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| Hikaru watches Minmay's beauty contest. Oh, and fights aliens. |
Wherein the Zentradi are bewildered by Japanese idol culture. Giants from outer space have never felt so relatable...
Original Air Date - Macross: Dec. 5, 1982.
Written by: Sukehiro Tomita. Directed by: Noboru Ishiguro, Hiroyuki Yamaga.
Original Air Date - Robotech: Mar. 14, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.
PLOT - MACROSS:
Life aboard the Macross is becoming increasingly normal for the civilian population. The military has installed a synthetic sky above the city, and a new broadcasting system is starting. Its debut program is a beauty pageant: The Miss Macross competition, with Lynn Minmay as one of the contestants!
Hikaru is assigned to standby duty the night of the contest. When a Zentradi reconnaissance vessel is detected, he is called on to intercept. Distracted by the broadcast, however, he nearly gets himself killed before the enemy engagement even begins!
PLOT - ROBOTECH:
Life aboard the SDF-1 is becoming increasingly normal for the civilian population. Robotech Research installed in a synthetic sky above the city, and a new broadcasting system is starting. Its debut program is a beauty pageant: The Miss Macross competition, with Lynn Minmei as one of the contestants!
Rick is assigned to patrol duty the night of the contest. When a Zentraedi reconnaissance vessel is detected, he is called on to intercept the enemy. Distracted by the broadcast, however, he nearly gets himself killed before the enemy engagement even begins!
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| The Zentradi reconnaissance team is baffled by the contest. |
CHARACTERS:
In both versions, Hikaru/Rick neglects his duty assignment to attend the beauty pageant. Let me repeat: The pilot assigned to standby duty on a ship that has been under regular enemy attack for months vanishes so that he can watch girls in swimsuits. OK, they're probably too short on pilots to throw him in the brig - but I'd fully expect those shiny new lieutenant bars to be immediately stripped away. But of course, he's the main character, so there will be no consequences for his dereliction of duty.
The Zentradi recon pilots' mission is to intercept the "internal communications activity" on the ship. This leaves them viewing and recording the beauty pageant. They are appalled that men and women serve together on the same ship. They are also mystified by the swimsuits. They speculate that the suits must be battle armor of some kind, even as they wonder how armor covering so little of a person's body could be effective. The Robotech episode adds an amusing extra bit in which one of the Zentraedi wonders if those are the only parts that are vulnerable.
All of this is played for laughs, but these exchanges also reveal something of the Zentradi culture. Even as we laugh, we learn: the sexes are strictly segregated; the aliens only think in military terms; and they have no comprehension of sexuality.
Advantage: None.
NARRATION:
For the first time, the narration is basically identical in both versions. Both open without narration, allowing the establishing shots to run before cutting into the opening conversation. The ending shots are narrated, but only lightly. This is a refreshing change, though I suppose it would be futile to hope that it will start a trend.
Advantage: None.
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| Macross's Hikaru and Minmay have a long conversation, while Robotech's Rick and Minmei have a short one. |
CUTS AND ALTERATIONS:
The Opening Conversation Is Cut Short: Macross opens with a two-minute conversation between Hikaru and Minmay. Hikaru observes the new sky and grumbles that the civilians don't even seem to particularly want to get home anymore. This is followed by Minmay promising to cook a meal for him for that evening. Robotech cuts the scene more than in half, keeping only Rick noticing the sky. Rick, who has generally been more optimistic in attitude than Hikaru, does not complain, instead just expressing surprise.
Max and Ben's Chat, and Rick's Awareness of the Beauty Contest: The Hikaru/Minmay scene in Macross is followed by a full conversation between Max and Kakizaki, who remark on Hikaru's good mood and how they were both given the evening off. This is followed by the announcement of the Miss Macross competition, with Hikaru annoyed to learn that Minmay is a contestant. In Robotech, Max and Ben only exchange a couple of lines, noting that Rick has given the entire squadron the night off to go cheer for Minmei - meaning that unlike Hikaru, Rick already knows about her entry.
Robotech Desexualizes the Contest: There are several bits of suggestive dialogue that are replaced with more innocuous lines. In Macross, Misa and Claudia observe that the captain, selected as one of the judges, "has a dirty look in his eyes"; in Robotech, they merely remark on how handsome he looks. Macross's Max observes that despite Minmay being small, she "comes fully equipped." Robotech's Max just remarks to Ben on how pretty she looks. Finally, Robotech removes the Zentradi talking about "a strange, tingly kind of feeling" while watching the broadcast.
Advantage: Macross.
INCIDENTAL MUSIC:
This is more of a series-wide issue than an episode-specific one, but the incidental music is seriously overused in Robotech. It creates an interesting dilemma. I find the Robotech score to be generally better than the Macross one; however, I also find that Macross makes more targeted use of its score, while Robotech (still afraid of silence) slathers music over any action moment.
That costs Robotech the nod for this episode. The Macross score never drew so much attention to itself that it yanked me out of the story. I can't say the same for the Americanized version.
Advantage: Macross.
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| Hikaru dramatically storms the recon ship - and gives Robotech one of its most-used ad bumpers. |
OVERALL ADVANTAGE: MACROSS:
Though Miss Macross is substantially the same in both versions, Robotech's severe cuts to two early conversations leave it feeling rushed from the outset. Robotech also features a minor inconsistency in Rick's attitude toward Minmei's participation: He gives his men the night off to support her, then later expresses annoyance at her taking part. Ah, pick a reaction and stick with it, please! As a result, the Macross version comes across feeling more consistent and cleanly paced than its American counterpart.
OTHER MUSINGS:
Miss Macross is an enjoyable episode, but it has some issues - and not just in the Robotech version. I can't fully get past Hikaru/Rick's negligence. To be honest, I don't think it occurred to the writers how inexcusable it really is for him to "go missing" while on duty - while guarding a ship that's been under regular, recurring attack, at that!
My favorite parts of the episode are the Zentradi reactions to the pageant. These scenes are genuinely funny. As a bonus, the dialogue is different enough between the two versions that both variants are equally entertaining, even watched back-to-back. These scenes also provide our first real look at Zentradi society, which should make the aliens feel more complete as characters moving forward.
Still, while it's highly watchable, I would personally rate it below several of the ones that have come before.
Overall Rating: 6/10.
Previous Episode: Longest Birthday/Sweet Sixteen
Next Episode: Blind Game
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