August 31st, 2016 
AstroNerdBoy Macross Delta 22
Macross Δ 22
マクロスΔ 22
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
On Windermere, the Ariel Knights ponder events with Heinz while Cassim (Qasim) makes arrangements for apple saplings moved to his farm. Keith sees Heinz to see if Heinz is committed to Roid’s path. Meanwhile, thanks to Mirage, Freyja rejoins Walküre to prepare for the next mission. Mikumo goes to the observation deck, where she’s joined by Hayate. The two chat for a bit before coming to the mission briefing. Mikumo is now mentally prepared for what is to come. Captain Ernest gives Delta Squad and Walküre a talk before sending them on their way. Macross Elysion detaches from the artificial island and dispatches to Planet Randall, where they assist the surviving Voldor forces who’ve launched an attack.
Windermere dispatches Bogue, Keith, and Hermann with their squads to reinforce their defenses. Delta Squad and Walküre attack Planet Alfheim. Cassim, Theo, and Xao dispatch there while Walküre attempts to open a portal to Windermere. Freyja’s faltering singing causes problems, but her comrades get her to sing. Hayate starts losing control, but thanks to Mirage and Freyja, regains himself. The portal opens and Delta Squad and Walküre get to Windermere, tailed by Cassim, Theo, and Xao. Cassim expends himself trying to shoot down Hayate. He crashes. Hayate lands along with Mirage and Freyja to assist him, but he dies.
Thoughts/Review:
Good thing reader Rob C. alerted me to the Macross Delta Special that is out there. It explained things that happened in this episode.
I recall back when the Dirty Pair series was new on TV in Japan. I asked my anime loving friend why Yuri and Kei wore skimpy outfits in combat situations. His response was that they has some kind of skintight barrier around them.
With Macross Delta 22, I see this joke actually brought to reality. We see Walküre slathering some substance on themselves as they prepare for the mission. In the Macross Delta Special, the explanation is that this substance creates a skintight barrier to protect them from projectile weapons and more. I admit that I chuckled over this.
This episode contained a fair amount of melodrama. First, we still had the issue with Freyja and Hayate, showing them down (well, mostly Freyja).
Then Mikumo is down, and shockingly, it is Hayate that gets her in gear.
When we get to Randall, Mikumo-oneesan has to slap Freyja as part of the tough love to get Freyja out of her funk. Well, I call Mikumo an “oneesan,” but as she told Hayate, she’s the youngest member of Walküre at three years of age.
We get our cliched moment for Hayate to go out of control again, only to be saved by Mirage and Freyja. Yeah, whatever. Love triangle for the whatever. 🙄
Speaking of Hayate, how lucky is he? The enemy doesn’t attack Hayate while gets himself together. If that wasn’t bad enough, Hayate decides to take a break from combat to visit Cassim’s crashed craft. Then Mirage joins him. OK, the one half of the wonder twins may have been shot down, but still, you’re on an enemy planet.
Cassim’s death had no impact on me. His death flag was set from the start of the episode. But it seemed like he killed himself by doing his own version of going nuts.
Finally, with four episodes left, I really have no feeling of things starting to come together from a story perspective. Ah. Silly me. I’m not watching a story. I’m watching a lengthy advertisement to sell music CDs. My bad. 😉
In the end, Macross Delta 22 does a bit of combat and ends some melodrama, but just feels like it is just going through the motions.
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Thanks for the shout out, Astro!
I guess it’s necessary “bridge” episode. It was the road paved to get us to the end game, Windermere and beyond. How did they know that the Protoculture ruins allows for Warps? I missed how they explain that off, they barely understood how its going mind control, never mind skipping how the Apples / contaminated water mixed in there.
I wish episode had more too it. It was nice to see variable Koening Monster in action again, though it looks like reused animation from Frontier almost. I kinda noticed that the shuttles the Walküre was using are from appearance virtually same as the Monster in “shuttle mode”.
As for the opening battle, they didn’t explain much who was who in the fight. If it weren’t for you review, i won’t have known who it was! I hate how that fighting basically civil war style conflict. Everyone using same stuff, we barely got see the Windermere fleet ships. 🙁
Well, now their on Windermere, my question what exactly going to accomplish? They’re not exactly trained Commandos, planning to blow up the Protoculture artifacts. They’ll end up blowing their cover by singing! XD
Sorry, for the sarcasm. Some the stuff their doing is just plain dumb at times.
