I'm a diehard Ranka Lee fanboy, so, many times I would even try to escape reality with lucid dreaming, I would be at Ranka's school where I would often hang out with Ranka and help her with whatever plans she had for the day, but one day as I was talking to Ranka, we went to an empty classroom for a private talk. She immediately said, "You know you could live with me forever.." I gave her a confused look and she continued, "I understand that you live on earth and you REALLY wish to live here with me". I then said "How..How did you know?" She then giggled and said "Because I've been watching you, silly!"

This was a dream come true and I almost cried right there. She then said, "I talked with Ozma nii-chan and he agreed that you would be PERFECT for the SMS, you just have to do...one thing". She then held my hand and looked deep into my eyes and said "...You have to end your own life for the transfer to work correctly." I then gave her some questions, "How long do I have before the deal expires?"

She then said "Nii-chan said 3 weeks.." I added by saying "What's the most painless way?..." She giggled again, "Suicide will require pain buuut...if you want it quick...Get a gun and a nice shot to the head works. I then agreed and she gave me a kiss on the forehead, "I know this will be tough but once it's over and done, you'll get to live here, Shin-kun!"

I then woke up and this was last week and I purchased a gun. I might actually kill myself because that dream just felt too real to be fake and my life isn't doing so grand.

Concerned over Japan's poor English language literacy levels, the producers of Macross Frontier have decided to come up with a simple guide that explains certain terms used in the series that is bound to spur interest among fans. Now, I've not made this up, and have asked my friend hoshi to translate these scans to his best ability, though I took some liberties with it, since some of the sentences sound off due to transliteration. It doesn't help that the article also tries to make some rather lame puns, which Nagi would feel right at home with.

LET'S ENGRISH WITH MACROSS FRONTIER!

Glasses [me-ga-ne]

Despite being a meganekko,  her body gap is good as dynamite!

Peach [momo]

If breasts are watermelons, then the "hip" is the peach. It's a beachpeach[vibrant]!

Watermelon [sui-ka]

Having grown until like this, they aren't [breasts] anymore, but rather [watermelons], It's truly a sui-kappu[sui-cup]! ripe ripe[ripe fruit]!

Classmate [kurasume-to]

Although Luca likes Nanase, it seems like Nanase only treats him as just a classmate. So called kataomoi[one-sided love].

Balloon [fuusen]

Her[Clan Clang]'s breast swell up and shrink down like a "balloon".

Childfood Friend [osana najimi]

Being a koibitodoushi[couple] since childfood, just when Michelle is unfortunate.

Change [henka]

She's totally a different person[another person] when as a Zentradi and when as a Miclone!

Hair [kami no ke]

A feature of Ranka's hair, which is to show a variety of movement, depends on her kanjou[emotions]. To know her feelings is by seeing her hair!?

Chest [mune]

Ranka seems to be in the middle of growth, it's still not considered [breasts] and is more like [chests] (By the way, it's A ~ B cup).

Pet [petto]

Kawaii pet, Ai-kun, whose true form is a Vajra larva.

Hip [oshiri]

The girl who falls on her backside a lot; Ranka. Be careful!

Smile [egao]

Ranka's best charm point[best feature] is, I would say, her sparkling smile.

Slave [dorei]

In regards to Alto who is always being look down on by Sheryl. She always says it in her speech line.

Mouth [kuchi]

Everyone who listens to her song will be fascinated.

Bust [oppai]

Compared to Ranka, Sheryl's bust is that of an otona~ [adult~]. Just right(?)[right(?)] size, D cup.

Face [kao]

The big star(was) Sheryl, when on the streets, will surely go into disguise.

I like middle-aged man. [watashi wa oyaji suki desu]
Monica is deeply in love with Macross Quarter Captain, Jeff Wilder.

He is between the two beauties. [ryoute ni hana]

Is Michelle always in such situations? Alto's case is a love triangle, by the way.

Women? [onna tachi?]

The Macross Quarter's bridge has 4 women... ... Hm? Only one is feminine?

Carrot [ninjin]

When Ranka was still a rookie, she was recruited as a Zentradi carrot sales promoter.

Eyebrow [mayuke]

Ram Hoa's [court noble eyebrows] are quite original.

Mole [hokuro]

Cathy's mole is very sexy. Ozma fell in love with her mole as well?

That's it from me for now. Pardon the lack of real updates since I need to prep for my finals and all that. Also, the Comvatar plugin is broke, so don't bother trying to register any of the new avatars, though if you want them badly just drop me an email with the filename.

