THAT Animeblog

63 Comments so far

1. shinz August 9th, 2008 7:24 am

   Leon ….Grace is using him like a tool. Ranka may have the key for the virus…
   “The more I think about it Alto-hime only got closer to Ranka because he was asked to…”

   It’s obvious you support Sheryl… no need to add..”though it remains to be seen whether or not Alto-hime wanted to do it because he likes Ranka or because Ranka needed saving.”

   And Alto didn’t get close to Ranka because he was asked to but more by chance since the episode 1 and episode 3 when she singed aimo in the park.

   “I wonder if what it takes to tip the scales in Sheryl favor is for Alto-hime to realize the very real possibility that he would lose her forever. They have been together for some time and share many intimate moments where they confided in one another. They have a level of trust that they share with no one else.”

   In the previous episode you said the same thing for Alto and Ranka, and no way Sheryl’s gonna end with Alto because they portrayed AxR as friend in one episode??… after what we saw in episode 13… too obvious…

   Suffice to say Sheryl’s tragic tale moved even the hearts of the most staunch Ranka fans.”

   Is it a joke ?! We all know she isn’t going to die…

2. vjean August 9th, 2008 8:35 am

   Great write up on this episode, Crusader.
   18 was a great combination of clues, sad backstory for Sheryl, and entertainment for sure. Klan was so great ! I am so looking forward to the scenes w/ Sheryl in the Saotome home. Alto is the one person who is not impressed with idol status. I suspected Alto would have to see his Dad or visit home soon. After his whirlwind pilot career it’s time for hime to think more about what he’s doing. Seems like people are always telling hime what to do…like - does the Ozuma request for hime to protect Ranka amount to Ozuma giving her away to hime like a bride?? But hime has not asked for her hand in that way. I just can’t picture hime as the Vajra King.
   Ranka fans can call her on her birthday since +83-3-2641-7460 on 04/29/2043 was clearly on her info page…

3. Hayate-sama August 9th, 2008 9:00 am

   http://that.animeblogger.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/snapshot20080808222639.jpg

   Wonder what behind their their back is XD

4. Omisyth August 9th, 2008 9:04 am

   Megane Ranka!

5. Ricaryx August 9th, 2008 9:24 am

   Crusader, didn’t you want to see Sheryl in a kimono? You got your wish haha It’s so messed up that Alto suddenly had to rethink his intent of protecting Ranka. He’s been doing that by instinct ever since the beginning, now it’s all about Sheryl. =( I thought he wouldn’t even doubt. I’m going to feel bad for Ranka if Alto falls in love with Sheryl just because she has the upperhand now. She now has inside connection with his family. It’s because of Alto that Ranka’s past caught up with her in Galia, what is all those fuss they made in Galia 4 if they’re just going to drift away from each other like Hikaru and Minmei?

   But there’s still hope. As far as I can see, the HikaruxMinmei tragedy from the past is similar to Ranka and Alto’s situation now. Are they doing this similarities on purpose? If pinecake can happen, they should overcome this.

   I’ve read from some blog that the Queen Vajra might really be Ranshe Mei. What if Ranka loses her humanity too? Alto should step up by then. I still have this strong feeling that Alto will be running back to Ranka near the end.

6. The Sojourner August 9th, 2008 10:30 am

   How should I go about rallying the Sheryl supporters? Our favorite singer is in need of some support.

   And I think the day Ranka grows up to be a hawt lady is the day lolicons commit suicide.

   P.S. I am really convinced that Kawamori reads anime blogs.

7. ann August 9th, 2008 11:24 am

   She seems to have forgotten about Elmo and in the preview she might have been going on a dayto with Brera.

   She kind of forgot all about Sheryl as well and possibly Alto in a way. I agree Ranka is lying to herself and eventually is going to have to face the truth.

   Right now I just can’t see a Ranka end. I guess things could change, but so far everything to do with Ranka x Alto has been him being asked to do it like you said. Of course not saying he didn’t like doing it and doesn’t care for her, but I think it’s different with Sheryl. It’s something he wants to do and nobody is pressuring him. I guess we’ll see. Yay for Klan and Michel joining Team Sheryl, finally.

   I hope there is some magical cure from her. ;_; There has to be.

8. Ricaryx August 9th, 2008 12:13 pm

   @ann-There will be a cure for Sheryl. Everywhere I go, noone is really believing that Sheryl will die. I also believe she won’t. Ozma entrusted Alto to ‘protect’ Ranka, and rewatching that scene, I think it’s not that Alto doesn’t want to, it’s more like he couldn’t figure out what he feels…yet. Ozma looked like he’s giving Ranka away for marriage with him saying his role is about to end haha I don’t think Alto ever got a heavy heart whenever it comes to doing things for Ranka’s sake. He comes to her on his own will. It’s like he just can’t leave her alone. He’s been like this to her ever since the start with some occasional tsundere tantrums. I guess we’ll just wait and see how important Ranka really is to Alto with Sheryl laid out in front of him. It’s a test.

9. Crusader August 9th, 2008 1:56 pm

   @shinz
   At the rate things are going Ranka is on the fast track to being Minmay…It’s really disappointing to see that the extent of her devotion to Alto-hime recently is just asking hime ot climb up her window and not for her to use her star power to designate Alto-hime as part of her entourage. Right now she’s sort of flirting with Brera and that is never a good sign when one of the female leads starts warming up to the Kaifun class obstacle. Alto-hime saving Ranka was more often or not under terms of clear and present danger and it was his duty to protect her, but now that Brera has made hime obsolete it seems the Alto-hime is less willing to start knifing Vajira to match Bere’s kill counts.

   Right now Ranka is safe in that the Vajira can’t get past Brera hime is not aware of the the threat of Grace, but we shall see once our hime figures out that Grace is the real big bad… When Ranka was captured hime did not mind letting Mikhail do it and now he’s hardly complaining when Brera does it. It’s really unfortunate that post Galia 4 it seems that Ranka is still losing ground which she did have much to begin with. Galia 4 was supposed to be the beginning of some greater relationship but things seem to be regressing and not moving forward. There were sparks at Galia 4 there have been none since, Sheryl dominated hime time in the first half, and now Ranka will need to pull off some amazing feats and tell of Grace before she dominate even a 1/3. I am seeing more sparks between Ranka and Brera than with Ranka Alto-hime, this is bad real bad.

   When Ranka was just trying to start out Alto-hime wasn’t even there, when Sheryl is in the dumps hime runs through the rain…

   I don’t know if Sheryl will live, heck we thought that pineapples were the doom of aces, but Kawamori trolled that one out of existence. Right now no one knows how it will end except Kawamori and his crew.

