Macross Frontier - The Aquarion Generation
[Note: I’m squeezing posts off at a record pace for no apparent reason only because I’m staring to lose track of all my drafts. Might as well post them while they’re fresh.]
There’s something special about Shoji Kawamori’s works in anime. It’s almost like how I approach a George Lucas work–I would overrate it, entranced by its glossy appearance, and eat its candy-like nutritional content in large bites.
I think as much as we can enjoy Macross Frontier, we have to thank his guinea pig that is Sousei no Aquarion. Looking back at the paper trail, I realized I kind of missed the opportunity to really jot down my thoughts on the show…
To put it in perspective, Sousei no Aquarion was a 2005 show. At the time a few people remarked on simple stuff like how awesome the vector combinations were and how there are orgasmic boob gattai sequences. The rest of the internet was probably too busy jerking off to Mai Tokiha and her friends, but at the time, there were other pressing concern reviewers and fans had to deal with–like starting blogs, for example. Nonetheless, Aquarion, aside from being a staging vehicle for Yoko Kanno and Kawamori fans, didn’t quite do the trick when it comes to western popularity. Perhaps it wasn’t as awesome-fail as Brain Powered, to compare it to a show unlike Aquarion but has random nudity, but to me both shows were equally “successful.”
And unlike Brain Powered, Aquarion was definitely watchable. At the time it was easily one of the prettiest TV anime that Japan has ever produced. If you were in Japan and you were lucky, you can even see its full glory in 1080i. For some people that alone (Shoji Kawamori transformable fightercraft + high quality animation, on top of a Kanno soundtrack) was worth the price of admission, including yours truly.
But unlike the sustained universe (however retconned today) and franchise of Macross, Aquarion was by all means a super-robot show with almost a sentai element to it. People didn’t quite transform but they sure went around and did some goofy things. Starting from the orgasmo-gattai sequence (which was later on well-capitalized by a gravure idol) to the very random filler episodes, it really tested the mettle of its viewers of not being able to take Aquarion seriously at all and yet enjoy it for what it is.
Perhaps I had fond memories about the show so I’m seeing through rosy lenses, but Aquarion really had the substance of a good show. It’s got humor (albeit an off-kind of humor), it’s got the production value, it’s got some memorable characters, and even a plot of some kind. But it isn’t popular by the measuring stick over here.
And to some extent, who really cares? Aquarion is popular in Japan to the degree that we’ve seen 2 OAV releases and a film. We’ve also seen other kinds of franchising (considering the source of Kanno’s best-selling single) as a result of this show. It was financially successful.
And it makes one badass toy. Or two.
The incongruity between western disappointment and Japanese success of Aquarion draws my attention in like a black hole. I don’t particularly care for the specific factors like marketing and distribution–I think there’s something more. And that something is what makes Macross Frontier so refreshing.
I dare say it is because Kawamori is still in touch with the corny, naive little kid that is at the heart of both productions. Compare his works to shows like Gundam 00–shows that relate to the audience of a changing world and a generation of kids growing older but can afford to stay young–Frontier brings forth all the familiar gender stereotypes and innocent expectations of a world that may have came to past with hope of a brighter, science-fictional future. It acknowledges the uncertainty and changes to come but it also helps us to cope with them, rather leaving them as an open-ended question.
One of the more striking impression about Aquarion I had was with the character Apollo. Being a reincarnated deity of some sort, the kid had an aura of nobility that he is more than the sum of his parts. Within that rowdy and uncouth personality, there was something special. In one flashback scene, we saw a child Apollo, standing naked, as he slowly ascends through a snow-covered river bank after a swim. The camera pointed towards him, facing the sunrise (and conveniently obscured his features). The heat and melting snow around him suggested that there is more to this homeless child, and it’s exactly this kind of symbolism and directorial tricks that made this show for me.
And in some ways, that is both Aquarion and Macross Frontier in a nutshell–it is uncouth and uncivilized. One shouldn’t take it seriously but at the same time realize there is something worthwhile within. So what if the contrails takes shape of a heart? So what if the miclone is a loli? Or preachy? Or reinforces gender stereotypes? The trifling romantic relationship in Frontier is probably a valid complaint, but at the same time Kawamori isn’t so big on romantic struggles. Like the “romance” triangle in Macross Plus, Kawamori is beyond puppy-love and more about redemption and forgiveness between friends who truly share a special bond. We have not gotten to the betrayal stage of Macross Frontier, so you bet I’ll be looking forward to that.
Yep, betrayal. It’s gonna come. We’ve already seen the tip of the iceberg with the Michael back story, for starters. It’s Kawamori’s schtik. All the pairings people talk about (just look at pretty much every blog entry here talking about the relationships in the show) are diversions from what’s going to happen next.
I mean, seriously, Aquarion paves the way. It’s almost a prerequisite, much like how Brain Powered is also a chapter in the saga about human relationships authored by Yoshiyuki Tomino. Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit by comparing the two like this, but it’s better than comparing him with Lucas…
I do have to admit that I missed Aquarion because I was part of the latter camp.
I liked Aquarion a lot, and it pains me every time to hear people talk trash about it, and believe me, that happens a lot.
Definitely I noticed the similarities between Aquarion and Frontier right from the first episode, and if Kawamori is gonna structure them both the same way, I think Frontier will end up to be pretty god-damn epic.
Let us all hope and pray for the best!
I’d guess that Aquarion’s structure was a bit experimental that he did a lot of things that he wouldn’t have been able to get away with in a bigger profile show. Also the plot kind of got out of hand near the end. I think Macross Frontier will be much more conventional, more down to earth, but also have a much more complex narrative path, with twists and turns that we didn’t see in Aquarion.
If I were him I’d pull out all the stops for Macross Frontier.