Having glued myself to this ever since it was released, I managed to pry away from the PSP to string together this rudimentary review on the much anticipated game based on the Macross series from Namco Bandai.

Players are treated to a rather cool opening sequence that features the Variable Fighters from four generations; the original SDF Macross, Macross Plus, Macross Seven and the more recent and familiar(to me) Macross Frontier.

The main menu has a rather simple yet sleek interface in English, so even if you can't read moonrunes, like me, you can easily jump into the game without much hassle. Single mode comes in two flavors, the main campaigns and the freeplay mode where you partake in random skirmishes, while Network would be multiplay up to 4 players on Ad Hoc. I would have personally loved an Infrastructure mode for some online action, but sadly there's nothing of that sort, though that's what XLink Kai is for.

The character creation screen; Players have a choice of a four unnamed characters to pick from with unspecificied ages. While I obviously went for the prettiest one(the purple hair chick), I had to resist making her too young as it had an effect on her default stats as a pilot such as speed, defense and marksmanship. Once you're done tweaking your pilot and wingman, you can select one of three mission operators. Again, no surprise which person I picked.

All four generations are available to you right off the bat, and being a series newbie, I went ahead and tried AD 2059, which is none other than Macross Frontier.

The loading screens themselves are a form of eye candy, and they revolve around Macross Frontier more than anything else though, but who's complaining? Other than possibly wolfx  the oldfags of course.

And one for the Sheryl fags.

With that out of the way, let's get on to the rest of the review:

The hangar. You'll be spending half your time here selecting missions, tweaking your mecha, assigning your pilot with special abilities or just watching your awesome replays. In before someone nitpicks on my poor score.

Using PT earned from completing missions, you can upgrade the machine in terms of its core stats like HP, DEF, to its SPD. Weapons too can be beefed up, where you improve damage, firing rate, ammo count and reloading time.

Next, you can assign your pilot with special abilities that improve his or her combat efficiency from a choice of both offensive and defensive ones, like increasing your overall stats to opponent damage reduction. The coolest and my favorite would probably be Max's time stopping ZA WARUDO skill.

If you're not happy with the default colors, you can always give your mecha a custom paintjob. Yes, I went for pink.

Once you're satisfied, you're ready to take off!

Missions themselves range from the usual destroy all targets to the defend a certain important objective, though you actually still have to clear the map in order to win. Occasionally, the mission spans up to 2-3 parts with a boss fight at the end. While they don't take too long to complete, diligent players may want to replay them in order to attain a better rating as it not only gives you a lot more PT but unlocks goodies like secret characters and VFs.

Fighter Mode

Offering the greatest mobility and speed, you'll want to stick to this form when engaging in dogfights. Its afterburner ability allows you to enter and exit combat situations much easier, not to mention dodging enemy fire more efficiently.

GERWALK Mode

While less agile, you are still able to maneuver at a decent pace, which is good when you're facing large targets such as Macross itself, since you'll be encircling your target ensuring it doesn't kill you off in a single hit with its big mofo cannons, while piling on the offensive yourself. Instead of afterburners, you gain a rather powerful melee attack, good against those pesky fighters that fly within your range.

Battroid Mode

Certain missions require that you thread on foot, hence the need for the battroid mode. While you can also complete them in either the aforementioned modes, nothing beats transforming into a humanoid, going up close and personal with a devastating chain of melee and projectile combos that is sure to severely damage if not kill whatever that gets in your way.

More loading screens

Graphics ★★★★☆

If you're familiar with Artdink's other mecha game, namely Gundam Battle Universe, you'll notice that they reused the same graphics engine for Macross Ace Frontier. Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, I guess. The graphics are very polished and detailed to the point you can make out the decals and markings on your Variable Fighter, with no real noticeable slowdowns even when things get hectic on screen.

Gameplay ★★★☆☆

The missions, if anything, lack variety and will get repetitive after a while. Adding to the fact a lousy player like myself has to play certain missions more than once in order to get a good ranking, it may get boring real fast. The camera can be a real bitch at times, especially in a boss fight when you're trying to align yourself nicely and before you know it, you've been shot down. Multiplayer lags with anything more than 2 players can desperately needed a co-op mode.

Controls ★★★☆☆

Nothing to comment here. For the most part, the controls are responsive though in hectic situations it might be difficult to change into the various modes using the analogue stick, but that's really just me. Switching between weapons can also get kind of tricky at times.