   @vjean
   Yeah right Now Alto-hime no longer has a real purpose for fighting, his weapons are all but useless right now and Brera can protect Ranka better than he can. Hopefully once he goes back home he can find a reason to keep piloting and fighting. With most of his family and Sheryl there hopefully we can get some insight into what is going on in hime’s mind. I don’t think the rest of the Saotome clan thinks highly of Sheryl either. i best Alto-hime’s brother only picked up Sheryl because she was the perfect hostage and her crying out for Alto-hime basically tipped him off.

   @Hayate-sama
   That would be Ai-kun’s brother…

   @Omisyth
   Hopefully it will be just that and not with Brera.

   @Ricaryx
   Indeed one wish will be fulfilled, now if only Alto-hime is willing to cooperate…

   Brera has time and again proven that Alto-hime cannot protect Ranka and now its to the point where Pilot-hime is down to a knife in is armory. I think that while he could still make a difference Alto-hime was eager to do it, but lacks the GAR of Ozma to actually try and show up Brera with knife fighting. Alto-hime started out with a mission to protect, now that he can’t do that he needs a new reason to keep fighting. The fact that Ranka is getting less time with Alto-hime seems to indicate that their relationship has stalled. Ranka needs to rid herself of Grace and Brera if she has any hope of regaining the initiative.

   Not sure how Kawamori intends to end this but right now there isn’t enough substance to make an epic RankaxAlto-hime end. Hikaru did run towards Minmay towards the end only to double back at Macross speed for Misa. We’ll probably find out later…

   @The Sojourner
   I am sure a hawt all woman Ranka will be fine too.

   @ann
   Ranka seems to be blinded by her own fame that she’ can’t see things clearly. It good that she has become fearless in combat, but with Grace around, Ranka is in great danger. The fact that Mikhail was being rather vague about details and hime’s all out charge to find Sheryl does indicate that there is something there. Most tellingly of all was that Alto-hime didn’t want to pilot that time and would have rather chased the taxi instead…

   Maybe there will be a cure or maybe Sheryl’s illness will take sometime to do its work. The suppression drug can be made again, and hopefully it will be able to buy Sheryl some more time. I don’t think Sheryl will die in series though…

10. Haesslich August 9th, 2008 5:18 pm

    Given that SMS is basically a private corporation which runs a special ops group (think a cross between Blackwater and Executive Orders, or the Dorsai of the Childe Cycle), this isn’t surprising. The Quarter’s basically a special ops ship anyways, as far as I can tell in its capabilities (small craft capable of independent action, delivering strike forces while able to handle itself in a low-intensity warfare or in black operations). It’s also nice to see that, unlike some Gundam series, they haven’t forgotten about the previous episode’s incidents (the attacks destroying a lot of resources and infrastructure, and a lack of magical VF-making machines to replace losses to make them inconsequential).

    As for the rest, I think they’re more tired of Alto jerking around and are telling him to ‘pick a girl already’. That, and they probably understand that actively encouraging Alto to go after Ranka is tantamount to suicide-by-Ozma. Also, Sheryl’s terminal disease finally gives Alto a reason to finally talk to Sheryl seriously… if he finds out about it. Otherwise, it’ll just be another reason for Sheryl to stay tsun-tsun.

    Here’s suspecting that Nanase will be actively helping Grace keep Ranka away from Alto… thus allowing the threat of Alto’s demise to act as the ’stick’ she talked about in Episode 15.

11. Crusader August 9th, 2008 6:09 pm

    @Haesslich
    Agreed Macross Quarter is more of a strike cruiser than a big slow and powerful dreadnought like its bigger brother Battle Frontier. I like how they have been hinting at the lack of resources and didn’t pull out some beam weapons this time. There was no miracle and without Ozma and his GAR it seems that they opted for a line ‘em up and knock ‘em down approach rather than waste time trying to knife them in CQC. It also vindicates’ Grace’s choice of choosing a bioplant as the lure given how things have really gone down hill economically. I like how they mentioned that all trade will at some point cease to justify the huge fire sale. This time the idea of shopping before the end of times made some sense, for one GARby said it was okay and two I would love to get an 80% discount on certain items. If the world ends oh well, but if I survive having that 108″ LCD at 80% off would be a nice coming home gift to myself. Unlike some other instances everything had to go and at 80% off even I can’t say no to that, only a fool would go shopping before battle and pay full retail…

    Ozma might not be the one to pull the trigger if Alto-hime starts gunning for Ranka, at the moment it seems more likely that Brera will be the one to do it. Otherwise choosing Ranka this early is suicide. Now that you mention it given how out classed Alto-hime is compared to Brera once Ranka dares to say no the the threat on hime’s head might ensure Ranka’s compliance. Hopefully now that we are this far in that we will be having more serious interactions between the characters. Given how Sheryl is in a really bad situation I don’t think that they will go back to being tsun tsun too early. If Klein says that Sheryl is mature then I believe it.

12. Haesslich August 9th, 2008 7:48 pm

    We’ll see, won’t we, next week? Still, Sheryl not wanting Alto to know she’s dying until she’s kicked the bucket, so he’s not going to pursue her to answer questions about ‘why the hell aren’t you staying in bed because the doctors say so’ isn’t exactly the mark of a mature woman. Not wanting Alto to worry about her… well, that’s selfish too. As Alto indicated to Ozma back in Episode 3, he says he’d want to know everything… so he wouldn’t appreciate the ‘favour’ very much.

    Ah well - at least his brother’s set up a reason to go home: “If you won’t visit Dad who’s sick, you’ll visit your friend Sheryl who’s sick… right?”

13. Shirukii August 9th, 2008 8:07 pm

    Thanks for the correction on who’s who on the research group photo, cleared up quite a bit.

    However, I’m quite disappointed that Ranka’s loli charms will evolve into the likes all woman Dr. Mei. What a waste D=

14. Crusader August 9th, 2008 8:10 pm

    @Haesslich
    Hopefully Alto-hime isn’t so dense to not know that something is persistent about Sheryl’s illness. Besides if Sheryl will not put up with being locked up in a hotel or a hospital I am sure Alto-hime can pull some strings to keep his friend Sheryl in good health at his residence. I just hope it involves one more show of Sakura-hime Azuma Bunsho so we can see Mr. Kawamori again, if so no doubt he will be eating some pineapple cake. I cannot wait to see what Sheryl discovers when she starts poking around int Alto-hime’s room. I am crossing my fingers for some epic pictures of hime’s career and child hood. There is a high probability of meeting some Saotome women, I just what to see what kind of stunning beauty gave birth to Alto-hime. We know for sure that it was not his father Ranzo. Boy its going to be fun…

    Even if it was a bit selfish of Sheryl to keep her illness from Alto-hime a secret I am sure Alto-hime will find out some other way. Even so I think for Sheryl to try and guilt trip Pilot-hime into staying with her until she diees would have been worse. Not only would it have been low it would have doomed Sheryl to a yandere path, and doom her chances of final victory.

