This week's Macross Frontier shows where Sheryl was before her life as a star. The flashbacks showed a very very pitiful beggar girl foraging the slums and waste dumps for sustenance. Her hair was messy and her clothes were rags. She had no life to speak of until Grace brought her in, only to use her as a tool to further her accomplices' plans.

Of course, Grace wouldn't just let Sheryl walk away just like that, after all she Is a known person, and must be disposed of when the time comes.

It turns out that Sheryl was given some sort of drug and stuff and an illness to put her life under Grace and her accomplices' control, and right now Grace is preparing to withdraw whatever she was giving her so she can expire quietly. The poor idol seemed to realize all of a sudden that her popularity and glamour were all really just standing on a thin block of ice, which a small group of evil people could simply melt and send her sinking down into the ocean floor. I wonder if there is a cure for it. Grace deserves to die.

As a result, Sheryl's albums seem like they are falling off the charts.

Alright, moving on. Macross Frontier seems to have yet another new opening this week! This one seemed quite a big change from the last one which was really really cute IMHO. This one however, is something like the Triangular one but with much more action and many many special effects. It almost seems as if last week's opening was just a substitute opening while they work on a much more epic animation. The theme is still triangles, and the opening makes very heavy use of the triangle to illustrate that they are still emphasizing the love triangle present in Macross Frontier. Man, don't you just want to kill Alto?

Lighthearted moment: Alto is called a girl yet again. Wahahaha.

Meanwhile, Lt. Klein has suddenly gained an interest in the medicine Michael brought back from the eaten-up planet. It seems that the medicine induced uncomfortable symptoms that were observed in Sheryl. Obviously they haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet. I guess it takes a little more time for the plot to build up before its too late and these two finally get around to saving Sheryl.

It turns out that Grace had been involved in research about the drugs since many years ago already. Somehow the story just does not link. Grace is an android now. I wonder where her real conscience lies, or is the real Grace controlling the android from somewhere? In any case, Grace seems to be pretty central in this conspiracy, and Sheryl might just have ties to a certain Mao Nome from the research group. Who knows. The plot thickens.

Sheryl continues to suffer from a sickness she never deserved.

"Don't tell Alto"

I understand how Sheryl wants to look strong for Alto, but it seems she's just trying to fight a losing battle. I think that she should quickly come to terms with her sickness and stop being a hopelessly depressed emo and start finding ways she can use her influence to save herself. If I were her I would do that, before Ranka really sets in and gets comfortable taking everything away from Sheryl.

"Do you remember love?"

Somehow the press conference room on Frontier looks the same as the one in the White house.

Meanwhile, the Vajra are back again to harass Macross Frontier. The war will never end will it?

Alto's fighter has hind-facing guns. These are awesome. Definitely should be on every single aircraft created. I'm not sure why most planes do not have such things. When an enemy is trailing you and firing at you, isn't it logical to have weapons that can fire back and deter them from drafting? Why are most fighters incapable of firing at their opponents behind them? This must be some sort of corporate scheme to boost demand for fighters or something.

It appears now the producers are coming clean and finally showing us an nice big up-close look at the profane picture of Ranka painted on the side of the Koenig Monster. The picture looks fapabble enough, but I don't see how this boosts morale. Maybe it does when you know you could die any day.

Whether or not its true that Ranka wanted to get out there and sing against the Vajra by her own will, it seems like everything is going according to plan for Leonard. That manipulative guy needs to quickly be discovered or else something terrible is going to happen to Macross. Why the hell are the leaders of Frontier so dense?

Moving all the Vajra into the firing range of the Battle Frontier's Main Cannon. If I didn't know better, every Macross spaceship needs to have a Main Gun.

Macross Frontier's BFG2100. Say hi to daddy.

Boom. Its somewhat saddening to know that technology like this may not be developed till hundreds of years after you die.

Ranka is somehow linked to the Vajra it seems. Whenever the Vajra suffer a powerful blow from anyone, Ranka tends to feel a big pain in her stomach. It would be really really scary if she suddenly transformed into a red Vajra. /me shivers.

I wonder if the Vajra hesitated in Episode 1 when it saw Ranka because it felt some motherly radiance emanating from Ranka. If Ranka was Queen, then we all know what Alto's choice should be, lest he wants to be father of creatures that are capable of folding by themselves in space and growing horns that fire energy beams.

Man, I have no idea why I'm always attracted to the idea of hyperspace travel. Maybe its just me. I would love to be able to travel in hyperspace someday, if it even exists that is. I wonder if it is even as beautiful as this. Maybe we might get another technology jump and start going into space, then I would so join the astronauts to experience superluminal travel.

written by astrobunny \\ aimo, alto, beggar, conspiracy, drugs, fighter, fold, frontier, grace, hind guns, leonard, macross, medicine, origins, sheryl, slums, vajra