Sound ★★★☆☆

I really want to give it a higher score, if only the developers weren't so cheap. The BGMs while a good listen, were limited in number, but my real gripe is the lack of actual vocal pieces, especially from Macross Frontier. While I admittedly enjoy listening to Sheryl's Iteza Gogo Kyuuji Don't be late, I'm really annoyed with the developers for the exclusion of Ranka songs, other than Lion, and even that you only get to listen in a bonus Vajra mission. What the flying fuck?! GIVE ME MY SEIKAN HIKOU/ANATA NO OTO/WATASHI NO KARE WA PAIROTTO(VOCAL)/AIMO(VOCAL)!

Overall ★★★★☆

Despite my whining on the little issues, I actually gave the game a rather good score, which it deserves, as it fulfilled the criteria for a spinoff game that's actually a decent mecha action title in its own right. There's enough here for both fans and casual players alike, making Macross Ace Frontier a must have for any PSP owners. Off to train before I face off with a series veteran.

SEE YOU NEXT DECULTURE!

The Yokohoma Big World China Museum has just recently offered Macross Frontier themed manjuu(steamed buns) which goes on sale till the 19th of October. Various show related merchandise were also on sale, along with cosplay costume rental.

One must be patient before being savoring Ranka's hot buns. This is to prevent people like me from raiding the entire counter and clearing it all in one fell swoop.

I HNNNNNNG'ed just looking at the poster.

And according to the article, about 30-40 people were already at it when the counter opened for business. Never change, Japan. Talk about selling like hotcakesbuns!

A closer look at the counter. Is that you, Nanase?

Holy shit! Genuine(?) autographs from Ranka and Sheryl endorsing these buns!

Standard packaging is standard. Probably costs too much to have the same container Ranka used in the show, I guess.

If it looks ordinary, it probably tastes so. I'm just wondering what that orange nipple thing is.

:P :P

Every purchase entitles the customer to a free sticker.

I want that Valkyrie backpack.

Needs more green wig. She even has the iSlug on her shoulder.

First Ranka bentos and now this! Naturally, I was very excited over it being a Ranka fanboy, but damn, at 500 yen a pop, I'd rather get the locally made equivalent for a tenth of the price. Kidding! I've fallen victim to the power of otaku commercialism and would love to try this, just like every other anime food out on the market, though I found melon pan to have tasted like crap and the chocolate cornet equally as shit, but I digress. I now return to finishing Macross Ace Frontier.

Source via Sankaku Complex

In reply to Kabitzin. Possible spoilers inbound.

Ranka's iSlug which is actually a secret L.A.I weapon devours the Vajran home planet, effectively ending the war once and for all.

Still unable to get over Michel's death, Klan takes matters into her own hands and revives her love.

With the S.M.S officially disbanded at the end of the war, Alto makes a comeback into show business and forms a duet with Michel, but the partnership does not last long.

Alto releases his sophomore album which stays #1 at the Frontier charts for 15 weeks.

With the Valkyries put of commission, Alto enlists the help of Luca to design a personalized flight device.

Alto's brother relishing his success at finally being able to convince Alto to do what he does best.

With no Vajra to command, Ranka too, returns to singing, with the L.A.I's latest singing synthesizer humanoid.

Ranka also cashes in on her fame as an idol and starts a line of bento boxes targetted specifically at otakus.

With her waning popularity, Sheryl takes up offers to guest star in popular television shows, such as What 'Bout My Lucky☆Star.

President Ozma meanwhile succumbs to his old injuries. Believe it.

Announced at the 2008 Eastern Japan Toys and Trade Fair held yesterday, CCP Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco, unveiled a lineup of Macross Frontier themed RC cars which will be out in stores soon. What an ingenious way to reinvigorate a dying generation of toys! More after the jump.

What do you get when you cross Ranka with an automobile?

A Rancar!

.............

......

I'll get my coat.

As you can see, this fully customized Subaru Impreza WRX packs as much bling bling as Ranka's  (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆ and is sure to make the owner the talk among otakusof town! Okay, fine, so it's just an ordinary radio controlled car with pretty stickers plastered all over. But hey, that's what marketing is all about!