    Thing is you have to wonder if so far if Alto-hime has done more for Sheryl than hime ever did for his dad. Besides Yasaburo has the face of one of those tricksy villains, seemingly innocuous but when he opens his eyes shit happens. If nothing else its at least a good excuse to force Alto-hime to go back home. This time there is no sky to escape to…

    @Shirukii
    Sure thing. Just make sure to go back and watch the older Macross stuff when the opportunity arises, comrade. Good to have you back.

    Well for a mother of two Dr. Mei still looks pretty darn good. We know Grace is way too hawt because she never had any kids and is evil to boot.

15. mai August 9th, 2008 8:25 pm

    Ricaryx The fuss in Galia 4 is a sign Alto no longer looks at Ranka as a child. In no way is it saying Alto loves her. Crusader is right. Alto keeps running to Ranka out of obligation.

16. blissmo August 9th, 2008 9:48 pm

    I thought the umbrella scene was hilarious because it’s in like … every anime

17. Claricandyxd August 9th, 2008 10:01 pm

    Wow I dont know who I should support anymore Ranka or Shery>.<?? But its really getting better so thnx^^
    Wait Mao Nome isin’t Sheryl’s last name Nome?? WHAT ! CLUE!

18. Haesslich August 9th, 2008 10:15 pm

    Claricandyxd: If you listen to Grace’s story, or read the screenshots above, you’d know that Sheryl was basically picked up off the street by Grace… who worked with Doctors Ranshe Mei and Mao Nome, although whether they were still alive when Grace picked her up is another story. All three of them worked together on V-type infections and apparently Vajra research, and one of them at least (Ranshe Mei) encountered the Vajra later.

    If Sheryl was with the three of them, then her last name was given to her by Mao Nome or the team…. or in other words, she’s an adoptee. If she was NOT adopted by the team but just by Grace who did V-type infection research on her using Sheryl as a guinea pig, as well as an attempted Vajra-control unit, then Sheryl was named in HONOR of Mao Nome. She might be related to Ranshe Mei, to judge by the physical resemblance, but that could also be coincidence.

19. Haesslich August 10th, 2008 12:13 am

    Another theory - Sheryl is Ranshe Mei’s daughter, was left on Galaxy before the 117th fleet met its demise (after Grace had left, or after her consciousness had made the transfer), and was specifically scouted out by Grace due to this fact. The photo we saw was from 14-15 years ago, IIRC… and the 117th Fleet was destroyed 3-4 years after that photo was taken. Grace had to have found Sheryl after that, or it seems quite likely, given Sheryl’s apparent age in the flashback.

20. Evaric August 10th, 2008 1:00 am

    I’ve always enjoyed reading your blogs about Macross F, but wanted to point out a error about Diamond Crevasse. While I too would have preferred that Sheryl wrote it for Alto, both Ranka and Sheryl sang it in episode 2 during the last couple of minutes. If there is a song that she’ll both write and sing specifically for Alto, I’m thinking it’ll be “Northern Cross” since we haven’t actually seen it sung by anyone and the lyrics read very much like Sheryl’s current situation.

21. Crusader August 10th, 2008 1:54 am

    @mai
    Yeah the last meeting between Alto-hime and Ranka was underwhelming in terms of sparks.

    @blissmo
    No, it’s not under Sheryl vision Alto-hime is way hawter… oh wait what am I saying…

    @Claricandyxd
    Easy Support Alto-hime that way you can’t possibly lose.

    @Haesslich
    I think it be a real stretch to say that Ranshe was Sheryl’s mom if Sheryl was then that would mean that Ranshe put Sheryl out into the streets before she gave birth to Ranka. That would be pretty fucked up…

    I think that Sheryl may have seen Ranshe as her “mom” since Sheryl remembers a mother having given her those earrings and I have a nagging doubt that is wasn’t Grace. Assuming that Ranshe was the motherly one of the female trinity then it stands to reason that Ranshe was the one who kept Sheryl healthy and nurtured their patient. I don’t think Mao Nome would have fallen so far that she would do bad things to Sheryl though Grace is quite the deceiver so perhaps Grace was able to hide her true nature from the team.

    Unless of course Grace might have been a kind and gentle soul before, but I doubt it. I think the resemblance between Ranshe and Sheryl has more to do with their hair, and it might be that Ranshe liked to do Sheryl’s hair and Sheryl has kept it that way. Hopefully we will learn more Sheryl remembers a mother, perhaps it was Ranshe that she identified as mom. Given how Grace was never seen as a mother by Sheryl it certainly isn’t her and Mao might have had more important things to do than raise a child at age 50 some.

    It’d be interesting if the 117th fleet was lost due to a falling out between Ranshe and Grace.

    @Evaric
    My mistake according to a translation of the CD Jacket for the Macross OST Sheryl was rumored to have dedicated it to a famous actor or actress who was leaving Galaxy. Sheryl dedicated her performance of Infinity to Alto-hime and the rest of the Forces trying to rescue Galaxy.

    Norther Cross is most definitely about how she loves Alto-hime’s smile though…

22. Tenryu August 10th, 2008 6:33 am

    i think i am the only one (or very few) who believes Sheryl will die at the end…
    lets face it… with the awesomenew OP sequence the end to this anime might just knock us off our chairs cause its so not what to be espected…
    and judging from the OP i’m pretty sure we’ll have Sheryl and Ranka singing together to turn the tide of the final battle.

23. Shin August 10th, 2008 8:06 am

    Being the number one Ranka fan, there were many instances when I wished ill of Sheryl, though I never imagined that would literally happen. I feel bad now. I however couldn’t stop laughing when I saw her albums in the discount bin. WITH HER NAME MISSPELT!

24. rollchan August 10th, 2008 9:39 am

    where the heck is lin min may?

25. Tueac August 10th, 2008 12:47 pm

    In other news… it seems alto’s grand parents is born…

    go google Taichi Saotome… or read 7th august Straits Time page 10.

    rollchan >> Min May went missing with Hikaru and Misa on the Macross SDF 2 or Mega Road 1…

    And i’m sooo happy there is a real macross… i’m refering to battle 25

26. Haesslich August 10th, 2008 3:31 pm

    Note: per the OST, Diamond Crevasse was written by Sheryl for another celebrity who was leaving Galaxy… and the song was probably out there for at least a year or two, prior to her tour.

