to blend CG into a more traditional look. The motion (animation) of the aircraft is awkward sometimes, and some of the dogfights can be less messy, but the slower and realistically clumsy transformation of the fighters is done well. On balance, it’s not too bad for its time; the problems are more apparent in the first two episodes.
As expected, singing is not a constant feature in this story as it is a prequel before Lynn Minmay entered the stage. Although not a focus, singing does have a central point and one can predict how given the premise. The score is not bad, comprising the ethereal, choral themes representing the mystery of Mayan mythology and protoculture, which is a deliberate contrast to the thundering orchestral and operatic themes of war and destruction.
At a total of about 2 hours 30 minutes, it is basically one long film. The pace is steady; whilst there is plenty of aerial action, the drama and dialogue are never rushed, giving each scene and conversation a chance to breathe. Since it is a prequel, it is different from the other installments with both the romance and music having a subtler presence. The ending is too neat for the sake of imagery and requires a better explanation and denouement, but otherwise it is not a bad series that still mostly fits this fictional universe.
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