Some Small Words About Macross: The Musicalture

[incisivis]

Some Small Words About Macross: The Musicalture

Being a poor peon stuck in North America, I won't be able to see the latest media project for the Macross franchise: a short-run musical with an all-new cast and story, called The Musicalture. At first I thought it would be one of those hilarious anime musicals that retold some of the previous media

Comments

[krpalmer]

This was an amusing thing to hear about, and as I don't follow any Macross message boards (and if it's already been mentioned on Anime News Network I must have missed it in the constant flow of items) I ought to thank you for bringing it up.

I suppose, though, that my thoughts ran in somewhat different directions from yours. When you said "musical," I mentally added "live-action stage," but that made me reflect on how some live-action end credit sequences in one particular anime series I'm watching right now are sort of challenging me as to whether, for all that I nod with grim agreement at harsh criticism of the lazy old cracks "so why don't anime characters look Japanese?", I'm somehow applying some "personal mental default" to the art style that keeps me from really envisioning and recognising both the actual people making it and its original audience. As for "stage," though, I suppose I just thought that in getting beyond a concert by whoever (as you seemed to say first off), Micloned* Zentradi are the easiest way to tie in the whole storyline... Your preliminary reactions make sense to me, although I did find myself thinking of how, after adding up certain comments and allusions of the Robotech novels and coming to something ominous, there just being Zentradi present in Macross was fine in itself for me (just as I was pleased with just about any Robotech story that didn't follow the lead of the novels...)

*I'm hoping my term is correct; I haven't policed all the Robotech terms out of my mind...

[incisivis]

Hmm, I never thought about Zentradi being a way for a musical, which won't have mecha, to make something "Macross" to the general audience, but it's an interesting point. However, the musical is also set on one of the emigration fleets, so that makes it more distinct, I suppose.

It is true that the Macross universe has a more positive, and I think, logical example of allied human/Zentradi relations, and I appreciate that, but that doesn't mean it's empty of cynicism towards allied Zentradi as a whole, and the fandom also takes that and runs with it. "Macross Plus" is the best example, in which fans swear up and down that Guld's superiors were right about him, and everything he does wrong is blamed solely on his heritage, and even that Guld shouldn't be in the military because his heritage makes him unstable.

In this case, I'm just thinking if Macross wants to establish some realism, than anti-Zentradi sentiments, ones that might be morally complex, would help to enrich the world, and not make it seem like allied Zentradi are the go-to default for examples of internal unrest.

Although now I'm wondering if some Zentradi unrest several generations removed from the conflict might make the mistake of thinking Zentradi life was "honourable" and "glorious", the way some Robotech comic authors have mis-written it. :P