Priced at an affordable 3,770 Yen, I'm screaming TAKE MY MONEY! TAKE IT ALL! at the top of my lungs, but alas, it's only available through Amazon.jp, notorious for not shipping these sort of merchandise(toys) outside of Japan.  As such, I'm sounding off my anguish with equal effort:

And in case you didn't notice, there is a Sheryl version, a Mitsubishi Evo VIII at that, but you didn't honestly think I'd feature it here, did you? Just kidding. Here's a sneak peek:

Head over to AkibaHobby for more info. How I wish there were life scale versions of these on actual cars.

You've seen it everywhere from real life to anime, the V sign has been a popular gesture not only among the Japanese but other parts of the world as well, when it comes to posing for photographs, and has lasted throughout the ages since its inception. It's time to throw outside the old and say hello to Ranka Lee's trademark (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆

Otherwise known as  (ﾉゝ∀･)~Kira(Twinkle)☆ , scoffing it off as nothing more than just a modified version of the love sign would be an insult to the one person who is able to execute it with such finesse and for the lack of a better word, cuteness. You know how the V sign also signifies peace? Well, guess what?  (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆ is in fact the epitome of harmony as that very hand gesture played a part in stopping an all out interplanetary war.

Video of Seikan Hikou, in which that pose was done:

Click here to view the embedded video.

This image pretty much sums up what I think about  (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆

As of this post, (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆ has been a hit of sorts among Area 11 fanartists who have come up with their own parody versions:

God knows....

I got impregnated just looking at that.

The SMS Valkyrie official salute.

One of Virtue Gundam's many weapons: Kira Biimu~

Who needs Geass when you have  (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆

Now you know what Rolo's character album is going to look like.

Even Sheryl acknowledges the (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆

We knew deep down inside Ozma had supported Ranka in some way.

Practicing for the annual SMS dinner concert.

Ranka could have stopped the Anti Spirals much easier.

lolwut

UHO, II (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆

What Japan makes, America steals. RAN RAN ROO!

Lolis are now completely defenseless against the likes of Pedobear (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆

HNNNNGGGGGG!

Ranka would have had a hard time competing against Alto-hime if he had taken up the offer of performing instead.

So we know (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆ looks awesome on any anime character but is (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆ actually feasible in real life?

Just. No. Well, maybe if they did it properly and/or looked a lot better, I'm sure it could work, which is why I urge everyone to try out (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆ when taking their own pictures later.  Till then, an unsorted pack of (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆ images at your disposal. Thanks to Hoshi for translating the first image. Weaboo out.

The verdict is in, Ranka has already won Saimoe 2008.

With all three central characters out of the picture, ronery Nanase is moping over Ranka's absence, until everyone's greenhead decided to drop by at school to say hi. Those aren't hands in her pockets.

As if Alto wasn't enough, Nanase must now face another competitor to win Ranka over, and you just know she'd do just about anything to secure victory as seen in the following confrontation:

Fortunately for Nanase, Ranka intervenes and informs the latter that the green creature has been keeping her company;

In more ways than one.

Elsewhere, Sheryl's entourage arrive at Gallia 4 for the performance and is greeted by the Green Giant.

Sadly for our superstar, she collapses midway due to an unforeseen fever:

I couldn't help it:

Having probably paid for their tickets and unable to obtain a refund, the hostile Zentradi forces declare war.

I'm guessing that means something along the lines of EN TARO ZENTRAN. Of course, while I'd like to put the blame on a certain someone, this was a premeditated uprising, to which Sheryl's sudden stroke ailment had nothing to do with.

Not one to wait for reinforcements, Alto decide to sneak his way out and take on the enemy as though he was some one man army.

A Hind D?

Colonel, what's a Russian gunship doing here?

Alas, Alto's career as a field agent is but a short lived one. Sorry Princess, you may have the actor's blood, but it ain't no blood of Big Boss.

With that botched attempt at escaping, the situation escalates into a full fledged battle between the opposing Zentradian forces. Succeeding where the Princess has failed, Ranka swoops in style with a customized VF that has THX certified speakers, to belt out a tune from her character album to appease the angry aliens.

So Moe The War Stopped? Now I know why music has always been an integral part of Macross.

Peace returns to Gallia 4, and with her Princess in Shining Mecha Armor, Ranka sets off into the sunset re-enacting the classic tale of Superdimensional Cinderella.

I almost felt bad for Sheryl having to stay grounded and her limelight taken away from her by a rookie. This would probably the the impetus that would spark a much awaited all out love triangle.

To add insult to injury, the pair engage in some hot pilot-wing(wo)man action.