You aren’t supposed to think about that. You’re supposed to think about how desperately you want to buy the music CDs. 😉
Heh! It really did look like Macross Frontier redux.
Yeah, I hear ya. It took me a bit to figure out who was fighting who.
Ha!ha! Yes, they’ll blow their cover, but you’re supposed to just buy the music CDs. 😉
As to Windermere, I’ve no clue what they are really trying to accomplish. Everything in this series is just going through motions. Unfortunately, story is sacrificed for music.
Haha. You forgot the non important scene when a NUNS’s “Shinnakasu/Northrom Grumman VB-6 König Monster” (googled the name) is deployed, transforms and starts shooting against the windermere ships.
It is also important to sell some toys afterall!!
Btw the 3d model was horrible.
And what was doing the other windermere knight when Hayate went to see Cassim? This is turning ridiculous. And Mirage now is a terrible leader of the Delta squadron.
And attacking the home planet of the enemy with just 2 or 3 Valkyrias and a bunch of real-combat incapable idols? That’s a plan, yeah.
Not best plan i think, Chaos unfortunately does NOT appear to have special commandos, so Delta and Walküre act as such. Which i find rather…troublesome. Bad writing. I personally think that since past the 1980s Japan lost much of it’s manga/anime writers/directors/producers who had actual military knowledge which they applied to their works. Now were getting what is see half-assed stuff, with couple exception here and there anime series wise.
Something i forgot to mention which bothered me was when Frejya AND Mirage both appear at the same time in special/power dimension (whatever it is, the Wind space) when Mirage never shown any kind powers to be able project and save Hayato from his deserved doom. No, i don’t like him, he been like least plot involved main male character i’ve seen in the Macross franchise.
I think that the scene with Mirage AND Frejya is just metaphoric, just to add some “emotion” to our visuals.
I know that the Delta characters must prevail on the show… But the galaxy is in danger and you just leave it to CHAOS, a private military group that only has a bunch of ships and no soldiers? But it has Idols….
And it is not a secret war on a remote place of the universe, all the galaxy is affected and you can plan a counterattack as the Windermere attacks are sporadic.
Where are the other Macross ships/fleets/armies? The SMS mercenary group? Anyone?
Is this conflict irrelevant enough compared to other major thing happening at the same time on another place? I don’t think so but I like the idea for another Macross series:
A real full scale war on the other side of the galaxy while the events of the Windermere incident developed.
And if the music attack is what is important… well, You can call for help from two VAJRA QUEENS (Sheryl and Ranka), that I think have more folding bacteria than everyone else, as they are the originals. Just saying.
Depends on what ending of Frontier this Macross is playing off of. Alto leaving town with the Vajra Queen and Sheryl in a coma or the TV ending with Sheryl and Ranka still awake.
I think you are right. However, the series has shown people apparently going astral at times due to singing. Initially, I thought they were doing something weird, but then decided otherwise.
MagicalTechnological Idol Girls. 😉Ha!ha! But that’s logical thinking. 😉
That may be a part of it. I think the other problem is that anime today is just an advertisement to sell a product. In the case of a manga series or a light novel series, the anime adaptation usually isn’t a bad thing. In the case of Macross Delta, the goal is mostly selling music CDs with a side of selling Macross merchandise (models and such). So the story is sacrificed in favor of selling the music CDs since that’s what the series is advertising. 🙁
As to the Mirage-Freyja thing, I think that is supposed to be symbolic, but because of how poorly this series has explained things, it is hard to know what’s what though. 🙁
😛 I didn’t actually forget. I unfortunately ran out of time when I wrote this review. I wondered what folks would say about the VB-6 showing up. 😀
Ha!ha! Yes. Maybe he had to take a dump. 😆
Magical idol girls. 😉 But yeah, the combat situation here is rather stupid.
FYI Episode 23 is out.
Just watched it. Still digesting it. Probably have a review up Friday, assuming work doesn’t get in the way.