    As for the timeline, we’ve got a few things:

    19 years ago (2039) - The Vajra are discovered by humanity (Episode 5)

    17 years ago (2041) - Sheryl is born. (biographical information outside of series)

    16 years ago (2042) - Saotome Alto is born. (biographical information outside of series)

    15 years ago (2043) - Doctors Mao Nome, Ranshe Mei, and Grace O’Connor have been working on the V-type infection research and possibly the Vajra. Ranka born on April 29. (Episode 3, 18)

    11 years ago (2047) - The 117th Research Fleet, including the Global (an old Macross-class carrier) are lost to the Vajra. Somehow, the Global ends up on Gallia 4 with some keepsakes. Ranshe Mei presumed lost at this time, Grace O’Connor has survived and is either on Galaxy or well on her way by now. Ozma adopts Ranka. (Episodes 2, 5, 12, 18)

    10-7 years ago - Grace O’Connor finds Sheryl in the slums, and takes her in as a v-type infection patient as well as a prototype Galactic Fairy, perhaps to control the Vajra. Age is conjectured, but Sheryl is obviously older than 3-4 but not yet a teenager. (Episode 18)

    7 years ago (~2052) - Alto enters the family business at the age of 10. (Episode 2)

    5 years ago (2054) - Alto enrolls in Mihoshi Academy middle school’s drama program. (Episode 2)

    3 years ago (2056) - Alto’s performance as the title character in “Sakura-hime Azuma Bunsho” wins him fame and the adulation of kabuki fans everywhere. Ranka gets into St. Mary’s (Episode 10, Ep 5 conjecture based on Ozma’s protests as well as her age)

    2 years ago (2057) - Alto switches majors and enters piloting. Presumably at this point, family relations have almost completely broken down. At this point, Sheryl is the Galactic Fairy and will soon be going on tour. (Episode 2, 11)

27. Haesslich August 10th, 2008 4:58 pm

    Nevermind, just doublechecked things… and if it was 2047 when the article was published, that places it about one year before the 117th Research Fleet’s destruction, and Sheryl would’ve been ALMOST the right age to know the research team, although it’s possible still that she wasn’t picked up until after the fleet was destroyed.

    Revised:

    12 years ago (2047) - Cosmo Nature article published about V-type infections, including Grace O’Connor, Mao Nome, and Ranshe Mei.

    6 years ago (2053) - Grace O’Connor publishes a thesis about V-type infections. Subject of study is Sheryl Nome. At this point, the 117th Fleet is destroyed, so Mao Nome and Ranshe Mei have nothing to do with Sheryl’s issues.

28. EvilDevil August 10th, 2008 5:14 pm

    “It seems that Sheryl’s Alto-hime has curves…”
    I am starting to think Sheryl sees Alto as a girl…

    I have the feeling that Grace killed Dr. Mao and Mei and stole their research for herself…

29. rollchan August 10th, 2008 7:04 pm

    @Tueac: oh yeah, that’s right. LOL!

    I miss Rick Hunter… LOL!

    Sheryl Nome is still da BEST. Ranka sux. hehe.

30. Haesslich August 10th, 2008 8:45 pm

    rollchan: ‘Fans’ like you or the ones who say that Sheryl is a whore are the reason people hate BOTH girls… or at least their shippers. Besides, if Sheryl or Ranka dies, then where do you ‘people’ go? To Satelight to torch the studio, or jumping off bridges?

31. rollchan August 10th, 2008 9:14 pm

    where would I go? none. I’ll just wait for Season 2 of gundam 00. that’s for sure. anime is anime, anyway. nothing personal about it. just a favorite past time.

    tnx.
    

32. Crusader August 10th, 2008 9:42 pm

    @Tenryu
    If Sheryl dies it would be a first for the franchise and given how integral Sheryl is to the triangle I have my doubts.

    @Shin
    Enjoy it while it lasts right Now Sheryl is about to be introduced to Alto-hime’s family, not even Ranka got that far, heck it so bad she doesn’t even seem to be trying. Stupid Brera.

    @rollchan
    She’s dead Jim.

    @Tueac
    Indeed Battle Frontier will prove to be a fine ship.

    @Haesslich
    Thanks for the time line but I think that Sheryl might have at least met the rest of the research team given how some one had to take legal responsibility for Sheryl, and it certainly doesn’t seem to be Grace. Sheryl and Grace hardly had a mother daughter thing going and I still think that given how Grace is naming Sheryl after Mao Nome is not something she would do.

    @EvilDevil
    Maybe Grace killed Mao but Ranshe became Queen of Vajira and sent Grace running to Galaxy.

    I find it hard to fault Sheryl for thinking that Alto-hime is a girl, its common enough mistake so it seems.

33. Haesslich August 10th, 2008 11:20 pm

    Crusader: the problem THERE is that Sheryl grew up in Galaxy’s slums… and Nome and company were with the 117th Research Fleet. If Sheryl HAD been infected by Mao Nome and Ranshe Mei, then how the hell did she go from Galaxy’s slums to the 117th fleet and back without anyone making a note of it? Plus, the fleet got wrecked 11 years prior to the start of the show… and Grace’s thesis on V-type infections that Klein found was only published 6 years prior to the start of the series, which is likely around the time she was infected as Grace’s statement about ‘long hospital stay after I found you’ suggests that was the first and probably only long one.

    Basically, if she’d been infected BEFORE then, then the thesis would’ve likely been published far earlier… and Sheryl wouldn’t have looked as old as she did (8-11 years of age) in that photo and flashback. To have been infected by Mao Nome, she would’ve had to have been six years old or younger as the fleet was lost in 2047 or thereabouts. And she didn’t look nearly that young in the flashbacks of when she’d been found.

    Therefore, it seems quite likely that Ranshe Mei and Mao Nome were dead or otherwise out of the way by the time that Sheryl was found and infected to become a Vara Controller/Queen by Grace. That particular project failed.. and so Sheryl is kept alive by Grace until she can find a Plan B. Plan B happens to be Ranka Lee, probable daughter of Ranshe Mei and a girl who seems to affect the Vajra the way Sheryl can’t.

34. Crusader August 10th, 2008 11:42 pm

    Sheryl only recalls Galaxy as being her home however sine Sheryl doesn’t remember a lot of things it is possible that Grace found her in a slum on 117th Fleet given how the architecture is similar to the innards of Macross Global (and Frontier, though we have not seen what Galaxy really looks like on the inside) in Sheryl’s/Grace’s flash back coupled with the fact that Vajira cause fold distortions and time is not constant when traveling it is remains a possibility nonetheless.

    In the gg sub it was translated as “some slum of the galaxy” Not every one was annhilated with the 117th fleet Ozma Cathy and the rest of those people in Island 3 back when they were dissecting Vajira survived the ordeal. Grace got away and might have taken Sheryl with her to Galaxy. I guess we shall see in good time though. It’s really strange if Sheryl recalls a mother figure yet when she was found she had nobody and nothing but garbage to call her own.

    The earrings are the key and if Grace didn’t give them to Sheryl then who did? Sheryl doesn’t look to Grace as a mother so who could have fulfilled that role? Given how close Ranshe is associated with the Vajira she seems the more likely source of fold quartz earrings. Even if Grace was stealing her notes Grace could not have known the full scope of fold quartz properties to give them away like that. The surprise discovery of Ranka’s powers was due in part to Grace’s ignorance of Fold Quartz and if Grace had known it would probably have been more guarded than wasted on the disposable Fairy Nine if a pretty trinket was all that was required.