Because he should have watched where the VF was going instead, Alto crash lands in an undisclosed sector of the planet, chancing upon an ancient relic.

I liked it better when it was called Fortress Maximus.

Having Ranka sing all the songs save for the Watashi no Kare wa Pilot was a feeling akin to auditory masturbation, especially that mesmerizing jig that had me giggling like a horny schoolboy. It did make up for the shafting Ranka received in the previous episode, though at this point, I no longer care if she ends up with Alto, so long as my green haired bundle of joy and moe is happy :P . Either way, she's set to have Alto all to herself in the following week and whatever happens from then onwards is anybody's guess, with Sheryl evidently upset she could not be there to fulfill Alto's dream. I'm going to gloat over this while I still can.

Much like Helen of Troy, Ranka of Frontier possesses the cuteness and voice that transcends galaxies that will eventually spark an all out interplanetary war between civilizations, seeing as how it's powerful enough to either quell blood-lusts or awaken ancient evils. Alto, son of Saotome, destined to be one Ranka's suitors will find himself leading the campaign to rescue her after being abducted by Brera. Believe it.

"Are you friend or foe?"

"I am the Guide of the Wind. Now that you've awaken, return from whence you came."

"Ridiculous! There should have been someone else with me!"

"You were alone, nyaa!"

"Mao!"

"Shin, I know you love my sister, but please look at me. I....actually..."

"I can hear it Sara...."

"You....and the Mayan's song."

"Shin, so you were indeed after all...."

"A bird human."

Instead of cheesy noir comic, this week it's cheesy mute black and white romance movie. In space! I shouldn't have watched this, but I caved in anyway. Disregarding the QUALITY which reared its ugly head once again, especially during that over the top fight scene between Brera and that DigimonHydra, everything else in this episode was brilliant. Even for someone who's not watched Macross Zero, I was thoroughly impressed by how they drew parallels from both stories and woven it into the plot, which invoked a somewhat poignant feel, reinforced by that beautiful Aimo insert song that almost reduced me to girly tears. Since I was told a little on the love triangle in the actual OVA, watching it unfold here made those movie sequences much more meaningful, even though it wasn't Sheryl who played Sara's role wwwww

As such, being one of the many the Ranka fans, I was delighted with the amount of progress she had gone through. Even if it was all part of the script, that kiss she had with Princess "Alto" Sakura made my inner fangirl squealing with joy, never mind that itazura na kiss Sheryl gave him earlier, though I cannot unsee the Little Mermaid reference now, thanks to someone. Another point for the Ranka camp, now that she's being taken notice of, so that means much less interaction time between her and Alto. Well, that was what I would've said, if it wasn't for the fact I was already informedspoiled on future plot developments regarding the two, which involves crash landing on a remote planet together. Even if their relationship remains stagnant, I don't really mind that much, since there's that alternative in Brera. Speaking of which, it looks like they're hinting at the sexy cyborg bishie to be Ranka's relative or something, with her calling to out to her supposedly deceased brother coupled with Brera's instinctive desire to protect Ranka, who, conveniently enough, suffers from amnesia. Dun dun dun, is that some possible WINcest I smell?

Also, Ozma made a comment on whether it was fate that led Ranka to play as Mao's role. What's up with that? Does this mean she's got some sort of connection to the latter? Or is he simply noting the similarities between Ranka and the character whom she plays? What's with Leon's secret meeting with some dude in a black suit, whom I suspect being a dyke from the way he/she sounds? So many unanswered questions and the wait is made longer as Macross Frontier will be pre-emptied with football next week. I should probably RAGE, but I'm actually watching Euro 2008 myself, so yeah. Für Deutschland. Back to hitting those books..._〆(・∀・＠)

PS I also have something else to tide things over for next week:

Wheee~ ヽ(゜∀゜)メ(゜∀゜)メ(゜∀゜)ノ

A little late, but happy birthday to Nakajima Megumi, seiyuu of Ranka Lee, my favorite greenhead of all time*, who turns 19 as of June 5th 2008.

Some random shots of her.

Why is she so moe?? щ(ﾟДﾟщ)

Hopefully, she gets casted in more roles after this, as she's proven herself to be quite the seiyuu, improving as the show progresses, not to mention possessing decent vocals for an upstart singer. She is slowly becoming my favorite voice actress cum singer, alongside the likes of Nana Mizuki More info at her blog.

Also:

orz

*Subjected to change without prior notice.