Macross Frontier ep1-5
Having been rather underwhelmed by the daft and overlong Macross 7, it was a pleasant surprise to find that Frontier is infinitely more fun, and it's really not hard to see why this was such a big hit in its day. With little details like Ranka's opposable hair and Michel's Zorro-style glinting teeth, it's a much cartoonier affair than I'd expected, but it generally strikes a good balance between the more serious space combat and the comedy shennanigans back on the colony. It's also still great to look at. The absence of Haruhiko Mikimoto on character art is regrettable, but there's some very solid work in the action scenes and plenty of interesting tics in the quieter moments.
My only minor complaint is that, while it's nice to hear some of the classic Macross tracks get an airing in the background, with music from at least three previous series making an appearance so far, it is starting to feel a bit like a greatest hits album. The opening and ending tracks are a notable exception, but now that I've read what the lyrics to the opening are once translated, it's hard not to find it a bit ridiculous. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that it's in the naff tradition of "My Boyfriend's a Pilot".
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress ep6-7
Continues to be slick and exciting, but it seems to lean very heavily on well-worn tropes for its characterisation. It's not doing anything particularly offensive, it's just hard not to think that the other show I'm trying not to compare this to, handled that element a little better.