35. Haesslich August 11th, 2008 12:50 am

    Except that each fleet is QUITE different, as Sheryl herself noted in Episode 5 - Galaxy would’ve been organized differently from (and is) Frontier, and that flashback we saw showed her in an actual slum-like living environment rather than a ship like the Global (which was Macross-class and more ’ship-like’ from what we could tell). Notice that they keep the cities, from Macross 7 onwards, in city-ships rather than retrofitting them into the Macross or New Macross-class carriers. The only reason the SDF-1 had a city in it the first time was due to urgency of the situation and the lack of infrastructure to build a city-sihp just for it. This lack has been rectified with the Megaroad-01 and later Macross convoys.

    The Vajra do not cause fold distortions - they can cross them. Time is constant; it is NOT changed by folding. What does happen with spacefolds is that there is ship-based elapsed time is different from universe-time, with real-spacetime being longer than on-ship, or a dilation effect. Basically, a spacefold which takes two weeks in real-world time will subjectively be experienced in two days… and it is obvious to the person undergoing spacefold that they’re in hyperspace; the special effects shown at the end of Episode 18 are consistent with those from the original SDF Macross. Plus, spacefold time dilation is rather minimal - to have spent years unaging would mean that Sheryl spent decades in spacefold time to have only aged a year or two, especially as spacefold drives had improved enough by Macross Plus to cross long distances far faster than the original SDF-1 could’ve (they went from Earth to Pluto in about a few hours ship-time which was several days in realtime).

    Do you see the problem here? Sheryl is 17, which places her birth around 2042; the 117th Fleet was lost around 2047, and given that Grace’s medication only relieved the symptoms rather than curing the subject, would’ve meant that Grace somehow kept Sheryl alive for over twelve years with that disease, even though the paper had only been published 6 years ago. I don’t see Sheryl as being able to last that long with that infection - six years is possible, twelve years and no signs until now? Rather improbable.

    Besides, notice that Sheryl says they’re all she has of her mother - not that her mother gave her the earrings in person. Sheryl can’t remember who her mother was - she had no family, which is why she hated Galaxy (ep 6) and grew up in the slums. If Grace had come up and said “Hey, I know your Mom, she wanted you to have these”, how would Sheryl know they were really from her mother and not Grace?

    Beyond that, given that she WASN’T wearing earrings and didn’t apparently have her ears pierced during her time in that medical tank or whatever she was in when the photo was taken six years ago… I kinda doubt she’d been able to hold onto them for years, living in a slum, without selling them or having someone take them from her. And how WOULD she know they’re from her mother, if she didn’t remember who her mother was or what she looked like?

36. Haesslich August 11th, 2008 12:55 am

    Realspace decades in spacefold, even.

37. Crusader August 11th, 2008 1:46 am

    Just because a disease is terminal doesn’t mean that death is all that imminent or not long in coming. IIRC Even with AIDS you can be HIV positive and not have AIDS, because it is only when your t-cell count collapses to a certain point does one have AIDS. My Great Grandmother fought her cancer for nigh 20 years since the age of 70. I am sure that given how Sheryl only seems to be suffering from side effects that her infection isn’t wasting her away. It is possible that only a year would have been needed for Sheryl and Ranshe and Mao to meet. You might be able to remember a smattering of things from age three and beyond even if the memories are a bit hazy. Besides Grace being Grace she might have at least wanted to benefit from two other sharp minds regarding her plans for Sheryl. Grace doesn’t know much about how to create a Ranka of her own so at least by having Sheryl serve as patient to the team rather than herself alone the chance of creating a better Fairy would have been most beneficial.

    Hopefully we will explore more of Sheryl’s past but right now all we have to work with is that she was a kid when Grace found her. The time between then and now has not been defined once we do know the details I am sure a clearer picture will come about. I think we are dealing with a virus here given how we are dealing with receptors then it could be that Sheryl’s virus is still in a lysogenic cycle where the viral DNA remains dormant within the DNA of the host cell but not active only becoming active under certain conditions. So it is posible that Sheryl has an infection but it is not active all the time and may have reamined dormant for most of her childhood only to be active later. We still don’t understand the triggers of lytic cycle completely but it is still nonetheless medically possible for Sheryl to have had an infection but not show any symptoms or suffering from any effects.

    Things might have progressed like this
    -Sheryl at age four found by Grace
    -Taken to the research team where she gets a legal name and legal status (they were publishing so they had to give Sheryl an identity and a legal parent, remember even lab notes are considered legal documents and there are peer reviews on data) Given that Grace doesn’t seem to be Sheryl’s legal mom that must mean that Sheryl must have had at one point a legal guardian since her first day as lab rat
    -for the next few months with a talented team of doctors they get the data that they need for V-type infection suppression drugs or at least have isolated the key target receptor. Sheryl’s health stabilizes.
    -117th fleet is attacked many are killed some escape, Cathy, Ozma, and Ranka flee to Frontier, Grace with Sheryl in tow flees to Galaxy with the data
    -Grace continues her research while “raising” Sheryl
    -Present events

    Just my speculation I think it is at least plausible

38. d3v August 11th, 2008 8:01 am

    The questions now raised are:
    -Why, off all people, did Grace pick Sheryl.
    -How did Sheryl get the V-type infection, (and wasn’t it previously stated that humans couln’t contract it)?

39. Impz August 11th, 2008 8:43 am

    I finally got to watching this, and I got a feeling that Ranka is now totally lost in her own famous circle. I do not know why, but there is this niggling feeling in my head that Ranka will go by the way of Minmei. She will definitely gain a lot of fame since she is now the figurehead of the Frontier, but she will lose everyone that really matters to her. Let’s hope that my doomsday’s prediction is totally off, since I like Ranka. Ranka so cute!

    Sheryl really made me feel this heart pain. You can see her headstrong personality trying to keep her through all this, but Grace just stabbed right through her weak point, stomp on it and gave it a few holes with an AK-47 for good measure. I really feel that Crusader’s speculation about how the time period happened during Sheryl’s past is a very legitimate and logical flow of things to come.

    I do wonder how terminal is terminal though. If anything, I got a feeling that the end will be how Alto will “choose” Sheryl over Ranka, when he realizes that Sheryl has not long to leave. By then, Ranka would have completely lost her head to fame, sticking to a life of fandom. I just feel that Ranka’s transformation in the next few episodes will make her completely distanced from Alto forever. I feel that way at least. She has love, but she forgot that Sheryl has death on her side.

40. Haesslich August 11th, 2008 10:10 am

    D3v: no, humans can contract it - that’s why there were all the blood tests and why Dulfim was quarantined per episode 8. But it requires or seems to require bodily fluid contact to be spread… and made that Eden hydra turn Vajra-feral as well as capable of trashing vehicles. Wheter humans die, turn into Vajra physically, or just join and act with the hive mind is not stated yet.

    Crusader: Cathy was always with Frontier - Ozma met her there and dated her there. That’s why her daddy is the president and she was the runner-up in the eighth pageant. My main concern with the timeline you present is that Sheryl didn’t look that young in the flashbacks and why they would deliberately infect a child to create the ninth fairy. As far as wecan tell, the 117th fleet was trying to figure out what they were, but only Galaxy was trying to harvest/control the Vajra. Even if Galaxy was funding the research, I don’t see why the others would do it to an unconsenting subject or risk the lives of their family in doing so (Remembering that Ranka and Brera were aboard and that others may have brought families too) - it’s like driving out to the nuke testing range with the kids rather than being in Chicago with the family working on the Manhatten Project.

    And so far, of all the ships, only Galaxy has been shown to have slums and other things expected of an olgiogarchy with little respect for Human life and ethics, given how they abandoned a bunch of escorts and are willing to sacrifice Frontier’s millions to gain control of human space via superior communications and mobility courtesy of Vajra food crystals. I smell another anti-U.N. Spacy group that somehow got control of a Macross.

41. satsuki August 11th, 2008 10:56 am

    @Impz- Sheryl might not die but Alto will surely feel closer to her because of her illness. But how close is up in the air. When I look at Ranka and Brera I see Lynn Minmei and Kaifun. They’re really playing out this SDF similarities. If I hadn’t watched SDF Macross, I would’ve already concluded that things will turn out like SDF Macross till the end—>Alto+Sheryl conclusion with Ranka drowning in her own fame and regretting it but learning from it. It happened once already. Will Kawamori do it again?

    I hope Ranka stops being a tool. I don’t want her to stay like this too. She’s too moe to follow Lynn Minmei’s ‘fate’.

42. The Sojourner August 11th, 2008 1:11 pm

    @Impz

    My prediction is a Sheryl ending but what really matters are the events prior to it. Though similar to the ‘Minmei’ path, it will not be exactly the same for Ranka. She might lose sight of her original goal of singing due to jealousy towards Sheryl if the latter makes a comeback which steals the attention once more and slowly wins the heart of Alto. But at the end of the story, she will become a stronger and finer woman.

    While others, especially Ranka supporters, might disagree about Ranka’s possibly becoming such a ‘bad girl’, I think a pristine personality like Ranka can be misguided at times of confusion. It is rather easy to be tainted by shades of other colors if you are a piece of white cloth.

43. Crusader August 11th, 2008 1:43 pm

    @d3v
    Grace works in mysterious ways…

    @Impz
    Yeah Ranka is getting way too comfy with her new role and she’s moving away from all her old friends not closer to them, and certainly not moving closer to Alto-hime. At least Ranka isn’t a bitch like Minmay was, but she is being dupped into singing Grace’s tune and not her own. Sheryl really got shafted by Grace, and so far it seems that Sheryl might have been through and been toughened by harsher times. At least Ranka was loved as a child, though with a brother like Ozma she might have been spoiled to the point where she can’t stand on her own…

    I don’t think Sheryl would want Alto-hime to be with her out of his sense of pity, she loves hime but that doesn’t mean she can’t let go if she feels that hime doesn’t love her back.

    @Haesslich
    While I agree that Sheryl’s age is hard to ascertain from her size we must also realize that size is not necessarily an indicator of age Ranka is 16 but she doesn’t look 16. Again I hope we get more scraps of evidence to complete the picture. I might be wrong, but we won’t know until Mr. Kawamori deigns to elaborate.

    I don’t remember seeing any thing on the interior of Macross Galaxy except for the explicit stylized version in Sheryl’s memory where she was describing it to Alto-hime. Though you are right a Corporation would allow for a slum, but then again why would a corporation bother with fire escapes in the first place?

    I am not sure Cathy was always on Frontier given how she and Ozma had dated before it must have occurred before the 117th was destroyed I doubt Ozma would have been keen on dating when he had Ranka to raise once he got on Frontier. More over it seems that Ozma dedicated his life to Ranka and no one else given how the only two pictures of Ranka’s childhood are of him and Ranka only. It is quite possible that Cathy’s first posting was on the 117th given how normally first assignments are handed out at random and it takes 3-4 years to make a full Lieutenant (assuming traditional naval ranks). I suspect that Ozma and Cathy started to drift apart after the 117th was destroyed and Ozma took in Ranka. I think that Ozma when he was younger and single was a wild boy who was irresistible to Cathy, hence why she chose a polar opposite in Leon because he was a “good” boy.

    I agree that there seems to be a more anti-UN Spacy feel to Galaxy but then again maybe the board is only interested in making a profit and since there is only one nearby fleet to watch over them it seems government control is weak. It is still possible that the “attack” was staged and the the Dulfim and Kaitos were beacon ships and couriers for the Vajira eggs and were already expendable. Given how Grace is the unseen mover of events it is possible that the attack was all part of her plan…

    @satsuki
    Minmay dug her own grave Ranka getting hers dug by Grace. Ranka is far more sympathetic, but at the same time she is still a little girl who is in way over her head. I am not sure how closely Kawamori is going to follow past convention but so far it seems that there are some potentially critical differences not in the least of which Misa always had her career and Sheryl’s has just been shot to shit. Ranka is at least more likeable that Minmay and Brera while Kaifun class is not the over bearing ass that was the original Kaifun personality wise.

    @The Sojourner
    I don’t think that Grace can easily destroy Ranka as she did Sheryl Brera’s loyalty to Grace might be in doubt and let’s not forget there are many strong people who still love Ranka, like Bobby and Ozma. Ranka is a hero of the fleet whose song has delivered them from the Vajira threat. Ranka is no mere idol. We have yet to see how Ranka will react once she realizes that Sheryl and Alto-hime have moved in together or have come closer. Her reaction to the news will be critical. Hopefully she will not seek Brera out as her crutch. I don’t expect Ranka to become a woman by the end, but I do want to see her grow up before Grace deals even more damage.

44. The Sojourner August 11th, 2008 1:51 pm

    Oh. Don’t worry. I do not think Ranka will do great evil. But young girls have a tendency to be impressionable and naive *uh. please don’t ask me how did I come to that conclusion* so I am guessing she is going to stumble a bit. There is faith that Ranka will ultimately sort out her priorities but things will no longer be the same, such as the Alto and Sheryl romance.

    Although I support the Sheryl’s cause but I am not one who allows personal preferences to hinder my judgment in contemplating on what would be a feasible ending. It is painful ocassionally to be like that, because I was supportive of Noe back in True Tears, but I felt Hiromi was more suited for uh what was his name again? Oh yeah… Shinichiro.

45. Haesslich August 11th, 2008 3:24 pm

    Crusader: The reason there’d be fire escapes is because Galaxy is a city-ship (that big purple thing), not a bio-ship like Frontier’s Island One. They can create a city-sized colony ship… but Sheryl describes Galaxy as being full of chemical plants and factories, something like a cross between the Bad Old Days of the USSR and Socialist China of today. How she describes Galaxy in the now (rather than just as a child) reminds me of a corporate state gone the socialist route, except instead of having State as God you have Corporation as God.

    As for Cathy, she’s 24 and Ozma’s in his forties… and he’s been with the Frontier for around 11-12 years since the 117th went boom. Thus, if he was dating Cathy BEFORE Ranka came around, Cathy Glass would’ve been… eleven or twelve years old. Even for the Macross Universe, or Japan, this is rather young. Episode 6 shows Cathy’s birthdate as December 26, 2036 - the destruction of the 117th Research Fleet took place in 2047-2048. Therefore, their relationship had to happen after his transfer to Frontier sometime after that but it had to have ended a few years back for her to get so heavily involved and engaged to Leon. From what we can tell, Miss Macross contestants have to be at least sixteen years of age as Minmay was way back when, thus suggesting that they were dating sometime in the past eight years or so… something reinforced by the flashbacks in Episode 17 where their makeout session was interrupted by a phone call concerning Ranka. Thus, I’d also have to argue that your interpretation of the timeline is somewhat flawed based on how you’ve seen Cathy as being present (and dateable) when she was eleven.

    Similarly, I can’t see Sheryl being used at the age of four by the whole group there in the Cosmo Nature article as a test subject, since they were studying the infection rather than (apparently) trying to control Vajra. Besides, who said that Grace was the only researcher on Galaxy working on the infection? Perhaps after the 117th’s destruction, and her eloping with the data, she had her own research group, and one of THEM adopted Sheryl after Grace found her and took her in? Grace has been running Sheryl’s life for at least six years now, if not longer… which sets a boundary for how long Sheryl’s been infected. At least six years, but probably no longer than ten… else she might have been mentioned in that Cosmo Nature article in some way. The only research subject we saw there was that thing in the tank.

    Or it could be Kawamori poking at the laissez-faire capitalist system and today’s multinationals by showing a world where they’re not restrained by government controls, the same way he was decrying Western polluters and the like in Macross Zero or other series where his New Age tendencies have been allowed to run wild. But given the way Luca was talking (monopoly on space travel)… well, Mr. Bilrer may represent the ‘kinder, gentler corporation’ faction while Galaxy and Grace represent the ‘planet-raping, people-murdering-for-profit, scumbag robber-baron’ corporate elements who would no doubt rather see the UN Spacy fall so they could contract services out to the rest of human space for profit.

46. Crusader August 11th, 2008 4:51 pm

    @The Sojourner
    I have no doubt Ranka will be able to sort things out, but the issue is wheter or not she can sort things out in time to make any headway with Alto-hime at all. Right now Ranka has less on screen time with Alto-hime than Mikhail and way below Sheryl.

    @Haesslich
    Oh my bad. However given that Saaya Irie exists just because Cathy was 12 doesn’t rule her out as looking more mature than her years suggest…

    If Grace took Sheryl to Ranshe and Mao as a ragged little girl with a disease I am sure that Mao and Ranshe would have been moved to pity to try and save the girl and be a bit more careless with their notes around Grace…

    I do agree though that once UN Spacy is no more Macross Galaxy will be the combine even if Bilrer is the Richard Branson of age.

47. Haesslich August 11th, 2008 4:57 pm

    Basically, my disagreement with your timeline stems mostly from the whole age issue, as well as the ethical issues that Mao Nome and Ranshe Mei may have brought in. That, and not wanting to have her family wiped out if the ‘control’ experiment goes horribly, horribly wrong. Grace and Galaxy undoubtedly were the ones behind the sinking if the 117th Research Fleet, but suggesting that Sheryl was known by the research team at the time is a bit far-fetched. A more reasonable conjecture at this stage is that since she was apparently grew up on Macross Galaxy is that there was Grace’s post-117th Research Team who worked on and raised Sheryl as one of their own… and giving her the Nome name could have been a private joke on Grace’s part as well as a misdirection for anyone who would want to dig into Sheryl’s past (they’d look for connections to Doctor Mao Nome and come up with a dead end).

48. Crusader August 11th, 2008 5:25 pm

    Given that Dr. Mao Nome was a big name in the medical field it is possible that helping some poor orphan would have brought more publicity to their work and more funding. Treating poor children at no cost is hardly a no no in today’s world, I doubt much will change in the future. Knowing Grace I don’t think she has a sense of humor, I would have expected a more banal name like Smith rather than invite more attention and scrutiny by using such a distinguished name. Given the likelihood of grace stealing notes from both Mao and Ranshe bringing more attention to the legacy of Mao Nome would be counter productive. Given that it might have been poor Sheryl’s last chance at life and Mao’s prestige I am sure there was more support than opposition to trying to save Sheryl’s life. Dr. Mao might not have even used experimental drugs at all and might have been treating Sheryl while analyzing blood samples and the like to gather data and sequence the protein receptor. Suffice to say much can be learned by studying a younger patient with an infection given the physiological differences between children and adults.

    Given how serious they have made out Sheryl’s illness it is also a stretch to say that Sheryl survived roughly 10 years untreated and malnourished as a carrier. Either way its kind of a stretch either way and I have a feeling that Kawamori might be trying to tie in Mao Nome more strongly with the current continuity. Given how Grace needs a more mysterious mystique Sheryl seems a likely candidate. Otherwise Grace loses some of her terrifying aura, after all Grace is scary because we don’t know what she’s really like or what she really has planned.

49. Haesslich August 11th, 2008 5:56 pm

    Um… she didn’t spend ten years as a carrier. If you listen to Grace’s speech, she says ‘oh… you spent a long time in the hospital after I picked you up’ and implies that was because Grace was exposing Sheryl to the V-type infection during that time. In other words, Sheryl was fine until Grace got her hands on her. I don’t see Sheryl surviving ten years as a carrier, even with medication to ‘alleviate the symptoms’ - especially as it’s implied that V-type infections are extremely quick-acting and lethal, and Sheryl was displaying symptoms in Episode 11… while still taking her pills - Klein confirmed that the pill Mikhail had pocketed was a receptor-blocker that alleviated symptoms for a certain disease. Grace was still dosing her with the treatment up until Ranka burst onto the scene - but the drugs were losing their effectiveness, and the side effects seemed to be coming on stronger. The smirk at the end of the speech was basically to rub Sheryl’s nose in the fact that she was going to be dead very soon, and the “I’m Sheryl Nome” speech wouldn’t forestall her physical demise no matter how often Sheryl repeated it to herself and everyone else.

    If Sheryl’s been a carrier for 12-13 years (as she would’ve had to be in order to get worked on by the 117th Research Fleet) is unlikely, as she’d probably have kicked the bucket long before now or gone Vajra in mind or body. I can see the team studying children who HAD been infected… but it’s more likely they studied Vajra bodies or young Vajra, had they access to any of them. A team picking up Sheryl on Galaxy after the 117th Fleet had been wiped out, then naming her ‘Nome’ would fit someone’s sense of humor (it doesn’t have to be Grace who named her, no matter what you say) and also mean that any queries would be sent along the wrong direction if they were investigating her… as, if she was never with the 117th Research Fleet, any inquiries into their manifests would prove a dead end for anyone wanting to track Sheryl’s past if they found out she was a V-type infectee. Plus, if anyone investigated the Nome name, they’d find out nothing about any biological relatives Sheryl MIGHT have, which makes sense if she’s related to Ranshe Mei at all. If she’s not related to Ranshe Mei, then investigations into other possibilities still hurts nobody… and would suit Kawamori, given that this helps tie Macross Zero to the rest of the universe rather more tightly, which also means he can draw more links to the Protoculture.

50. Crusader August 11th, 2008 6:32 pm

    Hmmm… I am not sure if Sheryl was deliberately infected but I wouldn’t put it past Grace. Point noted, I had assumed that Sheryl contracted it before she met Grace, since Grace didn’t fess up to it to make Sheryl cry that her “savior” and manager had never liked her since day one and Sheryl fell for it big time. Also it seems that Sheryl was convinced that she was sick before they met. Though if Sheryl was some how related to either Ranshe or Mao then Grace’s selection of Sheryl as Fairy 9 would indeed cement Grace’s place as ultimate evil of 2008. That would be something so spiteful that it would be worthy of being associated with Grace.

51. Haesslich August 11th, 2008 6:53 pm

    If Sheryl was THAT sick, she’d have been dead long before Grace found her. Macross Galaxy doesn’t seem to believe in socialized health care, or even Medicare/Medic-Aid for someone who picks garbage in alleys. Plus, Grace pretty much said flat out that she was the one who got Sheryl infected and thus was the one keeping her alive until she found someone more useful… and that she was a manufactured idol whose popularity was more due to Grace’s business acumen (and hacking) than natural talent rising to the top.

    But given the resemblance, it’s either coincidence that Sheryl looks like Ranshe Mei… or a real good knife-twisting, as now she’d have had her hands on BOTH of Ranshe Mei’s daughters, and used them both. Plus it’d let Kawamori put in one more Macross Zero reference, and would make Ranka’s role in the movie even more ironic (playing the role of Doctor Nome when her own mother worked for Doctor Nome).

    PS: If Grace O’Conner is indeed the Queen Bitch of this show, then Kikuko Inoue got one of the best roles available for Spring 2008 - The Boss was good, but being evil like this after being typecast as caring mothers (one of her more recent was Ms. Hiragi in Lucky Star) or Belldandy for years.

52. Crusader August 11th, 2008 7:08 pm

    Some how I just don’t see Ranshe ditching Sheryl and running off with a man to give birth to two more kids. Though that be a big shock if Ranka’s mom was morally loose and/or that she stole Grace’s man…

    Such a reference would be rather poetic in more ways than one…
    I agree that this one of the more memorable roles Kikuko Inoue has snagged hopefully she will be able to break out into other roles. She is much more than the voice of a caring mother. Even if she doesn’t get much time as Cecile Croomy in Code Geass at least she has one big role as arguably the most evil femme fatales in recent memory. Right now Grace seems to be much more insidious than many evil characters this season.

    Sad to see that video game roles didn’t seem to count in terms of casting.

53. Chris August 11th, 2008 7:59 pm

    Grace and Ranshe have the same eye color.

54. D.J August 13th, 2008 5:44 am

    It was quite fortuitous for Hime’s brother to run into Sheryl like that. ^_^ Now he has the perfect means to lure him back home.

    I agree, there are strong feelings there when a guy will run through the rain for you.

    And Ranka does seem to be losing her way a little, but I think in the end she’ll realize what’s going on and not allow herself to be a puppet. I think Brera would protect her from everything, including Grace!

    As for Sheryl, I think along the same lines. Grace certainly pulled strings but without the determination Sheryl has I don’t think she would have become as popular an idol as she is.

    I think with some time at Hime’s place she’ll find her voice again, and will sing, eventually ^-^

55. d3v August 14th, 2008 7:06 pm

    Just saw pics from the next episode. It looks like Alto-hime’s gonna be breaking more fans after episode 19.

56. d3v August 14th, 2008 7:13 pm

    Crap, ran out of time to edit. Anyway, as I was trying to say, Ai-Ai-Alto-hime is deculture!

57. Haesslich August 14th, 2008 8:14 pm

    … Alto-hime’s mother looks JUST like Alto-hime now. He is genetically a trap, and no doubts about it.

    Oh, and Naked Klein next ep. Let the nosebleeds begin!

58. Crusader August 14th, 2008 9:44 pm

    @D.J
    It seems next time Ranka makes a big mistake…

    @d3v
    Good to see that in the future our Alto-hime will only look better as the years do by. Suffice to say it seems that Alto-hime got most of his genes from his mum.

    @Haesslich
    Oh man I can’t wait to actually know what they were actually saying…but well we all have confirmed our suspicions that Alto-hime did get most of his genes from his mother. Wow I can’t believe she married Ranzo. From what I can gather though it seems Ranka is fooling around while Sheryl is being egged on to be serious with Alto-hime. Hopefully Sheryl will be flattered to be compared to Alto-hime’s mom, after all she was prettier than Sheryl.

59. Haesslich August 14th, 2008 9:53 pm

    Crusader: It’s usually not a compliment when a guy tells a woman she reminds him of his mother. Either that, or it portends incest and severe mother issues that damage a relationship.

    Looking forward to Naked Klein, though.

60. Crusader August 14th, 2008 10:27 pm

    You forget Alto-hime’s mom is just your average mother…besides we all know who is the prettier of the two. Besides given how Kawamori is a hippie but not some sick bastard I don’t think it was intended as incest, however it could be a sign that Sheryl might end up being Alto-hime’s most important person given how hime loved his mother very much or at least cherished her and her memory. Perhaps it is a portent of the possibility that Sheryl’s fate might end up being similar to Alto-hime’s mother and perhaps there is a chance that Alto-hime will face the same problem Ranzo did…

    Right now I am raging over the fact that Ranka was dallying with Brera…well at least it was good to see Klein finally getting her way and it seems Ozma and Cathy have to put up some sort of awkward front…

61. Haesslich August 14th, 2008 10:37 pm

    Ozma and Cathy were quite cute there - it looks like the engagement to Leon is off, though. But I guess his brush with death plus his mid-battle confession in front of everyone did the trick. Looking forward to more Klein, even if Mikhail’s talking about dying portends not-nice things.

62. Crusader August 14th, 2008 10:53 pm

    I bet Leon passed up Cathy for Grace considering how it seems Leon no longer needs Cathy as a means to become head of the Fleet. It’s not a quedstion of if Leon and Grace are partaking of afternoon delight, but rather as to the manner…

63. D.J August 15th, 2008 9:28 am

    Watched 19, oh Ranka, your dilly dallying cost you precious time…

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